The Bicycle / Biking Gear Thread

[jbj]

just picked my road bike up from my dads.

It's a pretty sweet self build I got on gumtree but it's been sat in his shed for a good few years now so needs a bit of work.

Any suggestions for good guides (text or video) to give it a service.

 

[Theodore]

Sheldon Brown is an old site/dead guy that a lot of people refer to. GCN and Park Tool are biggies on YouTube. I would just search "bike tune up" or some such. I'm not a wrenchie at all and leave anything requiring more than allen keys or tire levers to a shop, apart from one chain I put on recently I'm not even sure I sized correctly.

@DdBob This is pretty loud for me but kinda cool. Might get it. *spits* https://www.ebay.com/itm/Squadra-Cy...052928?hash=item5b52ac6200:g:AuQAAOSwjfBcVR3z

*talking to self* After many more hours of research and frustration I'm now torn between a Norco Search A Tiagra or 105 https://www.norco.com/bikes/2018/road/gravel/search-aluminum/search-a-tiagra/ that has goofy-looking curved seat stays with cable routed down one of them, which they will only ship to a dealer; a 2019 Specialized Diverge E5 Elite https://www.specialized.com/us/en/mens-diverge-e5-elite/p/154307 with some less than stellar components but the most favorable geometry I've seen, can't fit larger than 35c tires without hitting the front derailleur arm in the big ring, 400 less than a new one, and can ship to me; or a Marin Gestalt 2, which I hate the drops on and is kind of heavy but otherwise I like. Also will only ship to a shop but there's a dealer a lot closer than Norco. https://www.marinbikes.com/bikes/20-gestalt-2 1350, a bit more than I want to pay and can't find a discount code. Dunno.

A few other one I'd prefer but they don't cater to my torso>leg situation or desired position.

 

[nuke_diver]

GCN is a great resource. Another good one especially for some older stuff is RJ the bike guy. Through various videos I've been able to do pretty much everything I've tried. Sometimes you have to watch a few to find something that is similar to what you have.

@Theodore

I think if you can swing it you should go for the best groupset that you can afford. While it might not make that much difference in speed the better groupsets simple shift better. I have a cheaper one on my gravel bike and while it works just fine, the ultegra GS I have on my roadbike is like butter in comparison. I simply didn't want to spend a lot on the gravel bike because I knew I wasn't going to be using it as much but if it is going to be your main ride then better is best

 

[Lerxst]

Picked up a pair of pedal plates at the end of last season and I’ve been using them pretty often since I’m down to one bike atm. Cheap and effective.

https://pedal-plate.cc/

 

[Theodore]

GCN is a great resource. Another good one especially for some older stuff is RJ the bike guy. Through various videos I've been able to do pretty much everything I've tried. Sometimes you have to watch a few to find something that is similar to what you have.

@Theodore

I think if you can swing it you should go for the best groupset that you can afford. While it might not make that much difference in speed the better groupsets simple shift better. I have a cheaper one on my gravel bike and while it works just fine, the ultegra GS I have on my roadbike is like butter in comparison. I simply didn't want to spend a lot on the gravel bike because I knew I wasn't going to be using it as much but if it is going to be your main ride then better is best

At my price I'm just holding out for Tiagra but I'm going to be pretty impressed with anything new since I've been riding 12 year old Sora except for a few hundred miles on the Raleigh with 105. Lot of finicky shifting and I hate the brake cables coming straight out the inside edge of the levers on the old stuff.

Definitely main ride. I notice the racer/group ride people around here always stick to the same handful of roads and that gets boring for me really fast, although they probably have to race way fewer dogs than I do on rural route whatever.

 

[nuke_diver]

It's been easier to find roads to ride on these days because of the lack of traffic. Normally I have a few routes that I ride because they work well for traffic and distance.

I had a devil of a time changing a shifter cable because the way it came out wasn't at all like any of the videos I saw. Took me 2 hours to get the damn thing out

 

[sunvalleylaw]

So I was searching around online today and found some Kona Libre's on sale for a nice price, brand new. Thinking of moving to pull the trigger, been wanting this bike for a couple years. Question, for those of you that ride a lot on road or cross/gravel. This bike comes with WTB 650b tubeless ready wheels and tires. I was thinking I would ultimately buy some 700c carbon hoops and built up some wheels like I did for my Kona mountain bike 29er. These wheels are not top of the line at all and are alu. But, was second guessing myself on 700c vs. 650b. I will ride this bike on road a lot, and likely it will replace my old Merckx I bought from @Tig for that purpose. For those of you who have ridden the 650b tires, or have friends or fellow riders that do, how do they find the speed out on the road, OR even out on the gravel/cross courses? If it is close enough for a rec rider, I might stick with 650b. I guess I can just find out for myself once it is here and I am riding it. But figured I would ask what you guys hear from your buddies or what you experience.

I am after the purple one. A grand less (less the closeout deal I found) and I want 2x. And I like the purple as it will match my mountain bike. Yeah, actually that is true. The handling feels a bit like the old Merckx I have, which I am told kinda makes sense if you look a bit at the geometry of those two bikes. But it feels quicker to me overall in terms of acceleration, etc.

So before all this virus stuff went down, I found really good deal on this bike, and my local bike shop matched it, so they ordered the bike on close out from Kona. Then virus happened. I had the money mostly saved, but was also selling one of my bikes. That has not happened. BUT, my contact at the LBS was going to get in there and get the bike built for me some time this week or next, and they are not going to bill me until later. So I have time to save, earn, sell my way to the last few hundred bucks (with stock wheels, not with the replacements. I will ride the stock wheels for now) and I should be able to get out on this thing pretty soon! Maybe I shouldn't, but I hate to cancel the purchase, as I already ordered it, and think it is better long run if I see it through. Especially since I am dealing with local business. Fingers crossed!

 

[Theodore]

HNGBDSVL

Having a long dark night of wild bike chase tabs.

 

[Theodore]

Four in the morning. Ordered a Cube Nuroad Pro from Wiggle. Wiggle says they pay customs for bikes to the US. Hope teh limeys stand by it. Was waiting on a new CC statement to start today before I pulled trigger on anything but was excited a few days ago when I saw sconny Erik's cut 150 off the 2019 Diverge Elite to a very tidy 1050, but they'll no longer ship it for whatever reason. So that's out, and the Gestalt was nearing 1500 with tax.

Cube isn't an unknown quantity in Europe and I've seen only a smattering of bad reviews, but I still worry about quality and the setup by whoever's last to touch it. Looks good on paper apart from some mystery house brand components. And the bottom bracket's not listed, unless it's just Tiagra as well. https://www.cube.eu/en/2020/bikes/r...nuroad/cube-nuroad-pro-blacknsharpgreen-2020/ I wanted the 500ish seat tube of the Diverge or Gestalt but this one isn't totally incompatible with my chimp legs like some other 56s.

Will definitely be the only kid on the block with one. My somewhat teutophile mom will be glad I got a German brand. *spits*

 

[Theodore]

Also gambled on these https://lakecycling.com/products/mx-176-wide-2019?variant=15395527426142 Swear I'll be more excited if a cycling shoe finally fits me than if the bike works out. And more peeved if I have to pay 10-15 bucks to return them. Their size chart is pretty detailed so hopefully.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Four in the morning. Ordered a Cube Nuroad Pro from Wiggle. Wiggle says they pay customs for bikes to the US. Hope teh limeys stand by it. Was waiting on a new CC statement to start today before I pulled trigger on anything but was excited a few days ago when I saw sconny Erik's cut 150 off the 2019 Diverge Elite to a very tidy 1050, but they'll no longer ship it for whatever reason. So that's out, and the Gestalt was nearing 1500 with tax.

Cube isn't an unknown quantity in Europe and I've seen only a smattering of bad reviews, but I still worry about quality and the setup by whoever's last to touch it. Looks good on paper apart from some mystery house brand components. And the bottom bracket's not listed, unless it's just Tiagra as well. https://www.cube.eu/en/2020/bikes/r...nuroad/cube-nuroad-pro-blacknsharpgreen-2020/ I wanted the 500ish seat tube of the Diverge or Gestalt but this one isn't totally incompatible with my chimp legs like some other 56s.

Will definitely be the only kid on the block with one. My somewhat teutophile mom will be glad I got a German brand. *spits*

I don’t know anything about Cube bikes. But set woes can be fixed. Hopefully you will really like it! So many good bikes out there.

And apparently, you had the Wiggles last night!

 

[nuke_diver]

Also gambled on these https://lakecycling.com/products/mx-176-wide-2019?variant=15395527426142 Swear I'll be more excited if a cycling shoe finally fits me than if the bike works out. And more peeved if I have to pay 10-15 bucks to return them. Their size chart is pretty detailed so hopefully.

Lake was the company I was thinking of a few replies back. I didn't try them because I had never worn clips so I wasn't sure I would like them and I wanted something very easy to return

 

[sunvalleylaw]

So this showed up tonight. Pretty excited! Going to spend some petals on it and go spinner to round the block. Too late for any significant ride and I already went on one today anyway. But tomorrow, I hear a dirt road calling me.

 

[Theodore]

Sweet ride. Now just lose the gumwalls.

 

[Lerxst]

Lake was the company I was thinking of a few replies back. I didn't try them because I had never worn clips so I wasn't sure I would like them and I wanted something very easy to return

I bought a relatively inexpensive pair because they used the boa system.
think they lasted 4 or 5 months before the uppers started detaching from the sloes. Shame, they were pretty comfy.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Sweet ride. Now just lose the gumwalls.

No no no, gonna ride those things as they aren’t gonna cost me anything extra and wear those things out. As I said, I hope to score a 700c wheels also at some point for a narrower set of tires as well.


In my test ride, it felt as though there were these bigger Balenie tires are super Kush and comfortable, they don’t roll quite as well as a slightly narrower set as @Tig has for a little faster rolling.


Will probably stick with black for those.

 

[nuke_diver]

Looks nice SVL and ultegra too!

I miss being about to ride the trails. My gravel bikes isn't as quick as my Cannondale but more comfy on the county roads and so much fun on the interurban trails. I've wondered about taking it on the easier (easiest???) MTB trails but I'm too old and chicken for that having never ridden them before.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Looks nice SVL and ultegra too!

I miss being about to ride the trails. My gravel bikes isn't as quick as my Cannondale but more comfy on the county roads and so much fun on the interurban trails. I've wondered about taking it on the easier (easiest???) MTB trails but I'm too old and chicken for that having never ridden them before.

Yeah, I was pretty comfortable on the little trail I tried out tonight. But I probably wouldn’t do anything too technical or with any real exposure. Also, I have mountain bike for years and years and so in pretty comfortable out on the trails and in my stance on the bike. It helps that this Kona gravel bike is obviously related to my Kona mountain bike.

That said the bigger knobbier tires have their place out on the trails. So if the trails are nice and smooth and there isn’t a bunch of exposure than sure, can’t hurt to try it nice and slow. But, I will ride my mountain bike for most of my single track. This bike will be mostly for paved road, and dirt road exploration and putting on miles. Not as much for ripping the singletrack other than some of the easy stuff that is almost like a little paved trail.

 

[jbj]

Cheers for the input guys. It's actually in pretty good nick so not too much reswotting to do.

Picking up some new inner tubes tomorrow, the rear wheel needs a little bit of truing and I shat a chain on the ride down so I'll have a look at the front derailleur but apart from that it looks good to go.

 

[Theodore]

No no no, gonna ride those things as they aren’t gonna cost me anything extra and wear those things out. As I said, I hope to score a 700c wheels also at some point for a narrower set of tires as well.


In my test ride, it felt as though there were these bigger Balenie tires are super Kush and comfortable, they don’t roll quite as well as a slightly narrower set as @Tig has for a little faster rolling.


Will probably stick with black for those.

Oh, I'd ride them down too, they just give me eye cancer. I had never had anything more than a 32c tire on a road bike until the Raleigh I had last year with Donnelly X'plor and I'm sure there are much better 40c tires but they were sooo slow on pavement.


I've probably bought four or five times the amount of bike stuff in the past month, especially this week, than I have in my whole life. Bought bibs, a short sleeve jersey, a thermal long sleeve jersey, a wind/light rain jacket, skull cap, sun sleeves, gloves, a saddle, two pairs of socks, long sleeve base layer, leg warmers, grease, lube, chain tool.... and bike. Almost bought tights but think the leg warmers will probably suffice. Oh, and some SH56 cleats I better need for my shoes that will fit or else. They get here tomorrow. Still need pedals if they do but I didn't want to gamble that much yet. Probably get 520s.

Wanting a non-cotton cycling cap for relatively cheap but don't know what to get or where. Would also like some better sunglasses for under 50ish that won't let in a bunch of sun from everywhere except the lenses.