The biking thread

[Greycap]

The only issue for me is the brake setup (disk brake in the front and V-brake in the back)

Either V-brakes have changed a lot in appearance lately or I don't know jack about bikes, but I'd swear those pictures portray a bike with disc brakes all round.

 

[TB]

I hold myself unaccountable. 💡

You bloody well should!

But seriously, we're gonna need a report on those when you've put some miles in them.

You can count on that. If I can make it through one 30+ mile ride without tire issues, that'll be a good start!

 

[girabyt3]

Either V-brakes have changed a lot in appearance lately or I don't know jack about bikes, but I'd swear those pictures portray a bike with disc brakes all round.

Yeah, my mistake, it's an all-round disk brake...

 

[girabyt3]

it's done!!

View attachment 942184 View attachment 942185 View attachment 942186 View attachment 942187 View attachment 942188

Thank GCam for these awesome 48mp night shots!!

Fun fact: It took a lot since I didn't know how to install the front rim (It did come with the front rim's adjustment-screw thingy the seat's pole has and I don't know how to pronounce it). Can't wait to try it!!

Finally took it out on a test!! Here's my first review...

Brakes (as I expected) are a piece of crap (the front even screeches...) ... I will save for a month to get a hydraulic setup (I know the right place to buy and install it over here very cheap). Also, but it was because it had little-to-none grease (despite adding a good amount of 3-in-1 oil on the gears), the chain fell off while testing the transmission (and it was hard as hell to move... And as a bonus, the seat got loose during the downhill test... This latter one though makes me think the bike it's still loose on those sections, so I'm gonna adjust it more during the week to solve those issues.

Now the good things... The suspension is a dream!! Took it to some uneven tarmac surfaces and construction areas and I didn't feel the rocks or bumps!! I can't imagine how it could be on a dirt trail!! The tires aren't bad too for being Nylon and not rubber, the frame is a bit heavy since it's steel and not aluminum, but for an Mtb is still good.

Overall, It's not ready to give it a point (since the issues can be solved by adjusting the bike more), but so far, it's a bit promising

 

[girabyt3]

Finally took it to its natural habitat (well, kind of)... Suspension-wise, again, it's beautiful!! ♥

I also greased the chain and gears, that's what it needed, even if the chain almost came off at the 18th gear, again... I found the problem though, the sprocket is a piece of crap... Overall, the bike is not bad for being budget-friendly, 29er, and full-suspension, it just needs some better stuff!! . Think it as your very 1st start to mtb building

Final score: 14/20

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Finally took it to its natural habitat (well, kind of)... Suspension-wise, again, it's beautiful!! ♥

I also greased the chain and gears, that's what it needed, even if the chain almost came off at the 18th gear, again... I found the problem though, the sprocket is a piece of crap... Overall, the bike is not bad for being budget-friendly, 29er, and full-suspension, it just needs some better stuff!! . Think it as your very 1st start to mtb building

Final score: 14/20

View attachment 942905

Came off in 18th gear. Hmm. Do you mean the largest gear on the rear cassette? If so, were you on the big front chain ring when that happened? If so, that combination really isn't meant to be selected (the opposite is also true), and the problem can be especially bad on lower end group sets. I have a giant hybrid bike (Shimano Acerca groupset) and the front derailleur did not have a very strong attachment which meant it constantly got out of adjustment. You might want to check the alignment of the front Derailleur in any case.

 

[girabyt3]

Came off in 18th gear. Hmm. Do you mean the largest gear on the rear cassette?

No, It was in the smallest gear, I was testing the highest speed it can get

were you on the big front chainring when that happened?

Yes, It was... In that one, I need to check out the derailleur too since when setting it to the highest front sprocket, the chain stays in the middle...

I will check it out on the weekend, the whole thing needs some adjustments for what it looks

 

[TB]

Just got the notification that the tires were delivered!

Of course, were supposed to have 20+ mph winds all day today.

 

[TB]

I am literally sweating getting these tires installed. And I'm only partly done with the first one. This had better be worth it.

As far as weight difference:

A 41 gram difference (although the scale also registered 1895 initially so a 131 gram difference) so possibly about a quarter of a pound.

 

[TB]

Holy 🤬. That was the most difficult thing I've done all week.





Once I got a rythm down, things went pretty decent but you cant force them on. You have to tuck the tire into the rim THEN you can push the pins into place.

I'll do the other one tomorrow.

Edit: Just went on a ride for a couple of blocks. I'm fairly confident the extra effort required was predominantly due to the 18mph wind, not only the tires.

They are certainly more stiff, and harder, than the Gatorskin that's still on the front but I'm of the belief that they'll soften up just a bit with use.

So far, so good.

 

[phillgt2002]

Got the bike back two weeks earlier and at half of the estimate price. I stopped by my favorite local coffee shop as a first time back.

Since I’m giving it up soon, my dad is going to get it repainted and detailed by a shop that specializes in bikes; it’ll be about $350. After that, it will be just like how it was when it was new.

This is the same exact bike on Craigslist - it has similar wear and tear. After the painting and detail, I’d suggest it’ll be worth around $1400.

The old Marco saddle is somewhere around the house. Really tears the little ones down there up, so I replaced it.

 

[TB]

I finally had the time to get the other airless tire on and figured now that I had one under my belt, I'd time myself on the other one.

Recap - the first one took me an hour and a half.

The second was 25 minutes.

Do it the way the tire wants and things are A LOT easier.

Now if only there were more days in the month so I could hit my 500 miles...

Maybe next month.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Did a big ride Sunday. Biggest vertical day I've done.

This time I brought plenty of food, 2 bottles of water AND a Gatorade, which really seemed to help. I also didn't push harder than threshold heartrate (tried to hold myself to no higher than 175bpm) so I wasn't seeing red the whole time. My individual climbs were not as fast as my bests, but my overall time from Fairfax to the top of the mountain was my fastest yet...and I still felt good when I got to the top! Importantly, this nasty section of rollers called the 7 sisters didn't completely own me like it did last time.

My favorite bit was when I got to the top of the ridge (about 2,000ft) there was a thick marine layer hanging just there, which was condensing onto the redwood trees. It was raining...from the trees! Also made for some pretty sick god rays.

It was clearing out to the west when I approached the summit of Mt. Tam. The taller Mt Diablo visible here on the horizon, one of GCN's top climbs in the USA. You can also just make out the richmond-san rafael bridge on the left, and the Tiburon peninsula on the right.

But, as per typical, SF was completely covered in fog. Pretty sure you can just barely see the top of Salesforce tower poking up above the clouds, but I'm not certain.

 

[TB]

Biggest vertical day I've done.

Would die. Fact.

Looks like an awesome ride!

- - - - -

Obviously with my tire issues I didn't stand much of a chance in hitting 500 miles this month. My unofficial plan is to see if I can manage it in the month of August. My wife and I have taken a week off but with things the way they are, we might just end up staying home for that week.

Boo.

Might be a good time to put down some miles, though!

Edit: Even with all the downtime, I still managed to have my best Strava month ever by 35 miles.

 

[W3H5]

Any one else not getting notifications from this thread? It’s been happening to me for years. I can’t be the only one. All the other subscribed threads deliver notifications.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Any one else not getting notifications from this thread? It’s been happening to me for years. I can’t be the only one. All the other subscribed threads deliver notifications.

Mine work. I've made it my goal this month to ascend 7500m. Today I did 2,000ft (about 610m). 10 more days like that and I'll be in with a shot!

Didn't take any good photos today, though I did see @Heldenzeit 's goats.

 

[TB]

Any one else not getting notifications from this thread? It’s been happening to me for years. I can’t be the only one. All the other subscribed threads deliver notifications.

Mine are working.

Some of it might be if an alert comes in and you don't check the thread, the alerts stop.

You could try unwatching then rewatching, too.

 

[W3H5]

You could try unwatching then rewatching, too.

I’ll try that. I did try it before but it didn’t have much effect.
I feel like I miss out on all the good conversation.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

6 days in and I'm sitting at 1,342m out of 7,500. I can hit my target if I average 246 meters per day, but that's pretty hard when I'm only finding time to ride 3-4 days a week. Did about 1400ft yesterday after work...gonna try to do 1000 today.

 

[girabyt3]

Btw guys, which drivetrain do you recomend for my mtb, 2by9 or 1by11?? I understand 1byX setups are easier and lighter but my worry is the crank size (I've seen many 36t shimano 1by cranks and I want speed at downhills. I say it since my mtb is a 3by6 as stock, and it flies on downhill at hardest speed (3 front- 1 back).

 

[girabyt3]

It's not even one month old and my poor Goliat is starting to beg for upgrades!! ... Well, it's time for a new set of pedals

Yes, I expected this too since this, for a stock mtb, are cheap-a(beep) pedals...

Spoiler

ignore that croc

 

[girabyt3]

It's not even one month old and my poor Goliat is starting to beg for upgrades!! ... Well, it's time for a new set of pedals

Yes, I expected this too since this, for a stock mtb, are cheap-a(beep) pedals...

View attachment 947717

Spoiler

ignore that croc

The upgrades started!! Got a new set of black Federal bmx pedals, yes, bmx pedals on an mtb... , they were incredibly cheaper and incredibly gripier... And incredibly heavier, but they do their job, that's the most important thing... Also solved the floppy saddle problem, it was the seat post... That's off too and this storm one... It's night and day!! (As a bonus, it made the rear suspension much more responsive) . Now I will enjoy better my Goliat with it's stock parts... I will wait 'till those wear out more to put more upgrades

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Those are some seriously gnarly tires you got there.

Haven't been feeling 100% lately. Did a 10 mile 1k vert ride today. Felt ok on the bike, but man it took some effort to actually get out there. Sitting just below 2000m for the month with 22 days left to climb another 5500. Part of my issue is that I've ridden basically all there is to ride near my house. Without a car that can transport a bike, I'm kinda stuck. However, I did find this website with a few climbs here in my county that I haven't yet attempted. Namely Mt. Vision which looks like a real blast. It will take me a solid two hours just to get to the base of the climb so I'm gonna need to pack some provisions and pace myself out there.

 

[girabyt3]

Those are some seriously gnarly tires you got there.

Thanks, ... Those are the stock nylon tires if you ask (IDK if they are tubeless-ready, I will be shocked if they are, considering my mtb's original price).

Going to the store was the longest bike trip I've ever done in a while (took me about 1h 10min to go from my house and thankfully the cracked pedal didn't end it's life on the road). As usual, I've taped the trip and the upgrade for my channel

Also, out of curiosity, I've asked for prices to continue the upgrading once it's necessary, this 9-speed Alivio kit (Back cassette, front-back derailleur, and 3 or 2by9 gear levers for S/.340-$96) was really tingling me up with just watching it!! ♥

(Until I'm reminded myself I'm making this budget-friendly ($200 overall, now $175 due to the pedals and saddle already upgraded, and Alivio disk-brake calipers are S/.60-$17 each)... At least suspension-wise it's amazing for being basic ♥

At least there's the Acera lineup

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Well, due to work deadlines, incredibly high temperatures (well, for coastal CA) and a sore/possibly injured left foot, I think I'm not going to hit my 7500m target. Actually I don't think I'll get close. Sitting at 2,500m at the moment...haven't ridden since saturday.

I really need to get some better cycling shoes...the ones I bought are too big and I cannot position the cleat properly as a result. Pretty sure it's whats causing my foot/arch pain.

 

[MrCrynox]

Any one else not getting notifications from this thread? It’s been happening to me for years. I can’t be the only one. All the other subscribed threads deliver notifications.

It's the same for me. I just checked & find 25 new posts since my last visit

 

[W3H5]

It's the same for me. I just checked & find 25 new posts since my last visit

Since my last post you quoted this is the first time I’ve received a notification. Something is broken

 

[daan]

New bike!

A couple of years ago I got an e-bike on the cycle to work scheme. It's great, up to a point, and that point is 16.something mph when the electric cuts out and you're left attempting to keep the speed up which is an impossibility as you're left to pedal a massively heavy bike.

New bikes are like hens teeth at the minute but I happened to do a random search and found the bike I was looking for at a shop in Southampton. It arrived today and a Ridgeback three6five (yes, that's how it's written...)

No front derailleur (for lightweight(ish) simplicity) and a 10 speed cassette on the back.

 

[girabyt3]

Thank you Firefox!!

Only thing lefting now is the saddle and the "5 essentials" (and stage 1 upgrading too) are covered!!

 

[gnomefromnome]

I didn't know there was a biking thread. I picked this one up first. A Sekai 2400 Limited, well used, but taken care of.

only thing I've done to this was change the seat, and remove the toe clips. I bought some straight bars, etc. intending to install on this bike but due to the shifters mounted on the bars I did not. I rode this as is, with just a spritz of oil. The tires are going bald and the gumwall is not in good shape but I was surprised the tubes hold air. I did get a flat on the front after an errant run-in with a crack on the bike trail.

then this came into my possession, a Sekai 1000.

This one was well used and put away wet. The frame, rims etc. were grimey, and the freewheel, and both wheel axles were in need of lube. The tread is in decent shape but the gumwall looks kinda scary lol. But the tubes held air and off on my first run. As you can see I removed the 10 speed style bars and added the mountain bike bars I bought. First run though the rear derailleur over shifted into the spokes and bent out of shape. I tried straightening it, but instead salvaged parts from the 2400 Limited. On went the rims, and rear derailleur, but I still had trouble shifting. After a few tinkering I discovered the rear rim hanger had bent after the errant derailleur interfered with the spokes. Took a few strikes and got the hanger in position and the shifting is good enough to ride.


I still need to lube up the axles a bit, and will repeice the 2400 Limited back together with the other rims and a derailleur I dug up. Oh, and the 1000 came with a front rack I'd like to install, but I need some clamps for the upper mounts. I like the 1000 a bit more due to the larger frame, and plus I was able to add the handlebars.