The biking thread

daft biker
Aye, I'm on the look out for a 7 speed rapidfire shifter for the bairn's bike....it came with those stupid 🤬 gripshift things that every bairns bike with gears that I saw had. My 6 year old girl struggles to balance and change gear at the same time never mind blance, change gear and pedal all at the same time. My 9 year old nephew could just about manage it when I took him down to GT and hired him a bike. Both of them would rather have rapidfire shifters like I have and having seen them try to wrestle with gripshift can easily see why.

I've never liked gripshift but I've been riding with Shimano gears since thumbshifters were standard issue....although it wasn't long before rapidfire then rapidfire plus came along.

What about those combined brake and gear leavers you can get now? Anybody like those? I can't stand them personally:yuck:
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The last time I rode a bike with gripshift my balls still hadn't dropped and the whole grip moved, needless to say I didn't get on with it.

I'll keep that in mind as my lad gets older and needs bigger bikes, I might stop feeding him though becasue the good bikes are 🤬 expensive!

PS. am I right in thinking the spacing between the gears in the same on 7 and 8 speed?...could use an 8 speed shifter on a 7 speed cassette?
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Nope, the spacing is different so the number of speeds on your shifter has to match the number of cogs on your cassette, I had a look into this as I wanted better shifters but as my cassette is 8 speed the choice is limited with SRAM :indiff:
 
Neal
Nope, the spacing is different so the number of speeds on your shifter has to match the number of cogs on your cassette, I had a look into this as I wanted better shifters but as my cassette is 8 speed the choice is limited with SRAM :indiff:
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Bummer....a new rear wheel, cassette, chain, shifter and probably rear mech too would probably cost more than the bairn's bike cost in the first place. And if I take the grips off to change shifters I like to put new ones on.

Not sure it would have cost much more to get it right in the first place:grumpy: Perhaps I should write to Carrera/Halfords and suggest they do some kids bikes with gears kids can work more easily:idea:

At least kids bikes with brakes designed for little hands seem to be getting more common.....usually white plastic levers that pull a lot less cable through than adult levers do and are much easier for small kids to use. The levers are usually quite close to the bars too...I can barely fit my fingers between the brake leaver and bars on the bairn's old bike. The cable not moving much means the pads need to be very close to the rims though....needs careful setup to avoid rubbing while still allowing enough stopping power. They were a long overdue step forward IMHO:)
 
I used to be good at cycling until I took a chainring to the knee, pictures to come later if the massive bruise that should appear, does appear.

Still that makes 2 out of 100 rides in 2012.
 
Could've be worse, at least you didn't rupture a kidney!

My ride yesterday was crap, got my new wheels on then started battling headwinds but only managed 7km before getting a puncture. Only 10min from home at that point but still looked like a moron taking his bike for a walk.
 
Neal
Could've be worse, at least you didn't rupture a kidney!

My ride yesterday was crap, got my new wheels on then started battling headwinds but only managed 7km before getting a puncture. Only 10min from home at that point but still looked like a moron taking his bike for a walk.
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Learn to manual/front manual! Then you can roll home :sly:
 
One big problem with my bike: it's hard as hell to stand up on. That means climbs are ridiculous. The geometry is just not made for it. The gears are too slow to shift so you wind up losing all your momentum too.
 
Omnis
One big problem with my bike: it's hard as hell to stand up on. That means climbs are ridiculous. The geometry is just not made for it. The gears are too slow to shift so you wind up losing all your momentum too.
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I can't remember I last stood up for any other reason than my arse was getting sore.

I'd consider a different gear set before any modifications to make standing up easier.
 
Omnis
One big problem with my bike: it's hard as hell to stand up on. That means climbs are ridiculous. The geometry is just not made for it. The gears are too slow to shift so you wind up losing all your momentum too.
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how about some adjustable bar ends?

They should help shift your weight forward when climbing out the saddle and give you more room to move around in. Your bike looks like it could be a bit cramped while standing.

The reason I've suggested adjustable ones is that the riser bars you're using could well have a lot of sweep back angle - bar ends designed to go on flat bars with less sweep might end up at a funny angle if you put them on riser bars. Then again the angle that the bar ends project forwards is probably just personal preference.

RE the slow gear changes, assuming it's all setup correctly, I'd possibly look at investing in a set of good cables - for example these ones.

A good set of cables can make a significant difference in shifting performance on pretty much any bike....if you want the best shifts you need good cables....inner cables that stretch less, teflon coated so they slip easily through the outer cables which are sealed from crud and much better at resisting compression than bog standard cables. It all helps:)

If you've got cable brakes the same things apply....good cables can make the brakes better.
 
I did it. Spunked a load on a new set of wheels. Think the misses is pretty angry about it. Sweet ride though.

2009OCR3500.jpg


ACR3500 road bike.

Went into the bike shop to inquire about a new chain set and gear system. Saw this and thought if I'm paying a third of the price of a new bike for the gears, I may as well by a whole new bike. It was 7k online for the 2011, I picked up this 2010 brand new for 3 grand.

Rocking composite drop bars with multi brake/ quick fire Sora gear levers on the drops, alloy brakes, Shimano Sora dérailleurs, Giant Allux aluminium frame, GLORIA 39/53 teeth front crank. 16 speed all together. Michelin Dynamic 700x23C slicks on JOY-TECH A171D/F192D hubs with HF026 rims.

I've no idea what most of them parts mean but it's awesomely quick and lighter than my old bike by at least half as much!


EDIT: I blame Floats/BTO for making me want a new bike. I'm telling my wife it was your fault. :lol:
 
\o/ Shem has got a proper bike :D You can't go wrong with Giant mate, I think they're the biggest bike manufacturer...in the world! Is that about ÂŁ300? Bargain!

It looks sweet although I don't know much about road bike bits but I do know Joy-Tech is the same as Novatech which make the hubs of my new wheels before they're branded as Superstar Components.

I take it you're not going to put your surfboard on the back of the bike? ;)
 
I'm not ruining the aesthetics of my new precious with them ridiculous mud guards! :lol:

So much for being able to claim I ride a custom hybrid. This thing is all road machine. I don't know too much about the components other than they're first rate.

They had a similar bike for ÂŁ150, half the price but it was a youth bike and the frame was too small and the brakes and gears weren't in the same league when it came to quality and pure coolness. :sly:

I'm well chuffed though, I just spent the last 10 minutes setting up the seat hight, removing the drink bottle holder, bell, factory sticker and horrible plastic safety things.

Brakes are solid, tyres are slicker than a baby hind and the gears are as smooth as mango sorbet. Can't wait to get into the office tomorrow and show it off. I hope it don't rain...

Plus I need to put my old bike online for sale to make room for the new one.

EDIT: I'll try and get a real world pic as soon as my stupid phone decides to charge.
EDIT EDIT: Used the misses' Cannon hence the better than iPhone quality.


DSCN2601 by SideshowShem, on Flickr


DSCN2610 by SideshowShem, on Flickr


DSCN2607 by SideshowShem, on Flickr


DSCN2603 by SideshowShem, on Flickr


DSCN2604 by SideshowShem, on Flickr


DSCN2609 by SideshowShem, on Flickr
 
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Yeah, 300 quid for that is bang on! Fantastic hunting there.

You'll never go back to the hybrid ever again.... And you'll be setting new speed records!
 
Submerged
Yeah, 300 quid for that is bang on! Fantastic hunting there.

You'll never go back to the hybrid ever again.... And you'll be setting new speed records!
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For the price and the spec of the components I'm well happy about finding it.

I'm not sure if my old hybrid will ever see the light of day again! Unless I sell it to a mate who can give it a loving home.

As for setting speed records; I scared the crap out of myself bringing it home, down hill, in top gear. Never been so fast on a push bike!

Getting to work is going to require a whole new timing plan. 13km over 35 minutes...meh, I'm cracking half hour on this bad boy. :sly:

ExigeEvan
Have fun with the gear sets on the hills, I know I do
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I tried the least powerful gear one it and it was still more of a workout than the highest gear on my old bike. :scared:
 
Mainly, from the little I've ridden it, maybe 500m from the shop, the road bike is more stable at speeds, more upright, harder on the backside due to the very narrow tyres and certainly faster because of the gearing and the lack of weight compared to the hybrid.

I've got a feeling it'll take around 500km to break it in and really get comfortable on it, I'm positioned further forward on this one too. The brakes will take some getting used to, they nearly threw my off the first time I used them, I think they could stop a truck. :lol:

I'm still getting used to the quick fire gear levers coming from normal shift levers. I think once I get on the road to work tomorrow, if it don't rain, I'll have a play with the gears and see what's what.
 
W3HS
Mainly, from the little I've ridden it, maybe 500m from the shop, the road bike is more stable at speeds, more upright, harder on the backside due to the very narrow tyres and certainly faster because of the gearing and the lack of weight compared to the hybrid.

I've got a feeling it'll take around 500km to break it in and really get comfortable on it, I'm positioned further forward on this one too. The brakes will take some getting used to, they nearly threw my off the first time I used them, I think they could stop a truck. :lol:

I'm still getting used to the quick fire gear levers coming from normal shift levers. I think once I get on the road to work tomorrow, if it don't rain, I'll have a play with the gears and see what's what.
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Is it like comparing a X2011 to a Mercedes in GT5?:)

Happy new toy:tup:
 
W3HS
EDIT: I blame Floats/BTO for making me want a new bike. I'm telling my wife it was your fault. :lol:
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More proud than scared :D Nice bike, I've been eyeballing a few Bianchi's from the 70s and 80s. Going to be a while before I put some serious consideration into getting one.

Anyway I'm at 3/100, first ride on the planned road loop. Might need to work out some extension to it as I have a feeling I'll manage it in under 1 hour rather soon.
 
yeah it would make it easier because the position of the bars make the riding position more like a road bike(that's why it was hard at first).
 
That reminds me, looking at the pictures. Where the handlebars are, does anyone know a way of lowering the 'bars and not actually requiring the spacers to be used again?

*edit: Looking at Shem's pictures reminds me of Shanghai with their obsession for tiles everywhere in the apartments.... I understand why, due to the climate, but it certainly made having chairs a very very noisy affair!!*
 
Submerged
That reminds me, looking at the pictures. Where the handlebars are, does anyone know a way of lowering the 'bars and not actually requiring the spacers to be used again?
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You need to saw the steerer tube down to get rid of them.....pretty easy with threadless steerers as it doesn't need to be exact but still a pretty scary prospect for many:scared:
 
Oh dear I have been somewhat absent from here lately....nice wheels Shemmy!

I need to get back on my bike, since the Saga of getting a new hanger has finally been sorted (took a month for halfords to get one in)

I got it all back together only to discover I had a flat rear tyre, so I figured I would swap to my Kenda Nevagals, sorted the rear and started on the front, as I unscrewed the presta valve slightly there was a loud bang and the valve blew apart in my hand! (Which stung like frigg!) Never experienced that before and was so angry I left the garage and made myself a cuppa :lol:

Now have to wait till I can buy another innertube before I can ride :(
 
Ugh... I just raced home trying to beat the rain. Was chillin at the cafeteria getting my bloat on when I saw that the road got shinier. Threw my plate on the racks and bolted out the door. Went a quarter mile before it started to pour. You know, it had to rain just before the climb part. Riding to school is awesome because it's all down hill. Going back home sucks.

So here I am out of breath and my quads are on fire. My ears are plugging up too. That's never happened before. :lol:

I have some empathy now for Shem's wild ride. Shempathy. At least there wasn't any mud.

I need to pump up my tires more though. Anyone know of a good psi calculator? Front tire carries 108 lbs and rear tire carries 230lbs. I'm at 45ish psi on both wheels just because I don't know what kind of tubes they put in this thing. Tire wall says 40-56psi and it's a 2-inch.

Oh and I figured out what's up with the shifters. They just change gears on their own because my hands are too big and take up the whole bar. You have a brake a lot trying to negotiate a 40k-student campus. Before you know it the grip shifter is in some other gear. I can't take my eyes off of people in front of me to look down at a tiny number to keep track of where it has wandered off. What a stupid design. I had rapid fires on my old mountain bike and they were 100x better.
 
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Road tyres like Shem's (and mine) are fine for 110psi. I've had mine from 60 to 110psi (60psi is a flat tyre for road bikes... its so squishy and all over the bleeding place!)

For Hybrids... depends what types of inner tubes you've got and what grip levels you want. If its all road and fast stuff, have them up high. If its muddy stuff and you need the grip, have them lower psi.

There are some hybrid treads that, when lowered with pressure, is more of a mountain bike and then when with increased tyre pressure, act a bit like a road tyre with very little contact point on the road itself.
 
I was trying to run hybrid-slicks at about 50 psi, and that included about of 20 kg of pannier luggage over the back and 10 kg luggage on the front.

I tend to run my road tyres fairly low, about 70-80, just because I'm a wuss and appreciate the extra grip over the loss of top end speed.
 
.... Don't you find it a bit squishy at higher speeds? I tend to have mine around 80-100 psi and I can definitely tell when its getting close to 70 psi. It starts to roll ever so slightly more and not quite as jarring. Although it does look a bit flat from the side. But then, rider confidence is an important aspect for the cyclist though...

Hybrid tyres:

101603.jpg


412HTRUBooL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


These are similar to the ones I got for the old mountain bike when I was doing some road training before getting the speedy bike. Basically, pump them to about 50 or 60 (or whatever number) psi and only the very top of the tread would be in contact with the road. Less psi, more for grip and off-roading.

Apparently, for the top one, you were supposed to have the front tyre put on reversed to the rear tyre, so the "arrows" would be facing one another. Supposed to make it smoother riding. It made it worse somehow (didn't feel smooth and was a bit skittish). Couldn't get my head around it.

Rarely use the mountain bike anyway, its a wreck atm...
 

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