all purpose gear thread

anyone? Bueller?

but also - meant to say yesterday - I introduced the beater to Autosol and autoglym polishes yesterday - this stuff is unbelievably awesome, what were dull grey brake levers destined for the bin/ebay, are now gleaming, shiny levers of wonder that I can see my face in - seriously magical stuff - so much so I've decided to keep them.

If it's a pub bike/beater, I don't see what you care about aesthetics. Friction shifters work, period. Other than having to trim sometimes to make it smoother, your shifts won't be that much slower.

As far as five speeds go, measure the rear dropout. If it's 120mm, stay with a 5-speed. If it's 126, go ahead with a 6. Hell, if it's 120, you might even be able to find an old Suntour "Ultra-6" freewheel that has 6 cogs in the width of a standard 5. You'll need a narrower chain for that, but all modern chains are narrow enough. A SRAM PC-850/870/890 will likely do the job just fine. It's what I had on my c. 1974 Peugeot UO-8 before giving it away.

(I've heard/read of people bending out their rear stays and dropouts to 130mm to take modern cassettes. I'd be wary, esp. if you don't know the specific tubing/metallurgy of your frame. CrMo can be bent, but MnMo like Reynolds 531 can't.)

oh, it's only a beater, but it's my beater, and I like a nice-looking (serviceable) bike. (in fact have changed my mind on the brown saddle bars, am going with....orange, I reckon it'll look nice with the silver frame, and orange tape = way cheaper than brown leather)

Thanks for the call on drop-out width, it looks hella narrow by eye, will measure it up when I get home. There's no way I'm bending the tubes, with my clumsiness, that way el disastero lies.

^_^

^^^^my face when i got my first new sidis in 13 years

oooooh

are they white??

hunt3r:
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lli0jnIwNV1qhxs03o1_500.jpg

TS: that advert vs pippo's epic wheelsucking - what is more offensive

lol btw they are not white
well dag! i think northwave did better w/ cipo and his ladiez but hey

anybody got a favorite method of taking your bike on a plane? this looks pretty nice:

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/07/bike-cases-softshell-or-hardshell/

i like my cheap perf hardshell for airline travel, but i think cardboard is just as good.

domestic usa air charges are obviously typically off the charts now. if you can pack and ship in advance by ups/fedex, it's def cheaper. cardboard works just as well or better here if you do it right, and is free. one problem i have with shipping the hardshell is that its dimensions are juuuuuust over a shipping pricing breakpoint, so the smaller cardboard box works better in that respect too.

obv, if you dont have a backup bike, shipping makes you bikeless for a while.

that softshell looks really nice!

Many bike cases or bags have their logo written all over the outside (i.e. “BIKE PRO“). This immediately attracts attention to the check-in agent and they’ll most likely charge you extra for a bike (unlike golfers). The Pika Packworks says nothing about bikes on the outside. It doesn’t look like a problem, so check-in agents don’t treat it like a problem. This was one of the factors that the design of the bag was based around – to dodge the excess bike charges. Apparently saying that “camping gear” or “bike parts” is inside the bag does the trick if they ask.

If this works, the case is a bargain at > $300.

and thanks for the tips. didn't even know about the excess bike charge, is how green i am.

also instructive
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/02/how-i-travel-with-my-bike.html

Scored a set of Kreitler rollers + headwind fan + fork stand for $150 today :)

quick question, I have seen these "frame protectors" on many a hipster fixie, but..... what do they protect against?

like this:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1377/5124966788_189c12c1cb_b.jpg

the handlebars denting the top tube.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh thanks for that

Italian review of Ultegra Di2 with pix (run thru g-translate):

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=it&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cyclinside.com%2FTechnews%2FBiciclette%2FComponenti%2FUltegra-Di2-Eccolo-Lo-abbiamo-provato.html

want

Might want when they replace the UGLY matt plastic look on all the components!

http://www.sram.com/rockshox/products/sid-world-cup

so apparently a buddy of mine that works at sram is sending me one of these? for free? along with other "surprise parts"?

someday he'll want free medical svcs u kno

ha yeah i told him i would deliver his kids, should he ever have any

gbx, google tells me that retails for £725! Nice freebie.

how much does a kid retail at tho

About £7k I think, private in the UK.

i have re-purposed a cinelli workshop apron for kitchen duties. p good!

i just looked at the ultegra di2, and mark c otm-- that is very very unsightly.

i haven't followed rockshox product development in a few years, so consider my mind blown at the idea of a sid w/120mm travel and 32mm stanchions.

Christ! Though what really got me was the amount of time this dude is erect during his sleep.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/science/28tier.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1

so no surprise parts, and the fork is a 2009 model, but still: free fork! just showed up!

do you have a frame for it, or is it like, a pogo stick conversion project?

i've got a rockhopper frame i got for $30 at the swap, along with a white ind/delgado wheelset. also, my friend gave me his old mtb to part out (he's going to kenya for a year), so i should be able to scrape something together.

major thing lacking is a disc brake for the fork, and a compatible wheel. p much have everything else covered? and since half my friends work at qbp i've been assured that i will not go wanting

another decision is SS v. geared

bro's bike has a LX/XT/XTR drivetrain i should be able to swap in, but MN is p well-suited to singlespeeding it.

Just bought Emma a lovely (but discontinued) Brooks Countess saddle for a mere £40.

Found the right color but cannot bring myself to buy a saddle that says "EndZone" on it.

I collect my new bicycle in 2 and a half hours!

Awesome! Pics and thoughts pls.

I barely slept last night.

But first ride is going to be over this blue bridge, which opened today - http://www.exetersciencepark.co.uk/latest_news.php

yfrog.com/kltthquj

Bike!

great!

sts homey

What's sts?!

slam that stem!

(j/k, you shouldn't do that)

Hahaha

Did 23 miles in 90 minutes on it last night along a not particularly quick route, didn't feel like I was pushing it too hard, stopped a couple of times to talk to people, and still did a quicker average mph than I would have when pushing it really hard on the hybrid. And that's without even having put slicks on, which I intend to do. Pleased!

http://i54.tinypic.com/15r1sli.jpg

$20 oval chainrings not sure if they will work with other bits.