The Cycling Thread

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by AJC

Well I have had my new steed for a little bit and managed to get a few miles in:



Even made it along to Loch Lomond in Scottish sun!:



Seems October is the new summer in Scotland!

Anyways the bike, well, it's excellent. I mean really I know everyone tries to justify a purchase but it's better in just about every way than the one it replaced. It's smooth, very stiff and handled beautifully on proper trails yesterday. If anything it felt a little stiff on the trails but there again my tyres were solid and I couldn't be bothered letting some air out.

Ahhh upgrades, don't mention the upgrades! I already have plans of shaving weight off and have caught myself looking at carbon fibre and XTR bits. If I start this by the time I end I will have spent more than on my real bike!...

Very nice, but you can't stay here, this is the roadie's section

There's a seperate MTB thread

[carelesschucca]

Quick question are Basso a decent make of clothing?

[maviczap]

Its Italian, so should be ok, but always tend to be on the small side.

ive seen it advertised, but ive never had any of their stuff.

Originally Posted by carelesschucca

You guys are DANGEROUS for me... I must stop looking at this thread. Mav you did warn me that upgrades are inevitable

I had another footer with the brakes before I went out and they are a little better, It took a major fright and a very hard pull on the lever at speed to lift the back wheel, new blocks can wait till payday.

Today was my longest ride yet I managed 22.05miles in 1hr33 mins with a total height gain of 1081ft, I do love MapMyFitness. My legs are a little sore but I'm well chuffed.

Sorry about that. If you're happy with it then don't change it. It looks like good value. It surprises me that you're having problems with Shimano brakes though. Take it back and have them looked at, it could just be adjustment.
If you were looking to spend a little money I'd suggest shoes and pedals They don't have to be expensive - basic Shimano shoes start at about GBP40 and Shimano clipless pedals at about GBP15. Then get a professional fit on the bike which will probably come with a few tips on pedalling and climbing technique. You wouldn't believe the difference it all makes and
I can think of worse ways to spend money.


Maviczap: Swisstop pads... Green or blue? Any thoughts on the differences in rim wear rates, dry performance, wet performance, temperature performance, feel etc against each other and Shimano blocks?
I'm not really in the need of an upgrade, but Shimano blocks disappear fairly quickly with heavy use (better them than the rims IMO) and I'll be needing to replace them soon. If there is something better out there I'm willing to give them a shot.

Originally Posted by maviczap

Very nice, but you can't stay here, this is the roadie's section

There's a seperate MTB thread

Crikey, evicted....

Originally Posted by carelesschucca

I might get AJC to join too...

Nope!

[carelesschucca]

I dunno if my problem with the brakes is I've not ridden a bike in 15 years and I'm used to motorbike brakes, I'll get there, I've been lucky I still haven't had to ride in the rain.

I was really lucky in Decathlon I hated the standard pedals on the bike but didn't know what I was doing so one of the staff came over and started helping me, I had looked at road shoes because I liked the look of them and he pushed me toward getting a pair of mountain bike shoes instead. Gotta say the service the guy gave me was great he was with me for over an hour and a half, put the new pedals on for me and gave the bike a full check before sending me out to test it. Turned out that his brother had looked at getting a Bonneville but ended up buying an SV650 so we talked motorbikes too.

Totally different to Evans, I've been in their Glasgow shop a few times and I've yet to have any kind of service, it always seems like a hassle for them to help.

You're sorted it seems.

Customer service... We pay a premium on everything here. For example, Ultegra 6800 brakes are typically $300-350 or $120 from Merlin Cycles including freight from the UK. I wouldn't complain if it was backed by knowledgeable or competent service.
For example: I spent nearly $200 to get a $35 (online price) pump that would inflate a tyre to 120psi. A lot has changed since frame fit pumps were standard. Many micro pumps won't inflate a road tyre properly and even at the pointy end of very specific questions shop assistants claimed they would (and they personally use those pumps all the time). With the third pump I bought, I asked the young fella behind the counter who sold me that $100 pump to demonstrate 120psi. He couldn't do it, which given the very specific questions asked before I bought it made him either a liar or an idiot. No refund was asked for or offered because I didn't have the original packaging, but with the shop owner standing right there you'd think that a repeat customer and his own reputation would be worth more than $100. It was enough for me to just make the point that if they screw me, they screw themselves.

I went to another shop down the road for some other gear and was served by a character with some genuine knowledge accumulated over decades (and a hilarious anecdote for everything) who knew exactly what I wanted and in one case pointed me elsewhere to something they didn't have in the shop. It was a case of already getting a few hundred in sales and not screwing it by selling me the wrong item and losing a potential repeat customer.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by MattCollins

Sorry about that. If you're happy with it then don't change it. It looks like good value. It surprises me that you're having problems with Shimano brakes though. Take it back and have them looked at, it could just be adjustment.
If you were looking to spend a little money I'd suggest shoes and pedals They don't have to be expensive - basic Shimano shoes start at about GBP40 and Shimano clipless pedals at about GBP15. Then get a professional fit on the bike which will probably come with a few tips on pedalling and climbing technique. You wouldn't believe the difference it all makes and
I can think of worse ways to spend money.


Maviczap: Swisstop pads... Green or blue? Any thoughts on the differences in rim wear rates, dry performance, wet performance, temperature performance, feel etc against each other and Shimano blocks?
I'm not really in the need of an upgrade, but Shimano blocks disappear fairly quickly with heavy use (better them than the rims IMO) and I'll be needing to replace them soon. If there is something better out there I'm willing to give them a shot.

I bought the green, as they're supposed to be good in the wet

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/swissstop-fl...sku=5360340957

But TBH the standard Ultegra's are very good in the dry and in the wet.

But there's a world of difference between those and the ones Dean has on his B'Twin, as they are a one piece moulded brake block, and a different kind of compound to the higher end brake's.

Everything up from 105 has a 2 piece brake block, with a seperate holder, and a pad that slides out.

I have some horrible moulded brake blocks on my winter bike, but as we don't have many hills round here, its not a big problem for me.

So if I were Dean, I'd swap out the brake blocks first to something similar to Swisstops and maybe some decent compressionless cables, such as Jagwire, as I bet they've used cheap outer cables for the brakes. The cheap outers flex & twist under heavy braking, robbing power

But if you look at a picture of the rear caliper, you can see the pad is right at the bottom of the stirrup, even on a deep drop caliper. So there's bound to be lots of inherent flex in the stirrup arm. If I wanted that much clearance as a frame designer, I'd have used V brakes or canti's.

[carelesschucca]

Originally Posted by maviczap

Its Italian, so should be ok, but always tend to be on the small side.

ive seen it advertised, but ive never had any of their stuff.

I chickened out of buying the top no point in spending the cash even with money off if it did't fit.

Originally Posted by maviczap

So if I were Dean, I'd swap out the brake blocks first to something similar to Swisstops and maybe some decent compressionless cables, such as Jagwire, If I wanted that much clearance as a frame designer, I'd have used V brakes or canti's.

Only good thing about that much space is I can maybe squeeze in 28 tyres or slightly bigger (I was gonna buy a cyclocross bike )

I'll look at changing the blocks after the bike has been checked over, gonna book it in over the next week. It scares me how much I'm enjoying this cycling lark. Loved it as a kid loving it again now.

[maviczap]

Yes, 28's will fit no problem I think , plus mudguards

But that's what its been designed for, as it also has the rack mounts, so you could go light touring on it. But fully laden isn't going to help those brakes

Its not an out & out racer with close clearances, and to fit disc brakes front and rear would have pushed it up to a different price point, even with 'orrible cheap cable disc brakes, which aren't much better than those calipers.

It is what it is & you're happy with what you paid and it'll do you right, until you decide that you might want something else. Enjoy it, upgrade this and that, and you'll get used to its limitations