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Bicycle age

M

magicstop

Member
Alright BikeGAF, I need some diagnostic help. My LBS is closed today (Sunday), so I'm turning to you guys :D In before "feed it pizza." Already tried, didn't work.

I just bought a new Raleigh Furley, and noticed after a couple of rides that there is a crack on the joint of one of my chainstays and a reinforcement piece of frame that connects it to the other chainstay. See pics below.
I'm trying to figure out if the crack is in the paint/finish, or if it's in the frame itself. I took a picture of the finish by the headtube to show an area where the finish is imperfect so that you can compare. You'll notice the finish is thick, has pale edges where it fades off, and could very well be what is cracked. But this bike is new, and I'm concerned that I might need to haul it back to the LBS (not thrilled with that idea).

So what do you folks think:

The crack:


Finish imperfections elsewhere for comparison:
 
C

chrislowe

Member
just take it to your LBS. I wouldnt be happy with that crack, since it looks to be in a welding.

Im happy myself with my new Focus Black Forest anyway!.
 
M

magicstop

Member
chrislowe said:
just take it to your LBS. I wouldnt be happy with that crack, since it looks to be in a welding.

Im happy myself with my new Focus Black Forest anyway!.
Click to expand...

Welds are actually stronger than other sections of steel . . . cracks tend to be at the seams of welds, if anywhere, and this is smack in the middle . . . I'll be taking it in at some point, but the shop I bought it at is 45 minutes to an hour away, and they're closed today, so I thought I'd check here :D
 
C

chrislowe

Member
magicstop said:
Welds are actually stronger than other sections of steel . . . cracks tend to be at the seams of welds, if anywhere, and this is smack in the middle . . . I'll be taking it in at some point, but the shop I bought it at is 45 minutes to an hour away, and they're closed today, so I thought I'd check here :D
Click to expand...

well, ive been welding so I know that the welds are strong, but if you dont do it correctly you end up with a weak-ass welding (not enough heat for example). Better be safe then sorry and return the bike.
 
T

The_Inquisitor

Member
Just completed a 12 mile ride in training for my sprint triathlon. Holy fuck I think I am in love. Started this week after not consistently riding in about 5 years.

All I have is my 10 year old Pacific Quick Silver mountain bike. It was having trouble shifting into 3rd at all. My friend from work used to work at a bike shop, and told me he was fearful it was going to be impossible as a "walmart special"

Turn out it has some somewhat decent components on it. Grip shift was actually designed to very easily replace the cable. The only things that suck about the bike are the weight and the fake shock fork. Other that that, it seems to be in nice shape.

I do believe 12 miles in 57" is very good considering my current cycling shape. I have almost a full 2 months to improve that time. I think I will be investing in a pair of cycling shorts or two, basketball shorts aren't going to work that well for much longer.

Promise to post a picture of my bike later.
 
T

The_Inquisitor

Member
Just did 18.96 miles in 1'27". Got a new pair of cycling shorts and wanted to give them a shot. Dear god my poor crotch would have been ruined without them.

Not bad for an old Pacific Mountain bike. :)
 
V

vidcons

Banned
Anyone up for a Bicycle-Age Strava group?

Omz53.jpg


I bonked hardcore on my ride. Thankfully, my energy ran out after I decided to turn around on the climb because of wolves/loose dogs.

Lee Hill on the way back was where my body caved. Spent the rest of the ride just feeling crushed. Almost hit a car around a sharp turn on the descent. Just zonked out and didn't brake earlier enough to get a clean turn. Dude was chill with it, though.

Might go out tomorrow for a ride but I've got a 18 hour day full of classes and work. Going to go hit Flagstaff if I do. Maybe hit it.. TWICE. :O
 
T

The_Inquisitor

Member
vidcons said:
Anyone up for a Bicycle-Age Strava group?

Omz53.jpg


I bonked hardcore on my ride. Thankfully, my energy ran out after I decided to turn around on the climb because of wolves/loose dogs.

Lee Hill on the way back was where my body caved. Spent the rest of the ride just feeling crushed. Almost hit a car around a sharp turn on the descent. Just zonked out and didn't brake earlier enough to get a clean turn. Dude was chill with it, though.

Might go out tomorrow for a ride but I've got a 18 hour day full of classes and work. Going to go hit Flagstaff if I do. Maybe hit it.. TWICE. :O
Click to expand...

Well you kick my ass that's for sure.
 
V

vidcons

Banned
So Flagstaff is sort of, statistically, an okay hill. What's the real grinder is the constant switchbacks and changes in grade. Can really wreck you when you're trying to establish a rhythm.

I think I can knock some time off on Thursday now that I know the spots to push.

Loving Boulder for the rides. Spending ~$300 for club and clothes this week. Yikes!
 
C

Chris R

Member
itwasTuesday said:
Here is the trainer I ended up getting.
Kinetic by Kurt
bikeont.jpg


Only ran it for about 15 min so far.
Click to expand...

Post a review when you get a chance. I'm considering a trainer, because it is going to be winter pretty soon :| 40F this morning and even colder in the shade on my commute in.
 
B

Brera

Banned
Well Cube have updated their site with their new 2013 range. Loads of 29ers as predicted.

I'm handing my red and black Attention to my GF and getting me a 29er red and grey Acid!

I'm kinda underwhelmed by their paint jobs this year, not much variety in the lower range while the more expensive ones look like sex on two wheels.

I'm quietly hyped!
 
M

muu

Member
600K done and done. Spent too much time dorking around at controls in the first half and also too much time @ the overnight, couldnt get much shuteye time cause of neck pain either. Finished with 3mins to spare... Happy that I completed the series, not sure I really want to do something this long again, though.

This is the basic route I took. Found out mid-ride that I mapped the roads out wrong in a few places vs the cue sheet which resulted in some backtracking and road-finding.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1543657
 
B

Brera

Banned
blanky said:
I bought the Cube Acid I posted about sometime ago, super happy with it and love riding around the country. I have a question though about parts. I'm not aware of how nice the package on my bike actually is, looking at the catalog the only significant thing that changes when the prize goes up is first the front fork, after that a lot more.

Would it be possible and significant upgrade to put a Rockshox Reba later in my bike, instead of the XC 32. Is it even possible without messing up the geometry? There's a Cube LTD 29 that's basically my bike it seems only with the reba and different disc brakes.
Click to expand...

Hi,

I've got an attention which is one below you. I'm getting a 29er acid soon though. The spec of the acid is unbeatable for a branded bike.

Don't worry about the fork, unless you are going to be really really pushing it, the xc32 will be fine. My bike has the shitter xc28 and that's not so bad either.
 
T

The_Inquisitor

Member
Psychotext said:
Just finished mapping some routes... so tedious. I'll only get lost if I don't though, I'm utterly useless at following trails. :(
Click to expand...

In the city I just kind of prefer to bike around randomly and eventually circle back around to where I live.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a starter set of clip on pedals?
 
O

outunderthestars

Banned
magicstop said:
Alright BikeGAF, I need some diagnostic help. My LBS is closed today (Sunday), so I'm turning to you guys :D In before "feed it pizza." Already tried, didn't work.


The crack:


Finish imperfections elsewhere for comparison:
Click to expand...


That looks like a frame crack. It will be covered under warranty. take it back ASAP.
 
B

brentech

Member
broke my ankle back in June. Bad set of 3 breaks and I'm just now starting to get back on my feet in terms of walking without crutches (but in a boot). Yesterday I found I can get on my bike while wearing the boot. Riding seems like a great way to get my leg back to strength without large impact. I tried it with just a shoe on and my ankle just felt to wobbly, and hitting a bump was awful.

I might have to ditch mountain biking for quite some time.
I was trying to switch out my candy2 eggbeater pedals yesterday in favor of somr basic flats for more room for the boot but I could only manage to get one pedal off and its of course not the right side.

Might have to bring it to bike shop, but also might end up selling my revel0 Giant because I just don't know about doing trails anymore. I'm sure one day I could, but its probably not in my near future. Would like a road bike or hybrid at least since I ride a lot of roads anyways to begin with.

I missed riding so much. Even the 5 minutes I rode yesterday was amazing. Stupid pedal locked on ruined that for now.
 
B

bro1

Banned
could somebody recommend a decent road bike for triathlons? I've been using my down hill mountain bike with road tires and obviously my times have suffered.

I'm looking for a decent frame and ok components that I could switch out and upgrade over time. $500 range right now. I know that's not a lot, but's it what I got. Or recommend a good place to purchase used bikes on line or in the US South East.
 
E

ElectricBlue187

Member
vidcons said:
Anyone up for a Bicycle-Age Strava group?

Omz53.jpg


I bonked hardcore on my ride. Thankfully, my energy ran out after I decided to turn around on the climb because of wolves/loose dogs.

Lee Hill on the way back was where my body caved. Spent the rest of the ride just feeling crushed. Almost hit a car around a sharp turn on the descent. Just zonked out and didn't brake earlier enough to get a clean turn. Dude was chill with it, though.

Might go out tomorrow for a ride but I've got a 18 hour day full of classes and work. Going to go hit Flagstaff if I do. Maybe hit it.. TWICE. :O
Click to expand...

Yeah I love Strava
I will join your club
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Anyone know any good Strava alternatives for WP7? I'll be running Strava on my nephew's android on our little trip next week and I was going to run something else on my phone so as to compare.

Don't really care so much about the competitive aspect, just looking for the best recording / playback (online?) available.

Edit - Found these, don't know if any of them are any good:

Edomondo, Sports Tracker, Run The Map, Runtastic.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
I just went for a quick walk and tried out Endomondo. Did a pretty good job accuracy wise given I left my phone in my jacket pocket.

Calorie guesstimates are appalling though. 171kcal for a 15 minute walk? Fuck, I might as well go out for another 15 minutes and have a chocolate bar to celebrate!
 
P

Psychotext

Member
The three I'm trying (endomondo, sports tracker and runtastic) all seem pretty good, but I had sports tracker lose a huge amount of my recording earlier... I'm guessing after I had answered a call.

Probably a WP7 fault as much as anything, but it's annoying that it didn't resume recording properly. Their website is horrible to use though, so I'm thinking it's probably going to come down to one of the other two.
 
Quote

Quote

Member
Joined the Strava group, name is Chase. For the people who CAN'T use Strava, use whatever you can and export the ride then import into Strava. Strava is going to be the way to go.

So high psi tires (145 psi), should I bother patching punctured tubes? I tried to do one tonight and lost tons of pressure after about 4 hours. I'm thinking the patch can't deal with the high pressure.

EDIT: Completely flat after a couple hours. I'm not messing with patches anymore.
 
C

captscience

Member
I just joined the Strava group as well.

I completed my first organized ride on Sunday, a 70 mile ride through rolling hills in New York. Finished in 3:45, not counting two water breaks. Ouch! Most of my fitness has come from running, but that fitness doesn't really translate into climbing on a bike. I came pretty close to completely bonking on some of later hills.

I'm thinking of training for the Gran Fondo in NY. Anyone with any experience with this race?
 
V

vidcons

Banned
Just posted this on the Strava club comment section but next week, 9/9 - 9/15, there is a elevation gain and distance challenge.

I can't photoshop worth shit but I'll make up some cool avatars for the winners.

Maybe one for the loser.

Why you should try to win:

-bragging rights
-because you'll get ripped in the process
-excuse to eat pasta this week
-distinct farmer's tan by the end of the challenge

Why you shouldn't try to win:

What if your battery dies?

-charge it and go get some more miles

What about alcohol consumption?

-KEEP TRACK OF THIS. I'll try to make a reward for the most wasted cyclist (don't drink and drive)
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
vidcons said:
Just posted this on the Strava club comment section but next week, 9/9 - 9/15, there is a elevation gain and distance challenge.

I can't photoshop worth shit but I'll make up some cool avatars for the winners.

Maybe one for the loser.

Why you should try to win:

-bragging rights
-because you'll get ripped in the process
-excuse to eat pasta this week
-distinct farmer's tan by the end of the challenge

Why you shouldn't try to win:

What if your battery dies?

-charge it and go get some more miles

What about alcohol consumption?

-KEEP TRACK OF THIS. I'll try to make a reward for the most wasted cyclist (don't drink and drive)
Click to expand...

I'm up for it, we really need more members though.
 
G

Goody

Member
Just got done putting this guy together. I still have no idea what it is. I'm really looking forward to setting aside time to ride. Incoming bad cellphone pic.

ilqz0bd7FdhIE.jpg


My next steps are going to be:
New wheels. These are a little warbly and eggshaped.
New seat. It's a little uncomfortable.
A rear rack. We bought some canvas a few weeks back and my wife is going to make us some panniers. So that'll be fun. I hope the cantilever brakes don't interfere too much.
 
I

itwasTuesday

He wasn't alone.
rhfb said:
Post a review when you get a chance. I'm considering a trainer, because it is going to be winter pretty soon :| 40F this morning and even colder in the shade on my commute in.
Click to expand...
K1QIG.jpg

Kinetic by Kurt
Pros
Sturdy, heavier that I thought it would be.
Once you get it dialed in it can be set up in a minute. I leave it up all the time though.
Fluid works well, it feels like a smooth bumpy road. If that makes sense.
Increase in resistance the faster you go. Which mag trainers do not.
Not very noisy.

I don't have any real cons for it right now. The tightening handle is plastic, I would have preferred coated metal.

I am still working on a good psi & skewer/wheel tightness. I was worried about the tension on a carbon frame it produces when you stand and rock, but I have since stopped that and remain in the seat.

I do release the tension from the skewer and the wheel everytime I am done riding. I'm not sure if that is needed or not, but I do it. Only takes a second to tighten everything back.

This is my first trainer so I can't really give you comparisons to others.
Hope it helped.
 
D

DTKT

Member
Norante said:
How do I join? I can make the avatars too.


Also, I bought a bike today, after a good 14 years out of cycling whatsoever:
2012 Trek 8.2 DS


I did a short 7.5 mile paved trail ride and it beat. me. up. I need to get back in shape to really enjoy this.
Click to expand...

That's a great little bike. I have the 8.4 version and I really like it so far. Nice mix of dirt and road bike.
 
C

Chris R

Member
itwasTuesday said:
K1QIG.jpg

Kinetic by Kurt
Pros
Sturdy, heavier that I thought it would be.
Once you get it dialed in it can be set up in a minute. I leave it up all the time though.
Fluid works well, it feels like a smooth bumpy road. If that makes sense.
Increase in resistance the faster you go. Which mag trainers do not.
Not very noisy.

I don't have any real cons for it right now. The tightening handle is plastic, I would have preferred coated metal.

I am still working on a good psi & skewer/wheel tightness. I was worried about the tension on a carbon frame it produces when you stand and rock, but I have since stopped that and remain in the seat.

I do release the tension from the skewer and the wheel everytime I am done riding. I'm not sure if that is needed or not, but I do it. Only takes a second to tighten everything back.

This is my first trainer so I can't really give you comparisons to others.
Hope it helped.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the review, going to head into my LBS to see if they have one I can look at (and maybe they have it for less than Amazon!). Also do you use a different rear tire/mat/riser?
 
V

vidcons

Banned
Norante said:
How do I join? I can make the avatars too.
Click to expand...

Go to www.strava.com and make an account. Join the club here http://app.strava.com/clubs/bike-age

Start recording and uploading your rides.

Looks like I got sick over the weekend so all my big rides are being held off till Friday and Saturday. Everyone's going to have a good start on me this week but we'll see.

I'll post the first day's standings tonight or tomorrow. Get out there while I drain some mucus.

---

For trainers, I advise getting a training tire to use. Don't want to eat up a nice GP4000s in your living room.
 
A

Ace Harding

Member
What's a good website for info about bikes and biking? Just decided I want to get a bike but need to start doing some research before walking into my LBS.
 
V

vidcons

Banned
Your best info will come from your LBS.

Talk about how you want to ride and where you want to ride. Don't get a hybrid, get a cyclocross bike. Buy from the shop that will give you a free fitting with your purchase. Tip them with a six pack of something decent (if you're not sure then just hand them some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and call it a day).

------
(if you want your gaf name listed instead of your shortened name, pm me)
THE STANDINGS FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SLAM FEST:

Rob B. 19.5km ridden (DISTANCE KING) 30m climbed (KOM)
Igor G. 2km ridden 12m climbed

Tomorrow better look better.
 
C

CrazedProfessional

Member
Invite group of friends over, someone in the group steals my bike gloves. No one in the group will admit to it :(

I had them in a drawer and I look there after they left to find a drawer dug through and the gloves missing. thinking he was looking for money and gave up and settled for gloves :(
 
I

itwasTuesday

He wasn't alone.
rhfb said:
Thanks for the review, going to head into my LBS to see if they have one I can look at (and maybe they have it for less than Amazon!). Also do you use a different rear tire/mat/riser?
Click to expand...

Yeah I bought a continental trainer tire. If you have a smooth worn tire you don't care about you could use those up before spending money on a trainer tire.
No mat, and my riser block is a block of wood.
 
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