Big Bike Thread

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6thElement said:
It has disc not rim brakes, so it doesn't matter how buckled your wheel might be it won't effect braking. Do you mean the disc is rubbing on the pads in the caliper? Is it all the time or just on a certain part of the disc?

The calipers probably just need recentering.
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Yeah, the disc is rubbing on the caliper, an adjustment may stop the rubbing. The brakes are fine though, well they stop in my hallway :p

But the wheel does have a significant buckle on it which I am concerned about.
 
Need some help with road bike calipers.
I dont usually run brakes on my fixed gear bike, i only use it for going into uni.
Im probably going to be doing a time trial on it next weekend tho, so i need to get some brakes for it.
I already have some levers and cables etc, so i just need a couple of calipers.
I'v seen this on CRC but they only have "rear" ones. Is there any difference between a front and rear caliper? The ones on my bianchi look the same. The force of the wheel obviously pulls the calipers in a different direction, so maybe there is something different about them?
 
The difference between front and rear is the length of the integrated mounting bolt. Rears are usually only long enough to go though a thin mounting bar whilst the fronts have to go right though the fork.

Also be a good idea to check the drop you need (the length of the caliper) my fixie needs a long drop on the front (>50mm) and very long from on the rear >70mm.

Most standard calipers have a drop of 49mm (ish).
 
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I've just had to replace the crank bolt on my Carrera Fury for the 4th time since buying the bike 18 months ago. It's the bolt that goes into the chain-ring side of the bottom bracket and holds the cranks on.

I don't understand why it keeps breaking, I don't have an "unusual" pedalling style or anything, and most of my riding is flat city riding.

When I went to buy a replacement bolt last time I noticed that there were larger bolts on offer, but presumably these would require a different bottom bracket?

This is the type that I have:
crankboltallen1.jpg


And this is a larger type that would presumably be stronger:
alk150big.jpg


How difficult/expensive would it be to upgrade to a stronger assembly?
 
p4radox said:
How difficult/expensive would it be to upgrade to a stronger assembly?
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You'd probably need a different bottom bracket, since those screws look to be fatter. BBs can be picked up quite cheaply (~£10). However, I didn't know that the bolts came in different sizes and I've never seen the size of bolt hole specified on a BB, I thought they were standard.

If you do find one that accepts bigger bolts then if the axel is bigger (fatter) then you'd need to buy new cranks to accept them. You'd have to check that the new cranks had the same BCD as your chain rings so that the mounting holes lines up, otherwise you would need new chain rings as well.

Cranks and chain rings are as much or as little as you want to spend, but from recent experiance, the once for my fixie were ~£100.

It's all pretty easy to put together, the BB just screws off, but usually requires a special tool which depends upon the manufacturer. However, if your axel length is different then you've have to adjust your front deraileur for the new chain line and although not difficult it is a time consuming pain in the bum to get right.
 
p4radox said:
I've just had to replace the crank bolt on my Carrera Fury for the 4th time since buying the bike 18 months ago.
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Thats crazy? :s Where is it breaking? (i cant see the pics?)
There's no way it should break so much. The crank bolt should only really be holding the cranks in place, there shouldnt be massive pressures on it because the force of the cracks should be transferred stright onto the axle.
 
touch said:
Thats crazy? :s Where is it breaking? (i cant see the pics?)
There's no way it should break so much. The crank bolt should only really be holding the cranks in place, there shouldnt be massive pressures on it because the force of the cracks should be transferred stright onto the axle.
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I don't understand it either. It's breaking off at the end of the thread. The main force would appear to be taken by the axle but the bolt is obviously taking far more than it should. Here's my own photo:

dscf1015400.jpg


Asprilla: thanks for the info. I've replaced it this time with a bolt with a standard 6-sided head without the hex insert, it looks a bit sturdier than the alen-key official ones I've been using. I'll look into replacing some bits as soon as I've finished my exams...:(
 
Supercow said:
Definitely a very odd looking thing!
A granny ring on a bike with dual crown forks :D
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haha yeah it started off with a std triple chainring on the front with single crown forks. It's the nomad without the iscg mount for a proper bashguard so the mrp was about the best that would go on at the time. It's probably the most annoying bit as the chain still comes off fairly regularly.
 
Today i finally went ahead and sold my mtb.

So now i'm thinking of becoming a roadie. I'm not really sure what to look for in road bikes, so i've just gone off what i like the look of.

The ones i like the look of are:

Scott Sportster S40 27 2010 £699.99

Specialized Allez Sport Triple 2010 £629.99

Trek 1.2 Triple 2010 £649.99

Trek 1.5 Triple 2010 £799.99

Do any of these stand out above the others? And i was also wondering about pedals and shoes. How much should i be spending for a decent pair?
 
spend £1k and get a boardman full carbon jobbie they punch well above there weight and always come out tops in reviews.. shame its from halfrauds but thats the only thing you'll ever hear me recommend from there.

if that much is a scary amount then go with a trek as they usually have better parts for the cash over spech.. ever so slightly... and dont get a triple they dont work properly, compact all the way 2 rings is all you need
 
I was wondering about the triple, compact element. I just thought i may benefit from the extra gears. But tbh they do look a little clunky with three rings up front.

The Boardman Carbon does look a nice bike.

I also like this too: Raleigh Avanti U6 PRO 2009 Road Bike down to £899.99 from £1299.99

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/raleigh/avanti-u6-pro-2009-road-bike-ec018983

but then when i factor in pedals and shoes it soon adds up.




My main problem is, being my first venture into the world of road bikes, i don't want to spend too much, but still want to spend enough that i get a decent quality bike.
 
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Sgt_Pepper said:
Today i finally went ahead and sold my mtb.

So now i'm thinking of becoming a roadie. I'm not really sure what to look for in road bikes, so i've just gone off what i like the look of.

The ones i like the look of are:

Scott Sportster S40 27 2010 £699.99

Specialized Allez Sport Triple 2010 £629.99

Trek 1.2 Triple 2010 £649.99

Trek 1.5 Triple 2010 £799.99

Do any of these stand out above the others? And i was also wondering about pedals and shoes. How much should i be spending for a decent pair?
Click to expand...

The Boardman Comp is a way better spec than all of them, even the Trek 1.5 and is only £649.99. About to buy one myself.
 
New forks and headset on and there is a massive difference in the forks.

The travel is so much smoother on both rebound and compression.

Very happy with the upgrade, and i think thats my lot, not much
left to upgrade really.

Andy
 
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