noob questions

xpost to Ed & Mark C: Thanks again for the input. I bought new rims recently & upon investigation, it seems my tires were riding a little closer to the new rims, resulting in some abrasion on the front tire from my brake pad, which must have eventually worn a hole through the tire, so there you go. Replaced tire today & adjusted front brake, so hopefully I will be good to go for the time being (but I ordered a frame pack & a road pump today for whatever complications inevitably lie ahead).

I have an early '70s Peugeot UO-8 (w/ mostly upgraded components), and for some reason, the fixed cup keeps coming loose. I took off the crank and tightened it flush so that it wouldn't turn anymore, but after only 16 miles, it's abt. a half-centimeter out. Other than Loctite, is there a better solution?

i'd like to pimp El Duke Degreaser: made in Chicago, all-organic/biodegradeable, really effective

Was going to post for the first time yesterday on the 'daily bicycle log' thread, wondering how comes people seemed to get so many punctures - I've had my Gary Fisher for eight years now, cycling all over London, and never had one. You can guess what happened this morning then...

Anyway, I'm looking to move on from my battered mountain bike and get something a little lighter. My cousin-in-law gets an amazing deal on Merida bikes (http://www2.merida-bikes.com/en_INT/Bikes.Overview) so I'm going to get something from them. Like I said, I need something lighter (after borrowing a friend's road bike I can't believe what I've been lugging around all these years) but I take the canal path most days and I need something that'll handle broken paving stones, occasional grassy/muddy patches and the odd kerb or two. He's recommending a Cyclo-Cross bike. Any one tried them? In general or Merida specifically? Am I going to end up with punctures/buckled wheels?

A CX bike sounds like a great idea. In an ideal world you'd have either slick tyres or, better still, lighter wheels shod in slick tyres that you could put on when doing longer road rides, while keeping the wider knobblier ones for the towpath.

Merida are fine bikes - they're one of the biggest frame manufacturers in the world - them and Giant, I think? - but they mostly make the frames for other brands. The bikes are solid, well priced and well specced.

Some CX bikes come with rack and mudguard mounts and some don't, so make sure if you do want the option, you make sure they do (there are bodges so it's not the end of the world if not, though).

Here's a 2008 review of a Merida crosser.

I guess while I'm noobying - whither toeclips? Never used them before but the the Merida bikes let you choose the pedals. So do I want straps? Those things that clip into special shoes? Remember I'm a central London rider so it's rare I go more than 100 yards without having to stop.

I have clipless pedals (Crank Bros Eggbeaters) on my roadie and toeclips on my fixie. The only benefit of the latter is that you can wear normal shoes with them (though I've found some shapes of shoes don't really work - and smart shoes would quickly get scuffed I expect).

Clipless pedals - where the shoe attaches in some way via a cleat - are much more efficient and secure than basic flat pedals, with MTB clipless being best suited to commuting use as the shoes all come with recessed cleats so you can walk in them with no problem.

The reason I use Eggbeaters is because they look cool, they're light, they fit MTB shoes, and most importantly, they have a 4-way clip-in mechanism, unlike other systems which either have one-sided or two-sided - so you're always flipping pedals. With the Eggbeaters, you simply press down on the pedal and no matter what orientation it is, you always clip in.

http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/images/eggbeaters_pedals.jpg

plus you can clip in backwards, great if you miss it the first time.

if you don't mind shelling out on another pair of shoes then clipless pedals are a+++ classic (apart from the stupid name). you can also get dual sided pedals (clip on one side, normal on t'other) if you think you might want to ride in normal shoes sometimes.

I'm a big fan of toeclips, but I've never used clipless. Also I'm sort of a lazy mid-level cyclist with no impulse to be especially modern, fast, or tricksy, so you probably want to listen to the boys more than to me.

But it's nice to be able to switch the pressure off the balls of your feet and pull up, I think. My toes frequently go numb on my platform pedals that don't have clips.

Also I'm cheap, and I've had one bike stolen and one bike vandalized so badly it had to be trashed, so I'm not big on sinking money into any more of 'em.

on no evidence i have the intuitive feeling that clipless pedals might make your bike slightly less theft-prone cos the thief will not want to ride off on it. maybe that's naive.

gbx does have a story of leaving his bike unlocked in the front yard and it being gone the next day...but calling around and finding it had been dropped off at or near a local bikeshop and left for "dead", presumably b/c the thief was unable to ride a fixie with eggbeaters. Not as much fun as you thought, hmm?

I, er, just told the story for him. Sorry.

it had been bailed less than a block from the site of it's theft on BOTH occasions :/ due to the whole brakeless and clipless thing. Probably more the former than the latter that really a Ted as the deterrant tho

Is leaving my bike out in the rain w/out seat post - not all the time, just occasionally - a really bad idea? Have noticed some rust coming out on the post already.

How valuable is your bike? to yourself or in terms of resale. Obv, interior frame rust is not desirable, but if the alternative would be that you need to leave your vintage Brooks saddle attached to your crap Murray on the sidewalk, or otherwise clutter your tiny studio apt w/ a bike you don't really care much about, then perhaps the interior rust is not such a big deal.

Some kind of rudimentary cap would surely be easy to buy/make?

But yeah, you don't want your steel bike rusting from the inside, Tom.

I'll stick a cork in it.

srsly.

gf is looking to buy a bike; seller says this one can go for £120. anyone know if tht's a good deal? is pash still around?
http://glasgow.gumtree.com/glasgow/18/45665518.html

my bike dude says tht's steep and 'u cd be getting any old shit'; the suicide levers are a bad sign

pass

That's too much. That bike isn't worth £20 let alone £120.

haha yup

what's a good cheap set of bike lights? will anything do?

No, because if you get the flea market kind they will break and piss you off. Otherwise, I don't know.

£8

Not an expert, but looks solid. But with shipping, isn't that what you're going to pay at a bike store? The basic ones usually cost about $15 here.

Even at Wal-Mart.

I got lucky once and found a decent one in the hardware section of a Safeway for $5.

shipping's free; doubt I'd find anything cheaper in a shop but I'll have a quick look tomorrow

I got these cute little wrap-around lights that I can attach when needed.

Why do people ride wrong-way in bike lanes? It is very annoying.

Cozen, I have these and they're excellent - worth paying an extra few quid, I assure you.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Smart_Bspoke_LED_1~2_Watt_Light_Set/5360040003/

thanks mark

i am trying to research this but running out of time. i have a short window while in the uk at the end of the month to buy a new bike (i can also have one shipped to my uk address and waiting for me).

i used to ride a edinburgh courier and it was fine, but since then i've been through a couple of beaters. i finally have the funds to spend a little, say £500. this is for occasional commuting, but mostly to get fit, see a little of bavaria, etc. i want a bike suitable for both the road and bike paths, so i guess i want a poseur CX or a hybrid with drops. the trek portland is out of my range, but something like that? kona jake would still be a stretch, but more like it. revolution cross is affordable, but i have no idea what i'm looking at. your thoughts?

(tips for 2009 models on offer are particularly welcome, as i am totally fine with that.)

sure someone else more qualified will be along in a second but bikes I've been looking at in tht price range (which are all highly recommended on bikeradar) are the trek 1.2, 2008 boardman comp, merida road ride 880-24, decathlon b'twin sport 2, or giant scr 3/2

^these are all road bikes w/drops btw

i knew i'd seen you posting some leads but i couldn't find the thread. thanks!

i don't necessarily have a problem with a true road race bike, but i'm a bit out of practice to should perhaps be thinking of something with slightly gentler handling and more comfortable ride.

another of my own noob qns: can someone pls explain to me fixed gear bicycles? what are the benefits to running one of these (esp. in a country w/a hill every 300 yds). the clean lines are beautiful but aren't they a chore? (is tht part of the allure? there's no 'slack', as it were)

I have no interest in getting one of these^ btw I'm just curious of the appeal

the only benefit, imo, is less maintenance and upkeep with gears/derailleur adjustments

the appeal... IT'S ZEN BRO IT'S A LIFESTYLE ETC

fuck a lifestyle imo but it is really fun and feels a lot more intuitive.

meh

personally, having GEARS seems more intuitive to me. but what do i know.

I don't want to start a fight!!!! I just don't understand... hills. they're hard enough w/gears tbh

if your locale is hilly, def don't go fixed

Honestly, I live in a low-moderately hilly city, and hills were a bit difficult for the first couple weeks, then I just stopped noticing.

And cutty and I (from what I understand) have completely different goals with our bikes, so it's totally understandable and doesn't need to be a fight that we're not gonna feel the same way about such things.

I mean I smoke sometimes while riding my bike ffs. I'm not exactly going for optimal performance.