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Bicycle age

R

robox

Member
Laekon said:
Nice build kit. Do you really keep track of your miles with the computer? Doesn't look like you have a mount on the bars for seeing it while riding.
Click to expand...

i like the computer more so for speed than mileage. but the computer it came with was very finicky. it hasn't worked for most of the time. first i replaced the battery, which gave me like a week of metrics, then it stopped working again. took off the sensor and it's really rattly inside so i might be fully busted. i never tracked mileage before so it's too big a deal.

i keep thinking about getting a garmin, but that's more for my road bike rides
 
Rest

Rest

All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
Carrying this over from the FitGAF thread, because you guys might have some insight:
Rest said:
I've found that the dumbbells I bought have handles that are too small around; they slip in my hands, but then the knurling catches my skin and irritates it, which is leading to some large, stiff, inconveniently placed calluses. I'd like to find something to expand the handles, preferably something that would be non slip and create some level of padding. Is there a product for this?

I was thinking of getting some handlebar tape from a bike shop for this purpose, but that stuff isn't really cheap, and I don't know how long it would last for this purpose.
Click to expand...
 
K

kottila

Member
I just signed up for this and I'm already regretting it

marmotte.png
 
C

Christoff Yurievich

Member
Man, I think I fucked my rear freehub. I got a flat on Friday and in the process of getting that taken care of I decided since the wheel was off, why not clean the cassette? So I took the cassette of and cleaned it. Looks silver again. But then while that was going on I noticed that the freehub looked dirty so I took it apart. I cleaned the muck and gunk out and put new grease on the bearings and it looked great but then I realized that the freehub plastic was in the way if I wanted to tighten the nuts, so I tightened it as far as I could but it didn't feel right when I put it on the bike.

Then I read this:
Generally, Freehub ® bodies are not repaired when they fail, because the labor cost of servicing them is often greater than the cost of buying a brand-new body.
Click to expand...
Fuck.

So is it salvageable?
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Most likely, yes, but they're a pain in the arse to work on, which is why people tend to just replace them these days. Some are easier than others, you have a model?
 
C

Christoff Yurievich

Member
I'll have to look when I get home. I kick myself for going off of memory instead of checking before I started. Apparently you're supposed to start with the opposite side when taking nuts off but I just went with the one that was looser.
 
X

XenoRaven

Member
Just picked up a Giant Revolt 2 for fun/commuting on bike trails. Pretty happy with it.

One question though, I had to take the front wheel off in order to get it into my car. The bike has disc brakes and I'm hearing what sounds like the disc rubbing against the brake very slightly at certain points when the wheel is spinning. I don't know if it was making that sound before I took the wheel off and put it back on. Is that a normal thing? The wheel still spins fine with no resistance until it hits a point where the rubbing happens at which point it slows down only very slightly. I'm brand new to this type of bike so I hope I didn't mess something up.

bikejludy.jpg
Click to expand...
 
P

Psychotext

Member
You pressed the brake lever with the disc out... it's all over for you now, you'll need a new bike.

You need to reset the callipers. You can do this by taking the pads out and using a tyre lever to push the bit behind them back in... or you can do it with the pads in and just press against the pads with whatever fits. If that doesn't work, then chances are it was doing it before, and you'll need to align the disc / callipers. I'll leave you to google the best method for that.
 
M

Mascot

Member
Psychotext said:
You pressed the brake lever with the disc out... it's all over for you now, you'll need a new bike.

You need to reset the callipers. You can do this by taking the pads out and using a tyre lever to push the bit behind them back in... or you can do it with the pads in and just press against the pads with whatever fits. If that doesn't work, then chances are it was doing it before, and you'll need to align the disc / callipers. I'll leave you to google the best method for that.
Click to expand...

Don't disc brakes recalibrate themselves every time you apply them, ie the pads clamp on to the disc when applied then 'back off' a fraction of a millimetre (so they don't rub the rotor) when released? You should be able to put a shim (a thin piece of metal or plastic) between the pad and the rotor (on both sides simultaneously) and apply the brakes to ease the pads away from the rotors slightly. On the other hand, I might be talking bollocks.
 
C

Christoff Yurievich

Member
Well, I did some reconstructive surgery last night and got my hub together again. I took the entire axle apart and then put it back together drive side first so I could tighten that side to spec outside of the freehub. I then put the axle back in and put the other side together just like you're supposed to do. woo.
 
D

Darth Pinche

Member
Psychotext said:
You pressed the brake lever with the disc out... it's all over for you now, you'll need a new bike.

You need to reset the callipers. You can do this by taking the pads out and using a tyre lever to push the bit behind them back in... or you can do it with the pads in and just press against the pads with whatever fits. If that doesn't work, then chances are it was doing it before, and you'll need to align the disc / callipers. I'll leave you to google the best method for that.
Click to expand...

Some discs also bend slightly are are not true. Spin the wheel and look at the disc to see if it straight. if it is not, you can gently flex it back, but be careful not to go too far or in the wrong place. As said earlier, the caliper can be out of alignment as well. Perhaps the caliper bolts were not tight? New bikes always need adjustments. Nice bike.
 
J

jakonovski

Member
Ok, silly question time. Anyone know of a really good bike bell? All I've found are pieces of shit because apparently it's not cool anymore to prevent collisions with pedestrians.

edit: maybe an air horn. Would be epic!
 
L

LeroyPantwether

Member
jakonovski said:
Ok, silly question time. Anyone know of a really good bike bell? All I've found are pieces of shit because apparently it's not cool anymore to prevent collisions with pedestrians.

edit: maybe an air horn. Would be epic!
Click to expand...

Ha funny you should mention, I just bought a bell for my bike to avoid students on campus. I went with this one and I am quite pleased. It is loud as hell, and it looks pretty nice.

jbqcqYsE3hUiCV.png
Click to expand...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004D5Q962/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
C

Christoff Yurievich

Member
jakonovski said:
Ok, silly question time. Anyone know of a really good bike bell? All I've found are pieces of shit because apparently it's not cool anymore to prevent collisions with pedestrians.

edit: maybe an air horn. Would be epic!
Click to expand...

I had an air horn on the mtb I commuted on. I loved honking at people because they never expect that much noise to come from a bicycle. Sadly it doesn't fit my road bike handlebars so I'm left with a bell. But what a bell it is.
Psychotext said:
http://www.spurcycle.com/

Sexy.
Click to expand...

exactly. I got two of them - silver for my bike and black for my wife's. It's amazingly loud and clear, people can hear it on a heavily-trafficked bridge even. I love it. Not as much as my airzound, but it gets the job done.
 
H

HTupolev

Member
So I think I figured out what exact model my road bike is. A 1978 Fuji America, distributed by Fuji America. Apparently the people choosing names for these products weren't terribly concerned with conflicts, heh.

Random image showing what I found hiding under the sheepskin seat cover:

20150225_004746_resized_zpshctlqe4k.jpg
Click to expand...

Seems legit.

//======================

Hmm. I now have a road bike, I've started getting in shape, and I'm in the Seattle region. STP might not be a bad thing to take a stab at.
 
M

Mascot

Member
Does anyone have any recommendations for half-decent cheap-ish bluetooth earbuds suitable for cycling?

They will be used for podcasts only, so dynamic range and sound quality isn't ultra-important.

(I wouldn't listen to music while cycling for safety reasons, but I find podcasts at low volume perfectly safe).

There are loads of cheap unbranded ones on eBay, but was wondering if anyone had any experience they could share? Worries include interfering with GPS or Strava, and battery life (of both phone and earbuds).

Ta.
 
T

thomaser

Member
124688CHZJJNRZ.jpg


Thinking about signing up for my very first attempt at a road race next month. But the finish looks scary. 350 height meters, average 14%.
 
J

jakonovski

Member
Hells yes, can't wait to get on the savile again. I hope I can muster up the courage to attend Tour de Helsinki in the summer. Most likely in the 20km/h group. However it's not the speed that I'm worried about, but rather riding in a group. Seems harrowing.
 
K

kottila

Member
jakonovski said:
Hells yes, can't wait to get on the savile again. I hope I can muster up the courage to attend Tour de Helsinki in the summer. Most likely in the 20km/h group. However it's not the speed that I'm worried about, but rather riding in a group. Seems harrowing.
Click to expand...

20km/h for such a flat race is quite slow and in the groups I've ridden in races, the slowest were easily the scariest. Lots of people who don't really know what they're doing, there was even a crash in the neutral zone.
 
K

kottila

Member
Psychotext said:
lol, Mascot will be proud.

Edit - What's a neutral zone?
Click to expand...

They groups were led out of the city by a policebike before the "race" started. some guy suddenly weaned to the right and tackled the guy next to him into a ditch. We were going around 18km/h when it happened
 
H

hillsighed

Member
Shun said:
Truuuuu. As much as I miss the snow and the motherland, Bay weather is perfect to ride 24/7. This + BART monorail is perfect at the moment.

I bought secondhand in almost perfect condition. I'm glad it came from good owner since I saw the Never Not Riding sticker.

These past few months, I noticed it attracts more attention than normal. I am meticulous about bringing it everywhere, even into campus lecture hall. It is really selfish but I need to find a way to make sure nothing happens to it.
Click to expand...

I also ride a Bianchi (2012 Via Condotti) and it goes in everywhere with me. There is nothing selfish about it if you ask me.

I don't know what it is about Bianchis in particular, but they do attract a ton of attention. People ask about it a lot and the very few times I've locked it up outside I came out with people gawking at it.

When I do take it into a store or something with me I always carry it on my shoulder because I've noticed some places really don't like it when you just roll your bike around with you for whatever reason. I also Norma!ly ask if its OK to bring it in. Never had anyone say no but if they did I'd be fine with it.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Have decided my setup for my Knight of Sufferlandria attempt.

1: ISLAGIATT
2: Violator
3: The Hunted
4: Fight Club
5: There Is No Try
6: Blender
7: A Very Dark Place
8: The Rookie
9: Angels
10: Revolver

Felt I had to have Violator in there as it scares the shit out of me normally. Revolver is the classic way to end, so I'm sure I'm going to enjoy that. =/

That's just over 12 hours of suffering... dear god, what the hell am I doing? lol
 
J

jakonovski

Member
Got a small windfall, decided to spend it all on bike stuff because I'm crazy. So now I have some sweet new Fulcrum Red Power HP 29er wheels in the mail, as well as Alligator Titanium Nitride coated superlight brake rotors and an XT cassette. With these I can decide on spikes or no spikes on a day to day basis. Plus it makes the summer bike almost a kilo lighter.
 
Z..

Z..

Member
Help me out bike bros, my crappy Tesco bike just got stolen and I need a new ride. Live in London and I want a reliable workhorse that gets the job done but isn't flashy (I want it to look as spartan/basic as possible) and I want to spend as little as possible on it while still having a decent product. Essentially, I want the Koss Portapro of bicycles.
 
C

Christoff Yurievich

Member
Christ. Rode to work yesterday, all 15 miles of it, and didn't have a problem. Went to ride home and had a completely flat rear tire. Again. I didn't bother changing it and just took the bus home because I didn't want to take awhile and then get home late. I get home and take it apart and find the hole. I patch it easily enough but put a new tube in to be safe and it's ready to go for the morning.

I'm wary though so instead of riding to work I go to the bus station as it's only five miles and I'm flat at the halfway point. I pump it back up and go slowly to the bus station and take it apart (again) when I get to work. (I'm already late so why the hell not, right?) I find out there's a hole in the exact same spot of the tube. WTF. The odds of my tire or an outside influence being the culprit as incredibly low so I think it's the rim. I'm going to take it to the bike shop downtown during lunch and let them look at it because I don't have any experience with the rim and what I should be looking for. The tape looks good, there aren't any spots that are pokey, so I have no idea.

Almost threw my bike into the field when it happened though. I mean, I'm going on almost 8k miles since I got big into biking and I can count on one hand the number of flats I've gotten before last week, and I've got four since Friday. Nothing's physically changed, after all.
 
K

kottila

Member
allegate said:
Christ. Rode to work yesterday, all 15 miles of it, and didn't have a problem. Went to ride home and had a completely flat rear tire. Again. I didn't bother changing it and just took the bus home because I didn't want to take awhile and then get home late. I get home and take it apart and find the hole. I patch it easily enough but put a new tube in to be safe and it's ready to go for the morning.

I'm wary though so instead of riding to work I go to the bus station as it's only five miles and I'm flat at the halfway point. I pump it back up and go slowly to the bus station and take it apart (again) when I get to work. (I'm already late so why the hell not, right?) I find out there's a hole in the exact same spot of the tube. WTF. The odds of my tire or an outside influence being the culprit as incredibly low so I think it's the rim. I'm going to take it to the bike shop downtown during lunch and let them look at it because I don't have any experience with the rim and what I should be looking for. The tape looks good, there aren't any spots that are pokey, so I have no idea.

Almost threw my bike into the field when it happened though. I mean, I'm going on almost 8k miles since I got big into biking and I can count on one hand the number of flats I've gotten before last week, and I've got four since Friday. Nothing's physically changed, after all.
Click to expand...

Did you feel against the inside of the tire with your finger? Maybe there's a piece of glass stuck there. And are you sure you have inflated the tire sufficiently?
 
C

Christoff Yurievich

Member
I felt around the inside of the lip of the rim, around the tape, and even used a cotton swab to rub around to see if it got caught on anything. And when I inflated, I made sure to go to 100 PSI so no snake bite there.
 
C

Christoff Yurievich

Member
I took it to the lbs and the guy there thought that the tape was wearing out and when the tire was at full pressure and was hit just right the spoke nipple would puncture the tube. Not the most feasible thing but it's good enough for me since the hole is on the inside and definitely against the rim.

I'm now $13 lighter but I have new tape, a new tube, and he put the whole thing back together for me so all I have to do it put it on the bike and go home.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Some more info on my Knight of Sufferlandria attempt that'll be happening a week from today (depending on time zone).

Click to expand...

Nearly thirteen hours on a turbo trainer. Good job I'm not planning on having kids... and I'm mostly insane already.

(Thanks to my nephew for putting the image together... it's huge, so I doubt it'll display that well on anything that isn't a desktop.)
 
T

thomaser

Member
Psychotext said:
Nearly thirteen hours on a turbo trainer. Good job I'm not planning on having kids... and I'm mostly insane already.
Click to expand...

Remember to make sure that your seat points directly forward! My junk used to lose circulation after only 30-40 minutes when I used the trainer, so I had to sit there and slap myself regularly while spinning to maintain some semblance of life down there. But then I found out that the seat was slightly misaligned by a degree or two, and after correcting that the trainer has been much more friendly.
 
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