The biking thread

[Machate-man]

A bit of a side-note(And to brag):I got up to 60km/h on a good downhill. that's about 37mph. Who's gone faster?

 

[Aldo]

A bit of a side-note(And to brag):I got up to 60km/h on a good downhill. that's about 37mph. Who's gone faster?

34MPH down a short hill is my fastest.
Under my own steam, I got up to 26MPH on a flat bit on my way home from school a few months back.

 

[boiltheocean]

A bit of a side-note(And to brag):I got up to 60km/h on a good downhill. that's about 37mph. Who's gone faster?

I can hit 40/45mph going down my road, it's not steep but more of a long gradual slope that can hold momentum.

 

[boiltheocean]

It's about time I posted some up to date images. Here's the Myth with my recent gear ratio change and half-link chain. The bars are a nice red in real life, not day glo red like the photo suggests.

And the Pace, well, just because...

 

[Neal]

The Myth looks damn cool Tom, not sure I'd want to do many miles on it though I've not heard of half link chains before, what are they for...apart from making the wheel go round?

Slight rant time. What's with the sudden obsession with 29" wheel mountain bikes? I accept that a slightly larger wheel will roll a bit better over rough terrain but it's going to be fairly insignificant compared to the suspension in your arms and legs and that of the bike itself. The increase in unsprung and rotational mass will far outweight any benefits of the larger diameter...don't reinvent the wheel god damn it!

Also I've just got a new pair of Fox Altitude shorts after suffering (literally) with a crappy pair of Altura shorts for far too long. They weren't cheap but they're well made and seriously comfy so I'm happy with them.

Also also anyone with an iPhone/iPod may be interested in the Kinetic GPS app. I wouldn't risk strapping my iPhone to the handle bars so I stick it in my bag and use it to track the ride to review when I get back. It's quite swish and you can even export your rides to twitter/email etc to brag, here's an example although it's not much to brag about

 

[Sureboss]

My wheels are 26", which I'm guessing is the norm, I've been "out" of bikes for a while. I need some new rubber for my shoes, think I've found some, but may wait until I've been wallet-raped for my Focarse next month. Not been proper off-roading in ages, got some good tracks around here, but need to build up upper body strength again, struggled on a 15km ride the other day, which wasn't great, far stretch from the 80km ride I did 3 years or so ago.

Nice couple of bikes there, Tom. My Specialized needs a good clean at some point in the not too distant future...

 

[Neal]

Upper body strength? You're meant to pedal with your legs not your arms

By "I need some new rubber for my shoes" do you mean new bike tyres or do you actually need to resole your shoes? Also what Specialized have you got?

 

[Sureboss]

You need it for those corner things, or whatever. Anyway, my upper body hurt after last ride...

New tyres, my rear is a bit lacking in tread. Hardrock Sport (http://www.scene.appstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/bike.jpg though that isn't actually mine) Fancy doing a disc conversion at some point the brakes are very naff, but it's a solid bike, really strong, can easily cope with a very rough road at good speed. There's a nice run down the highest point around here, got to be about a mile long, all downhill, all rough road and private road, so empty, I'll take piccies when I go on my next run.

 

[AndersonG22]

The Finals - Red Bull Rampage 2010

 

[Machate-man]

Finally found a pic of my Trek (not mine, as usual)

With-

-A new seat
-Clip on Fenders
-Semi-slick tyres
-Metal Pedals(traded in from Cleat pedals, since I didn't have any Cleats)
-No side bars
-Presta-Valve tube
-a corroded-to-hell front reflector
-one bottle holder

 

[Neal]

You need it for those corner things, or whatever. Anyway, my upper body hurt after last ride...

New tyres, my rear is a bit lacking in tread. Hardrock Sport (http://www.scene.appstate.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/bike.jpg though that isn't actually mine) Fancy doing a disc conversion at some point the brakes are very naff, but it's a solid bike, really strong, can easily cope with a very rough road at good speed. There's a nice run down the highest point around here, got to be about a mile long, all downhill, all rough road and private road, so empty, I'll take piccies when I go on my next run.

Heavy feet, light hands...according to that book!

Nice bike 👍

I replaced my tyres recently for a Maxxis Crossmark 2.1 on the back and a Maxxis Advantage 2.25 on the front although they were £13 and £19 when I got them so they're a bit more expensive now...I'm not sure why bike tyres cost so much

Merlin is a good place to look for brakes and is also a very good place to look for wheels if you don't have disk compatible hubs. Do you have disc brake mounts on your forks and frame?

 

[Sureboss]

Um, pass?

 

[Neal]

Um, pass?

Looking at the photo of the bike you posted and others on t'web I'm pretty sure your frame and forks have "IS" caliper mounts (as opposed to "Post" mount or none) so you're all good there. Have your wheel hubs got 6 bolt holes to fix a brake disc to them like this? If so you just need to replace the brakes with something like this (White - 185/185mm IS Only) for £99 after the 10% discount. If not you'll need new wheels which will be another £100ish.

 

[Sureboss]

My wheels don't have those.

 

[Neal]

Not a cheap upgrade then although you may be able to offset some of the £200 cost by selling what you're replacing on ebay. I want to replace my brakes and forks which would be in the region of £250, I'm erring towards leaving it as it is and just saving up (a lot) for a half decent full suspension bike.

 

[Sureboss]

The frame is in great nick and as said, it ploughs through bumps like they don't exist, so I'd rather upgrade than new bike, besides it's not old and as you say, sell on bits. I think it's one of those "nice" things to aim for, but next pay check is going on car and insurance. Maybe something for next year. New tyres are a must though.

 

[Aldo]

Spending other people's money is easy Neal...

Noice bikes Tom, especially loving the red bars! I want some.

 

[boiltheocean]

The Myth looks damn cool Tom, not sure I'd want to do many miles on it though I've not heard of half link chains before, what are they for...apart from making the wheel go round?

Slight rant time. What's with the sudden obsession with 29" wheel mountain bikes? I accept that a slightly larger wheel will roll a bit better over rough terrain but it's going to be fairly insignificant compared to the suspension in your arms and legs and that of the bike itself. The increase in unsprung and rotational mass will far outweight any benefits of the larger diameter...don't reinvent the wheel god damn it!

Thanks Neal, half-link chains are the same as normal except each link is half the length of a standard link, this means you can get more tension out of the chain which is required for singlespeed bikes. I wouldn't like to pedal the Myth very far either That's what the Pace is for!

I agree with you on 29" bikes too, they do roll really fast but agility is pants. I've heard a top downhiller tried a prototype 29" downhill bike and said he'd rather go down on dog 🤬

 

[Aldo]

After being forced to do a spinning class I have a new found respect for those gay fixie hipsters.
I nearly broke my knee twice when my foot fell out on a sprint.

Decent cardio workout and not much impact on the knees (only if you fail) compared to running. And I was sweating similar amounts to being in a sauna...

 

[Neal]

Thanks Neal, half-link chains are the same as normal except each link is half the length of a standard link, this means you can get more tension out of the chain which is required for singlespeed bikes. I wouldn't like to pedal the Myth very far either That's what the Pace is for!

I agree with you on 29" bikes too, they do roll really fast but agility is pants. I've heard a top downhiller tried a prototype 29" downhill bike and said he'd rather go down on dog 🤬

Ah right...I don't quite understand why you'd get more tension but at least I know what they're for now.

After being forced to do a spinning class I have a new found respect for those gay fixie hipsters.
I nearly broke my knee twice when my foot fell out on a sprint.

Decent cardio workout and not much impact on the knees (only if you fail) compared to running. And I was sweating similar amounts to being in a sauna...

I trust you got behind something with a 4 finger gap

 

[Aldo]

I trust you got behind something with a 4 finger gap

Indeed she was rather errrrrr tidy... That's what kept me pedalling. Though the damn bike wasn't getting me any closer to her.

 

[Neal]

Lol

 

[boiltheocean]

Ah right...I don't quite understand why you'd get more tension but at least I know what they're for now.

Well you can make a half-link tighter than a regular chain. Pictures should make it easier to understand.

Half-Link:

Normal:

 

[Neal]

Dink...oh I get it! It's so you can make smaller adjustments to the chain length, suddenly it all becomes clear.

 

[Aldo]

Speaking of chain tension. The noobs at the bike shop didn't put my chain tensioner back where it was so I might have to take another couple of links out.

 

[allent2]

I just found this thred. seems like its mostly MTB. I ride BMX anyone eles on here ride??
Here are a few video clips of me riding

 

[boiltheocean]

Sweet riding! If I didn't find BMX's uncomfortably small I'd give them a go. Do you have any more clips riding dirt? That's pretty much what I ride on the Myth (minus the tricks though because I suck).

 

[allent2]

and if you like riding dirt you would love this website... I can spend hours on here http://www.buildthewoods.co.uk/

 

[Bram Turismo]

Completed my 60 km ride in 2 hours today, averaging 28 kmh and a topspeed of 58 kmh. Aiming to average 30 kmh and then start building up the distance. Pro cyclists average 30 kmh in a 4-5 hour ride in trainings, just to point out the difference. Going to go for my 140 km goal before August hits, just need to pack enough calories and fluids before I start my attempt.

Also, sporting Silence-Lotto's colors :tup:

 

[AndersonG22]

I just started riding around a lake(about 6.3 miles) to work on cardio. Im about 6' and around 145 + or - 5 pounds. It took me 39'38.91X to get around it with an average speed of around 9.69. I took a slightly shorter route then I did with the car, and the bike is stuck on the smalest sprocket on the crank. I couldnt go fast on the flats, and its about 60/40 or 65-35 flat to hill ratio. The hills arent that big or steep either, mostly small ones.

How good is that for a newb on a crap bike?