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[factorybelt]

Yeti... Yummy.

Is that Yeti's own hydraulic post?

Thinking of getting one for the Spesh. Rockshox's Reverb is getting lots of good press.

Its a KS Lev.

I recommend it if you are shopping for a dropper, but you can't go wrong with the reverb either. I didn't want to mess with the hydraulic activation and the Lev has a post mounted cable so there is no excess loop when the seat is all the way down.

 

[Quote]

Its so close to being finished I can't fucking take it. I'm just waiting on a few parts and picking up the wheelset on Sunday. I'll post a better outdoor picture with full build information then.

New bike!

How are you liking your Zee rear derailleur? I picked one up because I've read really good things about its performance vs. price for 1x setups. And is that a Wolf Components ring? If so is the chainguide necessary. Congrats regardless, thats a superclean bike.

 

[factorybelt]

Its so close to being finished I can't fucking take it. I'm just waiting on a few parts and picking up the wheelset on Sunday. I'll post a better outdoor picture with full build information then.

How are you liking your Zee rear derailleur? I picked one up because I've read really good things about its performance vs. price for 1x setups. And is that a Wolf Components ring? If so is the chainguide necessary. Congrats regardless, thats a superclean bike.

The zee is perfect for what I wanted: 1x and a clutch rd. weight penalty vs xt was negligible, and the price made it a no brainer.

It's an e13 guide ring, waiting for raceface's narrow-wide 30t ring to lose the chainguide.

Thanks everyone for the compliments.

 

[Psychotext]

Is it my imagination or do you have three strimmers?

Spent 7 and a half hours on the bike today. Slow pace (I was with my nephew)... but damn, not doing that again for a while. lol

Related to this, oddly the only thing that feels off today is my ring finger. I think my wedding ring was cutting off circulation a bit and it's been numb since I took my gloves off at the end of the ride. I hope I've not done permanent damage.

 

[Quote]

The zee is perfect for what I wanted: 1x and a clutch rd. weight penalty vs xt was negligible, and the price made it a no brainer.

It's an e13 guide ring, waiting for raceface's narrow-wide 30t ring to lose the chainguide.

Thanks everyone for the compliments.

Same, while I'd like to support the little guy (Wolf), the Raceface ones are beautiful, I wish they were out already. I have a e*thirteen guide on mine at the moment with a 38t ring. I'm thinking I'll get something like a 34t when the Racefaces come out. Guides are ugly, can't wait to pull it off.

 

[t-ramp]

I feel like I should give myself a mileage goal this summer. Hopefully I can go biking in the evening on a regular basis, maybe at 20+ miles at a time. Take 20 miles, three times a week over twelve-ish weeks, that's 720 miles.

 

[Chris R]

I feel like I should give myself a mileage goal this summer. Hopefully I can go biking in the evening on a regular basis, maybe at 20+ miles at a time. Take 20 miles, three times a week over twelve-ish weeks, that's 720 miles.

I'm shooting for ~1000 but that includes trying to bike to work every day it is above 50F and not going to rain. My post work bike ride is only 12 miles long and the city is tearing up the trail I like to ride the most this summer to resurface it so I might not make my goal (also don't know if I'm going to bother GPS tracking myself this year since my phone seems to be acting up and my new biking setup doesn't have a pocket I can easily hold my phone in).

 

[Psychotext]

You roadies are strange. Quality > Quantity.

 

[Quote]

You roadies are strange. Quality > Quantity.

Well 10 road miles are like 3 miles of single track, not counting headwind.

 

[Jobiensis]

You roadies are strange. Quality > Quantity.

Says the man that spends two hours on a trainer!

I don't use distance very much for goals anymore, it varies too much based on fitness and terrain.

Well 10 road miles are like 3 miles of single track, not counting headwind.

Maybe in Florida, but some places have these things called hills.

 

[Psychotext]

That's exactly why I use the trainer though, so I can hit up more challenging terrain without dying... and so that I can workout without having to go on the road and get killed by the arsehole drivers near me (sadly if I don't drive, then there's no access to mountain biking without using main roads).

But yeah... I've done 15 mile rides that were considerably better / more enjoyable / more effort than 50+ mile rides.

 

[Chris R]

That's exactly why I use the trainer though, so I can hit up more challenging terrain without dying... and so that I can workout without having to go on the road and get killed by the arsehole drivers near me (sadly if I don't drive, then there's no access to mountain biking without using main roads).

But yeah... I've done 15 mile rides that were considerably better / more enjoyable / more effort than 50+ mile rides.

My longest ride I've done to date was 25 miles. The quantity just adds up if I'm biking 4 miles to work and 4 miles home and then add 12 miles on trails after I get home. I still won't bike in the road, the drivers here are just too bad. I do enjoy the quality of the rides though, just wish the main trail in town wasn't going to be torn up all summer long, because it really is a bunch of fun to ride on.

And 1000 miles isn't really even that much over 4 months anyways, doing it in a month or two would be a bunch of miles.

 

[Psychotext]

Council did that to one of my local trails. Covered it in tarmac... wankers.

 

[cbox]

Started up my regular routine of trying to go for 30km at least 3-4 times a week. Been doing around 10-20 at 11pm and it's been amazing. Hardly any cars on the road, it's cooler and you can sprint to your hearts content.

 

[t-ramp]

Started up my regular routine of trying to go for 30km at least 3-4 times a week. Been doing around 10-20 at 11pm and it's been amazing. Hardly any cars on the road, it's cooler and you can sprint to your hearts content.

I haven't done any late night rides before, but want to. Almost all of my biking will be on a local trail that was converted from railroad track, so it's easy riding. Going in the middle of the night sounds like a ton of fun.

 

[cbox]

I haven't done any late night rides before, but want to. Almost all of my biking will be on a local trail that was converted from railroad track, so it's easy riding. Going in the middle of the night sounds like a ton of fun.

It's exhilarating going on a nice paved path in the middle of the night, or soon after dusk. Especially when the there's a warmish breeze.

 

[Jobiensis]

That's exactly why I use the trainer though, so I can hit up more challenging terrain without dying... and so that I can workout without having to go on the road and get killed by the arsehole drivers near me (sadly if I don't drive, then there's no access to mountain biking without using main roads).

But yeah... I've done 15 mile rides that were considerably better / more enjoyable / more effort than 50+ mile rides.

I know, trainers/rollers are a necessary evil for me too, but I reserve the right to goad you with it.

And 1000 miles isn't really even that much over 4 months anyways, doing it in a month or two would be a bunch of miles.

It is all perspective, I'd say 1000 in a month is a lot, 1000 in two months, not so much. People that ride less than me aren't dedicated, people that ride more than me are nuts.

I have a goofy goal this year of exceeding 600k feet of climbing. My main goal is to become competitive in Cat4. One of these is far more likely to happen than the other.

 

[Psychotext]

I know, trainers/rollers are a necessary evil for me too, but I reserve the right to goad you with it.

I'm just off for another hour and a half of it now. =/

Edit - Ooh, result, only an hour tonight.

 

[Chip N Chance]

My main goal is to become competitive in Cat4

Right on man, thats great. Ive got about three triathlons in place for this summer including an ironman, but no actual road races. I want to try one out. Whats a good site for local races?

 

[Quote]

Welp, shes ready to ride sans front brake which will be delivered tomorrow. I've been plowing the neighborhood and she is so mean. I cannot wait to hit the trail tomorrow. I can tell I'm going to love full-suspension already, especially Niner's patented CVA dual-link.

Says the man that spends two hours on a trainer!

I don't use distance very much for goals anymore, it varies too much based on fitness and terrain.



Maybe in Florida, but some places have these things called hills.

I forget there is a world outside of S.Florida When I road ride, its usually with my friend who is much faster and his goals are time instead of mileage.

 

[SmokyDave]

That Niner is absolutely gorgeous. Is it your first full susser?

Here's my FSR enjoying the bank holiday weekend:

Edit: I'm aware my front disc is on backwards, I'm replacing the brakes next weekend so I'll sort it then

 

[brentech]

Well, my bike search concluded today with a 1995 Giant Kronos Road Racing Sport 21 Speed. Feeling pretty good about it.

Guess I missed this post. Grats man.

Where you find it?
If they didnt have it tuned up recently,that's what I'd probably have done at a local bike shop first and foremost.
Makes a world if difference to be on a properly set up bike, smooth gear changes and all that.

 

[Psychotext]

I'm aware my front disc is on backwards, I'm replacing the brakes next weekend so I'll sort it then

It's also far too clean... fix it!

 

[Auron_Kale]

Rode to Bart this morning thinking today was the 9th (Bike to Work Day) but then I checked my watch and saw that I was off a day.

Still, I ended up taking my bike to work because I accidentally forgot the key to my bike lock. Good thing my workplace has a bike storage area - a godsend in San Francisco.

It was nice to ride to get myself ready for the Rave Run on Friday night after having run the Survivor Mud Run nearly 2 weeks ago. Weather's great too, it's grey and cool but just right for me.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Council did that to one of my local trails. Covered it in tarmac... wankers.

What's it called when they cover the road with oil and then put gravel down? Because that's how they're 'fixing' the roads here and it makes for a bumpy road. The town gov't says it's just as good and cheaper but it sucks for bicycling.

 

[Quote]

That Niner is absolutely gorgeous. Is it your first full susser?

It is indeed. I had an entry level Scott 29er before which I sold last week for $300 to pay for half of the wheel set. I was hoping to ride it today for the first time but UPS still hasn't shown up with my front brake and all the trails close to me are closing as I type this.

 

[Jobiensis]

What's it called when they cover the road with oil and then put gravel down? Because that's how they're 'fixing' the roads here and it makes for a bumpy road. The town gov't says it's just as good and cheaper but it sucks for bicycling.

Chip seal, there are a couple variants of it. Yes, it sucks for cycling, more rolling resistance and it chews up tires. Most the roads where I live are chip seal. Asphalt is sooo nice in comparison.

 

[brentech]

Rode to Bart this morning thinking today was the 9th (Bike to Work Day) but then I checked my watch and saw that I was off a day.

Still, I ended up taking my bike to work because I accidentally forgot the key to my bike lock. Good thing my workplace has a bike storage area - a godsend in San Francisco.

It was nice to ride to get myself ready for the Rave Run on Friday night after having run the Survivor Mud Run nearly 2 weeks ago. Weather's great too, it's grey and cool but just right for me.

Visited there almost 2 years back. Such a nice friendly to biking city. Lots of nice cycling areas sectioned off on the main roads, I was so jealous the whole time I was walking around there.

 

[Auron_Kale]

Visited there almost 2 years back. Such a nice friendly to biking city. Lots of nice cycling areas sectioned off on the main roads, I was so jealous the whole time I was walking around there.

It really is great. And honestly, never has city biking steeled my nerves for biking in the suburbs. I mean, obviously I'm quite observant on the road but riding with traffic on a wide suburban road versus a busy city street is like night and day.

...I keep my lights on all the time and wear my helmet.

 

[Psychotext]

Just booked my cottage / farmhouse for my week away mountain biking. Now I just need to get enough work done that I can actually relax for the week without worrying about coming back to a crushing amount of pressure.

 

[WedgeX]

Guess I missed this post. Grats man.

Where you find it?
If they didnt have it tuned up recently,that's what I'd probably have done at a local bike shop first and foremost.
Makes a world if difference to be on a properly set up bike, smooth gear changes and all that.

Thanks! Ended up finding it on craigslist out in the suburbs, which may have helped keep it available. Actually took it to my local shop and picked up some bolts to replace the quick releases. They gave it once over and the chains and breaks are in great condition, but the derailer definitely needs a tune up. If the lever gets pushed a bit too far its an automatic chain off the gears. Luckily nothing some tightening of cables can't fix. I'll for sure get it tuned up some time in the next week!

 

[Jobiensis]

Right on man, thats great. Ive got about three triathlons in place for this summer including an ironman, but no actual road races. I want to try one out. Whats a good site for local races?

http://www.usacycling.org/

Some places use active, bikereg and I think there are more, but any sanctioned USAC race should be on this site. You can do a one day license for $10, and any races you do apply to your stats if you do get a 'real' license.

 

[Gila]

I'm going to get into mountain biking, I don't know anything. Price range $200-400, will be using it as a sort of starting bike and will invest in a better one down the road if needed. I'm 5'11" so not sure which size I need also..

Will be buying off craigslist unless there are good stores in Vancouver, BC. Should I be checking for anything special upon meetup?

Any resources or advice is great, I just didn't want to read 30 pages here and still be confused

 

[Psychotext]

At 5' 11" you'll be a medium on most bikes, but if you find something specific then you can always look up a specific size guide for that frame.

There was a really good "buying a used bike" guide which I linked in here last year... but I can't find it for this life of me. This covers a bunch of stuff though: http://www.cyclorama.net/viewArticle.php?id=342

As for buying new, I doubt you'd get anything worthwhile for that sort of money, but you might be able to pick up a relatively good hardtail on craigslist etc.

 

[brentech]

I'm going to get into mountain biking, I don't know anything. Price range $200-400, will be using it as a sort of starting bike and will invest in a better one down the road if needed. I'm 5'11" so not sure which size I need also..

Will be buying off craigslist unless there are good stores in Vancouver, BC. Should I be checking for anything special upon meetup?

Any resources or advice is great, I just didn't want to read 30 pages here and still be confused

If you're really interested in a bike, see if you can bring to a local bike shop to have them tell you if it's in riding condition or at least is only in need of a tune up.
If they won't let you do that, your going to want to inspect the entire frame and make sure there are no cracks. Make sure the wheels spin with no wobble effect (the wheels are true). Make sure brakes work and all that.
Most other problems can be fixed at a low price for the most part.

 

[gregor7777]

Are low end Shimano 2300 shifters as bad as the LBS say they are?

 

[Jobiensis]

Are low end Shimano 2300 shifters as bad as the LBS say they are?

There are some people that think anything lower than Ultegra is crap.

I'm sure it is plenty durable, the thumb shifter would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[brentech]

Pretty sure that's what's on my bike.

http://www.raleighusa.com/archive/2012-road/revenio-2-0-12/

I can't say I have any complaints. Must have an elitist LBS...doesn't help promote cycling very well when the default bike set ups are trash talked.

 

[Jobiensis]

Pretty sure that's what's on my bike.

http://www.raleighusa.com/archive/2012-road/revenio-2-0-12/

I can't say I have any complaints. Must have an elitist LBS...doesn't help promote cycling very well when the default bike set ups are trash talked.

Specs say Sora. I wouldn't call 2300 a default bike setup, it is usually only on the cheapest setup of the cheapest models. 105 is the best bang for buck for Shimano, just like Force for SRAM.

 

[brentech]

I guess the Sora is technically the ST-3400.


By default setup, I mean what a bike happens to come with. At least let the buyer get started and decide if they need something more. Letting them know they might want to upgrade in the future is fine, but negativity in the shop helps no one. It just makes newer people more afraid to get into it.

 

[vidcons]

3600 feet of climbing in ~19 miles

Suddenly, I remember why I quit drinking. Would have met my sub 18 goal on a climb but dropped my chain right near the end of the first steep part.

Otherwise, amazing ride, gorgeous view, little rain, and an hour of telling my legs to shut up.

Shit, feeling really damn good.

 

[Jobiensis]

Yeah, I'd say that was a good climb.

 

[brentech]

That's a lot of climb over that distance. damn. I only had just over a thousand over 25miles the other day and it felt like a a ton. Only bad part was on my way back towards home I had a big headwind or cross wind the whole time. Was killing me

 

[Psychotext]

Suddenly, I remember why I quit drinking.

Would drinking have made that much difference? I'd probably need a shot of vodka before even considering such a climb!

 

[Gila]

At 5' 11" you'll be a medium on most bikes, but if you find something specific then you can always look up a specific size guide for that frame.

There was a really good "buying a used bike" guide which I linked in here last year... but I can't find it for this life of me. This covers a bunch of stuff though: http://www.cyclorama.net/viewArticle.php?id=342

As for buying new, I doubt you'd get anything worthwhile for that sort of money, but you might be able to pick up a relatively good hardtail on craigslist etc.

If you're really interested in a bike, see if you can bring to a local bike shop to have them tell you if it's in riding condition or at least is only in need of a tune up.
If they won't let you do that, your going to want to inspect the entire frame and make sure there are no cracks. Make sure the wheels spin with no wobble effect (the wheels are true). Make sure brakes work and all that.
Most other problems can be fixed at a low price for the most part.

So I actually just went to a local bike shop to test out some, and they seemed to have some nice looking ones (for me at least)

The salesman was a straight up salesman telling me all this technical things that I said I have no idea what it means, but I narrowed it down to 2 selections.

1. Norco Storm - Which he said had "Disc Brakes" and "Entry level parts" but the test ride was pretty good.

2. Giant Revel - Which he said had "Hydraulic Brakes" and "Medium level parts" and the test ride for this was also great.

I'm thinking of just buying it retail since it comes with a warranty and whatnot instead of craigslist. But months down the line when I see fit for an upgrade i'll look more into a better bike perhaps through craigslist..

Any of you guys know if those two listed bikes are decent?

 

[brentech]

I actually have a 2011 Giant Revel 0. I broke my ankle (unrelated to biking) last summer, so I haven't been out on a trail lately and switched to a road bike (the Raleigh Revenio 2.0, that I picked up early March) for the time being.

2011 Giant Revel 0

Mine isn't the 29er version, but yeah. Both bikes he showed you have disc brakes which is great stopping/slowing power on trails. Have to assume you plan to be doing most your riding rough/wet/bumpy/soft surfaces, ie, not the roads?

I really like my Revel, it shifts with ease and feels really good when I do take it on the single track trails that the local mountain biking association has put down for us.
It's a good bike for the price point.

My bikes:

 

[Anony]

how do i clean this rust
also, my bike is making constant sqeeking sounds when i ride it, i have no clue what's making it

 

[ch0mp]

how do i clean this rust
also, my bike is making constant sqeeking sounds when i ride it, i have no clue what's making it

I normally wipe it down with some degreaser and a rag, let it dry, then put some chain lube on it. Should stop it getting rusty next time, which is likely the cause of the squeaking too.

 

[Gila]

Mine isn't the 29er version, but yeah. Both bikes he showed you have disc brakes which is great stopping/slowing power on trails. Have to assume you plan to be doing most your riding rough/wet/bumpy/soft surfaces, ie, not the roads?

Half/Half, trails with rough/bumpy surfaces and the other half on up/downhill smooth roads

 

[vidcons]

Would drinking have made that much difference? I'd probably need a shot of vodka before even considering such a climb!

Vodka before a ride? Hmm...

So Jobiensis, when am I going to see more insane mountain climbs from you? Your work over the race season inspired my training and now I'm not seeing much on Strava from you.

Where is my continued inspiration?