finding your way through bicycles!

[Boycey]

you can get double lam ones for 35 but they weren't available when i bought them... in all honesty i think they work as well as time/spds and they have lasted much better, although it's a scary amount to pay for a bit of leather i have gotten way more than 75 quids worth. i used to think nothing of spending 50-70 (trade!) on a set of time atacs then replace cleats every 2 months and shrug after seeing them break after less than a year. compared to that these are pretty good value.

 

[Riklet]

Got a trek "cheapo" mountain bike, which I mainly ride on cycle paths n around town with; it's definitely not the best for zooming on roads, but it's a nice bike and pretty easy to fix when things fuck up. I don't really use it often enough tbh, i'm a bit reluctant about leaving it sitting around anywhere, even with a decent lock, in case some sticky fingered prick helps themselves. Need go spray it in more mud and cover it in bits of tatty plastic bag and duct tape, tbh...

 

[Cid]

My bike got nicked recently...

Covered by insurance though, so not too bad.

Which reminds me, need to get BB and headset cups installed when I order new stuff, best bike shops in London?

 

[Garcia Lorca]

phhhoooarr.. new bikes a dream! had it out for a spin today and my oh my am i in love again.

i dont have shoes or clip in pedals, further down the road i think. but they put on them clips that go over just the front of your trainers. They feel good enough for me the now, means i can still slide my feet out to the side, i was a bit scared of the clips that kind of hold your feet in like some sort of torture device. in case i needed them out in an emergency.

I realise still that taking off and slipping my feet into the clips is going to take some practice, one its in.. fine, just a slippery start when pulling away. Im going to go look at insurance now, same as poster above, bike looks too shiney to be leaving anywhere even with a D lock... I didnt get a 10 percent discount, but i got a pump, clips, mudguards, spare innertube and tyre levers. im happy with it anyways.

definately 1000 percent more aware of any wee pot holes now tho!

 

[Boycey]

wicked

btw it's all about the medieval torture devices- mechanically attached to the machine ftw you quickly learn how to get in/out of them.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

i used to think nothing of spending 50-70 (trade!) on a set of time atacs then replace cleats every 2 months and shrug after seeing them break after less than a year. compared to that these are pretty good value.

Replace cleats every 2 months? Can I ask what sort of milage you're doing, and how?

Shit, I commute 4 times a week, I go mountain biking at least twice a week on top of that, and my shimano cleats last...well, I've only replaced them when the shoes have broken and they're too rusted to go on.

 

[gentlegreen]

My daily steed for the past 8 years / 14000 miles - 26 inch bullet-proof wheels, Kevlar-lined tyres, I usually have road ratios - as I find the 22 tooth granny gear rather over the top for any hill I'm actually brave enough to tackle (there are some hills in Bristol I wouldn't tackle without crampons ).

Probably the only original parts are frame, handlebar, front hub and brake levers.

I was almost talked into buying a new bike recently, but I thought better of it.

 

[maomao]

Replace cleats every 2 months? Can I ask what sort of milage you're doing, and how?

Most couriers do 3-400 miles a week in short trips and would get in and out of the cleats 30-40 times a day not including taking one foot out at traffic lights.

 

[dlx1]

is it hard work to ride your bike gentlegreen with all that shit I mean stuff on it
you make a 2nd light at bottom too thinks can see you from space

 

[gentlegreen]

is it hard work to ride your bike gentlegreen with all that shit I mean stuff on it
you make a 2nd light at bottom too thinks can see you from space

Sadly all that extra weight is dwarfed by my own 100 kilos

 

[newharper]

My daily steed for the past 8 years / 14000 miles - 26 inch bullet-proof wheels, Kevlar-lined tyres, I usually have road ratios - as I find the 22 tooth granny gear rather over the top for any hill I'm actually brave enough to tackle (there are some hills in Bristol I wouldn't tackle without crampons ).

Probably the only original parts are frame, handlebar, front hub and brake levers.

I was almost talked into buying a new bike recently, but I thought better of it.

Why such small wheels?

 

[gentlegreen]

Why such small wheels?

I weigh 250lbs and carry luggage so used to get through 27 inch racer wheels at a fearsome rate.

The hybrid I bought after that developed several faults including the wheels so I went for this mountain bike - whose wheels also went AWOL - so I now have hefty MAVIC rims.

Touch wood this bike is reliable transport week in, week out.

The vast majority of my mileage is in 4 mile chunks over some fairly dodgy roads and paths, so this bike is pretty well ideal.

 

[scooter]

In a way, I'd quite like someone to nick my bike because that would force me to buy a new one. I've got a bog standard mountain bike which I bought new for about £100 about 15 years ago.

The problem is it's a great bike. Generally it only gets used in an urban setting but I often take short cuts cross fields and through woods and stuff and I've been on proper trails with it with no problems. It's quite light and nothing ever goes wrong with it so I've got no reason to buy another one.

 

[Boycey]

Replace cleats every 2 months? Can I ask what sort of milage you're doing, and how?

i don't any more (just one day) but maomao's pretty accurate. add to that the fact that time cleats are brass: ie soft, so they wear out quickly. the advantage is that they are predictable when they are worn whereas shimano tend to be utterly the opposite.

then combine the brass cleats with worn soles so you're always walking on them... you get the picture.

adidas shells + toshi straps = unbeatable dependability

 

[Cid]

I used to run SPDs (use time now) which finally seized up on Torrington place (between tot ct rd and gower st), must have been very amusing to watch me toppling gradually sideways in front of a huge column of cars and a few hundred people. Time pedals are far, far better ime.

 

[Lemon Eddy]

adidas shells + toshi straps = unbeatable dependability

see ideally what I'd like is clipless pedals on all my bikes for long routes, but something in the way of a clip in strap system so I could convert trainers to a sort of clip in for days when I'm walking about town.

 

[Herbsman.]

see ideally what I'd like is clipless pedals on all my bikes for long routes, but something in the way of a clip in strap system so I could convert trainers to a sort of clip in for days when I'm walking about town.

youre fucking joking

if youre saying what i think youre saying, i 'invented' that a few months ago and wanted to try and patent it...

wanna get rich?

 

[Lemon Eddy]

youre fucking joking

if youre saying what i think youre saying, i 'invented' that a few months ago and wanted to try and patent it...

wanna get rich?

Yep, I'd be interested in that. I did some searching about, and the only thing I could find was a product for triathlon:

http://www.trisports.com/pyroplatforms.html

but it seemed a bit overengineered and clunky. I was thinking something a bit simpler. Will pm you.

 

[Garcia Lorca]

ok, got the new trek 1.5...
after doing around 10 miles or so a day for the past few days i definately give it a big thumbs up! brilliant for speed and flexibility through the rush hour traffic..
i like the pedals erm foot holders that are on it.. my trainers fit perfectly.

although its a bit pricey, i can feel the serious difference and step up in quality, plus getting it up the stairs isnt so much a chore now..

definately notice potholes a lot more! or any bumps in the road tho,,
brakes could be better but still efficient enough...
zzzooooooom

 

[newharper]

I weigh 250lbs and carry luggage so used to get through 27 inch racer wheels at a fearsome rate.

The hybrid I bought after that developed several faults including the wheels so I went for this mountain bike - whose wheels also went AWOL - so I now have hefty MAVIC rims.

Touch wood this bike is reliable transport week in, week out.

The vast majority of my mileage is in 4 mile chunks over some fairly dodgy roads and paths, so this bike is pretty well ideal.

Thanks, I get that.

 

[sim667]

My mum and dad have said they're gonna get me a bike for my birthday........

I was gonna get a revolution cross, but the nearest place i can look at one is manchester, and im in surrey

so im gonna go to my LBS and ask if they can source a 1 or 2 year old model of a cross bike.....

 

[ovaltina]

Does this look like a good deal? Listed on a police auction in Amersham:

Gents Black ,DAWES Mountain Bike
22" Frame, 26" Wheels, 21 Gears.
The tyres have good tread and the bike is in Fair/Good condition.

(I'm bidding £50 with two days to go. Not sure it's worth more?)

 

[Boycey]

tbh it looks like the kind of bike that wouldn't go for more than £100 new and wouldn't really be worth servicing if there were any probs, it's also rather large- would suit 6'2"ish type person.

 

[Boycey]

so im gonna go to my LBS and ask if they can source a 1 or 2 year old model of a cross bike.....

not inconceivable but unlikely IME. being an LBS worker i would always suggest buying local on the basis they should give you decent service back up/warranty..

 

[ovaltina]

tbh it looks like the kind of bike that wouldn't go for more than £100 new and wouldn't really be worth servicing if there were any probs, it's also rather large- would suit 6'2"ish type person.

I thought Dawes was a good make?

 

[Boycey]

they can be, that isn't one though, in fact it really doesn't look like a dawes to me. where is it advertised? could be a cheeky listing.

 

[sim667]

not inconceivable but unlikely IME. being an LBS worker i would always suggest buying local on the basis they should give you decent service back up/warranty..

Ive gathered that from the ctc forums.....

Im seriously considering this but its from halfrauds