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[Lambtron]

I'm 33 years old now, not terribly active, and decided I want to get a bike. I went to the bike shop in my town today and looked around and I'm considering a Raleigh Misceo 2.0. I rode it around in the parking lot a bit and liked it with the exception of the saddle which I'm going to probably replace with something closer to the width of my very wide ass.

I'm probably also going to upgrade to 36 spoke wheels so that I (hopefully) don't destroy my wheels. I'm very fat so this is something that super concerns me.

Any suggestions on saddles or wheels for fatties?

 

[Mascot]

Just over two weeks now until British Summer Time begins, one of my favourite days of the year. Gonna be putting those light evenings to bloody good use - I've only managed half-a-dozen rides this year so far for one reason or another, and it's pissing me right off.

Edit: just spotted this. Good deal?

TomTom multisport GPS watch £79

 

[Psychotext]

That's 5 more than me.

We still have to go out together at some point.

I'm very fat so this is something that super concerns me.

Any suggestions on saddles or wheels for fatties?

Probably more importantly, how heavy? Most saddles are actually measured to your sitbones rather than your actual ass, but obviously some are better at taking weight than others. Wheel strength will only really matter if you start hitting potholes / getting the wheels off the ground.

 

[Norfair]

It's finally been warm enough here to get some rides in. I've just had time to ride back and forth from work so far.

It wasn't so bad so far except for the idiot in a truck this morning that practically ran me over by driving through my lane trying to pass somebody.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Just over two weeks now until British Summer Time begins, one of my favourite days of the year. Gonna be putting those light evenings to bloody good use - I've only managed half-a-dozen rides this year so far for one reason or another, and it's pissing me right off.

Edit: just spotted this. Good deal?

TomTom multisport GPS watch £79

For biking I still think nothing beats a more dedicate system whether it's a garmin or Wahoo or whatever. The TomTom device is interesting, and I like what it can offer, but IIRC it has a lot of issues. DC Rainmaker liked it but warned of some of the pitfalls.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Had surgery on my head on the third and the stitches are right where my helmet pads are. To top that off I also have to keep my head out of the sun for at least a year so I'm going to be wearing a hat at all times.

The stitches come out next week so hopefully I start riding then.

 

[Mascot]

Had surgery on my head on the third and the stitches are right where my helmet pads are. To top that off I also have to keep my head out of the sun for at least a year so I'm going to be wearing a hat at all times.

The stitches come out next week so hopefully I start riding then.

Oof! Best of luck matey. Sounds nasty.

 

[Lambtron]

Probably more importantly, how heavy? Most saddles are actually measured to your sitbones rather than your actual ass, but obviously some are better at taking weight than others. Wheel strength will only really matter if you start hitting potholes / getting the wheels off the ground.

I'd rather not post my weight publicly but it's A Lot. I don't plan on doing anything too crazy, I'll mostly be riding on roads and bike trails, but if they can help me out ahead of time with better wheels I think it's probably the safest option. I'll see if the bike shop can help measure my ass to make sure that I get the right seat, too. I spent so long looking at this stuff last night and it just made my head spin.

 

[Psychotext]

Well, as long as you tell them they'll be able to help you out.

All rims have weight ratings (though they're not always easy to find), which is actually the most important thing. Spoke count can help, but rim strength will be more important.

 

[jakonovski]

I started out at 120kg, now about 110kg but with a lot more muscle. 28 spoke mtb wheels have taken everything up to light trail riding and clumsy bunny hop practice, without a single problem. Same thing for 28 spoke road wheels, except instead of trail riding there have been gnarly kerb impacts.

 

[Mascot]

Stripped down my spare never-used Halfrauds bike rack prior to chucking it in a skip, but noticed that part of it is the perfect size to bolt across two garage rafters to form a pretty perfect pull-up bar.

 

[thomaser]

Stripped down my spare never-used Halfrauds bike rack prior to chucking it in a skip, but noticed that part of it is the perfect size to bolt across two garage rafters to form a pretty perfect pull-up bar.

Cool. But... Please tell me that you use that gas mask for cycling.

 

[Mascot]

Cool. But... Please tell me that you use that gas mask for cycling.

I will now!

 

[Gray Matter]

Made a thread, but this seems like the right place for this.

So I've decided that I want to start riding a bike to work, once the weather gets better of course. I know next to nothing about a quality bike so I need your help. Plus I could use the excersise.

Here's what I need: not a mountain bike, I need something that rides smoothly on concrete.

A comfortable seat, something that won't hurt after a few minutes.

I'm 6' tall so something that I can comfortably fit, but nothing too big.

Also, about a 450-500 dollar limit.

What are some good bikes?

 

[t-ramp]

If you're looking to buy new, it depends on what brands your local shops carry. You could also order online, of course, and save some money, but then you can't do a test ride and have the shop make sure everything is good to go mechanically.

Otherwise, you could buy used, but for $500 you can get a good new bike from a major brand like Trek or Giant, with a warranty and whatever bonus services your bike shop may offer.

For particular models, Trek's FX or Verve line should meet your needs, or Giant's Escape or Cypress (not so sure about Giant). They make then in a range of sizes, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Honestly, if I were you I might get the Trek 7.2 FX in red.

 

[Gray Matter]

If you're looking to buy new, it depends on what brands your local shops carry. You could also order online, of course, and save some money, but then you can't do a test ride and have the shop make sure everything is good to go mechanically.

Otherwise, you could buy used, but for $500 you can get a good new bike from a major brand like Trek or Giant, with a warranty and whatever bonus services your bike shop may offer.

For particular models, Trek's FX or Verve line should meet your needs, or Giant's Escape or Cypress (not so sure about Giant). They make then in a range of sizes, so that shouldn't be an issue.

I'm just starting the research now, so I'm just focusing on reliable brands to buy.

 

[t-ramp]

I'm just starting the research now, so I'm just focusing on reliable brands to buy.

Do you know which brands your local shops carry, by any chance? The one I bought my bikes from sells mostly Trek, so that's what I ended up with both times, but there are a lot of good brands to choose from.

 

[Gray Matter]

Do you know which brands your local shops carry, by any chance? The one I bought my bikes from sells mostly Trek, so that's what I ended up with both times, but there are a lot of good brands to choose from.

Honestly I don't even know what you mean by local shops. Dedicated stores to selling bikes and such or places like Dick's and sports authority?

 

[t-ramp]

Honestly I don't even know what you mean by local shops. Dedicated stores to selling bikes and such or places like Dick's and sports authority?

Dedicated shops. Most major brands are going to be sold exclusively through bike shops. I'm honestly not sure how the bikes sold at general sporting goods stores compare to those from name-brand manufacturers quality-wise, but at the very least you'll almost certainly get better service and knowledgeable advice from an actual bike shop. I glanced at the bikes at Sports Authority once, but I don't know if anybody there actually inspects the bike, airs up the tires, and so forth if you buy one there... maybe?

 

[Gray Matter]

Dedicated shops. Most major brands are going to be sold exclusively through bike shops. I'm honestly not sure how the bikes sold at general sporting goods stores compare to those from name-brand manufacturers quality-wise, but at the very least you'll almost certainly get better service and knowledgeable advice from an actual bike shop. I glanced at the bikes at Sports Authority once, but I don't know if anybody there actually inspects the bike, airs up the tires, and so forth if you buy one there... maybe?

I haven't seen a dedicated store near me, I'll have to check online to see of there are any near my area. But what are some of the most reliable brands in the $400-$500 range.

That should be enough to get me going.

 

[t-ramp]

I haven't seen a dedicated store near me, I'll have to check online to see of there are any near my area. But what are some of the most reliable brands in the $400-$500 range.

That should be enough to get me going.

You should be able to find Trek, Giant, or Specialized in your area, I would think. They are all well-regarded, established companies that make reliable bikes in a range of types.

 

[Gray Matter]

You should be able to find Trek, Giant, or Specialized in your area, I would think. They are all well-regarded, established companies that make reliable bikes in a range of types.

Thanks for the info. I'll do some searching near and see if I find something.

 

[weekend_warrior]

Marlin 5

3 Series

X-Caliber

What appreciable differences are there between these bikes? I'm looking for something that's probably going to see more pavement then dirt, but I enjoy riding off-road more so if I can find good trails I want something that can take abuse.

 

[Gray Matter]

The trek 7.2 FX is a real nice bike. All the sites/videos I just saw had great things to say about it. Looks like I'll be buying that one.

 

[t-ramp]

Marlin 5

3 Series

X-Caliber

What appreciable differences are there between these bikes? I'm looking for something that's probably going to see more pavement then dirt, but I enjoy riding off-road more so if I can find good trails I want something that can take abuse.

I'm not sure exactly how the Marlin compares to the X-Caliber, but the 3500 comes with 26" wheels no matter the frame size, whereas the other two are 27.5" for the smaller frames and 29" for the rest.

Also, while I like my X-Caliber 6 a lot, it's definitely designed for off-road riding and doesn't feel all that quick on pavement. Not that I haven't done a lot of that on mine, probably burned some extra calories doing so.

Spoiler

You should just buy two bikes.

 

[jakonovski]

You can easily ride on pavement with an mtb if you buy suitable tires for it. I put Continental X-Kings on mine, haven't ridden much yet but they seem to perform well in all conditions. Which was a bit surprising because the similarly treaded Trek OEM tires were a bit crap on pavement.

 

[Psychotext]

I've decided that I'm going to try and do this in 2016:

Leadville Trail 100 MTB

100 miles, 12 hours, 3,100m elevation gain. Current record is 6:05... my target will be sub 12 hours so as to actually finish rather than hit a cut off. I might go for the La Plata Grande (Sub 9 hrs) at some point in my 40s.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

I've decided that I'm going to try and do this in 2016:

Leadville Trail 100 MTB

100 miles, 12 hours, 3,100m elevation gain. Current record is 6:05... my target will be sub 12 hours so as to actually finish rather than hit a cut off. I might go for the La Plata Grande (Sub 9 hrs) at some point in my 40s.

Know someone who did this and had a blast, but it's pretty rough.

I'd like to try and do the triple bypass one year, but finding comparable hills where I am is pretty damn hard.

 

[Psychotext]

Thankfully hills aren't something I'm short of in Wales.

Did I really just say that?

 

[DrForester]

Gentlmen, I have bought a bike.

And having ridden it for 30 minutes, I have now bought some riding shorts.

 

[thomaser]

Finished my Tour of Flanders-dvd with an epic sprint. I won by a landslide.

Now, the bike is going out of the bedroom and into the garage, ready for the great outdoors. Weather's been great the last few days, let's hope it stays that way.

 

[Psychotext]

Gentlmen, I have bought a bike.

Very nice. Just be warned that Rocket Ron don't grip for shit in wet conditions. I use them when I need to be fast, but they come right off if I think I'm going to be on anything other than firm surfaces.

 

[WedgeX]

Got my cassettes and gear housings all replaced at my local bike hope and my steel is real road bike feels brand new. Unfortunately someone at the bike shop decided to cut the magnets that regulate my revolights off of my bike at the shop. It's only $8 to replace the magnets but...damn, I installed those things myself!

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Man, I'd throw a fit if they materially affected my bike when I took it in for service.

 

[Psychotext]

Yup, you don't fuck with anything I've got attached to my bike unless you ask me first.

"Yeah, we saw this thing bolted to the crank arm, not sure what it does, took it off"

"My power meter?"

 

[Psychotext]

Nope: Riding the White Line - Sedona

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I saw that the other day. There comes a time when you have to wonder if they're not just depressed and trying to off themselves. I mean, the thought of pedal strikes alone makes that a great big nope for me.

 

[HTupolev]

Riding the White Line - Sedona

*Looks at level floor under shoes.*

Yep, still good.

 

[Psychotext]

Yeah, fear of edges aside, I just don't trust myself to have the skill to handle that. To be honest, I don't think you'd get me to walk it either.

 

[jakonovski]

It's the consequences of failure. Like this one bend on one of my regular routes. I know I could whip around it really fast but if I fail I'll end up some nasty terrain. So I inevitably take it nice and slow.

 

[thomaser]

Took the racer out of the bedroom, changed tires, now it's ready for the outside season. But I can't believe how much oil these things have on them! No matter how careful I am, I end up with black marks everywhere. Myself, my clothes, keys, doors, car, walls...

Sprayed the cassette with a citrus degreaser, and it seemed to remove the gunk pretty well. Will spray the rest of the moving parts tomorrow, and then re-oil things.

My riding buddy just bought racing shoes and racing pedals, and claims that they feel much better to use than his old mtb-pedals. Is there anything to that? Will you REALLY get a more efficient downstroke and a more comfortable ride with racing pedals, or is it just another way to get your money?

 

[Psychotext]

Single digit percentage... maybe. There have been tests that have proven flats more efficient than clipped in, and tests that have proven the reverse. At the end of the day, if you believe it to be true, it might as well be.

One thing that is worth noting though, a stiffer shoe will generally translate to better pedalling efficiency... though they're far less fun for walking in.

 

[HTupolev]

For the first time I did a somewhat thorough-ish cleaning on this old road bike.

Turns out I've been riding this thing for over a month without realizing that one of the pulleys on the rear derailleur is very gummed up. Probably nothing that can't be fixed with a little cleaning and lube, but yikes.

I guess now I understand the stories of people riding for a bit without noticing something like a misaligned brake.

 

[Mascot]

Heads up, UK. The Lidl bike workstand is back in rotation right now, 25 clams.

Hello.

The bluetooth heartrate belt is also up.

 

[waypoetic]

Ah, spring! I can finally ride my road bike!

Anyways. A couple of weeks ago i went and saw the documentary "Bikes VS Cars". I liked it. I especially liked the way it was shot. If you haven't heard of it, take a look at the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPqF1BCkIw8

"From bike activists in Sao Paulo and Los Angeles, fighting for safe bike lanes, to the City of Copenhagen, where forty percent commute by bike daily, Bikes vs Cars will look at both the struggle for bicyclists in a society dominated by cars, and the revolutionary changes that could take place if more cities moved away from car-centric models."

 

[NeoGeoOwner]

Gentlmen, I have bought a bike.

And having ridden it for 30 minutes, I have now bought some riding shorts.

That's one good looking bike.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

My riding buddy just bought racing shoes and racing pedals, and claims that they feel much better to use than his old mtb-pedals. Is there anything to that? Will you REALLY get a more efficient downstroke and a more comfortable ride with racing pedals, or is it just another way to get your money?

I think if you're coming from straight platforms to clipless it will make a difference, but I'm not sure about going from Look to Shimano or egg beaters, etc. There will be differences, like float, but I'm not sure if you'll see a ton in overall pedal stroke. Pedal stroke is just practice, and more practice. I've been working on it all winter, it sucks.

 

[kottila]

Single digit percentage... maybe. There have been tests that have proven flats more efficient than clipped in, and tests that have proven the reverse. At the end of the day, if you believe it to be true, it might as well be.

One thing that is worth noting though, a stiffer shoe will generally translate to better pedalling efficiency... though they're far less fun for walking in.

I have flats (actually a combo pedal) on my cx and I keep hurting myself on the sharp pins.. well worth having clip ins just for that reason

 

[Mascot]

Single digit percentage... maybe. There have been tests that have proven flats more efficient than clipped in, and tests that have proven the reverse.

I've heard these claims before, but can't for the life of me see how it can be true. SPDs let me share each revolution across different muscle groups, pushing and pulling in a circular motion on each stroke. How can that be less efficient than simply pushing with the same muscles each time?

 

[Psychotext]

I have flats (actually a combo pedal) on my cx and I keep hurting myself on the sharp pins.. well worth having clip ins just for that reason

Generally means either your technique is off, the pedals aren't great (combo pedals especially) or you're not using decent footwear. I've had it happen, but in reality it's no worse than not being able to dab, shift foot position, or getting tangled up in the bike when you crash.

I've heard these claims before, but can't for the life of me see how it can be true. SPDs let me share each revolution across different muscle groups, pushing and pulling in a circular motion on each stroke. How can that be less efficient than simply pushing with the same muscles each time?

Because we don't really work that way, mechanically. There's a brief overview on it here: http://www.bikejames.com/strength/why-pulling-up-doesnt-add-to-your-pedal-stroke-power/

At the end of the day though, if you're comfortable with one or the other, stick with it (I use both). What I disagree with is people saying you have to use clipped in for efficiency when in reality that efficiency doesn't really exist. For me, I like to use clips when I'm doing a lot of time climbing (I don't like wondering if my foot positioning is ideal, I shift them around a lot and I don't want to lose power because of it), for mostly downhill, I far, far prefer flats. I prefer clipped when I'm getting a fair bit of air... but that's because I'm shit at keeping control of everything when I land.

I've seen too many riders not spend enough time on flats before switching to being clipped in, and they could learn plenty about their foot positioning and body weight movement by going back for a while.