Bicycle thread

[BobbySands]

Originally Posted by YakSpout

Anyone who's been riding for a decade or two is usually way past spending serious coin to replace a working part because they want something shiny and new, whether the benefit is perceived or concrete. That behavior screams normally screams Fred.

OTOH, if you have the funds and want to buy the latest and greatest, go for it. Be sure to post your KOMs...

That being said I have experienced riders getting a new charge out of a new frame (even a used frame new to them), a new set of a wheels, a new pair of shoes, or a new crankset.

It probably is purely mental, but if that get's them up a few minutes early or on the bike after a shitty day at work when they'd usually say, 'sod this.' then, who can bitch?

I surely look like a the BIGGEST fred out there with my Dura-Ace and high Castelli shorts on Sidi Genius. I have a new Eddy Merckx frame with a Campy headset and crank that I can't even bring myself to build yet because I'm so out of shape.

At least I'm having fun with it.

[Oznerol]

Originally Posted by BobbySands

It probably is purely mental, but if that get's them up a few minutes early or on the bike after a shitty day at work when they'd usually say, 'sod this.' then, who can bitch?

+1

I'm not nearly as willing to spend money on bike bits as I used to be, but the mini-dogpile on Aurelius over this has been pretty lame to watch.

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by BobbySands

It probably is purely mental, but if that get's them up a few minutes early or on the bike after a shitty day at work when they'd usually say, 'sod this.' then, who can bitch?

If I lived in Florida, right now, I wouldn't need a new drivetrain to get me out of bed. I'd be out there with "Aurelius", as he's got great weather and even better trails. Besides, someone's gotta' buy the new stuff that I can't. And, I'm curious how it works out.

[TheNedster]

Originally Posted by BobbySands

At least I'm having fun with it.

In the end, this is all that matters.

[Gummee!]

Originally Posted by TheNedster

In the end, this is all that matters.

Agreed

M

[Aurelius]

Originally Posted by zouch

while i can understand replacing something that's not working as well as you'd like, i have to question the shops that are giving you a story like that considering that 3x(5-6-7-8-9-10) has been working well in places that have elevation changes in the multiple thousands of feet for decades already... could it be they just don't have the experience setting the stuff up properly?

or,.. i don't suppose either of those shops sell the 1x10 setup, hmm?

Neither of these shops are pushing the SRAM 1x11 setup. Most people these days seem to be running a 2x10. Local racers seem to favor a 1x10. My 3x10 always suffered from cross-chaining, but never as badly as it does when climbing very steep hills. Many times I found myself on the trail fiddling with the barrel adjusters to try and fix it, but it never goes away completely, and the fix is at best a temporary one. Another problem with my Superfly 100 is that it simply refuses to switch into the smallest gear in back when I'm out there riding it. It will when the bike is up on a stand, but not when it's being ridden. One of the techs tells me that it has to do with how the cable is routed, which causes it to go slack when the rear suspension is compressed. I'll be glad to see all this, and other more minor problems go away once the 1x11 system is installed.

[Aurelius]

Originally Posted by ducnut

If I lived in Florida, right now, I wouldn't need a new drivetrain to get me out of bed. I'd be out there with "Aurelius", as he's got great weather and even better trails.

Damned straight! 75F today and through the weekend. Can't wait to do all the red trails at Santos again.

Besides, someone's gotta' buy the new stuff that I can't. And, I'm curious how it works out.

I've already got people lining up to test ride my bike once it has the XX1 system installed, including a couple of racers. Apparently mine will be the first bike in the area to have it. The local Trek and Niner dealer has asked me if I'd be willing to lend it to them for an evaluation. Right, it's not like I'm going to be riding it or anything.

[Aurelius]

Originally Posted by zouch

pretty bad comparison; there's not likely to be any place in your equipment that can make as big of a difference in performance as your wheels, due to the rotating weight.

you can spend many multiples more on other parts of the bike that won't make anywhere near as much perceived difference as a good set of lighter wheels will provide.

I never said it would. Like some others here, you seem intent on arguing against claims I never made.

[Mercury264]

Originally Posted by Aurelius

I never said it would. Like some others here, you seem intent on arguing against claims I never made.

Jesus H Christ - let it go will ya

Why did you even post that you were rich enough to splash out on some super duper components if you didn't want feedback from guys in this thread who clearly have more experience than you ?

My God you take the joy right of cycling sometimes...

[Gummee!]

Originally Posted by Mercury264

Jesus H Christ - let it go will ya

Hence the dogpile

M

[moodfart]

...yup.

[fullmonte]

Originally Posted by zouch

yeah, just trying to figure out what problem it solves that makes it worth $1K,...

as it is, i typically only use one finger most of the time now anyway, and have the option of that being any one of 3; this seems like it would eliminate that choice of which finger to use, which might be OK in places that only have elevation changes in the double-digit range... (no pun intended!).

You should realize my post was just an attempt to dangle that $1K brake system in front of a certain inmate to improve his "lap times", thus improving his KOM status. With the extra speed that's gonna come with the XX1, he's gonna need better brakes, right?

[ducnut]

Originally Posted by Aurelius

Neither of these shops are pushing the SRAM 1x11 setup. Most people these days seem to be running a 2x10. Local racers seem to favor a 1x10. My 3x10 always suffered from cross-chaining, but never as badly as it does when climbing very steep hills. Many times I found myself on the trail fiddling with the barrel adjusters to try and fix it, but it never goes away completely, and the fix is at best a temporary one. Another problem with my Superfly 100 is that it simply refuses to switch into the smallest gear in back when I'm out there riding it. It will when the bike is up on a stand, but not when it's being ridden. One of the techs tells me that it has to do with how the cable is routed, which causes it to go slack when the rear suspension is compressed. I'll be glad to see all this, and other more minor problems go away once the 1x11 system is installed.

My GF's first road bike has a Shimano triple on it. No amount of fiddling will get it to run clean and quiet. That bike has been relegated to the trainer, anyway. Her MTB had a SRAM triple on it. I pulled the big ring and installed a bash guard. Triple or not, that bike always shifts clean and runs quiet. I can remember riding a Specialized Roubaix with SRAM Rival, for the first time. It was a revelation, compared to all my Shimano stuff. I no longer own anything with Shimano. The aforementioned road bike and her tri bike are the only bikes she has with Shimano. I can't justify switching them over, for no more than they get ridden.

To get the rear derailluer to shift to the smallest cog, it would need to be slack/no tension. Maybe, he meant the cable gets pulled, when the suspension compresses. Also, when a drivetrain is loaded, it'll many times react differently than on the stand. My first road bike was that way (Shimano-go figure). Hopefully, this will all work out for you.

[RxZ]

Does anyone know how to embed a Strava summary of a ride like some people were doing here in the past? I have never done it, and unless I ride something truly outrageous I am not going to. I do have one story I want to share though...

[Mr Head]

In the Strava "Activity Feed" window, click the "more" button after the Facebook and Twitter symbols.
Select "embed in blog"
Copy all the goofy looking text that pops up in the little window.

Here in ADV, in the Reply window, click the A/A in the white square in the upper right corner, above the Smilies group.
Paste what you copied from Strava here to adv and it's in.

It ends up displaying like this when done,



no KOM, a buddy tells me I run at a fast walk.

Originally Posted by RxZ

Does anyone know how to embed a Strava summary of a ride like some people were doing here in the past? I have never done it, and unless I ride something truly outrageous I am not going to. I do have one story I want to share though...