Road Cycling

[Roady]

as well as looking at pulleys, was surprised to see corrosion on shimano HG71 chain (inner plates), that I just took off , and, tried to clean,
versus, the previous SRAM870, which, I will be putting back on, until the arrival of my, first ever, KMC, X8(full metal jacket)
the shimano and sram, both ~£14 were just nickled on outsides.



typically 18 months use, 2 winters, for each chain, commuting.

You need to clean your chains more! And that's coming from me (I've been known to get through 4 chains some years)!

Obviously it's pretty impossible to use the above for comparison, the 870 could have avoided road salt during it's winters, or you just happened to clean it more doing so. The Shimano may have sat with more salty wet road grime on it for longer between a couple of rides and got corroded from it. Compare the mileage you got from each to judge, the condition of how bad the outside plates look is probably fairly useless to estimate wear of the inner links...

Although I do like SRAM chains and have generally found they give me a few more miles than KMC/Shimano over bad winters.

Thinking of replacing the Bontrager R1 tyres my bike came with, but not really sure what to go for, anyone got any recommendations for good tyres? Currents are 25mm, but I believe I can fit wider on there so may look at 28mm

Depends what you're riding and what you're looking for. Hard wearing? Fast rolling? Great grip?

 

[Musty Pie]

Hi all,

After a spot of advise i posted my own thread about a wheel set (2nd hand) upgrade for my bike.

After a little research i kinda have my heart set on some Campag Zonda's (Shimano hub) to upgrade my trust (for me) Specialized allez Elite (2013 spec)

Found a few online (FB marketplace and the such) which seems OK, but a pair im looking at are Listed as Dpro - Help a noob out? I assume this is meaning dual profile or something? which means i could tubeless these if i wanted to? (which i wont) is that literally all it means?

Furthermore if there are any other sets i should look out for in the 150-200 max range let me know (or if anyone has any nice wheels they want to sell me from your expensive bikes or spare bikes, also let me know!!! )

 

[Roady]

Hi all,

After a spot of advise i posted my own thread about a wheel set (2nd hand) upgrade for my bike.

After a little research i kinda have my heart set on some Campag Zonda's (Shimano hub) to upgrade my trust (for me) Specialized allez Elite (2013 spec)

Found a few online (FB marketplace and the such) which seems OK, but a pair im looking at are Listed as Dpro - Help a noob out? I assume this is meaning dual profile or something? which means i could tubeless these if i wanted to? (which i wont) is that literally all it means?

Furthermore if there are any other sets i should look out for in the 150-200 max range let me know (or if anyone has any nice wheels they want to sell me from your expensive bikes or spare bikes, also let me know!!! )

Not really heard of Dpro before but probably does mean that... Can't think what else it could?!

I'll head to your thread shortly and see if there's anything else I can help with. Just wanted to say you really can't go wrong with campy Zondas. They're a few years 'old' now but where a very solid, light and well priced wheelset in their time and quite a few people here ended up riding them, the siroccos and the khamsin.

My set of khamsin I paid ~£100 as a cheap/budget set to replace stock Giant wheels on a £900 Defy 1 2015 where superb. Head and shoulders above the quality and build of the Giant PR-2's (I think they where). Mine probably did around 5-6000 miles in all weathers commuting before I switched them out and they're now on the other halfs commuter. Probably a couple of thousand on there all weathers and would expect a few more. Great for the money!

Although I would say be cautious of buying S/H wheels when you can get new, with warranty for only a couple of compromises - mainly weight, but the Zondas where not particularly lightweight (or that heavy) around 1500g anyway. You can get them new for ~£300 (have not had a big search of deals). Also look at 'Fulcrum'. They're the same wheels, different branded.

 

[Musty Pie]

Not really heard of Dpro before but probably does mean that... Can't think what else it could?!

I'll head to your thread shortly and see if there's anything else I can help with. Just wanted to say you really can't go wrong with campy Zondas. They're a few years 'old' now but where a very solid, light and well priced wheelset in their time and quite a few people here ended up riding them, the siroccos and the khamsin.

My set of khamsin I paid ~£100 as a cheap/budget set to replace stock Giant wheels on a £900 Defy 1 2015 where superb. Head and shoulders above the quality and build of the Giant PR-2's (I think they where). Mine probably did around 5-6000 miles in all weathers commuting before I switched them out and they're now on the other halfs commuter. Probably a couple of thousand on there all weathers and would expect a few more. Great for the money!

Although I would say be cautious of buying S/H wheels when you can get new, with warranty for only a couple of compromises - mainly weight, but the Zondas where not particularly lightweight (or that heavy) around 1500g anyway. You can get them new for ~£300 (have not had a big search of deals). Also look at 'Fulcrum'. They're the same wheels, different branded.

Thanks thats really helpful.

Im a single income household, so i dont really have much spare to push that budget up. Ive found a pair of Campy Zondas on marketplace, that look quite decent, with Gatorskin tyres for £175 - but hes quite a journey from me to take if the end up being in bad shape when i get there.

I would love to buy new but £175 > £335 without tyre costs also, is quite a significant amount for me and my situation.

 

[Roady]

That's fair enough, I'm a budget buyer too!

Tyres are one of those things I do not consider, not enough to influence a purchase anyway as I know how easy they are to pickup on deals/sales. Everyone seems to want GP 5000 at the moment so the prices are insane. Does mean many other prices have also gone up - while others have remained static. I'd be looking for sites selling them too offload over stocking, tyres like the mitchelin endurance/power, vittoria corsa, continental 4seasons and gp4000 should all have deals on them this autumn and most have not have price hikes like other tyres comparing themselves to the overpriced (& popular) GP 5000.

 

[Musty Pie]

Its a real dilema

I guess the thing to remember is any wheelset i do get is going to be better than my stock wheels. Not sure how much better as i cant seem to find the stock set specs anywhere...

Im now looking at the Primes as suggested, and still looking at the 2nd hand Zonda's vs new Zonda's, but realistically the new Zondas are not really in my budget.

Those Prime Baroudeur do seem to be really well regarded also.

 

[GSVBagpuss]

Ive just swapped to tubeless and got the tyre on and what looked like well seated. There was some air escaping from one spoke hole which has stopped now I’ve added the sealant. But the tyre isn’t quite sitting right I think as when spinning the wheel I can see the tyre be less proud in that area (the opposite of a bulge). Does that mean it isn’t seated right? Is it ok to ride like that?

 

[One More Solo]

Ive just swapped to tubeless and got the tyre on and what looked like well seated. There was some air escaping from one spoke hole which has stopped now I’ve added the sealant. But the tyre isn’t quite sitting right I think as when spinning the wheel I can see the tyre be less proud in that area (the opposite of a bulge). Does that mean it isn’t seated right? Is it ok to ride like that?

Doesn’t sound quite right. Try taking it for a short easy ride round the block, sometimes helps the tyre seat fully. Did it pop into place?

 

[GSVBagpuss]

Will do. There was a fair bit of popping (used a Co2) but it does seem suspicious that the air was coming from the same place the dent is. My wife can’t see it but I can so maybe it’s only tiny. The edge of the tyre does seem more buried there, there’s a bit of a seam that you can see peeking out everywhere but the dented area.

I haven’t ridden it yet as it’s for my TT build and after o my testing it on the turbo I have just realised that my saddle is way too high and I can’t touch the ground with the current position

 

[RoboCod]

So many horror stories about tubeless, I don't see the point on a road bike. It seems like such a ball ache and a messy job at best.

 

[garnett]

My daily PlanetX newsletter shows their ever-shifting sale currently includes 50p CO2 cannisters...

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TOJOCO216/jobsworth-16g-co2-threaded-cartridge

Postage is extra, so only worth it if you're buying loads, or getting other items at the same time.

 

[Saytan]

they're a great topup to push you over the free postage line if you've ordered other stuff

 

[Liefrich]

So many horror stories about tubeless, I don't see the point on a road bike. It seems like such a ball ache and a messy job at best.

I've run tubeless for 3 years and never had a problem (touch wood). I am currently running the GP5000tl and they are great, very fast, very comfortable and I have only punctured once which then sealed itself with only a small loss of pressure.

 

[Roady]

Its a real dilema

I guess the thing to remember is any wheelset i do get is going to be better than my stock wheels. Not sure how much better as i cant seem to find the stock set specs anywhere...

Im now looking at the Primes as suggested, and still looking at the 2nd hand Zonda's vs new Zonda's, but realistically the new Zondas are not really in my budget.

Those Prime Baroudeur do seem to be really well regarded also.

It's worth looking at the lower in the range Campag/Fulcrum wheelsets if going for new, in my experience and from what others have said they're all similar quality. Which/what wheels are on your Allez? Axis? They're probably around 2kg and 17mm inner rim width.

The Baroudeur do seem to get mentioned around quite a bit recently and people like them. Previous Prime wheelsets had various QC issues but they shifted a bunch of them as the pricing was so good. Also a big UK distributor like Wiggle was quite happily quickly swapping them straight out with any issues people had rather than repairing them. My guess is people who'd otherwise have bought cheap chinese builds buying them for peace of mind (same thing with Hunts really, but they're generally built in the UK too).

Ive just swapped to tubeless and got the tyre on and what looked like well seated. There was some air escaping from one spoke hole which has stopped now I’ve added the sealant. But the tyre isn’t quite sitting right I think as when spinning the wheel I can see the tyre be less proud in that area (the opposite of a bulge). Does that mean it isn’t seated right? Is it ok to ride like that?

Probably not ok as will either blow out, or will seat itself. I'd advise my usual, but not sure where I got it from - pump to 100psi (or whatever is max rated for tyre), bounce hard against the floor by hand all the way around, leave for 30 minutes and then another series of bounces, then leave overnight before dropping pressures to correct and another series of bouncing before riding... Failing that (and if you think you can get it off without making a mess), reseat it with soapy water around the bead, or you could even just soap that area if you can realistically unseat it. There will be a rough bit on the rim, or tyre bead causing some friction and stopping it seating. Or possibly even some old sealant on the rim?

So many horror stories about tubeless, I don't see the point on a road bike. It seems like such a ball ache and a messy job at best.

It's so much better than tubes. I'm a convert. They've also allowed me to run wide tyres at the low pressures I want over winter. 35-40psi is superb in 32mm wide tyres on the roads around here!

I've just spent the last 1.5 years riding with only a single puncture which wouldn't seal. I then switched back to tubes and have had 3 in the last couple of months. I'm back riding tubeless tyres actually with tubes but that's another story...

I pulled a spoke on my rear in that 1.5 years and had to have the wheel replaced after around 6 months. Removing the tubeless tyre I found 6 thorns embedded in it's casing which sealant had sealed... Nevermind the number of others where a thorn hadn't been left. Removing the front after my rear puncture back in May I found 3 thorns in there and another 2 in the rear along with the one which caused my switch back to tubes. So certainly 10+ punctures avoided!

My daily PlanetX newsletter shows their ever-shifting sale currently includes 50p CO2 cannisters...

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TOJOCO216/jobsworth-16g-co2-threaded-cartridge

Postage is extra, so only worth it if you're buying loads, or getting other items at the same time.

Good shout and price, but in my experience watch the sizing. I've got some 24g Jobsworth cartridges and they do not fill as much as my other cheapy Zefal 24g... But then I've only ever needed to use a couple of each.

 

[Musty Pie]

It's worth looking at the lower in the range Campag/Fulcrum wheelsets if going for new, in my experience and from what others have said they're all similar quality. Which/what wheels are on your Allez? Axis? They're probably around 2kg.

The Baroudeur do seem to get mentioned around quite a bit recently and people like them. Previous Prime wheelsets had various QC issues but they shifted a bunch of them as the pricing was so good. Also a big UK distributor like Wiggle was quite happily quickly swapping them straight out with any issues people had rather than repairing them. My guess is people who'd otherwise have bought cheap chinese builds buying them for peace of mind (same thing with Hunts really, but they're generally built in the UK too).

Yeah i finally took the plunge last night and ordered a set of the Baroudeur's for £190 with the thanks of a BC code from @xdcx (thanks again buddy)

Also ordered some new tyres (Vittoria Pave CG Open in black) to help compliment them.

Im sure when comparing to the Axis + Espoir Sport tyres combo i have, I will he happy all without too much of an investment overall.

We shall see.

 

[Lethal`]

I'll head to your thread shortly and see if there's anything else I can help with. Just wanted to say you really can't go wrong with campy Zondas. They're a few years 'old' now but where a very solid, light and well priced wheelset in their time and quite a few people here ended up riding them, the siroccos and the khamsin.

My rear Zonda was so solid it cracked

They were good up until then though. My rear Scirocco is now starting to be a bit concave and the freehub bearings wear out incredibly quick. So I've got good condition Zonda and Scirocco front wheels... If anyone happens to have a rear Zonda or Scirocco in good condition that could be handy

 

[GSVBagpuss]

Probably not ok as will either blow out, or will seat itself. I'd advise my usual, but not sure where I got it from - pump to 100psi (or whatever is max rated for tyre), bounce hard against the floor by hand all the way around, leave for 30 minutes and then another series of bounces, then leave overnight before dropping pressures to correct and another series of bouncing before riding... Failing that (and if you think you can get it off without making a mess), reseat it with soapy water around the bead, or you could even just soap that area if you can realistically unseat it. There will be a rough bit on the rim, or tyre bead causing some friction and stopping it seating. Or possibly even some old sealant on the rim?

On googling some more I’m pretty certain it isn’t seated right as the line I can see everywhere else dips below the rim when the lower part of the tyre is. Will invest in a compressor pump and give it another go at seating

 

[garnett]

Good shout and price, but in my experience watch the sizing. I've got some 24g Jobsworth cartridges and they do not fill as much as my other cheapy Zefal 24g... But then I've only ever needed to use a couple of each.

Just noticed they have 24g Barbieri cartridges for £1.40 which is a decent price too.

Also, Planet X delivery isn't cheap, but it seems like recent changes in postage laws mean Royal Mail won't deliver co2 - so every online shop charges a lot for delivery.

 

[One More Solo]

I've run tubeless for 3 years and never had a problem (touch wood). I am currently running the GP5000tl and they are great, very fast, very comfortable and I have only punctured once which then sealed itself with only a small loss of pressure.

+1

I'm a big fan. The only issue I've found is running tubeless on wheels I use less often given the sealant tends to pool and dry up if they're not being regularly used. I'm going to move to latex tubes on those.

 

[Roady]

Im sure when comparing to the Axis + Espoir Sport tyres combo i have, I will he happy all without too much of an investment overall.

You'll notice a massive difference.

My rear Zonda was so solid it cracked

They were good up until then though. My rear Scirocco is now starting to be a bit concave and the freehub bearings wear out incredibly quick. So I've got good condition Zonda and Scirocco front wheels... If anyone happens to have a rear Zonda or Scirocco in good condition that could be handy

Haha, Campag wheels not a great track record with you then... But would you buy again?

What kinda mileage for both? Probably the opposite end of the scale to my Khamsin (~10k miles)!

I've replaced the bearings on it once and I expect I had the LBS do it the first time. I don't recall them being expensive, 6903 or similar.

Will invest in a compressor pump and give it another go at seating

Airshot/shock pumps would be a good shout if you know anyone with one (MTB friends)?

I've considered getting a little compressor for the garage, but never quite understood if a standard cheapy portable 'tyre inflator' type one would have enough airflow to mount tyres on rims.

At the moment these Hutchingson Fusion wouldn't mount with my track pump. I did try a co2 but made no difference. Tyre beads seemed to really compress together in the centre of the rim (where I need them when mounting anyway as my rims are tight). I've mounted them with tubes perfectly but now they're so well seated... At the last attempt I couldn't break the seal to get a lever in there to get the tube out (lol). Does bode well when I have another try after eating a bowl of wheetabix!