Bicyclettes

[siq tribal brah]

yes it does, see if you can trade a brakeless friend for a machined sidewall?

[sunkenshoes]

Yeah, I'll probably try doing that. It doesn't really make a difference when I use white brake pads on a white rim, does it?

[Faded]

finally found someone to trade rear deep vs with. also traded cogs. i moved from a 15 tooth cog to an 18 and damn im loving doing some nice long wheelies.

[dkatz]

Ugh just had the longest, slowest, most graceless fall at a stoplight. I was kinda half-balancing (mostly just moving reeeeeally slow in order to avoid having to step out of my cages), and when the light turned I threw my weight forward and pulled upwards with my right foot to get momentum going... like I always do. Unfortunately my straps SUCK and my right foot slipped half-out of the cage so I basically just tripped over my bike and very slowly collapsed to the ground and half-rolled off my bike. Riiiight at the nice crowded intersection of Mission & Fourth.

Ugh. Fuck shitty toe-straps.

[Guest patchmb]

^ time to invest in some toshi's dkatz.

[the Repeater]

Braking sucks on painted rims, and will almost not happen on powdercoated rims. If you have either, I suggest brake pads for carbon wheels, since carbon wheels are essentially both of those. The pads are usually cork, and will actually work.

Your rims will still get streaked over time from the pads smearing road grime into the brake surface. You could keep them clean if you are diligent, though.

[sunkenshoes]

^cant rep, but thanks!

[cure]

bought some clipless pedals and shoes for my road bike. these are going to take a while to get used to, haha. tried using them for a bit and was doing fine, but when i got confident i fell over.

[bchhun]

aweesome, what'd setup did you go with? i'm trying to decide between spd-sl's, time atacs, or something else.

[cure]

i went with the shimano 540 spd-sl's. Got them for 49.99. I was going to get look pedals, but with the pedals at $50 i got some nice shoes that fit well (scattante veneto's - carbon sole and they accommodate my wide feet).

I did my first ride with them yesterday, felt really nice. The only problem was when i'd be waiting at stoplights with inclines; it was hard to pedal with one foot and push off trying to get the other foot in. One time i was making a left turn at the intersection and started when the arrow was green... i was in the middle of the intersection when it was already yellow almost red because i couldn't get clipped in.

I guess it just takes time though and i didn't fall on the ride so that was a plus.

[Gravitas]

I just picked up Shimano M-324s but haven't gotten to try them out as the bike they are being put onto is not finished. I picked them up because they sounded like a good platform/clipless solution. I'll put up my experiences once I get to try them out (hopefully in the next week ).

[cure]

yeah i was considering platform-esque clipless too. they seem like a great compromise especially for short commutes like riding on campus etc. i found that getting out of the clips was a lot easier than getting in haha

[kirattizzle]

I don't live in NYC, but would anyone who's a member to nyc fixed gear give me an invite code ? Thanks in advance!

[sunkenshoes]

yeah i was considering platform-esque clipless too. they seem like a great compromise especially for short commutes like riding on campus etc. i found that getting out of the clips was a lot easier than getting in haha

I'm used to it now, so I guess it's a matter of practice. Before I used to like get all frustrated the first couple of meters, to the soundtrack of a scraping toeclip to the asphalt.

[the Repeater]

i went with the shimano 540 spd-sl's. Got them for 49.99. I was going to get look pedals, but with the pedals at $50 i got some nice shoes that fit well (scattante veneto's - carbon sole and they accommodate my wide feet).

I did my first ride with them yesterday, felt really nice. The only problem was when i'd be waiting at stoplights with inclines; it was hard to pedal with one foot and push off trying to get the other foot in. One time i was making a left turn at the intersection and started when the arrow was green... i was in the middle of the intersection when it was already yellow almost red because i couldn't get clipped in.

I guess it just takes time though and i didn't fall on the ride so that was a plus.

Pedal with the middle of your foot where your arch is until you are going enough to clip in.

[VuONG]

just came back on a 50+ mile ride on my fixed gear...

my question is do you think the same 50 miles would have been easier on a road bike?

the terrain was pretty much flat the whole way expect for a few freeway over passes

[mlproject]

i'd say it kind of depends on your gearing. could have been in a lower gear on a road bike and hit it a little harder/faster. easier is such a relative term.

[cure]

Pedal with the middle of your foot where your arch is until you are going enough to clip in.

Yeah, i was getting the hang of it but its also just a bit awkward at first because of the relatively small platform of the pedal. Something i'll have to get used to.

just came back on a 50+ mile ride on my fixed gear...

my question is do you think the same 50 miles would have been easier on a road bike?

the terrain was pretty much flat the whole way expect for a few freeway over passes

If its flat then the gained "ease" of a road bike would simply be that you could coast a bit. more gears just means easier climbs and the ability to coast down hills. i wouldn't say much would change on a flat terrain.

[soundune]

let's see if i can do the impossible and live in san diego without a car...

[jonle714]

If its flat then the gained "ease" of a road bike would simply be that you could coast a bit. more gears just means easier climbs and the ability to coast down hills. i wouldn't say much would change on a flat terrain.

well you would be able to go faster easier on a flat terrain. starting out with low gearing then shifting up. like a car. gears are always more practical...but less fun.

[the Repeater]

I think a lot of people are over-geared on fixed gears anyhow; anything more than 72" is too high for distance riding.

They are very ride-dependent for effectiveness as well; a 75" gear into the wind for 30 miles is going to be very tiring for most!

[the Repeater]

Also, I miss my track bike being my primary ride; I CANNOT keep from bending my derailler hanger on my cross bike.

Always skipping gears on that bitch.

[stuntastic]

I think a lot of people are over-geared on fixed gears anyhow; anything more than 72" is too high for distance riding.

They are very ride-dependent for effectiveness as well; a 75" gear into the wind for 30 miles is going to be very tiring for most!

For most.

My friend is pushing 77.82 inches, and loves riding into the headwind. He also did did a few rides that are 80+miles... And does on average, 50 miles when he decides to go on "semi long rides."

But hes also the guy killing it on the 42 Below, tour...

Dudes a beast, and hes gonna be an even bigger beast when he comes back from the tour next week, and gets back on a track bike...

Im only pushing 76.50 inches, and I feel like I can hold a better pace than I did with 72 inches... But then again, Ive only ridden about 6-10 miles so far with this ratio...

My NJS bike is gonna be only 72 inches, because my knees are taking a pounding from the sprinting and climbing Ive been trying to get in...

What do NY messengers usually push? Personally, I cant imagine them sprinting anything past 25mph, with all of that congested traffic... Ive watched all the Monster Track vids on youtube, and I know theyre killer riders... But Im just wondering.

[skiniks]

so the girlfriend and i were driving to the movies the other day and she spots this old road bike on the side of the road. we drive back and see it's a Favorit bicycle from Czechoslavakia. it's without wheels, but it has a leather seat and bear trap pedals. i'm just wondering since the seat was fairly wet when i got it, and was most likely not the first time getting wet if it would still be good to use? also, the pedals are fairly rusty but i'm thinking of looking into removing the rust. i'll take a pic of the seat as soon as i can but it looks pretty cool right now.

[stuntastic]

If this were bikeforums...

THIEF!!!!!!!!

[jonle714]

so the girlfriend and i were driving to the movies the other day and she spots this old road bike on the side of the road. we drive back and see it's a Favorit bicycle from Czechoslavakia. it's without wheels, but it has a leather seat and bear trap pedals. i'm just wondering since the seat was fairly wet when i got it, and was most likely not the first time getting wet if it would still be good to use? also, the pedals are fairly rusty but i'm thinking of looking into removing the rust. i'll take a pic of the seat as soon as i can but it looks pretty cool right now.

you can spend 30 bucks and get a new seat and pedals off craigs or somethin. and another 100 to get wheels...assuming that you're converting it to a fixed gear.

[Gravitas]

Just out of curiosity, how many of you ride in major cities?

Looking forward to biking through NYC this fall as i'll be up that way (LI).

[skiniks]

you can spend 30 bucks and get a new seat and pedals off craigs or somethin. and another 100 to get wheels...assuming that you're converting it to a fixed gear.

I already have a frame that I'm working on that has wheels, etc. I'm not missing the pedals and seat I'm saying that this old bike I found has a leather brooks style saddle and bear trap pedals that I would like to use. I'm just worried that the seat has been wet on numerous occasions so I don't know if the leather is ruined or not. Also, the pedals are fairly rusty so I need to remove that. I guess my question is would this saddle be worthless if it has indeed been too wet or would there be a possibility for restoring it?

[tylortakahisa]

i JUST got my new 2010 Trek 1.5, it's such a sick bike!!!!!

will post photos soon

[jetpackbrontosaurus]

im thinking of picking up a bareknuckle frame but i keep hearing the sizing is funky cause of a high bb height, should i get a smaller sized frame?