noob questions

thanks. i have a reasonably pedestrian route from bishopston to the uni, i.e. not quite up to clifton, and over a longer distance/lower grade. just sent a cheeky lowball offer though. will let you know.

lowball denied.

this would obv. be fine, but is it worth £475? and will i be able to sell it for >300 after daily use in a few months? http://bristol.gumtree.com/bristol/24/70210224.html

It's not worth £475. Even if it is like brand new (and if it has been used only once why's it been serviced?) then that's a steep price. But, if you take care of it then yes, it should be worth £300+ in 3 months. But I don't like buying from liars.

Also 53.5 is described as "M/L" and you're quite tall, aren't you? On a sizing guide I found it suggests this is for 5'9" to 6".

Ah, to be fair Giant's own sizing guide says 5'10" to 6'1".

http://archive.giant-bicycles.com/us/050.000.000/050.600.100.asp

I'm 5'10" so it should be fine, but yes that service is a bit fishy. He's told me in detail what they did in that service, I know the place that did it and it all sounds reasonable, but not for a bike that's been used once. Other people are viewing tonight and tomorrow, so I will wait to see where the bidding stands. I have a number in mind.

Good thinking (and sorry, I had it in my head you were 6'3" or something). If the bike's relatively new and has had a bona fide service, then why bullshit about it?

Anyone know how much getting a bottom bracket either serviced or replaced might cost? If the latter, then something cheap and functional as it's a bike I need to sell.

increase in punctures recently...

i've checked around the wheel and in the tyre and there aren't any sharp bits or anything. my tyres are fairly buggered from glass and stuff.

what's a good tyre / tube combo for these harsh london roads?

dont sweat the tubes, imo

i used soma everwears when i lived in chicago and they worked great (i was also on a brakeless track bike and did a lot of skidding). heavy-ish, tho, but i'm guessing that isn't really an issue

Schwalbe Marathons have a good rep round here, I run them and they are heavy but pretty indestructible. As for tubes, I ran slimed ones for a while but not really sure if they are worth it if you put money into tyres.

Another top tip. Check your Rim tape hasn't rucked up, folded or exposed spoke holes as that will kill tubes pretty quickly.

Anyone know how much getting a bottom bracket either serviced or replaced might cost?

i had this done a while ago, for a bike i needed to sell (and haven't done yet). think it was about £40-50 for cheapest bb + labour?

whoah pricey!

cartridge BBs are hella cheap, and if yr repacking loose bearings that seems like a ton of money for labor

20% VAT. london pricing, it's why I own my own tools.

VAT is impossible for me to understand

also, any london people have a favourite LBS that'll do a full clean / servive jobby on my bike? feel like it's taken quite a battering over the last few months.

VAT is just a national sales tax, gbx

right, but isn't it structured in some complicated way? liiiiike at several points along the supply chain, whereas a US state's sales tax is only applied at the final point of sale? i dunno.

actually it wasn't the cheapest bb i got, forget the details but 'cause of the bike he had to get a pricier one (and nah i wasn't being fleeced, they're pretty decent, would recommend for full service etc...)

http://www.londonbicycle.com/repairs.html

right, but isn't it structured in some complicated way? liiiiike at several points along the supply chain, whereas a US state's sales tax is only applied at the final point of sale? i dunno.

no, it's just a sales tax.

oh. huh.

noob VAT questions

I never have to worry, cuz I always get mine back upon departure... B-)

it's not just a sales tax, although the effect is much the same. It is a tax on the value added at each point on the supply chain. When you file your quarterly VAT return you pay the VAT you charged your customers less the VAT your supplier charged you.

However, as a consumer you just see the price, inclusive of the 20% VAT and what you pay is functionally the same as if you paid a 20% US style sales tax.

It is very annoying that, as a non resident british subject, I can't claim the VAT back on departure.

aha!!

tire recommendation: i LOOOVE my vittoria randonneurs 700x32, it is the first puncture resistant tire that i think actually does something other than add weight. xpost

I have some Schwalbe Durano Pluses - light and racy (to a point) but with extra puncture protection. Only done a few hundred miles on them to date but none so far.

Apologies - they're Stelvio Pluses (the rest of the post still applies).

any idea what this is likely to go for: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150559531383. i mean are we talking £300 or £900?

I'm going to say above £600 possibly nearer £900.

on the one hand, its probly "worth" 800 to 900 really, but irl i don't know what the market is for nice shit (assuming its not clapped out) on a scrubby (though entirely satifactory) frame. seems like surly should make an effort to source a steel fork that isnt a boat anchor, really.

or, what Ed wrote.

haha, ok

50/34 x 13/29 = fat mantis friendly.

bought a 2010 secteur triple on sale at the LBS at £399 from £549. should get me through to the summer relocation without further devaluation. first road bike in 10+ years, and certainly the first non-beater.

that surly went for £600 in the end btw.

cycling from bristol to bath and back (~30 miles) tomorrow via lunch on friend's canal barge. luv my bike.

sure, i wasn't wearing cycling shorts, i've not been on a bike for ~1 yr, and i was used to a slightly more padded saddle when i was cycling around town regularly, but should i really be this saddle sore after 30 miles? could it be a setup problem?

no chamois + 2hrs? + sweat + friction + no riding for a year = no surprise to me duder.

yeah i guess. saddle set up feels ok.

feel like someone took a tenderizer to my bum.

there is a thread for this feeling iirc

right now its the US politics thread afaict

Sounds right caek - a few more miles/weeks and you'll be fine.

my bum is better!

Hurrah!

Well that's pretty subjective.

got a problem with my front derailleur: small ring seems ok, but with the left shifter under full tension (i.e. trying to change into the big ring), the chain rubs against the inside of the derailleur cage with the chain stuck on the middle ring (this is on the smallest rear cog). i've already got the adjustment screw as loose as possible, so the cage is free to more as far as possible away from the frame. is this a cable tension issue? or is it a problem with the alignment of the derailleur mechanism? new bike, done maybe 100 miles.

on a possibly related issue, is it normal to service a new bike after it's had a chance to settle down

My guess is you have probably had a little cable stretch and a little slippage through the retaining screw. It's not uncommon with a new bike. You'll have to set it up again which is pretty simple, give me a moment and I'll find a how-to.

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustments
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html

is the cage mech contacting the limit screw? if not, then it is cable adjustment. if yes, it is an alignment/derailler swing capacity issue.

another way to test this is can you manually pull on the front derailler cable and cause the cage to swing further? if yes, it is cable adjustment.

this can happen if the derailler pinch bolt was not tightened enough and the cable has slipped.
xpost

my city bike has those suntour symmetric shifters described on the sheldon brown page. they suck.