Jaysus cycling! (6 Viewers)

[rettucs]

after a week and a bit of cycling I can now make it up the hill before work without dying.

h(5) to the world!

a week?

imagine what you'll be like after a month/year/forever

keep it up my man

 

[classic seanc]

after a week and a bit of cycling I can now make it up the hill before work without dying.

h(5) to the world!

Throw all your skinny jeans away indie boi, they’ll be no use to you when you truly become thunder thighed.

Also, I’ve never had sex with my bike. My balls stopped working soon after I took up cycling.

 

[IFF]

Also, I’ve never had sex with my bike.

that's nice to know

My balls stopped working soon after I took up cycling.

that's not nice to know

 

[eoghan_dubhdara]

i think cycling is great. i go everywhere on my bike only time i dont use it if i have to go far like over 10 miles and thats not cause i dont want to more of a time thing as in i've got a bus pass and it will take me a quarter of the time plus other reasons mainly to do with photos. this is my third bike so far this year first one had the lock cut by some poxy shop. second one got taken. and now this is my third got 6 gears and a place for packages at the back also got snassy wheels that let you glide for ages. only disadvantage would be that it has no suspension. very important for the leg region but yeah get out there. journey times shorten with out you even noticing. as for running be carefull not to run on concrete as it damages the joints, i used to run but foiund out that its very bad for your joints so i changed to the step thing in gym then to bicycle. any who CYCLE ITS GREAT

 

[rettucs]

santa claus will be bringing me one of these this year sometime methinks. Its the canyon Ultimate CF 5.0. Its the lowest end of the CF range, but its seriously well specc'd (full carbon, full ultegra - an extra 500 euro for a full dura ace version).

They have deadly bikes on there, and seem cheaper than equivalent spec'd bikes in the shops here. They sell on the internet only and are being used by the much maligned unibet.com team in the pro ranks this year.

Currently have a Giant TCR2, which is a grand entry-level bike, but now my eyes are getting bigger than my belly and I fancy a fancier set of wheels!.

got this baby delivered last week (except I went for the CF 6.0 which is unbelievably well spec'd). These have to be the most competitively priced bikes on the market. I really never believed I'd own a fully carbon bike with full dura-ace, deadly FSA cranks, Kysrium Elite wheels, etc, but there ya go. 7.5kg in total. The lightest thing ever. Now all I need is pedals (Look KEOs on the way) and some decent weather (I'll stick with the old bike til the weather stops being shitty - the hills of Wicklow were mightily mucky yesterday morning).

it was my xmas present to myself. Plus they're selling off their '07 stock on that website. It should really be checked out. Some deadly bargains to be had for those willing to take a chance on a new make.

 

[nofunchee]

oh, fancy! how much? i think i'd be shitting it riding around on a carbon frame. was in cyclogical a couple of months ago and they had a set of carbon forks that had been in an accident. completely snapped! i'd be far to clumsy for carbon.

 

[classic seanc]

They have deadly bikes on there, and seem cheaper than equivalent spec'd bikes in the shops here.

Where'd you get it again??
Will you be selling the old bike?

 

[rettucs]

oh, fancy! how much? i think i'd be shitting it riding around on a carbon frame. was in cyclogical a couple of months ago and they had a set of carbon forks that had been in an accident. completely snapped! i'd be far to clumsy for carbon.

2,300 euro. I'd challenge anyone to find anything comparable for the price. I was in cycle super store yesterday in Tallaght and they'd a carbon Pinarello on display. It was Ultegra and had Shimano wheels and hubs (nothing too fancy). It was 3,200. A comparable Cervelo (comparable to the Pinarello) would be 3.5k.

I was all set to take it out yesterday til I saw the weather. Its gonna be an experience for sure. I never felt anything so light. It must be more than 4 times lighter than my current bike.

Carbon does have that plastic feel to it. I'm fairly tentative about giving it a go.

But you only live once!

 

[rettucs]

Where'd you get it again??
Will you be selling the old bike?

bought it off the internet. Thats how Canyon operate. They're so cheap cos they employ a direct sales approach. I don't think they can be got anywhere else. Check out www.canyon.com, go to their EN site, click on ROAD, and you'll see the kind of stuff they have.

Unibet.com used their bikes in the pro ranks this year (the lad that won the tour of Ireland rode one).

I don't think I'll flog the old one. Its not great anyway. Its an entry level Giant TCR (TCR2) which only has a Tiagra groupset on it (has nice Mavic Cosmic Elite wheels though). Was gonna try and flog it, but after taking a spin yesterday I reckon I'll be keeping it for the not so nice days. I couldn't imagine riding a full carbon on a day like yesterday.

 

[classic seanc]

bought it off the internet. Thats how Canyon operate. They're so cheap cos they employ a direct sales approach. I don't think they can be got anywhere else. Check out www.canyon.com, go to their EN site, click on ROAD, and you'll see the kind of stuff they have.

Unibet.com used their bikes in the pro ranks this year (the lad that won the tour of Ireland rode one).

I don't think I'll flog the old one. Its not great anyway. Its an entry level Giant TCR (TCR2) which only has a Tiagra groupset on it (has nice Mavic Cosmic Elite wheels though). Was gonna try and flog it, but after taking a spin yesterday I reckon I'll be keeping it for the not so nice days. I couldn't imagine riding a full carbon on a day like yesterday.

Aha, I understand it's not a good idea for me to get a bike off the net, what with fittings and all, which I really know nothing about. Also I'm lanky.

Tentatively looking at SCR3's or something comparable/just below it. Apparently it's a good bike to start with.


I've another question: Can I replace my hyperglide cassette with a freewheel cassette? Is that how it works? Does that work? I've no idea.
Current bike has Altus stuff on it.

 

[nofunchee]

2,300 euro. I'd challenge anyone to find anything comparable for the price. I was in cycle super store yesterday in Tallaght and they'd a carbon Pinarello on display. It was Ultegra and had Shimano wheels and hubs (nothing too fancy). It was 3,200. A comparable Cervelo (comparable to the Pinarello) would be 3.5k.

I was all set to take it out yesterday til I saw the weather. Its gonna be an experience for sure. I never felt anything so light. It must be more than 4 times lighter than my current bike.

Carbon does have that plastic feel to it. I'm fairly tentative about giving it a go.

But you only live once!

sounds like a deal alright. i'm sure you'll be taking it pretty easy on it for a while to avoid wipe-outs.

a friend of mine has a colonago. lovely bike. one day he was cycling through town and saw this hot girl. he was so busy staring at her that he crashed into a parked car. the frame got cracked on the underside of the down tube, where it meets the head tube. over time it turned into a horrible fold. he's thinking about getting it fixed by some guy in england. the bike was worth a few thousand. keep your eyes on the road!

 

[flashback]

I've another question: Can I replace my hyperglide cassette with a freewheel cassette? Is that how it works? Does that work? I've no idea.
Current bike has Altus stuff on it.

Alright Seany.
Here, what do you mean a freewheel cassette?
Either way, I am pretty sure that the answer is no.

Also, scutter, is your bike's front wheel radially spoked like the one in the pic? And it has carbon forks? That might be very hard on your wrists me aul pal.
It might not be, depends on how you ride.

If you get wrist pain when you are putting the miles in on that yoke (very nice btw imho tbh) you might want to get a slightly less aggressive lacing.


oh yeah, the pretty girl effect, yeah, I never really took decent bikes into Dublin unless I was riding through it. Although, all my offs occurred outside the pale I think. I actually never crashed my race bike now that I think of it.

 

[nofunchee]

Alright Seany.
Here, what do you mean a freewheel cassette?
Either way, I am pretty sure that the answer is no.

Also, scutter, is your bike's front wheel radially spoked like the one in the pic? And it has carbon forks? That might be very hard on your wrists me aul pal.
It might not be, depends on how you ride.

If you get wrist pain when you are putting the miles in on that yoke (very nice btw imho tbh) you might want to get a slightly less aggressive lacing.


oh yeah, the pretty girl effect, yeah, I never really took decent bikes into Dublin unless I was riding through it. Although, all my offs occurred outside the pale I think. I actually never crashed my race bike now that I think of it.

ooh, more info on aggressive lacing please. love this bike nerd stuff.

 

[rettucs]

Also, scutter, is your bike's front wheel radially spoked like the one in the pic? And it has carbon forks? That might be very hard on your wrists me aul pal.
It might not be, depends on how you ride.

If you get wrist pain when you are putting the miles in on that yoke (very nice btw imho tbh) you might want to get a slightly less aggressive lacing.

never thought of that. Its exactly as per that picture. They're standard Kysrium Elites. I'll see how I go once I get the bike out on the road. Cheers for the tip though.

Sean, do you mean replacing a multi-cog cassette with a fixed gear (or the other way round)?

 

[flashback]

ooh, more info on aggressive lacing please. love this bike nerd stuff.

Nothing to it really, just, like, every time you cross a spoke with another, you make the wheel more comfortable to ride, and less stiff.
Radial spoking == 0 spoke crosses;
so its the most aggressive, most stiff spoke pattern you can have, and the most responsive.

Scutter's bike there has two cross on the back (one cross right down at the hub which you cant see on the pic, and the one you can), that's where most of the weight lies, through your ass down into the back of the bike, so they have done the trade off there.
Unfortunately its also the wheel you provide drive for the bike through, meaning that the drive is being diluted by the wheel slightly.
Its all just trade offs really. He might be grand with the very stiff front end, he might want to stick on that shock absorbing fancy tape on the bars. Some of the lads got mad pain in their elbows and wrists, but they tend to ride on the bars more. I tend to ride on the hoods more, meaning a lot of the shock is taken out before it hits my arms.

 

[flashback]

oh right, sean, you mean can you screw a freehub onto a hyperglide hub?

No way.
The hubs are totally different. You cant even drop non-hyperglide sprockets onto it (I think, unless that's changed).

The hub is fundamentally completely different. Sorry mate.

 

[classic seanc]

oh right, sean, you mean can you screw a freehub onto a hyperglide hub?

No way.
The hubs are totally different. You cant even drop non-hyperglide sprockets onto it (I think, unless that's changed).

The hub is fundamentally completely different. Sorry mate.

Yes, that's what I mean.
That's bad news. Afaik replacements for what I got don't exist no more....should I go fixed? I'm pretty sure that's doable. hmmm

Bicycles are far too complicated.

 

[rettucs]

Nothing to it really, just, like, every time you cross a spoke with another, you make the wheel more comfortable to ride, and less stiff.
Radial spoking == 0 spoke crosses;
so its the most aggressive, most stiff spoke pattern you can have, and the most responsive.

Scutter's bike there has two cross on the back (one cross right down at the hub which you cant see on the pic, and the one you can), that's where most of the weight lies, through your ass down into the back of the bike, so they have done the trade off there.
Unfortunately its also the wheel you provide drive for the bike through, meaning that the drive is being diluted by the wheel slightly.
Its all just trade offs really. He might be grand with the very stiff front end, he might want to stick on that shock absorbing fancy tape on the bars. Some of the lads got mad pain in their elbows and wrists, but they tend to ride on the bars more. I tend to ride on the hoods more, meaning a lot of the shock is taken out before it hits my arms.

this is solid gold man, thanks a lot.

I'd be the same. I'm on the hoods too. Rarely ever go on the drops and only grab the bars when climbing.

I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[rettucs]

Yes, that's what I mean.
That's bad news. Afaik replacements for what I got don't exist no more....should I go fixed? I'm pretty sure that's doable. hmmm

Bicycles are far too complicated.

I'd love to go fixed for a bit on my commute bike. My cycle might be a little too long and undulating for it though. I can't imagine what its like not being able to freewheel.

 

[classic seanc]

I'd love to go fixed for a bit on my commute bike. My cycle might be a little too long and undulating for it though. I can't imagine what its like not being able to freewheel.

I would be inclined to do one of them "flip flop hub" things.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

Flip-Flop Hubs

any fixed-gear bikes are equipped with "flip-flop" hubs, designed to accept sprockets on either side. These permit a choice of two different gears by removing the rear wheel and turning it around.
The most common use for a flip-flop hub is to have a fixed sprocket on one side, and a single-speed freewheel on the other side. Usually the freewheel will be 1 or 2 teeth larger than the fixed sprocket.
The idea is that, most of the time you would ride the fixed gear, but if you found your self far from home and getting tired, or were in unusually hilly terrain, you would turn the wheel around and use the freewheel. This helps two ways:

• The lower gear will make it easier to climb the hills.
• The freewheel will let you rest (coast) on the descents (which could be painful with the lower gear if it were fixed.)

Note that for each tooth difference, the axle position in the fork end will change by 1/8" (3 mm.) Also, note that you should have two brakes if you will be using a freewheel.
You can also use two different sized fixed sprockets on a flip-flop hub. Generally I would recommend only one tooth difference in this case. I run 14 & 15 with a 42 front myself on a couple of my own bikes.
Most flip-flop hubs are only threaded for a lockring on one side, but the sprocket/freewheel thread is the same, so you can screw a fixed sprocket onto the freewheel side. I'd put the smaller sprocket on the side without the lock ring, because it's less likely to come unscrewed.
There are double-fixed flip-flop hubs, and, to me, this is the most desirable configuration. This arrangement is the most versatile, because you can set it up either with 1 or 2 fixed sprockets, or 1 or 2 freewheels.
Any standard track hub can also be used with a single-speed freewheel just by leaving the lockring off. The thread is the same. Sometimes people worry because the hub thread isn't as deep as a freewheel specific hub, but this is never a problem with a single-speed freewheel.
For more on flip-flop hubs, see the section on fixed-gear mountain bikes.