Cycling Thread

[cracher]

Nice ride, Timbo!

Unlrelated: What's the consensus out there on travel cases for mtbs? I've historically rented at the destination, but I'm 3 parts away from finishing my winter build and looking forward to trying her out. Had a cheapy soft evoc bag at one point, went missing in the divorce. Is it worth it to spend on a hard shell Thule or is a CRC house brand case ok?

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Timbo

I took it for a 4k ride and came to the conclusion I hate my fat out of shape body . I'm built for feed not speed!
Here is a picture of the bike... not me.

I'm looking forward to some future self inflicted torture.

Keep it going man - bike whenever you can wherever you'd usually drive and the lbs will melt off of you.

[phaneuf_train]

I'm looking to replace my stolen bike this spring. I stick to most the city paths and like to venture off around on trails ala bowmont park, so a trail bike is preferred. Something around the $1500 range. any suggestions?

[Northendzone]

^ no specific recommendation for a bike, other than stay away from a full suspension bike at this price point.

You will get more bike if you go with a hard tail.

Enjoy shopping.

[Northendzone]

Over the weekend dropped by my LBS and started picking up stuff to tune up my rides for the 2016 season.

Bought a pair of new tires for my commuter rig, and then did a reload of sealant in the tires of my mountain bike.

I am debating about swapping out the brakes on my commuter for a pair of avid 3's that came with my mountain bike originally.

At the end of this month I am going to order a 42 tooth climbing gear for my mountain bike - with this bad boy I hope to be able to reduce my walking on merlin

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

At the end of this month I am going to order a 42 tooth climbing gear for my mountain bike - with this bad boy I hope to be able to reduce my walking on merlin

Just curious what your current gearing is, as I can't remember anything overly steep going up Merlin. Are you 1x11?

I personally pick my gearing based on what will get me up Sulphur Springs, so I kept my small ring when converting to ghetto 2x10, as 22T x 36T seems to do the trick.

[Northendzone]

^ i run a 2x set up as i like to have some options and i have never really suffered from chain drop. i beleive my lowest gear in the back is 36T. Am also going to use this an an opportunity to go with an XT hub and chain.

keeping in mind i am fifty and at least 30 lbs overweight, there are a couple of spots on merlin where i push......there is a couple of short pushes as i start out from the lot and then a couple above merlin's view.

i just like the idea of having a real easy gear to ease the suffering

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i just like the idea of having a real easy gear to ease the suffering

Hey, good on yah, if you ride the whole thing, you'll find yourself gearing up more and more later in the season.

I just though it would be cheaper, and leave less of a gap in your range if you went to a smaller front chain ring.

[cracher]

Are you running a 10sp? Keep in mind a lot of the 10sp ders get real sloppy on a 42T cog. Even my old XT long cage couldn't handle it. And that gap in the mid range is bloody annoying.

[Northendzone]

the boys at the LBS seemed to think that my current deurailler could handle this setup easily; however, I will ahve to gather all of the pertinent details and speak to them further before i order this.

I was going to order the stuff from Jensen USA; however, with the exchange rate being what it is the price at the LBS (with my good customer discount) was similar. And since I'll need their advice, I'd rather give them the money

[cracher]

Even if not, the solution is simple. The rad cage (Oneup) fixes the slop. Let me know if you go that way; I've got an entire 1X10 42T/Zee der with Rad'r cage/32T NW chainring sitting idle because I caught the NYE CRC sale for 1X11. But I'd probably want to sell it all together to keep it simple.

[Northendzone]

^ thanks for the advice, will keep this in mind

[KTrain]

Has anyone done a Gran Fondo before? I was thinking about tackling one this year. Since it's my first, I was thinking the Badlands in June would be a good entry point. It's supposedly the easiest in terms of difficulty rating.

Any thoughts or suggestions on the Alberta Fondos?

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by KTrain

Has anyone done a Gran Fondo before? I was thinking about tackling one this year. Since it's my first, I was thinking the Badlands in June would be a good entry point. It's supposedly the easiest in terms of difficulty rating.

Any thoughts or suggestions on the Alberta Fondos?

I did the Whistler one last year, and there is a post somewhere in this thread about it. I'll be doing the PGAMO one this year on July 10th (160km), and the Whistler again in September. The good news is I have more than 12 days before the event to train, which should lower my time.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by squiggs96

I did the Whistler one last year, and there is a post somewhere in this thread about it. I'll be doing the PGAMO one this year on July 10th (160km), and the Whistler again in September. The good news is I have more than 12 days before the event to train, which should lower my time.

Aside from getting in much better shape, any tips for a first timer?

[millhouse11]

I've done Banff twice as support, (I rode the route with a backpack with tools and tubes), the Tour of Alberta Fondo once as support, the Axel Merckx Gran Fondo in Penticton as a participant, and the Branch Out Fondo three times, as support and participant. Banff was easy, and beautiful. We are looking at putting a team in the Badlands Fondo. Reviews I've heard, is that the wind can be a killer. I would recommend the Banff Fondo if you want to stick close to home.

[squiggs96]

Originally Posted by KTrain

Aside from getting in much better shape, any tips for a first timer?

Don't try and win KOM and/or finish in the top 5 riders for the overall. Know you are going to finish, and it doesn't matter that someone passed you. Take nutrition seriously. Enjoy the ride, including the scenery.

[worth]

I'm going to be doing some touring this summer (500km trip). I did a 2000km trip in Vietnam on a mountain bike and I don't really want to do that again, I want to make my life a little bit easier. I'd also use this bike as my main bike.

Budget is about $1500, any suggestions for shops or bikes themselves?

I haven't bought a bike since 2004 and it was a Trek 4500, so I think it's time to move on from that. Don't really want to take the Trek touring. Thanks.

[Reneeee]

It's not really bike related but my building is offering free bike locker usage in the underground parkade. I can send anybody the agreement if you're interested. It is downtown on 6th ave between 2nd and 3rd street

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[Northendzone]

No bike recommendations, but I have purchased 5 bikes from Cyclepath on Macleod. I have found them fine to deal with, although there have been a couple of time where they annoyed me.

What kind of biking do you plan to do after the 500k tour?

Originally Posted by worth

I'm going to be doing some touring this summer (500km trip). I did a 2000km trip in Vietnam on a mountain bike and I don't really want to do that again, I want to make my life a little bit easier. I'd also use this bike as my main bike.

Budget is about $1500, any suggestions for shops or bikes themselves?

I haven't bought a bike since 2004 and it was a Trek 4500, so I think it's time to move on from that. Don't really want to take the Trek touring. Thanks.