Cycling Thread

[Coys1882]

How tall are you? You're welcome to take mine for a cruise.

[Max Cow Disease]

Originally Posted by bossy22

For bike service call mechanahands. Www.mechanahands.com. They're a service shop that guarantees their work and they'll do emergency repairs.

I should note I've never used these guys because I do my own repairs. I know a few people who swear by them. They where their mechanics for the trans Rockies.

I gave these guys a shout today and am going to take it in on Friday. Dude was really helpful on the phone, and the basic tune-up I'm looking for is $60. So far so good!

[Devils'Advocate]

Since people did recommend that a hybrid might be the best fit for me, I wandered on down to the local bike shop and this is what they recommended to me:
http://www.outdoorwaco.com/product/1...1-131272-1.htm
But knowing nothing about hybrids or what I should be looking for, I'm fully dependant upon the seller to sell me what I need, not what he needs to sell.

[socktape]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Since people did recommend that a hybrid might be the best fit for me, I wandered on down to the local bike shop and this is what they recommended to me:
http://www.outdoorwaco.com/product/1...1-131272-1.htm
But knowing nothing about hybrids or what I should be looking for, I'm fully dependant upon the seller to sell me what I need, not what he needs to sell.

The only "bad" thing about it that I can tell from looking at the Giant website is that it may be last year's bike model... the new model is the Roam 2 for the same price. The cons said it was a little heavy but you aren't going to get a really light bike in that price range. There might be a benefit to getting the new model but I don't know how much.

[Northendzone]

is that bike in your price range?

is there anotehr LBS that you could visit?

[bossy22]

How tall are you?

[Devils'Advocate]

I am 5 foot 11. And yes... I was thinking $700 to $1000. My Giant Rapid was $600, so actually much less than what most here have spent on their bikes.

[bossy22]

nm

[Wormius]

Does anybody run twist grip shifters? I have sram x9 and moving up from 2nd to 3rd front chain ring requires a bit of force before the chain engages the largest chain ring. Wondering if this is normal, I don't have this issue moving between the small and middle chain rings.

[Max Cow Disease]

Mechanahands was awesome for a tune-up. It only took a day, and I've never ran in to anyone who knew so bloody much about bikes. I have a fairly low-end bike but it's in better shape now than it was when I bought it (literally...some stuff was even installed incorrectly from the factory). It was supposed to be done by 5pm last night and he'd lost track of time, so when I arrived to pick it up and he wasn't done yet, he apologized and finished it off within a couple of hours, complete with their higher-level tune-up for no extra charge.

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Max Cow Disease

Mechanahands was awesome for a tune-up. It only took a day, and I've never ran in to anyone who knew so bloody much about bikes. I have a fairly low-end bike but it's in better shape now than it was when I bought it (literally...some stuff was even installed incorrectly from the factory). It was supposed to be done by 5pm last night and he'd lost track of time, so when I arrived to pick it up and he wasn't done yet, he apologized and finished it off within a couple of hours, complete with their higher-level tune-up for no extra charge.

I dropped both my bikes off there on Friday and I was super impressed with Jay who was there at the time. This is a guy who loves his job and chose this profession over something a lot more 'socially acceptable.'

[Northendzone]

I think most guys who wrench at bike shops love thier job.......

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

I think most guys who wrench at bike shops love thier job.......

True. But I don't think most of them are comp sci grads who hated the office life and did this instead.

[hmmhmmcamo]

Does anyone have any advice for insuring a new bike? Right now I'm looking at getting some tenants insurance with additional coverage specifically for the bike, but I’m not really sure what to look for in a policy and just want to make sure that I’m covered if it’s stolen or whatever. Thanks.

[Bill Bumface]

^ Most policies will cover $2000 in bikes I believe.

Insuring bikes worth more than that was not worth it (at least with Meloche Monnex). I think I figured that if my bike didn't get stolen once every 4 years it was a losing proposition.

[Northendzone]

I have a specific rider on my home insurance for my bike. I provided my insurance company with a copy of my receipt. Cost of the rider is something like $25/yr and I have a $50 deductible. Well,worth it if you have a,more expensive bike

[ignite09]

Hey guys, was wondering how hard it would be to do a tune up on a bike yourself? I thought if I can rebuild an engine, I should be able to pull this off.

[hmmhmmcamo]

Originally Posted by ignite09

Hey guys, was wondering how hard it would be to do a tune up on a bike yourself? I thought if I can rebuild an engine, I should be able to pull this off.

If you're rebuilding car engines I can't imagine you'll have any problems working on your bike. There are tonnes of videos online that will show you step by step what to do as well as bike mechanic forums if you need any help. I've found MEC to be a good place to pick up tools at a decent price.

[Northendzone]

Setting up the shifting requires some touch -but being mechanically inclined will help...

[hmmhmmcamo]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Setting up the shifting requires some touch -but being mechanically inclined will help...

I guess, but not really...for most rear derailleurs it's just a matter of playing around with 3 different screws/adjustments.

I don't think anybody should be intimidated by the thought of doing the majority of the maintenance on their own bike. It's one thing if you don't have the time or just don't want to, that's fine...but there are so many resources out there now that it would be pretty hard for someone with half a brain to really mess something up.