Education We Like to Ride Bicycles

The change of tyre width will not be a problem, you only need to be concerned about tyre clearance in the frame and such a small increase won't give you any problems there.

 

Ta muchly

 

To all the bmx riders what size top tube should I be looking for at 5' 10" tall? Will I get away with a 20.5" or should I just go straight for a 21"? I used to ride a Redline Proline back in the day when I was a youth over 30 years ago...eeek... Mountain bikes just don't do it for me. Or am I better off looking for a 24" wheeled cruiser?

 

TBH dude the TT will be down to your preference. I have everything from 20-21.75 (my race bike). It's only about reach. I am the same height as you, and mostly do ride a 21", but only because it's my best lightest modern BMX.

A 24", IMO? is no different to riding a 20. The TT is usually around the same, and it feels the same only with larger wheels. I ride a 20" for fun and a 700c cruiser for speed and getting places.

https://www.sourcebmx.com/collectio...p&nosto=6104582083a0d7665f48273a&currency=gbp

Great bike. Like I said, if you are going any distance at all a 20" will kill you. If you are just messing around etc? they are great fun.

 

Cheers for the info, I'll mostly be messing around to see if I can pick it up again at first and get some oap fitness back then will look more into it. Think I'll aim for no less than a 20.5 tt, had a go on a 20" tt and my knees where hitting the bars but yeah as you can say all that can be changed depending on the rise etc.

 

Yeah you want 9" or higher rise bars. None of this silly 5" 90s stuff lmao. My back hurts just looking at some of my bikes

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/58298865

Miss Crowdfunded now holds the BMX race Olympic and UCI World Titles at the same time, nobody's done that before. British Cycling continue to be clowns

 

Check the frame for clearance. 2" will be fine on the rim, but not if the frame is not wide enough at the back end. Fork end will be fine I would imagine.

 

Took my old trusty Cube aim which I purchased around 12 years ago for its first ever service.

The owner let me have a ride on his Orbea e-mtb and I was really impressed, really inpressed

 

Took my youngest out few days ago on a little bike ride, haven’t been on a bike in awhile. Jesus Christ, my arsecheeks are bruised and I’m sitting like I’ve taken a pounding.

Is there a way of softening the seat or one you can recommend?

 

Which one, I'm thinking my next bike might be an Orbea Rallon

Padded shorts if you're going to keep riding. DON'T buy a gel seat cover, they are crap and move about.

 

Padded shorts make you look like you've crapped yourself.

If you go for a gel seat cover then you need to attach it with contact spray adhesive. It won't move then, but yeah they slip around like mad if you just pull them over.

I bought a Selle Italia carbon seat with leather on. I really thought it would destroy my brown eye (given I am a fat bastud) but I was amazed at how comfy it is. I don't even ride a lot now, so rides are rather infrequent and during the summer, but I can deffo vouch for it.



Warning though, it was incredibly spendy. You also need to ride harden your ring a bit too tbh. Though I advise against plastic seats for the obvious reason

What bike are you using? I have a large collection of spare seats. Most of which I have never used....

 

Tbf, I’ve just looked through the bikes on the website and it doesn’t seem to be there so it must have been an older model, it had the square battery in the frame, and wireless brakes??? Didn’t even know that was a thing!

 

Currently using a 2022 Trek Marlin 4 Hardtail, nothing fancy but it gets me out the house with the kids.

 

Padded shorts, they are far better than gel seat covers which as Cookie said move about. Don't have to get full bib shorts you can get undershorts, an do not wear underwear with them or you will get no end of chaffing.

 

Try a downhill sofa seat from the early noughties, ultimate comfort for yer chocolate starfish.

 

Standard cycling shorts, with a synthetic chamois liner are what you need and, yes no underpants.

Careful choice of seat is by far the most important thing, if you want cycling to be comfortable. I tried a few different saddles until I settled on the Selle San Marco Rolls. Used at least four of them, over time and on various bikes. Never had a problem with comfort, even on a 12 hour time trial. It's well worth experimenting to find the saddle that suits you, you won't regret it when you have found the right one. Don't compromise comfort in favour of lightness.

 

Some advice needed please kind ladies and gents.

I am going to down size my BMX collection. That really has nothing to do with what I need to ask though.

As above my riding bike is this.



It's pretty light. I built it to take my weight, as I was terrified. However I have now learned to be much more gentle on bikes. There is but one issue. I live up several flights of stairs and -

1. I am never leaving it outside, even locked to buggery. Mostly because I don't want it getting nicked but also because the air down here hates steel. Most of it isn't, but obviously some of it has to be.
2. My right shoulder is now going. I've not been to the doc yet but I am pretty sure I have inherited arthritis and eventually osteoporosis from my mother. My knees are crap too.

As such whenever I ride I have to take the bike down said stairs, and then when I am knackered from riding a few miles drag it back up. We are not allowed to leave anything anywhere in the inner building. As such the last time I really struggled to get it up the stairs. It's large, cumbersome and etc. So the idea is to trim all the weight. I initially installed a carbon seat post, carbon cranks, carbon seat and carbon bars to make up for the tank wheels. Which was super, and it worked. However it needs to be even lighter if I am to keep dragging it up the stairs. As such the steel fork is going and I will refurb these and then fit them to the bike.



However the main weight shift, yet still incredibly strong for a fatass like me bit is the wheels. IDK if you have ever looked, but carbon 700c mag wheels are eye wateringly expensive. Encore make nice ones, at about £600 each. For the front I will go spoked, as it's easy and cheap to replace if they get buckled. However on the back I do want a carbon mag.

So today whilst browsing I found this.





Which obviously is a lot wider (axle) that my single speed. That I am not worried about though as you can buy a tool that spreads the dropouts evenly. I will then need something along the lines of this.



As I do want to keep it single speed. There is no derailluer hanger on the back, and I don't want to add one. Nor do I want to piss around with the gears as I have 0 experience. Nothing, nada, zip.

Now for the question/s. Am I wrong here or is that an unsealed hub? those look like bearing cups to me. Why does there appear to be two bearing cups? one inside the hub and one outside? oddly I found this today. These are used, but they are obviously very highly sought after.





They are the same. Mine are branded HOTTAS but that is a company who build road bikes. If you look there is an insert that tells you they are HED. However, those are for sure sealed.



Which if missing an axle would have me requiring my friend to fire up his lathe as they are not available any more. However I could swear that the one I bought looks unsealed? which apparently Shimano still do to this day. An unsealed axle with all of the hardware and bearings is about a tenner.

Also. How do you remove the cassette body? any idea? I would like to rebuild that too whilst I am in there (and obviously I am going to restore the wheel and redo the clear coat and add the correct decal etc).

Thanks !

 

I kinda guessed that might happen

I can blow the tumbleweed away, though. After spending a whole day trying to sign up to forums and totally wasting my time (either they don't accept accounts from MSN emails or they are broken) and then having to post for moderator approval (I wasted a whole day ugh) I got nowhere. So I reached out to HED. And guess what? there is still at least one amazing company left !

Not only did they reply immediately but they told me exactly what it was (a HED 3 Tour De France) but they also sent me a comprehensive list of every single part in a schematic. As it happens they are all Shimano parts. Now Shimano are crafty because they don't sell a whole axle with the hardware, it's all split up into each component so you end up getting stuffed. However, what I did find was these NOS hubs for £20. Which have everything I need to replace the freehub with a NOS one and a new axle, bearings, cone nuts, bearing covers and everything else.



I then spent some time digging and instead of paying £30+ to convert the freehub to a single speed I found this for £12.



Which actually comes with a choice of 16 or 18t drive cogs. I *think* I am using a 18t atm, but once I get rid of those boat anchor wheels I reckon I can push along on a 16. Either way I will have both, as the kit comes with both.