Bicycle age

Pulled the trigger on the Timbuk2 Seat Pack XT. Will report back when I get it. This wont be my everyday bag, but something I can use for longer days (4+ hours) when I may want to pack in more food or even a jacket.
 
I just broke my second saddle bag. Unless you go for the full on bikepacking ones it seems that none of them can stand up to mountain biking.
 
The only type of bag I have used that lasted small ones that go under the seat that you could cinch down so the would not jump around. I just got used to carrying everything in my Camelback pack.
 
I've decided not to continue with this traditional base training on TrainerRoad. My progress has been rubbish compared to when I did Sweet Spot base, and I don't think it's got anything to do with being anywhere near my genetic potential or something crazy like that.
 
The traditional base is only good if you're doing 2-3 hours per ride and like 5-6 days a week. I did sweet spot for 3-4 weeks then went to a mix of general build, rolling hills, cyclocross and sustained power.
 
Ugh, just did the first of my sweet spot sessions and it nearly buried me. My 10 minute wattage was only 2 watts off my best ever 8 minute FTP test result.

...and I did 12 weeks of traditional base (mid), and consider it a complete and utter waste of time. :(
 
Hi. I have a few questions:

First time bike buyer. I want it for city trails and (ideally) occasionally forest trails. Nothing extreme. Not using it to commute. Not using it to compete or race or whatever.

1. Buying a cheap bike at Walmart or Canadian Tire - bad idea? Based on the two bike threads that have popped up recently, I'm gonna assume yes?
2. Based on what I wrote above, hybrid or mountain bike?
3. Decent brands? Trek?
4. I've heard of a shop around the toronto area that is basically a DIY bike repair shop, but they also make bikes and sell them fairly cheap to help maintain the store. Worth looking at? Basically... is there a way to avoid buying a $500 bike while not getting garbage?

I'm not looking to be a cycling pro. Just want to use it for exploration and some exercise. Also i'm terrified of buying a 500 dollar bike and having it be immediately stolen. Granted, I'll probably be using it mainly for outdoor excursions and not leaving it around outside, but still the fear is there.

Is something like this an ok bike? Or at least not a crappy one =/ Granted its probably not possible to know just by seeing it online right? What sorts of things should I be looking for when I go to see bikes in person?

I'd appreciate the advice. Thanks.
 
1) Walmart (and similar) bikes are low quality and often assembled so badly you'll end up paying twice the price having a professional fix it: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5S7V5NhM8JSRoe6ovF2fifd5L7BsyLRF

2) A good mountain bike, hardtail or fully rigid, is more versatile than a hybrid and likely better value in terms of parts.

3) Trek is good, but not cheap. Living in Europe, I'm not too up on North American value oriented brands, but I hear good things about Diamondback. Just be aware that many quality brands sell garbage with their branding in Walmarts. Those bikes are made by some low quality sweatshop and can't be compared. Basically, if you can find the exact model on a brand's website, it's the real thing.

Of course the best way to get quality is to buy from a reputable bike shop that tunes the bike up for you and stands behind their build quality.


4) A shop like that has potential to be really good, if they know their business. So definitely go take a look.

That Raleigh seems all right for pootling around town, but it has an extremely comfort oriented geometry, which might not be so comfortable if you decide you want to ride for more than 30 minutes at a time.

The most important thing for a newbie is to get the right size bike, and for that you need a sales person who knows how to do that. Also test ride some bikes.
 
Tuck said:
Hi. I have a few questions:

First time bike buyer. I want it for city trails and (ideally) occasionally forest trails. Nothing extreme. Not using it to commute. Not using it to compete or race or whatever.

1. Buying a cheap bike at Walmart or Canadian Tire - bad idea? Based on the two bike threads that have popped up recently, I'm gonna assume yes?
2. Based on what I wrote above, hybrid or mountain bike?
3. Decent brands? Trek?
4. I've heard of a shop around the toronto area that is basically a DIY bike repair shop, but they also make bikes and sell them fairly cheap to help maintain the store. Worth looking at? Basically... is there a way to avoid buying a $500 bike while not getting garbage?

I'm not looking to be a cycling pro. Just want to use it for exploration and some exercise. Also i'm terrified of buying a 500 dollar bike and having it be immediately stolen. Granted, I'll probably be using it mainly for outdoor excursions and not leaving it around outside, but still the fear is there.

Is something like this an ok bike? Or at least not a crappy one =/ Granted its probably not possible to know just by seeing it online right? What sorts of things should I be looking for when I go to see bikes in person?

I'd appreciate the advice. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have a Trek Marlin 5 that I bought last year and I love it. I just got to South Dakota and I'm looking forward to getting it on the trails.
 
If you want cheap, but good, look into the following brands: Raleigh (yes, THAT Raleigh), Fairdale, Fuji and Kona

A bit on Raliegh, don't just buy one from Walmart or wherever. There are a select few they make that are legit quality for the money, but you'll probably only find them in bike specific shops.
 
Karakand said:
LttP, but Tinkoff choking by single seconds in not one but two World Tour races last weekend was magnifique. Hope they keep it up in MSR!
Click to expand...

hey man, they was robbed! contador foiled by both removal of mountain stage and SKY motos pulling gthomas to level up with contador. shameful, outrageous.... anyway

volta catulyna starts tomorrow, going to be great.

speaking of pulls, looks like Demare profited very nicely from one yesterday at MSR.
 
Hey guys, can anybody provide me some bike buying advice?

I am thinking about hopping on Nashbar's 20% sale today. I can get a Nashbar 105 Cyclocross for $800.

Only thing I really think I want to change out immediately are the wheels. I'd like to get some wheels and tires for more daily driver usage. My understanding is that the wheels on there now are not very good for that. So I just want to go ahead and have them replaced while the bike is being built than fool with it a few months down the road.

I kind of like the price on these Vuelta 37MM wheels. I plan on adding these Panaracers on them for my standard biking fun, and then when I decide to start racing, put a racing wheel + tire on as replacements.

My big question right now is that the bike has disc brakes. From my understanding, I can't just slap any ol' wheels on the bike. Disc brakes have certain requirements for wheels and/or hubs, and I honestly can't figure out how to determine compatibility.

Can somebody point me in the right direction?
 
diablopath said:
Hey guys, can anybody provide me some bike buying advice?

I am thinking about hopping on Nashbar's 20% sale today. I can get a Nashbar 105 Cyclocross for $800.

Only thing I really think I want to change out immediately are the wheels. I'd like to get some wheels and tires for more daily driver usage. My understanding is that the wheels on there now are not very good for that. So I just want to go ahead and have them replaced while the bike is being built than fool with it a few months down the road.

I kind of like the price on these Vuelta 37MM wheels. I plan on adding these Panaracers on them for my standard biking fun, and then when I decide to start racing, put a racing wheel + tire on as replacements.

My big question right now is that the bike has disc brakes. From my understanding, I can't just slap any ol' wheels on the bike. Disc brakes have certain requirements for wheels and/or hubs, and I honestly can't figure out how to determine compatibility.

Can somebody point me in the right direction?
Click to expand...


Why do you want a cyclocross bike just to switch the tires out for slicks?

Why not save $100 and get the 105 road bike?


http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_572575_-1___206371
 
Yaboosh said:
Why do you want a cyclocross bike just to switch the tires out for slicks?

Why not save $100 and get the 105 road bike?


http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_572575_-1___206371
Click to expand...

Because I want to do cyclocross racing on it eventually. I like CX bikes because with a wheel change, I can do my daily driver stuff and a century ride. Since I plan on doing more casual riding in the next few months, I want to go ahead and get appropriate wheels + tires for that purpose.
 
diablopath said:
Because I want to do cyclocross racing on it eventually. I like CX bikes because with a wheel change, I can do my daily driver stuff and a century ride. Since I plan on doing more casual riding in the next few months, I want to go ahead and get appropriate wheels + tires for that purpose.
Click to expand...

one of the coolest things i did with my single-speed cyclocross bike was switch the tires out for slicks after the first year where i exclusively used it for trail riding, which is one of the massive benefits in owning one. i now have two wheelsets for it, one for the road and the other for the trails and in the next year or so i'll be experimenting with 29ers.

best advice i can give is to have at least two wheelsets because switching tires is a pain in the ass and will deter you from mixing it up. also, you probably want to go tubeless with your cx wheelset and clincher with your slicks.
 
That's a bloody expensive way of doing it (unless you get garbage wheels). It's not that hard to switch tyres!

I can understand if you're doing tubeless vs not though (but it's hardly necessary).
 
diablopath said:
Hey guys, can anybody provide me some bike buying advice?

I am thinking about hopping on Nashbar's 20% sale today. I can get a Nashbar 105 Cyclocross for $800.

Only thing I really think I want to change out immediately are the wheels. I'd like to get some wheels and tires for more daily driver usage. My understanding is that the wheels on there now are not very good for that. So I just want to go ahead and have them replaced while the bike is being built than fool with it a few months down the road.

I kind of like the price on these Vuelta 37MM wheels. I plan on adding these Panaracers on them for my standard biking fun, and then when I decide to start racing, put a racing wheel + tire on as replacements.

My big question right now is that the bike has disc brakes. From my understanding, I can't just slap any ol' wheels on the bike. Disc brakes have certain requirements for wheels and/or hubs, and I honestly can't figure out how to determine compatibility.

Can somebody point me in the right direction?
Click to expand...

You can put any kind of tire on a rim, but if you want to swap the entire wheel you'll need to get something that has a disc brake mount.

My recommendation is two fold:
1. For $100-200 more you can probably find a much nicer and, most likely, better bike than that Nashbar
2. If you do buy that Nashbar just go go with a street / city type wheel instead of buying a whole new set of wheels

A 32/35 tire is more than wide enough to handle some dirt action, unless you're planning to go slamming through some mud
 
Funnily enough, mud tyres on mountain bikes are some of the thinnest you run. There's a real advantage to cutting through the crap to get to the hard stuff underneath.
 
I've done thousands of miles on knobbly bobblies on tarmac. Helps make you fitter!

(But no, don't do that unless you're going from tarmac to properly off-road regularly)
 
Psychotext said:
That's a bloody expensive way of doing it (unless you get garbage wheels). It's not that hard to switch tyres!

I can understand if you're doing tubeless vs not though (but it's hardly necessary).
Click to expand...

Light wheelsets are overrated IMO. I switched to a 500g lighter road wheelset and I'm not going appreciably faster, nor is the ride any better. I mean they're cool and all, but it really doesn't make enough of a difference unless you're racing for real.

Now, hubs that make a cool sound, those are worth investing for. I got 120 tooth chosen hubs that mimic the Chris King buzz. Gives me goosebumps it does. One day I will get Hope hubs for the mtbs and make dumb videos.

edit: I should add that I purposefully bought a roughly 100 euro Shimano hubs/old model Stans rims wheelset for having a 2.4" tubeless setup that I can just swap in whenever I feel like.
 
I can't speak for how they are on road bikes, but I noticed a HUGE difference between my original (heavy) wheelset and my super duper expensive light ones on my MTB... and that was 26" wheels, I'm betting the difference would be even bigger on 29" ones.

(I run on Hope Pro 2 Evos for what it's worth, and they do sound nice!)
 
Psychotext said:
That's a bloody expensive way of doing it (unless you get garbage wheels). It's not that hard to switch tyres!

I can understand if you're doing tubeless vs not though (but it's hardly necessary).
Click to expand...

define expensive? you can get a fairly decent wheelset for less than a full kit of billboards. and while a lot of tires are easy, continental 4000sii's are anything but.

i've had that bike for eight years now and having invested a little less than $200 in a wheelset for my slicks has substantially increased its utility.


and on the topic of heavy wheelsets, i do know from my own experience that the hubs that came with bianchi singlespeed's were notoriously bad for being massively heavy, as in several pounds overweight, and just replacing the wheel hub itself is significantly noticeable
 
I converted an old hybrid into a drop bar and I'm really happy with how it turned out. (Will post pics.) I totally get why retro grouches complain about integrated shifter/brake levers now, pure brake levers feel much more ergonomic for my hands. I also get compliments on it which I can't say about my Fred-tastic ride.

Incognito said:
speaking of pulls, looks like Demare profited very nicely from one yesterday at MSR.
Click to expand...

I loved his response. "U mad because I'm not French." His accusers have no comeback for that one since they're not French and clearly mad.

And FDJ fans thought their douchebag quotient would drop with Nacer "I can drop a chain on Di2 on a flat" Bouhanni leaving.

Psychotext said:
I can't speak for how they are on road bikes, but I noticed a HUGE difference between my original (heavy) wheelset and my super duper expensive light ones on my MTB... and that was 26" wheels, I'm betting the difference would be even bigger on 29" ones.

(I run on Hope Pro 2 Evos for what it's worth, and they do sound nice!)
Click to expand...

You're our resident cat 6 racer so wheel weight is actually something that might matter for you.

And in mountain biking you're accelerating from a stop / near stop more often than on the road. Rotational weight matters when you're accelerating, not as much when you're at speed, which is why I think you might dramatically notice a weight loss there in your discipline(s).
 
The Demare controversy is going to be great to watch. Was reading something where someone was saying because no cameras were there to catch him it's hard for them to make a definitive rule.

It's dumb, but at least Flanders is in two weeks.
 
Karakand said:
And in mountain biking you're accelerating from a stop / near stop more often than on the road. Rotational weight matters when you're accelerating, not as much when you're at speed, which is why I think you might dramatically notice a weight loss there in your discipline(s).
Click to expand...

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.

teepo said:
define expensive? you can get a fairly decent wheelset for less than a full kit of billboards. and while a lot of tires are easy, continental 4000sii's are anything but.
Click to expand...

I'd consider $200 fairly expensive, but I guess it depends on how often you switch.

I can do a tyre (with a decent lever) in under five minutes. I can do my MTB tyres in under three. I must admit, I don't like swapping out tubeless tyres though, that's a pain in the arse... but I wouldn't buy another 500 USD set of wheels to get around that particular job!
 
When I bought my road bike used, it came with a cheap set and a really expensive set of wheels. I thought I'd use the cheap wheels on rainy days and on bad roads ans save the expensive set for sunny days and "races". I've tried the cheap set once and then decided it was just too much work changing wheels everytime I wanted to ride. When the expensive wheels are worn out, it's probably time to replace the bike anyway
 
kottila said:
When I bought my road bike used, it came with a cheap set and a really expensive set of wheels. I thought I'd use the cheap wheels on rainy days and on bad roads ans save the expensive set for sunny days and "races". I've tried the cheap set once and then decided it was just too much work changing wheels everytime I wanted to ride. When the expensive wheels are worn out, it's probably time to replace the bike anyway
Click to expand...

wheel set or tires?

Unless you're riding in the rain 24x7 and never cleaning the bike there is no reason to NOT use the better wheel set.
 
He came to me and said "We gotta get you on tubeless, I have a set of tires you can have" so I figure why not. Going to 35 has already been amazing so I'm sure this will be even better
 
Man, I am so looking forward to BST starting in a couple of days. Evening rides after work will be back on the agenda at last.
 
dumb/newb question:

I just got a road bike and am becoming accustomed to higher tire PSI. Suggested is around 110, but the pump I got for my old hybrid a couple years ago is VERY difficult to pump around the 95-100 PSI mark. It feels like I'm super close to busting the tube.

Is this just an inadequacy of my pump? Seems like it might be after reading this: https://roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/maintenance/beginners-guide-how-to-pump-up-a-road-bike-tyre.html

Am I OK to brute force my way up to 110 range with this old pump, or am I risking something?
 
skip said:
dumb/newb question:

I just got a road bike and am becoming accustomed to higher tire PSI. Suggested is around 110, but the pump I got for my old hybrid a couple years ago is VERY difficult to pump around the 95-100 PSI mark. It feels like I'm super close to busting the tube.

Is this just an inadequacy of my pump? Seems like it might be after reading this: https://roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/maintenance/beginners-guide-how-to-pump-up-a-road-bike-tyre.html

Am I OK to brute force my way up to 110 range with this old pump, or am I risking something?
Click to expand...
What exactly are you worried about breaking, and what sort of pump do you have?

Regardless, if the question is whether it's nice to have a floor pump at home, the answer is yes.
 
Yeah, I have a Bontrager floor pump that I use. I typically fill my road tires to 90-100psi, and it doesn't take any undue effort.

I also have a mini pump that I take with me. However, I've never actually used it to fill or even top off a tire. I'm sure it works fine based on messing with it a bit, but the floor pump is so much easier to use.

Regarding busting a tube, I've only had one flat on my road bike in 2000+ miles. Oddly, it occurred as I was pumping air to the usual pressure - the rubber seal around the base of the valve stem just gave out. Kind of a pain, since I hadn't changed a road tire before that.
 
HTupolev said:
What exactly are you worried about breaking, and what sort of pump do you have?

Regardless, if the question is whether it's nice to have a floor pump at home, the answer is yes.
Click to expand...

Blasting open a tube (or maybe breaking the pump somehow). Basically I wasn't sure how much effort it should require, if my tube PSI indicator was wrong, etc. It's a Schwinn floor pump, pretty basic.

I ended up using almost all of my body weight leaning on the pump to get it up there, but it worked. Not ideal, so eventually I'll probably make a pump upgrade.
 
Now I have Bontrager Ballista kit. Hopefully long rides wind up just that extra bit more comfy than on my non-bib shorts.

My ALR 5 only says TREK in six places, so if anyone I ride by can't tell which bicycle manufacturer I look like a cartoon parody of a billboard for, this should make things less confusing.

1IiBoGx.jpg
Click to expand...

TREK TREK TREK TREK TREK TREK TREK TREK TREK
 
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