Warning - if you try a carbon bike you'll find it very, very difficult to settle for an aluminium one afterwards :)
― Mark C, Friday, 2 July 2010 12:09 (fourteen years ago) link
Which is probably why I ended up going for the Cannondale Six 5, which is half-carbon. Picked it up (along with shoes and pedals) last night, and got ~22 mi. in before the sun went down.
I did like the Specialized, but the carbon seat- and chainstays on the Six 5 seemed to make a difference. I'm far too noob to articulate how exactly, but I'm guessing that the CF stays helped to dampen, but not deaden, the unevenness of the road. Of course that could be part of the placebo effect of knowing what the frame was made of. It could have just been the frame geometry?
The shop itself played a big part in feeling confident about my purchase. The salesman took me on a few rides around the block and put the bike onto a trainer to monitor my knee position, arm reach, and kept making adjustments to the saddle and seatpost to dial everything in. He even adjusted the cleat position on the shoe. Free tune-ups and everything! I've heard of other people getting stuff like pedals thrown into the deal, but I didn't care to ask or haggle, since mom-and-pop stores like that tend to be low-margin, low-volume specialist dealers anyway.
BTW I went with Look Keo Classics as opposed to the Keo Easy or the Speedplay Zeros. I was pretty close to going w/ Speedplay, esp. 'cause they make the Platformer, but replacement cleat prices steered me to the Looks.
― naus, Sunday, 4 July 2010 00:46 (fourteen years ago) link
Nice! Good job on getting the mileage base in as well! One question though: WDYBLL?
― _▂▅▇█▓▒░◕‿‿◕░▒▓█▇▅▂_ (Steve Shasta), Sunday, 4 July 2010 02:38 (fourteen years ago) link
That's brilliant, naus. I hear such great things about the Cannondales in that price range. I'm sure you'll love it.
― Mark C, Sunday, 4 July 2010 20:35 (fourteen years ago) link
WDYBLL
― naus, Monday, 5 July 2010 00:27 (fourteen years ago) link
should i get bad karma?
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/1874766826.html
Felt FC 2009 Road Bike 58cm - $500 (SOMA / south beach)
To bikers everywhere,
Bitter divorce. Ex-husband hasn't picked up his bike in a week. First 1 with cash takes it. He screwed me, I'd like to screw him.
Pick up only. Cash only.
― jaxon, Sunday, 1 August 2010 21:03 (fourteen years ago) link
long stem
― that's what she said (cozen), Sunday, 1 August 2010 21:41 (fourteen years ago) link
think I may need to buy a new bike : (
― cozen, Wednesday, 4 August 2010 18:10 (fourteen years ago) link
or at least a new frame
the braze-on for my front mech is torn and so the carbon that bonds it is torn - not sure it can be re-bonded, or removed without weakening the frame - and it's a second hand frame, and way out of warranty, anyway : /
― cozen, Wednesday, 4 August 2010 18:13 (fourteen years ago) link
OK so it might be alright
dang there goes my canyon
― cozen, Thursday, 5 August 2010 08:26 (fourteen years ago) link
Dude, there are so many excellent-value frames out there. You owe it to yourself - and, yes, to us too - to find one.
― Mark C, Thursday, 5 August 2010 13:52 (fourteen years ago) link
So what should I get to replace the surly? Probably not for a while, I have a loaner till then.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 31 August 2010 12:22 (fourteen years ago) link
You really liked the Surly, didn't you? Like for like not practical?
― Mark C, Tuesday, 31 August 2010 13:48 (fourteen years ago) link
Other than the dropout thing that both gbx and I suffered from it's just fine. Soma double cross is functionally the same thing with a proper dropout. Just seeing if there is anything out there I should be looking at and really just hoping something comes good on CL/eBay.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 31 August 2010 14:07 (fourteen years ago) link
Do you have a budget (sorry if that's a sore point)? Do you know Cotic?
― Mark C, Tuesday, 31 August 2010 16:16 (fourteen years ago) link
I have less of a budget the longer I can ride the loaner. Need to work that out, constraint is it's a pain the the arse to buy groceries and stuff without a bike, so may end up getting something sooner rather than later, which means cheaper.
Gunnar crosshairs would be good, but not sure it gives much over surly/soma.
Hoping a good steel cyclocross frame turns up on eBay, build it out with SRAM Apex, could swap wheels with the BMC and hold off on buying new wheels till next spring.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 31 August 2010 17:42 (fourteen years ago) link
Don't know cotic, but the seem to be more of an mountain outfit.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 31 August 2010 17:48 (fourteen years ago) link
The Roadrat gets a lot of love:
http://www.cotic.co.uk/product/roadrat
― Mark C, Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:46 (fourteen years ago) link
is apex really a lot less expensive than rival? last time I looked the saving was only around £70
― jozam djinn (cozen), Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:52 (fourteen years ago) link
It's not, but I think it is less of a lower down product, more satisfying a different market. The claim is that you can get close to a triple range with a compact double.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Tuesday, 31 August 2010 21:54 (fourteen years ago) link
It would be wrong to put a panier rack on this, no?
http://www.wrenchscience.com/DBImages/800H/bmc_crossmachine_blkwht_2010.jpg
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Wednesday, 1 September 2010 14:07 (fourteen years ago) link
and by that I mean the older aluminum frame. I do love my BMC.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Wednesday, 1 September 2010 14:11 (fourteen years ago) link
fact: i saw a bmc road bike with kickstand yesterday.
― my stomach is full of anger. and pie. (Hunt3r), Wednesday, 1 September 2010 15:12 (fourteen years ago) link
I have just bought a Brompton. Sadly, only on behalf of a friend. But it's pretty and I want it (though sitting on it I find the suspension disconcerting).
― Mark C, Wednesday, 1 September 2010 17:08 (fourteen years ago) link
Hey Americans, the Jenson USA end of summer sale is on - they have A+ bargains.
― Mark C, Wednesday, 1 September 2010 19:22 (fourteen years ago) link
Garmin-Slipstream Felts 4 sale (including hunter, taylor phinney & steven cozza's)http://www.shopslipstreamsports.com/bikes-and-equipment.html
― Fartbritz Sootzveti (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 1 September 2010 19:39 (fourteen years ago) link
someone posted one of these on the bike lust thread recently iirc?
― Fartbritz Sootzveti (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 1 September 2010 19:40 (fourteen years ago) link
A dude at the local velodrome (san diego) races on one of those Union Jack Felt track bikes with B.Wiggins nameplates on it. Dude wears a full England national kit and is ungodly fast.
― sous les paves, Thursday, 2 September 2010 00:28 (fourteen years ago) link
He'd have to be with that gear. It's definitely not Brad, is it? Try criticising The Jam in his earshot and see if he explodes.
Hey, Crackle Box, did you buy a bike?
― Mark C, Thursday, 2 September 2010 10:08 (fourteen years ago) link
mark sell us ur dog eh
― ultimusmoron (cozen), Thursday, 2 September 2010 20:23 (fourteen years ago) link
(just been gawping at ur flickr, cutest dog ever imho)
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/6506/photorp.jpg
terrible pic but yeah went for the caad 9, love it, fast as fuck. haven't used my oyster card since i got it :)
― Crackle Box, Friday, 3 September 2010 09:57 (fourteen years ago) link
― Crackle Box, Friday, 3 September 2010 10:00 (fourteen years ago) link
Cute!
Thanks for dog compliments, David. I could loan her to you between 6 and 7 am when she'll spend an hour trying to eat your face.
― Mark C, Friday, 3 September 2010 14:24 (fourteen years ago) link
http://cgi.ebay.com/2007-BMC-Cross-Machine-CX01-Cyclocross-Frame-56cm-/170535563402?pt=Road_Bikes&hash=item27b4b6308a#ht_1851wt_1086
or
http://cgi.ebay.com/Salsa-Las-Cruces-Cyclocross-Bike-58cm-Dura-Ace-Ksyrium-/190439369666?pt=Road_Bikes&hash=item2c57122bc2#ht_500wt_1101
plus OMM rack? Fred tastic
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Friday, 3 September 2010 14:34 (fourteen years ago) link
wht's the diff betw. a road bike and a cross-bike?
― ultimusmoron (cozen), Friday, 3 September 2010 14:35 (fourteen years ago) link
disc brakes and knobbly tires?
geometry for easier (dis)mounts and wheel clearance
― caek, Friday, 3 September 2010 15:01 (fourteen years ago) link
wider clearances for knobbly tyres in the main, often less drop from chainstay to bottom bracket for higher clearances.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Friday, 3 September 2010 15:01 (fourteen years ago) link
xpost
My saddle broke this morning - a rail sheared through. I've borrowed a girl's saddle (Spesh Jett 143) to get home on, and have a spare Regal at home which I don't much like. This is for my fixed - any recommendations for a non-hipster, reasonably priced city saddle?
― Mark C, Friday, 3 September 2010 17:26 (fourteen years ago) link
you looking to sell the regal, mark?
― ultimusmoron (cozen), Friday, 3 September 2010 17:57 (fourteen years ago) link
(also have you considered a rolls?)
http://www.equusite.com/articles/basics/images/basicsEnglishSaddle.jpg
― Jerome Personnel Cheeses (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 3 September 2010 18:34 (fourteen years ago) link
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/ZY268A43-Surly+Long+Haul+Trucker+Bike+26.aspx
can you fit a 62 cm? truly odd looking. ive never seen a 26" wheel long haul trucker befo.
― my stomach is full of anger. and pie. (Hunt3r), Friday, 3 September 2010 21:58 (fourteen years ago) link
My very short friend has a 48 or 50cm LHT with 26" wheels but I assumed it was only because the frame is so tiny that 700s wouldn't fit.
― koch-o brovaz (joygoat), Saturday, 4 September 2010 00:14 (fourteen years ago) link
62 is probably a wee bit too big for me. 60cm on the Cross Check was at the top end of fine.
― American Fear of Pranksterism (Ed), Saturday, 4 September 2010 14:44 (fourteen years ago) link
Coz, I am currently using the Regal and now that I've got it set up right it's so much more comfortable than before. It's still a bit firm and slightly unanatomical but it gives great support so I may even end up making it my number one choice. I'll give it a bit longer (and do some longer rides on it - 11 miles is the most it's done in one go so far) and let you know if it's a pass. Assuming you were enquiring?
― Mark C, Wednesday, 8 September 2010 15:18 (fourteen years ago) link
yeah kinda - I've been looking into getting a rolls because my current saddle is literally a pita but I imagine a regal would be just as good. don't know how to pick a saddle tho, really, if I'm being perfectly honest
― cozen, Wednesday, 8 September 2010 15:34 (fourteen years ago) link
My teammate has the 2009 Orbea Orca with full Dura Ace and if I could do it all over again, I think I would go that route. Unfortunately, I am married to my bike for at least another season or two but I willfully admit a lusty crush on the Orca.
― Fartbritz Sootzveti (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 8 September 2010 15:49 (fourteen years ago) link