Cycling Thread

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by red sky

Does that one fit on an SUV? I see they have another one for SUVs and vans. Is it secure or does it bounce around a lot?

We have a Pacifica with a hatchback and it fits on it as well as my little Accent commuter car. It doesn't bounce at all - once you have those straps snug I can do a chin up on them and it doesn't move at all.

That being said I haven't done a long drive with multiple bikes on it and I've heard the straps need to be tightened every once in a while.

[bossy22]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Most through axles have a quick release style lever and a notch it fits into so you can take out the axle just by rotating the lever.

Adapters for racks are $25 at MEC.

Lefty fork isn't a thru axle. You need a different adapter for leftys as well. My 15mm adapter and 20mm adapter were both $40 at bow. The lefty I bought was $75. All Thule.

[Bill Bumface]

Whoops, sorry, skim read and just saw 20mm through axle and didn't realize we were talking lefties for that post.

Does the lefty get kind of annoying when you pick the bike up and the wheel turns all the time? They do look cool, saw a guy with one on Slickrock this year.

[red sky]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

We have a Pacifica with a hatchback and it fits on it as well as my little Accent commuter car. It doesn't bounce at all - once you have those straps snug I can do a chin up on them and it doesn't move at all.

That being said I haven't done a long drive with multiple bikes on it and I've heard the straps need to be tightened every once in a while.

Thanks! Reading reviews it seems like it should be okay.

[bossy22]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Whoops, sorry, skim read and just saw 20mm through axle and didn't realize we were talking lefties for that post.

Does the lefty get kind of annoying when you pick the bike up and the wheel turns all the time? They do look cool, saw a guy with one on Slickrock this year.

People seem to love them. I was at Moab with a guy and he put his bike in the back of his car so he had to remove his brake calipers then his wheel. Seemed like a pain to me.

I added info to previous post about axle, I can see the confusion. Sorry. Also the adapter I bought was for a buddy. I was at the thule sale at bow buying a tailgate cover and adapters for me.

[hmmhmmcamo]

Update: I have no idea what I’m doing.

Right now it’s either a Specialized Sirrus or a Devinci. I’m probably leaning 80% towards the Devinci, I’m just not sure which one. I’m making a spreadsheet to try and compare some of the different components to see which is the best value. Part of me just wants to buy this year’s Sidney or Melbourne, and parts of me wants to get a 2011 Amsterdam and upgrade the components now and over time. I’m hoping my spreadsheet will make things a little easier to compare.

Based on Pylon’s post I’ve been looking more into the wheels/tires. One thing I’m a little bit worried about is that I’m a bit bigger dude so I definitely want to make sure I’m getting something appropriate. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a blimp, but then again a major reason I’ve decided to do this is to lose a bunch of weight....so any relevant wheel/tire advice would be appreciated.

One other question for Pylon - At lunch I went and took a look at the Specialized again and talked to a sales guy that I haven’t seen before. He was trying to talk me out of both the Specialized and the Devincis because of the carbon forks. He was saying that because part of my ride will be on gravel/unfinished paths, the rough ride etc. would make it a deal breaker in his eyes. I think that is pretty silly but I wanted to hear what your experiences have been riding on anything other than pavement. Obviously if comfort was my main concern I would just continue driving to work.

Thanks.

[hmmhmmcamo]

One other thing... I called a shop that is no longer selling devincis but has some from last year. I asked what they had in a large...only a 2011 Oslo, frame only for $250. Is it practical (for me) to do anything with this?

[flylock shox]

You're doing the exact thing I am: struggling with value to the point of turning to Excel to micro-manage your components.

I've been looking at a new full suspension mountain bike, and coming to the conclusion that the Ghost bikes at MEC are a good deal, but (and here's the kicker) they're just not pretty enough for me. For $2500 I want something with some sex appeal, not just a carbon frame and half decent components.

Don't forget to put that on your spreadsheet. Looks count.

And bikes are like Harleys: they're worth twice as much when you break them into pieces (though a $250 frame leaves a lot of money to build with, I don't like your chances of keeping it much under $1500 if you're going to put in quality components). Better to go the Pylon route and have a hobby bike you build up a bit at a time over a year or so.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by hmmhmmcamo

One other thing... I called a shop that is no longer selling devincis but has some from last year. I asked what they had in a large...only a 2011 Oslo, frame only for $250. Is it practical (for me) to do anything with this?

Yes, do me a favour, and find out if it includes the fork, because I want it...lol.

[hmmhmmcamo]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

I've been looking at a new full suspension mountain bike, and coming to the conclusion that the Ghost bikes at MEC are a good deal, but (and here's the kicker) they're just not pretty enough for me. For $2500 I want something with some sex appeal, not just a carbon frame and half decent components.

Don't forget to put that on your spreadsheet. Looks count.

Definitely.

I looked at the MEC bikes too and didn't like they way any of them looked either. They looked like decent quality, but their hybid bikes all have this flowery stuff on them. Plus I think all of them now have that rear internal hub, and I'm not interested in that.

And ya like I mentioned earlier in this thread, I rode that Cannondale single front fork hybrid and really liked the ride, but I just think it looks funny. I understood when the sales chick explained the benefits of it for mountain bikes (ie. only needing a single shock), but even she had a pretty hard time acknowledging any real benefit for a hybrid/commuter bike.

And bikes are like Harleys: they're worth twice as much when you break them into pieces (though a $250 frame leaves a lot of money to build with, I don't like your chances of keeping it much under $1500 if you're going to put in quality components). Better to go the Pylon route and have a hobby bike you build up a bit at a time over a year or so.

That’s my biggest dilemma right now...especially after learning about that Oslo frame. I’ve been looking at parts on pricepoint and a few other sites, but by the time I figure everything out, buy it, get it built...I’m sure half the summer will be over. I want to get going now. Every day now I’m watching the people on their bikes and I can’t wait to get started.

That’s why I’m leaning towards finding a 2011 Amsterdam. I could probably get a good deal on it, I like the red, and it leaves room in the budget to upgrade things immediately if I want to. Plus I could probably start next week.

[hmmhmmcamo]

Originally Posted by pylon

Yes, do me a favour, and find out if it includes the fork, because I want it...lol.

I didn't think to ask at the time and didn't realize it until after the store had closed. I'll give them a call tomorrow and let you know.

What rack do you have on your bike? You mentioned earlier that it was Bontrager interchange rack, but when I go to their site I can’t find anything similar....unless maybe it’s the BackRack Lightweight?
http://bontrager.com/model/08214

It’s funny because the rack in the photo at the top of the main rack page looks exactly like yours.
http://bontrager.com/products/accessories/racks

Also what grips/bar ends do you have?

[bossy22]

Carbon is strong. I have a cannondale cyclocross bike With a carbon fork that I ride on rough roads and some easy single track. I hop curbs with it. Never had an issue. I know a girl who rides sulphur springs with her carbon cross bike. That's just plain nuts. Sulphur springs is a thousand times rougher than any pathway you'll be on.
I don't know how big you are but I really wouldn't think a carbon fork should be avoided.
If the road is really rough, throw a higher volume cross tire on the bike. 700 x 30c

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

Ghost bikes at MEC are a good deal

They are, but their frame geometry definitely isn't the latest and greatest. The location of the rear pivot means your rear shock will be locking up a bit under braking.

[Wormius]

Still working on the bike, and have a few questions for the CP community.

1) Where to buy some cheap brake levers for linear brakes? I thought I would use my old Shimano ones, but they have some extra hardware on them for accepting the trigger shifters and because of that, I can't push them very far along my handlebars to accommodate the SRAM grip shifts and grips.

2) Reassembled Shimano freehub but noticed the SRAM cassette has a bit of play on it. I can rock it slightly back and forth when pushing/pulling on either side of the large cog. The lock ring is tight, but I think its maybe a loose fit with the freehub, which seems weird, but is that just a Shimano/SRAM tolerance issue?

3) How free should the freewheel spin? For some reason, I remember it spinning for quite a while (this is just on the wheel, no chain or anything connected). Now when I spin the cassette, it doesn't seem to carry the momentum very much. Maybe it will spin for 2 seconds before coming to a stop.

4) Wheel truing. Have a bit of a wobble of the rear wheel. At least its noticeable when I spin it and watch from behind. Do you need a truing stand, or can you just use the bike frame to do this? Maybe a bike shop would be better?

Also thanks Bossy22 for offering to help with the crown race. I just got the new crown race in, and was in the vicinity of MEC and they installed it on the fork for free (kudos to MEC). One thing I don't like about the Cane Creek headsets was the blue rubber dust seal on the top assembly. I had to check the internet a few times before figuring out that it is supposed to be visible when finally assembled. Kind of weird.

[Northendzone]

i'll offer my $0.02 on the wheel truing.......if you give all your spokes a bit of a squeeze or wiggle you'll like find some have more play that others. it is likely that the loose spokes are directly across from the spot where the wobble is. try snugging those spokes up and the wobble should dissapear.

as for the shift levers, sounds to me like you'll have to buy some new ones. i assume that MEC would be the cheapest local place. but if you live near a bike shop pop in and see if they have some in the junk drawer. Otherwise, I guess the net would be the cheapest - I'd try something like bike nashbar or colorado cyclist (i have never purchased from either, but i beleive they are large reputable places)

[hmmhmmcamo]

Originally Posted by pylon

Yes, do me a favour, and find out if it includes the fork, because I want it...lol.

it's the frame only, no fork

[JohnnyB]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

You're doing the exact thing I am: struggling with value to the point of turning to Excel to micro-manage your components.

I've been looking at a new full suspension mountain bike, and coming to the conclusion that the Ghost bikes at MEC are a good deal, but (and here's the kicker) they're just not pretty enough for me. For $2500 I want something with some sex appeal, not just a carbon frame and half decent components.

Don't forget to put that on your spreadsheet. Looks count.

And bikes are like Harleys: they're worth twice as much when you break them into pieces (though a $250 frame leaves a lot of money to build with, I don't like your chances of keeping it much under $1500 if you're going to put in quality components). Better to go the Pylon route and have a hobby bike you build up a bit at a time over a year or so.

In all honesty, I quite like the look of those full suspension Ghost bikes from MEC. Nothing bad looking about them at all. Actually, I think the Lector is really nice looking. I would have no problem owning that bike.

[pylon]

Originally Posted by hmmhmmcamo

What rack do you have on your bike? You mentioned earlier that it was Bontrager interchange rack, but when I go to their site I can’t find anything similar....unless maybe it’s the BackRack Lightweight?

http://bontrager.com/model/08214
It’s funny because the rack in the photo at the top of the main rack page looks exactly like yours.

http://bontrager.com/products/accessories/racks

Yeah, that's funny, the one I have is the same as in the Banner at the top, but it looks like it is discontinued. However I really like the mounting system on the lightweight, plus it is interchange compatible. Looks like it is just a model update. I would go with the center mount single arm, instead of the dual side mount, looks way cleaner.

Also what grips/bar ends do you have?

Grips are stock, and I cut them down when I cut down my bar to leave room for the bar ends, which are these:

http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cyclin...n-bar-ends.jsp

They are the nicest ergonomics I could find. Not super fashionable, but really comfortable. And pretty cheap for full carbon. I really like them, and they really help with wrist strain, and climbing.

Also, unless you are doing any serious offroading, I wouldn't worry about the carbon fork. It is a pretty beefy carbon fork on those Devinci's anyway. Not like my Madone which looks like a couple toothpicks. I don't baby mine over curbs and speed bumps etc, and it has held up fine. I weigh 225 as well.

That being said if you are a bigger guy, the Melbourne is probably the way to go just because of the wheels. I trashed the stock wheels on mine and you will likely have to replace eventually anyway if you go with the lower end Alex rims. Easton's are typically the strongest wheels you can buy, especially in their entry level stuff, and they should hold up for a long time. Find out what model they are, but lower end Eastons are pretty legendary for taking a beating.

I am into mine for the following:

Bike: $900
Apex Crank: $130
Mavic Aksium Wheels: $300
Conti tires: $70
-------------
$1400
Basically the same price as the out of box Melbourne almost identically equipped. I have a slight edge on the wheels and crank, but it is close. Bear in mind I bought everything online on sale. If you did the same stuff from LBS's, add about $300

Optional stuff:

Stem: $50
Barends: $40
Rack: $50
Bottle cages: $20
Lights: $40
Rack Bag: $70
SPD pedals: $50
----------------
$320

So I am $1720 give or take all in.

Shoes/helmet/clothes/tools etc I don't factor in since I use them for all my bikes.

In my opinion you are further ahead just buying it out of the box kitted out instead of building it up. Because then you will have to factor in at least $250 for specialty tools/stand if you go the project route. If you really get into it, and find you love the lifestyle, then it is a smart investment or if you find dinking and tweaking with stuff for hours on end fun, like I do. But I would give it a season before you start getting too deep. Cycling can become a money pit fast once you get into it...lol

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

In all honesty, I quite like the look of those full suspension Ghost bikes from MEC. Nothing bad looking about them at all. Actually, I think the Lector is really nice looking. I would have no problem owning that bike.

The Lector is the best of the bunch, and it's not hideous by any means.

I wish I'd never seen the SB-66: I can't afford it, but everything else just pales in comparison (looks-wise):



Maybe I should just get the Lector a paint job...

[hmmhmmcamo]

my buddy was looking at these while we were out shopping. It was pretty funny watching him struggling to not snap buy something.