The biking thread

[ussr]

This is my humble garage.

Trek Y 33, repainted and refurbished <-- Touristic
Cannondale Scalpel 2010 <-- racing

This year I've decided to upgrade entire drive to Sram XX1, i can't wait because it's already ordered

 

[W3H5]

I can never look at a Lefty without being freaked out!

Are you going with the SRAM brake kit, too, or just the drive?

 

[ussr]

No just the entire Drive, ill post some pictures after swap is done. Currently I'm using front / rear Shimano XT derailleur's 3x9 so it's a big change for me.

Avid Elixir R Brakes do just fine for me so there is no need to pay extra money for Sram brakes.

 

[Shaun]

I had a little bit of a moment the other day.
I was rounding a corner that was still shaded in the morning so the road was still damp in only that spot. Wasn't going real quick, only around 35 kph but it was enough for the rear of the bike to step way out. Kinda surprised I kept it upright.
Now while I'll admit it was a bit fun it's not something I want happening often in traffic.

Between that and getting a puncture also in the same week I decided to hurry up my purchase of new tyres. Ended up ordering these, hopefully they arrive before the weekend so I can give them a good run.

It's odd, no matter what tyre I researched (and it was a lot) I always came across comments that they were rubbish. The Contis seemed to have a pretty good success rate of prefer over dislike though, combined with a glowing reference of them from a guy a work I decided to take the plunge on them.

Cheers Shaun.

 

[W3H5]

Tyres look good, Shuan. 👍 I've never experienced Continentals but a big brand like that can't be wrong.

I also enjoy the back stepping out sometimes. Sometimes I lock the back brake when swerving through traffic to get better angles for the gaps. Bicycle drifting!!!

 

[Yrkshrpudding]

Spent this weekend touring the local bike shops.
It seems that what I want to spend on an improved mountain bike will not give me much of an improvement in durability. Looks like I'll be stumbling on with my current one for the foreseeable.

 

[ExigeEvan]

Went out for an hour today, not quite sure on the distance but found some lovely rural roads far closer to the city that I was expecting.

People parking in cycle lanes though, damn that's annoying.

 

[W3H5]

People parking in cycle lanes though, damn that's annoying.

I wish I had cycle lanes.

Back in London I used them often and would usually leave a nice foot print on one of the panels or windows to show my dislike for the action. I never did any damage to the car, just dirtied it with an impression of my sole.

The local Met police were pretty good at towing anyone who have the nerve to park in a lane.

 

[ExigeEvan]

I wish I had cycle lanes.

Back in London I used them often and would usually leave a nice foot print on one of the panels or windows to show my dislike for the action. I never did any damage to the car, just dirtied it with an impression of my sole.

The local Met police were pretty good at towing anyone who have the nerve to park in a lane.

Then there would have been a string od nearly 10 cars with cleat marks on them!

I don't think that would leave just a dust mark

 

[Pagey279]

I covered about 30km yesterday, that's quite far for me.

Stopped here for some lunch too, 24 degrees Celsius, or 75 Fahrenheit, lovely day

I used an app I found too, Map my ride, the only thing is it tells me my average speed and the distance covered and stuff but not my top speed

Also Shem, how the hell do you go so fast!! I've read in some of your posts that you average 40kph, or around that. Yesterday I averaged....16 I had to climb a few steep hills but the rest was flat or downhill. I don't know how you do it.

 

[Emptyone]

I used an app I found too, Map my ride, the only thing is it tells me my average speed and the distance covered and stuff but not my top speed

Use Strava, and you will become addicted

Also Shem, how the hell do you go so fast!! I've read in some of your posts that you average 40kph, or around that. Yesterday I averaged....16 I had to climb a few steep hills but the rest was flat or downhill. I don't know how you do it.

Well, they are averaging that on the Giro too, all terrain! Eat well, and happen to live near mountains, makes it easier Try cycling as often as you can, join a club, that's what I did, that way you learn to suffer.

 

[W3H5]

Also Shem, how the hell do you go so fast!! I've read in some of your posts that you average 40kph, or around that. Yesterday I averaged....16 I had to climb a few steep hills but the rest was flat or downhill. I don't know how you do it.

Years of riding practice, living in a mountain city builds the right muscles for it, a light weight road bike with the right gears, the right fuel, the adrenaline from dicing with traffic, knowing how to avoid stopping at junctions and being very lean physically all help to add up to high speed riding.

I only do around 15-20km at that speed, any further and my pace would drop dramatically as the distance goes on. I was doing 100-120km per day on my last tour and was only averaging 15-18kph, but I also had a novice in tow.

 

[Omnis]

Did 10 miles of sustained pace in top gear on my bike today. Then I got off of it and a waterfall of sweat came down over me. Felt like I was gonna pass out lol.

That was as much as I could do, fighting the wind resistance and the rolling resistance. I don't think my rear tire can support my weight no matter how much air I put in it-- especially since it's a hardtail. Starts only slightly deformed and then gets mega bulge by the time I'm done.

 

[W3H5]

A day's riding should take a few psi from a tyre/ tube but it shouldn't be too dramatic after 10 miles. I top mine up once every 100km or so.

I hate the feeling after a hard ride when a drink is consumed and it pretty much all leaks back out instantly through the pores.

 

[Shaun]

I decided to hurry up my purchase of new tyres. Ended up ordering these, hopefully they arrive before the weekend so I can give them a good run.

Tyres turned up on Monday and I put them on the bike straight away.
Due to daylight savings having finished here I have at most 45mins of daylight when I get home from work.

Today I got the chance and went out for a quick half hour test.

Holy smoke batman, grippy!!! Way much more grip than I have courage to push them to their limits.
I checked the weather for tomorrow at work today, 24c with 10-15kmh winds. As I have quite a few days off work owing to me I'm not working tomorrow. I know what I'll be doing for two hours of the day off.

Cheers Shaun.

 

[DustDriver]

Bought myself a new MTB. Going to start training with 3 friends.

Haibike Big Curve SL 29" 2012

Much more relaxed to sit on then my old 26" MTB.

 

[mp10]

Nice purchase 👍 the front mudguard looks a little weird, but does the job i guess.

 

[DustDriver]

Thanks.
The back of the mudguard is bend against the metalwork in that pic.
It'll at least fend of some of the spray.

 

[Robin]

Got a few questions,

Is it worth replacing a stock unbranded stem (well, Specialized stock) from a £700 bike with a £70-80 stem? Is it really a part of the bike worth changing, especially on an MTB?

Are handlebar shims / spacers relatively safe to use? My bars are good but are old skool 25.4mm size and don't fit the new oversize 31.8mm MTB stems.

What stem length is reasonable? 110mm is what I'm looking at which is similar to what I have now.

Thanks,

 

[Greycap]

Is it worth replacing a stock unbranded stem (well, Specialized stock) from a £700 bike with a £70-80 stem? Is it really a part of the bike worth changing, especially on an MTB?

For reasons other than length or angle change, no.

Are handlebar shims / spacers relatively safe to use? My bars are good but are old skool 25.4mm size and don't fit the new oversize 31.8mm MTB stems.

I wouldn't, then again I haven't ever heard of them malfunctioning.

What stem length is reasonable? 110mm is what I'm looking at which is similar to what I have now.

110 mm sounds a bit long, I have 90 mm and 75 mm on mine. I might even prefer a longer frame and a 60 mm stem.

 

[Emptyone]

I got hit today

Going along my road, which has a road joining it from the left behind a highish hedge. Driver pulled straight out into the road, and I went over the bonnet

Escaped with just scratches and bruises, though my front wheel is partially buckled and the fork feels wrong, as well as the rear light being smashed. Luckily, they live down the road, so I can hand the bill straight to them. Crashing is no fun at all though.

 

[Pagey279]

Crap dude, sounds like it could have been much much worse though, after all wheels and forks are replaceable. At least you know who they are and where they live!

 

[Emptyone]

Yeah, I got a good .3 of a second grabbing the brakes, so I was doing ~15mph instead of 20. Well that wheel has an RRP of £238, so hopefully it will true out. Advantage is knowing where they live and who they are indeed, not too bad an accident really.

 

[Shaun]

Glad you're ok mate. 👍

If the wheel can't be trued properly (get the forks looked at too) be sure to chase them for the money. If anything it may teach them to look out riders with a bit more care in the future.

Cheers Shaun.

 

[ussr]

Sram XX1 requires new XD Drive so i had to replace my rear hub cause new drive didn't fit to my DT Swiss 370 hub.

I've decided to go with DT Swiss 350, this time tubeless Schwalbe Racing Ralph tire and new ZTR Alpine rim, so basically entire new rear wheel. 👍

Also i have strong feeling that 32T in front might be not enough for Cross Country racing so i might have too purchase 36T or even 38T which is largest chain-ring available.

My bike is in the shop now, in hands of skilfully mechanic who will build my new wheel for me. I don't have the right tools to measure spokes right tensity.

As for the old rear wheel and both derailleurs, i will use them in my second Trek Y-11 bike.

 

[Robin]

For reasons other than length or angle change, no.

Thanks for answering the questions,

What about colour change? currently I have matt black and want gloss white, would cost quite a lot to powdercoat.

Driver pulled straight out into the road, and I went over the bonnet

I have noticed a lot more drivers doing this at the moment, probably because all the bushes have grown out so much in the past few weeks. They think that driving straight out into the road will stop traffic so they can pull out rather than waiting.

If they aren't bike people they will likely be horrified at the bill, they will probably think 'but you can buy a bike at Halford's for like 300 quid!'

Robin.

 

[Emptyone]

I have noticed a lot more drivers doing this at the moment, probably because all the bushes have grown out so much in the past few weeks. They think that driving straight out into the road will stop traffic so they can pull out rather than waiting.

If they aren't bike people they will likely be horrified at the bill, they will probably think 'but you can buy a bike at Halford's for like 300 quid!'

Robin.

It was just extremely careless of them, which can be fatal if your cycling.

Repairs work out as £130 including a new fork, bet they will be pleased to pay up

Glad you're ok mate. 👍

If the wheel can't be trued properly (get the forks looked at too) be sure to chase them for the money. If anything it may teach them to look out riders with a bit more care in the future.

Cheers Shaun.

Thanks.

Luckily, the wheel can be trued, just as well considering its pretty expensive. The fork was all messed up, so its getting replaced, with these ones I think.

I'm going to chase them up when I get the receipt, it's the quick way of learning to respect road cyclists.

 

[Greycap]

What about colour change? currently I have matt black and want gloss white, would cost quite a lot to powdercoat.

Now that's a different thing altogether and a reason good enough to justify buying a new one. I was getting more at the fact that a 20€ unbranded stem with a certain length and a certain angle does the exact same thing as a 100€ "OMG shiny" stem with the same length and angle, perhaps weighing a bit more but that's where it ends. Not to mention that Specialized stems are pretty good to begin with as long as you stay away from the very cheapest models, what came fitted stock on my bike is certainly better than the aftermarket BBB part that I bought for my previous one.

 

[Robin]

Now that's a different thing altogether and a reason good enough to justify buying a new one. I was getting more at the fact that a 20&#8364; unbranded stem with a certain length and a certain angle does the exact same thing as a 100&#8364; "OMG shiny" stem with the same length and angle, perhaps weighing a bit more but that's where it ends. Not to mention that Specialized stems are pretty good to begin with as long as you stay away from the very cheapest models, what came fitted stock on my bike is certainly better than the aftermarket BBB part that I bought for my previous one.

Yeah I agree, I was thinking exactly the same thing and was worried that I would end up with a part which probably weighed the same if not more (with spacers) and did the exactly the same job as what was on it. I have to admit the stock one is excellent and strong but quite long (around 100mm).

But from an aesthetics point of view I would like to change everything that's black left on the bike to white. Maybe I could go for a more affordable stem that's just white rather than a pricey one or could try and spray mine but I bet it would chip in 5 seconds!

 

[W3H5]

If they aren't bike people they will likely be horrified at the bill, they will probably think 'but you can buy a bike at Halford's for like 300 quid!'

It's nice to see the stunned look on people faces when they inquire how much my bike retails for and then they realise that their entire house contents or their motorcycle isn't worth as much.