Planet Rugby Forum

Pat the Ex Mat wrote:I have an old 26" Orbea that I commute on - There were guys doing 25Km + on those front rings.

I was surprised they didn't top out

Well the front ring is 32T whilst the rear cassette is 10-50, 12-speed.

On my old bikes it's more like front 24/32/42 and rear cassette 11-36, 10-speed.

I'm sure someone else knows how to calculate the gearing ratios but the range seems good on the modern 1 x 12 system just different operating procedures to the old 3 x 10 (or 7 or 8 or 9 depending how old the bike is).

Yeah, I'm sure it's fine but it messes with your head

I foolishly said yes to a mate's 50th next year in Derby, Tas. Supposed to be the best MTBing in Oz.

I have 10 months to get ready for it

Pat the Ex Mat wrote:Yeah, I'm sure it's fine but it messes with your head

I foolishly said yes to a mate's 50th next year in Derby, Tas. Supposed to be the best MTBing in Oz.

I have 10 months to get ready for it

Where are you based?

I agreed to a MTB ride in the Noosa Headlands at Xmas on 4 weeks notice. I wasn't fit as had mostly been playing golf and drinking beer in the lead up but thought I'd be Ok as my mate isn't that fit. But he showed up with an awesome E-Bike and the rest of the crew were fit Mtbing junkies. I was bringing up the rear all day but it was still some fun riding.

Sydney. A pain to get out of but I've got a mate who imports and sells bike so will head out with him to get a few

My mate did imply there are E-bikes......

TBH, I did Mt Stromlo a few years back and it's not the gas I have problems with - it's age. If you clench up a bit downhill, you tend to stack more than going full on.

Pat the Ex Mat wrote:Sydney. A pain to get out of but I've got a mate who imports and sells bike so will head out with him to get a few

My mate did imply there are E-bikes......

TBH, I did Mt Stromlo a few years back and it's not the gas I have problems with - it's age. If you clench up a bit downhill, you tend to stack more than going full on.

Know the feeling.

Man In Black wrote:

DOB wrote:

Man In Black wrote:

DOB wrote:

Man In Black wrote:I just bought the entry level Bianchi to get back into road cycling. Knowing PR someone will no doubt be along soon to tell me it’s a shit bike and a terrible choice but I like it. The brake set seems a bit ropey though, they’ve clearly saved some money there. Also Celeste is a hot colour.

The Via Nirone?

Bianchi do make good bikes. Unless you got a big discount, you probably paid more than a similar specced bike by a different brand. But the celeste is nice, and the bike will last for you. At the very worst, you have a frame that is worthy of whatever upgrades you choose to put on it in the future.

That’s the one. To be honest, I kinda knew that when I bought it. I probably could have got a more mainstream brand for cheaper with better spec but as you say I can add to is at time goes on. It’s a nice looking bike and the reviews of it are largely very good. The only criticism is the relative low quality of the group set, but I’ll look to upgrade that when the time is right.

Claris/Sora are perfectly serviceable groups, no need to upgrade anything until it breaks/you really want to get into some long rides. Especially now that Shimano's lower tier groups have dropped the crappy thumb shifter they used to have. If you're going to spend any on upgrading it, go wheels first, then BB, and then whenever your chain and cassette wear out, switch the drivetrain to something with more speeds like 105.

Thing is, keep it clean and in good condition, and you'll always get someone turn their head and go "nice Bianchi!" I have a Brava frame stripped down in my garage, it's a dirty muddy red colour, cheap 520 steel, but it always gets approving looks whenever I take it out. Possibly in part to the Campag group on it, but even that's low-tier.

Thanks for the tips. One of the great things about cycling beyond the health and fitness aspect is being able to nerd out and upgrade components. Eventually you end up with a pretty well full bespoke bike just to ones liking.

True!

I bought my first MTB in 2001 - a Trek 6500. The only components remaining are the seatpost and stem

DOB wrote:

Man In Black wrote:

DOB wrote:

Man In Black wrote:I just bought the entry level Bianchi to get back into road cycling. Knowing PR someone will no doubt be along soon to tell me it’s a shit bike and a terrible choice but I like it. The brake set seems a bit ropey though, they’ve clearly saved some money there. Also Celeste is a hot colour.

The Via Nirone?

Bianchi do make good bikes. Unless you got a big discount, you probably paid more than a similar specced bike by a different brand. But the celeste is nice, and the bike will last for you. At the very worst, you have a frame that is worthy of whatever upgrades you choose to put on it in the future.

That’s the one. To be honest, I kinda knew that when I bought it. I probably could have got a more mainstream brand for cheaper with better spec but as you say I can add to is at time goes on. It’s a nice looking bike and the reviews of it are largely very good. The only criticism is the relative low quality of the group set, but I’ll look to upgrade that when the time is right.

Claris/Sora are perfectly serviceable groups, no need to upgrade anything until it breaks/you really want to get into some long rides. Especially now that Shimano's lower tier groups have dropped the crappy thumb shifter they used to have. If you're going to spend any on upgrading it, go wheels first, then BB, and then whenever your chain and cassette wear out, switch the drivetrain to something with more speeds like 105.

Thing is, keep it clean and in good condition, and you'll always get someone turn their head and go "nice Bianchi!" I have a Brava frame stripped down in my garage, it's a dirty muddy red colour, cheap 520 steel, but it always gets approving looks whenever I take it out. Possibly in part to the Campag group on it, but even that's low-tier.

I'd get some 105 or Tiagra brakes cheapish and replace the rubbish ones as a priority. having good brakes helps you go faster as you have so much more confidence. Nothing wrong with the Via Nirone its a lovely bike

Another puncture this morning FFS.
Can’t be f**ked with the tyre at this stage, binning it and getting a new one ordered!
Any recommendations?
I’m eyeing up this one: Continental Grand Prix 4 Season Folding Bike Tyre
£42 off Amazon.

Jim Lahey wrote:Another puncture this morning FFS.
Can’t be f**ked with the tyre at this stage, binning it and getting a new one ordered!
Any recommendations?
I’m eyeing up this one: Continental Grand Prix 4 Season Folding Bike Tyre
£42 off Amazon.

GP4S is good and provides decent protection whilst rolling pretty fast (compared to gatorskins). Quite pricey though.

Shwalbe Marathon is my choice of boots for commuting, seem to last forever.

I've got Kenda Kwest 25c tires on my commuter. Cheap as chips, and I've only ever had (I think) 2 punctures on them over the last several years, both when I smashed my rim into a pothole.

I had Gatorskins on my road bike in the past, and to be honest, I haven't had any more frequent punctures since I switched to GP4000s (now the 5000s). And the ride is a lot nicer.

My Cannondale came with Schwalbes, and after the Prologo saddle, they were the worst thing about the bike and the first thing I took off. I have had an irrational hatred of all things to do with both brands ever since, though a lot of people whose opinion I respect recommend Schwalbes. The remaining one of those tires is now my trainer tire.

DOB wrote:I've got Kenda Kwest 25c tires on my commuter. Cheap as chips, and I've only ever had (I think) 2 punctures on them over the last several years, both when I smashed my rim into a pothole.

I had Gatorskins on my road bike in the past, and to be honest, I haven't had any more frequent punctures since I switched to GP4000s (now the 5000s). And the ride is a lot nicer.

My Cannondale came with Schwalbes, and after the Prologo saddle, they were the worst thing about the bike and the first thing I took off. I have had an irrational hatred of all things to do with both brands ever since, though a lot of people whose opinion I respect recommend Schwalbes. The remaining one of those tires is now my trainer tire.

Irrational hatred is best hatred. I had some issues with Vittoria tyres and have similarly steered clear since despite having great reviews.

To be honest the original tyres that come with bikes are nearly always the nastiest most horrible tyres they can source anyway.

blindcider wrote: To be honest the original tyres that come with bikes are nearly always the nastiest most horrible tyres they can source anyway.

I can't help thinking someone's missing a trick there. Spend the extra $20 to shod your bike with top-notch rubber, add $50 to the price tag, and make sure the customers are doing test rides.

DOB wrote:

blindcider wrote: To be honest the original tyres that come with bikes are nearly always the nastiest most horrible tyres they can source anyway.

I can't help thinking someone's missing a trick there. Spend the extra $20 to shod your bike with top-notch rubber, add $50 to the price tag, and make sure the customers are doing test rides.

The odds of anybody noticing any tyre differences between tyres of similar pressure and width on a test ride are close to zero.

I have Schwalbe Marathons on my touring bike and Gatorskins on several of my road bikes. I have not noticed Gatorskins reducing the number of punctures. vs other tyres. The Marathons seem pretty solid and haven't punctured yet. They are bigger and heavier though.

Man In Black wrote:So what you guys are saying is I'm going to need new tires pretty soon.

It's pretty much the first "upgrade" you get to make with any bike, as it's the number 1 wear item.

Jim Lahey wrote:Another puncture this morning FFS.
Can’t be f**ked with the tyre at this stage, binning it and getting a new one ordered!
Any recommendations?
I’m eyeing up this one: Continental Grand Prix 4 Season Folding Bike Tyre
£42 off Amazon.

I asked this earlier but do you have rim tape protecting the inner tube? I remember getting punctures nearly every ride on my old road bike until I put rim tape on and didn't get another puncture after that.

Any recommendations on a road bike for the uk for about 1000-1500pounds? I guess driving to go mountain biking is not a essential travel.

We are all going to die. Might as well get a new bike. Just delivered today. My first ever NBD.

Petej wrote:Any recommendations on a road bike for the uk for about 1000-1500pounds? I guess driving to go mountain biking is not a essential travel.

I'd suggest losing a bit of weight first

Yer Man wrote:

Petej wrote:Any recommendations on a road bike for the uk for about £1000-1500? I guess driving to go mountain biking is not a essential travel.

I'd suggest losing a bit of weight first

Thanks for your helpful suggestion.

Petej wrote:Any recommendations on a road bike for the uk for about 1000-1500pounds? I guess driving to go mountain biking is not a essential travel.

I'd suggest sticking with aluminium frame at that price - You'd get a Carbon bike at that price but with a stepdown component wise. In Aluminium, you'd be looking at 105 plus hydraulic disk brakes.

It depends a lot on how you want to use it but I reckon you can't go too far wrong in the UK with a gravel or cyclocross bike. loads of good bikes at around the £1000 price point as that was the cyclescheme limit

Edit to add: Disk Brakes make a hell of a lot of sense in the UK but only Hydro ones. Avoid mechanical disks as they are worse than traditional stoppers

rustycruiser wrote:We are all going to die. Might as well get a new bike. Just delivered today. My first ever NBD.

Nice, just in time from spring and solo rides Social Distancing

DOB wrote:

Man In Black wrote:So what you guys are saying is I'm going to need new tires pretty soon.

It's pretty much the first "upgrade" you get to make with any bike, as it's the number 1 wear item.

Yep. I've run GP4000's for the last 10 years and really like them. My new bike has tubeless ready wheels, so I just switched over from the Specialized Turbo's that it came with to the GP5000TL, so far so good.

Only concern is the tires were so hard to get on, that I doubt I could fit a tube in an emergency situation on the roadside, so in the event the sealant can't seal a puncture, I'm carrying a plug kit and two CO2 cartridges. Fingers crossed it works as advertised

has anyone actually gone tubeless? Friends and family are raving about it but it seems a bit of a hassle and not easy to get right without the right tools and being of sound mind - both of which may be an issue.

clydecloggie wrote:has anyone actually gone tubeless? Friends and family are raving about it but it seems a bit of a hassle and not easy to get right without the right tools and being of sound mind - both of which may be an issue.

Got a new Kuota last year which came with tubeless (not requested by me), at one stage I'd done more miles in the car back and forward to the shop trying to get the tyres to seal than I'd ridden! Eventually caved and went back to tubes although I'm also dreading the first p as the tyres (Gatorskins) were a bastard to get on.

clydecloggie wrote:has anyone actually gone tubeless? Friends and family are raving about it but it seems a bit of a hassle and not easy to get right without the right tools and being of sound mind - both of which may be an issue.

My mate, who regularly does ridiculous length rides (400-500k plus) went tubeless recently.

I was meant to ask him how it went, but somebody shut the fůcking pubs.

clydecloggie wrote:has anyone actually gone tubeless? Friends and family are raving about it but it seems a bit of a hassle and not easy to get right without the right tools and being of sound mind - both of which may be an issue.

Went tubeless about six months ago. Bought a new wheelset for my specialized epic to make it more trail than cross-country. So put the new ones together tubeless and it was easy enough so did the old ones too. No mess and had no problems, watched some YouTube beforehand, GMBN ones.
Having two hugely differring wheelsets has been a good way to change the bike without buying a second one. I like the xc set up for long single track type rides while having the bigger 2.4/2.5 tyres for playing with the kids and grandkids in parks. Was interested to find the heavier wheelset was a massive 1.5kgs heavier. 3.9kgs vs 5.4.

clydecloggie wrote:has anyone actually gone tubeless? Friends and family are raving about it but it seems a bit of a hassle and not easy to get right without the right tools and being of sound mind - both of which may be an issue.

I’ve biked with a couple of guys who had tubeless ready rims. When I asked about it, they said pretty much what you think. They found it a bit of a hassle, and the ride difference wasn’t worth it. This is a couple years back and maybe it’s easier now.

MTBs have been tubeless for years now. Not every tech that comes over is an improvement.

DOB wrote:

clydecloggie wrote:has anyone actually gone tubeless? Friends and family are raving about it but it seems a bit of a hassle and not easy to get right without the right tools and being of sound mind - both of which may be an issue.

I’ve biked with a couple of guys who had tubeless ready rims. When I asked about it, they said pretty much what you think. They found it a bit of a hassle, and the ride difference wasn’t worth it. This is a couple years back and maybe it’s easier now.

MTBs have been tubeless for years now. Not every tech that comes over is an improvement.

Yeah I'd say the biggest advantage for mtbing is being able to run the tubeless tyres at much lower pressures without worrying about pinch flats. The lower pressure adds to the cushioning and suspension on rough, rooty trails and can improve traction. The weight saving benefits are completely negligible in my opinion so I'm also not sure that you'd gain much on a road bike apart from perhaps avoiding punctures that you might get with an inner tube.

clydecloggie wrote:has anyone actually gone tubeless? Friends and family are raving about it but it seems a bit of a hassle and not easy to get right without the right tools and being of sound mind - both of which may be an issue.

A chap I have done a number of cycle tours in Asia with went tubeless few years ago and swears by it. One issue he did mention is that you now become dependent on the porosity of the tyre rather than the tube. He had to send one batch of tyres back to the supplier.

He rides many thousands of km per year on variable roads so I rate his experiences.

Spyglass wrote:

rustycruiser wrote:We are all going to die. Might as well get a new bike. Just delivered today. My first ever NBD.

Nice, just in time from spring and solo rides Social Distancing

Yep. Although I do have a small fear about crashing and ending up in hospital at a not so opportune time. Maybe not bomb any descents for the next few months

That Canyon is lovely, post up a pic of the finished build so we can pick holes in your saddle height/stack height/pedal choice etc.

I got a gravel bike last year (yes, I know it's the equivalent of a 4x4 that never gets muddy) that came with tubeless tyres with that white goo. After a couple of months of having to pump the pluming back tyre up every f**king day I but a kevlar Schwalbe on it and haven't had a problem yet. I had them on my last cross bike and never had a puncture on it after I fitted them, so I am nconvinced about tubeless.

rustycruiser wrote:We are all going to die. Might as well get a new bike. Just delivered today. My first ever NBD.

Lovely.

Si shifting? Best thing I ever bought on a bike.

so I panic ordered a "HOMCOM Folding Bike Trainer Cycling Roller" - it was the last of any such trainer left that I could find ; only thing is that I'll be literally spinning my wheels with no idea of distance travelled ; story of my life ; is there anything you can order ? thanks much

dinsdale wrote:

clydecloggie wrote:has anyone actually gone tubeless? Friends and family are raving about it but it seems a bit of a hassle and not easy to get right without the right tools and being of sound mind - both of which may be an issue.

A chap I have done a number of cycle tours in Asia with went tubeless few years ago and swears by it. One issue he did mention is that you now become dependent on the porosity of the tyre rather than the tube. He had to send one batch of tyres back to the supplier.

He rides many thousands of km per year on variable roads so I rate his experiences.

For mountain biking. So much better grip even at same pressures and I used to go through a lot of inner tubes so I'm a big fan of tubeless.
SGS do a good small compressor for about £70 which is well worth it and makes it easy to set up tubeless.

ticketlessinseattle wrote:so I panic ordered a "HOMCOM Folding Bike Trainer Cycling Roller" - it was the last of any such trainer left that I could find ; only thing is that I'll be literally spinning my wheels with no idea of distance travelled ; story of my life ; is there anything you can order ? thanks much

Any bike computer (cateye, sigma are 2 brands you can look at) can be hooked up to your back wheel. Edit; but on your rollers you should be fine to set up with the sensor on your front wheel.

If you have a gps head unit, they can be paired with a wheel sensor, cadence sensor etc. My home trainer setup is just my bike on a fluid trainer, with a Garmin and a speed/cadence sensor.

DOB wrote:

ticketlessinseattle wrote:so I panic ordered a "HOMCOM Folding Bike Trainer Cycling Roller" - it was the last of any such trainer left that I could find ; only thing is that I'll be literally spinning my wheels with no idea of distance travelled ; story of my life ; is there anything you can order ? thanks much

Any bike computer (cateye, sigma are 2 brands you can look at) can be hooked up to your back wheel. Edit; but on your rollers you should be fine to set up with the sensor on your front wheel.

If you have a gps head unit, they can be paired with a wheel sensor, cadence sensor etc. My home trainer setup is just my bike on a fluid trainer, with a Garmin and a speed/cadence sensor.

cheers DOB, much appreciated ; it looks like the internet is sold out of them at the moment ! I did see something about some not being compatible with certain wheel sizes which seems wrong - I know fcuk all about this stuff (more of a runner for cardio) so feel free to talk to me like a 5 year old....I'm a munster fan so shouldn't be a stretch for you; this one seems to do the trick....
cateye-velo-wireless

ticketlessinseattle wrote:

DOB wrote:

ticketlessinseattle wrote:so I panic ordered a "HOMCOM Folding Bike Trainer Cycling Roller" - it was the last of any such trainer left that I could find ; only thing is that I'll be literally spinning my wheels with no idea of distance travelled ; story of my life ; is there anything you can order ? thanks much

Any bike computer (cateye, sigma are 2 brands you can look at) can be hooked up to your back wheel. Edit; but on your rollers you should be fine to set up with the sensor on your front wheel.

If you have a gps head unit, they can be paired with a wheel sensor, cadence sensor etc. My home trainer setup is just my bike on a fluid trainer, with a Garmin and a speed/cadence sensor.

cheers DOB, much appreciated ; it looks like the internet is sold out of them at the moment ! I did see something about some not being compatible with certain wheel sizes which seems wrong - I know fcuk all about this stuff (more of a runner for cardio) so feel free to talk to me like a 5 year old....I'm a munster fan so shouldn't be a stretch for you; this one seems to do the trick....
cateye-velo-wireless

Cateye are basically the Nokia of bike computers. They made straightforward, pretty much indestructible simple to use tech through the 90s and 00s, and they’ve been left behind a bit as GPS and power meters and touch screen full-colour smartphone tech have taken over. But that one you’re looking at will absolutely do the job.

clydecloggie wrote:has anyone actually gone tubeless? Friends and family are raving about it but it seems a bit of a hassle and not easy to get right without the right tools and being of sound mind - both of which may be an issue.

See my post above. I converted three weeks ago and have about 500 miles on GP5000TL's. They'e 25mm wide and I run them 75/85 psi, ride is good considering I have a very stiff frame. My main motivation for the change to tubeless was to hopefully avoid the flats I get around here from small sharp rocks, wire, staples, etc. Theoretically the sealant should seal these types of punctures.

The installation was more difficult than a tubed tire, but still doable for the average home bike maintenance task. First tire took about one hour, including fitting rim tape, tire on/off twice and sealant. Second tire was 10 or 15 mins. Tire was definitely hard to get on rim, but can be achieved by hand, without levers, using soapy water and the right technique. Both inflated first time with only a regular floor pump.

Tires lose about 10-15 psi per week