Road Cycling Essentials

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touch said:
That frame is a 68mm english thread.

You'll also need a tool like this to change it.
Click to expand...

Excellent thanks m8 yeah I've got the tools to remove it but can't remove the bearings from the cup

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Shimano Ultegra Bottom Bracket Cups 6700/6703
Pair - 68mm English Thread
£15 at the moment

I've done some reading about hollowtech II and FSA Omega MegaExo some says it should be ok but I'm not sure.
What do you guys think?
 
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You don't remove the bearings from the cups you replace with full new cups and bearings as the bearing is pressed into the cup. I'd go with a shimano chainset as they are just fit and forget in my experience.

70mm italian will never fit as the driveside tightens to the right aswell as the non driveside wheres the driveside of an english bb is left handed so it will natural tighten rather than loosen as per the italians.

Got myself this today :)

WP_000134.jpg


Very happy with it so far and it climbs/accelerates so much faster than the MTB. Shame I wrote off the rear lugano and tube two minutes from my door and didn't think to pick up a couple of spare tubes from the shop :( Bus to work tomorow.
 
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Hey guys,

Never knew this exisited here!
Im after some opinions:

I have a giant defy 3 2010, which is serving well. However I still have the stock wheels (giants own) and they seem ****. The rear always seems to being dropping out of true.
So im thinking of new ones. I dont want to spend huge amounts of dosh , max prob about £160 as if I spent more I might as well buy a new bike.
Ive identified some Shimano RS 30 and Fulcrum 5.
Just wondering if anyone had these and/or what you would recommend?
 
For me I'd choose the Fulcrum 5s as they just felt that bit nicer than the Rs30s. We have a guy who does around 40 miles a day and is hard as **** on his bike and when he wore out the Dt swiss rims on 105 hubs(which were bombproof) he got some racing 5s and again they have been faultless even with day to day use.

The shimano might well be a bit lighter(Haven't looked tbh) and more lively but just don't seem as robust.

The mavic aksiums are just a wee bit above your budget and seem to be quite reliable from what I've seen but I haven't ridden a set so can't comment on how they feel.
 
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It's something I'm looking into aswell as my commute from work to my gfs has terrible roads and I spent a wee while trueing up the wheels on the bike after it's first ride. Don't want to buy some nice lively wheels to have them fold on me :( Granted the standard wheels are pish :)

The only issue I can see with the fulcrums is spare spokes etc as ribble have next to nothing in terms of campag wheel spares. Mavic deal direct so you can always order a pack of ten spokes at a time by just giving the serial number off the wheel. I'd have to check out what chicken cycles carry in terms of spares.

Shimano also sell spokes/nipples single too which is good if they actually have stock of them!
 
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While we're on the subject of wheels, I'm considering what to go for on my next bike. The bike is offered with either Fulcrum Racing 7 or Shimano RS10; is it worth going up to Racing 5 or RS30s? The wheels on my existing bike are Mavic Open Pros on a Shimano SLX hub at the front and an Shimano Alfine hub at the back, so I'm assuming even the entry level Racing 7s/RS10s will be more sprightly?
 
Swordfish125 said:
Hey guys,

Never knew this exisited here!
Im after some opinions:

I have a giant defy 3 2010, which is serving well. However I still have the stock wheels (giants own) and they seem ****. The rear always seems to being dropping out of true.
So im thinking of new ones. I dont want to spend huge amounts of dosh , max prob about £160 as if I spent more I might as well buy a new bike.
Ive identified some Shimano RS 30 and Fulcrum 5.
Just wondering if anyone had these and/or what you would recommend?
Click to expand...

I've got RS30s, very happy with them. The RS20's are cheaper and lighter by about 120 grams, but I went with the 30s as they have a reputation of being bombproof and my main use for that bike is commuting (and I like the look of the white 30's!). I had one fairly major almost-crash on the 30s- ended up riding off the side of the road into a 12 inch deep concrete rut. Tried to ride round it, ended up being spat back out onto the road at 45 degrees from vertical, kept it upright but landed hard enough to twist the bars in the headset. Lots of clanging, and expected the worst, but both wheels were perfectly in true, so job done!

For my weight-weenie bike build I'm probably going to go for the carbon laminate RS80s (if I can find any at a decent price)
 
Due to looking at lots of lovely bikes while out in Morzine a week ago.
Ive just, this second purchased this ---->


Nanolight carbon in ^^ that colour or lack of. Well exited, cant wait to build it up.
 
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Out of curiosity, how are cheap carbon frames like Planet X perceived amongst the road bike community? Pretty bad image or perfectly respectable?

And I know it doesn't really matter, I'm literally just interested.
 
Robbie G said:
Out of curiosity, how are cheap carbon frames like Planet X perceived amongst the road bike community? Pretty bad image or perfectly respectable?

And I know it doesn't really matter, I'm literally just interested.
Click to expand...

Some people **** them off and say they are whippy but not many folks who actually ride them and they do have a lot of sponsored pros. If there was anything wrong with them the pros wouldn't ride them.
 
Robbie G said:
Out of curiosity, how are cheap carbon frames like Planet X perceived amongst the road bike community? Pretty bad image or perfectly respectable?

And I know it doesn't really matter, I'm literally just interested.
Click to expand...

I think like all the smaller companies, Planet X get their frames made in China, (and in my opinion there's nothing wrong with that). It's a good solution if you want value, but want a local presence to deal with support.

You can get the exact same frames cheaper abroad, but obviously it's a faff if you have to return it.

Perception-wise, most who have Chinese carbon frames seem to rave about them, those who don't like the idea say they're rubbish (often with no first-hand experience). There's a thread I read somewhere about a couple of guys went to one of the Chinese frame factories and had a snoop around and took lots of photos. Their manufacturing methods look pretty much the same as any other brand, there's no magic to it, it's just cheaper labour, and frame-making is labour intensive, so that's where the savings are made. Finishing can be a little dodgy, but the frames themselves seem to be as dependable as any other by all accounts. Certainly I've not seen any first-hand accounts of drastic failure.

I'm in two minds whether to go for a rebadged chinese frame from a local company, or go straight to the source. I'm veering towards the 50% saving at the moment!
 
[DOD]Asprilla;19641560 said:
Some people **** them off and say they are whippy but not many folks who actually ride them and they do have a lot of sponsored pros. If there was anything wrong with them the pros wouldn't ride them.
Click to expand...

Why not if they're paid?
 
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