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Bicycle age

J

jakonovski

Member
Psychotext said:
This is for mountain biking though. If you're worried about crashing then you want knee pads and (to a lesser extent), elbow pads. At worst your hands will get a bit dirty unless you break something, in which case the gloves wouldn't have helped anyway. I'd say they're only essential if you suffer with compression of the ulnar nerve.

As for the pump, there are posters here who still do nothing more than the squeeze test on their tyres. If you're running a fat bike on tubeless, sure, pressure is very important... but pump gauges are shit anyway, so you'll want an actual pressure gauge for working with that.
Click to expand...

The glove issue is clearly philosophical, so no more on that. But regarding the pump, you have to be a masochist to pump mtb tyres only with a hand pump. And since basically all floor pumps pumps come with a gauge, it's a no brainer.
 
T

teepo

Member
i feel like we're long overdue for an official bicycle age ot. i accidentally went through the first few pages of this thread the other day not knowing where or how i wounded up there and it's literally pages and pages of people bitching and moaning about singlespeed, fixies and hipsters

lets wipe the slate clean of all the unnecessary hate and make the thread more resourceful. it would be very useful to have a lot of the basic information and suggestions we commonly make on the front page such as bike recommendations and beginner's guides/tips. just a thought
 
P

Psychotext

Member
jakonovski said:
The glove issue is clearly philosophical, so no more on that. But regarding the pump, you have to be a masochist to pump mtb tyres only with a hand pump. And since basically all floor pumps pumps come with a gauge, it's a no brainer.
Click to expand...

Foot pump. I guess that's a car owner thing though. :p

teepo said:
i feel like we're long overdue for an official bicycle age ot. i accidentally went through the first few pages of this thread the other day not knowing where or how i wounded up there and it's literally pages and pages of people bitching and moaning about singlespeed, fixies and hipsters
Click to expand...

OP isn't banned, so there's always the chance of messaging them and asking them to put in a few links etc.
 
H

HTupolev

Member
jakonovski said:
All right, new tyres day! Some tubeless ready WTB Wolverines for the full susser, dirt cheap from CRC. Now to wait two months until it starts thawing for real.

I just love new tyres, it always feels like a new bike for a while.
Click to expand...
Ah, tires.

Vittoria Open Paves appear to have been discontinued and are going for filthy cheap (for a tire of that sort anyway), so I ordered a few. 320TPI cotton casing, 27mm. Also have latex tubes on the way. Should be super plush.
 
Dice

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Laekon said:
Riding with regular clothes? Along with what Psychotext said some proper clothing might really help.
Click to expand...
I need work clothes for work and it has nothing to do with chafing. I feel like someone literally kicked me in the ass, like maybe my butt bones are bruised or something. Need to get a seat with more cushion and some suspension springs. An FX2 is a commuter hybrid bike, so it's upright.
 
H

HTupolev

Member
Dice said:
Need to get a seat with more cushion and some suspension springs.
Click to expand...
Plushy saddles are awful. Rather than jamming your sit bones, they let your sit bones sink and they beat up softer tissues. Sit bones can acclimate to hard saddles, to a point.

Suspension wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea, but there's another form of suspension already there on the bike: what kind of PSI are you running your tires at, and how much do you weigh?
 
H

HTupolev

Member
Psychotext said:
I don't know what you just said... but it sounded sexy.
Click to expand...
Alright, let's un-sexyify it.
Vittoria Open Pave
Click to expand...
Historically, in rough road races like Paris-Roubaix, riders can often be spotted with green strips on the sidewalls of their tires. Those tires are Vittoria Pave tubulars. The tires I've ordered are the Open Pave, basically the exact same tire in clincher form.

7mKEx2F.jpg


appear to have been discontinued and are going for filthy cheap
Click to expand...
It seems that Vittoria has decided to eliminate the Pave line. The Corsa line is their "main" road racing tire line, and they're making Corsas in larger sizes to fill in the gap.

In what appears to be an effort to dump out their obsolete inventory, sellers have basically slashed the price of the Open Pave in half.

320TPI cotton casing
Click to expand...
Most bicycle tires use rubber-impregnated nylon fabric for the casing, and the layers of the tire (casing fabric, puncture protection belts, tread rubber, whatever) are bonded by pressing the tire in a heated mold. This bonding process "vulcanizes" the rubber, making it quite tough. However:
1-Vulcanization also makes the rubber stiffer, reducing the tire's suppleness.
2-Nylon casing doesn't tend to be super fine, ranging from 30 to 120 threads per inch (TPI).

Some racing tires use a different approach. The casing of the Open Pave uses a 320TPI cotton fabric. And rather than bonding the tire in a heated vulcanizing mold, it's glued by hand. Clinchers that are made in this way are sometimes called "open tubulars", because the construction method is most associated with high-end tubulars.

Also have latex tubes on the way.
Click to expand...
Most bicycle inner tubes are made from butyl rubber. Latex tubes need more careful installation, but they're super supple.
 
A

Addnan

Member
Thank you guys for the links. I've been doing some reading. I think I would want a hardtail since I don't plan to do anything too crazy and nor do I want to spend as much as I did on my road bikes. So still researching on the different types and uses. Will probably spend a most £1000. Hopefully less with some sales. Will keep reading
 
J

jakonovski

Member
TarpitCarnivore said:
If you want supple you go tubeless

Can't wait for all the roadies to transfer to tubeless and realize what they're missing.
Click to expand...

I got a set of Ultegra rims awaiting spring. Any recommendations on tyres? I'm leaning towards Hutchinson Sector.

Addnan said:
Thank you guys for the links. I've been doing some reading. I think I would want a hardtail since I don't plan to do anything too crazy and nor do I want to spend as much as I did on my road bikes. So still researching on the different types and uses. Will probably spend a most £1000. Hopefully less with some sales. Will keep reading
Click to expand...

This bike is pretty much the perfect spec for a starter mtb. Or the model above it, that one's pretty great too.
 
T

TarpitCarnivore

Member
Lonely1 said:
What's your opinion on solid tires?
Click to expand...

jakonovski said:
I got a set of Ultegra rims awaiting spring. Any recommendations on tyres? I'm leaning towards Hutchinson Sector.

.
Click to expand...

I've ridden Panaracer Gravel King 32mm and currently have SimWorks x Panaracer Homage 42mm. Both required some tinkering in the tire pressure department, but once that was figured out they both ride wonderfully. Ex. I initially inflated my Homage to 50psi and it felt like a tank going up a hill. Move it to 40 and it rides WAY better and smoother.

I know the shop owner I buy from has ridden Panaracer, Compass and the WTB Horizon tires. The WTB Horizons are SUPER supple, but they're also heavy as shit.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
jakonovski said:
This bike is pretty much the perfect spec for a starter mtb. Or the model above it, that one's pretty great too.
Click to expand...

For that price (actually slightly less at the moment) the Voodoo Bizango is a better option. There's a reason it wins pretty much every "best budget bike" test that gets done. It's a fantastic bit of kit.

The Boardman is nice, but I think I'd rather spend £500 and get everything else I need, yet have just as good a bike.
 
M

Mascot

Member
Yep, +1 for the Bizango. It's a no-brainer really.

Personally I'd be tempted to get a pre-loved full-susser for similar money, but you can't really go wrong with the Bizango as a starter steed.
 
K

kottila

Member
Not sure I see the point in going tubeless on my road bike. Seems like to much faffing around with seating the tyre and alle the mess with adding, replacing and cleaning up the sealant. I want my bike to be as unfaffy as possible
 
T

TarpitCarnivore

Member
kottila said:
Not sure I see the point in going tubeless on my road bike. Seems like to much faffing around with seating the tyre and alle the mess with adding, replacing and cleaning up the sealant. I want my bike to be as unfaffy as possible
Click to expand...

Lower tire pressure
More supple and enjoyable ride
WAY less punctures

Cleaning up is a 2 second affair it is nothing like dealing with tubulars and the glue.
 
H

HTupolev

Member
TarpitCarnivore said:
If you want supple you go tubeless
Click to expand...
Seems like that's what everyone who tries any good tires of any type says. I think I might give road tubeless a shot on my Emonda ALR at some point, though, since it's basically ready for it anyway.

In tests that try to isolate hysteresis (i.e. steel drum tests) it doesn't seem like tubeless really obliterate quality clinchers. If you're looking for pure plushness, obviously tubeless does allow for reduced pressure at a given width.

Tubeless won't be suitable in this case anyway though; the rims I'm planning to put these tires on were made in the 1970s. A tubeless conversion attempt would almost certainly have very lackluster results.

Lonely1 said:
What's your opinion on solid tires?
Click to expand...
If you're willing to dish out the money for Tannus tires, it seems like they're a lot better than they used to be; I haven't used Tannus, but reviews are universally along the lines of "whoa, this is actually not bad." Will still give an inferior ride to a quality pneumatic, though, and you can't adjust stiffness.

Low-end solid tires are just plain trash.
 
T

teepo

Member
HTupolev said:
It seems that Vittoria has decided to eliminate the Pave line. The Corsa line is their "main" road racing tire line, and they're making Corsas in larger sizes to fill in the gap.
Click to expand...

that's surprising. the pave was synonymous with the paris-roubaix though i could see it being a hard sell given that it isn't the most durable of tires, especially when compared to the competition. still, it's a shame that such an iconic tire is being discontinued.


and i'd like to go tubeless. my next major upgrade/investment will be an aero wheel-set and they've only just begun to go tubeless, so you can only imagine the costs.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
kottila said:
Not sure I see the point in going tubeless on my road bike. Seems like to much faffing around with seating the tyre and alle the mess with adding, replacing and cleaning up the sealant. I want my bike to be as unfaffy as possible
Click to expand...

Tubeless is trivial to set up. Anything short of race sealant will last you long enough to stick your winter / summer tyres on anyway
 
L

Laekon

Member
teepo said:
that's surprising. the pave was synonymous with the paris-roubaix though i could see it being a hard sell given that it isn't the most durable of tires, especially when compared to the competition. still, it's a shame that such an iconic tire is being discontinued.


and i'd like to go tubeless. my next major upgrade/investment will be an aero wheel-set and they've only just begun to go tubeless, so you can only imagine the costs.
Click to expand...
Giant has had tubeless compatible aero wheels for years. Shimano as well but Giant makes a more affordable set.

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/slr-1-carbon-aero-road-black

They of course have a lighter version for more money.
 
L

Lonely1

Unconfirmed Member
frontieruk said:
Had harder rides...

Hows the group cycling going you sort of disappeared when we we discussing you keeping up...
Click to expand...

I didn't assist this week since I got a cold and my bikes were at the repair shop :(, but I'm thinking I need better training before joining again. The leader did told me that the wheels of my bike where too small therefore I was pedaling way too much to keep the pace.
 
H

HTupolev

Member
Lonely1 said:
The leader did told me that the wheels of my bike where too small therefore I was pedaling way too much to keep the pace.
Click to expand...
This is something that folding bikes are often accused of, and it's usually not true; they do travel less far with each wheel revolution, but typically their drivetrains are geared higher to compensate.

However, I'm looking at the specs on your bike, and it seems like it might actually be geared pretty dang low. If you've got the Pilot 1406, with the six-speed 14-28 freewheel, your highest gear is going to be somewhere in the ballpark of 60 gear inches. The Pilot 1407 with a 7-speed cluster has a 12-tooth small cog, which means you have a high gear in the realm of 70 gear inches.

Neither of these figures are particularly high. The 7-speed cluster will allow you to cruise at around 20mph before you really start to spin out badly, but even that's only acceptable if you're in a moderate-speed paceline on very flat ground. The 6-speed freewheel is especially problematic; your legs will hit 95rpm at somewhere around 17mph, so if you're in a paceline that cruises above that speed you'll be spinning out constantly on everywhere that isn't a hill climb.
 
L

Laekon

Member
HTupolev said:
This is something that folding bikes are often accused of, and it's usually not true; they do travel less far with each wheel revolution, but typically their drivetrains are geared higher to compensate.

However, I'm looking at the specs on your bike, and it seems like it might actually be geared pretty dang low. If you've got the Pilot 1406, with the six-speed 14-28 freewheel, your highest gear is going to be somewhere in the ballpark of 60 gear inches. The Pilot 1407 with a 7-speed cluster has a 12-tooth small cog, which means you have a high gear in the realm of 70 gear inches.
Click to expand...
How are you calculating any of this without knowing the size of the chainring?

For folding bikes to have equal gearing, especially a 16" wheel one, they would need a massive chainring. And they don't.
 
H

HTupolev

Member
Laekon said:
How are you calculating any of this without knowing the size of the chainring?
Click to expand...
I'm eyeballing the chainring size based on the pictures, measuring the pixel width of the known (28T) freewheel and comparing it to where the chain comes in behind the chainring's guard. Very rough, but good enough to get a ballpark sense of the situation. I'm guessing it's somewhere in the low 50s, and assumed 53 for my calculations.

(I had intended to state this in the post, but accidentally edited it out while revising things. Oops.)

For folding bikes to have equal gearing, especially a 16" wheel one, they would need a massive chainring. And they don't.
Click to expand...
They can do alright. Although, to get equal gearing, sure, they usually need to throw in some internal gears.

With 16" wheels and a 53T ring, for instance, you'll get a high gear of 81 inches on a cassette with an 11-tooth small cog. Nothing special, but you wouldn't actually spin out until you start getting into the mid-20s; on group rides that aren't very intense, that's more or less "good enough." And they do make pretty large chainrings for folding bikes; readily-available stuff exists out to at least 60T.
 
K

kottila

Member
Psychotext said:
Tubeless is trivial to set up. Anything short of race sealant will last you long enough to stick your winter / summer tyres on anyway
Click to expand...

Since I need to buy a new bike and maybe upgrade the wheels before I can try tubeless, I'll stick to thinking it's not worth the trouble
 
A

Addnan

Member
New bike day. Commuter/CX edition :D Just an Evans own brand. Specs are decent and will get me to and from work. might change tyres to 4 seasons or something. these are too knobbly for the road

KmqUyqy.jpg
 
M

Mascot

Member
Protip: don't read CycleGAF late at night after watching The Man In The High Castle when you're riddled with the flu bug unless you want very bizarre dreams about Hitler instructing the SS collect rare inner tubes in preparation for him taking part in the Tour of Austria,

I always suspected Hitler was a Jimmy.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
On the subject of tubeless. Just did a tyre with Stans new Race Sealant and my new inflater. Never had a less dramatic setup. No pops, no bangs, no stress. Just done.
 
B

broony

Member
Did my first zwift race the other night. Really enjoyed it. Much more of a workout than I expected. Was able to have some great cat and mouse with a few riders who seemed to be at the same fitness level as me. Nearly killed myself on the finish sprint.
 
A

Addnan

Member
I wish 4seasons existed in 32mm :( Will give gatorskin a try.


edit;.. or maybe it does. hm. tiome to google.

Does nobody in the UK sell them at a reasonable price. (within £1 of 28mm) D:
 
frontieruk

frontieruk

Member
Addnan said:
I wish 4seasons existed in 32mm :( Will give gatorskin a try.


edit;.. or maybe it does. hm. tiome to google.

Does nobody in the UK sell them at a reasonable price. (within £1 of 28mm) D:
Click to expand...

Rosebikes.co.uk but once postage is added it might not be quite so reasonable
 
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