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Bicycle age

Addnan

Member
From Reddit.. I want one.

nmSfRAV.jpg
 
So, it turns out my seat was a solid 10-15mm too high O_O

I realized when I got my fit last year I was in a different pair of shoes from what I'm wearing now. They sat much higher on the pedals than my current pair. I noticed while really easily pedaling my hips were dipping so I just started dropping the seat 3m until things felt a little right. And would you have it while I was out today I had almost no leg strain in my left leg which is what I had been dealing with since last year when I switched up shoes.

Now if I could just find a saddle my butt likes :(

Putting the miles in before the weekends race.

I wish I had more elevation around me
 

Yaboosh

Super Sleuth
Nice thing about front range Colorado is you have the option of flat rides for miles and miles and miles or tons and tons and tons of elevation. Well, for road biking at least. Mountain biking you are just doing tons of elevation no matter what it seems.
 
I think I will go the super boring route with my wheels and just get DT Swiss R24 db's. Cheap, tubeless and comes with all possible axle conversion bits.

Then maybe the new Hutchinson Overide gravel tyres if I can find them. If not, Schwalbe G-Ones or some Maxxis thing.
 

ShapeGSX

Member
I got a Tacx Flux. Their original batch had some issues, but they seem to have sorted them out. It is very quiet. A lot more quiet than the Wahoo Kickr. $900 at Clever Training, but twice a year, Clever has a 20% off sale.

If you want to buy a TacX Vortex, I happen to be selling mine. :)
 
Those all look nice!

But what about turbo trainers in the $50-$150 price range?

To be honest they're not worth it. They'll be magnetic drive systems that have manual resistance controls that don't feel good at all. I know it's hard to drop 250-500 on something you might not like, but if you can buy a good one that actually feels nice to ride it may convince you stick to it longer.
 

Karish

Member
TRUE STORY: Last night I rode my bike to a popular restaurant while it was still plenty light out. I come out after a few hours, start unlocking it, and some dude says creepily "That's an awesome bike dude". I say thanks and then he says "I was about to take it before you walked out". I thought he was joking and did a half nervous laugh. He goes "no, I'm serious. Get a U-Lock. I was going to take it." (I have a lock but not a ULock). I say "why would you do something like that?" He goes "because I need a bike man". I just walked away.

One of the more surreal experiences of my life.
 

Addnan

Member
TRUE STORY: Last night I rode my bike to a popular restaurant while it was still plenty light out. I come out after a few hours, start unlocking it, and some dude says creepily "That's an awesome bike dude". I say thanks and then he says "I was about to take it before you walked out". I thought he was joking and did a half nervous laugh. He goes "no, I'm serious. Get a U-Lock. I was going to take it." (I have a lock but not a ULock). I say "why would you do something like that?" He goes "because I need a bike man". I just walked away.

One of the more surreal experiences of my life.

Get a good lock. Anything that's not a d/u lock is pointless.
 

HTupolev

Member
Why don't modern rear derailleurs use SunTour-style open cages, where the chain can slip on and off without being broken? None of the arguments seem to add up.
Safety? Has anyone ever complained about an open cage dropping the chain?
Weight? If that was the concern, why is my 1970s SunTour Cyclone touring derailleur lighter than a modern Ultegra racing derailleur?
Why are we all inconveniencing ourselves for no obvious reason?

In other retrogrouchy news, there's literally a Cannondale engineer now publically saying that he won't stand by the claim that more bottom bracket stiffness is always better. And as far as I know, he hasn't even been fired for that statement.
Hhhehehe
Maybe at some point within the next 50 or 100 years, bicycle journalists and salespeople will realize that 99% of what they've been attributing to "frame stiffness" is actual steering geometry and weight distribution. Nah, that's probably very optimistic.
 

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
TRUE STORY: Last night I rode my bike to a popular restaurant while it was still plenty light out. I come out after a few hours, start unlocking it, and some dude says creepily "That's an awesome bike dude". I say thanks and then he says "I was about to take it before you walked out". I thought he was joking and did a half nervous laugh. He goes "no, I'm serious. Get a U-Lock. I was going to take it." (I have a lock but not a ULock). I say "why would you do something like that?" He goes "because I need a bike man". I just walked away.

One of the more surreal experiences of my life.
You got a cable lock? Those can be cut with a good kitchen knife. And the cheaper ones by hand.

Get a good lock. Anything that's not a d/u lock is pointless.
'd'? And good chains are also good, but very heavy.
 
Why don't modern rear derailleurs use SunTour-style open cages, where the chain can slip on and off without being broken? None of the arguments seem to add up.
Safety? Has anyone ever complained about an open cage dropping the chain?
Weight? If that was the concern, why is my 1970s SunTour Cyclone touring derailleur lighter than a modern Ultegra racing derailleur?
Why are we all inconveniencing ourselves for no obvious reason?

In other retrogrouchy news, there's literally a Cannondale engineer now publically saying that he won't stand by the claim that more bottom bracket stiffness is always better. And as far as I know, he hasn't even been fired for that statement.
Hhhehehe
Maybe at some point within the next 50 or 100 years, bicycle journalists and salespeople will realize that 99% of what they've been attributing to "frame stiffness" is actual steering geometry and weight distribution. Nah, that's probably very optimistic.

Sometimes I wish I knew more or read more on modern bike tech, but then I remember so much of it is hype & marketing. I'm not saying advancements or tech is bad, just the general coverage.
 
To be honest they're not worth it. They'll be magnetic drive systems that have manual resistance controls that don't feel good at all. I know it's hard to drop 250-500 on something you might not like, but if you can buy a good one that actually feels nice to ride it may convince you stick to it longer.
I see. What do you recommend in the $250-$500 range, then?
 
The rear mech looks more than a little vulnerable..!

That's actually pretty much the toughest bit of the case. I think I'd remove it for a longer flight though.

As for hard vs soft. I've personally witnessed hard cases come off flights smashed to bits. Sometimes a bit of give is what you need.

Also, the sides of the bag are protected by two burly bastard 29er MTB wheels. :)
 

Teggy

Member
My TrainerRoad interval averages always seem to come up 1 watt short. Limitation of ERG mode or should I be doing something different? I generally feel pretty spent at the end of these.
 

Laekon

Member
That's actually pretty much the toughest bit of the case. I think I'd remove it for a longer flight though.

As for hard vs soft. I've personally witnessed hard cases come off flights smashed to bits. Sometimes a bit of give is what you need.

Also, the sides of the bag are protected by two burly bastard 29er MTB wheels. :)
Worked at a shop for years that did a good amount of travel case rentals and soft cases always had less issues. The only logical explanation we could come up with is that they would stack other luggage on the hard cases and were more likely to toss them around.
 

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
This isn't fair. My knee, swollen from my last fall, feels very itchy but hurts when I touch it. :S Dam, I'm losing my mind!
 

Alcander

Member
Hi guys, I have the Allez Elite (this model: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/allez-elite/93185) which I bought a year or two ago. I've been riding a lot recently, and want to start upgrading some of the components (the kit I bought has pretty low-end components I believe).

What should I look into upgrading first? I really don't know much about what would get the most noticeable improvement for the money, or where you start seeing diminishing returns. This includes upgrading wheels/tires.
 

Addnan

Member
Hi guys, I have the Allez Elite (this model: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/allez-elite/93185) which I bought a year or two ago. I've been riding a lot recently, and want to start upgrading some of the components (the kit I bought has pretty low-end components I believe).

What should I look into upgrading first? I really don't know much about what would get the most noticeable improvement for the money, or where you start seeing diminishing returns. This includes upgrading wheels/tires.
Upgrade based on your needs and wants. Is there something that will make you a bit more comfortable that you need, saddle, bars, stem length etc.

If you want to go faster.... New wheels will almost certainly be the biggest upgrade a bike can get. Just feels like an entirely new machine, especially when upgrading from standard stock wheels. What you need for wheels depends on what you do with them and your budget. New wheels and tyres is what I would do.

Rest of bike is alright. Tiagra is decent, but if any parts have worn out, replace them. Probably chain.
 
What should I look into upgrading first? I really don't know much about what would get the most noticeable improvement for the money, or where you start seeing diminishing returns. This includes upgrading wheels/tires.

One thing to remember is it's more about the driver than the car. So it's best to make smart upgrades versus upgrades with hopes of improvements. Wheels are never a bad option because a lot of stock wheelsets are trash. After that would be drivetrain, but I don't know how much you're going to notice going from tiagra to 105
 
Hi guys, I have the Allez Elite (this model: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/allez-elite/93185) which I bought a year or two ago. I've been riding a lot recently, and want to start upgrading some of the components (the kit I bought has pretty low-end components I believe).

What should I look into upgrading first? I really don't know much about what would get the most noticeable improvement for the money, or where you start seeing diminishing returns. This includes upgrading wheels/tires.

If you haven't changed the tyres, something like Continental GP4000 or Vittoria Corsa is going to make the biggest difference for relatively little money. After that, you can change the wheels but it's more expensive. A new saddle, seatpost or handlebars might help but only if you don't like what you have. Any more than that and you'll be hitting diminishing returns and it quickly becomes a better idea to save for a new bike once the old one loses its charm.

Proper maintenance helps too. So if you haven't kept up, wash the bike well and take it to a shop for a tune up. New chain, gear and brake cables as well as good bearings will make an old bike feel way better.
 
Hi guys, I have the Allez Elite (this model: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/allez-elite/93185) which I bought a year or two ago. I've been riding a lot recently, and want to start upgrading some of the components (the kit I bought has pretty low-end components I believe).

What should I look into upgrading first? I really don't know much about what would get the most noticeable improvement for the money, or where you start seeing diminishing returns. This includes upgrading wheels/tires.
I'd start with pedals and tires.
 
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