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The cycling thread • Page 193

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  • Psychotext 11 Feb 2013 13:50:57 49,145 posts
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    I've had shit experiences with every LBS near me that I've tried so far.

    Frankly I think I'd have better luck with Halfords.

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  • mal 11 Feb 2013 14:10:45 20,466 posts
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    The walls of bike tyres are usually made of much thinner rubber which will perish fairly rapidly and start to crack and flake especially if you run the tyres at lower pressures so they have to flex every time they come round.

    But a bit mad they didn't spot anything like that in a normal service (or whatever a level 2 service is).

    Cubby didn't know how to turn off sigs!

  • pistol 11 Feb 2013 14:21:04 12,850 posts
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    Guys, teach yourselves the basics and leave the LBS's for the difficult stuff. Save yourself a fortune.
  • MikeP 11 Feb 2013 14:44:10 1,235 posts
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    I'm more than happy to answer bike mechanic questions too. I'll even show you my certificates! ooh-err.
  • Psychotext 11 Feb 2013 14:44:59 49,145 posts
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    I know all the basics, but I sure as hell don't have time to do them.

    That's why I pay people do that sort of thing, because it's a far better idea for me to spend my time working. I just wish everyone I tried to use wasn't shit. It's really annoying, I don't expect to do a better job than the pros... mostly because I'm really shit at anything mechanical.

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  • pistol 11 Feb 2013 14:47:00 12,850 posts
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    Psychotext wrote:
    I know all the basics, but I sure as hell don't have time to do them.

    That's why I pay people do that sort of thing, because it's a far better idea for me to spend my time working. I just wish everyone I tried to use wasn't shit. It's really annoying, I don't expect to do a better job than the pros... mostly because I'm really shit at anything mechanical.
    Well as you've said, most of your LBS's aren't up to scratch so you don't really have any choice. Most jobs don't take very long anyway and the more money you save the less you have to earn..;-)
  • pistol 11 Feb 2013 14:49:24 12,850 posts
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    Psychotext wrote:
    I know all the basics, but I sure as hell don't have time to do them.

    That's why I pay people do that sort of thing, because it's a far better idea for me to spend my time working. I just wish everyone I tried to use wasn't shit. It's really annoying, I don't expect to do a better job than the pros... mostly because I'm really shit at anything mechanical.
    But the thing is, most bike jobs really aren't that difficult so referring to the mechanics as "Pro's" implies they are so much more advanced than the rest of us. I beg to differ.

    We were doing the basic jobs as young as 13/14 and I certainly wasn't that technical at the time. And that was without the luxory of YouTube etc. Only things available back then were basic manuels.
  • Psychotext 11 Feb 2013 14:53:13 49,145 posts
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    Next job I need to do is fit a new crank / bottom bracket. To do that I either need to buy a facing tool or put it in the hands of a yet another one of the useless fuckers near me... fun choice.

    (I've already measured it up, it's off and carving a bit off the frame isn't something I want to guesstimate)

    Edited by Psychotext at 14:54:21 11-02-2013

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  • pistol 11 Feb 2013 14:55:26 12,850 posts
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    Psychotext wrote:
    Next job I need to do is fit a new crank / bottom bracket. To do that I either need to buy a facing tool or put it in the hands of a yet another one of the useless fuckers near me... fun choice.

    (I've already measured it up, it's off and carving a bit off the frame isn't something I want to guesstimate)
    That's the sort of job I probably would give to my LBS, but I'd source the parts myself.
  • MikeP 11 Feb 2013 14:56:26 1,235 posts
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    BB facing is one of the few things you don't want to do yourself. The tool costs about £250.
  • Dougs 11 Feb 2013 14:57:13 58,977 posts
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    What's the general check list for a service? Mine needs it, but like Psycho, not sure I have the time. Assumed the maintenance manual would have a run down, but they don't. Just wondered whether it's worth the £35 my LBS charges
  • MikeP 11 Feb 2013 14:59:50 1,235 posts
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    Can vary a lot, from a simple safety check and adjustment right through to a full strip and rebuild.

    Here's a selection from my amusingly-monikered LBS

    http://hadroncycles.com/workshop/
  • Psychotext 11 Feb 2013 15:00:38 49,145 posts
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    pistol wrote:
    That's the sort of job I probably would give to my LBS, but I'd source the parts myself.
    Yeah, I've got my new cranks / chainrings etc.

    My main problem is that I've already had bad experiences with all bar two (which I haven't tried yet) so I honestly don't want to hand it over to any of them. =/

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  • Dougs 11 Feb 2013 15:05:47 58,977 posts
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    Cheers Mike - will work through my manual and see if I fancy any/all of those! My LBS is less specific:

    General Service
    Includes all necessary inspections, adjustments, lubrication and clean. (Does not include service parts which may be required, or specific repairs to faulty components) £35
  • Psychotext 13 Feb 2013 20:39:53 49,145 posts
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    First day back on the trainer. Did the 1hr FTP test on Trainer Road.

    Actually did better than my last result but I think that's got a lot more to do with the bike (my old trainer bike was a serious clunker) than anything else.

    Arse still hurting from the weekend. :(

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  • MikeP 13 Feb 2013 21:57:17 1,235 posts
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    Psychotext wrote:
    First day back on the trainer. Did the 1hr FTP test on Trainer Road.

    Actually did better than my last result but I think that's got a lot more to do with the bike (my old trainer bike was a serious clunker) than anything else.

    Arse still hurting from the weekend. :(
    At least it's your arse and not your calf though, eh?

    Good to see you getting back on it, hopefully you're properly on the road to recovery.
  • Psychotext 13 Feb 2013 22:13:14 49,145 posts
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    Yeah, calf didn't feel bad today which is fairly encouraging.

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  • lordofdeadside 14 Feb 2013 12:37:11 1,023 posts
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    So picked up a Boardman HT team, seems great, really nice finish. However I opted for a medium and it might be a bit big. It feels ok when riding, but there's very little if any standover room. Does this sound ok? Does anyone else ride a bike of a similar fit?
  • elstoof 14 Feb 2013 12:45:53 4,403 posts
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    Stand over room? You mean the top tube is high between your legs when standing over it?

    I'd ignore the vast majority of these traditional sizing methods, new frames can have wildly different shapes so things like stand over height become redundant.

    I'd say that if you can adjust the seat height so that your leg is almost straight at the bottom of the pedal stroke and you have a decent amount of seat post sticking out, you should be able to dial in the fit. With the seat height set up, put your hands on the bars and look down at the front wheels hub. If it's way out in front of the bars, the bike may be too small. Underneath the bars, too big.

    These are all really rough sizing tips, but it's a better place to start from that any other in my experience.
  • elstoof 14 Feb 2013 12:48:05 4,403 posts
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    Hopefully someone who knows more about mountain bikes will be along soon to put me right.
  • Psychotext 14 Feb 2013 12:50:00 49,145 posts
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    Surprising that you don't have much standover on a hardtail. Normally it's full suspension that you have that problem with.

    How tall are you? Did you use a bike sizer?

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  • lordofdeadside 14 Feb 2013 16:43:48 1,023 posts
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    @Psychotext I'm 5'10 with about a 29" ish inside leg. I didn't use a bike sizer, probably should have! The frame is 19" and I've got about half an inch of stand over clearance. Just worried if there's an awkward dismount on an uneven surface I'm gonna get a top tube where I really don't want one!
  • Psychotext 14 Feb 2013 17:28:03 49,145 posts
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    Ehh, an inch and a half doesn't sound too bad.

    It's how you use it!

    But seriously, can you swap it still? I'm guessing you're probably not going to be happy with it.

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  • lordofdeadside 14 Feb 2013 17:51:56 1,023 posts
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    @Psychotext half an inch!

    I'm not sure if they'll let me swap it, might as well ask eh.
  • Psychotext 14 Feb 2013 17:57:02 49,145 posts
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    My bad, yeah half an inch isn't good at all. Your balls would brush it on a particularly warm day!

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  • MikeP 14 Feb 2013 19:29:25 1,235 posts
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    Yeah, that's quite a short leg you have in proportion to your height. I'm 175cm, inside leg (saddle top to floor) is 82cm
  • mal 14 Feb 2013 21:12:34 20,466 posts
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    Heh, I think I've got that or maybe a little more on my bike, and I've not had a problem with it. Sure, on a hurried dismount there might be a little ball-frame interaction, but I dress on the left in suit trousers, and I dress on the left on my bike as well.

    I suspect the size is why I don't like riding standing up on it though, but otherwise it suits me fine.

    Cubby didn't know how to turn off sigs!

  • lordofdeadside 15 Feb 2013 17:23:10 1,023 posts
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    I've tried @elstoof 's suggestion of sizing and the front hub is underneath the bars.

    After checking the geometry guide, it appears the small drops the height by two inches, but the top tube is only one inch shorter, so sounds ideal.

    Cheers folks!
  • Psychotext 16 Feb 2013 19:44:12 49,145 posts
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    Not a bad ride today, but too much getting off to get around goddamn lakes. Cycled through one... was waaaaay too high. Soaked my feet (again). Ended up carrying the bike up two serious hills. Could barely walk up one of them, was mental.

    Bottled the final descent; was too steep and had some serious boulders. Never really done that before - I could have done with a full bouncer and a bigger set of balls.

    Edited by Psychotext at 19:44:56 16-02-2013

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  • mal 16 Feb 2013 20:49:12 20,466 posts
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    Got to watch your standover with bigger balls though ;)

    Cubby didn't know how to turn off sigs!

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