The biking thread

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.
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I'd be happy to help. Let me finish my morning classes and I'll be back to edit here after lunch. 👍
 
Here are a few that came to mind when thinking about bike purchases:

What kind of bicycle has the most user friendly geometry?
- Road
- MTB
- Hybrid/ city bike
- BMX

What is the standard size of a road bike wheel (700c) in inches?
- 20"
- 26.5"
- 27"
- 28"

What is the only bicycle that is permitted on inner-city busses? (This one might be specific to London, I'm not sure)

Name 3 types of brake found on modern bicycles:

In no more than 200 words, how would a person be best fitted for a bicycle (size & adjustment)?

Who are the 2 main (most popular, wide spread) group-set producers in the bicycle world?

Which part of the wheel spokes maintain tension?
- Bottom
- Sides
- Top
- All of it

Which item/ tool is highly recommended [necessary] for tightening bolts on carbon fibre parts?

What is the most common issue causing a creaking sound at a threaded bottom bracket?

When a frame is UCI certified, what does that mean?

BMX was introduced in California in the 60's, what does BMX stand for?

In the UK, what all new bikes are required to be sold with what feature?

There might be a few more floating around in my head but for now that's all I have time for. Perhaps @Shaun would have some ideas, he's well read on bicycles.
 
Oh I somehow missed your question @DG_Silva , here's a quick couple and I'll do my best to add some more later.

What's the most common material used to manufacture a high end road frame.

-Titanium
-Steel
-Carbon Fibre *
-Aluminium

What apart from power what would you use a power Meter to measure?

-Cadence
-Calories Burnt
-Functional Threshold Power
-All of the above*

I'll try add some more later if I get the chance but I'm a little busy. 👍
 
Quick couple more.

In a Shimano DI2 system what does the D stand for?

-Disc
-Digital*
-Drive

What ratios are considered a standard crankset on a road bike?

53/39*
52/36
50/34
 
Talking of Halfords, I should be picking up a Boardman ADV 8.9 soon. Should compliment my Boardman Team Hardtail 29er. And that will be a 2 bike shed I can live with quite happily. Both are a compromise but should serve me well.
 
ExigeEvan
Both are a compromise but should serve me well.
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A compromise for what?
They both have a purpose that they are built for, riding either on the road would probably be compromise if you take note of the marketing hype I suppose but the way I see it just ride what you want where you want. 👍

Sure it may not be the best for any particular situation (yes I know a compromise) but does that really matter as long as you enjoy yourself.
Heck I ride my custom road bike on gravel sometimes, no where near what it was made for but it's still enjoyable.

As you say with those two you are well covered. 👍
 
Shaun
A compromise for what?
They both have a purpose that they are built for, riding either on the road would probably be compromise if you take note of the marketing hype I suppose but the way I see it just ride what you want where you want. 👍

Sure it may not be the best for any particular situation (yes I know a compromise) but does that really matter as long as you enjoy yourself.
Heck I ride my custom road bike on gravel sometimes, no where near what it was made for but it's still enjoyable.

As you say with those two you are well covered. 👍
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Part of it is the marketing hype yourey right.

Basically I wanted to replace an old, cheap road bike but also have something I could fully-pannier for another cycle tour, and rugged enough for some of the coastal paths and gravel paths in the area.

The ADV in that case is neither the most efficient road bike I could afford, nor the best pannier carrier (I'll have to buy front axle supported racks). But itsi capable of both without being a burden.

The MTB 29er is good enough off road for my own abilities, but without the cost and weight of full sus. It also makes getting between trails on the road a lot easier.
 
Sorry for the Delete post above.
I've always had a passion for bicycles. There is quite a few trails around where I live so I ride quite a bit in the summer time.
Two years ago at a swap meet, I bought a 1967 Montgomery Ward Hawthorne Cruiser for $30. I gave it a deep cleaning and restored the internals of it last year. I cleaned most of the ball bearings but I had to replace a few. The paint and chrome is original but the old tires were dry rotted so after buying some new ones, this old bike feels brand new!
I added a few accessories such as mechanical speedometer, headlight, and taillight. The bike is a single speed and has coaster brakes with 26 inch wheels.
I ride this bike everywhere and I enjoy it!
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Wow, this thread doesn’t get much traffic anymore.

I’ve been off my bike for over 6 months now as a leisure cyclist (poor Trek is in the shed) but for the last year I’ve mostly ridden everywhere on my suicide bike.

The suicide bike was conceived roughly a year ago so it’s a good time for a review.

As it has no breaks at all it is super efficient. With very light gearing I never work up a sweat even in these tropical climes. Not having breaks and not being able to go very fast work well together, obviously.

Part of the concept was 0 maintenance so with thick fixie 28m tyres they pretty much run on flat, although I do cheap and try to keep them above 60psi so my rims don’t get damaged. Low pressure, immortal tyres lend nicely to rough terrain, which I often find my self traversing.

The lack of adjustable gearing doesn’t necessarily mean it’s stuck in one gear; as the original 8 speed cassette remains and there’s a little slack in the chain I’ve discovered wiggle gearing. That is to say, that to change down a bit for extra speed I can wiggle the bike a bit and the chain jumps down a cog. It’s also works with a wiggle to get back into the top gear.

It’s been through about 5 saddles, the most recent was fitted just a few days ago and I’m still trying to get it right.

I do occasionally give it a hose down just to keep up appearances but that’s purely cosmetic.

Overall, for a bike that I conceived to be the most dangerous thing on the road it’s done thousands of KM without incident other than a few jumped chains which can be slipped back on on the go most of the time.

There’s a lot of philosophy behind it but I won’t ramble on about that too much.
 
The bikeforums have a classic and vintage 'clunker challenge' that is a bit similar. They buy a bike and can spend no more than $100 including purchase price, then have to cover 100kms in 100 days. Could be miles actually. A lot of them seem to end up living their clunkers and adopt them as fill time riders.

I haven't done much cycling lately, want to ride to work but it's not an ideal route. Just have to commit. Think I may need some new lights first at least.
 
I went to my local bike shop yesterday and had a quick go on a 2019 Santa Cruz Chameleon. I was a bit unsure how it would feel coming from a 26" wheel full suspension bike to a 29" hardtail, especially given that my cross-country 29er (Scott Aspect) has always felt a bit cumbersome, but the Chameleon felt great! Very nimble but really charges hard when you start pedalling. I'm going to get a demo booked in so I can borrow one to take to my local trails next weekend. They look fantastic too:

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Its been ages since I last posted in here lol. I don't know what happened but about 2 months ago I kinda realised I wasted all the good weather we had in the UK and spent most of it inside, So I decided that I would now try get out on my bike whenever the weather is good to try make up for for it. Since 2011 I have been riding around on a now old Carrera subway hybrid, it had a full service last year with loads of new parts after the bottom bracket failed. I have just got rid of that bike and am waiting for my new bike, It's a nice step up from that thing and will be my first proper road bike. I am getting a Trek domane AL3 2019 model in red and I can't wait to get out on it.

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bluemoon_19
Its been ages since I last posted in here lol. I don't know what happened but about 2 months ago I kinda realised I wasted all the good weather we had in the UK and spent most of it inside, So I decided that I would now try get out on my bike whenever the weather is good to try make up for for it. Since 2011 I have been riding around on a now old Carrera subway hybrid, it had a full service last year with loads of new parts after the bottom bracket failed. I have just got rid of that bike and am waiting for my new bike, It's a nice step up from that thing and will be my first proper road bike. I am getting a Trek domane AL3 2019 model in red and I can't wait to get out on it.

trek-domane-al-3-2019-road-bike-red-EV340568-3000-1.jpg
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Nice bike. If it's anything like the Emonda it'll be amazing. Trek's welds are superb and even with the 105 (which is pictured) these bikes are a world away from the hybrid you're used to.
 
W3HS
Nice bike. If it's anything like the Emonda it'll be amazing. Trek's welds are superb and even with the 105 (which is pictured) these bikes are a world away from the hybrid you're used to.
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Thanks yes I can't wait to see how it stacks up against the old subway lol. I have never ridden a road bike apart from briefly 10 years ago(about 5 miles) so I'm not sure how well it will go, I'm sure I will get used to it in time. With any luck it should be built either tomorrow or Thursday, The shop doing is called york cycleworks and if the google reviews are anything to go by it should be built perfect.
 
Just as I book a demo ride on the Santa Cruz, Bird Bikes reveal an anniversary sale where they've added a higher spec to, and dropped the price of, the Zero AM hardtail. Which is available in my favourite colour combination they do; acid yellow with pink highlights. It's £500 less than the Santa Cruz for almost the same spec. But with a better fork. 🤬
 
Well I have had my new bike for just over a week now and I am really liking it, It's so much faster than my hybrid and especially so when getting moving from traffic lights. I have got used to the different position easily, I thought it would be harder than it was my first ride was a bit painful but I put that down to the fact I ate a full pizza about 30 mins before :lol:. I am just recovering from what I would class (for me anyway) as a decent ride a 27 mile ride down mostly b roads and back lanes, I had some issues before I got going since pumping up my tyres to about 100psi caused the front wheel to catch on the mudguard I was not expecting that.

here is a pic of the bike and the old hybrid for comparison
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I have two bikes which I use primarily for commuting, though I'm looking to do some casual events in the near future.

1. Giant Roam - This is a kind of Subaru Outback of a bike. Mostly geared towards road but has some off road capability. Has a limited travel front fork and an overbuilt aluminum frame. I use this bike for the short version of my commute where I bike 4 miles to the ferry and take that into San Francisco. It's a 35lbs bike with all the commuting gear on it, so it's not very enjoyable to take on rides with lots of climbing. I've had it about a year and a half. I really like as it feels tough as nails and it's a very smooth ride due to the wider tires and front suspension. Well suited for both dirt trails and city pavement.

2. Cannondale CAAD12 105 - I've just picked this bike up and I'm in love with it. If the Giant is a Subaru Outback, this bike is a Lotus Exige. So light for an aluminum bike at just under 18lbs (~8.1kg) and boy is it fast. I bought this primarily to do my full commute (22 miles each way) as well as pursuing group rides and other kind of events. I've been itching to do a century ride lately, and I think this is the bike I will do it on.

Any other CAAD owners around here?

Edit: Shouldn't this just be in rumble strip, not sports? A lot of people bike for a lot of reasons, and sport may not be one of them. The thread doesn't have a whole lot of visibility in this section...
 
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Eunos_Cosmo
What do you got now?
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A couple carbons in the form of a Raleigh Team with Shimano Dura-Ace and a Cannondale SuperSix Evo SRAM Red that just might come out in favor of a Shimano Ultegra group with electronic shifting, a steel Guru Sidero with SRAM Rival and a bunch of bits that I've had a little over a year now and make up most of a Peugeot PX-10 that's as old as me. That last one's destined to get an old Campy Record groupo.
 
TexRex
A couple carbons in the form of a Raleigh Team with Shimano Dura-Ace and a Cannondale SuperSix Evo SRAM Red that just might come out in favor of a Shimano Ultegra group with electronic shifting, a steel Guru Sidero with SRAM Rival and a bunch of bits that I've had a little over a year now and make up most of a Peugeot PX-10 that's as old as me. That last one's destined to get an old Campy Record groupo.
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Care to share some photos of the Guru and Peugeot?
 
Not that it's particularly special, but here is my new CAAD12
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I can't get over how fast this bike is compared to my Giant. I 'Strava' my commute most days, and the segment that I've done most often is a slightly-uphill (1%) 1 mile run. With this bike I was over a minute faster than my typical result on my Giant, and my realized power output was double. That actually exceed my expectations by quite a bit. Now I know why all these road bike guys used to fly by me. :lol: [I should mention that the Giant had flat pedals and I typically wear more mountain-bike style gear, vs clipless pedals and more form fitting stuff on the Cannondale]

Overall, I'm blown away by this bike so far. I read reviews saying how it was so alive feeling....and they are absolutely right. Feels like it wants to rip the front tire off the ground coming out corners. Love this thing. :bowdown:
 
Shaun
Care to share some photos of the Guru and Peugeot?
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I'm afraid photo sharing is one social media convention I don't partake in.

Eunos_Cosmo
Not that it's particularly special, but here is my new CAAD12
GWh47j4.jpg


I can't get over how fast this bike is compared to my Giant. I 'Strava' my commute most days, and the segment that I've done most often is a slightly-uphill (1%) 1 mile run. With this bike I was over a minute faster than my typical result on my Giant, and my realized power output was double. That actually exceed my expectations by quite a bit. Now I know why all these road bike guys used to fly by me. :lol: [I should mention that the Giant had flat pedals and I typically wear more mountain-bike style gear, vs clipless pedals and more form fitting stuff on the Cannondale]

Overall, I'm blown away by this bike so far. I read reviews saying how it was so alive feeling....and they are absolutely right. Feels like it wants to rip the front tire off the ground coming out corners. Love this thing. :bowdown:
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That's a very good looking bike. Glad to see Mavics on it instead of a Fulcrum wheelset; you'll want the strength if the bay area roads you ride are as bad as I remember them from the last time I was there.
 

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