Cycling Thread

[bossy22]

Originally Posted by JonDuke

Also, any recommendations for a distance time tracking app? I'm currently using the lite version of Roadbike, but am wondering if there is something better I can buy?

I've tried quite a few. For my regular riding, whether it's road riding or mountain biking, I have a Garmin 705, which I love. But when I tow the kid around, I use my iphone. I have runmeter/cyclemeter, runtastic roadbike, strava cycling, and garmin. I have compared their data with my garmin 705.
My personal favorites are runtastic roadbike and strava. I like strava because of the community, and I can follow what pros are doing that use it. For just use, I found Runtastic to work best for me as far as accuracy goes.
One thing with the garmin app, is it took forever to establish my location, plus it would lag at times. So I turfed it
Runmeter has a lot of good reviews. I personally didn't like it as much as runtastic.

[Azure]

I started biking a bit lately. Use Endomondo on my Android phone. Tracks pretty well. There is a a gravel pit not far from where I live, and depending on how I go through the trails, its anywhere from 6-10 miles. I would prefer to bike a longer distance, but I hate biking on a gravel road or even the highway. I suppose with keeping track of my times, I can push to go the 6-10 miles in faster time.

I'm trying to do this mainly for hockey, which is why I think pushing myself faster over a shorter distance might be more beneficial versus a long drawn out bike ride.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by pylon

Also, do yourself a favour, and check out Lifesport. They specialize in good quality city/hybrids. It is where I bought my commuter, and they were great. You should be able to find something REALLY nice in the 5-700 range there. The Brodie and Devinci stuff is really nice.

Great call on Lifesport. We took a look yesterday, and found some really nice options. Ended up buying a nice Marin for my mom (came down to it and a Devinci, the exact one you recommended actually), and going back today with my wife to see if there's something for her.

Now, where does one go for a bike rack?

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Great call on Lifesport. We took a look yesterday, and found some really nice options. Ended up buying a nice Marin for my mom (came down to it and a Devinci, the exact one you recommended actually), and going back today with my wife to see if there's something for her.

Now, where does one go for a bike rack?

You know what I love about Lifesport.... it still feels like an old rickety bike shop. All the big guys in town, are starting to look like Apple Stores inside, but Lifesport still has that old bike shop smell and feel to it, right down to the big old dog that always hangs out there. Noah, the shop manager is a super solid guy, and jumped through hoops for me when I had some issues with my bike last year.

For racks, look on Kijiji for sure. But MEC is also good for that stuff too. I was at MEC a couple weeks ago, and they definitely have the best prices on tires in town.

[Table 5]

So we bought another bike (this time a Devinci) at Lifesport this morning and took it for a spin around Glenmore......not 10 feet into our ride, the front V-break cable breaks apart from the connector and a part of it chipped off. Hmmm ok, never had that happen, but we manage to get it working relatively well. 10 minutes later, the stem comes loose and the bar starts flopping around. Easy enough fix with the right tool, but we didn't have an allen wrench on us, so my wife had to walk up every hill because she couldnt put any pressure on the bar without it flopping.

Not deal-breaker issues, but definitely whoever put this bike together needs to do more quality control. The sales service was great...now let's see how the customer service is with issues!

[FLAMESRULE]

Went on my first real "road" ride today with my bro-in-law. Toured up from Edgemont up to Rocky Ridge and back down Country Hills / John Laurie to Edgemont again. Pretty great ride and beat all the rain + wind. Round trip was ~35km. Trek 2.1 was great fun to ride and I love the SRAM Apex compact.

Question for the veteran riders though, holy F, the only muscle that hurts is my neck. No idea if my jowls need to get beaten into shape, but everything else feels great except my neck. I'd imagine its from 75min of being kinked from riding...

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Originally Posted by FLAMESRULE

Went on my first real "road" ride today with my bro-in-law. Toured up from Edgemont up to Rocky Ridge and back down Country Hills / John Laurie to Edgemont again. Pretty great ride and beat all the rain + wind. Round trip was ~35km. Trek 2.1 was great fun to ride and I love the SRAM Apex compact.

Question for the veteran riders though, holy F, the only muscle that hurts is my neck. No idea if my jowls need to get beaten into shape, but everything else feels great except my neck. I'd imagine its from 75min of being kinked from riding...

One small thing that may sound odd, but for me makes a big difference in this case, is good gloves.
Like I said, it may sound odd, but if you have good gloves with decent padding your hands will be a lot more comfortable on your bars. This'll help keep your arms and shoulders relaxed, and in turn your neck.

That being said, it may just be a case of your neck not being used to it, but you never know what might help.

[Bill Bumface]

Has anyone done an DH at Swansea? Reading the descriptions it says "Black diamond, expert, body armour required, blah blah" but I find that isn't always the most accurate, and you could get scared off of good rides by the descriptions. Is it doable on more of an AM bike? Or are you stupid to try it without a DH bike? Are there ways around the stunts, or do you have to take some pretty big drops/hits to even bother? I'd like to try as I'll be staying really close to this, but I don't want to die.

I was also looking at the Lillian Lake trails. Is the "blue" trail going to be alright for a beginner on a hard tail? Or should I send them to the "green" inner loop while I go check that out? Is it decent?

Anything else in the area? I prefer XC to DH, but I'll give anything a try if it's fun.

[bossy22]

I've never ridden at swansea. I find rating systems are pretty subjective and tend to be on the cautious side. Last year I spent a week in bend Oregon. Every magazine says how amazing the riding is. They had trail ratings. I rode the black diamonds with a hard tail single speed. There where people with 6 inch travel bikes riding the same stuff. I'm not a great rider, their system was out to lunch. I guess riding in our backyard of Kananaskis makes everything else seem easier.

I did the along the Shlong trail near lillian lake and it was doable with a hard tail. Actually I think it's called the Johnson.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by bossy22

I've never ridden at swansea. I find rating systems are pretty subjective and tend to be on the cautious side. Last year I spent a week in bend Oregon. Every magazine says how amazing the riding is. They had trail ratings. I rode the black diamonds with a hard tail single speed. There where people with 6 inch travel bikes riding the same stuff. I'm not a great rider, their system was out to lunch. I guess riding in our backyard of Kananaskis makes everything else seem easier.

I did the along the Shlong trail near lillian lake and it was doable with a hard tail. Actually I think it's called the Johnson.

I agree, the stuff in Moab that was for "expert riders only" had a girl on a pink hard tail taking it on. She had to walk a ton, and it was slow going and probably sucked, but there isn't risk of dying or anything.

See "Black Diamond" for the Fernie downhill stuff seems appropriate. If you aren't awesome, you will hurt yourself.

Maybe I'll scout out Swansea a little first and see.

If I was taking a girl out who is new to mountain biking am I going to make her hate it if I take her on Schlong Johnson? Or is most of it ok?

[habernac]

Careful taking newbies on more technical rides. My wife still won't ride with me, ten years after the fact.

[Nandric]

Originally Posted by Azure

I started biking a bit lately. Use Endomondo on my Android phone. Tracks pretty well. There is a a gravel pit not far from where I live, and depending on how I go through the trails, its anywhere from 6-10 miles. I would prefer to bike a longer distance, but I hate biking on a gravel road or even the highway. I suppose with keeping track of my times, I can push to go the 6-10 miles in faster time.

I'm trying to do this mainly for hockey, which is why I think pushing myself faster over a shorter distance might be more beneficial versus a long drawn out bike ride.

Hey Azure,

Just an idea, but if your looking for some riding over shorter distances at higher intensities try the glenmore velodrome. The races range from 400m-15k at the longest and its has the distinct advantage of no cars and if you dont want to race its still a great place to train They offer free learn to ride clinics throughout the summer, but since I havent managed there in a couple years so im not sure the exact dates/times.

www.cbtl.ca

[pylon]

An idea I have been kicking around for a while is starting a general bike/parts bin thread in the buy and sell. You know for stuff like seats, handlebars, headsets, pedals, levers, cranks..... basically a pick-a-part for bikes. I probably have enough stuff to assemble an entire mountain bike, sans frame right now.

I have a bunch of really good usable stuff, and I am sure a lot of you do, but it seems silly to start a thread for "FS: Bontrager seat $5".

Anyway, who would like a thread like that? Would you guys participate? I think it would be cool to have one little spot to check if you need a stem spacer, or something random like that.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by pylon

For racks, look on Kijiji for sure.

Heheh... rack.

Seriously though I went to Wal-Mart and Sport Chek to look at trunk-mounted racks. They both had a 3-bike rack for $100. I also saw one listed at Canadian Tire online for $50.

Instead, I went to Kijiji and picked up a used rack for $20.

[core_upt]

Figured I'd post in here again to update my purchase of an 2010 Marin Argenta from JensonUsa.

The bike arrived about 7 days after I ordered it, shipped with UPS, no hidden fees, brokerage fees or anything. The driver left it on the back deck, thankfully I pulled up to my house as he was leaving. Don't know if I would want it sitting there all day.

Box:


Opened it up to find a very nicely packed bike, tones of zip ties to keep things in place, lots of cardboard carefully wrapped to protect the frame and other parts:



It took me about an hour to carefully unpack the bike and put it together. Assembly consisted of attaching the stem and handlebars, seatpost, pedals, wheels and lining up the brakes (which were pretty close). All done with a set of allan keys.

I took it for a few quick spins and was impressed by the fit and feel. Not the lightest bike, but much faster than my hybrid. It really wants to go. The brakes are pretty crappy though.

I picked up a pair of Northwave shoes on kijiji and went to Ridley's to get a set of Look KEO Classic clipless pedals. Went for a ride yesterday after practicing using a clipless system, which was totally new to me. It's a bit scary being that attached to the bike, and despite my practicing, I still bailed in the Edworthy parking lot . Couple scrapes and a bruised ego for sure!

Don't think I'd like to ride in traffic clipped in, so I'll most likely be using the roadie for the open road, and commute on my hybrid.

All in all - I'm happy with the bike and Jenson's service. Feel bad for not supporting my LBS, so I'm going to make all further purchases local when possible.

[Bill Bumface]

You'll get used to the clips faster than you think. Also, some brands stupidly don't ship their pedals at the minimum tension. Check that. On minimum tension and once broken in it should be very easy to get your feet out. I almost died Sunday because my pedals have broken in a ton and I haven't tightened them yet. Going to bunny hop off a little hill at speed and having your clip pop can end poorly. Luckily I stayed on.

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by core_upt

All in all - I'm happy with the bike and Jenson's service. Feel bad for not supporting my LBS, so I'm going to make all further purchases local when possible.

Photo of the bike assembled?

[Old Yeller]

Yeah I had never used clips up until a month ago and it's already getting to be second nature to me.

But you will fall over once clipped in because you forgot you were clipped in.. it's a guarantee.

Then some old guy will walk past you and casually suggest you put your training wheels back on.

[core_upt]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

Photo of the bike assembled?

Ah yes, here it is! (iPhoen pic only, sorry)

[Coys1882]

it's a beauty!!