Education We Like to Ride Bicycles

No offense but I totally preferred the black parts you've replaced. Something about red+black like that just looks wrong to me.

 

Enough you insult his bike colour scheme, But his home decorating choices too, Harsh!! I like the tyres though!

 

Bits that I'm pro-dealing (read: buying for %25 under cost) for my Marin this month: Formula The One brakes (200mm up front, 185mm out back), Crank Brothers Joplin seatpost, Funn Full On bar, Funn Hookah All Mountain crankset, e*13 LG1 guide (with the little taco), and a set of new tires (cannot decide between Schwalbe's Big Betty, or a bog standard Minion, though I'm still a bit unsure if I want to limit it to just those two).

Coming soon: 2010 Fox 36 Talas, fi'zi:k zea:k seat, and a set of either Shimano XT wheels, or a set of Hadley hubs with 729 hoops. Not sure yet...

 

D-Cyph3r: Why did you get a bolt up seat post clamp?

 

Don't like the idea of someone flicking a quick release lever and pinching my seat and seat post while its chained up outside the gym (the only place it's ever left outside). That and it was considerably cheaper than the QR version.

 

There's plenty of bits on there that can be removed in a matter of secounds, if it's there on a regular basis someone will come prepared. Looks like you need an old banger hack about.

 

Luckily the bike rack is nestled between the main reception and glass back squash court windows, so anyone creeping around with a set of allen keys or bolt cutters will get spotted straight away (purely from the amount of traffic in and out the place at peak times, the only time I can get down there). In reality the cost was the main factor, £12 vs £17, I dont need to take my seatpost out other than when cleaning it so it's not a deal breaker having to bust out the multi tool.

@Krikkit

No offence taken mate, we have different preferences. I was tempted to keep it all black myself but i'm like a magpie when it comes to shiny red things. :S

 

I'm all for black and red.

Here is my comedy commuter.

 

Black cranks and red anodized pedals would complete the look.

 

Jamie, what is that and where did you get it? I'm thinking about picking up a similarly cheap Uni special - I feel bad leaving my normal Trek commuter out in the snow to rust during lectures, plus the town's so flat the bike's started jamming in top gear because I've not downshifted in 6 1/2 months. Was picturing the undoubtedly weird combination of cheap lightweight road frame/forks from eBay, drop bars with brifters (or maybe even reduce to a single-speed for simplicity), tarted up with improved brakes, and possibly a powdercoat to stop the thing corroding to s*** every time I turn my back - an Easter project?

Anyone know how much/where to get some powdercoating done in London on the cheap, or tried Armourtex in Hackney? [EDIT]Or, does anyone in London have such a bike frame? 57-59cm would be brilliant.[/EDIT]

 

It's a 15 year old Raleigh Aquilus that I've had since new

 

First time in AGES I actually went driving just for the fun of it. Also opened the season for hitting my shins on the pedals Only managed the right one this time, but damn was it worth it. Now if only I found a higher place to drop into the soft, wet snow...

 

What do you lot think, is this situation fare? I work at a shop that has a few people riding (and being sponsored for rather a lot of money) in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, and one of my coworkers and I were approached to ride as support members (fixing flats, applying band-aids, providing moral support, that kind of thing), and both of us were well chuffed at the opportunity to go for a nice two hundred kilometre ride with a very large group of people in support of a good cause.

However, it turns out that not only would we have to still pay the entry fee (fare enough really, they are providing food and accommodation after all), but we would still have to raise rather a lot of money for the charity, just so we could go along providing mechanical and medical aide to the riders! Isn't the donation of my time and years of experience and skills more than worth it to these people?

Am I right in feeling wronged?

 

Hey guys, looking for some advice here.

I'm looking to stop driving to school, and start riding my bike, for the simple economics, reduced wear and tear on the car, and the regular exercise it would give me.

I currently own a 2nd hand Giant hybrid bike, it was never fitted for me (and honestly I find it more than a bit uncomfortable), but, as I ride standing most of the time, it hasn't been to bad yet. I'm looking on getting something better for commuting, but the one thing is that I really don't want a road bike. I'd like something that would work well for both offroad and onroad.

So far I was looking at getting a Trek 3900, and adding a back rack for my school stuff (a small backpack with one notebook and my netbook).

What else should I be thinking about? I have a locker at school to store a change of clothes/stuff to clean up with. Should I consider getting different pedals, and, if so, what type.

The trip is about 11 miles round trip, mostly flat, but with some steep hills.

Thanks all

 

What is your budget? If you have any local bike shops go there and talk to the staff. Try and make it a small local shop as a first stop, if not a bigger store like Evans and finally someplace like Halfords.

With there being hills on your route to school and you using it on the road I would suggest something with a lockout on the forks. This will make the forks rigid and stop the front on the bike bobbing when your out of the saddle on the climbs. Also depending on how you are with working on bikes, I would suggest buying a 2nd pare of slick tyres to have on the bike 24/7, then swap over the the rougher tyres you get with the bike when you want to off road.

 

yeah, I was intending to go down to one of the local shops soon, we don't have Evans or Halfords over here, just REI and EMS, budget is about $600 (aka what I figure I will save in a bit more than a year biking to school 5X a week, and work 3X a week).

 

I just got my Trek 1.2 serviced, as it'd been the best part of 10 months since I'd gotten it...

Turns out I'd warped the front wheel, so now its seems even faster than before. Im loving cycling at the moment, the weather is wonderful..

 

I really want to get my hands on my brothers Claud Butler all alu framed bike, put all my gear on it and ride it to uni each day now that the weather's a little warmer and the pavements aren't icy all the time. He never uses it When I had it at uni a couple of years ago he never even relized it wasn't at home. Now he's married he'll have even less time to use it. I bet it's sitting in his garage gatherig dust

Maybe I'll offer to buy it off him. It's 1/3 the weight of my steel framed mountain bike :/

 

Had a couple of longer rides over the last week to start my training for a 40 mile charity ride i'm doing in may. Did a good 16-17 miles last saturday and about 18 miles tuesday (both with roughly 60/40 off road/on road ratio). After breaking through the wall at 10 miles or so surprisingly felt pretty good and it was only hunger (and a setting sun tuesday) that made me quit.

Couple of piccies:







Wanna break 25 miles this saturday.

 

Went for a good three hour ride on sunday (roughly sixty kilometres, if memory serves me right) to a local set of trails that have only just recently thawed. Thankfully I had fitted new wheels to my surly before heading out there, as I desperately needed the floatation of the 2.3" rear and 2.6" front tires! Was well funny, as there were a couple people trying to follow me down some of the trails, and their bikes were ill-equipped for the terrain, and kept getting them stuck.


Thats about half way through the ride, and already there is almost no notable skin colour on my legs, just mud. Gotta love the insane mud clearance on the 1x1!