The biking thread
- Thread starter Bram Turismo
- 4,801 comments
- 241,194 views
- 5,428
- Vic, Australia
- gundalini
Went today for my bike fit/selection of parts, tubes etc etc.
A truly comprehensive experience which took around 5 hours.
Started with a tour of the actual workshop where any questions were answered in full detail. Lots of ogling of the custom made equipment used to assist in the manufacturing, as someone who comes from an engineering background I could appreciate this. The detail in some of the jigs was amazing.
Moved on to the fit next, this took a couple of hours and was a real eye opener. I was asked to pedal, to stop, to stand, to sit all the while being put under various loads and watching the data live on a screen in front of me. Adjust this adjust that and by the end of it I was putting nearly a 50 50 split of power down through each leg compared to where it started using the dimensions from my current bike of around a 60/40 split of power with my right side being dominant.
Here's what blew me away, at the end I was putting around 20 extra watts through the pedals for what I perceived as the same effort. Free power, simply can't ask for any more. My new bike will have different length cranks along with the saddle being higher, the bars higher and closer and a few other little tweaks. It's truly designed for me.
Moving on from here and a few coffees in we went into the design phase.
Here each individual tube was selected for me to match body weight and what I wanted the bike to do for me handling wise. The parts were selected along with the colour scheme and palate. At this stage I also as much as possible due to fit restrictions made decisions on how I actually wanted the bike to look.
In the end I went with the parts as so.
Mixture of tubing.
Dura Ace Di2 groupset.
Chris King headseat.
3T carbon bars and stem.
Fizik Antares R1 carbon saddle.
Custom titanium Chris King bottle cages.
Custom leather bar tape.
Painted bars.
I kept my current wheelset, Vision Metron 40's
Speaking of paint I spent so many hours over the last couple of weeks trying to work this out and in the end came up with (along with some guidance) what will truly make it mine with a mix of colours I wanted. You can use one of the previous schemes of other customers but as it stands this is currently unique.
Here's how it will look paint wise, though the jpeg can't do the true colours and finish justice but it gives a good idea.
A couple of other pics from the day.
Parts and sample tubes /paint to pick from.
A local race teams bike being assembled, this blue is the same as the main blue in mine.
Just some bike pron to look at, this bright bad boy is basically as expensive as it can get from this maker. It's a customers bike but was also used just recently at a local bespoke bike show.
At the end of the day this is costing me a bit but I'm only ever going to do it once so I'm getting exactly what I want, currently on cloud nine.
Current wait is about 5 months so I wish I could hibernate over winter
A truly comprehensive experience which took around 5 hours.
Started with a tour of the actual workshop where any questions were answered in full detail. Lots of ogling of the custom made equipment used to assist in the manufacturing, as someone who comes from an engineering background I could appreciate this. The detail in some of the jigs was amazing.
Moved on to the fit next, this took a couple of hours and was a real eye opener. I was asked to pedal, to stop, to stand, to sit all the while being put under various loads and watching the data live on a screen in front of me. Adjust this adjust that and by the end of it I was putting nearly a 50 50 split of power down through each leg compared to where it started using the dimensions from my current bike of around a 60/40 split of power with my right side being dominant.
Here's what blew me away, at the end I was putting around 20 extra watts through the pedals for what I perceived as the same effort. Free power, simply can't ask for any more. My new bike will have different length cranks along with the saddle being higher, the bars higher and closer and a few other little tweaks. It's truly designed for me.
Moving on from here and a few coffees in we went into the design phase.
Here each individual tube was selected for me to match body weight and what I wanted the bike to do for me handling wise. The parts were selected along with the colour scheme and palate. At this stage I also as much as possible due to fit restrictions made decisions on how I actually wanted the bike to look.
In the end I went with the parts as so.
Mixture of tubing.
Dura Ace Di2 groupset.
Chris King headseat.
3T carbon bars and stem.
Fizik Antares R1 carbon saddle.
Custom titanium Chris King bottle cages.
Custom leather bar tape.
Painted bars.
I kept my current wheelset, Vision Metron 40's
Speaking of paint I spent so many hours over the last couple of weeks trying to work this out and in the end came up with (along with some guidance) what will truly make it mine with a mix of colours I wanted. You can use one of the previous schemes of other customers but as it stands this is currently unique.
Here's how it will look paint wise, though the jpeg can't do the true colours and finish justice but it gives a good idea.
A couple of other pics from the day.
Parts and sample tubes /paint to pick from.
A local race teams bike being assembled, this blue is the same as the main blue in mine.
Just some bike pron to look at, this bright bad boy is basically as expensive as it can get from this maker. It's a customers bike but was also used just recently at a local bespoke bike show.
At the end of the day this is costing me a bit but I'm only ever going to do it once so I'm getting exactly what I want, currently on cloud nine.
Current wait is about 5 months so I wish I could hibernate over winter
DesertPenguin
(Banned)
- 10,691
- Long Island, New York
- DesertPenguin_
Are you a road bike rider?
- 29,588
- Thailand
Me? Yes. Although the state of some of the roads I ride I could probably do with a cross bike.
DesertPenguin
(Banned)
- 10,691
- Long Island, New York
- DesertPenguin_
As long as you don't get in the way. I saw a guy all decked out in skin tight neon whatevers and riding in the middle of the right lane on a main road (two lanes both ways). That bothers me. I have a mountain bike and when I ride around town I stick to the sidewalks. Because I can. I think most people that want to ride around should use a hybrid or something with decent tires so they can go up on the sidewalk if necessary. I hope I don't sound grumpy...
- 29,588
- Thailand
You do sound a bit grumpy!
Here there aren’t any pedestrian pavements to use, it’s all road (Chiang Mai is a strange place) and where I’m from in London riding on the footpath is illegal for adults (any one over 14yo).
We do, however, have bike/motorcycle lanes on the inside of every major highway:
The shoulders in this photo are specifically there for bikes. I’ve ridden 200km between 2 major cities solely in these lanes (except when descending the mountains and I use the full road providing its clear).
Anywhere else, like city streets or residential zones and a road biker can usually keep up with traffic if not better it for speed, so there’s no need to be obstructing anyone at all. The only time I might slow down traffic is when making a right turn (we drive on the left here) but any other vehicle would do that anyway and much more than a bicycle would.
As for hybrids, well that’s a personal choice. I’ve owned and ridden hybrids for a commute and the only difference between that and a road bike is a bit more comfort and a bit less speed. Tyres aren’t really a factor in my opinion unless your talking handling and comfort, they shouldn’t make a difference whether on road or footpath (aren’t they usually similarly hard surfaces?).
The reason I haven’t used a pedestrian path (or even normal cycle lanes) since I was a young teen is because I ride a road bike to go fast. I’m not risking hitting a pedestrian at 30mph, I’ll be going straight to jail. The average speed of traffic in London is less than 15mph, I did my commute at a higher speed, so who’s really in who’s way?
Most of us do also drive cars (and motorcycles) so appreciate how frustrating cyclists can be when they act like dicks but the majority of roadies in my experience are confident, experienced road users with a high level of road craft.
...and no neon colours here, only tight fitting normal colours...well, except for the Thai guy who happened to be super fast...
- 5,428
- Vic, Australia
- gundalini
Sorry for the triple post.
Ok so tomorrow is new bike day and I'm jumping out of my skin.
Six and a half months ago the wait began when I ordered it and now I've one more night to endure. I've seen pictures and bits of it but not yet as a complete bike in the flesh, today I got the email are you available to pick it up tomorrow? Probably the best thing I've read in a long time.
Final full build specs (for the bike geeks) as they changed slightly.
Frame:
Seat, down and top tubes: Dedacciai 16.5 Tubing.
Seat and Chain Stays: Xcr custom stainless steel.
Headtube: In house custom.
Fully custom made rear dropouts, you can spot a Baum from a mile by these.
All carefully and masterfully welded together via Tig Welding.
Fork:
Enve 2.0 painted to match frame.
Headset:
Chris King NoThreadSet 1 1/8
Groupset:
Shimano Dura Ace 9100 Di2 with dual sided power meter cranks.
170mm Crankset
Chainring ratio 53/39
Cassette ratio 11/30
Stem:
3T ARX II Team
Bottle Cages:
King Stainless Steel brushed to match chainstays
Handlebar:
3T Ergonova (flat) Team
Seatpost:
Enve 5mm offset
Saddle:
Fizik Antares R1
Bar Tape:
Busyman custom Kangaroo leather, this guys' work is just awesome.
Wheels:
Vision Metron 40
Tyres:
Vittoria Corsa 25mm
Tubes:
Vittoria latex.
Odds and sods:
Shimano wireless unit for connectivity to phone to make adjustments to gears via app, Fetha Garmin mount and paint upgrades on handlebars and stripes behind headtube badge.
So tomorrow at 10 o'clock I'll turn up to get it and ride home via a detour of around 100km. Absolutely can't wait as this is huge to me but I also strangely feel a little sad about it as the excitement of the wait is now all but over. Oh well I suppose I can live now as a voyeur looking in as a mate is on the waiting list and around 4 months out or I could just order another.
Other pics here.
Ok so tomorrow is new bike day and I'm jumping out of my skin.
Six and a half months ago the wait began when I ordered it and now I've one more night to endure. I've seen pictures and bits of it but not yet as a complete bike in the flesh, today I got the email are you available to pick it up tomorrow? Probably the best thing I've read in a long time.
Final full build specs (for the bike geeks) as they changed slightly.
Frame:
Seat, down and top tubes: Dedacciai 16.5 Tubing.
Seat and Chain Stays: Xcr custom stainless steel.
Headtube: In house custom.
Fully custom made rear dropouts, you can spot a Baum from a mile by these.
All carefully and masterfully welded together via Tig Welding.
Fork:
Enve 2.0 painted to match frame.
Headset:
Chris King NoThreadSet 1 1/8
Groupset:
Shimano Dura Ace 9100 Di2 with dual sided power meter cranks.
170mm Crankset
Chainring ratio 53/39
Cassette ratio 11/30
Stem:
3T ARX II Team
Bottle Cages:
King Stainless Steel brushed to match chainstays
Handlebar:
3T Ergonova (flat) Team
Seatpost:
Enve 5mm offset
Saddle:
Fizik Antares R1
Bar Tape:
Busyman custom Kangaroo leather, this guys' work is just awesome.
Wheels:
Vision Metron 40
Tyres:
Vittoria Corsa 25mm
Tubes:
Vittoria latex.
Odds and sods:
Shimano wireless unit for connectivity to phone to make adjustments to gears via app, Fetha Garmin mount and paint upgrades on handlebars and stripes behind headtube badge.
So tomorrow at 10 o'clock I'll turn up to get it and ride home via a detour of around 100km. Absolutely can't wait as this is huge to me but I also strangely feel a little sad about it as the excitement of the wait is now all but over. Oh well I suppose I can live now as a voyeur looking in as a mate is on the waiting list and around 4 months out or I could just order another.
Other pics here.
Last edited:
opelgt1969
Premium
- 2,190
- Bristol,Va USA
- opelgt1969
Nice bike with all the money you paid they should have at least air brushed your name on it.
- 5,428
- Vic, Australia
- gundalini
Thanks mate, only a couple of hours now until I pick it up.
Actually feel nervous
They will paint anything (within reason) on it you want, not my style to have my name on it.
opelgt1969
Premium
- 2,190
- Bristol,Va USA
- opelgt1969
My thoughts would be for your name to be small and in between "king" and the Brum tag. So need new tires yet, and how does it ride.Thanks mate, only a couple of hours now until I pick it up.
Actually feel nervous
They will paint anything (within reason) on it you want, not my style to have my name on it.
- 29,588
- Thailand
Those Corsa’s should be good for at least 300km!
Nah, they’re actually really good tyres.
- 5,428
- Vic, Australia
- gundalini
Rides like a dream, soaks up the bumps yet still stiff. Point it in a direction it just goes there no fuss and with confidence, can't wait to get it on a good downhill run.
I normally get about 5000km out of those tyres so a little way to go yet.
Last edited:
- 1,407
- Gold Coast, Australia
- Paintguzzlinpete
- RepairedCarrot8
Thanks mate, yep exceeds all I had hoped for and the biggest positive I can say is that every time I look at it I want to go for a ride.
2079.5 km logged on Strava.
Probably around another 20 km unlogged just tootling around.
That's awesome! Can't hope for anything more than that. I bought a new retro racer, then changed jobs the following week and am yet to work out a do-able route that doesn't involve hopping a motorway. It's a re-badged 1984 Miyata 912, called a Clarmont 1000. I need new bars for it, new pedals and need to adjust to downtube shifters but I do love it. I still really want something like a Giant Defy but I don't want anything below 105 group and I just don't have the money for anything at the moment.
- 29,588
- Thailand
@Shaun , that’s impressive mileage for such a short time. You must be doing pro weeks (20+ hours).
Sounds nice. Retro bikes can offer a special feeling.
With regards to something new, it’s possible to live with sub-105 components easily enough, especially if it’s not for serious use (I commute on a bike with no components). The real noticeable difference in the 105 and up is braking abilities for descents and the option to stick a 32 or 34 on the back for accending. Really only valuable if your doing lots of climbing or want high level of functionality.
Saying that, I’ve climbed mountain ranges on low level groupsets with crap ratios, so it’s not the be all and end all.
A Defy would be a great choice though. If you look second hand you can get a bargain on a 105 equipped machine. Something a bit older that isn’t top of the line might have 105 for £500 or less.
Sounds nice. Retro bikes can offer a special feeling.
With regards to something new, it’s possible to live with sub-105 components easily enough, especially if it’s not for serious use (I commute on a bike with no components). The real noticeable difference in the 105 and up is braking abilities for descents and the option to stick a 32 or 34 on the back for accending. Really only valuable if your doing lots of climbing or want high level of functionality.
Saying that, I’ve climbed mountain ranges on low level groupsets with crap ratios, so it’s not the be all and end all.
A Defy would be a great choice though. If you look second hand you can get a bargain on a 105 equipped machine. Something a bit older that isn’t top of the line might have 105 for £500 or less.
- 1,407
- Gold Coast, Australia
- Paintguzzlinpete
- RepairedCarrot8
Yeah when I was actively looking older Defy's would pop up quite cheap and usually in pretty good condition, seemed to be people bought them as an entry level bike but didn't really use them. If I ever have spare money again I'll start the bargain hunt. For now the Miyata will do and I still have a nice early 90s Kona CinderCone to put together. I don't really get a lot of time to ride now that I'm not using it to commute.
- 5,000
- United States
- GTP_Johnny1996
Hi, is there someone who could reccomend me a good lock for my bike?
I'm looking for something that doesn't require taking a wheel off and preferably a key lock but combination is fine. All I have now is a steel chain and padlock but that's a bit too bulky and noisy for my liking.
EDIT: And in case it matters any this is a mountain bike I have.
I'm looking for something that doesn't require taking a wheel off and preferably a key lock but combination is fine. All I have now is a steel chain and padlock but that's a bit too bulky and noisy for my liking.
EDIT: And in case it matters any this is a mountain bike I have.
- 29,588
- Thailand
Krytonite make pretty good locks. Weight and durability depend on what you pay. There’s really nothing that will stop an eager thief though, so a chain and padlock isn’t a bad option.
All you really need is a better lock than the bike locked next to yours. Alternatively, ugly up your bike by cable tying old socks and all sorts of crap to it and a thief probably wouldn’t give it a second thought.
I took the brakes off my bike so I don’t lock it. Anyone trying to ride off on it will probably be dead within 10 minutes.
- 5,000
- United States
- GTP_Johnny1996
- 3,919
- Birmingham, UK
- DG Silva
I know this is going to be a bit of a thread revival, but this is probably the best place to do it.
I've recently taken on a new role in my job (I work for Halfords Customer Support) as a Product Specialist Trainer. However, I will admit that I have something of a blind spot when it comes to cycles.
As part of the training process, I want to create a theory test for the specialist to take; between this and the practical test, it's the last step before being signed off as a specialist (and a wage rise).
So I come to the font of all knowledge and ask of you for some example questions which a specialist should know off the top of their heads. I'm not looking for impossible questions, but tough questions, some with multiple choice.
As a few examples, here are some from the technology test sheet:
Which Dashcams do we sell which have speed camera alerts? (Garmin Dashcam 45/55/65)
With regards to sat navs, what is meant by Lifetime? (for the lifetime of the device, until no updates are available for the device or it won't fit onto the memory of the device)
When connecting a dash cam hardwiring kit, where would you do it? (piggy-back into a permanent live, piggy-back into an ignition live, etc.)
As you can see, I'm looking for some one-liner questions, some essay-style questions, some multiple-choice questions, about 20-30 questions in total.
Any help you guys can offer me would be greatly appreciated.
I've recently taken on a new role in my job (I work for Halfords Customer Support) as a Product Specialist Trainer. However, I will admit that I have something of a blind spot when it comes to cycles.
As part of the training process, I want to create a theory test for the specialist to take; between this and the practical test, it's the last step before being signed off as a specialist (and a wage rise).
So I come to the font of all knowledge and ask of you for some example questions which a specialist should know off the top of their heads. I'm not looking for impossible questions, but tough questions, some with multiple choice.
As a few examples, here are some from the technology test sheet:
Which Dashcams do we sell which have speed camera alerts? (Garmin Dashcam 45/55/65)
With regards to sat navs, what is meant by Lifetime? (for the lifetime of the device, until no updates are available for the device or it won't fit onto the memory of the device)
When connecting a dash cam hardwiring kit, where would you do it? (piggy-back into a permanent live, piggy-back into an ignition live, etc.)
As you can see, I'm looking for some one-liner questions, some essay-style questions, some multiple-choice questions, about 20-30 questions in total.
Any help you guys can offer me would be greatly appreciated.
