I'm on a Fitness Regtime at the moment and haven't ridden a bike for about 5 years.
I know this is nowhere in the same league as some of the bikes on here but wanted to show off my new ride bought today.
It's a 2015 Trex 7.4 FX.
scooter
I'm on a Fitness Regtime at the moment and haven't ridden a bike for about 5 years.
I know this is nowhere in the same league as some of the bikes on here but wanted to show off my new ride bought today.
It's a 2015 Trex 7.4 FX.
scooter
A good mate of mine has started making his own bikes. I've been loaned one for a while and since it's arrived, I've not used my Cannondale or Cube at all. It's called the Stanforth Kibo and oddly it seemingly has huge appeal. Causes plenty of positive comment.
http://www.stanforthbikes.co.uk/#!stanforthkibo/c10fk
Seeing all these bikes and watching the tdf has made me lust after a carbon bike.
Are they really quicker and more fun to ride?
I skipped carbon and went straight from a low end alloy to titanium. It's lightweight/fast, incredibly strong, looks amazing and so smooth its like riding on a carpet. Carbon is nice too but I felt the pull of titanium more strongly!
I think I have converted. For the first time in my life I actually want to exercise. I would never have thought cycling would be so fun. I rode to work today, which was nice. Especially nice, as I couldn't do anything on site, so I was able to squeeze in a 15 mile spin. I snapped a couple of pics, which turned out really bad, as usual.
^^^ I concur, not a pretty bike.
Congratulations, Chris Froome. Both on the win and his calm in the face of the French media and some of their public.
Further congratulations to Sir Dave Brailsford.
My ride:
At La Toussuire in the Alps :)
Not sure how well received this will be, but here's my Cube Stereo full suspension mountain bike with superb spec:
- Fox Float CTD forks
- Fox Float CTD shock
- SRAM XX1 rear dérailleur
- SRAM X01 shifter
- Shimano XT brakes
- RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper post
and...
- Bosch Performance drive with Nyon
I used to cycle a reasonable amount, but over the past few years I've just pottered around on canal paths, bridleways, etc. when cycling with my wife. Decided I wanted to get back into it and bought this a few weeks ago.
Was looking for a decent eMTB as I live a reasonably hilly cycle from the forest with the singletrack I was looking to cycle; cycling there and back would mean I wouldn't enjoy the singletrwck as much as I'd be a bit knackered and I don't want to drive. I'm sure some would think that's a little lazy, and I'd agree, but I wanted one nonetheless.
This bike came up at what I thought was a really good deal with much better spec than someone of my abilities needs... and I've not looked back since.
I've not owned full suspension before and it really smooths out the rocky descents. The dropper post is also superb; incredibly quick to pop it down and I can shift my body to where it needs to be with no saddle getting in the way and I no longer need to get my body 'behind' the saddle which has always made me feel a little vulnerable somehow.
The Bosch Performance system is also fantastic. It has four settings which provide 50%-275% assistance (up to a maximum speed of 16mph) - there is no throttle, the system only assists your pedalling and contributes based on various measurements it takes a squizillion times per second. Battery is 36V and 11Ah; difficult to say how many miles it offers as terrain and assistance levels will vary it massively. However, a 35 mile round trip through some very hilly terrain doesn't fully drain the battery. Overall, I've been really pleased with it so far.
Here are a couple of photos from a recent ride:
Last edited by mab; 27th July 2015 at 21:20.
I can appreciate your point of view based on the photo's you've posted. No problem with your logic
I have seen a fair few about, I think it a clever use of technology I would be intrested in having a go on one.
I am not intrested in owning one but I see no problems with people having them, great idea.
I hope you enjoy it and nice pictures.
I've done about 1350 road miles on an inexpensive hybrid this year and would like to get something more appropriate. Halfords have a good price on the Boardman Road Sport Bike model at the moment so I'm about to take the plunge.
My first concern though is the size - I'm a few mm short of 6'2 with a 34" inside leg - the largest frame available is 57.5cm, but the road bike sizing guide (below) suggests 58-60cm for persons between 6'0" - 6'3" - has anyone had any relevant experience of this bike they can share?
Secondly, the roads round here are decent but mostly not smooth tarmac and I've been known to collide with a pothole at 25+ mph coming downhill - the knobbly tractor tyres on the hybrid seem to soak up the bumps and knocks, but can the narrow wheels and skinny tyres of a sporty road bike take that sort of punishment?
Grateful for any advice.
http://www.evanscycles.com/pages/road-bike-sizing-guide
I've also done the transition from starter hybrid with 38mm to road bike with 23mm tyres and the road bike in my experience is no better or worse than the hybrid on potholed roads. Have had broken spokes on both, but only once in each case. Would try to go for at least 25mm tyres on the roadie just for ride comfort, I'm lucky my road bike is a carbon with insert doofers to smooth out the ride, it actually rides better than the hybrid.
I can see the advantages of ebikes and I must profess to wanting one for the winter commute. My round trip is around 34 miles and it could mean doing it more often, but at the current prices levels for nice ones a scooter is cheaper.
Just built this:
best bike i have ridden by some distance.
Ok, I've finished a raft of upgrades to the bike that has culminated in some fabulous Enve 3.4 SES wheels so here's a pic with updated spec:-
BMC Teammachine SLR01
Full Dura Ace 9000 mechanical groupset
Dura Ace 9000 pedals
C-Bear ceramic bottom bracket
Enve 3.4 SES powertap wheels
Enve titanium skewers
Continental Competition ProLtd tubs
Swissstop Black Prince brake pads
Jagwire link gear and brake cables
Bontrager Paradigm XXX carbon saddle
3T ergonova bar with Lizardskins DSP
3T Stem
Completely rebuilt by my own fair hands and I've enjoyed every minute of it.
Comes it at 6.5kg less pedals and cages.
Rides like a dream and accelerates like a rocket.
I was having a few issues with punctures (like 5 in one day on a 100 mile outing) so decided it was time for new tyres for my custom built Burls. I decided to give 25c tyres a go instead of my usual 23c and fitted them this afternoon. Just been out for a pedal - the combination of 25c tyres with the titanium frame makes this one silky smooth machine over the tarmac. Glides like cruiser but weighs around 7.3kgs and has sharp steering/handling when needed due to the front forks and short chain stays. Don't think I'll ever part with this machine.
Its a custom build titanium by Justin Burls.
They are just factory wheels. American Classic Sprint 350. Nice enough, very light (ran out of funds for anything better!).
Next upgrade sorted then!
Recommend Paul Hewitt for wheels.
Plenty of internet reports on people having issues. However, I've done maybe 3,000 miles on mine with zero issues and they are still tight and true plus the bearings remain silky and fast. I think bigger/heavier riders can have issues with them but thankfully all good with mine. Perhaps I'm just not powerful enough to do them any damage!
I went to Paul last week to true and tension my Enve's, lovely chap and his shop is a real Aladdin's cave.
He had a lovely C60 with SR EPS on Bora Ultras waiting to be collected. It looked fantastic but was surprisingly heavy.
Choose your hubs according to budget and lace them to Archetype, Ambrosio or Pacenti rims and you'll have anything as good as factory aluminium wheels at any budget.
Guys,
I'm looking for a CX suitable got someone 6'1" 2nd hand or new if you know of any good deals going please let me know.
Cheers
In my limited experience I've found sizing can be all over the place - if you're buying new can you not just go to the store?.. that's got to be the one advantage.
My story is similar to yours, started out on a Boardman hybrid late last year (bought from this forum). It was immaculate and cost me 30% of retail. Today I bought a cube carbon racer from some guy I got talking to at my local cycle cafe for£500.. This retailed at £1400 2 years ago and again is immaculate and just been serviced.
I mention this because by going second hand you can get more bang for your buck..also if you congregate in areas with other cyclists (cafes etc) you can often get an even better deal as people are able to discount more to avoid having to deal with tyre kickers from ebay/ gumtree etc
Finally you may be surprised at how much more compact a racer is compared to a hybrid. I expected it to be the same but with different handlebars . .how wrong I was!
The frame was about £2k, although the paintjob on this added a fair bit to that. Full custom, hand-welded in New Hampshire.
Other than that, everything is fairly standard, Ultegra Hydraulic disks, Fizik finishing kit etc. Although I did go a bit nuts on the wheels - Chris King R45 hubs on Hed Belgium rims...
Into my 11th year on this one now :
Changed the bars to Soma Oxfords but swap the original Nitto drops back in from time to time :
Paul
I've got a day off tomorrow and it's like the summer we never had at the moment. So I'm going to take me and my bike on the train down from Surbiton to Bournemouth tomorrow, and do the following cycle route, which is a belter.
Surbiton ---> train to Bournemouth--->Along the beach cycle path to Sandbanks--->Chain ferry to Studland--->Fish and chips in Swanage--->Up the hill for a pint in Square and Compass, Worth Matravers--->Down the hill to Corfe Castle--->Up and over the Purbeck hills and back on the chain ferry to Sandbanks--->Off the bike and a walk up Bournemouth Beach--->Cycle to Bournemouth train staton and home on the train to Surbiton.
35 miles with plenty of hills, which for a mid/late 40-something (with a pasty-habit) will definitely take its toll. Wave at me if you're in the area.
Not Richmond Park so much, but I'm always out on my bike along the river with my boys around Teddington/Kingston/Hampton Court etc.
I do a mean cycle pub crawl along the river taking in all the river fronting pubs from Richmond (White Cross)->Twickenham (White Swan)->Teddington (Anglers)->Kingston (Boater)->Surbiton (Harts Boatyard)->Thames Ditton (Ye Olde Swan). It gets a bit wobbly, as you've guessed towards the end.
As you see I don't take my cycling too seriously!
Has anyone adjusted a sealed bearings rear hub ?
I've noticed my Whyte 529 has a little bit of play side to side on the rear wheel & wondering if this is an easy fix.
I don't think the bearings need replaced as the wheel spins very smoothly so I'm hoping its just something that needs tightened up ?
Is this something I can easily do myself or do I need to take the wheel to a bike shop ?
Swapped the bars again. Out goes the relaxed Soma Oxford albatross ...
... and in comes the slightly more purposeful Nitto B206AA :
Paul