Author Topic: The Bike Thread!  (Read 217605 times)

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Offline romevi

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #650 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 09:37:15 »
What would you guys/gals consider a good first road bike? I've been looking at fixies etc but I don't want to be "that hipster guy" lol ;)
If you have a budget, I would recommend to go with smaller brand like Fuji, an entry level carbon frame and 10/11 speed groupset. Better value for money.

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #651 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 10:03:36 »
What would you guys/gals consider a good first road bike? I've been looking at fixies etc but I don't want to be "that hipster guy" lol ;)
If you have a budget, I would recommend to go with smaller brand like Fuji, an entry level carbon frame and 10/11 speed groupset. Better value for money.
Soz for the noob questions, but do you mean that I buy a Fuji bike, and then replace the frame and the groupset? :-[
Very busy with studies atm.

Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #652 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 10:36:18 »
What would you guys/gals consider a good first road bike? I've been looking at fixies etc but I don't want to be "that hipster guy" lol ;)
If you have a budget, I would recommend to go with smaller brand like Fuji, an entry level carbon frame and 10/11 speed groupset. Better value for money.
Soz for the noob questions, but do you mean that I buy a Fuji bike, and then replace the frame and the groupset? :-[

I wouldn't think so, find whatever bike name you like but try and find one that comes with an entry level carbon frame and has a 10/11 speed groupset. On a budget aluminum usually is the least expensive but entry level carbon frames are worth looking into though. For Shimano groupsets Sora/Tiagra/105 offer the best bang for your buck as well.
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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #653 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 10:43:48 »
What would you guys/gals consider a good first road bike? I've been looking at fixies etc but I don't want to be "that hipster guy" lol ;)
If you have a budget, I would recommend to go with smaller brand like Fuji, an entry level carbon frame and 10/11 speed groupset. Better value for money.
Soz for the noob questions, but do you mean that I buy a Fuji bike, and then replace the frame and the groupset? :-[

I wouldn't think so, find whatever bike name you like but try and find one that comes with an entry level carbon frame and has a 10/11 speed groupset. On a budget aluminum usually is the least expensive but entry level carbon frames are worth looking into though. For Shimano groupsets Sora/Tiagra/105 offer the best bang for your buck as well.
Ah I see, I prob got too excited since the site im looking at has 70% off for carbon frames ;)
Very busy with studies atm.

Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #654 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 13:20:55 »
On a budget aluminum usually is the least expensive but entry level carbon frames are worth looking into though.
Isn't carbon great until you crash, then you often write it off?  Doesn't sound like something you should buy the budget model of.

Edit: On second thoughts if you're going to bin it anyway why spend more than the least possible...
« Last Edit: Thu, 29 November 2018, 13:32:05 by suicidal_orange »
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Offline Sniping

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #655 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 13:36:07 »
On a budget aluminum usually is the least expensive but entry level carbon frames are worth looking into though.
Isn't carbon great until you crash, then you often write it off?  Doesn't sound like something you should buy the budget model of.

Edit: On second thoughts if you're going to bin it anyway why spend more than the least possible...

Carbon is prone to damage from crashes, but carbon isn't that weak. On paper, it's stronger than any alloy material, but it's inelasticity makes it brittle and it can be prone to minor damage that can be repaired. You'll need a big wreck to break a frame in any area that will total the frame beyond repair, where the equivalent crash on an aluminum or steel bike would've caused big damage as well. Alloy will dent and can't really be repaired but the upside is you can still ride it as long as the frame isn't mutantly deformed and the frame is still straight.

Offline FrostyToast

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #656 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 14:02:58 »
"Entry level" is somewhat subjective to what you're looking to get out of your bike.
A bike with a Sora drivetrain and alloy body will run you $500 or less if you can get a deal on Bike Nashbar or Bike Island. However, step up to the Shimano 105 and you're going to be paying upwards of $1k even with a decent deal.

Everyone here is also talking about entry level carbon, but you don't need to go that far. Especially if you're dishing out an extra $500 just to get some cheap carbon versus quality alloy + carbon fork. If we're talking weight savings, then you just paid $500 just to save 500 grams of weight on your bike since most decent alloy is already less than 9 kilograms. Carbon does absorb more shock which makes it easier on your hands and bum bum when going over bumps, but it's still not that big a deal. Remember that almost all bikes that you will look at nowadays will come stock with a carbon fork already. The extra dosh you're dishing out is just to get a carbon triangle.

If we're talking about things that are worth the money, then drivetrain is the most important. Sora and Tiagra are fine for entry level, but only the 105 is inter-compatible with the higher end Ultegra and Dura Ace parts for upgrade paths. It'll cost you extra to get the 105 versus the other options, but the drivetrain is the most important part so it's definitely worth considering. Though, to be quite honest, you're not going to buy Dura Ace parts and the Ultegra and 105 are so close in performance that, unless you want electronic shifting, you don't need anything higher.

The next thing I would consider is the type of brakes you want. Disc brakes will give you the best performance in unfavorable conditions like rain, snow, dirt, etc. and regular rim brakes will eventually wear out the wheels which are expensive to replace; whereas disc brakes clamp on cheap discs which can be replaced easily. There are also hydraulic disc brakes. Those who have used them will swear by them, and I think they're right. With drop bars, it's quite awkward to brake and puts some strain on your fingers if your hands are placed on the hoods, which is the most common riding position. Hydraulic brakes will just make it easier on you. Braking performance is the real takeaway from here. Not so much the wear on the wheels since you won't being doing it any time soon. The wheels might even die in a crash before the rims wear.

After those two things, I would then consider going carbon. However, at that point, a lot of bikes that come with a 105 or higher drivetrain and hydraulic braking will already have carbon frames.
« Last Edit: Thu, 29 November 2018, 14:06:14 by FrostyToast »
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Offline Sniping

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #657 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 14:22:08 »
This is good advice. I would actually caution a little bit against disc brakes first. They are harder to maintain than road brakes. Road brakes are pretty easy to line up and very easy to change out pads, but bleeding a brakeset is a nightmare and expensive for someone without tools. On the lower end, I would actually advise against it because you'll be paying either for labor or for a bleed kit when your disc brakes need to be refreshed beyond new rotors/pads. They are good if you live in eternal rainy conditions, but in sunny California I don't benefit from disc brakes all too often. To bring it back into perspective, you should definitely look to spend under $1000, and you can certainly find deals for $500 like mentioned above.

Offline FrostyToast

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #658 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 14:38:05 »
This is good advice. I would actually caution a little bit against disc brakes first. They are harder to maintain than road brakes. Road brakes are pretty easy to line up and very easy to change out pads, but bleeding a brakeset is a nightmare and expensive for someone without tools. On the lower end, I would actually advise against it because you'll be paying either for labor or for a bleed kit when your disc brakes need to be refreshed beyond new rotors/pads. They are good if you live in eternal rainy conditions, but in sunny California I don't benefit from disc brakes all too often. To bring it back into perspective, you should definitely look to spend under $1000, and you can certainly find deals for $500 like mentioned above.

Definitely a good thing to consider.
Maintenance is the necessary evil of all bikes.

One more good piece of advice is to do your research on how to maintain your bike. If you buy your bike at a local bike store (LBS), then they will be open to help you out and give you free basic service for 3 months to a year depending on where you go. Even though I did mention a couple of places to get nice clearance price bikes, your LBS is going to be your greatest tool for getting help. Not just for maintenance, which is very important, but for something even more important: bike fit. Road bikes are going to put some strain in some weird places and put you in weird positions, so getting the best fit possible is very important.
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Offline drewba

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #659 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 15:20:46 »
I recently completed my first Century which has been a goal of mine for a couple years now. It was an awesome experience!

Leading up to the century I was slacking in my training rides and after a few cramps on ~50 miles rides I wasn't sure if I could finish all 100 miles. At some point I just started telling myself I was going to finish despite having no idea if I was going to or not. I dialed in my nutrition & supplements - Rapid Rehydr8 (salt/electrolyte), Endurance360 (Caffeine + STUFF) & Sports Legs (reduces lactic acid production). I highly recommend Rapid Rehydr8, the other stuff could just be an expensive caffeine pill or placebo but I have no regrets. I tried to stick to real food over tons of gels - uncrustables, cookies, trail mix & fruit was awesome bike fuel. My bottles had 25oz of water & 25oz of gatorade, I had zero hydration issues.

Having my first century be a fully supported ride was amazing - the route was well marked with spraypaint on the road at every turn, there were marked vehicles that we spotted every few miles in case of an emergency, bike failure or simply if you had a question. There were 4 rest stops every 19-26 miles, arriving to one felt like nutting and really helped break up the ride. The route was hillier than I hoped but completely manageable til the third leg - it was 18 miles of straight rolling hills which was a real *****. Unfortunately that leg of the ride was the only time I started getting buzzed by trucks but thankfully I didn't get coal rolled. For the first 50 some miles I was terrified of climbing out of the saddle, because that's exactly how my cramps appeared on my training rides months earlier. I really had no choice during the hills and I was shocked to find that my legs had tons of strength left and climbing out of the saddle was the way to go.

We finished with a respectable 15.5mph pace and I did not hold my buddy back at all. He peeled off a few times during the ride but I don't think he ever learned how to gear efficiently so I was always able to catch up. I did have a few near misses with chipmunks & squirrels trying to kamikaze my front wheel, also my buddy spooked a deer which decided to sprint across the road approximately 6 feet behind me. Otherwise, it was a calm ride through scenic, rural Michigan surrounding by tons of other cyclists helping push you to the finish line. I highly recommend the Apple Cider Century if you're anywhere near Lake Michigan.

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Very nice. Looks like a fun ride. I haven't done a century yet, just lots of 50 mile rides as well as a hilly hundred spread over two days. This winter I'll try and get my fitness up and then do a century next year.

Thanks! In my super duper humble opinion if you can do 50 miles, you can do 100. My longest training ride was about 60 miles and I really didn't have an issue with 100. Good luck!

Offline iri

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #660 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 16:45:55 »
Signature, you can also shop for used Italian bikes like Colnago, Pinarello, etc.
(...)Whereas back then I wrote about the tyranny of the majority, today I'd combine that with the tyranny of the minorities. These days, you have to be careful of both. They both want to control you. The first group, by making you do the same thing over and over again. The second group is indicated by the letters I get from the Vassar girls who want me to put more women's lib in The Martian Chronicles, or from blacks who want more black people in Dandelion Wine.
I say to both bunches, Whether you're a majority or minority, bug off! To hell with anybody who wants to tell me what to write. Their society breaks down into subsections of minorities who then, in effect, burn books by banning them. All this political correctness that's rampant on campuses is b.s.

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Offline switchnollie

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #661 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 23:03:31 »
This is good advice. I would actually caution a little bit against disc brakes first. They are harder to maintain than road brakes. Road brakes are pretty easy to line up and very easy to change out pads, but bleeding a brakeset is a nightmare and expensive for someone without tools. On the lower end, I would actually advise against it because you'll be paying either for labor or for a bleed kit when your disc brakes need to be refreshed beyond new rotors/pads.

You can always use mechanical disc brakes instead of hydraulic so you don't have to deal with that.

I don't think I've seen any lower end disc bikes with hydraulic actually.


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Offline FrostyToast

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #662 on: Thu, 29 November 2018, 23:59:13 »
This is good advice. I would actually caution a little bit against disc brakes first. They are harder to maintain than road brakes. Road brakes are pretty easy to line up and very easy to change out pads, but bleeding a brakeset is a nightmare and expensive for someone without tools. On the lower end, I would actually advise against it because you'll be paying either for labor or for a bleed kit when your disc brakes need to be refreshed beyond new rotors/pads.

You can always use mechanical disc brakes instead of hydraulic so you don't have to deal with that.

I don't think I've seen any lower end disc bikes with hydraulic actually.

There are very few entry level bikes with hydraulic disc brakes. Any that do will make sacrifices on other parts of the bike in order to have that, which I would not recommend. My comment was mostly about what priorities one should have when going up in price.
However, low end hydraulic disc brake bikes do exist in some small capacity. Just go to a site like performance bike, set the filter for hydraulic discs and sort price low to high. Again, I wouldn't recommend the bikes that do show up, but it was amusing to see that you could get a road bike with hydro discs for $1k.

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Offline iri

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #663 on: Sat, 01 December 2018, 05:18:06 »
My wife rides a bike with hydraulic discs (Shimano M395) for half of $1K.
(...)Whereas back then I wrote about the tyranny of the majority, today I'd combine that with the tyranny of the minorities. These days, you have to be careful of both. They both want to control you. The first group, by making you do the same thing over and over again. The second group is indicated by the letters I get from the Vassar girls who want me to put more women's lib in The Martian Chronicles, or from blacks who want more black people in Dandelion Wine.
I say to both bunches, Whether you're a majority or minority, bug off! To hell with anybody who wants to tell me what to write. Their society breaks down into subsections of minorities who then, in effect, burn books by banning them. All this political correctness that's rampant on campuses is b.s.

-Ray Bradbury

Offline Sniping

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #664 on: Fri, 14 December 2018, 14:40:14 »
The Ebay 15% off coupon today works for bike stuff, go grab new tires and waste your money on nice stuff :)

Offline no, the other guy

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #665 on: Sun, 16 December 2018, 11:06:06 »
My problem is that I mostly use trams, buses and long-distance trains because I tend to travel through Germany to visit friends or attend conferences. A bike would probably make me stop taking the bus (or the tram), but I still need to transport it somehow. So I might invest into a folding bike in 2019, there are some nice ones. It doesn't make sense before the upcoming winter ends though.
<armin> i have the impression the only reason the mx red switch was invented was drunk people

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Offline Sniping

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #666 on: Sun, 16 December 2018, 12:47:17 »
My problem is that I mostly use trams, buses and long-distance trains because I tend to travel through Germany to visit friends or attend conferences. A bike would probably make me stop taking the bus (or the tram), but I still need to transport it somehow. So I might invest into a folding bike in 2019, there are some nice ones. It doesn't make sense before the upcoming winter ends though.

yeah folding bikes work nice for public transit, you should consider buying used though since it's just a commuter bike at heart

Offline no, the other guy

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #667 on: Sun, 16 December 2018, 12:51:22 »
I don't trust used bikes. Nobody sells a perfectly working bike for no good reason.
<armin> i have the impression the only reason the mx red switch was invented was drunk people

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Offline switchnollie

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #668 on: Sun, 16 December 2018, 13:32:47 »
I don't trust used bikes. Nobody sells a perfectly working bike for no good reason.

You're wild, people often sell good working bikes after upgrading or if they stop using them.


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Offline xtrafrood

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #669 on: Sun, 16 December 2018, 13:54:56 »
I don't trust used bikes. Nobody sells a perfectly working bike for no good reason.

You're wild, people often sell good working bikes after upgrading or if they stop using them.

Had an 85' Schwinn World Sport shipped ($125--ebay lol) 500+ miles and rode that thing for 5+ years. IIRC I spent less than $150 on replacements parts throughout the years. Fit was wonky though.

Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #670 on: Sun, 16 December 2018, 13:58:49 »
I don't trust used bikes. Nobody sells a perfectly working bike for no good reason.

 :)) Unless the bike has obviously been neglected or the price is too good to be true. Where I live there are bikes that come up for sale on a regular basis as people moved away. I ended up buying my first bike new mostly since I couldn't find a decent price locally since they were priced too high when I was looking. It was fortunate I bought my first road bike new since the shop was really helpful in helping me pick out a bike that fit me and I've used it as a reference for later bikes.
« Last Edit: Sun, 16 December 2018, 14:07:54 by JP »
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Offline iri

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #671 on: Sun, 16 December 2018, 16:24:42 »
I bought my current bike used from a racer. The machine is serving me for its 7th year.
(...)Whereas back then I wrote about the tyranny of the majority, today I'd combine that with the tyranny of the minorities. These days, you have to be careful of both. They both want to control you. The first group, by making you do the same thing over and over again. The second group is indicated by the letters I get from the Vassar girls who want me to put more women's lib in The Martian Chronicles, or from blacks who want more black people in Dandelion Wine.
I say to both bunches, Whether you're a majority or minority, bug off! To hell with anybody who wants to tell me what to write. Their society breaks down into subsections of minorities who then, in effect, burn books by banning them. All this political correctness that's rampant on campuses is b.s.

-Ray Bradbury

Offline no, the other guy

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #672 on: Thu, 27 December 2018, 19:35:41 »
After having tried a few, I'm undecided between a Tern Verge and a Brompton. And unlike keyboards, they are sufficiently expensive to not just get both.

Kill me.
<armin> i have the impression the only reason the mx red switch was invented was drunk people

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Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #673 on: Fri, 28 December 2018, 08:45:17 »
After having tried a few, I'm undecided between a Tern Verge and a Brompton. And unlike keyboards, they are sufficiently expensive to not just get both.

Kill me.

No, get a Brompton  :thumb:
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Offline no, the other guy

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #674 on: Fri, 28 December 2018, 09:29:05 »
Give me good reasons!

The Tern has larger wheels (= better driving on unfriendly streets), comes with Big Apple tires, has a belt drive (= almost no maintenance) and is slightly cheaper.
But it's heavier and taking it in a tram could be a mess with its larger folding size.

Hmm.
<armin> i have the impression the only reason the mx red switch was invented was drunk people

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Offline xtrafrood

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #675 on: Fri, 28 December 2018, 09:56:33 »
Give me good reasons!

The Tern has larger wheels (= better driving on unfriendly streets), comes with Big Apple tires, has a belt drive (= almost no maintenance) and is slightly cheaper.
But it's heavier and taking it in a tram could be a mess with its larger folding size.

Hmm.

Oh my, I had to look up this Tern with belt drive.. I've never come across a belt driven bike before. I was sadly disappointed when I looked it up :(

Offline no, the other guy

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #676 on: Fri, 28 December 2018, 09:58:03 »
Disappointed?
<armin> i have the impression the only reason the mx red switch was invented was drunk people

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Offline iri

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #677 on: Fri, 28 December 2018, 10:15:40 »
I rode a cheap belt driven bike once and wasn't disappointed at all.
(...)Whereas back then I wrote about the tyranny of the majority, today I'd combine that with the tyranny of the minorities. These days, you have to be careful of both. They both want to control you. The first group, by making you do the same thing over and over again. The second group is indicated by the letters I get from the Vassar girls who want me to put more women's lib in The Martian Chronicles, or from blacks who want more black people in Dandelion Wine.
I say to both bunches, Whether you're a majority or minority, bug off! To hell with anybody who wants to tell me what to write. Their society breaks down into subsections of minorities who then, in effect, burn books by banning them. All this political correctness that's rampant on campuses is b.s.

-Ray Bradbury

Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #678 on: Fri, 28 December 2018, 15:03:40 »
Give me good reasons!

The Tern has larger wheels (= better driving on unfriendly streets), comes with Big Apple tires, has a belt drive (= almost no maintenance) and is slightly cheaper.
But it's heavier and taking it in a tram could be a mess with its larger folding size.

Hmm.

Ride them both if possible. If that's not doable then consider my sales pitch. Pot holes and rough roads will suck on either bike but the quick turning of either bike should minimize this issue. The Brompton as you mention has smaller wheels but the frame is steel and has a shock-absorbing suspension block. Also you can change the saddle and grips to isolate vibrations even further. The Brompton is more expensive but has the superior folding design, is smaller and weighs less so you can take it anywhere. Stow it in a custom backpack, closet, small car, tram, shopping cart, etc. As far as drivetrain either choice is fine and both types have their advantages and disadvantages.
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Offline xtrafrood

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #679 on: Fri, 28 December 2018, 15:24:08 »
Oh, so there IS a belt driven model. My apologies. I'm not sure how well those would do with all the potholes around my area. Sounds interesting anyway.

Offline no, the other guy

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #680 on: Fri, 28 December 2018, 16:00:49 »
It's the Verge S8i, to be precise. 8-gear Shimano.
<armin> i have the impression the only reason the mx red switch was invented was drunk people

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Offline no, the other guy

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #681 on: Sat, 12 January 2019, 19:30:07 »
Tried Brompton.
Bought the Verge. :)
<armin> i have the impression the only reason the mx red switch was invented was drunk people

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Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #682 on: Sat, 12 January 2019, 21:34:07 »
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Offline katushkin

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #683 on: Mon, 14 January 2019, 05:01:54 »
Oh ****, i totally forgot this thread existed.

So i bought a bike before Christmas, it's the Calibre Triple B ffull suspension MTB. Been out a couple of times with my friend rocking a Canyon Spectral and another with the Orange Alpine 6

Can we get them to build the Alps ten feet higher and get Cherry to pay for it?
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Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #684 on: Mon, 14 January 2019, 11:08:15 »
I would likely die or at least break some bones if I tried riding one of those bikes down a trail. :))
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Offline katushkin

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #685 on: Mon, 14 January 2019, 12:09:34 »
I would likely die or at least break some bones if I tried riding one of those bikes down a trail. :))

Yeah we've not done anything major yet, but hopefully in the summer we can go to somewhere like Cannock Chase or mid wales and get on some proper trails.
Can we get them to build the Alps ten feet higher and get Cherry to pay for it?
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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #686 on: Fri, 18 January 2019, 23:31:04 »
Oh ****, i totally forgot this thread existed.

So i bought a bike before Christmas, it's the Calibre Triple B ffull suspension MTB. Been out a couple of times with my friend rocking a Canyon Spectral and another with the Orange Alpine 6

Show Image


Lookin good :cool:
Haven't gone MTB before, might go this Summer with byker.

That reminds me I needa switch to tubeless, I've gotten 3 flats in the past 2 months :confused:
Continental's new GP5000 tubeless look very tempting.



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Offline tp4tissue

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #687 on: Fri, 18 January 2019, 23:34:25 »

Lookin good :cool:
Haven't gone MTB before, might go this Summer with byker.

That reminds me I needa switch to tubeless, I've gotten 3 flats in the past 2 months :confused:
Continental's new GP5000 tubeless look very tempting.

Show Image
[/center]

Dis' foto,  look @ dat composition.. !!

Offline atarione

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #688 on: Fri, 25 January 2019, 00:37:52 »
it's complicated.. this isn't my bike ..but it is mine to ride for the foreseeable future..   I may buy it ..I may not... but for now I'm riding this bike..
I guess it is technically complicated .. I have access to various things bike related and it is loaned on a fairly opened basis to me.

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Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #689 on: Fri, 25 January 2019, 08:02:51 »
it's complicated.. this isn't my bike ..but it is mine to ride for the foreseeable future..   I may buy it ..I may not... but for now I'm riding this bike..
I guess it is technically complicated .. I have access to various things bike related and it is loaned on a fairly opened basis to me.

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This reads like a relationship status  :))
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Offline no, the other guy

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #690 on: Fri, 25 January 2019, 08:19:02 »
Technically, it is.
<armin> i have the impression the only reason the mx red switch was invented was drunk people

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Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #691 on: Fri, 25 January 2019, 09:03:12 »
That reminds me I needa switch to tubeless, I've gotten 3 flats in the past 2 months :confused:
Continental's new GP5000 tubeless look very tempting.

Dang that is some bad luck. Reminds of one of my friends who got a flat like a block from his house. I've only had one flat so far with the original tires my bike came with. With my GP4000's I've literally ridden through glass a few times and even hard packed gravel. Those GP5000's are so expensive right now though. Being new there is a low supply and a high demand.
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Offline Sniping

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #692 on: Fri, 25 January 2019, 10:29:20 »
That reminds me I needa switch to tubeless, I've gotten 3 flats in the past 2 months :confused:
Continental's new GP5000 tubeless look very tempting.

Dang that is some bad luck. Reminds of one of my friends who got a flat like a block from his house. I've only had one flat so far with the original tires my bike came with. With my GP4000's I've literally ridden through glass a few times and even hard packed gravel. Those GP5000's are so expensive right now though. Being new there is a low supply and a high demand.

Looks like they're around $60 a pop online. Pretty expensive indeed. I have this problem where I buy a bunch of tires when they're on sale and I end up having this backlog of tires to go through before I can buy new ones, crap!

Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #693 on: Fri, 25 January 2019, 12:31:22 »
Looks like they're around $60 a pop online. Pretty expensive indeed. I have this problem where I buy a bunch of tires when they're on sale and I end up having this backlog of tires to go through before I can buy new ones, crap!

$60 is still pricey but not too bad as I had seen them for $70-80 a pop when I looked last. When I think about it now I've had car tires that were cheaper. I don't stock up on extra tires but all three of my bikes have a nice set of tires and all are interchangeable if needed. But buying extra tires isn't a bad idea it just sucks when something better comes along which usually isn't too often. I do stock up on extra tubes though. I suppose you could offload your unused stock on eBay if you have a shed load of tires  :))
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Offline katushkin

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #694 on: Tue, 29 January 2019, 10:58:19 »
Oh ****, i totally forgot this thread existed.

So i bought a bike before Christmas, it's the Calibre Triple B ffull suspension MTB. Been out a couple of times with my friend rocking a Canyon Spectral and another with the Orange Alpine 6

Show Image


Lookin good :cool:
Haven't gone MTB before, might go this Summer with byker.

That reminds me I needa switch to tubeless, I've gotten 3 flats in the past 2 months :confused:
Continental's new GP5000 tubeless look very tempting.

Show Image

Yeah my friend has just gone tubeless on his Specialized but then proceeded to get a sidewall puncture and had to get a whole new tyre anyway.

Are your pedals rose gold or like a pastel colour?
Can we get them to build the Alps ten feet higher and get Cherry to pay for it?
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Offline switchnollie

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #695 on: Wed, 30 January 2019, 19:48:18 »

Lookin good :cool:
Haven't gone MTB before, might go this Summer with byker.

That reminds me I needa switch to tubeless, I've gotten 3 flats in the past 2 months :confused:
Continental's new GP5000 tubeless look very tempting.

Show Image
[/center]

Dis' foto,  look @ dat composition.. !!

:cool: :cool: :cool:

That reminds me I needa switch to tubeless, I've gotten 3 flats in the past 2 months :confused:
Continental's new GP5000 tubeless look very tempting.

Dang that is some bad luck. Reminds of one of my friends who got a flat like a block from his house. I've only had one flat so far with the original tires my bike came with. With my GP4000's I've literally ridden through glass a few times and even hard packed gravel. Those GP5000's are so expensive right now though. Being new there is a low supply and a high demand.

Yeah it's real random, been wet though so everything's stickin to the ground.
Lotta debris on my route since they're building new homes.

Yeah my local shop doesn't even have them in stock yet.

Oh ****, i totally forgot this thread existed.

So i bought a bike before Christmas, it's the Calibre Triple B ffull suspension MTB. Been out a couple of times with my friend rocking a Canyon Spectral and another with the Orange Alpine 6

Show Image


Lookin good :cool:
Haven't gone MTB before, might go this Summer with byker.

That reminds me I needa switch to tubeless, I've gotten 3 flats in the past 2 months :confused:
Continental's new GP5000 tubeless look very tempting.

Show Image

Yeah my friend has just gone tubeless on his Specialized but then proceeded to get a sidewall puncture and had to get a whole new tyre anyway.

Are your pedals rose gold or like a pastel colour?

Wew, that's less likely to happen on regular road riding at least I'd say :eek:

More of a gum rubber color like on shoes.
They're Cult BMX Dak pedals.


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Offline katushkin

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #696 on: Fri, 01 February 2019, 11:06:02 »
Wew, that's less likely to happen on regular road riding at least I'd say :eek:

More of a gum rubber color like on shoes.
They're Cult BMX Dak pedals.

Uhhh, yeah I can't remember where he got it, but the roads aren't great, but he's totally destroyed a set of wheels on some potholes in one go about four weeks ago.

Oh damn, those are really cool. That's an odd colour but i really like them.
Can we get them to build the Alps ten feet higher and get Cherry to pay for it?
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Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #697 on: Sun, 10 February 2019, 08:53:39 »
I know it's a bad to buy based on looks but the shiny headset cap spacer on my matte black bike bugs me and as it's cheap headset underneath and I will* be riding lots on a dusty path I should upgrade it to a nice sealed one anyway.  The near universally loved Chris King nothreadset is available in matte black but it will add ~20mm to my stack and some of that is below the headtube so will affect the angle - doesn't sound ideal.  The only other option that looks to come with a matte black top is the FSA Orbit Z which is far less loved and doesn't actually say it's matte...

Of course there's nowhere to go and look at them so does anyone know of any zerostack/semi integrated/44mm ID headsets for a 1 1/8 straight steerer that have matte black top cone spacer things?  I'd like to say budget isn't an option but the Chris King at £144 (about $185) is pushing it :))


*I've recovered from my first crash and fractured clavicle having missed the transition from 'summer' to 'winter' weather so have postponed getting back on the bike until it's not wet and/or windy every day.
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Offline JP

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #698 on: Sun, 10 February 2019, 12:08:41 »
Yeah the CK prices are crazy. I would say just take off the cap, sand the paint off, get some spray paint like a matte black or satin black and maybe also spray some matte clear coat for protection. Since your bearings are not sealed you could take them apart, clean, and repack with new grease when needed.
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Offline suicidal_orange

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Re: The Bike Thread!
« Reply #699 on: Sun, 10 February 2019, 12:32:45 »
CK prices are crazy but when you read everywhere of people running the old version with the occasionally dodgy o-ring seal for 15 years without touching them the current/improved version doesn't sound like a bad invesment.  If it wasn't so tall I'd have bought one.

I like your thinking with the paint - sometimes the simple ideas are the best!  I have a can of black under my bed and pretty sure it's matte even.  If spraypaint has a shelf life of 10 years that is...

What happens when a headset wears out, does it just get stiff, crunchy and creaky or is it a potential health hazzard?  I ride along a canal with headphones on so it's pretty straight and I'm unlikely to notice noises.  I rode the full ~17 miles with my front brake rubbing and wondered why it was hard going, it was only luck that I locked my headphones in at work that day so heard it as soon as I set off for home otherwise who knows how long I would have carried on :-[
120/100g linear Zealio R1  
GMK Hyperfuse
'Split everything' perfection  
MX Clear
SA Hack'd by Geeks     
EasyAVR mod