I'm realizing that my bike of ~5 years constant use and minimal maintenance just needs to be replaced. The wheels, brakes, gear switches and crankset all need replacing at this point due to being stored under cover on a porch instead of indoors. I'm scanning craigslist, but realizing I have no idea about the terminology anymore.
For generally simple commutes of ~1.5 miles on roads a hybrid bike looks decent, but how fiddly should I get about the tire dimensions? Go for the largest/skinniest of standard, be satisfied with a more general middle of the road size? Never really used a bunch of different gear settings, so 2x5 seems ideal? Pad brakes seems less difficult to maintain than disc brakes, but I don't know how to adjust a wheel that is ever slightly not aligned and that tends to make pad brakes much less useful very quickly.
I feel I'll need to get much much more educated on bike maintenance before I'll commit on another, paralyzing myself with choice
0
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
It all depends on your budget, really. I don't know if many companies are selling bikes with only 10 speeds these days, usually it's 27-33 speeds for mountain bikes and road bikes. As for disc vs old-school rim brakes, if you can get disc within your budget, there's really no reason not to. They're almost zero maintenance compared to rim brakes, and they're so much better it's like night and day.
To minimise maintenance you could opt for a hub gearbox instead of a derailleur system, then you'd get 8 or 9 speeds. You might even be able to pair that with a belt drive, then all you really have to worry about is tyres.
So we get stiff once in a while. So we have a little fun. What’s wrong with that? This is a free country, isn’t it? I can take my panda any place I want to. And if I wanna buy it a drink, that’s my business.
To minimise maintenance you could opt for a hub gearbox instead of a derailleur system, then you'd get 8 or 9 speeds. You might even be able to pair that with a belt drive, then all you really have to worry about is tyres.
My wife got one of these recently and has been very happy with it so far, and it's exactly that, disk brakes/belt drive/internal rear hub gearing.
djmitchella on
+1
minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
To minimise maintenance you could opt for a hub gearbox instead of a derailleur system, then you'd get 8 or 9 speeds. You might even be able to pair that with a belt drive, then all you really have to worry about is tyres.
My wife got one of these recently and has been very happy with it so far, and it's exactly that, disk brakes/belt drive/internal rear hub gearing.
I have a friend that commutes daily between Manhattan and Brooklyn on an almost identically specced bike and loves it for the simplicity and low maintenance.
Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
+1
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
edited April 2018
Specced out the individual daily kilometers for our trip today. Getting very excited, although also afraid for my butt! Just need to pick up a spare tube and tire and finalize what clothes I'm bringing.
I am currently predominantly concerned about being cold, but the flipside is going to hopefully be that cycling in Belgium's early summer weather will be considerably less taxing than cycling in Singapore's 28° to 38° shweaty heat.
Lost Salient on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
First bike ride in forever on the trails near my house. There was some walking up the big hill, but 45 minutes of hammering on the singlespeed felt good. Amazing day too, 72 with a light breeze.
And first ride in about 7 years is in the books. The difference between no burley and a burley is HUGE!!! Being fat and out of shape also made it rough. Only was out for about 15 minutes and 1.3 miles and my legs are still burning. Feels good though.
+2
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
So I switched the saddle for a Selle Italia saddle that's cushy and designed for lady butts, and I think it helped in terms of butt-bone pain, but I'm having some problems tightening the saddle to the seatpost properly? I swear the rails are exactly the same as my previous seat and there's no reason I shouldn't be able to tighten them down enough, but about 20 km into the 75 km I did yesterday my saddle had wiggled its way into an uncomfortable spot and I had to readjust it. Just had to keep doing that again every time we paused. Not great. Anyone else had issues tightening rails onto the seatpost? Am I just a weak-muscled babby and I need to really tighten it down HARD?
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
0
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
So I switched the saddle for a Selle Italia saddle that's cushy and designed for lady butts, and I think it helped in terms of butt-bone pain, but I'm having some problems tightening the saddle to the seatpost properly? I swear the rails are exactly the same as my previous seat and there's no reason I shouldn't be able to tighten them down enough, but about 20 km into the 75 km I did yesterday my saddle had wiggled its way into an uncomfortable spot and I had to readjust it. Just had to keep doing that again every time we paused. Not great. Anyone else had issues tightening rails onto the seatpost? Am I just a weak-muscled babby and I need to really tighten it down HARD?
Are the rails the exact same diameter as the other saddle? You might be tightening the clamp up as tight as it goes, but the rails are smaller than the channels in the clamp.
0
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
They're exactly the same.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
0
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Hmm. Normally you shouldn't have to clamp down on the saddle rails to any kind of silly degree, a normal Allen key should be more than enough to keep that shit locked down forever. I wonder what else it could be? Is there something preventing the clamp from closing up properly before it clamps on the rails completely?
I just got a used bike and the rear sprockets are a bit rusty.
I did some reading online, and seems like I should get some WD-40 on it to get rid of the rust and then put some bike lube on the chain and I'm good to go.
But then I also read that you shouldn't use WD-40 on a bike.
Also, in terms of the lube, I'll be riding it to work in the city. About a mile each way. Should I get the dry lube?
WD-40 is fine to put on bike things, people generally say not to because it isn't designed to be a primary lubricant. WD-40 works fine to clean all the crud off your chain, It's more like a solvent than a lubricant. I'd squirt some WD-40 into a rag or on your chain and wipe your whole chain down a few times. The rust on your cassette isn't really a problem, you'd have to use a wire brush to get it out. If you have a small toothbrush sized wire brush you can try to knock some of it off, but honestly I wouldn't worry about it.
Your second picture didn't load for me dunno if it is on my end.
Any chain lube designed for bicycles is fine for lubing your chain after you clean it. People get a little brand crazy about chain lubes for some reason, but honestly probably all of them are fine. I don't like the ones that come in a pressurized bottle, I like to run my crank backwards and get a very thin line of lube on the rollers of the chain and then I'll wipe off the excess and that's hard to do with the spray type.
WD-40 is fine to put on bike things, people generally say not to because it isn't designed to be a primary lubricant. WD-40 works fine to clean all the crud off your chain, It's more like a solvent than a lubricant. I'd squirt some WD-40 into a rag or on your chain and wipe your whole chain down a few times. The rust on your cassette isn't really a problem, you'd have to use a wire brush to get it out. If you have a small toothbrush sized wire brush you can try to knock some of it off, but honestly I wouldn't worry about it.
Your second picture didn't load for me dunno if it is on my end.
Any chain lube designed for bicycles is fine for lubing your chain after you clean it. People get a little brand crazy about chain lubes for some reason, but honestly probably all of them are fine. I don't like the ones that come in a pressurized bottle, I like to run my crank backwards and get a very thin line of lube on the rollers of the chain and then I'll wipe off the excess and that's hard to do with the spray type.
Yep, this. It's not the worst thing out there, and you don't need to go crazy on lube type unless you're doing super-endurance or incredibly muddy stuff. More effective than using the right lube is cleaning/relubing every month.
0
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
Hmm. Normally you shouldn't have to clamp down on the saddle rails to any kind of silly degree, a normal Allen key should be more than enough to keep that shit locked down forever. I wonder what else it could be? Is there something preventing the clamp from closing up properly before it clamps on the rails completely?
I just can't figure it out! Also I should add the seat isn't sliding backwards or forward, it's like... Tilting on the seatpost. Really odd. I think maybe I've sorted it though. Seemed finally secure when I took it out to the shop and back yesterday.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
+1
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
I leave in ten days.
I have my bike box.
I am quietly losing my mind worrying about preparedness.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
+10
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
I am quietly losing my mind worrying about preparedness.
Don't worry, the parts you'll break you wouldn't have brought anyhow. Also, biking is pretty huge in Belgium, so anything you're missing should be reasonably available (I'm guessing)
0
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
I am quietly losing my mind worrying about preparedness.
Don't worry, the parts you'll break you wouldn't have brought anyhow. Also, biking is pretty huge in Belgium, so anything you're missing should be reasonably available (I'm guessing)
That's what I'm banking on! I think I have all of the things I need except a foldable spare tire - I haven't had luck finding one that will work with my bike at the shops around here. I'm a mite nervous about going without, but... as you said, there are lots of bike shops around Belgium.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I'm trying to find a new all year commuter bike. It gets expensive really fast.
Currently I have an offer for a chromoly lugged frame with a shimano NX8 premium and Alfine 8 gearlever, a shimano DH-3N72 hub dynamo with 50lux headlight and backlight (with parking light), Tektro R-559 cantilevers, tubus or racktime rack, brooks saddle and leather grips, Rigida ZAC 200 rims with Marathon Surpreme 37-622 tyres and aluminum fenders.
What would you say this would be worth? I feel like I can't really judge this.
$50. Secondhand bikes aren't worth shit, especially when they're such a hodge-podge of parts.
I'm trying to find a new all year commuter bike. It gets expensive really fast.
Currently I have an offer for a chromoly lugged frame with a shimano NX8 premium and Alfine 8 gearlever, a shimano DH-3N72 hub dynamo with 50lux headlight and backlight (with parking light), Tektro R-559 cantilevers, tubus or racktime rack, brooks saddle and leather grips, Rigida ZAC 200 rims with Marathon Surpreme 37-622 tyres and aluminum fenders.
What would you say this would be worth? I feel like I can't really judge this.
$50. Secondhand bikes aren't worth shit, especially when they're such a hodge-podge of parts.
It's a new bike.
0
Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
What brand is it? Where is it for sale? Their website should tell you how much it's worth.
I'm trying to find a new all year commuter bike. It gets expensive really fast.
Currently I have an offer for a chromoly lugged frame with a shimano NX8 premium and Alfine 8 gearlever, a shimano DH-3N72 hub dynamo with 50lux headlight and backlight (with parking light), Tektro R-559 cantilevers, tubus or racktime rack, brooks saddle and leather grips, Rigida ZAC 200 rims with Marathon Surpreme 37-622 tyres and aluminum fenders.
What would you say this would be worth? I feel like I can't really judge this.
Is it a real Brooks saddle? Those are usually at least $100-120 alone brand new.
However, if you're just looking for a commuter, you could definitely go used and just have your friendly LBS tune it up and it could save you a lot of money.
0
Tynnanseldom correct, never unsureRegistered Userregular
I'm trying to find a new all year commuter bike. It gets expensive really fast.
Currently I have an offer for a chromoly lugged frame with a shimano NX8 premium and Alfine 8 gearlever, a shimano DH-3N72 hub dynamo with 50lux headlight and backlight (with parking light), Tektro R-559 cantilevers, tubus or racktime rack, brooks saddle and leather grips, Rigida ZAC 200 rims with Marathon Surpreme 37-622 tyres and aluminum fenders.
What would you say this would be worth? I feel like I can't really judge this.
So I ordered my first set of cycling kit on Competitive Cyclist today. Castelli jersey and shorts. Up until now I've been wearing cheapo Amazon jerseys and shorts so I'm interested to see the quality difference.
So we get stiff once in a while. So we have a little fun. What’s wrong with that? This is a free country, isn’t it? I can take my panda any place I want to. And if I wanna buy it a drink, that’s my business.
Anyone got a suggestion for a cheap waterproof set of panniers? My old bike got stolen ( ) but my neighbor had one to give me that’s a big upgrade from my old goodwill mountain bike! It has a cargo rack! And I’m real sick of carrying a bike shirt, a gym shirt, an undershirt, and an button up so I’d like to transition away from my bigass backpack.
0
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
Hrrm.
They are not cheap but I've been riding with my Ortlieb for a few months now and they are really good at being waterproof.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Thanks! I’ll check em out. Which model did you get? The “back roller design” looks like it would work, but I want to make sure it’ll fit all my junk in the trunk.
Since I’m new to these is there any need to try and balance them out or would just one be fine?
Side note: Second day riding with foot straps, and I slowly fell over like a drunk giraffe a block from my apartment when my foot got stuck. Not going to lean left again!
0
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
edited May 2018
I have two of the back roller free panniers. I'm taking them on a two-week cycling trip through Belgium and France, and they are all I'm using to carry all of my equipment and clothing - so they're pretty capacious.
If you're curious, in the panniers I'm carrying the following:
1 U-lock
1 4-ft 12mm braided steel cable
3 dresses
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of cycling pants
3 pairs of tights (I'm worried I'll be cold, okay)
3 cycling tops
2 regular bras
2 sports bras
1 set pajamas
5 pairs of undies
6 pairs of socks
1 jacket
1 rain shell
2 mini-towels
1 (lightweight) spare pair of shoes
Timbuk2 small crossbody bag
Wallet
Passport holder (and passport, obviously)
1 Eagle's Nest Outfitters hammock and hammock straps
2 pairs of light pannier locking cables
Hand pump
Basic first aid kit (alcohol wipes, band-aids)
Tube o' butt cream
Tube o' sunscreen
Chain lube
1 spare tube
Leatherman multi-tool in its pocket
2 power adapters
3 battery packs
Assorted charging cables
2 Michelin maps
Sunglasses and regular glasses
4 tubes of Nuun electrolyte tablets
Toiletries (deodorant, bar shampoo, mini bottle of body wash, toothpaste and mouthwash tablets, toothbrush, a couple of makeup things)
Kindle
So, you know.
No comment on whether my packlist will actually be what I need and no more, no less. We'll see in a few weeks.
Lost Salient on
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I have two of the back roller free panniers. I'm taking them on a two-week cycling trip through Belgium and France, and they are all I'm using to carry all of my equipment and clothing - so they're pretty capacious.
If you're curious, in the panniers I'm carrying the following:
1 U-lock
1 4-ft 12mm braided steel cable
3 dresses
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of cycling pants
3 pairs of tights (I'm worried I'll be cold, okay)
3 cycling tops
2 regular bras
2 sports bras
1 set pajamas
5 pairs of undies
6 pairs of socks
1 jacket
1 rain shell
2 mini-towels
1 (lightweight) spare pair of shoes
Timbuk2 small crossbody bag
Wallet
Passport holder (and passport, obviously)
1 Eagle's Nest Outfitters hammock and hammock straps
2 pairs of light pannier locking cables
Hand pump
Basic first aid kit (alcohol wipes, band-aids)
Tube o' butt cream
Tube o' sunscreen
Chain lube
1 spare tube
Leatherman multi-tool in its pocket
2 power adapters
3 battery packs
Assorted charging cables
2 Michelin maps
Sunglasses and regular glasses
4 tubes of Nuun electrolyte tablets
Toiletries (deodorant, bar shampoo, mini bottle of body wash, toothpaste and mouthwash tablets, toothbrush, a couple of makeup things)
Kindle
So, you know.
No comment on whether my packlist will actually be what I need and no more, no less. We'll see in a few weeks.
...this feels kind of like when I asked the woodworker about tips on building a coffee table.
Well that is a badass travel plan (how many miles per day would that be?), and I will most definitely invest in some of those. If you can get all that then a few books, computer, some clothes, and an emergency kit should be no problem.
Also makes my plan of doing a couple day bike trip this summer sound way more doable.
Thanks Lost Salient!
0
Lost Salientblink twiceif you'd like me to mercy kill youRegistered Userregular
It's hardly that! This is my first cycling tour so I could be way off. But like I said, I've been using the Ortliebs since February to do local day trips and I've been really happy with them.
The average miles per day is uhh
Uhhhh
31.
Sorry, had to do some conversion and I am bad at math.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I need to go get help fixing my shifter, because someone knocked over my bike last month and it slipped, and I'm not strong enough/don't have enough hands to pull it back myself.
It's very minor, I'm really just posting in here because that might make me actually go to the bicycle co-op and get it sorted instead of forgetting every afternoon and then cursing myself out on the way home.
Posts
For generally simple commutes of ~1.5 miles on roads a hybrid bike looks decent, but how fiddly should I get about the tire dimensions? Go for the largest/skinniest of standard, be satisfied with a more general middle of the road size? Never really used a bunch of different gear settings, so 2x5 seems ideal? Pad brakes seems less difficult to maintain than disc brakes, but I don't know how to adjust a wheel that is ever slightly not aligned and that tends to make pad brakes much less useful very quickly.
I feel I'll need to get much much more educated on bike maintenance before I'll commit on another, paralyzing myself with choice
To minimise maintenance you could opt for a hub gearbox instead of a derailleur system, then you'd get 8 or 9 speeds. You might even be able to pair that with a belt drive, then all you really have to worry about is tyres.
My wife got one of these recently and has been very happy with it so far, and it's exactly that, disk brakes/belt drive/internal rear hub gearing.
I have a friend that commutes daily between Manhattan and Brooklyn on an almost identically specced bike and loves it for the simplicity and low maintenance.
I am currently predominantly concerned about being cold, but the flipside is going to hopefully be that cycling in Belgium's early summer weather will be considerably less taxing than cycling in Singapore's 28° to 38° shweaty heat.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Are the rails the exact same diameter as the other saddle? You might be tightening the clamp up as tight as it goes, but the rails are smaller than the channels in the clamp.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I just got a used bike and the rear sprockets are a bit rusty.
I did some reading online, and seems like I should get some WD-40 on it to get rid of the rust and then put some bike lube on the chain and I'm good to go.
But then I also read that you shouldn't use WD-40 on a bike.
Also, in terms of the lube, I'll be riding it to work in the city. About a mile each way. Should I get the dry lube?
So basically, what do.
Here are the photos of the sprokets:
BF3 Battlelog | Twitter | World of Warships | World of Tanks | Wishlist
Your second picture didn't load for me dunno if it is on my end.
Any chain lube designed for bicycles is fine for lubing your chain after you clean it. People get a little brand crazy about chain lubes for some reason, but honestly probably all of them are fine. I don't like the ones that come in a pressurized bottle, I like to run my crank backwards and get a very thin line of lube on the rollers of the chain and then I'll wipe off the excess and that's hard to do with the spray type.
Yep, this. It's not the worst thing out there, and you don't need to go crazy on lube type unless you're doing super-endurance or incredibly muddy stuff. More effective than using the right lube is cleaning/relubing every month.
I just can't figure it out! Also I should add the seat isn't sliding backwards or forward, it's like... Tilting on the seatpost. Really odd. I think maybe I've sorted it though. Seemed finally secure when I took it out to the shop and back yesterday.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
I have my bike box.
I am quietly losing my mind worrying about preparedness.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
You're gonna crush it. Belgium will never be the same!
Don't worry, the parts you'll break you wouldn't have brought anyhow. Also, biking is pretty huge in Belgium, so anything you're missing should be reasonably available (I'm guessing)
That's what I'm banking on! I think I have all of the things I need except a foldable spare tire - I haven't had luck finding one that will work with my bike at the shops around here. I'm a mite nervous about going without, but... as you said, there are lots of bike shops around Belgium.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
$50. Secondhand bikes aren't worth shit, especially when they're such a hodge-podge of parts.
It's a new bike.
Is it a real Brooks saddle? Those are usually at least $100-120 alone brand new.
However, if you're just looking for a commuter, you could definitely go used and just have your friendly LBS tune it up and it could save you a lot of money.
If it doesn't fit, its value to you is $0
They are not cheap but I've been riding with my Ortlieb for a few months now and they are really good at being waterproof.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
Since I’m new to these is there any need to try and balance them out or would just one be fine?
Side note: Second day riding with foot straps, and I slowly fell over like a drunk giraffe a block from my apartment when my foot got stuck. Not going to lean left again!
If you're curious, in the panniers I'm carrying the following:
1 4-ft 12mm braided steel cable
3 dresses
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of cycling pants
3 pairs of tights (I'm worried I'll be cold, okay)
3 cycling tops
2 regular bras
2 sports bras
1 set pajamas
5 pairs of undies
6 pairs of socks
1 jacket
1 rain shell
2 mini-towels
1 (lightweight) spare pair of shoes
Timbuk2 small crossbody bag
Wallet
Passport holder (and passport, obviously)
1 Eagle's Nest Outfitters hammock and hammock straps
2 pairs of light pannier locking cables
Hand pump
Basic first aid kit (alcohol wipes, band-aids)
Tube o' butt cream
Tube o' sunscreen
Chain lube
1 spare tube
Leatherman multi-tool in its pocket
2 power adapters
3 battery packs
Assorted charging cables
2 Michelin maps
Sunglasses and regular glasses
4 tubes of Nuun electrolyte tablets
Toiletries (deodorant, bar shampoo, mini bottle of body wash, toothpaste and mouthwash tablets, toothbrush, a couple of makeup things)
Kindle
So, you know.
No comment on whether my packlist will actually be what I need and no more, no less. We'll see in a few weeks.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
...this feels kind of like when I asked the woodworker about tips on building a coffee table.
Well that is a badass travel plan (how many miles per day would that be?), and I will most definitely invest in some of those. If you can get all that then a few books, computer, some clothes, and an emergency kit should be no problem.
Also makes my plan of doing a couple day bike trip this summer sound way more doable.
Thanks Lost Salient!
The average miles per day is uhh
Uhhhh
31.
Sorry, had to do some conversion and I am bad at math.
"Sandra has a good solid anti-murderer vibe. My skin felt very secure and sufficiently attached to my body when I met her. Also my organs." HAIL SATAN
It's very minor, I'm really just posting in here because that might make me actually go to the bicycle co-op and get it sorted instead of forgetting every afternoon and then cursing myself out on the way home.