jakonovski
Member
Single speed is really good for building your leg strength, and many do indeed ride them. But you really have to be able to keep your speed up on hills, or you will have to get off and push.
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Bicycle age
- Thread starter elrechazado
- Start date
Reizo Ryuu
Gold Member
Yep, I generally give myself a little speed boost when I know a steep uphill is coming, otherwise I could slow to a crawl if I'm already tired.
You could always compromise with a geared bike and have days where you just stay in the same gear
Good pick. That mint green is wonderful. I've grown accustomed to the drop bars as well.
This is what I currently do. The only time I really change gears is if I'm feeling lazy, or taking the one route that has a switchback up to a bridge.
jakonovski
Member
Crappy is really relative. I got the Scott Genius 750, the crappy entry level model, for €1500 (25% off, so rrp was 2000). It has perfectly functional air suspension and Deore level parts. It is a bit heavy at almost 14kg, but by upgrading simple stuff like a single chainring and a new saddle I can shed almost a kilo for about 150 extra.
Even in its off the shelf form, the bike is far more capable than me.
Even in its off the shelf form, the bike is far more capable than me.
That's better than most I've seen in that price range for sure.
It just feels like every time I look at a fs bike in the $2000-2500 USD range, it has entry level parts.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
What brands? Cannondale, Specialized and Trek are always going to have that name tax. There are good value buys from Scott, Fuji, Kona and Giant.
Psychotext
Member
Also the European brands, which are bargaintastic.
jakonovski
Member
European mail order brands. Otherwise it's all BMCs, LaPierres and Mondrakers.
If money wasn't a question this would be a beautiful bike to have.
http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/mr_pink
http://allcitycycles.com/bikes/mr_pink
MINE!
That's beautiful!
Christoff Yurievich
Member
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=5ud5T5I4XcA#t=81
Am I correct in that he doesn't have a brake on the first bike?
Am I correct in that he doesn't have a brake on the first bike?
jakonovski
Member
It has a rear disc brake.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
How does he spin the handlebars then?
jakonovski
Member
I think they route the cables through the stem. And have some funky kind of cabling that can rotate I suppose.
Psychotext
Member
Yeah, the bmxers use a very similar system for their stunt bikes. Basically there are two plates on the front of the bike that are connected to each other, but allow the bars to spin whilst still allowing cable based braking.
I'm such a wimp. Tried a really steep 200m decline, did it excruciatingly slow in 3.08 minutes because I didn't want to die. Came last on the Strava list, best time is 22 seconds. I got up there twice as fast as down. Can't be good at everything, but this was weak, thomaser, weak.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Look up "gyro brake"
Groupset snobbery is like the only thing left keeping me from buying a six hundo hardtail I'll never ride. Don't say stuff like this!!!!
Yep. My next bike will probably be a YT or a Canyon. Big-ass bang for the buck, and fantastic bikes too. The only way to get better value is buying annual stock clearance from traditional brands towards the end of the year.
Fitted a new chain yesterday (3/16" stretch over 12" on the old one - oops) and it was literally slipping over the teeth under any sort of power. Time for a new cassette, methinks. Probably worth doing the chain rings too. With the rear mech only a few hundred miles old it should feel like a new bike again. Brakes don't feel like they need bleeding and the fork is still supple.
The 'making of' is worth a watch too. I'd never have guessed it was filmed in California, or that they built the trail from scratch just for this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B62HbIFu-vI
Edit: OopsDPpleasedontbanme
jakonovski
Member
Had a couple of laps today at a real XCO track (only 2 because getting there was a 25km ride already). It seemed to be entirely uphill and consisted of nothing but jagged rocks. I'm sure it's great for training but damn if I didn't suffer constantly, either out of breath or legs or then having to dismount because there's a rock step half a metre tall that I somehow would have to go up.
It was just me being bad though, as my friend was able to do most of it.
It was just me being bad though, as my friend was able to do most of it.
jakonovski
Member
Shimano pricing has always been weird. Just buy a narrow wide aftermarket chainring and join the cool dudes who don't need a front shifter!
edit: On-One has a sale on theirs, dirt cheap! http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CROOTHTH/on-one-ringmaster-chainring
edit: On-One has a sale on theirs, dirt cheap! http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CROOTHTH/on-one-ringmaster-chainring
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I need a mechanic stand. Cleaning a bike and chain without one is a PITA.
Psychotext
Member
You have LIDL / ALDI where you are? They often have them for fuck all.
Bunch on ebay too.
Bunch on ebay too.
jakonovski
Member
Pro Tip: Downhill World Cup is starting in a bit over an hour, there's a stream at Red Bull's tv site.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Aldi the food store?
There's a brand that is super good but also way expensive for the little I'd use it. Maybe it would get me to wrench more though.
Psychotext
Member
Yeah, the food store. They have offers on bike stuff all the time, they're renowned for it.
i use the bike rack that's attached to my car
Explored a new tractor road today.
Leanage at the end of the road. There's a "mailbox" there with a book that you can write your name in. Those books are all over the place on mountains and in forests here in Norway, and people use them all the time. Is something like that done elsewhere too?
Why is there a chair deep in the forest. Who sits there. I'm glad I didn't find out.
Psychotext
Member
We have them in bothies, but I've never seen one in the wild.
Your ALDI is not the same as American ALDI, from what I understand. Ours is, from my local experience anyway, just cheap food with a small rotating selection of random cheap non-food stuff. Not much biking-related that I've ever noticed.
Psychotext
Member
It's the small rotating section that has the bike stuff from time to time. Well, all across Europe anyway.
Example: http://road.cc/content/news/149891-aldi-cycling-sale-sunday-features-£1199-bib-shorts-and-much-more
Example: http://road.cc/content/news/149891-aldi-cycling-sale-sunday-features-£1199-bib-shorts-and-much-more
It's a smart way to get people out there - gives them a little goal. It's like achievements for hikers. It's competitive many places, too. Who can get their name on this mountain the most, who can sign their name the most during a year, and so on. Some people do this every day. Mostly for hikers, though, but I ride past so many of these that maybe I should start signing with a cute drawing of a bike, just to show that we're using these paths too.
I know the answer is "keep riding," but after my little test-spin the other day I realized how awfully out-of-shape I am. I'm not overweight or anything (I'm actually fairly thin and eat well) but couldn't make it more than 2 or 3 miles without huffing and puffing. That said, most of the ride was up-hill, but I'm not going to make that an excuse.
I guess what I want to ask is, for true beginners (well...not total beginners) what might you recommend as a "training plan" of sorts to get me up to riding ~15-20mi regularly? Something akin to the couch-to-5k? My short-term goal is to be able to ride my bike to and from the nearby rail trail (~10mi) as well as the duration of the trail and back (~24mi), but that seems a lot more challenging a goal after having ridden these first few miles on my new bike.
I guess what I want to ask is, for true beginners (well...not total beginners) what might you recommend as a "training plan" of sorts to get me up to riding ~15-20mi regularly? Something akin to the couch-to-5k? My short-term goal is to be able to ride my bike to and from the nearby rail trail (~10mi) as well as the duration of the trail and back (~24mi), but that seems a lot more challenging a goal after having ridden these first few miles on my new bike.
Gray Matter
Member
Meant to post this a few days ago, but I have eclipsed the 800 mile mark, currently at 823, but whos counting.
Extremely proud of that number.
Extremely proud of that number.
I knew there had to be a bike GAF..
What's up guys, new here. Recently I got the super itch to get into mountain biking as a hobby and as a means to up my cardiovascular health, heart disease runs in the family and while I've always tried to stay fit via weightlifting, I never really enjoyed running, my childhood was spent on bmx bikes so figured a mountain bike would be a good extension of those experiences, so far I'm loving it and wish more of my buddies would ride.. Anyways I'm in nor cal (Sacramento) and try to get some riding in at least 2-3 times a week. I bought a bike that is better than my current skill level but I'm eager to improve my riding
In my mind I think I want to be an aggressive type rider and wanted a bike i could throw around the trail and all my research led me to a transition scout. The bike is awesome,gives me a sense of confidence but almost to a fault, I took a spill when my front tire washed out on a slight downhill turn, scraped my knee, nothing serious really but still I'm a 36 year old 215lb man.. When in fall, its an event.
Anyways, just wanted to introduced myself to the thread,and see if maybe there are other Sacramento area MTB riders in here..
I'm not a super active poster, but will be checking in from time to time and post some pictures of rides, bike, etc.
What's up guys, new here. Recently I got the super itch to get into mountain biking as a hobby and as a means to up my cardiovascular health, heart disease runs in the family and while I've always tried to stay fit via weightlifting, I never really enjoyed running, my childhood was spent on bmx bikes so figured a mountain bike would be a good extension of those experiences, so far I'm loving it and wish more of my buddies would ride.. Anyways I'm in nor cal (Sacramento) and try to get some riding in at least 2-3 times a week. I bought a bike that is better than my current skill level but I'm eager to improve my riding
In my mind I think I want to be an aggressive type rider and wanted a bike i could throw around the trail and all my research led me to a transition scout. The bike is awesome,gives me a sense of confidence but almost to a fault, I took a spill when my front tire washed out on a slight downhill turn, scraped my knee, nothing serious really but still I'm a 36 year old 215lb man.. When in fall, its an event.
Anyways, just wanted to introduced myself to the thread,and see if maybe there are other Sacramento area MTB riders in here..
I'm not a super active poster, but will be checking in from time to time and post some pictures of rides, bike, etc.
Psychotext
Member
Another MTBer in the clan. Woo!
Had a very, very wet ride today. Wading through mud, jumping over sudden streams of water and so on. My shoe covers basically dissolved at the end, and are of no use anymore. That was ok, though. What was not ok was putting my Garmin Edge 510 on the car roof afterwards, opening the trunk, closing the trunk, and hearing a snap as the 510 was crushed after having slid into the narrow space between the trunk door and the roof. So now I need a new bike computer.
I want another Garmin. 520, 810 or 1000? Not sure how much I'd use the map function since I'm not that often in unknown places, but it would still be Nice To Have. Is the 1000 usable in bad/cold weather? Could I use it in below 0 degrees without the battery going dead in two hours?
Well, you already know the answer ;-) Just keep riding. Short rides are perfectly ok. 2-3 rides a week, and you'll soon be in shape for longer rides. No need for a specific training plan. It won't take long to get up to 15-20 miles.
http://www.trekbikes.com/au/en/bikes/city/dual_sport/ds_series/8_6_ds/
Looking for a decent bike that keeps options open between mountain biking through national park trails and cycling roads to work each day.
I'm in Australia so obviously that means immediately limited with options...anyone have any ideas? I'm looking at this one attached above at the moment.
Looking for a decent bike that keeps options open between mountain biking through national park trails and cycling roads to work each day.
I'm in Australia so obviously that means immediately limited with options...anyone have any ideas? I'm looking at this one attached above at the moment.
I decided that I would finally put luggage racks on my Fuji America. Unfortunately, this has encouraged me to finally cave on getting a dedicated sunny weather zippy road bike. Something ultra-stiff, fender-free, 120PSI tires, not-32-spoke wheels, not built to carry massive loads...
Went to the LBS, now I have an fiery red Trek Emonda ALR 5 on order. Not the most aero option in its price range, but it feels nice, and its low weight should be good on hills. And we've got plenty of hills here.
En
Plus
Won
D:
Okay, so the good news is that this covers almost all the bases I've contemplated since beginning cycling. I'll now have an MTB, a touring bike, and a snappy road bike. The only other thing I might look into is a dirt cheap beater that sucks so much that I wouldn't get nervous about leaving it in front of a grocery store, and that would by definition not destroy my wallet to a very horrific extent. So my N+1 days should hopefully be nearly over.
Of course, I probably just jinxed it, and by the end of the year I'll have a recumbent retro-direct fatbike or something. (I would like to apologize to any alt bike mechanics who just got a burning desire to build a recumbent retro-direct fatbike.)
Went to the LBS, now I have an fiery red Trek Emonda ALR 5 on order. Not the most aero option in its price range, but it feels nice, and its low weight should be good on hills. And we've got plenty of hills here.
En
Plus
Won
D:
Okay, so the good news is that this covers almost all the bases I've contemplated since beginning cycling. I'll now have an MTB, a touring bike, and a snappy road bike. The only other thing I might look into is a dirt cheap beater that sucks so much that I wouldn't get nervous about leaving it in front of a grocery store, and that would by definition not destroy my wallet to a very horrific extent. So my N+1 days should hopefully be nearly over.
Of course, I probably just jinxed it, and by the end of the year I'll have a recumbent retro-direct fatbike or something. (I would like to apologize to any alt bike mechanics who just got a burning desire to build a recumbent retro-direct fatbike.)
If N is the number of flat tire repair kits you have, the number of flat tire repair kits you should own is...
Reizo Ryuu
Gold Member
Pretty much this, you'll just get more in shape the more you ride, and you will notice it too.
So don't worry about it too much, just keep riding.
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