noob questions

Keeping the bikes that I ride road-worthy seems to give me enough to worry about! (was truing a wheel before work today)

Also I can't get into my shed as the door is jammed shut :)

that is a criminal waste of a shed

sheds are a privilege imo

Well I own it, so I guess if I want a useless shed that's my right :) But yeah, I would like to get it sorted. Wonder where my drill is...

I would come and fix your shed, if I were in london. Nothing more manly than a fixing a shed.

o_O

caek, do decathlon have a store in Munich as their road bikes seem to review quite nicely and are well specced for the price it seems?

I just posted on the other thread - decathlon are opening a store here next month... what do ppl make of their b'twin sport 1 and 2?

sport 1
sport 2

by the looks of it, decathlon are in germany, but they don't carry the bikes and the nearest store is a train ride away : (

second opinions on the radon v welcome

Both have compact triple chainsets but only the 2 makes it onto the bottom rung of the shimano, the 2 also has carbon seat stays which seems pretty incredible at the price which should make it a smidge lighter and much stiffer at the back end.

The sport 2 looks like a pretty solid entry level road bike. The sport 1 looks a little too cheap to me.

Bike radar really liked the comp 3

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/bikes/road/product/b-twin-comp-3-32122

It is remarkable that they can turn out a Ti/Carbon Ultegra bike for less than £1800.

thanks ed, I'd imagine there might be some discount to be had over their opening weekend so I'll definitely go have a look

I think in that 500quid sort of price bracket the bikes are all much of a muchness, chinese made frame, bottom end shimano, however, bikeradar make a good point about decathlon's buying power.

trek also have the 1.1 coming out soon, caek, just to complicate things further

yeah, but i don't really want to wait until january. i'm calling the trek shop tomorrow to see if there have access to anything in germany in a 58, and if not i think i'm going to get the radon.

I hear that

and some winter tires. snow in munich tomorrow!

http://students.cup.edu/sac9223/Jerry_Seinfeld.jpg

At least you are in the home of schwalbe.

am gunna buy this, I think
http://glasgow.gumtree.com/glasgow/90/47250790.html

payday tomorrow, at which point i drop bank on the radon. good times.

wow, thats a great deal coz.

Cozen, I assume you've found out what size it is? I'd totally avoid getting a bike that wasn't at the very most one size removed from your ideal. My Cayo is a 58cm - a 57cm would have been ideal (had they existed) and it's made a difference to both comfort and how I've had to set it up.

I'm going to go view it (if the guy ever gets back to me; my parents live in the neighbouring town) so I'll get to see if it fits

what height are you, mark?

serious blizzard here. not feeling good about riding in weather this.

how do i shot winter cycling in countries with real winters?

it is the best!

it is awesome (ha, Mark C)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3506/3207307598_96c2040137.jpg

6 foot, coz, 34" inside leg.

light, fast, chews hills; motherfucking road bike GET :D:D:D
http://img.skitch.com/20091016-byfaex5itab9a3nhhthi2gxmqf.jpg

got it for £350 in the end; felt a bit churlish haggling over a bike I've seen run double tht on ebay but I'm scottish so whatevs

nice

Nice work Coz. What's the full spec? I reckon use that extra £50 to have a pro service as it could be quite knackered if it's been ridden even reasonably hard over the last 4 years. I've done 3500 miles on my Cayo and it shows.

Here's my Cayo, on the day I got it:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/2568056649_5fce8b857e.jpg

frame's a 55, fit is fine and spec is standard: carbon frame, 105 brakes and front derailleur, ultegra shifters and rear derailleur, mavic aksium wheelset. bike looks to be in great condition to my untrained eye and it certainly ran v.well for the 40miles I rode yesterday but will def have a mechanic give it a once over

lots of badges tho ha

I hate headsets. Probably done less than 200m on my fixie and already the lower bearings are rusted up. Tried to clean them but steering is still decidedly unsmooth. Think I'll have to get a new one. ?

how u guys feel about this kona:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Kona_Kapu_2009/5360039348/

looks like pretty good spec... or am i missing something?

haha, the brakes i missed. duh.

I'm sure that must be a typo. I'm not aware that Shimano have made 600 brakes for years, could be 6600 or 6700.

So i rode my bike w/sticky headset, looked down after a couple of miles and my handlebars were wonky, realised i'd forgotten to tighten the stem bolts, lol.

noob questions

i) how to choose new seat?
ii) wht is etiquette if someone smokes u and u kno u cd smoke them back?
iii) is there a proper way to advance down the gears, i.e., when going up a hill I shift down all the way till I'm on the easiest gear but then want to shift down a big gear which would mean I'd be in the easiest gear on the front and back... is it ok to dial in a few shift ups on the rear derailleur at the same time as dialling in the shift down on the front? I am dumm I kno

iv) when to join club and what are the benefits? I'd like riding partners, I know that
v) I need clipless pedals don't I?

good qs

i) this is hard. some say to test before you buy, but unless you've broken in a saddle and given your body to get used to it as well, there's no real way perfect way to choose one. i like fizik, generally. i don't like selle italia. that's all i've tried.

ii) how do you know you can smoke them? if the guy looks back at you to see if you are chasing him, you better try and smoke them back.

iii) don't do it at the same time. do the rear derailleur first.

iv) benefits are new riding partners, friends, dates?, community, etc

v) yes

given your body *time to get used to it as well

i) mine is a selle italia, I think, and I've done 100 miles in it w/bibs and my sitbones are sore after each ride, don't know if that's because the rides are 2+ hours or just because it's a bad fit. will look into another

ii) some old dude smoked me cos I was sauntering along at a nice leisurely pace enjoying the sunshine so I rode on his wheel for a few miles and cd've easily smoked him bt I thought tht might be perceived as petty so I pulled in and took a break

iii) noted

iv) ok, got to find one then, there are a few round here

v) guh

Oh god, not only did you get scalped by and old dude, but you then drafted him and didn't even get by. Hang your head in shame young man.

I cd've took him, old man

cd've shd've wd've

ddn't

http://www.mid-lifecycle.com/graphics/grandpa.jpg

:*(

anyway - new qn - commuting by bike: c or d? and how far is too far? (I appreciate tht is a difficult question and depends on yr fitness etc)