Bicyclelopnik

"Spanfeller is a twat" (theaspiringengineer) 04/23/2018 at 19:54 • Filed to: None

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Good day, short ride before the rain and a friendly race with a fellow commuter.

Two disk up front is fine, but I wonder how a longer gear would impact my performance because 2x10 is getting slow.

Good pressure on the brake levers, a Summer’s worth of back tire thread, and re adujsted gears; new cables to deal with gears. I want to change the colour of the frame, I’m thinking a wrap of sorts.

Wheeler guy was asking about a commuter bike and... Really all you need is a hardtail bike and some fenders so that your shirt doesn’t look like a Pollock painting. Do get a front suspension, preferably an adjustable one for extra sport....

Not sure about your size situation, this is an XL frame with 29in tires, so it’s a huge, heavy bike that feels stable at speed, much more than my M frame 27in!

Show your rides oppo!

facw > Spanfeller is a twat 04/23/2018 at 20:07

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Mine:

Used strictly for recreation (tried commuting for a bit, felt like I would die soon if I kept doing it).

Spanfeller is a twat > facw 04/23/2018 at 20:09

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That looks rigid.... I should try and get some street rubber when my tires run out of thread, sure, the diameter will probably change for the worse but it’s probably going to grip better!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Spanfeller is a twat 04/23/2018 at 20:20

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I’m not familiar with that bike, but it looks like it’s geared fairly low. That makes sense for a MTB. For commuting duties, I would switch to 26" slicks and install a larger front chainring. Just make sure the front derailleur can handle the larger ring before you buy one.

Below is my MTB. When I bought it, I only had room for one bike, so I bought a second set of wheels. I kept one set with slicks mounted and the other set with knobbies. Going to the trails on the weekend only required a quick wheel swap.

When I moved to a larger house, I bought a road bike (Cannondale R600) which was later replaced with a cyclocross frame when I crashed and ruined the frame.

One of the advantages of m y Redline is that it has a lot of room for mounting larger tires and fenders. The large tires soak up the bumps that has the other roadies complaining.

For commuting duties, the Redline is the frame I  choose. In my area, suspension isn’t necessary. Larger tires are sufficient. Full suspension or even front suspension is just overkill.

facw > Spanfeller is a twat 04/23/2018 at 20:20

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Yeah, this originally had 35 (maybe even 38) mm hybrid tires, but I realized I was only riding on pavement, and in good weather, so decided to switch to 25mm ones.

Spanfeller is a twat > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/23/2018 at 20:29

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Oh Cannondales are awesome, a friend of mine had one!

This is a low end Lapierre prorace , think trek but a bit cheaper... It has all the goodies I wanted: XL frame, 29in wheels, disks and hydraulic brakes, Shimano gears, and well... I didn’t ask for more!

Spanfeller is a twat > facw 04/23/2018 at 20:30

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Our pavement is really bad and I cross through the park all the time, I guess I do want some fat tires so that the bike isn’t compelled to follow road imperfections but these are just too much

LOREM IPSUM > Spanfeller is a twat 04/23/2018 at 20:52

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Just got back from the first ride of the year. Actually, first ride in 8 years, because my wife didn’t have a bike until I bought her one a few months ago. It’s been well over 10 since she’s last been on one.

Probably took longer to air up the tires and connect the trailer than it did for us to lap the block 3 times, at which point she pretty much had enough for today. Can’t lie, my fat self was dripping with sweat.

Anyway, a couple crappy pics for your time:

My Lemond Poprad

Wifes Soma Double Cross

My son’s trailer, partially folded up.

DipodomysDeserti > Spanfeller is a twat 04/23/2018 at 21:01

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I’m currently refurbishing my Nashiki Prestige. Pretty sure it was made in ‘89. Picked it up in college for $30.

LOREM IPSUM > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/23/2018 at 21:05

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2 non drive side pics? The bike forum folks would blow a bottom bracket. 

Spanfeller is a twat > DipodomysDeserti 04/23/2018 at 21:09

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A friend of mine has a Peugeot bike from like a billion years ago, she should take more care of it!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Spanfeller is a twat 04/23/2018 at 21:29

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35s are what I’m using on my cyclocross/road frame. They are sooooooo comfy!

TheRealBicycleBuck > LOREM IPSUM 04/23/2018 at 21:30

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Better?

TheRealBicycleBuck > DipodomysDeserti 04/23/2018 at 21:31

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My first MTB was a Nashiki!

LOREM IPSUM > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/23/2018 at 21:33

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A+ Opporoved

LOREM IPSUM > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/23/2018 at 21:44

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Wife has requested an upsize from the 22s or 23s that are on hers at the moment. Think I’ll fattify mine a bit as well.

Thinking I’m gonna shoot between 35s and 41s, depending on fit and availability. Should comfy things up a bit more.

Also, I need front pads. My front brake was, shall we say, ineffective today.

TheRealBicycleBuck > LOREM IPSUM 04/23/2018 at 22:31

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My R600 couldn’t take anything larger than a 25. That’s what happens when you buy a racing frame. I went with 35s on the cyclocross bike because that’s the biggest I could go and still keep the fenders.

My favorite pads are Kool Stop. http://www.koolstop.com/english/compounds.html

LOREM IPSUM > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/23/2018 at 23:04

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Yessir, no argument here! I specifically chose the CX bike over a comparable road frame for the improved clearance for fenders, rubber, and debris... As well as the higher bottom bracket, for better ground clearance. No regrets at all.

What fenders are you running? Both my wife and my bikes have full Planet Bike fenders, which may limit my maximum tire size, though not sure where the max is going to end up at. I recall when shopping for the Soma, other owners said they could fit up to 41's, but that was presumably without fenders and going fenderless is just not an option for us. Pretty sure the Poprad has a bit less, I want to say it maxed at 38, but it’s been years since I did any reading up on it. May just have to hit a lbs to find out for sure.

Thanks for the tip on the pads. Will have to give some thought to what compound would best suit me and my location, but appreciate the heads up!

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Spanfeller is a twat 04/23/2018 at 23:45

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Here’s most of them. Both my MTBs are locked in storage at the moment, along with a couple of frames. There are three more project frames hanging above this lot...

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > Spanfeller is a twat 04/24/2018 at 00:00

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Late to the party but here’s mine. Kona Honzo AL/DR. One of the best purchases I’ve ever made.

Spanfeller is a twat > DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back 04/24/2018 at 00:02

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Heard little of that brand, but it looks pretty cool! Aggressive gearing tho

TheRealBicycleBuck > LOREM IPSUM 04/24/2018 at 00:33

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I have Planet Bike fenders too. The real limiting factor for me is rear brake mount. There’s just not enough room for the fenders and tires larger than 35mm. Well, I could rig up a slightly different mount and gain a bit more room , but I figure what I have is good enough .

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > Spanfeller is a twat 04/24/2018 at 00:35

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I’m a huge a fan of the 1x11. Its simple, it doesn’t drop chains, it climbs really well and provides good range for trails. I am thinking about moving to a 32t front chainring, however, as I top out the stock 30t at just over 20 mph and I get there fairly quickly. I might even try out one of them fancy oval chainrings.

LOREM IPSUM > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/24/2018 at 01:04

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Good to know. I’ll have to take a closer look when it’s light out to see if I can expect any interference from any mounts. Both of ours are running center pull canti’s for brakes, though I presume the frame attachment points would be the same either way, but will examine closer to be sure of no surprises. Even if I end up with 35s, it should be a step up in comfort from the 20-somethings. Honestly though, I could probably just keep rocking my 28s and be fairly content. That’s no fun though!

DipodomysDeserti > TheRealBicycleBuck 04/24/2018 at 01:08

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Just realized my picture never loaded. It’s a pretty cool bike. It’s a bit small for me, but it gets the job done (that’s what she said).

DipodomysDeserti > Spanfeller is a twat 04/24/2018 at 01:10

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There’s a market out there for old road bikes. Saw one just like mine go for $300.

TheRealBicycleBuck > DipodomysDeserti 04/24/2018 at 08:16

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Nice. This one isn’t mine , but it’s the same model and color as the one I had.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcnotpc/2939730924/

I made a few upgrades - chainrings, shifters, suspension fork, saddle - before realizing it would be better to start fresh. My final upgrade was pulling the saddle and clipless pedals , then putting them on a brand new bike.