Big Bike Thread

Bennah · 12 Sep 2007 at 19:36

Can anyone spec me a computer... I lost the last one

Fell out of the side pocket of my bag in the pub. By the time I got outside and realised, I went back and could'nt find it.

Anyway, it was a Cateye Vectra Wireless. Its was a decent unit but one downfall was the reset function on it. When I went to go on a new ride and reset the 'trip' mileage, it would reset my top speed too which I found very annoying. It kept the overall mileage, time etc. I wanted to keep the max speed too.

Is there one out there that has a little more functions, like average speed and lets me reset the trip mileage without resetting the whole thing?

ALLI · 13 Sep 2007 at 02:08

Banny said:
I might look into that, what are the differences over standard.

Rigid outers and lined inner. Very smooth, precise shifting. Most people I ride with use them now. Great upgrade for little cost.

Bennah
ALLI what kind of bike is that? Custom built ?

Yup, as mentioned it's a Pace RC303 frame (Which has since won WMB Best Hardtail of the Year) custom built by my own fair hands. I'll try and reel off the spec

Avid Juicy 5 with 185mm discs
Sramx9 Rear Mech
XT Front Mech
XT Chainset
Magura Comp wheels hubs and spokes (DT Swiss re-badged)
Thomson Elite Post
Specialized BG2 Saddle
Thomson X4 Stem
Oury Lock on grips
Hope skewers
Schwalbe Nobby Nic and Racing Ralph tyres
RS Revelation Air U-turn 100-135mm with Poploc

Previous bike was a Specialized Enduro S-Works but got rid as riding full sus made me a lazy rider, much prefer the feel of a hardtail.

My other bike is a retro GT Zaskar circa 97, fully rigid with a mix of parts old and new, and slicks (my commuter bike). Very very fast (maybe that's just me? lol!)

ALLI · 13 Sep 2007 at 02:11

SgtTupac said:
Second hand market is like russian roulette.. most bikes are knackered.

Disagree with the second comment. My Enduro S-works was mint (original riders 3rd or 4th bike) and was rarely used. I got the frame for 270 and it ws A1. You need to understand shocks, bushings, bearings etc though, and I can see how some people might get stung buying second hand.

Sometimes you can be uber jammy. There's some fab bikes on ebay. The kind that rich people have gone out and bought on a whim, riden once, and sat in the garage for a year until they decide to have a clearout. They're the best finds!

Raymond Lin · 13 Sep 2007 at 02:24

ALLI said:
Disagree with the second comment. My Enduro S-works was mint (original riders 3rd or 4th bike) and was rarely used. I got the frame for 270 and it ws A1. You need to understand shocks, bushings, bearings etc though, and I can see how some people might get stung buying second hand.

Sometimes you can be uber jammy. There's some fab bikes on ebay. The kind that rich people have gone out and bought on a whim, riden once, and sat in the garage for a year until they decide to have a clearout. They're the best finds!

My local paper is bound to have a specialized Stumpy in the classified soon. Last summer I saw this lady got "pushed" by the sales guy into this £1500 bike when she wanted to ride "around the village".

Banny · 13 Sep 2007 at 07:38

I agree aswell I got my Kona on Ebay, 2006 bike, matey only rode it a few times, is in great condition, a few light scratchs and the cables needed adjusting, not that it mattered as I changed front mech and shifters straight away to XT to go with XT rear mech.
That is 2006 mech that I am thinking of changing to a shadow mech anyway.
Dont suppose anyone has a shadow mech to let me know if the action is any better than the one I have.
I do like the way it tucks under rear mech out of the way and at £45 its a snip.

Alasdair · 13 Sep 2007 at 16:34

Banny said:
Dont suppose anyone has a shadow mech to let me know if the action is any better than the one I have.
I do like the way it tucks under rear mech out of the way and at £45 its a snip.

Just fitted mine today, medium cage as I ditched the outer ring and fitted a bash instead. Action is smooth, however I suspect that's just because the whole drivetrain is new and the cables are freshly lubed. The shorter cable into the mech will definitely make a difference though.

Google the part number - you'll get it cheaper than 45 quid.

Raymond Lin · 13 Sep 2007 at 18:29

Right, stupid question.

How can you tell if the quick release bolt is too tight or too loose on the front wheel ?

If I twist the non "handle" end too much it's too hard to push in the lock on the handle and too easy when its too loose. Manage to get it somewhere in between but i dunno if it's tight enough.

tom_e · 13 Sep 2007 at 19:05

if you end up chasing your front wheel down a hill it was too loose

Raymond Lin · 13 Sep 2007 at 19:06

blitz2163 said:
if you end up chasing your front wheel down a hill it was too loose

lol, any ways without risk killing myself?

monkeypants · 13 Sep 2007 at 19:34

Well, if it's fairly stiff to flip the lever then it's fine. Just keep trying it twisting the nut a bit more each time until it's clamped tight.

Bennah · 13 Sep 2007 at 20:48

Thats all I do and worked for me upto now. Well upto when I go out on the bike to work in the morning and the front wheel decides to fall off , because I havnt used the correct way to tighten the wheel

Hamish · 13 Sep 2007 at 23:50

This is hopefully going to be my new baby when my paycheck comes in:

69er (29" front wheel, 26" rear), Singlespeed goodness with those upside down shocks!

http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes/2008/mountain_hardtail/69er/69ersinglespeed/

Jonny ///M · 14 Sep 2007 at 01:28

About ******* time but finally got my wheel collected today and got my bike on the road!

Excuse the random parts pics...my cousin took them on his phone. I think when i strip it down to replace all the bearing i will get it painted or powdercoated black! Maybe get a heavier shock spring and buy a new set of saints and put them ones back on my hardtail.

The X9 shifter and mech is stunning, not huge amounts better than X7 shifter and X9 mech(stumpy) but you can feel the difference. Oh and i will get a matching set of minions or high rollers for it.

Nash · 14 Sep 2007 at 02:03

Me riding my bike at Chicksands. Excuse the gash quality of YouTube

Jonny ///M · 14 Sep 2007 at 02:42

Nash said:
Me riding my bike at Chicksands. Excuse the gash quality of YouTube

Blankness? Did someone forget their link? :confused:

Nash · 14 Sep 2007 at 02:46

Haha oops!

SgtTupac · 14 Sep 2007 at 14:30

Nice Big Hit Jonny.. Taken your time though! I sold mine to my friend. Hes built it up ncie now! Ill have to grab a pic

manoz · 14 Sep 2007 at 18:18

Aren't wavy rotors better for off roading Johnny (cos they can churn out the mud?)

I have X-9s to and they are marvellous ya!!

Hamish, that's an odd looking bike lol :0, dunno how I could cope without gears on a MTB though.

Jonny ///M · 14 Sep 2007 at 18:49

I did take my time but only making £162 without overtime and paying out £200 a month on driving lessons and about £100 on alcohol....things dont get done.

Wavy rotors apparently work better.....but not that i noticed. I absolutely loveeeeeeeee the saint brakes. I thought the juicy 5s were good but these are amazing.

Coming to a roundabout doing a stoppie......didnt really mean it but hey it looks amazing.

I think i will take off some preload on the forks so it matches the rear end a bit better.

NightSt@lk3r · 14 Sep 2007 at 18:52

Jonny ///M said:
I did take my time but only making £162 without overtime and paying out £200 a month on driving lessons and about £100 on alcohol....things dont get done.

Wavy rotors apparently work better.....but not that i noticed. I absolutely loveeeeeeeee the saint brakes. I thought the juicy 5s were good but these are amazing. Coming to a roundabout doing a stoppie......didnt really mean it but hey it looks amazing. I think i will take off some preload on the forks so it matches the rear end a bit better.

my pads are shot so im lucky if i stop at all at a roundabout :eek: