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Bicycle age

S

SmokyDave

Member
Lakeside.jpg
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Aah, the healing properties of a good bike and a nice ride. Truly marvellous.


Musha_Soturi said:
Ha, ha ha, ha ha ha, I wish my bike was that cheap! Got my Minxy for £1200, and that was on sale. My boyfriend recently bought a Meta SX for £3000.
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Mmmmm, nice. Got my eye on a Stuff but I need to replace most of the drivetrain on the FSR so it has to wait. Still, one day!
 
V

vidcons

Banned
Snowdrift said:
So jelly of you guys that get to ride year round.
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Eh, just get the proper gear and go anyways.

gPdhY.jpg
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The weather here isn't that bad but I'm determined to stay on the road, even if that means freezing my ass off.

Going to pick up some Conti Four Season tires. A small piece of ice put a hole through my GP 4000s and I'd hate to see those get shredded anymore.
 
S

SmokyDave

Member
I'd love a Surly. If it wasn't for the limited use and the eye-watering price tag (and the dubious import status) I'd have one. They just look like unbridled fun. The perfect pub-bike.
 
ThankeeSai

ThankeeSai

Member
SmokyDave said:
400px-Bicycle_Frame_Diagram-en_svg.png


Ta-da! (the unlabelled vertical one is the Seat Tube).

It is a lovely looker.
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Cool, cheers Dave.

As you can probably tell, I don't really know a great deal about bikes, but as soon as I saw that Cube, I had to have it.

Just as an aside, the cycle to work scheme is such a good idea - With bills to pay and a family to keep, there's probably no way I could have afforded the £629 needed to pay for this outright (well, I could have saved I suppose, but who would want to wait that long? :p).

Brilliant stuff!
 
S

SmokyDave

Member
Jaymo said:
Cool, cheers Dave.

As you can probably tell, I don't really know a great deal about bikes, but as soon as I saw that Cube, I had to have it.
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That's all you need to know really! I hope it brings you much joy.

Just as an aside, the cycle to work scheme is such a good idea - With bills to pay and a family to keep, there's probably no way I could have afforded the £629 needed to pay for this outright (well, I could have saved I suppose, but who would want to wait that long? :p).

Brilliant stuff!
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It's a great scheme, agreed. Buggers didn't count my little P1 as eligible though. Apparently riding a dirt jump bike to work is unheard of :(
 
M

MrOogieBoogie

BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
So here's the bike I got for $250 (not including tune-ups and new tires).

1995 Bianchi Veloce:

jEoSeZ9WCbL0V.jpg


j7joqEo1ws9RV.jpg


jpbTstLmoDmF3.jpg


Thoughts?
 
A

ameratsu

Member
^ Love it. 21.5 inch frame, correct? If so that's the same size as my bianchi. Mine is a bit small for me at 5'11, but how tall are you?

Only suggestion I have is for general maintenance. How do the brake pads look? If they are old just replace them with some koolstop pads.
 
M

MrOogieBoogie

BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
ameratsu said:
^ Love it. 21.5 inch frame, correct? If so that's the same size as my bianchi. Mine is a bit small for me at 5'11, but how tall are you?

Only suggestion I have is for general maintenance. How do the brake pads look? If they are old just replace them with some koolstop pads.
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I'm about 5'11", but closer to 5'10.5"

Guy who sold it to me is about my weight and size, and he says he's been riding it forever without trouble. I doubt it'll be a problem for me. Even still, I'm not complaining considering the insane deal I got (only reason I got that deal is because this has been my neighbor for like 15 years).
 
P

Psychotext

Member
My new GPS is working well. Was faultless out on a new trail, though I must admit that I did end up going the wrong way (because I was having too much fun going down a hill).

Unrelated to that, my rear brake broke on Saturday and it seems I've bent my saddle. More money. :(
 
H

hgplayer1

Member
Man that Bianchi is so classic.

I have one I might take a pic or two of.

edit : nevermind its buried in the shed theres no way im moving that much stuff
 
H

HotHamWater

Member
The weather has been absolutely dogshit for the last week or so, I'd usually tough it out but I live at the seaside and the wind just destroys me. So... I'm looking to get a trainer, I've heard great things about the Kurt Kinetic models but I doubt I'll be able to afford that until the new year, so I'm wondering if any of you fine folks have any other (cheaper) recommendations.

I'm in the UK if that matters, but just drop the name of something and I'll look it up. Thanks.
 
M

muu

Member
Moving out of nowhereland Washington to a much more bike-friendly area in Oregon (Corvallis). Shit's gonna be wet but honestly I'd rather have to use raingear than be stuck w/ 20deg weather.

Hope I can survive the transition from 4mi commutes to 14mi commutes (each way). Certainly will be a good way to keep me riding through the winters, anyway.
 
V

vidcons

Banned
HotHamWater said:
The weather has been absolutely dogshit for the last week or so, I'd usually tough it out but I live at the seaside and the wind just destroys me. So... I'm looking to get a trainer, I've heard great things about the Kurt Kinetic models but I doubt I'll be able to afford that until the new year, so I'm wondering if any of you fine folks have any other (cheaper) recommendations.

I'm in the UK if that matters, but just drop the name of something and I'll look it up. Thanks.
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Hit the gym and do some weights and spin classes, get the off season training in.

Speaking of which, my times are going down. Guessing that most of it is due to not spinning after squats and such.
 
H

HotHamWater

Member
Daven said:
Check out the Lemond Revolution Trainer is it the best I had so far but it might out of your price range....
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Thanks for the recommendation Daven, yeah it's out of my price range for now, but I'll keep it in mind should I get more serious about a cycling club.

vidcons said:
Hit the gym and do some weights and spin classes, get the off season training in.

Speaking of which, my times are going down. Guessing that most of it is due to not spinning after squats and such.
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Vidcons, I guess I could but I already spend a decent amount of time there each week and from what I've seen the cardio section of my gym has seen much better days (likely because it's the most used area). It's an option though.

I'm likely going to buy some relatively cheap trainer and use it when the weathers bad and I've got something to watch to keep my mind of how goddamn sweaty I'll be. No doubt I'll regret not investing in something more substantial now, but I guess that's my mistake to make.
 
V

vidcons

Banned
HotHamWater said:
Vidcons, I guess I could but I already spend a decent amount of time there each week and from what I've seen the cardio section of my gym has seen much better days (likely because it's the most used area). It's an option though.

I'm likely going to buy some relatively cheap trainer and use it when the weathers bad and I've got something to watch to keep my mind of how goddamn sweaty I'll be. No doubt I'll regret not investing in something more substantial now, but I guess that's my mistake to make.
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I meant more along the lines of squats, leg presses, and leg curls. As much as gym trainers suck, nothing is worse than sitting in your living room with your back wheel locked in.

I've heard good things about using rollers, though. If you can find a cheap one then then go for that.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
I disagree. Perfect opportunity to watch a film. :D

Really hard to watch a film when you're on rollers though, so turbo trainers every time for me.
 
S

S. L.

Member
here some moderately exciting bike repair story
i lost a metal pice that my top brake lever was pivoting around. the tiny screw that secured it was probably not tight enough. It's probably covered by some warranty since it's less than a month old but i needed a fix quickly. So i bought a carbon tube in the right diameter in a hobby store (4€) and cut it in the right length (with mouth/nose protection of course - carbon fibre dust is no good for your lungs!). Works great and sheds around 7 grams from my bike ;P

2012-11-0722.52.58z2l1y.jpg

left side is missing the metal thingy

2012-11-0822.02.230fbat.jpg

carbon tube vs metal thingy

2012-11-0822.01.495exag.jpg

inserted and secured carbon tube
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Bought myself one of these for controlling the laptop when I'm on the turbo trainer.



Seems to work really well. I hated having to stop to change what I was watching or mess with the volume on a long session.
 
C

CrunchyFrog

Member
thezerofire said:
So I'm without a bike for the foreseeable future

jlc1El.jpg
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Yep. Reminds me of a bike that just sat outside on the rack of my freshman dorm for the whole year. I wanted to feel sorry for the poor bastard, but he just left the damn thing u-locked and taking up what precious few rack spaces there were on campus :/

My last bike was a pretty nice urban Trek (forget the model #). Used to religiously chain and lock it to a tree (good sized one maybe a 8-9 inches in diameter, 20-30 ft tall) right next to the apartment, always wrapping both wheels. I wake up one morning to find half tree on the ground and the bike gone without a trace. Fuckers chopped a goddamn TREE down to get at the thing. Next bike was a substantially cheaper brand thereafter always came into the apartment with me. Still feel uneasy just chaining the thing up for 1 hour classes in the middle of a police patrolled campus.
 
M

muu

Member
Got some pearl Izumi p.r.o. Jackets and pants over BF. they were phasing out the jackets and the pants were trial runs of a new fabric they're using for next years pro model. Thing feels great, haven't gotten to play with it yet but it's supposedly twice as porous as the current version for sweat wicking. Almost makes me want to wait it out on the jacket, if it didn't retail for 300 bucks.

RatskyWatsky said:
Can anyone recommend a good bicycle seat that won't crush my balls? I just have a regular bicycle seat shaped like this:



and it's very uncomfortable and it hurts to sit on. :(
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Brooks saddles.
 
S

SmokyDave

Member
I just bought the bike that my teenage self endlessly lusted after:

image.jpg
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A 1996 GT RTS-3. All original, although I've changed the seat to the WTB in the pic and pedals to some Club Roost beartraps (not reflected in the pic).

Looking forward to doing a full strip-down and rebuild over winter. I'm torn between keeping her all original or rebuilding in the spec I'd have chosen back in '96. I'm definitely changing the forks because the RST's are utterly shot and I've managed to source some Quadra 21r's for less than the cost of sorting the existing forks.

Riding a 'vintage' mountain bike after getting used to my FSR was quite the experience. After riding about 12 miles home my wrists, elbows and shoulders were killing! Narrow, flat bars aren't suitable for an old man like me.
 
W

Wax Free Vanilla

Member
I've been time trialling on the trainer because of this poxy weather, how in gods name did Wiggins average 32mph in the Olympics? I've been doing 27.3 mile every day for the past two weeks and my best time is 1hr 14mins 34secs, 21.9mph

25 minutes off Olympic gold time :(


BBC documentary: The War On Britain’s Roads - Dec 5th, BBC1 @ 9PM

Produced for the BBC by Leopard Films, the documentary will use helmet cam footage to give a cyclists' eye view of city cycling and no doubt there will be in-car cams to show incidents from the motorists' point of view.

A statement from Leopard Films gives a flavour of the conflicts that are likely to be aired (conflicts that happen, of course, but not incessantly):

"Viewers are parachuted into the middle of the battle that is raging between two-wheeled road users and their four-wheeled counterparts."

Parachuted? Battle? Counterparts? As Edmund King, the AA president, now frequently points out, cyclists and motorists are often the same people and the 'them and us' attitude is not conducive to road safety.

In a sign that the documentary might not show the fun side of city cycling, the Leopard Films statement continues:

"As thirty four million vehicles and thirteen million bikes all try to share the same crowded space, The War on Britain’s Roads provides a dramatic and unique insight into the unfolding tension and conflict. From everyday incidents that get out of hand between cyclists and motorists, to stories of near death experiences and fatal collisions, this timely documentary shows that the battle between two wheels and four has never been so intense."

The documentary features bike cops; a cyclist policing the roads himself, handing out his own 'tickets' for anything from texting behind the wheel, to jumping a red light; and a mother who lost her cyclist daughter who was hit by a cement mixer. A London black cab driver will reveal how his own loss changed his opinion about cyclists.

Todd Austin, Chief Creative Officer, Leopard Films, said: “This timely documentary highlights a growing issue on Britain’s roads, from the viewpoint of both the motorist and the cyclist. BBC1 is the perfect home for this insightful and, at times, shocking film.”

Since the start of the 'cities fit for cycling' campaign by The Times in March, the issue of cycle safety has risen up the political agenda. 107 cyclists have died on Britain's roads so far this year and much could be done to reduce this death toll but many cycle advocates are concerned that focussing on the supposed dangers of cycling is offputting to would-be new cyclists when, in fact, the greater risk to the population as a whole is having a sedentary lifestyle. In effect, it's more dangerous to not cycle than it is to cycle.

Thomas Stokell, MD of Challenge for Change, which runs workplace cycle projects, said:

"There is clearly a risk here that this documentary will only portray cycling to be a dangerous, tragedy-filled activity. While clashes between people who drive cars and people who ride bikes do occur, it may seem to people who watch this documentary that they happen everyone time you ever ride your bike. This will clearly not be conducive to encouraging more people to take up cycling.

"Personally, I ride everyday, mainly in Bristol, but in cities all over the country as well, and I have hardly ever had a hostile confrontation with someone in a car. Positive interactions with other road users on one ride far far far outweigh any negative incidences.

"I really do hope that the documentary makers plan to show viewers at the beginning and the end of the documentary that hundreds of thousands of people ride everyday in the UK, and the vast majority of them have very pleasant rides. Why would they cycle if it wasn't highly enjoyable to do so?"
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J

Jobiensis

Member
I'm not a coach or anything, but I think doing 'time trials' every day isn't going to help you get much faster. You need to do short intense intervals on some days to get speeds up. You need rest days also.

Wiggins is definitely a beast, but pretty much every Pro/Tour rider is a beast to us. Before the Tour this year Chris Horner did a 50 mile training ride ending at Palomar and crushed everyone's Strava time up South grade. Some of those crushed were Cat 1's. Pro riders truly are at another level. A Cat 1 or 2 can easily crush one of us mere mortals.


Also, I hope I get one more week of nice weather. Hopefully get Mt. Baldy done next weekend. Haleakala less than two weeks away.

wSukG.jpg


Doesn't get any higher in So Cal (at least paved).
 
T

t-ramp

Member
Haven't been biking in a while. I kind of want to bundle up and go for a ride after work in the cold and dark one of these days. Also would like to get a better bike at some point, but I'm not sure how I'll go about that.
 
Flying Toaster

Flying Toaster

Member
t-ramp said:
Haven't been biking in a while. I kind of want to bundle up and go for a ride after work in the cold and dark one of these days. Also would like to get a better bike at some point, but I'm not sure how I'll go about that.
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How much better? Once you get past a certain price point you are paying for insane materials and name only.
 
T

t-ramp

Member
Flying Toaster said:
How much better? Once you get past a certain price point you are paying for insane materials and name only.
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Nothing really nice. Probably a used road bike for a couple hundred or something. Right now the best thing I have is a '84 Schwinn High Sierra. Mostly I want something lighter that's easier to ride for longer excursions on the local bike trail.
 
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