Reply With QuoteJustin Burls completed the build. I trust that he knows what he's doing as he uses this headset/fork combination on most of his builds. He did say that for this headset you should leave at least 10mm of stem above the headset.
Dont forget to put it in the small ring, small cog before you put it in the garage (takes the tension off the cables), and hope you have a nice deep expanding bung in that carbon steerer with you losing a couple of spacers (I did the same thing, and it was quite tricky finding a suitable expanding bung that would reinforce both the stem bolt points when there was some exposed steerer tube above the stem. It is also expressly against manufacturers instructions, but I am 100% sure it's safe!)Originally Posted by PipPip
Anyway, nice bike!
Justin Burls completed the build. I trust that he knows what he's doing as he uses this headset/fork combination on most of his builds. He did say that for this headset you should leave at least 10mm of stem above the headset.
I think the risks are minimal, but best to be safe than sorry! The last place you want to be when the carbon steerer collapses is on a 40mph descent!
Sorry, I am just being alarmist, but with the rise of carbon steerers and people removing lower spacers rather than sawing down the steerer, I suspect many arent properly reinforced (though i must say I havent come across any cases of the steerer collapsing as is often theorised)
I just reread his email and he didn't say what I thought. He said keep at least 10mm of spacers on the stem. I'll just have to trust how Justin has put it together. His reputation is great so I'm not worried. A fellow cyclist did point out that I was brave going 50mph down a massive hill yesterday on its first ride but I did check all was tight before and it all felt very solid at that speed.
Ah I'm sure it's fine if it's been built by a proper bike mechanic who knows his stuff. Google around the issues for more info.
As for 50mph downhill... I just don't need that kind of adrenaline rush anymore, and the pain of a broken scaphoid and the operation that followed is a good reminder not to take silly risks! (though that injury happened on the flat at about 18mph, which just goes to show you never know what could happen!)
I hadn't really planned to go that fast but its a massive hill with good visibility and no traffic. I was somewhat shocked to see after that I had hit 50!
Here's my current ride:
Had it since July.
Gets used weekly over Cannock Chase.
Only upgrades are CarbonCycles Exotic flat pedals, enduro guard and got rid of the metal cage bolys and changed to flatter nylon ones.
Hoping to upgrade to a full bouncer next year.
Quite an eventful week this week...
I took my mtb in to the LBS for some tlc only to get a call 2 days later saying they had been burgled and my bike had been nicked :( So if anyone is offered a large Pace RC104 give me a shout! Pace confirmed it is one of a kind - the rear seat stay sticker is on upside down...
So after a few days of man flu I took this flying machine for a spin earlier....
Happy Xmas biking TZers :)
I always wondered about this situation - what is their resolution? Are you going to have to jump through hoops proving it's condition etc?
No, new for old replacement. TBH cash would be better at present (bike build was ca £1800) and I had contemplated selling the bike, so will see how that discussion goes when the time is right.
My Cervelo equipped brother is visiting from the USA on Boxing Day, equipped with his Cervelo...I've spent almost exactly zero saddle hours since October.
I am going to be punished into a small greasy smear......
On the plus side he drinks like a six year old girl, so I'll take him in the bar!
Keith, Saw these and thought they were fantastic for a vintage build - Vintage Bar Tape
RIAC
I fitted a 12-30 when I went up last year ( not my 60th by the way) on a compact.
As I crawled over the top with my legs and lungs burning I realised that I'd only got as far as using the 27 and still had a gear left.
You'll fly up on the 32. Good luck!
Just upgraded my wheelset to a pair of Zipp 60's. Bike rides really well but i'm a bit concerned the frame "looks" a tad too big for me (although it feels comfy with a shorter stem).
Zipp 60 certainly look good, you would find the 303 or 404 considerably better but at a premium, for the price of Zipp 60's you can buy DA 1380 Wheels which are without doubt the best wheels I have ever rode for weight and performance
RIAC
Personally I would have gone for these:
http://2013.bikesoul.com/s2/
1300g the pair and sub £400 (I have a pair and they are AMAZING!)
or the S3s if you want aero.
Cheers,
MarkC
I'm after a bit of advise about a possible upgrade. I'm going to book onto a cycle maintenance course in a couple of weeks because I really need to know a bit more about how it all works - basically they get you to strip down your bike and rebuild it.
While I was doing this I was thinking about replacing the Tiagra cassette on my bike with the 105 equivalent, which I think is the 5700. The first question I have is, are they directly interchangeable? I then started to look at different ratio cassettes. I have the 12*30 10 speed, would it help to run a closer ratio set? One of the things I've noticed is I struggle to keep up on flat or hills. I'm possibly running too lower gear and spinning unnecessarily, but I can't help noticing the riders ahead (I'm always at the back of my group!) appear to pedal effortlessly relative to my daft leg inputs.
The next thing I begun looking into was the 105 5800 11 speed cassette. In order to change to the 11 speed from my current 10 speed 5700 groupset (albeit with a Tiagra cassette), what other things need changing?
Thank you in advance gentlemen :)
1. Its probably more relevant what you have on the front rings than the back.
2. You should replace the casette and chain at the same time. If both are 10 speed they should be directly interchangeable.
3. You have a 12 ring. So that is pretty low. No reason you should spin because of the gear. Its your choice of gear that is the problem not the kit! Cloee ratios will give you a bit of a smoother changing experience and possible some ratios you prefer but frankly there isnt much in it. 30 on the back is quite big but if in a hilly area then maybe it makes sense to keep it.
4. Changing to 11 speed will mean a whole bunch of changes. Sti shifters, mechs, chain. Probably cheaper to buy a whole new groupset than the individual parts. And for not much more you can go to ultegra 6800 which is fabulous.
BUT: this may require new wheels and check that your bottom bracket can take the ultegra.
some of the more techy chaps will, i am sure, add to these initial thoughts.
How easy /available are the bearings to change / service? I assume they are a chinese import
RIAC
I've also been trying to learn maintenance starting from a zero base. I have the titanium Burls referenced above but also a 2012 Specialized Secteur Elite on which I am practising maintenance. In the last 2 weekends I've stripped the headset and replaced the horrible mindset system with a new sealed bearing headset, stripped front and back hubs and cleaned/regreased/replaced worn bearings, taken off and cleaned cassette and chain. I'm moving onto bottom bracket and recabling this weekend. I've made a few errors (spewing rear hub bearings all over my gravel driveway being a beauty) but with YouTube and the right tools I am getting the hang of it. Well worth doing. The idea is to use this new found knowledge to keep the much more expensive Burls minty.
Edit: I decided to do this maintenance as I fell off the Burls on black ice 2 weekends ago damaging my rotator cuff in my shoulder, shredding a goretex jacket and bib tights. More worryingly it made me realise that I wouldn't have been able to repair the Burls had it been more damaged (luckily just an Ultegra brake lever scraped up and pedal scratches, I took the brunt and the bike landed on me).
Last edited by PipPip; 3rd February 2015 at 17:13.
Just as a photographer should have a tripod, a bike mechanic should have a workstand. Re wheels and different cassettes, you can fit 8,9 and 10 speed to an 11 speed hub using a spacer, but not the other way around. My winter bike is 9sp and my "good" bike has Ultegra 6800 11sp on (both 12-32, 32 for the Alps and the end of long days back over the Pennines from Cumbria) and I don't find the slightly different gaps a problem, so your 10sp should be fine with that 30 sprocket. If you are spinning when your mates aren't then you need more miles and hills in your legs.
F.T.F.A.
I sold my CX bike and have purchased Specialized lastest multi-purpose bike, the Diverge. I flogged the Claris groupset and have replaced it with 10spd Ultegra. Very happy with how it rides on and off road so far.
Last edited by benny.c; 10th April 2018 at 16:36.
Cyclists of TZ please can you help me with my dilemma!!
I’m looking to pick your brain, I’m going to get a new FS MTB with the Cycle scheme and have narrowed it down to a couple of bikes and wanted to asked what you thought of them and if you’d recommend one over the other…
First up is the B’Twin Rockrider 9.2 and up against it is the Mondraker Tracker R 29
Both are the same money at £1100 and both the shops will let me pay the extra £100 in cash to get the bike for the 1k Cycle scheme limit.
Which one would you go for and why?
Cheers
Gary
The cycling bug took me again when I was asked to do a charity ride from Pembrokeshire to London in May of 2013. Since I was last hear I've bought / built and sold a few bikes. I no longer race, (ex-Second-Cat) but instead prefer the gentle sport of Sportifs (this year will include Carten100 / Velothon Wales / Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100). I'm also about to embark on formal British Cycling Level 1 Coaching which should be the start of a new hobby... Any way I hope you enjoy these:
1993 Stumpjumper (almost NOS) - gone
2001 Explosif (scandium) - self build - gone
2007 Isaac Force - self-build - gone
1997 GT Lightening Ti (almost NOS) - sunny days
2013 Sintesi Seven7teen - self-build - muddy days
2014 Wilier Centor Air 1- sunny days
2006 GIANT TCR - self build - daily commute
Last edited by Stuart D; 4th February 2015 at 20:02.
Pru Ride London-Surrey 100
Yes I did! How did you fair?Rule #5 and Rule #9 in full effect at the Ride London 100. Flying the Timefactors colours with the top that Josh organizedWas nobody else there?
And today I've had notification that I'm in again this year
Sorry, cant comment on either of the two above, but here's a couple of potentially useful articles. Not sure you will be able to get them all on C2W but could be some food for thought?
http://www.mbr.co.uk/bikes/bike-grou...n-bikes-323222
http://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/full-su...-27-5-2-review
I applied and failed to get a place, again. I've applied every year without luck.
Of course I could get a charity place, but I hate people gathering sponsorship so they can do one of their hobbies on the cheap, so I'm out.
Yes I did! How did you fair?
I did 4h 14m 50s which I was pretty pleased with at 50 years old :-)
Tbh I didn't ride for time last year, and only thought about 'time' when I finished. This year however, all being well and good, I'm going to go for it! :)
Not a clue (but an email to Sean should sort that out). I've never worn out (decent) bearings - rims have always gone first.
Sorry not to be more help.
Cheers,
MarkC
I recently sold my TT bike. I put it on SC, but it didn't sell here, it sold on a cycling forum. I had my heart set on this Canyon Speedmax CF, with some minor upgrades such as better saddle.
However there are some very good reviews on this Trek Speed Concept, also with some upgrades such as my old Mavic wheels which I took off my old bike before I sold it. I have some decisions to make, got 6 weeks before start of season!
How do the geometries compare?
Geometry is the reason I sold my last bike. I never felt that I could get maximum performance out of it despite putting a maximum effort in. There was load of wasted energy as just I couldn't get enough power into the cranks to give me a satisfactory time. My target is still not brilliant, I am trying to get to 57 on a 25. I am busy speccing both bikes, and at the moment, from what I am reading on endless reviews and also user comments on forums, the Trek is looking favourable. The Canyon looks better, but I am more interested in going faster than looking good!
Have you had a professional fitting? What are your reach and stack numbers?
That Trek is too ugly to be allowed on European roads. Get the Canyon.
Yes got a professional fitting on previous bikes, he came highly recommended, but did not seem to have a very scientific approach, it was just by look and judgement,
- - - Updated - - -
Agreeed its not as good looking, but I am more concerned about the performance than look ;)
Last edited by clockwatcher; 5th February 2015 at 14:22.
Indeed; the computer that designed the Trek needs destroying, clearly no human input went into 'that'.
Didn't seem to work that well judging by your comments on selling last bike due to fit issues.
Maybe worth investing in a Retul fit (and that can usually be set off against the bike cost.) Given that you are happy to drop serious cash on getting the last drops of performance out, it might be a couple hundred well spent. just a thought.
No place for me either this year. Did it last year and despite the weather it was fun but I'm of the same opinion re. charity places - I'm not sure I could ask people for money so that I could ride my bike. I seem to remember there were some club places last year so might investigate those.
I'm a bit skeptical about bike fits on TT bikes - you're trying to balance far more variables than on a road bike. Not only does the position have to be reasonably comfortable (although that's probably third on the list of priorities), it needs to be aerodynamic and allow you to put the power down, neither of the latter two elements really being addressed during a bike fit (or wasn't at any of the fittings I've had). Coming to a happy medium on those three things is more likely to take a season of tinkering and experimenting than being prescribed in a bike fit.
What a fit will allow you to do is ensure you're getting the right size bike. If you then ensure you've got a really adjustable cockpit you've got a fighting chance of getting a good position.
The Trek SC is butt ugly though and having seen the Canyon in full Movistar livery fly past me on more than one occasion I can assure you it's a quick bike in the right hands!
Although on that reasoning our chap shouldn't have had fit issues? I suppose it depends on the fitting you get.
Anyhow, the geometries of the two are a bit different (as is their frame sizing approach) so needs careful looking at.
http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/bikes...d_concept_9_9/
https://www.canyon.com/en/roadbikes/bike.html?b=3701#
this is also a generally handy tool
https://www.retul.com/frame-finder/s...-reach-tables/
WRT fit:
Perhaps have a chat with Richard here:
http://www.freespeed.co.uk/about/
or try the guys at Bespoke are very good - my brother is Retul qualified and was impressed by their work:
http://www.bespokecycling.com/
Last edited by Josh B; 5th February 2015 at 16:56.
Agreed - there was a load of factors I could blame, but never felt the bike was right for my size or posture. That's why I am being very careful about my next purchase. I have tracked down a Trek SC to view, the Canyon is a little harder. The London bike show is coming up, Canyon are there, but they wont have a Speedmax!
I am not bothered about it looking good, just performing good. Alex Dowsett set the UK 10 record on the Speedmax last year.
That's who I was alluding to. He rides our club 10s and 25s during the summer when he's not racing. Seriously fast and a really nice guy too.
I sold my CX bike and have purchased Specialized lastest multi-purpose bike, the Diverge. I flogged the Claris groupset and have replaced it with 10spd Ultegra. Very happy with how it rides on and off road so far.
I've been considering one of those since I first heard they were replacing the Tricross. What are your thoughts on it on road? I was thinking of it for a fast commute option.
It's great on the road, basically like an Allez/Roubaix with fat tyres and disc brakes. It feels pretty quick/sharp even on the 32c tyres. Here's a quick review I did on PH…..
I've had the Diverge for a week or so now and have been out for three 30+ mile rides on it. First impressions are very positive indeed. On road it is very, very comfortable and rides pretty similar to an Allez that I used to own. Apart from the fat tyres and disc brakes you wouldn't really know that you weren't on a regular road bike. Even on poor road surfaces, it really soaks up the bumps and you get very little buzz.
Off road it is just as capable as my Cube X-Race cross bike and more comfortable, even with the 32c tyres pumped up to 80psi (compared to 35c tyres at 50psi on the cross bike). You wouldn't want to race cross on it but for bridleways, tow paths and the like it is brilliant. Not all cross bikes are the same obviously, but my Cube had the traditional very short top tube and I was always a little cramped on it.
I can see me using the Diverge for some longer distance rides instead of my regular road bike to be honest. I think with 28c Conti Four Seasons it would make a great touring bike, but actually the 32's roll along pretty well. Although they are effectively a road tyre, they cope OK with a bit of mud off road so I'll probably leave them on for now. You aren't going to be racing across muddy fields in them but they are fine for where I use them.
Up until now I'd resisted the urge to have disc brakes as I found that mini-V's provide all the stopping power I needed. For the first hour or so on the Diverge I thought I'd made a terrible mistake going for a bike with mechanical discs as they hardly stopped the bike. However, once the pads bedded in my confidence grew and now I wouldn't go back to rim brakes for this type of the bike. The stopping power is excellent and predictable, and there is enough modulation. Mini-V's can be a pain with mudguards and obviously with discs it's pretty much a none issue. I went for the Specialized Plug and Play ones (as the other Diverge on this thread) and they are a neat fit. They took a little bit of manipulating to get them straight but once on they are very solid.
So, very impressed so far. It's probably a bit corny, but if someone had designed a bike based on my requirements for a go anywhere/winter bike then the Diverge would pretty much be it...a titanium frame would be nice though! My only complaint is the dull colour choice at the moment but I guess that'll change if they manage to shift a few.
Last edited by benny.c; 10th April 2018 at 16:37.
Need a new bike, but can't decide... Which would you get out of these 2?
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/...1/19190/77286/
http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/...0/19189/77287/
basically it's choice between a better frame or Di2
I'd always go with the better frame.
As for electronic shifting, outside of the pro peleton I can't see that it offers any real world riding advantage. But then again, does any of the outrageously priced bike bling we waste our money on ........
Sold my full carbon Bianchi middle of last summer, was out of my league, preferred riding my hybrid.
Any new developments in the hybrid world this year?
The Shimano 105 groupset has gone 11 speed and offers a flat bar shifter option, which can be used with mechanical discs or calipers. There's an 11-32 cassette which means you can have virtually a triple range of gearing on a double ( I have this on my road bike and ride it as a 10 speed with a bail out gear if needed ) The shorter levers and redesigned mechs give a much better level of operation than the previous version, both gear change and braking. I have the Ultegra 6800 and can vouch for this. Take a look here for more detail http://road.cc/content/review/133585...speed-groupset Felt have a "V" range out with butted aluminium frames with a carbon forks, the 9sp Sora model, 11-32, with Tektro hydraulic brakes looks decent at @ £799. I have a Felt road bike with this group and gearing and it rides very nicely and is well put together.
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