The biking thread

[phillgt2002]

Well I bought the Schwinn Sprint that I posted before. It rides well. The tires were dry rotted so I'll have to replace them soon.

The owner was really cool. He was older and was kind of like a real life Benjamin Button. He said that the bike hadn't been ridden by his son in years so he decided to give it to me. It's been garage kept for a while. I'm glad I purchased it.

 

[phillgt2002]

I encountered a few problems when I went for a test ride on the Schwinn early this morning.

The brakes are squeaking from time to time. I came to realize that the ones squeaking were the rear brakes. I'm going to replace the front and back just to be cautious.

The tires are going to have to be replaced in a while so I'm looking at some right now. Just standard black tires. The gum walled tires currently on the bike are cracking but are still good for a few more rides.

There are a few things to be adjusted like the handlebars and the seat (Basic tightening). Does anyone know where I can get a seat post or an adjustable seat? I think the bike has one, but, I took the seat off and the post wouldn't move up or down; I don't know if it moves or not.

The seat is fine, but, I think I'll need a new one sometime soon. I got home and my ass was in pain.

The drop bars could use new padding, but, I think I'll just get some tape since I like the texture more. White would look awesome.

Just a few things are needed. Those things will run me around $50+ which isn't bad since the bike's frame is very well built, and the rims are in perfect condition so I'm not looking at anything major. I'm also thinking of wrapping it in carbon but I'll have to see how the photoshops with my bike with it on will look like when I'm done..

 

[W3H5]

Not going with anything else than total overkill, I presume... I've bought three of them brand new and the total just barely edges over that!

The SWorks carbon bikes fetch a high price but look at that beauty. I looked at the Saxo Bank race replica listed about which comes in at 3'500GBP.

I encountered a few problems when I went for a test ride on the Schwinn early this morning.

The brakes are squeaking from time to time. I came to realize that the ones squeaking were the rear brakes. I'm going to replace the front and back just to be cautious.

The tires are going to have to be replaced in a while so I'm looking at some right now. Just standard black tires. The gum walled tires currently on the bike are cracking but are still good for a few more rides.

There are a few things to be adjusted like the handlebars and the seat (Basic tightening). Does anyone know where I can get a seat post or an adjustable seat? I think the bike has one, but, I took the seat off and the post wouldn't move up or down; I don't know if it moves or not.

The seat is fine, but, I think I'll need a new one sometime soon. I got home and my ass was in pain.

The drop bars could use new padding, but, I think I'll just get some tape since I like the texture more. White would look awesome.

Just a few things are needed. Those things will run me around $50+ which isn't bad since the bike's frame is very well built, and the rims are in perfect condition so I'm not looking at anything major. I'm also thinking of wrapping it in carbon but I'll have to see how the photoshops with my bike with it on will look like when I'm done..

Brakes are easy to maintain but are essential. Check the pads, cables and levers to makes sure all are well oiled (except the pads!).

Tyres are easy to find. I'm assuming you run a 700c? If speed is your game then look for a 23mm but if you'd prefer a bit more comfort you could look for something a bit wider like a 28mm.

Your ass will get used to the seat. It will hurt for the first few 100km if you haven't cycled a lot before. As for the seat post - loosen the bolt/ clamp, drop some grease or oil onto the stem/ seat post hole and leave for 24 hours. Come back the next day and it should ease out fairly easily. Adjust and replace but wipe it down first, you don't want it all greasy.

Your local bike shop will have any parts you need but online will have a greater selection and might be better priced. The beauty of a bike shop is that you can handle the parts first and makes sure they are a good fit before you buy, other wise there is a chance you could order online and find your new part is the wrong size.

As for padding the bars I would say stick with basic tape on them and invest in some decent gloves with gel palms instead. I grabbed a pair similar to these at my bike shop for the equivalent of $5:

 

[NocturnalPS]

Mind if I post my ride? I got her back in April. Shes not exactly asphalt friendly but she loves to tear up the dirt. This was taken out at Reveille Peak Ranch in Central Texas. Happy Trails.

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[phillgt2002]

Brakes are easy to maintain but are essential. Check the pads, cables and levers to makes sure all are well oiled (except the pads!).

Tyres are easy to find. I'm assuming you run a 700c? If speed is your game then look for a 23mm but if you'd prefer a bit more comfort you could look for something a bit wider like a 28mm.

Your ass will get used to the seat. It will hurt for the first few 100km if you haven't cycled a lot before. As for the seat post - loosen the bolt/ clamp, drop some grease or oil onto the stem/ seat post hole and leave for 24 hours. Come back the next day and it should ease out fairly easily. Adjust and replace but wipe it down first, you don't want it all greasy.

Your local bike shop will have any parts you need but online will have a greater selection and might be better priced. The beauty of a bike shop is that you can handle the parts first and makes sure they are a good fit before you buy, other wise there is a chance you could order online and find your new part is the wrong size.

As for padding the bars I would say stick with basic tape on them and invest in some decent gloves with gel palms instead. I grabbed a pair similar to these at my bike shop for the equivalent of $5:

This is an awesome post. Thanks for all of the info. For oiling/lubricating the parts what do you think I should use? I have WD40 and other lubricators.

 

[Gdog96]

Mind if I post my ride? I got her back in April. Shes not exactly asphalt friendly but she loves to tear up the dirt. This was taken out at Reveille Peak Ranch in Central Texas. Happy Trails.

[/URL][/IMG]

Very nice, I love the red accents all over the bike.

 

[W3H5]

For oiling/lubricating the parts what do you think I should use? I have WD40 and other lubricators.

WD40 is what I use for pretty much everything except the chain and maybe dérailleur, you'll need proper chain lube for that. For around a couple of dollars you can pick up some Finish Line or something similar. Choose a type that suits your needs (wet or dry weather lube).

For a road bike you could get away with a pretty light chain oil and for an off-roader something a bit heavier would do. I live in a dirty city so even though I only ride road I use all weather & terrain lube which I reapply about every 3 months/ 500km.

With most oils and lubes it's best to clean the parts first, lube and then wipe off as much as possible to just leave a slight film of oil on the parts. WD is also pretty good for cleaning the frame, too, as soap sometimes has salt in it and can damage to paint if not washed off properly.

 

[phillgt2002]

Hmm, okay. I went and cleaned up the frame WD40. I used a bit on the chain. I'll definitely check out some chain lube.

In the in the middle gears I hear noises, chain related noises. I don't know what is causing it. I'm going to check that out in the morning.

I guess I have a project on my hands

My wallet should hopefully cope.

 

[W3H5]

Bike repair/ maintenance/ upgrading can cost as much or as little as you like.

Gear problems could be the cables, chain or dérailleurs. Get the bike on a stand and give it a check up.

 

[Greycap]

The SWorks carbon bikes fetch a high price but look at that beauty. I looked at the Saxo Bank race replica listed about which comes in at 3'500GBP.

Case closed - S-Works definitely classes as total overkill!

And then my own case...

And surely enough I'd like to buy a couple more. [...] for a go-anywhere bike a 29er hardtail, probably a Carve as I already have a 26" Rockhopper Expert (which would give way to the new one) and anything below the Carve would be a downgrade.

I was eyeing the new 2014 Carve line, learned that the name will be changed to Crave for reasons I have no idea about, and also learned that the paint scheme designers must have been licking some exotic frogs. To add to that the frame material will apparently be downgraded from M4SL aluminium to regular M4 and the price will probably go up a bit too. This happened in the Tuesday afternoon.

Later that night I ordered one of the last 17,5" Carves with a Comp trim level in stock in Finland with a healthy 15% discount and picked it up yesterday. I seriously don't know if I should use the or the smiley as my old Rockhopper was (and still is) in perfect working order!

 

[W3H5]

New bike, eh? Congrats. Let us see some pictures when you've given it it's maiden voyage!

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Do not look at the ChainReaction sale section. I only just escaped with my wallet intact...

 

[Shaun]

*shakes fist*
Must.....Resist

 

[W3H5]

I wouldn't be tempted right now. My bike will get one last ride before it's boxed up for shipping and left in my store room until October. Poor little thing.

 

[phillgt2002]

I wouldn't be tempted right now. My bike will get one last ride before it's boxed up for shipping and left in my store room until October. Poor little thing.

You love your bike that much? I like my bike but I don't think I'll understand until later down the road. I guess you can say owning a bike is like owning a car. People eventually end up putting amounts of money equaling the amount of a used car into their bikes. 👍


I went for a 3 hour ride, the bike acted up a few times and I learned some lessons. I had a bag with me, but, I only carried my camera and some water with me. The drop bars for the bike started to get extremely lose. The brake levers were pointing down making it impossible to brake unless I twisted it back into the proper position. The chain came off while I was heading home, but, that was fixed by just simply placing it back on.

Basically, I learned that I need to bring along a small tool pack for long rides.

Those things were frustrating but the weather was nice nonetheless.

 

[W3H5]

You need one of these. Fits in your pocket.

I do love my bike. A lot. Keeping my physical health good is important for me since it keeps my mind healthy and I suffer a few mental illnesses. Healthy body, healthy mind.

Plus there is not many things that can parallel going fast on a bicycle, whether through mountain woods or city traffic. Breaking speed limits under one's own power, feeling the bike react to the terrain and the rush of completing 40km on a new personal best.

For me it's not a love of my personal bike (although I'm very fond of it) but the idea of what a bike represents.

 

[phillgt2002]

You need one of these. Fits in your pocket.

Multitool picture

For what that is I'm surprised that it isn't anymore expensive. I have a Swiss knife that is $100 even after 5-7 years of having it. I'll definitely purchase one.

I do love my bike. A lot. Keeping my physical health good is important for me since it keeps my mind healthy and I suffer a few mental illnesses. Healthy body, healthy mind.

The health aspects of bike riding is part of what made my inclination of riding.

Plus there is not many things that can parallel going fast on a bicycle, whether through mountain woods or city traffic. Breaking speed limits under one's own power, feeling the bike react to the terrain and the rush of completing 40km on a new personal best.

This. The feeling of nothing holding you back but your own body. For road bikes, the amazing sense of control, and the rush of dodging the imperfect parts of the roads. A 3 1/2 hour bike ride is something I'm happy with for now. Until I get my bike completely restored, I plan on going even further.

 

[Gdog96]

Had to buy a new inner tube for my front wheel today, it got another puncture which im not willing to fix as there are about 7 other fixed punctures on there, thats too many and I don't trust it.

 

[DustDriver]

Put on a pair of road tires on my mtb. Should be better on sandy trails.
Also bought myself a frame bag to put in a pump, 2 spare inner tubes, toolkit and tire irons (well, plastics)

 

[Greycap]

New bike, eh? Congrats. Let us see some pictures when you've given it it's maiden voyage!

Ask and you shall receive. From halfway the first test run, leaning on my friend's garage door. Still some extra stickers on the frame that have been disposed of by now.

 

[W3H5]

That is a nice looking bike. Seems you've got masses of gears on that thing!

 

[phillgt2002]

I still can't get this bike seat up. It's pretty frustrating. A few days before I sprayed a quarter of a can of WD-40 on the post.

Edit: It budged.

 

[ussr]

Hey guys, i need torque wrench to screw on few carbon parts, like new seat-post, handle bar, stem.

What forces are recommended? I man what kind of range? I have to pick between those:

5 nm - 25 nm
4 nm - 20 nm
3 nm - 15 nm
2,5 nm - 11 nm

I know it's all depend from forces are recommended by manufactures, so if i had to use only 4 nm than key with 5nm won't do any good. Is there any part in the bike that requires more than 11 nm? or 15?

 

[Shaun]

Is there any part in the bike that requires more than 11 nm? or 15?

I know the Shimano cassette I recently changed requires between 30 and 50 Nm going by the tech doc.

Luckily enough I have a few torque wrenches of various values.
One thing I will say is to be careful and use the specified torque on carbon parts. As for the rest common sense should do the job.

 

[ussr]

I've found perfect wrench for me, it has 2nm to 24nm, i can use it only with small parts like seat posts and brakes also, those small force required.

 

[Greycap]

Seems you've got masses of gears on that thing!

2x10, nothing extraordinary. Both of my old ones have 3x9 actually... and one of them is being converted to 2x9 next week. I have no idea who's the idiot behind the stock gear ratios as they make very little sense.

The said 3x9 consists of 44-32-22 front, 11-34 rear. Seriously, who needs a 22-34 ratio? Not anybody fit enough to put these things into any proper use to begin with, that's for certain. To add to the problem the 11-34 cassette is so widely spaced that the cadence is either too low or too high in most situations. The solution: 40-28 front, 11-28 rear.

And the 2x10... 36-22 front, 11-36 rear. 22-36 lowest ratio, 29er or not! On an XC racer! And the spacing problem is every bit as bad if not worse than in the 9 speed cassette. The solution: 36-26 front, 11-28 rear.

 

[W3H5]

I've got a 2x8 road set up (too lazy to look at the sizes right now) and I think I probably use less than 6 of the 16 gears.

 

[DustDriver]

Not anybody fit enough to put these things into any proper use to begin with, that's for certain.

You have to start somewhere though
Don't know what the ratio is on my smallest gear. I sometimes use it on a long steep ascend with loads of grip.
If there isn't much grip I use a higher gear to maximize traction.
It's nice to have a bit of choice, but I can understand why the more expensive bikes only have 2 front gears.

I like a big front gear though. Especially for road use above 30kmh

 

[Shaun]

Gearing wise I have 50/34 up front and a ten speed 12-27 cassette at the back. Covers everything I need at my fitness levels that's for sure. Not very often I use the 27 at the back as it's pretty flat around my area, I actually have to go looking for hills which I do on the odd occasion that I'm feeling brave.


So after now having my Garmin Edge 500 for about a month I think I've finally settled on the page (screens) layout and data fields on each page.
The unit allows up to five pages with up to eight fields of data on each page.

Page 1: My main screen that I normally leave it on.

: Speed
: Cadence
: Ave Speed
: Ave Cadence

Page 2: Scroll to this only when I want the relevant information.

: Time of Day
: Distance Traveled (current ride)
: Elapsed time
: Current Lap (lap time set for every 5 minutes)
: Ave Lap

Page 3: Have this on when climbing or descending.

: Speed
: Gradient
: Total Ascent
: Total Descent

The other two pages I don't currently utilize at the moment. There are many more data fields that can be used but I don't require them currently. A couple of good examples would be heart and power rates with the relevant sensors if you were training seriously.
It's an amazing little unit really and once uploading the info to Garmin Connect after a ride a lot of info is there to be looked at at any time you want.
Only down side I have found so far is the temperature sensor in it is way off, normally reads about 6-7 degrees celsius too high. I'm interested to see if it does this when the weather gets hot also. After a bit a sniffing around the web it seems to be a common complaint.

It also has lots of other features, one of which I like is to put your best effort of say one particular ride into it and you can compete against yourself with the help of some graphics and info on the screen as to how you are comparing at that moment. Can help to take your mind off burning legs.

 

[Greycap]

You have to start somewhere though

I certainly agree with that but then again I can't see anybody (with a fully working brain that is) buying a 1500€ cross country weekend racer as their first bike, for me it's my fifth MTB and only now I feel I'm in good enough shape to take proper advantage of it and I'm doing 500 km a month by now. Bikes like those should, in my opinion only of course, be built with enthusiasts in mind instead of trying to please everyone. Then again enthusiast can customize their bikes to fit their needs, Joe Averages can't so...