Education We Like to Ride Bicycles

I had got SPD's now on my... thing. I haven't got the right size allen key to slacken the clip bit of them right off though so I haven't dared try them in motion yet xD

Not SPD-SL, just SPD. If I want to commute on the bike I don't want to be walking like a duck all day.

 

Any bike designed for the road rather than off road will feel quicker than that bike. Big knobbly tyres are slow rolling on hard surfaces. If you want to make that bike feel quicker though, look for some 1inch slick tyres.

 

Actually you ride with your hands on the hoods most of the time so your usually covering the brakes as well as you would on a mountain bike. Only problem is callipers are vastly inferior to disk brakes this has caught me out a couple of times.

 

Oh definitely, the white gt has semi-slicks and its much easier to ride, but it does help it being super light, slim tires, no suspension etc. I have been meaning to get a commuter / road bike for a while but for now the mountain bike is the best i can get!

I still found that rather awkward when i got into heavy traffic, i guess more-so because of the positioning is so different to a straight bar, but it just made me anxious in traffic. I am really looking for a slim / road bike / commuter with straight bars, soley for city riding.

 

A stubby flat bar is the fashion on city fixies but then you have to do without gears and a free hub.

Also just finished building my new frame up.

 

Looks nice.

p.s. I like your wallpaper too.

 

nice build mate, my Bike is in need of some of them cranks for this summer, and re-padding.. and another suspension TF tuned service....... going to cost 100's... simple cant afford all the maintenance.... bloody boxxer world cups

 

I service all my forks myself, though I'm yet to take these Fox apart. It's quite easy to strip a Boxxer and do a complete oil change. It's another matter if you need something replaced though.

Thanks Krikkit, I didn't choose the paper.

 

Nice job on the new build Jamie. It looks great. That really makes me want to rebuild my bike and start cycling again. I cycled just over two miles to uni, 4 or 5 days a week for about two years, but I haven't been on my bike since then. I kept it in good shape back then but I haven't even looked at the thing in the past couple of years. I should get a new frame for it and start using it again. It's got a good set of shocks on it at least, and the sprockets etc are good on it as well.

 

I've seen these single speeds, and it appeals to me if i lived in a flat part of the city, currently 3.1 miles of my 4.7 mile ride is a hill so it is no use to me But i would definitely have a free hub and brakes rather than a complete fixed rear wheel variety!

 

You get used to them, I've commuted on my road bike for 18mths now. However i know where you're coming from switching between the two always makes me nervous for a bit I think its the narrow bars on the roady that worry me.

Scott do a nice range of flat bared road bikes Speedster i think it's called.

 

Exactly the range i have been looking at, but kind of expensive, really want something cheap as its gonna get abused, and i wouldnt want to get to upset if it got stolen / run over etc.

I'm enjoying the narrow bars, for weaving in traffic, so much fun had!

Check out the videos on this site;
http://www.digave.com/videos/

 

OMG that is the kind of biking that is going to get you killed!! and piss off all the drivers in the process

 

How much you looking to spend? Ridgeback do a similar range starting at about £250 though they verge on BSO.

 

Well here's my commuting bike never really been in cycling but since forcing myself to cycle to work I have really enjoyed it. I did have a Ridgeback Flight 02 on a ride to work scheme but that was stolen from the bottom of my flat, not a great start to the new year . So with no way to work I quickly got a new bike and opted for a Specialized Sirrus Elite, I would have got the same bike but was in a rush to get a bike quickly!

Since having the Specialized I have found it to be more comfortable to ride, I was worried about the handle bar position but seems to feel just right when riding.

Ridgeback Flight 02 (Gone to some scum of the earth!)



Specialized Sirrus Elite

 

I've been running Shimano M535 disc brakes for ages now and the annoying (proper loud!) squealing has finally broken me.

I've tried pretty much every model from Disco-brakes but they all seem to squeak.

So, anyone know of any quiet alternative pads that I can buy until I buy a full new set of brakes in summer?

 

I didn't have any squealing with the stock pads on my m535s except in the wet
Same with superstar components organic pads. Sintered squealed in all conditions tho

 

Ok cheers for that. I think the current ones I have on are Sintered and squeal the most out of all the pads I've used. I'll go back to the standard ones and see if they can shutthef*ckup a bit

Ta.

 

Could the pads / rotors be contaminated? Try rubbing your finger across the disc surface, is your finger clean, black, covered in oil?

Disclamer: If you do this while your wheel is spinning you don't dererve your fingers and they will be removed .

 

The pads are designed to be pushed away from the rotor by the rotation of the rotor, so they just skim along really close to it. If there's grit in the pad or on the pistons (on the bit that should be shiny as it moves inside the brake cylinder) either the pad can fail to move away from the rotor, or the grit can scrape the rotor. Are there any circular grooves in the rotor? The wear *should* be even but if there's a deeper groove in one place it would probably be grit.