all purpose gear thread

jeans.

Hi dere:

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

Nice.

My boss gave me a KOM jersey which i have never worn and will never wear.

I love the Astana colours, and for some reason when Vino was ridiculous last year it made me want his jersey all the more. Thanks to ebay, I now have one.

I've got a Team Bianchi jersey and knicks from a couple of years ago that is mah fave team outfit.

I want a Holdsworth jersey (my local bike shop is where the renowned marque was born) but they're all really expensive.

astanas kit is nice- nice jersey

now that im not racing for anybody, i am trying to find cheap but good riding gear that is without any adverts or affiliations of any kind. ive got like 12 years of orange and purple and blue kit. oh and one set of maroon and gold collegiate stuff from racing for du.

my experience unofficial bike racer rules hold that you may not wear pro jerseys lest ye be mocked. scrub bike racers are ridiculous like this, but i conformed. dint want to get 'ooooh, fanboy!' or 'are you mark cavendish in that high road gear? because man have you become FAT.'

"experience is that..."

Yeah a friend of mine who is a very serious sprinter earned the nickname Coasty coz he always gets around in this nasty old team coast jersey.

hunt3r, craft is the best at making the kind of gear you are looking for. it's relatively cheap. you are a lawyer.

also, hunt3r OTM about wearing pro team kit. i never would although i REALLY like the slipsteam/chipotle argyle crazyness. i would wear the socks in my home i think.

As i've mentioned before somewhere, this mob's factory is right near me, they make some good gear and the 2nds are hell cheap.

..not that that really concerns you ppl in the northern hemisphere very much.

well i love knog products so whatever

i just got this. First tech-y jacket I've purchased in like ten years.

i wish id had that on my hut trip, the fullbore shell was way too much at 45 degrees

"The rear zip pocket stashes some carb gels or car keys without making you feel off-balance"

ha dood how big is yr keyring and gel flask!?

why plain solid colors appeal to me. i figure thats like half of the stuff ive had, the rest worn out crashed out lost.

http://img398.imageshack.us/img398/3610/teamcrapfn6.jpg

i think craft is the best at solid colors, none too offensive

When you first took that photo, did it induce a seizure? It's like a Bridget Riley painting.

http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/i/riley-Dominance-Portfoli-01.jpg

VITAMIN COTTAGE

i forgot to throw socks armwarmers and gloves on pile

i do have other, non team gear, but thats the detritus of a misspent early adulthood

FUNERAL PYRE STYLEE?

(not with me on it, mind)

Is it also really bad to wear Campagnolo clothing (because it looks cool) when your bike is all Shimano?

It depends how much the opinions of lycra fascists matter to you! I think you'll get away with it.

In anticipation of my flash new bike actually arriving, can someone tell me what exactly is the grease with which I need to grease my eggbeater threads? I am baffled by all the various kinds of lubricant bikes require - a quick lesson would be great.

Thanks!

I use Pedro's syngrease for all my greasing needs and their synlube for the chain. Oranjpeelz degreaser is good too.

http://www.pedros.com/products_bikecare.htm

anybody here ever use a carradice bike bureau? inspired by the ile msgr bag thread, im looking to get a friendlier commuter pannier. i use a single ortlieb classic, and its great- on the bike. i want something that looks non-bikey and is shoulderable, with minimal lashing fuss.

i looked at arkel briefcase and commuter bag, but the former is too big and expensive, and the latter looks to bikey and has stow issues on the shoulder strap, but im listenin'.

What is yr new bike Mark C?

Walter, it's an unnecessarily highly specced bike I can only justify because a tax break means I get it for 40% off - it's the Focus Cayo Pro.

looks great. when will it be in then? bettya cant wait

It was supposed to come end April, latest is that it'll come end May. I'm actually really nervous about riding it because it's not going to feel nearly as soft as my Trek. But yeah, I can't wait. I might just stroke it for a bit.

There's altogether too much carbon on that thing. I'll probably shatter it when I try and put the pedals on.

might just stroke it for a bit

ahem, easy now

so anyway, i was looking at buying one of the carradice bags direct. i figured it would cost $50 or so to ship it by slow boat, but its looking more like $100. that sure seems like an awful lot.

ROWR. if this had a shoulder strap, i think id get it.

this basil preston laptop bag is approaching my ideal in appearance and apparent function. i cant find a single review anywhere. nor a picture of attachment mechs. any info appreciated.

http://www.niagaracycle.com/images/sbsimages/140540.jpg

I am wondering if I should start looking at alternative bikes - the Focus still isn't in stock, and it's almost two months since I ordered it. If I were to go for something else, do you think Wiggle would feel morally obliged to give me some kind of discount/upgrade if I had to choose a different machine?

i dont know about their moral obligation, but obv its in their best business interest to satisfy their customer in the face of unreasonable delay. did they advise you that there would be such a delay?

what are your damages?

btw i bought that basil bag w/ no performance review. hope its not a pos.

no free lawyering

yeah and its england. ive got a copy of chitty on k's right here on my desk tho, so solicitors and barristers watch out.

ok i had ordered a bag from carradice but it was on hold until i approved the shipping cost. i then figured i would cancel as it looked like shipping would be exorbitant. carradice just advised shipping from uk is affordable after all, and i really wanted their bag in the first place. gah!

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7941/bikebureaunfrontlb2.jpg

i think i need some new handlebars (i have flat ones now, but my wrists start hurting on longer rides). i'm not sure if i should get flat ones with bar ends or just get drops?

my old commuter had flats/barends and they were very good for alternate hand position. my current bike has drops, and i love having the hoods, but i almost never use the drops because the bar has a very deep bend.

also, refitting with drops gets pricey real fast if you want brifters

Bullhorns!

would like that bike

altho i don't really dig the straight forks

When I ordered the bike they said end of April. At the end of April this changed to the end of May. I got an email today saying they were sorry, they still didn't have it in and they'd chase up their supplier. All a bit disappointing although I haven't been misinformed (as far as I know).

Cutty, I don't think lawyers are the first people I'd go to with anything to do with morals :)

ledge, have you looked the Fixie Inc site recently. Sigh.

just CALL THEM AND COMPLAIN BRO AND BE NICE. summer's a wastin'

when i looked at yr bike on bike radar last week the second thing i saw was other ppl complaining about delays. obv its an issue, no idea when it got to be one.

true story-i net ordered a bunch of bike parts (airbomb), and they put my order on hold for one week, then two. i called them yesterday, said "what up?!," and very nice dude said, "how bout i replace with next model up for no charge, ship tomorrow?" and i said "cool."

so yes, even some net order houses will help you. (dont think it was a moral issue tho.)

Hmmm that sounds good! I shall take your advice I think. Thanks again Hunter (you ought to start charging for advice, like cutty, it's solid gold stuff).

woohoo keep chipping away jim, it'll come back. i hear vancouver is cycling paradise.

it really is, which makes neglecting to cycle even more unforgivable. kind of back to being addicted now and annoyed I'm too busy this weekend to be able to spend much time on the bike

Detective work. I found a photo from a 2016 forum post that seems to show 32mm knobbies on a 2017 Synapse, and it looks like Mavic Aksium has worked with 32mm since 2016, so I'm gonna try some dirt.

even hobos need new ways to be fashionably hobo. I draw the line at handlebar bags because those are seriously bullshit, wtf. Cmon.

― inveterate practitioner of antisocial distancing (Hunt3r), Saturday, 30 May 2020 5:33 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

Aw, I always liked my carradice handlebar bag which had all my daily necessities in them, except for the on bike packet of biscuits which went in the front right pannier.

It also had a transparent map pocket on top. Something that seems to have gone the way of the dodo because we all have GPS now. Which is a crying shame, maps contain so much more possibility.

ah, i suspect i’m just an outlier, irritated by bar weighting. also i’m old and sometimes mtb in lycra and other old tymey stuff, and my old prejudices persist.

I am used to weird handling thanks to the stupid long stem on my current bike.

Also I very much see the bar Bag as old times, however I see rapha make one now so I guess we have gone full circle.

Anyway bike initially will be very vanilla. 700X30 wheels and my current speedplays. I wasn’t quite ready to got 650b right off the bat. Although it is Force 1 AXS which is pretty exiting, also it seems crazy that you can get a 1x with more gears than my first few bikes, more useable gears than many of my bikes and almost more range than triples I’ve had.

Also I’m going to have to learn how do I shot tubeless.

i've gotten pretty acquainted with a local adventure/bike packing frame manufacturer. the chief rides 2x, a few of his buddies ride 1x, and i've told him i can't settle for less than the 640% that i get on my ancient but lovely 3x9. i can do that on a 2x11 now i think, but it requires some fettling and fancying. for a while i'd have needed di2, but i think no longer. the amount of gear specialization that's out there now is so incredible.

btw the chief wrote up his most recent event: https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a32433034/what-its-like-to-do-atlas-mountain-race/?fbclid=IwAR0Z8pX7_dIIw0-4777Vm9K0UfmeeqQmxf-OkmCKeQSpwVstBlbs9qxOWkU.

tubeless is easy and great. if you don't have a compressor, a pressure bottle is helpful when you have to mount up new tires, that's what i have. i think some pumps have integrated ones now, i guess. aside from seating new mounts, the only annoyance of tubeless at all to me, and it's totally not a big deal, is peeling dry latex out if you've left it alone for months, and topping off yr sealant every couple months. i use orange shot, it's fine.

(i seriously wouldn't bother with tubeless at road widths/pressures, it's not that much a benefit imo, but that's not a popular opinion with everyone).

still cycling away but (as ed knows from the slack) I’ve been struggling with shoulder/neck issues, which have recurred following the injury I sustained last august when trying to ride from the bottom of scotland to the top (!) on an ill-fitting bike. sucks. and I can’t even get a bike fit for obvious reasons -
shouldn’t have put it off over winter.

thinking about taking up pilates (and getting physio when I can) AND eventually getting proper fits on all my bikes. can still ride about 35-40 miles but that’s max before it flares and tightens :/

I shot tubeless on my bikepacking gravel bike (christened the goblin) - it is so awesome. fiddly, with a learning curve but once it’s setup... ahhhhh bliss

My bike now has a ship date but not for a couple of weeks (boo). However we did just buy my wife a new electric town bike and boy is it fun. I stole it to visit a rival electric car charging site that is being built across town (and to search for organic parsnips). It’s a lot of fun effortlessly pedalling at 25km.

i toooo have recently acquired a bikepacking bike lol

starting to plan my next bikepacking trip

here's mine last summer, in full splendor
https://i.imgur.com/9GUoZqc.jpg

New bike is here and setup.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBz7gTTAOO1/?igshid=5mtbm2r95nbp

Learning a bunch of New things: tubeless, electronic shifting, disc brakes hydraulics. It amazes me that the big rear cog is bigger than the big ring on my road bike.

Next is to get myself in the position to bikepack.

should I buy one of these so-called "mountain" bikes

nice Ed. tubeless scares me.

and yes, mountain bikes are fun, get it.

I've solved my biggest tubeless woe which was getting enough sealant into the back tyre to make it seal. I got a Stans syringe doodad to inject the sealant. This seems like a 100% necessary tubeless item.

tubeless is the bommmmmmmmb

puncture the other day on the rear. no worries - keep riding, seals itself, no drama

I inject mine using an old 60ml stans sealant bottles

What do you have in you luggage?

for daily rides, I carry a stupid amount of stuff really (all stuffed into the frame bag) - frame pump, tube, multi-tool, lube, patch kit (with patches, tire boot, painkillers, presta-schrader adaptor), cable ties, etc

for bikepacking, all of the above plus: terra nova wild country zephyros 1; alpkit mattress; decathlon three season down sleeping bag; flip flops; fujifilm X100; etc

top tube bag = battery pack; wallet; sweets/nuts

sleeping bag goes into the handlebar bag. it's only a small 1.5l lomo bag. might upgrade it to the 14l apidura expidition bag.

tent gets stuffed into bottom of the seat pack. mattress, down jacket, some off-bike wear in there too and toiletries

frame bag fit to bursting with spares, tools, etc.

think I'll throw some 43mm bruce gordon rock n' road tyres on for my summer bikepacking... unless I get that mtb

maybe dishy rishi will give us all a 500£ handout on weds I can put towards that

Ed how is yr bike going? Did you see the Petervary vid i threw up, it’s a pretty good take on your “what’s in yr luggage?” q above, eh?

In case you’re gettin ready to ride https://atlasmountainrace.cc/ 👍

Bike is going great. Although I haven’t left the city, because I am not allowed. Just doing loops around town and up and down the bouley at the moment. Planning what my first long rides should be, there’s a nice unsurfaced climb up the back of kinglake which I want to go back to. Originally I was thinking my first overnight would to a B&B, but given the situation wild camping might be the only way to get out of town this year.

I guess the major revelation is running such a big (30mm) tyre, it makes everything feel much less fraught.

that is a good feeling. I ride a lot of asphalt on a tubeless 2.1” at 25/28psi in between trails and theyre slow but so comfy.

are u in Melb? does it still have all the trolley tracks? those could be deadly i should think, i’d def want like 43mm sneaks.

Life in Melbourne means learning how to deal with tram tracks. I’ve only once stacked on a railroad crossing and that was as a 12 year old coming out of Cherbourg ferry port on a tour, a great lesson in never doing that again.

I’m going to explore some bigger noblier rubber at some point. These wheels can take up to 40mm so I might go there when the slicks wear out.

I think I am coming to the conclusion that the 44T ring is too big for me with the 10 rear cog (and the 12 and the 14). The ghost of Sheldon Brown nuggets I could be happy with a 38T Ring or maybe even smaller.

So you mean that you can _never_ realistically need a gear as big as 44-10.

I was gonna use and link bikecalc, because it’s great for this use and i use it like twice a week these days— aaaand today’s it’s either down or gone and i will die if i can’t have it. *sob* seriously i hope it’s not dead.

Erm so yeah 44 is not small but 1x only gives u one chance.

Not a technological match, but on my nexus 7 commuter i always tried to make gear 5 (which is the1:1) my “low threshhold power-speed,” loaded, on a flat, windless, surface— on that bike. I think that was a 38-16?

I'm pretty unfit right now and I can always switch back, but my desire to totally drill it on the the flat or on descents is pretty minimal right now. The biggest pain is I think SRAM now makes you take off the crank to change the ring now.

I've seen a good price on an S-works tarmac SL6 frameset and it's taking all my willpower not to raid my garden landscaping fund to buy it....

dream bike for me

HI can y'all help us please?

we are not serious Bike People or street racers or anything

but we want to get exercise use out of our bikes even at a time when hauling them down to the street and braving the dangers and hassles of NYC riding is just not viable, for various reasons.

we started to look at indoor "bike trainers" but got a little bit of sticker shock, and overwhelmed by all the features and competing websites with a million different lists. we don't know the market, we don't have our bearings. we were kind of imagining just like, some kind of metal stand that you could set a bike on, and pedal away while you listen to podcasts. but would that work? is all the 'trainer' resistance hardware necessary in order to get a real workout? we can't tell or understand. the review sites don't show you the price until you click through. it's just all very overwhelming. basically we're wondering what name or product category we should even be googling here. any guidance is greatly appreciated.

I need new grips for my single-speed road bike w riser bars (which I p much exclusively use for commuting around the city but once in a v great while I go on like 5-10 mile trail rides with), I am thinking Ergon grips w the palm rests, does anyone have anything to say abt these?

I don't really have any insight on this. I'm def a grip minimalist, I like em sorta skinny and grippy meself. Sorry.

One thing that's great about my ancient Raleigh singlespeed conversion is that I walk into bike shops for parts and they go deep in the bin for the cheapest stuff they can find, and then discount it. Or maybe I just look like I need a hand.

Had four bikes stolen out of my garage on Friday night, including my fancy go-fast carbon di2 road bike. Luckily renter's insurance will cover the loss, and 2 of the 4 I was actually trying to sell. Ironically the only loss that hurts is the one worth the least amount of money: My wife's 1990 aluminum Miyata around-town bike. All the other ones were new and served a purpose, but that one was old and wierd and charming. The first bike my wife ever bought for herself, by herself, and the one she rode to all the protests this summer (it took some tear-gas and pepper-balls to the frame). That one was posted to OfferUP that day, and I made an offer, planning on showing up to the meet with a squad of friends to get it back, but got no response. Eat shit bike thieves.

noooo

damn that sucks asssss

Terrible terrible.

Terrible terrible.

Two of the four stolen bikes recovered! Last week, one (wife's trek/gary fisher presidio gravel bike) by the local bike shop. The guy who works there (a friend) noticed somebody with it trying to put air into the tire with the pump they have sitting out on the sidewalk in front of the shop. He ran out and grabbed it, much to the dismay of the noticeably altered dude who had it. I brought them a bunch of beer and halloween candy to thank them. The other one, my wife's prized Miyata, just today at lunch. One of my close friends noticed a woman holding it in the parking lot of the 7-11 right off the freeway offramp. He ran in there and got it back for $20.00. It's had it's saddle and pedals swapped out with another of the (still missing) bikes but it's otherwise in fine shape. Getting one stolen bike back is a rare stroke of luck, but to have two back is shockingly lucky.

good to hear. hope more horses make it to the barn.

Well the bike theft story ends on a very good note; Insurance gave us a big check to replace what was taken, and my friend coincidentally had a very nice 2019 Pinarello Prince with all the bells and whistles for sale. He is almost exactly my height, so it's a perfect fit. I can't help but be a little embarassed at how well I came out from the whole ordeal. If I were to try and sell my old race bike (which I was planning on doing), it almost certainly wouldn't have been this easy. Thanks thieves, I guess?

https://imgur.com/jkBYAWi

well that's nice!

spoke nipples on my city bike developing a light verdigris patina