jakonovski
Member
Good point about the bike being new. Definitely take it to the shop.
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Bicycle age
- Thread starter elrechazado
- Start date
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Having moved to disc brakes on my road/gravel two years ago I can give a vote of confidence that there is very little to worry about. That's what's so nice about disc brakes, they're pretty full proof.
Ace Harding
Member
I removed my reflectors from my new Specialized Diverge Elite, and also removed the "dork disc." Are there any other accessories I should remove so I don't get laughed at?
What is the dork disc for anyway?
What is the dork disc for anyway?
Keeps the chain from jumping over the last gear and into the tire spokes.
My bike came with a Giant branded bell. Thought that was pretty amusing.
A bell? Not bad, but you'll want to augment it with a themed squeeze horn.
If it's a chrome or aluminum dork disc on a vintage steel bicycle, it's for looking awesome and blinding your enemies with sun glare.
If it's a plastic dork disc, it's for keeping the chain and rear derailleur from being able to fly into your spokes in the event of a bad shift.
Ace Harding
Member
Yeah it was just a piece of plastic. I assume the actual danger of anything bad happening is very low.
jakonovski
Member
The bolt securing it to the dropout?
Damn. Well, at least your wording is slightly unsure, which means it looks vaguely like something that could be supposed to be there.
It's not actually for securing the derailleur to the dropout, though. It's an attempt at a chain retention mechanism. No matter how I adjust the derailleur, the chain is prone to skipping during a shift to the smallest cog, and the freewheel is just barely far enough from the dropout that the chain can jam in the gap.
Here's what the bolt head on the inside looks like:
If this doesn't work, I'm going to try something less stupid that makes much more sense, like switching out the spacers on the axle and re-dishing the wheel.
Taco_Human
Member
I bought this bike today guys. It's from 1974, it needs a bit of work but it's in amazing condition for it's age. Can't wait to start riding it to work. What do you guys think?
http://imgur.com/ibL0WKc
http://imgur.com/ibL0WKc
T8SC
Member
Old skool, class.
Interesting riding position, like the opposite of how people ride now with high post & slammed stem.
Heheh... without cutting or replacing the stem, it won't even be possible to slam it very far. Headtube is too short for there to be much vertical adjustment room in the steerer. But that fit isn't how the builder originally intended; the Raleigh Sports was a utility line, typically fitted with north road handlebars. Apparently the owner didn't get the memo that the correct way to make an English 3-speed more aggressive is to flip the bars upside-down.
That's also why the shifter looks kind of whacky; that style of shifter is usually situated next to a flat-bar brake lever, but whoever converted the bike to drop bars just sort of stuck it sticking straight up on the tops. Then again, I'm not really sure where I would have put it. They do make bar-end shifters for Sturmey-Archer hubs, so it should be possible to make it behave more standard for a drop-bar setup if desired.
If those are still chromed steel rims, it'll look extremely cool, but be aware that your rim brakes likely won't really do anything if the rims are wet.
If you need to replace the tires, be careful about getting the right diameter. The bike likely uses a bead seat diameter of 590mm. But be sure.
(Unfortunately, the tire selection in these oddball sizes isn't great.)
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Pulled a Psycho today and did almost 3 hours indoors with Zwift. My body hates me, a lot.
T8SC
Member
I hope you had a good playlist, my brain usually starts to go a bit dead when i go over 2hrs on an indoor bike. Takes a lot of mental strength to keep going, nevermind leg strength.
I feel your pain. I did a double spin class earlier in the week, never gets easier unless of course u make it easy by cheating lol.
phazedplasma
Member
hnnnng
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Watch two movies which helped a lot but even by hour 1 it feels bad. The course I did was 44.9 miles in length and had two mountain passes (~30 minutes for each pass). I definitely think my pedaling got lazy because my inner things/abductors were so sore. My ass was the worst because you just never get settled or comfortable.
T8SC
Member
Yeah I find that with the WattBike, my ass gets really sore on the saddle and then my inner thighs start to go dead. I changed the saddle on my "good" bike and don't have any issues but my "winter" bike is similar to the WattBike, tho not as bad.
Hmm, the headbadge is already on... are those fillets going to be kept bare?
hnnnng
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Contributing some bike pics for the day
jakonovski
Member
I have no pics of the first road ride of the year today. Spikes were still a must, and 30c tyres were woefully inadequate at parts. Twice I came upon re-frozen ice ruts at speed, a genuine oh fuck I'm gonna die feeling. Saved it both times though and I'm crediting it to riding a lot of mtb this winter.
T8SC
Member
Roll on Summer.
This weekend it was meant to be high winds & rain, I'm still waiting. Hard to plan stuff when the forecast is so wildly wrong, especially for some road bike routes.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
It's damn near impossible to find any solid reviews or product search for 35+ tubeless multi-purpose tires. Everything is either Road Plus (650b) or way too much tread.
T8SC
Member
Schwalbe Pro One for a road bike, I wouldn't buy anything else. I know people swear by the Schwalbe Racing Ralph on MTB's.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I currently am using SimWork's Homage (https://sim.works/collections/home/products/the-homage-brown-x-black) but they're a little too much bite, though still fast. The other's I've been reading up on are Schwalbe G-One Allround (https://sim.works/collections/home/products/the-homage-brown-x-black) and Compass Bon Jon (https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/components/tires/700c/compass-700cx35-bon-jon-pass/). I wish the Panaracer GravelKing's I used last year came in 35/38 because they were perfect.
Since my bike can clear 40-42 I've wanted to fill it out, the only problem is SO many tires in the 35+ range are touring tires with far too much rubber. If these tires weren't $50+ a pop for each, and not tubeless, it'd be easy enough to swap between.
T8SC
Member
Yeah good tyres arent cheap at all, my Schwalbe Pro One tubeless on the good bike come in at $68 each (Done the conversion for todays rates) and I'm lucky to get 1000 mile out of them, so that's about 2 month max or a month through summer. Expensive hobby. :-D
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Psychotext had been eyeing one up but he's on hiatus from the thread
phazedplasma
Member
I have no opinions except to say that Canyon factory tour on bike bike the other week was sweet.
Have had some amazing weather for February in Colorado. Mountain biking like its May.
Do you have a link for this? It's been years now but I've seen Canyon frames at the Giant factory in Taiwan.
Psychotext
Member
Posting mostly because it's been a bit of an epic struggle deciding what to go with.
Just ordered the YT Jeffsy CF Pro 29er in red / black. Hope to fuck it actually fits me properly now.
https://www.yt-industries.com/uk/detail/index/sArticle/1242/sCategory/509
Four days of cycling over the weekend in shit weather. Last three days doing particularly technical trails. Thankfully I've not lost too much skill over the winter (when I only tend to do very tame stuff).
With that, back out for a while.
Edit - Oh, and Canyons are great bikes, no question.
Just ordered the YT Jeffsy CF Pro 29er in red / black. Hope to fuck it actually fits me properly now.
https://www.yt-industries.com/uk/detail/index/sArticle/1242/sCategory/509
Four days of cycling over the weekend in shit weather. Last three days doing particularly technical trails. Thankfully I've not lost too much skill over the winter (when I only tend to do very tame stuff).
With that, back out for a while.
Edit - Oh, and Canyons are great bikes, no question.
T8SC
Member
So what brands do you guys prefer to wear when you're out? I generally find people favour certain brands for overshoes, gloves etc
I've usually bought Castelli or Gore but recently been trying Ale & GripGrab and found they offer some good kit and it's reasonably priced too. Can't really comment on jerseys & shorts/tights as I wear team kit for that.
I've usually bought Castelli or Gore but recently been trying Ale & GripGrab and found they offer some good kit and it's reasonably priced too. Can't really comment on jerseys & shorts/tights as I wear team kit for that.
BriareosGAF
Member
Dilettante road cyclist here, I've been acquiring Sugoi stuff slowly over the years. It seems to be a decent blend of price, performance, aesthetics, and not being overly obnoxious in terms of branding. Just sort of decently built low-key stuff. I just learned they're owned by the same large conglomerate that owns Cannondale. Weird.
I've got some Specialized gloves and Shimano shoes, but mostly by dint of availability and sales, no particular strategy. Had a nice pair of Specialized shoes before that from a very steep sale.
I've got some Specialized gloves and Shimano shoes, but mostly by dint of availability and sales, no particular strategy. Had a nice pair of Specialized shoes before that from a very steep sale.
T8SC
Member
Sugoi used to make the Cannondale team kit, 2014 I think was the last one they made, possibly 2015.
Just to reiterate, this isn't about brand snobbery, it's more about letting folk know about other brands they perhaps haven't tried & recommend.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Jerseys, wind jackets & Bibs:
I've been very happy with the stuff I've bought from Twin Six, but I don't know if they still use Voler as their supplier or not. Their bibs and jerseys are very good for the value and I very much love their design aesthetic.
Ornot's stuff is my preferred option when it gets hot around here. It's designed for Bay Area riders so it's on the lighter side of things. Their bibs are also really slick with a chamois that tapers off as it goes back to front.
Gloves, Helmet & Shoes:
Been very very happy with Giro stuff. I find it to be a really great value when it comes to performance & price point.
Casuals:
I have a pair of pants from Cadence Collection that is 88% Nylon and 12% spandex. They're absolutely perfect for regular wear & on the bike. I wish they got brought back in stock, but I was at least able to snag a pair of their shorts.
Other stuff:
Castelli Espresso Jacket -- I bought this for sub 40 weather and it's really too much for even that. When it's 20-30 I don't need anything more than a wool base layer or else I'll over heat even with every vent wide open.
Rapha wool base layers & warmers -- I tend to avoid Rapha stuff because of the price, but their wool basics are so well priced. It's really hard to not buy them and they're really superb.
I've been very happy with the stuff I've bought from Twin Six, but I don't know if they still use Voler as their supplier or not. Their bibs and jerseys are very good for the value and I very much love their design aesthetic.
Ornot's stuff is my preferred option when it gets hot around here. It's designed for Bay Area riders so it's on the lighter side of things. Their bibs are also really slick with a chamois that tapers off as it goes back to front.
Gloves, Helmet & Shoes:
Been very very happy with Giro stuff. I find it to be a really great value when it comes to performance & price point.
Casuals:
I have a pair of pants from Cadence Collection that is 88% Nylon and 12% spandex. They're absolutely perfect for regular wear & on the bike. I wish they got brought back in stock, but I was at least able to snag a pair of their shorts.
Other stuff:
Castelli Espresso Jacket -- I bought this for sub 40 weather and it's really too much for even that. When it's 20-30 I don't need anything more than a wool base layer or else I'll over heat even with every vent wide open.
Rapha wool base layers & warmers -- I tend to avoid Rapha stuff because of the price, but their wool basics are so well priced. It's really hard to not buy them and they're really superb.
jakonovski
Member
I wear whatever's been on sale for the most part, but there are themes.
Summer road kit:
Summer MTB kit:
Winter kit for everything:
For a base layer I mostly use a bunch of different Devold merino shirts. Helmet right now is a Mavic for most things, for gnarly mtb I have an IXS enduro lid and for MAMIL cred I have an Etto aero helmet. Finally I wear a tube scarf if it goes below 15C, I must have like ten by now, most given out at races or by bike shops.
The most impressive gear by far is Craft, there's no bad items at all, from low to high end. Their winter gear is the best, being Swedish. Castelli kit looks good, but seems to be a bit fragile. I just ordered Nanoflex knickers, hopefully they're good. Northwave shoes have the best fit for my wide giant feet. TLD is good quality and looks great, but they seem to have inconsistent sizing.
Summer road kit:
- Craft bib shorts
- Craft or Castelli jersey
- Diadora road shoes
- Northwave gloves
Summer MTB kit:
- Any old padded liner will do but for longer rides I prefer road shorts underneath.
- TLD baggy shorts
- Broken Riders or Race Face baggy jersey
- Northwave shoes for spd, FiveTen for flats
- TLD gloves
- Race Face or Leatt knee pads
Winter kit for everything:
- Craft or Dhb bib tights
- Endura waterproof baggy shorts if it's really cold
- Craft softshell jersey
- Craft windshell jacket if it's really really cold
- Shimano winter shoes for spd and FiveTen for flats, random hiking boots if it's really fucking cold
- Swix cross country skiing gloves
- Craft winter cap
For a base layer I mostly use a bunch of different Devold merino shirts. Helmet right now is a Mavic for most things, for gnarly mtb I have an IXS enduro lid and for MAMIL cred I have an Etto aero helmet. Finally I wear a tube scarf if it goes below 15C, I must have like ten by now, most given out at races or by bike shops.
The most impressive gear by far is Craft, there's no bad items at all, from low to high end. Their winter gear is the best, being Swedish. Castelli kit looks good, but seems to be a bit fragile. I just ordered Nanoflex knickers, hopefully they're good. Northwave shoes have the best fit for my wide giant feet. TLD is good quality and looks great, but they seem to have inconsistent sizing.
T8SC
Member
I've looked at a few Craft items this year, last one I was eyeing up was a base layer but ended up with an Under Armour compression fleeced top instead. Never tried Craft but based on how many items you use of theirs and recommendations, I'll maybe give them a more serious look next time. Exactly the point of why I asked the question.
I also agree with your comments about Castelli, fragile. I had some neoprene gloves which split around the seams very quickly. I changed them for a set of Gore gloves and some GripGrab liner gloves for when its really cold.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
The only thing I'v ever seen get universal praise from Castelli is their weather gear, mainly the Gabba and Espresso jackets. Everything else, especially the bibs, seems to be super fragile.
I thought about trying a pair of Assos bibs but good lord the price on them.
I thought about trying a pair of Assos bibs but good lord the price on them.
Rapha all day everyday. Mostly Pro Team kit with some vintage Classic line and City collection stuff.
I have some Castelli kit left over from my pre-Rapha days, and the original Gabba Jacket and Nanoflex warmers are still going strong. I also have a pair of the high end dhb winter tights that I love, and one of their packable rain shells which I replaced with a Rapha pack jacket.
T8SC
Member
Interesting you mention the Gabba, which IIRC has been phased out this year and replaced by the Perfetto.
I have to friends who both have Gabba's (I don't) and one says it's brilliant at keeping you warm & dry and the other says its an overpriced jacket no better than his Altura which cost alot less.
This alone put me off, I don't know if it's a faulty jacket or just him. He's went & bought some new fancy Gore jacket now to replace it, so it must be bad for him, strange how the other guy said it was/is great.
Wax Free Vanilla
Member
Is the nose pad soft and comfortable on these higher quality knockoffs? I got a pair of those cheapo ones for £1.80 to test the sizing and it's just bare plastic which marks up your nose and makes things uncomortable during long rides.
Didn't ask for Oakley branding?
Didn't ask for Oakley branding?
TarpitCarnivore
Member
There is an Oakley outlet near me. I should go in now and see what stuff they may have on sale. They often do buy 1 get one 50% off and such.
Padding seems good so far. Only wore them during an hour ride and at the end my nose didn't feel any different. They are light, soft and comfortable so far.
If they were Oakley branded then I would be wearing fake Oakleys
.jakonovski
Member
Those Noakleys might be just some extra production from the actual factory. Happens with regular clothing all the time.