Road Cycling Essentials

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grudas said:
well if you maintained things in the first place it wouldn't have happened.. well not brakes or chainring.. my brakes have been on for over 6k miles and they're still OK
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I wasn't complaining about the cost, I was just asking for advice or suggestions on what I should buy best bang for buck. It is a discussion forum after all :) I'm far from an expert on cycling I simply enjoy the cycling.

I often give advice to people in the console section & various bank fraud questions etc.

Sorry for the long post , but what I'm trying to say is I except I should maintain my winter bike better but I have's so I'd like some advice on replacing parts.

For the record my summer bike is immaculate and is wrapped in bubble wrap :D
 
I'm replacing some of the bits on my winter bike, it's probably done about 7k miles in its life, so I think it deserves it.

New cassette, chain, rear derailleur and wheels - all for just over £100 :)

Crankset and BB are both still fine which is surprising, I was expecting the BB to show sign of giving up, especially as it's a cheap Shimano one.
 
ShiWarrior said:
id be furious if I had to work hard again for 2 months to get it back to the level it was at when you could have spent 2 months on increasing it
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As the other poster said, your FTP will go up and down all year as it's not feasible to do high intensity work all year round. Most people take their training down a notch over winter to recharge a bit.

In my case, it wasn't planned to lose quite that much fitness but life and various personal issues have got in the way recently.

platypus said:
I left my pump at yours :eek:. Feel free to have it as a spare, or come down for a ride here.
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Hadn't noticed, will check the garage! I'll stick it in the post for you if you like?
 
How do people here determine how long to cut a new chain if you don't have your original chain to count the links on?

I should have my new chain tomorrow but I chucked the snapped one in the bin before realising I needed it!
 
Shamrock said:
How do people here determine how long to cut a new chain if you don't have your original chain to count the links on?

I should have my new chain tomorrow but I chucked the snapped one in the bin before realising I needed it!
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You can probably figure it out based on how long the chainstays are, how many teeth you have on the biggest rings at either end, and how long the cage on your derailleur is... I couldn't tell you how to actually make sense of all those bits of info, though.
 
Just check the length in the smallest two rings to make sure it's not rubbing on the mech and count the number of links.

then biggest + biggest without the rear mech, find the closest link that you could join an outer + inner link at, add another full link and again count how many you have to remove.

Or Big front small at the back should leave the jockey wheels vertically alligned.

If using a quick link obviously you will need to remove the extra outer plate that tends to be on new chains for using the pin.
 
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divaboy said:
I wasn't complaining about the cost, I was just asking for advice or suggestions on what I should buy best bang for buck. It is a discussion forum after all :) I'm far from an expert on cycling I simply enjoy the cycling.

I often give advice to people in the console section & various bank fraud questions etc.

Sorry for the long post , but what I'm trying to say is I except I should maintain my winter bike better but I have's so I'd like some advice on replacing parts.

For the record my summer bike is immaculate and is wrapped in bubble wrap :D
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I didn't mean to be rude! :) my point was that "hey if you maintained the bike in the first place most of the parts would still be OK :)" that's why people are surprised by the fact that you need to replace the crankset and brakes after 3.5k miles as this isn't normal.

Shamrock said:
How do people here determine how long to cut a new chain if you don't have your original chain to count the links on?

I should have my new chain tomorrow but I chucked the snapped one in the bin before realising I needed it!
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I just bought an 8 speed chain and stuck it on! That's it :) give it a shot and see how it rides..
 
Shamrock said:
How do people here determine how long to cut a new chain if you don't have your original chain to count the links on?

I should have my new chain tomorrow but I chucked the snapped one in the bin before realising I needed it!
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Put the chain around the big ring and big cassette sprocket (without going round the mech) and see where you would join them. Then add two links.

It's rough and ready but it works.

The Park Tools tutorials are great for this kind of thing.
 
Shamrock said:
How do people here determine how long to cut a new chain if you don't have your original chain to count the links on?

I should have my new chain tomorrow but I chucked the snapped one in the bin before realising I needed it!
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Make it bigger rather than smaller and then cut down. I made that mistake, waste of £20.
 
Dunno mine worked can't see why your wouldnt.. By feel free to shorten your chain lol, I'd try without removing links first as it literally takes 2minutes to install and test
 
Shamrock said:
How do people here determine how long to cut a new chain if you don't have your original chain to count the links on?

I should have my new chain tomorrow but I chucked the snapped one in the bin before realising I needed it!
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Just run it from the big cog to the second or third cog on the rear.
 
divaboy said:
Thanks for the above soooo anyone fancy linking to the correct gear for my bike:o

So I need a chain , cassette, cables and 2 new brake callipers as the back is seized (tried the degreaser) and the front left pad is seized on also :rolleyes:

Anyone suggest decent value for money I.e not stupid money but not budget rubbish.

Thanks again as always greatly appreciated, I love cycling but I hate the maintenance/technical side of things.
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I'd start with just replacing the chain. Fit it and take the bike out for a ride and see if it still jumps. Chances are it won't, but if it does, THEN shell out for a new cassette. Doesn't that make more economic sense than shelling out more when you might not need to? Everything else sounds like you just need to look after it a bit more. Get a small bottle of oil and just keep everything lubed up.

I've done the +2 links trick that [DOD]Asprilla mentioned but I've found it sometimes leaves the chain a bit tight depending on the derailleur and the gear combo. Just something to be aware of - but keep the links you take off in case you need to add a couple back in :)
 
The big ring-big ring method has always worked for me. There is a formula out there that will calculate the exact chain length based on your cassette and chainring sizes and chainstay length but the big-big method is much less faff.
 
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