The biking thread

[ExigeEvan]

I got a track pump a while ago after my cheap foot pump disintegrated which is great for bikes but rubbish for a car tyre that's as flat as a pancake from a slow puncture!

Link? I was tempted to buy a £15 tesco track pump, but errr, well I work for tesco and know how these things usually end

Evan, are you taking your bike with you for your tour or sorting one out there?

Buying out there. Couple of reasons, biggest being we don't trust baggage handlers, other being BA allow bicycles as "sports equipment" for free, but they are by far not the cheapest flights!

Also the new issue of imbikemag seems pretty good especially as it's free.

Highlights include, George Woodward popping his Megavalanche cherry, a tribute to the final TransWales endurance race, an inside look behind the scenes at Bluegrass and Richard Kelly is looking at trailside fixes to ensure your bike keeps rolling.

I shall have a look around!

 

[Neal]

I got a Specialized Air Tool Sport Floor Pump after reading good things about them but can't remember where, most places have them for £35 but a Google search found it here for £30 although I've never used or heard of the shop before. It does the job and seems well made though so is worth it over a cheap footpump.

My brother has taken his bike on a plane to Canada which was a headache for him although it was fine. Saying that I'd buy a bike out there too and try to sell it before I left. Might be worth taking your own saddle though.

 

[ExigeEvan]

I got a Specialized Air Tool Sport Floor Pump after reading good things about them but can't remember where, most places have them for £35 but a Google search found it here for £30 although I've never used or heard of the shop before. It does the job and seems well made though so is worth it over a cheap footpump.

Thanks, I'll have a look round for one when I'm back from Aus.

My brother has taken his bike on a plane to Canada which was a headache for him although it was fine. Saying that I'd buy a bike out there too and try to sell it before I left. Might be worth taking your own saddle though.

I was thinking of crating it back. We should have nearly a week in Sydney before we fly to NZ for the Rugby WC final. I might love the bike enough by then to want to keep it.

 

[David]

Yep, just get a nice floor pump thats made for that kind of pressure. Few easy pumps and you're good to go. The hand ones are great when you're out on the road and have no other option, but I can't imagine trying to use one for topping off regularly before rides. I think the one I have was around $40.

 

[W3H5]

I use on of these but it's really more for adding extra air while on the road as a back up measure and not so good for getting rock hard tyres. It was only £7 (Benefits of living in China ) but I use the air line at the fuel station for getting max psi.

 

[lbsf1]

Just had an amazing bike ride today, went to see some mates a 15 min, 3mile bike ride away, a normally uneventfull ride. However today I was cycling back in the dark, the first part of the ride was hell. It was all wooded and roots everywhere. However once I got onto the small roads around an estate, It was amazing, I could just zone in on only cycling, cutting through all the back alleys, the cool air allowing me to push really hard. It was an amazing an exilerating feeling just to be able to cycle like that.

 

[boiltheocean]

I love cycling at night. Me and a mate went for a blast around the roads at midnight in February, it's great because you can push hard for ages and still not feel tired. Although the BMX track was a disaster, zero light made it impossible to ride without looking like you've just got off stabilisers.

 

[lbsf1]

I love cycling at night. Me and a mate went for a blast around the roads at midnight in February, it's great because you can push hard for ages and still not feel tired. Although the BMX track was a disaster, zero light made it impossible to ride without looking like you've just got off stabilisers.

Yeah thats what I felt like in the woods, the fact the path had lots of gentle left and right turns so it was easy to end up in a bush, and every bump you hit unballanced you.

 

[W3H5]

OK. Today I rode the 13k to work in tropical heat. It took around 40 minutes and I must have lost a few litres of fluid. The traffic was awful but, luckily, on a bike it doesn't pose a problem.

The first and last kilometres are hills. Down one mountain onto the river road and up the other end.

My chain came off about 100m from my block and cause my hands to end up covered in grease . I really need a new chain and the de-railer probably is off-line.

 

[Submerged]

Hm, you definately need to buy a new one. Alternatively you may be able to fiddle with the deraillers and gears to keep it on a bit longer by changing the wire tensioning.

With regards to Giant Triathlon bikes, they are the OCR 300 or 400 range? They're pretty much road bike styled and can give a harsh ride if you don't have smooth surfaces. They do seem to be a lot more twitchier for corners than a hybrid/mountain bike. But that model should be good for anything less than 400 quid.

 

[W3H5]

The de-railer is really off line but I'm thinking when I take the bike in for some new parts next month they'll give it a once over and fix all the little problems.

 

[boiltheocean]

It should have two screws on to adjust the limit of how far the derailleur can travel, try messing with those. If that still doesn't solve it you probably need to change the cable.

 

[W3H5]

I fiddled with the screws but it didn't make much of an improvement. The poxy thing is still jumping gears. It might be where the chain is so warn it just won't connect with the new gear correctly. I'm going to the shop soon for some new gear, I'm thinking of getting a completely new gear set installed as the ones I have now are, as Submerged put it, granny gears and are only good for uphill and not real road riding.

 

[Neal]

Is it the front or rear derailleur that is set up wrong? I was having problems with the rear jumping cogs and generally not doing its job which was sorted by adjusting the "B-Screw" to bring the pully wheel closer to the cassette. Might be worth checking the rear derailleur hanger is straight and the front is alligned right too.

Rear Derailleyr Adjustments

Front Derailleur Adjustments

Rear Derailleur Hanger Alignment

Also if you want to keep your hands clean after putting your chain back on use Rock N Roll Gold Chain Lube, it is the shizzle!

 

[W3H5]

I'll check out them site, cheers Neal. I had a crack at it and then my work mate had a go, he worked in a bike shop, and said it was most likely the chain.

As long as it holds out until the end of the month I'll get everything sorted when I go in for parts.

 

[W3H5]

Well, last night I tightened the gear cable and adjusted the dérailleur and it seems to have done the job although on my ride this morning I did notice the due to the chain being worn the gear cassette on the has sustained some damage. Looks like new parts are in order.

This morning I made the 12.5> trip to work in 35ish minutes putting my average speed around 22kph.
I think the interval training is paying off as that time is slightly less than I was doing before I started practising the hill climbs.

 

[Neal]

It's good when you see the benefits of the hard work isn't it. So how much are you looking at for a full drivetrain...and in real money, renminbi means jack to me!

 

[Mike Rotch]

Can someone offer an informed opinion - I'm looking to get an entry level MTB for casual riding (90% roads, parks & 10% rougher stuff). I identified the Trek 3500 - but most likely the Trek 820 (replacement model) - as the likely purchase.

Any good? Or is it worth plumping up for the Trek 3700?

 

[boiltheocean]

What's your budget?

 

[Mike Rotch]

What's your budget?

In Aussie$ (i.e. way more expensive then anywhere else in the Universe) or US$

3500's for go around $350 here, 3700 for $450. I'm trying to spend under $400, because I'll still need a helmet/ chain etc.

 

[W3H5]

How about this?

I imagine you could get last years model for within your price range, or find it cheaper at a real world bike shop. They have it listed for $499USD but I'm sure a similar model from last year would be heavily discounted. Perhaps ask if your local bike shop has any 'last season' bikes? Here's a picture of what I mean.

I'm not the best person to give info when it comes to mountain bikes as I ride road bikes but Floats or Neal definitely know a thing or two.

I do know that Giant is a well respected and reliable brand and are fairly reasonable in price for their entry level mountain bikes.

Hope this helps. 👍

Neal
It's good when you see the benefits of the hard work isn't it. So how much are you looking at for a full drivetrain...and in real money, renminbi means jack to me!

RMB is ten to the pound. Let me see, Shimano chain - tenna, new rear cassette - about 15quid, front derailluer - 15quid, aero bars (not really necessary) - 7quid. As you can see, biking here is relatively cheap. I'm not opting for to of the line parts because I plan to buy a brand new road bike in spring, it's got to be better than the self-bodged hybrid I'm riding now.

Looking at one of these.

Only 2 and a half grand.

 

[Mike Rotch]

How about

Hmm, a bit more then I want to spend.

Found this Giant Boulder 4:

with these specs:

Frame ALUXX formed alloy w/integrated gusset & replaceable dropout
Fork Rigid steel 1 1/8th Ahead
Handlebar Steel low riser
Grips Giant kraton
Stem Steel Ahead 25 degree
Seat Post Alloy 30.9 micro-adjust
Saddle Giant O-Zone anatomical
Pedals Flat comfort
Shifters Shimano Altus 21 sp.EZ FIRE+
Front Derailleur Shimano TX51 34.9
Rear Derailleur Shimano TX31 7 sp.
Brakes Alloy V-brakes
Brake Levers Shimano V-brake
Cassette SRAM PG730 7 sp.12-32T
Chain KMC 7 sp.
Crankset Shimano M151 28x38x48T
Bottom Bracket VP semi cartridge
Rims Alloy double wall 36H
Hubs Fr:alloy QR | Rr:Shimano Altus 7sp cassette
Spokes 14G stainless
Tyres Kenda 26 x 1.95”

The Trek 820

has these specs:


Trek Custom Steel w/chromoly seat tube, replaceable derailleur hanger
Front suspension: SR Suntour M-2025 w/coil spring, 63mm travel
Sizes: 13, 16, 18, 19.5, 21"
Wheels: Wheels Formula FM21 alloy front hub, FM31 alloy rear hub; Bontrager 550 36-hole rims w/machined sidewalls
Tires: Bontrager LT3, 26x2.0"
Shifters: Shimano EF40, 7 speed
Front derailleur: Shimano TX
Rear derailleur: Shimano TX35
Crank: Forged alloy 3 piece, 48/38/28
Cassette: Shimano TZ31 14-34, 7 speed
Saddle: Bontrager SSR
Seatpost: Bontrager SSR, 31.6mm, 20mm offset
Handlebar: Bontrager Riser, 25.4mm, 30mm rise
Stem: Bontrager Forged, 25.4mm
Headset: 1-1/8" threadless
Brakeset: Tektro linear-pull brakes w/Shimano EF40 levers

No idea what good specs looks like..or if at this price point a bike is a bike is a bike.

 

[W3H5]

The Giant you posted seems like a good choice for something within your price range. The Trek picture won't load on my PC because the internet is slow today but I've seen it on other sites and it seems like the specs are exactly what can be expected from an entry level mountain bike.

Do you know what weight it comes in at? Or is that not important for your preferences?

The reason I posted the Giant above was mainly because the parts used on it in stock form are a little bit more higher quality than the base model. I can rate the tyres at least as I run a set of Maxxis myself and they're very hard wearing and offer very good performance. Again, if you're after just a run-around then I guess these factors are not so important.

Another thing, if you can, try to take the bike for a short ride (10 minutes). Most shops will offer this service (not on-line, obviously) so that you know that the bike will fit your body frame and it's the right size.

 

[Neal]

Can someone offer an informed opinion - I'm looking to get an entry level MTB for casual riding (90% roads, parks & 10% rougher stuff). I identified the Trek 3500 - but most likely the Trek 820 (replacement model) - as the likely purchase.

Any good? Or is it worth plumping up for the Trek 3700?

I'm pretty sure the Trek 820 doesn't replace the 3500 as they both have 2012 models. The main difference between the two models is the 820 has a steel frame and the 3500 has an aluminium frame so the 3500 will be lighter.

I know it's a bit more than you're planning on spending but I would recommend the Trek 3700 Disc, I've found a 2011 model for $429 (the recommended retail price is $459).

Compared to the other big brands (Specialized & Giant etc) Trek seem pretty good value down there so if you can find a 2011 model reduced you should be getting the best for your money.

 

[Mike Rotch]

The main difference between the two models is the 820 has a steel frame and the 3500 has an aluminium frame so the 3500 will be lighter.

Hmm, that's interesting.

Well, they didnt have any 22" frames in stock for Trek's. They will hopefully have one in this weekend which i can then measure up and then ask them to arrange a 3500 and 3700 for a test ride. I'm not too interested in steel frames if they have a weight penalty. 👍

 

[W3H5]

A steel frame, compared to an ally frame, will be heavier but may also take more abuse depending on the structure and welds. It's notoriously difficult (I know, I've done it many times) to braise Aluminium compared to welding steel so that will impact price I'd imagine.

What I can say for fact is that if you buy a steel framed bike for casual use then the weight isn't going make a great deal of difference. I use a steel frame for road cycling and it really only adds less than a few minuets onto my time.

 

[Neal]

It's true that steel is much easier to fix but I think it's safe to assume a company as big as Trek will produce high quality frames regardless of the material so failures shouldn't be a worry either way. Steel does have a nice ride quality though wich goes some way to offsetting the extra weight, in fact there are number of specialist frame builders making high end bikes in steel for this reason. personally at this level of bike I'd go for the weight saving of aluminium over the other benefits of steel because you really notice the extra pounds when you're flying crawling uphill...especially on rough terrain. Also the extra weight of steel for lanky Brad's 22" frame will be greater than for normal folk with 18" frames

 

[Mike Rotch]

I did some more reading today and am beginning to think the MTB is the wrong way to go. Trek make a line of 'urban hybrids' that look like they may be better suited to what I will be using it for.

I found a place that has Trek 7.0 (2011) and 7.1's with 22" frames:

Going to try arrange a ride on saturday morning

 

[Neal]

TBH for the kind of riding you're going to be doing a bike like that does make sense and it does look good. I love mountain bikes but if you're never going to ride on anything rough enough to warrant it then it is a bit daft getting one, the same could be said for a full on race bike.

Regardless of what you get this article on How To Fit a Bicycle is definitely worth a read. I've changed my saddle height and fore-aft position recently based on its advice and am much more comfortable for it.

 

[Mike Rotch]

Regardless of what you get this article on How To Fit a Bicycle is definitely worth a read. I've changed my saddle height and fore-aft position recently based on its advice and am much more comfortable for it.

Good read 👍 Thanks for that.