Road Cycling Essentials

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platypus said:
Black, I love the red/white but I'd simply get oil on it or something, and that price I'd be mad :p. Plus the black will make me go faster, or something. And most of my kit is black, so it will match more...:o.

Just to clarify that I don't necessarily have more money then sense, I'm only buying it because its £130 down from £250 :p.

Actually - help me make a decision quick before it gets shipped. We have the Mannaggia at £137, or the Leggerezza at £156. I'll happily admit I'm a tart, and the Mannaggia looks way better in my opinion, but should I go for the overall more versatility of the Leggerezza? By all accounts the Mannaggia is excellent in low temperature and I really do suffer in the cold, but the Leggerezza would be useable more of the year. Mind I do already have a Castelli windbreaker gillet...hmmm..
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Have you considered the Shutt Velo Rapide gear? Very well made, very good quality and British.
 
Important news update; the much hyped, highly anticipated Pompetamine has arrived. Somehow I managed to order it without a saddle though, which is pretty annoying having waited three weeks for it. Unfortunately we have visitors so I've had to put it in the garage, I'll get some pictures later on though :)
 
No saddle? That's a pain in the bum.....

Thanks, I'll be here all week, try the fish.....


Told bike.com yesterday to dispatch the bike and rack without waiting for the guards. It was at East Midlands airport at 04.13 this morning.

I'm impressed, but what's the betting it takes UPS a week to get it from there to Surrey?
 
[DOD]Asprilla;17539744 said:
No saddle? That's a pain in the bum.....

Thanks, I'll be here all week, try the fish.....


Told bike.com yesterday to dispatch the bike and rack without waiting for the guards. It was at East Midlands airport at 04.13 this morning.

I'm impressed, but what's the betting it takes UPS a week to get it from there to Surrey?
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I'll wager that it'll go via Munich or something first. It'll not only annoy you, but also amuse me :P

I've temporarily put the saddle from the Sirrus on the Pompetamine, and attached my SPD pedals. Had a quick ride up and down the road, it feels very different to my Subway 8. The front brake needs adjustment, but other than that the bike seems set to go. I'll be taking it out tomorrow morning for a couple of hours, weather permitting.

Edit: apparently the saddle it should come with is actually pretty expensive... not sure what to make of this now. I can't help but feel cheated though.
 
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Spent about three hours cleaning my bike this morning, and it's now nice and shiny :)

Took a lot of scrubbing and re-spraying of degreaser to clean the chain and cassette. Now they are silver, whereas before they were black!

Made more difficult because I live in a flat in an apartment block so I have to carry down a large plastic storage box of water (I have no bucket :() to rinse the bike with. Would be so much easier if I had a hose.
 
Took the new bike out for a brief ride this morning. It seems a lot faster than the Subway 8 (which is to be expected), but the brakes seem nowhere near as powerful, leading to a few moments of blind panic as I approached a roundabout. The front brake definitely needs more tuning, as I could hear the pads scraping against the disc throughout the entire ride. Hit 39mph downhill at one point, and it felt amazingly stable compared to the Subway 8.

The dropped handlebars are going to take a bit of getting used to; after 10 miles my lower back was starting to ache. I can see myself falling very much in love with this piece of machinery though, once I've grown accustomed to it...
 
[DOD]Asprilla;17544467 said:
Try lowering your saddle a little, should help with the back.
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I'll give that a try. When I set the saddle up this morning I simply copied the method I used to work it out for my flat barred commuter bike, evidently it's too high.

I still can't figure these brakes out though; they're either too loose to be effective, or too tight, enough to cause the disc to scrape one of the pads. It seems that it may be that the disc isn't straight, as I hear the scraping noise only once a revolution of the wheel.

Any update on the Bryant, [DOD]Asprilla?
 
[DOD]Asprilla;17530581 said:
Straight down to Embankment, then head west to Milbank, Cheyene Walk, New Kings Road, Putney Bridge, Lower Richmond Road, Queens Ride, Priory Lane, Richmond Park.

Embankment is a proper race track at rush hour. I miss it a lot.
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Cheers dude. :D Me and the missus just got back from a ride from Euston down to Richmond Park for a lap and back, 45km all up. Next time more laps will be on the menu, I love it down there.
 
Apparently disc brakes need a little while to bed in, but this can be helped by sanding the pads. The MTBers can probably give loads of advice.

On the Bryant, I was was wrong; it's only the customs documents that have arrived, the bike isn't due tonarrive in the UK until Wednesday and delivery should be the next day.
 
The Mad Rapper said:
He should try going for a proper bike fit instead of guessing. There must be somewhere local to him that does it. Best £50 - £75 he'll ever spend IMHO.
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Always and option and I've heard some folks say the difference is amazing and some not. I want to try The Bike Whisperer in Ealing but it's £100 and I've got 6 bikes. Learning to do it myself (admittedly nowhere near as well) helps immensely.
 
I went to put my toeclip pedals on the fixie this morning. Jaysus christ the left hand pedal was well seized in there. Got it out but it's brought most of the alloy thread from the crank with it. Luckily the new pedal screwed in ok with a bit of Copperslip and was able to be tightened up nicely without stripping out. The other side was another story though, simply wouldn't budge and has completely mangled my 17mm Halfords Pro spanner :eek:

So it's basically not going to come out unless I cut it off and get a long Stillson on it. I might try and put some heat into it, but I don't have my hopes up very high. I'll probably just try and get the old pedal back on the other side and stick with the cage pedals :(
 
Quick question for the mechanically minded:

I have two 8 speed cassettes (one Miche, one Shimano).

The Miche is geared 16-26 (16-17-18-19-20-22-24-26) and the Shimano is 12-21 (12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21). My plan is to mix the cassettes up to have an extra couple of cogs in the low end, like this:

12-13-14-16-18-20-22-24

Anything wrong with that? :)
 
Saundie said:
I still can't figure these brakes out though; they're either too loose to be effective, or too tight, enough to cause the disc to scrape one of the pads. It seems that it may be that the disc isn't straight, as I hear the scraping noise only once a revolution of the wheel
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Slight rubbing is normal. Check the calpier is alligned properly by loosening it, applying the brake, and tightening the caliper while the brake is still applied.

Does the lever feel mushy at all? If so it will need bleeding.
 
weescott said:
Slight rubbing is normal. Check the calliper is aligned properly by loosening it, applying the brake, and tightening the calliper while the brake is still applied.

Does the lever feel mushy at all? If so it will need bleeding.
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These are Avid BB7 road mechanical disc brakes which do not use hydraulics - I should have mentioned that initially, admittedly. I'm going to see how they bed in before deciding to adjust them too much; I unwittingly made the back brake so loose that I could pedal with the lever pulled flat against the bar. I do appreciate the advice though, thank you :)

[DOD]Asprilla;17545321 said:
On the Bryant, I was was wrong; it's only the customs documents that have arrived, the bike isn't due to arrive in the UK until Wednesday and delivery should be the next day.
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That's not entirely awful; are you going to be hit with import charges? I hope that you take some photos and post them, I am genuinely interested in seeing the Bryant.

After much procrastination, I've finally put the cleats on my shoes and had a go with the clipless pedals. It's not as difficult as I expected it to be to get in and out, though adjusting the spring tension is a pain (the instructions on how it works are less than clear). The whole weird and wonderful setup is falling into place now, thanks to the crisp advice I've received here and various other cycling forums. Thanks guys :)
 
Probably get around 30% in tax and duty if I've got my figures right. Quite a bit, but I think I'm still getting the bike that's perfect for me for a not too high a price.

When do we get pictures of yours and how is the alfine / versa combination?
 
One More Solo said:
Quick question for the mechanically minded:

I have two 8 speed cassettes (one Miche, one Shimano).

The Miche is geared 16-26 (16-17-18-19-20-22-24-26) and the Shimano is 12-21 (12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21). My plan is to mix the cassettes up to have an extra couple of cogs in the low end, like this:

12-13-14-16-18-20-22-24

Anything wrong with that? :)
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It might work, but normally you mix cogs from the same brand and groupset to make sure the shift ramps can line up correctly and they space correctly.
 
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