Cycling Thread

[itchyfingers]

20k feet is a solid month of climbing, HB! Where you @?

[Harry_Manback]

20k feet is a solid month of climbing, HB! Where you @?

I'm in Idaho. Was gunning for 8k meters but just ran out of time! Maybe in Sept...

[itchyfingers]

That's awesome man. I've only gone north of 8k meters once, back in June actually. Were you trying to get a Strava climbing badge or something?

[Harry_Manback]

That's awesome man. I've only gone north of 8k meters once, back in June actually. Were you trying to get a Strava climbing badge or something?

Guilty. Stupid Strava. I'll try to get it done next month when it's cooler, the air quality is better and I'n not training for this stupid Xterra.

Nice job on getting 8k - it's a commitment!

[itchyfingers]

Hahaha! I knew it when I saw the 8k, I've been there brother! I usually snag a gran fondo badge each month when I'm training, but those distance and climbing badges are tough to get in 30 days!

What's your Strava handle? I love following people that live in far off places.

[TurboPablo]

Soooo.....

My ti mtb has a 68mm english thread bottom bracket. Currently running a Raceface square taper bb and old Shimajo M737 cranks. I am looking at cranksets with the hollowtech bb's and I am wondering what, if anything, will work on my old Litespeed.

Any help is totes appreiciated.

[newholland]

pablo- why dont you just go single in front, ditch the front mech, and get whatever ring y need- maybe rock a 32 and keep your same rear cassette?

[TurboPablo]

I want a 2/9 setup. I like gears.

[emin]

Reading this thread all the way through has made me realize I know NOTHING about biking/bicycles. I don't understand the language involved and have almost no idea what you guys are talking about.

I have a lot to learn.

[newholland]

pablo- what bout just ditching either your big ring or granny? nothin wrong with the xt crank is there? got a buncha people round here (including me!) who got nothin but love for square tapers!

[TurboPablo]

pablo- what bout just ditching either your big ring or granny? nothin wrong with the xt crank is there? got a buncha people round here (including me!) who got nothin but love for square tapers!

I'll probably just throw rings on there. But, for the money there are whole new cranksets available. So mainly I am exploring all of my options.

[BroSlinger]

So, I rebuilt my Cannondale 87 sr400.

1. I forgot how damned fast this frame was.
2. This jag wire brake housing was a pita to get cut right. Even with proper tools.
3. Nitto stuff is nice.
4. Gotta get used to drop bars again
5. Not impressed with modern dia compe brake levers. The external is beautiful. Internal looks like cast pot metal dipped in chrome. I don’t like them.
6. Orbea oem cork tape was a great deal.
7. Sram stuff is nice. Calipers and derailleurs.
8. I love Thomson setback posts, but they kind of suck with that tall seat tube that extends above the top tube.
9. Brooks swallow is interesting. Comfortable enough. I think I can make it work.
10. Cat eye wired computers sure work great. I don’t need wireless.

11. Has to get the whole bottom bracket replaced.
Can’t believe I didn’t snap a pic. Edit below:

I still want to property lube the chain. Going to try s Nitto set back post.

[BroSlinger]

Btw, those boring black elite cages are getting replaced by white and pink elite race cages.

How do you like my Fred bag?

and my old school frame pump? (these are the way to go IMO. I've changed a lot of tires out on the road for how relatively few miles I'm ridden compared to some people.

Road bike forums are pretty fuckin' obnoxious. THey all insist on keeping a co2 pump and a tube in their jerseys. No way man. My jersey is for my jelly belly sport beans, sunglasses wipe, phone, drivers license, credt car, keys, etc.

That said, with this gigantic new fred bag, I can put some of that stuff in there.

[SuperFlyinMonke]

That's a nice looking build. Shit, that seat look loooong. I must have shorter quads or something because I could never deal with that kind of seat set-back.

Man, simple steel cranks looked so good. I guess campy cranks still do, but the Shimano, Sram and FSA ones just don't.

[BroSlinger]

The seat just looks long because it's shaped like a dildo. I have the shortest quads on earth. I can hardly sit on a chair without a pillow behind my back. Power lifters long for this leverage.

I need the setback because of my long torso.

FWIW, the crank is an aluminum Sugino. 170mm. made in Japan. The best mechanic ever told me "DON'T replace those."

[itchyfingers]

Classic bike, Gene!

I am a fan of function over form, especially for everyday riding. Want a frame or seat bag to hold necessary tire changing tools? Go for it. Wanna use grandma's old saddle because its mad comfy? Go for it. The conformist mentality among most cyclist is a bit weird, not to mention, can get real expensive.

[BroSlinger]

Classic bike, Gene!

I am a fan of function over form, especially for everyday riding. Want a frame or seat bag to hold necessary tire changing tools? Go for it. Wanna use grandma's old saddle because its mad comfy? Go for it. The conformist mentality among most cyclist is a bit weird, not to mention, can get real expensive.

I'm with ya, mang.

1. I refuse to use brifters. I've never had much luck with indexed anything, and I've seen more people have trouble with brifters not shifting right than I can count. Total PITA.
2. I'm not thrilled with where modern BB's are going. There is no standard at all anymore. There are so many measurements, they are becoming proprietary. It sucks for anybody who has to keep 50 different BB/crank combinations in stock. Not to mention, I can't keep track of it, and I follow bike stuff.
3. I am still leery of carbon anything. I'm too fat for it.
4. I wish more road bikes came with touring features (rack mounts, fender mounts, etc.)
5. It's a shame every good road bike has a threadless steer tube. Who would ever think it's a good option to adjust your stem when needed. imagine that (sarcastic)
6. Wireless computers take more batteries, and they don't seem to respond as quickly as wired computers.

The good news:
1. People are realizing how great steel is. There are still lots of choices for new steel frames.
2. There are still TONS of old-school components being made today for people who refuse to move into this century. Even Shimano still makes good brake levers, downtube shifters, bar end shifters, etc. Nice to see 8 and 9 speed cassettes still available.
3. I'm glad Brooks is thriving. Once I made the switch, I never went back to any of my Selle Italia or Fizik saddles.

The wildcards:
1. I like seeing road bikes move to disc brakes, but I'm not looking forward to having to buy a new bike to get them.
2. My only threadless bike is a 1" steer tube which seems to be an endangered species right now. It's an easton carbon fork too, and it scares me. I have a surly steel 1" threadless fork, but it will add a TON of weight to my Basso Ti. Still wondering what to do.

[newholland]

mang, people are in general TERRIBLE mechanics. i know lifer cyclists who can't adjust derailleurs.. it's kinda unbelievable.

homie, and you're lookin' in the wrong place if you're not finding modern bikes with eyelets! theres a veritable SHITTON, and every bike i've looked at in the past 10 years has been with an eye towards fenders and/or racks save for racing bikes. but my main ride's an 84 trek 330 with all custom parts. full array of eyelets, but not one more than i need.

disc brakes though are the jam. i'm so psyched to get to a point where i could convert a 700c bike to a 650b x 44, and ride tires that'd offer some shock absorption on gravel roads AND STILL ROCK FENDERS cause i dont have to worry about stupid long caliper centerpulls or cantilevers. i.e. this:



i'm with ya though.. theres a ton of cool stuff. some of the modern stuff's not all that bad once you learn how to service it-- and while i like threaded steerer tubes and classic headsets, i really don't miss adjusting them. square tapers? oh shit.. LOVE em. indestructible. but i hate tapping frames to clean 'em up... ooof...

nice ride gene! i remember 400's really well from the cannonwhale era! they were stiff as all getout!

[BroSlinger]

Dan,

I'm not a bad mechanic. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday getting my new SRAM derailleurs set perfectly.

That said, I'm cheap, and I don't like committing to too much gear-wise. It's like my pedalboard and lack of velcro. With my bike setups, I can easily swap out cassettes, handlebars, brake levers, etc, without too much trouble.

and, I'm cheap. I like my base bike to clock in at:
$100 for a frame with a working BB and headset
$200 or so for wheels.
$30 for cassette
$15 for chain
$50 or less for calipers.
$40 or less for brake levers
etc.

I'm always willing to spend a bit more on
tires - folding gatorskin or gator hardshell
saddle - brooks
handlebars - Was using $70 Deda bullhorns. now using $50 Nittos.
Stem - grabbed a Cinelli Alter for my threadless 1" basso. Nittos for $40-$50

BTW, I am in love with platform pedals. I'm not really climbing or sprinting enough to bother with clipless right now. I've tried a ton of stuff, and modern Shimano 105's seem to be about right if I do need to race somebody.

[BroSlinger]

BTW, Dan, The bike in the pic has the wheels you recommended. Open Sport/105.

They've been great, btw.

[newholland]

Dan,

I'm not a bad mechanic. I spent quite a bit of time yesterday getting my new SRAM derailleurs set perfectly.

That said, I'm cheap, and I don't like committing to too much gear-wise. It's like my pedalboard and lack of velcro. With my bike setups, I can easily swap out cassettes, handlebars, brake levers, etc, without too much trouble.

and, I'm cheap. I like my base bike to clock in at:
$100 for a frame with a working BB and headset
$200 or so for wheels.
$30 for cassette
$15 for chain
$50 or less for calipers.
$40 or less for brake levers
etc.

I'm always willing to spend a bit more on
tires - folding gatorskin or gator hardshell
saddle - brooks
handlebars - Was using $70 Deda bullhorns. now using $50 Nittos.
Stem - grabbed a Cinelli Alter for my threadless 1" basso. Nittos for $40-$50

BTW, I am in love with platform pedals. I'm not really climbing or sprinting enough to bother with clipless right now. I've tried a ton of stuff, and modern Shimano 105's seem to be about right if I do need to race somebody.

nah man-- no implication of any such thing natch! lotsa dudes i know with bikes worth more than my car though can't adjust the barrel on their downtube i meant moreso that briftaz aint too bad, it's mostly the guys who can't reset their seatposts screwin' em up!

meantime--- here's m'ride... of similar vintage to yers.. note.. same wheels

[BroSlinger]

Dude. Beautiful. I like nearly everything about that. (Those big black brake levers are the only thing that look out of place, but I'll bet those hoods are comfortable as heck.)

I think you're rocking the same stem I am as well.

That crank is a work of art. What is it?!?
Those downtube shifter, fenders, and brooks are all SWEET.

[newholland]

Dude. Beautiful. I like nearly everything about that. (Those big black brake levers are the only thing that look out of place, but I'll bet those hoods are comfortable as heck.)

I think you're rocking the same stem I am as well.

That crank is a work of art. What is it?!?
Those downtube shifter, fenders, and brooks are all SWEET.

it's a velo orange copy of an original TA crank-- old french biz. it's a great layout-- 28/44-- which lets you stay big ring most times, but have a low gear for serious bailout climbing.

the brake levers are totally annoying black. plan to replace 'em with IRD's sometime... but i'd rather be riding

[itchyfingers]

Sweet bike, NH! Is it just the perspective of the camera or is the nose of that saddle angled way up into your taint?

This page is turning this thread into a vintage bike thread, I love it!

[newholland]

No itchy, it actually does Point upwards. Old Brooks B17 saddles just kind of sit like that. Surprisingly it's super comfortable and you really don't feel it in your taint unless you try and treat it like a normal saddle. When you do that, Lord God, that thing will put the hurt on your taint. They're kind of weird Saddles like that, but once you have them adjusted, man are they comfortable