buying a bike

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Learned the hard way that one needs to take the curb at an angle. I'm alright, but there's a large bloodstain on the knee of my jeans.

What do you mean by "take the curb?" Are you jumping curbs? I wouldn't advise doing that on a 30-year-old road bike (or any road bike for that matter). You'll mess up your bike.

Or do you literally mean that to turn, you simply turned the handlebars? Yup, you need to lean into them - indeed you'll barely turn the bars at all except in the slowest and tightest of bends.

No, no. I mean I went from the street onto the curb at a place where the curb was lowered to street level (not jumping) at pretty much a 180-degree angle, at which point my bike immediately fell over to the right and I found myself on my hands and knees.

Ah, fuck. The bike I wanted had 50/34 chainrings and a 12-27 cassette - nice and gentle and good for hills. The bike I have ended up buying, I have just discovered, is 53/39 and 11-25. I am fucked as soon as I come across a hill.

You could ask the shop to switch out the cassette or chainrings. If you give them the stock one that comes with the bike, hopefully they won't charge (or charge much) for the new cassette and labor. Seems like they owe you.

(xpost) rev, that can happen. I fell on my ass in a similar way just a couple of weeks ago (first time I'd fallen in a long-long time). The pavement was wet and I rode up on a lip between pavement and driveway and the front wheel kicked out. Bloop - one second I was on the bike the next second I was on the ground. Jumped up and got back on the bike and kept riding. Came away with a little bruise on my hip and a scuff mark on the handlebars. No biggie.

mark- how much do you care about keeping the group intact? i ask because campy stuff fetches a lot on ebay, so you could always sell the cranks and pick up a set of FSA or SRAM compact cranks for less $$$, and that would at least solve that problem. that'll make a way bigger difference than the cassette (although a cassette swap is so easy, i don't know why they wouldn't do it). switching out the chainrings won't work, since a 50/34 is a compact (and could possibly require a different front derailleur as well). also, campy may make compact cranks now... i've been out of the campy loop for a while.

your bike will get more looks with campy on it than SRAM, that's for sure.

I just scored a cheap Kona jake frame to build a new bike for my GF's birthday.

Anyone got any tips on respraying bike frames as this looks a little beat. Obviouly plugging any threads, guides and holes is a must as is a grease free and slightly sanded down surface, but anyone got any tips for getting a good finish, what type of paints I should be using etc.

I have ended up compromising AGAIN and settling for a Dura-ace groupset with compact chainrings. Less stylin', but £100 cheaper and I'm so hacked off with the entire process I don't care any more

Rev, will you post pictures of yr new bike? I'm not purely asking that to give me an excuse to post pics of mine :)

Mine's black. Not sure how I feel about that.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m134/johnjusten/rcstcat.gif

Sorry sorry, I am very bored at work (you may have guessed)

Bike might arrive tomorrow! (but more likely early next week)

Next week it is, then.

Bugger, make shure you check it over carefully when it arrives.

I will, as carefully as I know how, in any case! Want to give me some pointers, assuming that I am one step up from absolute noob?

clean the grease off the chain and lube it up... shimano chains ship with this horrible grease on them- it gets everywhere, and after a few weeks, it's like tar on your chain. (otherwise, dura-ace is tits, and don't let any campy fanatics tell you it ain't.)

invest in a torque wrench, and check the torque on seat post and stem bolts if you're using carbon parts.

make sure the rim strip is covering all the holes.

make sure the two bolts holding the non-drive side crankarm onto the spindle are tightened evenly (and if you ever take the crankarm off, loosen them by alternating half turns for the first few turns).

ride it a few weeks, and then reindex the rear derailleur, and then give the cables a shot of lube after a couple months once everything has settled in.

sorry if you know this stuff already- some people call themselves noobs and end up having better wrenching chops than i do.

Jordan I could barely follow the above! But thanks, that's priceless info. Do I reindex the rear derailleur myself or do I need to get a non-noob to do it? Also, how does one lube a cable?

Thanks again!

Bike is HERE. Woohoo! It's pretty, though more carbon-looking than I anticipated (I thought the primary frame colour was black, but it's actually a thick carbon weave effect). Seems weird that I'm only 6 foot and yet it's classed as an XL (58cm) frame, but I think it's a wee bit more compact than my Trek. The tyres (Schwalbe Ultremos) look terrifyingly slick but apparently they do have excellent grip. Very excited about riding home now!

I was thinking more along the lines of a very close inspection of the frame for any damage, especially as it is carbon.

Are we talking visual damage, or are there other ways of checking?

It's all set up now - eggbeaters are attached, handlebars sorted, cleats fixed to shoes etc. I may have to adjust the height of the saddle a touch but that can wait till I get it downstairs I think. Am a bit nervous about using a new clipless system in rush-hour London traffic but I'll be ultra-careful.

Just visual damage, scratches, nicks etc. Carbon is much more sensitive than metal to these and your frame should be send back if it has the slightest hint of these.

HI DERE

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/biondino/focus1.jpg

I know that's not a great pic - I'll take some more soon and post some better angles.

sweeet

nice

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/1382/bicicletasf6.jpg

i think i could bite through that lock

WITH SEXY RESULTS

Sorry. I only came here to post another picture of the machine, a better one. I'll stop after this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/biondino/focus100608.jpg

Ledge, I know. That one came w/ the bike. It's not gonna stop anyone who really wants the to take it, but at least no one's gonna just walk away with it cause they can. I did get a better lock from the bike shop, but I haven't gotten around to depackaging it.

wow mark- i dig the fat carbon weave... kinda looks like a scott. how's the ride?

rev you have actually scored upon a pretty sweet frame I fink

what are those cranks?

I heard from a dude who knows stuff that nobody does the fork tube joists anymore like they did on those old schwinns

actually you can see it on the bottom bracket joists as well

i have never irl seen anyone use those eggbeater pedals on a roadbike. Is the cleat (or whatev) chunky??

xposts

I use them on my road bike and the cleat is wee.

Mark can you do a photo so we can see the gruppo?

The cleat is wee, almost exactly the same size and similar shape to an SPD cleat. I use mtb shoes as I am more than happy to add 100g if it means I can actually walk in them.

Jordan, I don't have a lot to compare it to, but the ride is pretty cool. It really is a lot lighter than my Trek - 18lb rather than 24lb - and with quite decent quality wheels it moves beautifully. The difference in climbing a hill is just ridiculous. There is a fundamental difference in dampening between the aluminium Trek and the carbon Focus - less high end jarring, perhaps?

When I rode it home from work the other day (so I've only actually done 7 miles on it so far - would have ridden it today but it was raining, and quite glad I chose the Trek as it started hailing (?!) 10 minutes into my ride) the setup wasn't quite right, so I've tweaked the handlebar angle (and might have to again) and the seat angle (it was giving me lower backache) and might adjust the seat position slightly if backache persists. The biggest difference was when I stood up and, as you do, compensated with my upper body for the pedal pressure and almost toppled over, the bike was so light!

There are a couple of odd things that I will ask about when I give it its 100km service - the freewheel noise isn't uniform, it gets higher and louder for half a rev, then quieter and lower for the other half. Any idea why, and whether this is a problem? I am also slightly concerned that the angle of the rear derailleur wheels is a bit off (pointing inwards, rather than parallel to the chain), perhaps it got banged in transit - it seems to work fine but I haven't yet tested the whole gear range so I don't really know.

The gruppo is Ultegra front mech, Dura-ace rear mech, FSA Gossamer chainset, Dura-ace shifters, cassette and chain unknown. I'll try and do some photos soon.

fork(?) tube...joists(?)

If only I spoke bicyclish.

Here's a cycling glossary that will help with the terminology. It was put together by the late and great bicycle guru Sheldon Brown.

http://sheldonbrown.com/glossary.html

Is a "joist" what we call a stay in the states?

http://science.howstuffworks.com/bicycle1.htm

I say joist because I consider a "joint" to be something where one or both parts are mobile - thus the architectural term (I figure. probably it's just because I'm an idiot)

howstuffworks is a fucking awesome site regardless

Assembling the bits for my girlfriend's new bike has been fun, also it gives me a chance to acquire some new tools. I now have vernier calipers, I have always wanted an excuse to get vernier calipers.

hello bicycle peoples, i wish to obtain bicycle

so for my first real bike, which i would like to evetually use for a 9 mile work commute & transport around the city, do you think i should invest the $$ in a new machine? only reluctant because new bikes be spendy

Where are you elmo?

city of providence, state of rhode island and providence plantations, united states of america

Second hand would be fine if you have got someone who can look it over for you. If there is a second hand bike coop that rehabilitates old bikes then this is probaly the best option (see the excellent Recycle-a-bike in NYC that laurel works for).

Try starting here:

http://www.recycleabike.org/

Picked up my Equilibrium today. Shiny red.

awesome man. i don't think ive every ridden a road bike that slack. i was surprised enough that i checked their other frames, and seems all the roadies are like that til you're over to volare or zero.

My bike has died and I need a new one. Not much money but I'm thinking of going for a s/h road bike for the first time if I can find a good deal. If anyone has any tips on what to go for and / or avoid I'd love to hear them.

What kind of riding do you think you'll do? Recreation/fitness? Utility/local transport? Pub runs? Most drop bar, road bikes are best for recreation/fitness in my opinion, or long-range transport. Flat bar road bikes that can take fenders and a rack are better for utility/local imo. Nowadays there's really a style for every purpose, and enough volume to have s/h stuff be pretty fairly priced, at least in this part of USA.

Just for getting around the city (Bristol, UK) really. It'll be my main mode of transport, getting too and from work and other parts. Might do a few longer rides for fun.

you'll want plenty o' gears in bristol. or at least don't get a single speed.

if you're new to riding road bikes in traffic i'd definitely go for a flat handlebar bike.

Just flipping through ebay, im posting these as "types" not actual bikes- for example the first one has spoke issues- you don't want that one, but it's of the sort that might work for the role:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-TriCross-Sport-bicycle-56cm/332381525584?hash=item4d637b9650%3Ag%3AjFEAAOSwFPRZvQTl
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2017-GENESIS-Equilibrium-4-months-old-Bought-for-950/122710787329?hash=item1c92220501%3Ag%3AtToAAOSw~gxZq~rg
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boardman-2016-CX-Comp-Mens-Cyclocross-Bike-Bicycle-Alloy-Frame-18-Speed-700C/182726175598?hash=item2a8b542b6e%3Ag%3AOZUAAOSwr2ZZmqWs

basically, these are drop bars with rear rack and mudguard mounts. 9/10 speed shifting is good and current, 7 and 8 speed sets might be harder to get quality replacement parts. a double chainring crankset will usually be enough. i think caek's advice is solid- flat bars in traffic are nice for visibility and maneuvering. drops are nice for those longer rides where you want multiple hand positions to stay comfortable.

if your bike storage is on street locking, keep it cheap (tho i obv have no idea what bike theft is like in your hood, maybe it's pretty safe).

i had a drop road when i lived in bristol and it was great for extreme hill climbs on deserted streets back from the pub and doing the cycle path to bath and back, but i hated riding it on e.g. gloucester road with the potholes and buses. i'm a fairly comfortable cyclist in traffic, but that was a bridge too far for me.

i just bought a tern gsd electric cargo bike.

any tips? (especially looking for advice about how to deal with all the people who are going to want to do it with me now that i've got a bright yellow cargo bike with a child seat.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx4ctRpjEjM

Read something once that said something like "I assume every door I ride past is going to be flung open by an opera singer about to belt out an aria" - the one time I got doored was turning a corner, those can be tricky.

Have fun!

i've done tons of city riding, but never with a bike that weighed 75lb (with a 30lb child on the back), and also never in los angeles, where the people/roads are bad.

luckily most of our daycare commute is going to be along a bike path by the river. just one insanely dicey intersection to start the day haha good times.

Ah okay. Yeah no special wisdom to share, I am just constantly paranoid and always expanding my library of threat models. I actually sort of enjoy that part of riding.

not dead yet. having a great time. we now go passed a park every day and my son has hidden a stick that we have to check on each afternoon. without that it would probably be a little faster than the car.

I bought a half decent bike! A late 90s Marin Pine Mountain rigid. Almost all my riding will be on streets & in alleys, with maybe a few city trails here & there, seems like a good all-rounder. It’s a damn sight lighter than anything I’ve owned before & is kind of a joy to ride.

It’ll replace the shitty shitty Schwinn I bought last year & have never enjoyed riding (& so, of course, I rarely rode it), which in turn replaced the $50 Peugeot I rode for years but which was stripped to the frame when my daughter borrowed it & left it at the train station inadequately secured.

I wasn’t looking for a bike but it was right there in an antiques/junk shop & it called to me. $300, which seems ok (esp as there’s a bike shortage cuz everyone & their new Covid dog wants one)

just put the 2000th mile on the GSD (used for an 8 mile round trip 3-4 times a week). been carrying two kids on it for maybe a year.

around about 6 months ago we reached the point here where people with kids on e-bikes stopped waving and nodding to each other because there are so many of them.