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radical edition
Resources:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/
https://www.parktool.com/en-us/blog/repair-help
https://www.youtube.com/@RJTheBikeGuy/videos
Neutral Support News on Youtube
previous thread: >>2064027
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>>2064038
how do I get a different Q factor?
like, do I have to look up every crank's specs individually or does, say, Shimano list all their cranks by q factor?
or are they all the same and you can only change it outward with spacers? I'm trying to go narrower than my old Sora.
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>>2064044
well, to go any narrower it would have to be from the crank arms or the bottom bracket. my crank arms are something like a cm away from the chainstays. if the arms were angled less, my feet could be closer together. I have flat pedals so I just ride with my shoes touching the crankarm. my pedal bolts have extra space but I already cover it with my feet to be as close to the crank as possible, different pedals won't change this
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>>2064100
they're overpriced and low quality too
i go british warm weather mtp field pants for $20, top features for biking. also have domestic mid height safety work shoes rather than chinkshit biking ones. flat & stiff ass soles, toe protectors, quick laces and everything.
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Has anyone blown a tube, tried to replace it and never been able to get the tire back on?
I’m not talking about it being tough to get back on (I understand that) I’m talking spending hours trying to get the tire back on, and then taking it to a bike shop and them not being able to get the tire back on either. Somehow the manufacturer got the tires on before I bought the bike so it’s possible but not sure if they have some sort of special method they use in the factory?
Any tips or should I just get new tires?
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>>2064118
I would assume they put the tires on with a machine you can buy soigrip type tire bead tools that give you more mechanical leverage
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>>2064136
in lieu of a new bike you're probably not going to see major Q factor improvements. depending on drivetrain you might be able to use a track or timetrial crankset which might be designed with a narrower Q factor but I wouldn't bet on eking out more than a couple of millimeters that way, assuming it can even be made to work.
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>>2064157
I hear you. well, I guess that answers my question, anyway.
it's not awkward or anything, I was just hoping I could make it narrower via crankarm but I'm not going to find a TT/track crank with a compact or subcompact BCD so that settles that, even if a couple mm would be worth shelling out for a new crank in the first place. the gap between the end of the crankarm and my chainstay measures 1.5cm, so...
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hey guys, i got a new bike with a spacer stack that looks pretty much exactly like this(not my pic). i suppose that's because the frame was designed for fully integrated headset cables but still has the old frame-only cables, thank god. can i replace the bottom spacers with flanged ones so it looks less fugly? or would that fuck up the headset somehow?
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Can someone help me identify this bike?
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We all agree this is best right?
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>>2064316
I don't think any manufacturer specifies the max. pressure of their TPU tubes so I guess the tires/rim determine the max and min pressure of your system.
t. just checked the pirelli and eclipse tubes I have laying around and the turbolito websites says something similar
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>>2064316
hmm, good question. I've never needed to inflate past 85psi on my gp5ks in 28mm, presumably I may have overinflated some but surely not past 100.
otoh if they were gimped to a pressure not achievable with butyl, the reputable brands would have to include a warning or risk a lawsuit.
in view of this, it seems very unlikely there could be a limit besides what the tire itself can hold. right? I thought the tire holds the tube together until the tire itself fails?
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>>2064316
>>2064330
I've used those specific tubes, pumping them to 90psi. Based on the 'soft' value from the Rene Herse tire pressure calculator.
1980s road bike, 25mm tires on rims, 13mm bed width, kapton tape as rim tape.
No punctures, didn't die, etc.
I've also used some of their 26" tubes, no problems.
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>>2064331
im the og anon
im on 23's aswell and my bike is a wilier thor from like 2005 i think? im not sure when it released
>>2064334
i have some super old maxxis tires that are rated for 8.5bar/130psi max and i was running them at 6,5 because the compound is really hard by itself and they were STIFF as fuck at 6,5
i'll just try the same on the contis and go from there i guess
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I need new gloves. I was using Chiba Gel Premium but from what I read the new revisions suck cock. I also visited Decathlon, tried what they had and they just didn't feel right on my hands.
I use gloves mostly on full day rides and touring and never on my road bike.
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>Get new tire for back wheel
>didn't realize it has directional tread
>realize I put it on backwards after putting the wheel back on and pumping the tire with air
Can I just ignore this or will this have grave consequences?
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>>2064371
i did this (i was drinking when i reinstalled the tire) and there was no observable difference in traction. i think bikes just don't develop enough torque or have enough weight for precise tread dynamics to matter much. if you're in rain, you're not hydroplaning, it's just generally slightly slipperier. if you're in deep snow or sand, you aint scooping that shit out and just having an appropriate tire width/otherwise adjusting the contact area matters more. on straight ice no tread will save you, many car tire companies outright say "we do not make ice/snow tires for motorcycles because the physics straight up do not work well enough to take advantage of if you are less than 500kg per tire"
though the one thing i DID notice was that the backwards tire flung way more road crud at me. i guess having it kinda funnel towards the center helps keep the flung-off road dust slightly more localized (but it was still a lot either way and the true solution is "get a fender")
>>2064337
>fingerless glubs
literally what is the point. if it's just for the callouses get a bottle of moisturizer nigga. maybe some comfier grips. i use dollar store gloves btw
>>2064118
get the big ass spoons they use on motorbike tires and then use them to utterly destroy your rim. if it's metal-banded maybe you need an outright "bead breaker"
>>2064100
skintight anything will always look faggotronic. fashion is a whole field but basically women's clothing is made to accentuate the figure while men's clothing is made to hide it and has been for a while. baggier/bulkier clothing is associated with manly dangerous coolguy work, while tight stuff is for peasants and fags. consider a big suit of armor vs peasant tights. the peasant wouldn't have looked gay then, but he's certainly a dire poorfag and you'd rather be in the hulking suit of shining armor (or the lavish fleece of a king, or the leathers and furs of an adventurous trapper, etc)
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>>2064371
if it's a road tire the tread pattern is just decoration. if it's mtb, the shape of the knobs are supposed to affect how it grips the dirt and how it sheds dirt, so... maybe some consequences, but hardly grave
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>>2064381
it's one of those things where either way there's advantages and disadvantages in theory but in the end the effect is so minimal it doesnt matter as much as what the tire is just made out of and the conditions will fuck you sideways no matter what
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I have crappy rim brakes on my bike. In the non-BC canadian weather they stutter when I apply full force. It doesn't seem to be the rim itself; the stuttering is way too fast for it to be the rim being seated improperly, and it didn't happen on the same rim with different (but worn-to-the-bolt) shoes before. Is it the weather, or did I replace my brake pads wrong or something? Do I just have to yank the cable out a little further to increase the brake pressure overall? The adjustment bolt at the lever is as far out as it goes, and when I replaced the shoes (and spacers, etc.) it would respond fine testing them indoors and on my first couple rides. Then on one particularly cold day, they would stutter crazily just testing them in the parking lot before I set off.
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>>2064388
>toe in the pads is what I'd try,
I only have the rounded-off spacers; I'm not sure what they're called, and I don't care. I figured they're there to cope with manufacturing defects or just weird angles between the calipers and rim. Is there a way to adjust camber or caster angle on the shoes alone on typical cheapo rim brakes without dremeling stuff out?
I'd rather not spend any significant amount of money; my intent is to ride this current frame and its halfway wear parts (brake calipers, derailleur, etc) into the ground and transfer everything I care about to a new frame in the summer, then ride that into the ground
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>>2064389
Here's what I do
Clamp the brakes on so they are in full contact the rim
Loosen the bolts
Slide a piece of card between the rear edge of the brake shoe and the rim.
Make sure everything still lines up
Tighten the bolts
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>>2064389
you can just physically bend the calipers like a mm.
take the wheels off, the pads off, clamp an adjustable wrench over where the pads bolt on, twist the caliper slightly, reassemble.
this isn't just out of my ass, this is a time honored trick. I've also personally done it.
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why don't they just make spokes with very long threaded sections that you can put in place of any other spoke (within a wheel size) and then trim the excess? fuck spoke shopping, just make a one-stop solution and stock them everywhere.
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>>2064450
seems unlikely. they probably figured out the smallest diameter that would still be safe and used that to grams-shave, since people buying them in titanium are only interested in them for weight purposes. if they didn't work, they'd get sued. but if you bought them from Lucky Auspicious Bicycle Company on ali, then that's another thing, but still probably fine. I mean, as long as they're bigger than the dropout and the cams grip properly it doesn't seem like there's a lot to go wrong. tighten them down on the front wheel, grip the tire and head tube, and try your hardest to work them loose. if you can't, it's unlikely riding conditions will be able to.
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>>2064450
skewers aren't normally subjected to any load so it shouldn't matter. I'd be a bit leary of using them in horizontal or semi-horizontal rear dropouts but with normal modern dropouts where the hub seats neatly it should literally never matter
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Rodeo Labs Traildoneky (carbon) vs Flaanimal (steel)?
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>>2064460
the company only makes 3 bikes. the steel and ti are identical except frame material. this is obviously a brand hyper-focused on one type of riding: adventure/gravel.
I think it's pretty safe to say that the only differences in the carbon bike are just whatever advantages can be had from carbon, but it's likely to be mostly similar otherwise, I'd wager.
I think the real question is "how important is weight to me/am I going to race it?" and "how much do I want to spend?"
but I don't like plastic bikes, so I say steel
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>>2064467
>>2064468
I agree.. But there's a traildonkey near me for $4k with two wheelsets, the nearest used flaanimal is 18hr drive away for $3k and only a single wheelset (the bike in the picture).
It's a buy once cry once purchase for me though so I don't want to let price dictate the decision too much.
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>>2064485
Which one? idk what these things are
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>>2064345
>Press-fit BB30
Oh, that's different than what I was thinking of.
The Klein ones I'm thinking about are c. 1990. Square taper bb, the circlips were the furthest outboard thing, etc.
I looked at the pic again, now that I'm not drunk, and I see it's a different arrangement.
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>>2064474
>It's a buy once cry once purchase for me
just buy both retard
>>2064492
you... think about 1990s bottom brackets when you're drunk?
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>>2064489
those are component (or "group") and wheelset packages. in other words, you can customize it before you buy, instead of buying a normal bike that comes with one thing and then customizing it. so you save money and don't have to do the wrenching and don't have the original parts just gathering dust.
so the basic packages seem to be around what the used bikes are selling for. but one says "mullet" which is different sized wheels front and back (I think) which is a pretty specialized customization, and then they go up from there.
I don't really know about these kind of bikes but if you can figure it out, I tentatively think you can get a better deal new
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this is what the $4k traildonkey (carbon) comes with:
Frame: Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey 3.1 - Medium/54cm (wrapped)
Wheels (1st set): Zipp 303S - carbon, TLR
Wheels (2nd set): E13 TRS - carbon, TLR
Tires (1st set): Panaracer Gravelking (700c x 38mm) - Medium rubber remains
Tires (2nd set): Maxxis Ignitor EXO 3C Terra (27.5"x2.1) - lots of rubber remains
Crankset/BB: 1x12 Praxis Zayante (172.5mm, carbon) / Praxis T47 M30 (ceramic)
Chainring: Absolute Black Oval 40t
Rear Derailleur: SRAM GX Eagle 12spd
Chain: SRAM XX1 52t (waxed, oil slick)
Headest: Chris King Dropset 2
Shifters/Brakes: SRAM Force (wired) *note: left lever set up for dropper post control with Ratio Technologies kit (original parts will be included to shift back to 2x set up)
Rotors: SRAM XR CL 160mm
Seatpost: PNW Rainier 27.2 Dropper Post (clean) w/ 150mm drop (internal routing set up), o deg setback
Bottlecages: Wolftooth Morse Ti (2x)
Fenders (not shown): Velo Orange 62 (black)
Bolts: 12x Wolftooth AL (red/blue/silver)
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two wheel sets seems like a good deal. im getting so sick of these captchas
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>>2064540
I just meant if you buy a normal Trek or whatever, there's no options, that model comes with the group and wheelset it comes with, so if you want that bike but you want to customize it, you pay for those parts twice, the stuff you don't want, and then the stuff you buy aftermarket. with these Rodeos, you just pick what you want before you buy, so you only buy once.
in that sense, you should save money. but if their prices are outrageous as you point out, then maybe it doesn't work out that way
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Is there any reason to upgrade from square taper bottom bracket? I got a half-decent 90's frame and a wheelset for a road bike build and it came with 68mm Shimano square taper one (BB-UN51). The BB itself seems perfectly allright, and I'm not pushing for latest cranksets - just collecting second hand/on sale parts as they come available. Currently don't have any opinion in regards of cranks and groupsets either,
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>>2064558
I "upgraded" my square taper BB which was perfectly fine because I wanted a crank that would accept lower gearing, and the best deal I found was a used sora hollowtek. but the old crank must've been fairly decent, because when I put the sora crank and BB in a bag, and put the old crank, BB spindle and cups in another bag, and hung both bags at either side of a coat hanger, it stayed level. the old stuff wasn't heavier to tip the scale in any noticable way when balanced on my finger. although, what that really seems to demonstrate is how Shimano intentionally keeps Sora heavy so you pay more for 105 - dura ace.
anyway, hollowtek is fine but I liked the old square taper and would've kept it (even in hindsight) if I had found a good deal on a square taper crank.
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hi, so i'm a visitor from /o/ and I am looking to buy a bike. the only experience I've having a bicycle was when I was a kid. I was/am a runner but I have 2 herniated disks now and thinking that this could be a means to stay in shape and get around. I ride motorcycles so I know how have 2 wheels between my legs.
I see that Yamaha was bringing in bicycles to the U.S. but not any longer (USA here). And those are 'power assist' bikes which sound cool.
and looking at the price of bicycles wildly varies in price from cheap garbage to Gucci shit that is as much as a motorcycle. and Yamaha seemed to have found a balance in between with power.
my question: what brand of bike should I get that is not orient garbage but decent, and reliable quality. like made in the US, Canada, Japan or europe?
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>>2064564
what're you going to be riding on? roads?
unfortunately, "good" stuff is pretty expensive, partly because the economy is so bad, and partly because bicycles are a niche item, the economy of scale is unfavorable. I don't follow the new market closely, but you're probably going to spend upwards of $800 and probably closer to 1k these days for new. best value is used but there are caveats, you need to post the listings here and ask.
the main indicator of a bike's quality is mostly what component package ("group" or "groupset") it is sold with, and the manufacturers have them tiered out with different names depending on their performance and weight. so a Gucci bike will have a Shimano Dura Ace group and a Campagnolo Bora wheelset, for example. a pretty good bike will have, say, a Shimano Sora group (or the SRAM equivalent, or maybe Microshift Sword or a Sensah group) and may not have a "name" wheelset, although the hubs will often be the matching groupset model. and of course there's new models every year. what used to be top of the line quality a decade ago will now be in the middle of the line.
on the low end Walmart stuff, they tend to put the Shimano logo really big but these parts don't have a name, there's just a part number stamped into them somewhere.
it's mostly solved technology, I ride old and/or low tier components and like them. but the high end stuff is carbon and electronic now.
we are somewhat hostile to ebikes ITT but there are ebike threads for them elsewhere on /n/
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>>2064564
First of all decide if you want an ebike or a traditional bike. Even a pedal-assist ebike is pretty much useless without battery because it's absurdly heavy and the gearing is not going to be designed for pedaling without a motor.
And if you're already competent with a motorcycle why not just get a motorcycle? A decent ebike made with your requirements is going to cost as much as a decent motorcycle.
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>>2064567
This guy isn't entirely wrong but this is a somewhat weird take and the numbers are insane. $1k is not getting you anything above "burns your house down" ebike quality. For a traditional bike it's alright but the diminishing returns cutoff is around $2500 now. Sensah is still considered an el-cheapo option, regardless of whether they're good or not. The only bike products from mainland China that are legitimately "good" and not just "good considering the price" are a few frame makers and a few wheel makers. Winspace, 9velo, magene, maybe seka.
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>>2064570
yeah, as I alluded to at the end, I don't know anything about ebikes and I admitted I don't follow the current market but you agree 1k to start and go from there for traditional bikes, so I wasn't completely wrong.
Sensah isn't special but for instance VO was speccing their complete bikes with it when they sold completes, and they still sell their groups separately, and they're a boutique brand. I was just giving examples of "pretty good," anyway. and I said "maybe Sensah."
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>>2064564
>>2064573
Since you mention yamaha specifically, I can strongly recommend their ebikes. I've put ~6000 miles on mine so far and my elderly father has one too. they are notable for offering class 3 (28mph) bikes with a double chainring which you are unlikely to find on other ebikes for less than six thousand dollars.
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>>2064598
it is my commuter/recovery ride steed and it is pretty fucking cool being able to bring my 80yo dad along on rides at normal tempo
at some point I'll buy a couple of more in different sizes as loaners.
it's just another arrow in the quiver
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>>2064576
so researching ebikes, there are classes and these manufacturers put speed limits on the power assist which I think is really lame.
>>2064567
>>2064569
I'll be mostly on roads and like paved dirt roads.
Something that I can ride from where I live to some coffee shop downtown ~3 miles away.
And if I feel adventurous, I can toss it in the back of my truck, taking my bike with me somewhere to explore.
>>2064570
>>2064576
Good stuff comes out of Japan.
So, as a starting point and general consensus, should I just go buy a bike ready to go or should I build a bike, or like buy a used bike from marketplace and then build it out? what should I look for in brand names.
everything is basically exposed on a bicycle so you can spot if something is apparently wrong with a component, thus it should be too hard to pick out the corn from the chaff.
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>>2064603
>so researching ebikes, there are classes and these manufacturers put speed limits on the power assist which I think is really lame.
governments put the speed limits on them, the manufacturers assuredly give no fucks. but trust me, you can't ride a bicycle at 40mph or even 30mph safely unless you are already a trained cyclist at a high level of physical fitness. it is very hard on your body.
consensus here and most other places is that you should buy used unless you have very specific needs/preferences. your stated goal of 3 miles is below warmup effort for most of us, it would take me less than ten minutes. buy anything, it won't matter.
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>>2064609
>your stated goal of 3 miles is below warmup effort for most of us, it would take me less than ten minutes.
unironically actually not to flex but just provide a sense of scale: when I was a drunken college student my commute to college was about 4k, and I could do it in about 20 minutes. 30 depending on conditions/traffic/hangover/etc. according to google maps, you should be able to do it in exactly 17.
>buy anything, it won't matter.
yeah
i commute to work now by a shitty e-bike and it's just some BSO with a motor on it I bought off of some frenchman for like 200 bucks and have done incremental upgrades/severely needed maintenance and it's mostly fine. you should look into local laws/bylaws/statutes/etc about it but for the most part the important stuff to know is
>99% of ebikes use the same general design of controller and are "limited" to around 25kmh
>that limiter can be removed but because you aren't driving a Prius with 999kg of batteries removing the limiter will do literally nothing since your battery can only be drawn from so much, the motor can only crank so hard, etc
>25kmh on a bike feels way faster than it is and is way less safe than you think even after that on an otherwise shitty bike
>>2064603
>should I just go buy a bike ready to go or should I build a bike, or like buy a used bike from marketplace and then build it out?
if you're new to cycling and juts need to commute, get one off a rack. in fact, even if you're fast as fuck but not racing, buy whole bikes and take parts off them. economy of scale will fuck you in the ass otherwise. you can buy a 300$ bike with discs on it or a 280$ bike with rim brakes and then 50$ for a disc brake set and it will be the same fucking brakes. even for "wear parts" -- you can pay 25$ for new spokes or you can get a shitty FB Marketplace bike for 75$ and use its like-new spokes and now you have lots of other spares.
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>>2064603
>everything is basically exposed on a bicycle so you can spot if something is apparently wrong with a component, thus it should be too hard to pick out the corn from the chaff.
you'd think so but not really. you can inspect it for damage but for the most part you have to take it for a test drive if you don't have sophisticated testing equipment to check precise tension on a cable at various points and check wheel truing and spoke tension and shit. even assessing tire pressure can be difficult without a proper gauge because tires and even tubes vary in inherent stiffness.
>short commuting
>urban "adventure"
>can throw in a truck
I'd get any crappy "hybrid"/"gravel bike" with a smallest frame that doesnt make your knees hurt. people meme about 26" wheels being unheard of now but it's just that, a meme, every BSO uses 26" and has for ages.
personally i'd be against "power assist" (the keyword is actually "pedal assist") e-bikes but just because i am a control freak towards machinery. imo you should hammer the throttle and unless your thumb is depressing that lever it shouldn't do anything at all. but you do you. you can get a crappy BSO from walmart or whatever and it'll be perfectly cromulent, then a "conversion kit" consisting of a hub motor and controller for anywhere between 300 and 500 dollars. you'll still have it cheaper than a dedicated e-bike with batteries in the frame and shit but it will be more maintainable.
if you havent biked in a long time and dont generally know how they work and arent good at wrenching on stuff i would recommend a crappy department store bike. it'll be shit, but at least work and you can tune it yourself as things annoy you. if you are confident in your wrenching then start with a fb marketplace/craigslist/kijiji bike in good shape. dont get a used bike thinking it'll be a "project bike" because you will spend more to get it to walmart BSO tier than a walmart BSO would have cost.
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>>2064603
You should buy a bike and then when you figure out what you want over time, swap out components to make it more to your liking.
I'm not sure it's realistic for someone who doesn't know bikes to "tell the corn from the chaff", if you compare, say, a Dura Ace part to a 105 part side by side with the exact same specs, you'll see differences, but without familiarity with the products you won't even understand why those differences would matter.
Used is not a great idea unless you're a hipster because all of the quality-of-life stuff that counts the most only became standard in the last few years, and unless you really know what those things are, you're likely to make the wrong choice.
Just get a Giant, Trek, or Canyon, those are all pretty reasonably spec'd for the price and generally don't have abject retardation that you'll regret buying in a few years, like you'll find on Cannondales or Specailized.
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>>2064615
>Just get a Giant, Trek, or Canyon,
Do not do this, they are wildly overpriced for what they are. They're not as terrible as walmart bikes, but you're paying literally 10x the price for an only marginal improvement in performance in any areas that actually matter to a casual rider.
Unironically just get some chinkmade off-the-rack department store bike and ride it into the ground until you figure out how a bike works, how biking works, and what annoys you the most about it so you know where to dump your money later. You don't need to drop five grand on fancy shifters and expert brake levers on an ultralight carbon frame with no suspension when you're just going to the cafe and need your ass to not hurt when you get there and should have spent four grand on a nice suspension to fit to a 25$ frame. (Or a five grand gravel bike with triple suspension and tank armor grade steel when you're on clear dry flat roads all the time standing on your pedals anyway, etc)
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>>2064618
i apologize, anon clearly needs picrel
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>>2064619
Sure, that could be fun. Or this maybe.
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>>2064620
*sips 4Loko* I couldn't think of the rest of the joke so I'll just say that if we're being real about a 3mi commute to somewhere and something not actually time-sensitive this would work fine
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>>2064633
the Irvings and Empire Company will have you fucking killed for even suggesting that. unironic actual military engagements in recent history have been started for less
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>>2064637
at the risk of being banned instantly
if you want POTENTIAL FOR VIOLENCE alberta
if you want LEGACY SUPPORT quebec
if you want CYBERPUNK BUT NO ONE KNOWS COMPUTER the maritimes
if you want CALIFORNIA, BUT SOMEHOW WORSE, YET ALSO BETTER then british coulomb
if you want to rape a horse and get away with it wherever else in the praries
if you want to make fuck-you money at the cost of fuck-you prices ontario
If you want to smoke crack and live in peace at only 2519.99/rock(financing available) the territories
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I had a random thought of getting a pair of SFF computer cases and using them as panniers on the forward part of the frame. on the range from "charmingly autistic" but "not nearly autistic enough to make it work" where does it fall on the scale of being viable? I am not adverse to sawing them apart to make the front wheel clear and the original reason was to have lots of buttons available to control auxilary electronics and already have plates cut for connectors and be simply able to cover the rest with scrap metal or even just blasting cuttable/sandable foam fill in there or something
also the reason for this was because i have a rear suspension making the rear pannier unviable; i know they make pannier racks that just clamp around the seat post but is there anything a little more secure for the rear? it needs to be able to hold not just a battery, but even if i kept this bike Au Naturel, probably like 20kg in tools and other equipment anyway. i imagine a pannier rack that itself has a suspension would interfere with the main suspension and just be generally ponderous and overpriced but also i bet i overlooked some simple solution that is still secure enough
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>>2064642
imo front shocks are basically necessary in canada. i have been to both coasts and around ontario and quebec and not one of these places has any excuse nor any reason to make fun of anywhere else. the roads are shit everywhere and even in the nicer places they still have ridiculous 8 inch curbs and random huge divots in the road even if not outright giant potholes. for urban biking, "road" bikes are a fucking meme and will burst into treats upon contact with the battle zone
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>>2064643
Suspension is a meme on anything except downhill singletrack. What more important is at least 2" wide tires, 2.4-3" is better, and high skill. Suspension is a crutch for lack of skill and comes with more drawbacks than advantages on bicycles in urban terrain
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>>2064649
it's not about traction, it's about being able to >COPE with sudden hard drops from shittily poured asphalt to shittily poured concrete without the entire bike exploding
the only one thing i will give you is that going up those same bullshit is actual cope for not being able to bunnyhop, but when you're on your way somewhere for real you probably are carrying a lot of junk on an already heavy bike not made for doing sick tricks and bunny hopping is just going to fuck up the bike more than it fucks up you anyway
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I have a spare baomeme radio, would it be damaging to Cyclist Culture if i used it for active interception, outright wardriving, and had a fucking 6ft whip on my shit-ass bike
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>>2064665
>how about LoRa?
As a "standard" that was never adopted, I don't care about it, and if I did, I would resolve finding its few users with conventional sigint and then simply sit outside their house instead of automating collection during a commute
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>>2064641
>forward part of the frame
>sawing them apart to make the front wheel clear
um, you're not going to invent some new way of mounting front panniers by putting them on the frame. what you're proposing cannot work even by cutting wheel clearance because your knees need to go where the rest of them will be. the way front panniers work is by getting a front rack, which attaches to the fork, and then you mount panniers on either side of the wheel; preferably low for better COG, and somewhat rearward of - or at least straddling - the hub helps handling.
but otherwise, yeah, go for it. poorfags use those square buckets of cat litter, which are waterproof with the lids on. but the rectangular and not- as-large area of old school computer cases is a lot closer to actual useful pannier dimensions.
imo, pic related would benefit from a rack with a separate, lower mount (or rig one) for COG which also allows lighter cargo to go on the top plate more easily.
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>>2064611
>according to google maps
Google maps thinks cyclists are slow as fuck at 12mph and doesn't adjust for terrain/elevation at all.
>>2064641
if i'm reading this right you want to add a motor/battery to your full sus bike, which is a retarded idea. so you have a retarded idea on top of another retarded idea which loops back around to being smart
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>>2064724
ok. but in the video, did his carbon road bike on what looks like either 25 or 28mm road tires break or not work properly while he was doing giant jumps and drops?
no.
but yes, at some later point he wrecked his body.
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>>2064727
It's basically a stationary BSO. The saddle sucks, the cranks suck, the handlebar is an abomination, they usually weight half a ton and you need a lot of space for them. If you already own a bike something like a van rysel d100 is a much better option
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how accurate/reliable is mywindsock for weather? or are there any other better websites/apps you can use to plan for longer rides?
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>>2064728
I do but I still use it to travel short distances during the winter even though I don't possess the mental fortitude to bike long distances when it's cold or snowy. Basically every summer I'm in shit tier shape and have to start over again. I'll take shit tier experience over that at this point, anything to keep my cardio up. It's been -20C for a month straight here
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Anon here from a few weeks ago who bought an ebike (with no battery) for dirt cheap
Finally got around to removing the base plate and having a look around, 4 prong connector but only two are connected (postive and negative)
>24v 7ah controller
So im not going to be beating any surrons in a race kek
Just a few questions, can i put a 24v 10ah (or higher amp hours) battery with out any death/issues?
Could i add a 36v battery or will that kill the controller/motor?
Sorry for these silly questions, trying to figure these electric gizmos out with out frying my self or burning the house down
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>>2064762
In general, your ESC/driver limits your current draw and your battery limits your voltage.
You can use an ESC with a lower rated current than your battery and motor, but it will be inefficient. A motor or battery with a lower rated current than the ESC will cause problems.
Similar story on voltage: if your battery is lower than the motor and battery you will be fine, but if either the motor or the battery are lower than the battery you will have problems
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>>2064762
as much as I hate e-bike faggotry, you should have at least done some research first. The battery can be a good third if not even half the value of bike. You can't slap higher voltage on there either, you will fry the controller or cause a fire. Also getting the cheapest battery of the same voltage/capacity that simply fits will not guarantee that the charging controller will be compatible, since some battery chemistry allows for fast charging and others don't. With lithium-ion tech there is far more to it than capacity and voltage.
So in short, you fucked up. Best bet is to look if the bike isn't some BSO and source a battery that is actually made for the bike and the controller.
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>>2064764
>since some battery chemistry allows for fast charging and others don't.
also forgot to mention that discharging is even more important since cheap chinese garbage can't handle high discharge and is what usually makes them dangerous. The higher the C rating the faster you can drain them safely which on e-bikes especially when under load is important to consider since chinese garbage will have low C rating and puff quickly.
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>>2064763
>>2064764
>>2064765
Thanks for the info anons, the bike was £20 ($27) so its no big deal, if it a total loss ill use the tyres/brakes etc what ever else on other shit bike projects
Controller is dated 2012 so its not looking entierly hopeful kek , bike is spotless thats why i thought "fuck it" and bought it from a friend
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>>2064765
I was under the impression that virtually all ebike batteries were just a bunch of 18650s spot-welded into the appropriate array for the desired output. no doubt the houseburners cut as many corners as possible
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>>2064768
that's is correct, the quality of each cell and the balancing circuit that is built-in is extremely important for the safety. All those horror videos of shit catching fire is due to 1 cheap, lowest of the low garbage chinese cell bursting and causing a chain reaction. Now imagine having an array of those.
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>>2064040
>how do I get a different Q factor?
I remember chasing the narrow Q meme in 2010 with the narrowest square taper stuff I could fit in my frames. I'm the end I noticed no benefit for my riding style since my legs splay out a bit.
I would caution against wasting your time worrying about Q factor if you don't notice a problem with your current cranks. The real meme worth exploring is shorter cranks, which made riding distances way more enjoyable for me.
The deep meme is not even that. The truth is that low bottom brackets are amazing and the industry doesn't go low enough because muh lawsuits. Short cranks and low BB custom frame is where true comfort lies
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>>2064774
noted. yeah, I guess q isn't super important, it's not causing any problems. I think narrower would feel better but if it ain't going to happen, fuck it.
the arm and BB thing is pretty interesting, but as it happens, I'm a leggy 6'4" so I'm one of those mutants that 175mm arms work for.
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>>2064864
checkpoint ALR, tubus rack, panniers. remember to purchase lights (at least 800 lumen headlight) and point it slightly down. I suggest upgrading your pedals since the ones that come with new bikes are always shit (you're expected to toss then and pick the kind you like best)
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>>2064864
distance? budget? if it's less than 5km you're fine with a cheap flat bar hybrid, if more just spend the extra money and get a decent allroad/endurance road bike. the difference in efficiency for effort is absolutely worth the money. also getting some cheap shitty BSO is just wasted money since you'll want to upgrade anyway.
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What could cause the chain tension to change while i'm rotating the cranks on my fixed gear? it's alternating between too tight, and too loose. I measured the chainring for roundness but it only has a little sideways wobble.
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>>2064955
just because you can afford a bike equivalent of a brand new range rover doesn't mean you should, unless you already have an actual new range rover
poorfags on expensive bikes are like niggas in the hood with gold chains and bling cars, except you try to take nigga's chain and he'll (rightfully) pop a cap in you, while a whitey will leave his trek on a bike rack, come back to no trek and go cry about it to the pigs like a bitch (they earn money from police auctions of unclaimed bikes btw, so they have explicit inscentive to not tell you your expensive trek's been recovered)
a commuter should be inexpensive and unassuming, but reliable
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>>2064962
That's all well and good, but we're talking about a trek checkpoint here not a willier adlar. If you want to do car analogies it's a camry at best. Maybe corolla depending on the trim level. I'm sure for you it's the same thing, but assuming a guy has a job and enough spare mental bandwidth to think about a backup vehicle, he can probably afford a bike that isn't a miserable death trap that sucks to ride and sucks to maintain.
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>>2064982
Correct, a current-generation Trek grabble bike will be pleasant to ride and easy to keep in top condition because you can just get the parts online or in any LBS instead of trying to find your local community bike co-op which only advertises on Discord or Snapchat or some other shit that only kids use, and it's only open 3 hours a week on a Wednesday and you have to rummage through a greasy rusty parts bin and know exactly what obscure junk parts will fit your bike, all the while getting glared at by some non-binary in a mullet who instantly hated you when you asked something about "you guys" and when you find it it's a mystery what it should cost and in order to determine the right amount to pay without causing grievous offense, you have to understand the difference between Collective Anarchism and Social Anarchism and then they add you to a list of unwelcome sexual predators because of the "you guys" incident.
Like you can have something that works, and if you need a tube, it's a normal fucking tube, and if you want a different crank set you don't have to know what an Ashtabula is, and when you pull the brake levers it actually stops.
That's what you get when you buy a new Trek, but it can also be a Giant or an Orbea for that matter just not a Specialized, fuck Specialized. You'll regret Specialized.
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>>2064985
They do a lot of horrible, awful, shit for brains gimmicks like suspension steerer tubes that no one asked for. How the fuck do you even adjust this? No one knows.
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>>2064996
just wear picrel ? if you are cold & want visible ?
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>>2064980
nah, a camry would be a discounted last year triban gravel 520.
but really, any bike can be not a miserable deathtrap. good wheels, good tyres, non-shit brakes, sis 2x9 or 2x cues depending on how common the latter is in your lbs, frame that fits, that's it.
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>>2064371
If it has no tread it's fine. If it has knobs swap that shit homie
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>>2065012
>nah, a camry would be a discounted last year triban gravel 520.
A camry is a $45k quasi-luxury car, and you're comparing it to a near-BSO on clearance. This just goes back to my earlier point which is that you'll justify a very expensive 4 wheel cage, but a decent bike is an outlandish luxury expense.
>non-shit brakes
So not the triban then, since it's got Hy/Rds
>but you can upgrade
Sure, except now you've fallen for the trap, those brifters only work with cable, so you can just throw out the entire groupset and buy something that actually stops you, don't forget the $40 per wheel for the postmount to flatmount adapter! Maybe you should have bought something that didn't suck to begin with?
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>>2065038
>A camry is a $45k quasi-luxury car
no, it's a quintessential nice car. there's nothing wrong with it, it doesn't feel like shit by any metric, but it's not luxury, it's the epitome of mass-produced, affordable and reliable commodity.
>Hy/Rds
unfortunate package. happens. not every bike in the class comes with these, in fact, next year that exact model of triban might switch to something else itself.
>$40 per wheel for the postmount to flatmount adapter!
brother where are you shopping for bike parts, 40 bucks gets you a complete iiipro hydraulic converter kit (and it's some good fucking shit)
30 gets you a pair of good old avid bb7s AND a set of postmount converters if you don't trust chinks and don't mind full mechanical
and you get to sell the hydraulic calipers down to some dummy too
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>>2065044
well of course, a car is orders of magnitude more complex and resource-intensive than a bicycle, you'd expect the cost to reflect that too
bb7s just work. on a flat bar bike, mt200s are even better at just working, but if restricted to cables, if there is a better option, it is unknown to me. i don't deny that it exists, but bb7s are more than good enough already
shimano should just stick mt200 guts into budget hydraulic brifters and dominate the market, cable disks are better than people say but still worse than hydraulics and not cheaper
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>>2065045
No, you're just setting requirements for the car that you would never impose on a bicycle. If I'm going to buy a death trap and spend half my life on upgrades and fixes, I can buy a 1997 dodge neon, that's the equivalent of the crap you're pushing but you think $50k for a car is frugal and $2k for a bike is outrageously lavish
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>>2065046
$50k for a brand new car is about average in our day and age. of course, if you wanna be frugal, you're not buying a brand new car, you're buying used. same with a bike.
$1k is already far from frugal, that's the price of that 1997 neon you mentioned- cheap for a car, getting expensive for a bicycle. set your budget for $500 at most and browse craigslist until you see good components, then spend another $100 on fixes and good new tires. upgrades and fixes are just what you do with a bike, it's industrial lego.
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>>2065048
50 bucks on a pair of new racekings, 10 bucks on tpu tubes, 15 bucks on a new chain, 25 bucks on specific tools, if something's terminally fucked and needs to be replaced- extend the budget, but you'll still be well within a grand
>chain lube
absolutely fucking disgusting anon why would you do that to a bicycle
get a cheap nail waxer, steal some of your mum's candles, add some used motor oil when it heats up, then brew your chain in the resulting concoction and never think about your chain again for the next 4k km
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>>2064996
I've been riding my whole life but I recently built up a fast bike and started doing recreational rides where I was more or less hammering it 50 miles at a time without leaving the saddle. that was the first time my saddle started irritating me. I bought padded shorts and the extra padding really helped.
my commuting, shopping, and a couple years as a messenger were all done in just whatever I feel like wearing. no problems with that.
tl;dr you may like them for everything but IME it really depends on distance and breaks.
not sure about shorts over lycra, never bothered but sounds like interference
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>>2065049
>get a cheap nail waxer
its winter. your drivetrain has so much crap in it its going to eat itself inside-out. wax is good in dry warm environments, not so much after it snowed and theres mud and salt all over the ground
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i just watched a video of a guy installing a modern fork ( 1 1/8 inch) on an old frame with 1 inch headset, he used two seatpost clamps as connecting interfaces between the frame and the 1 1/8 inch headset cups, of course he really cranked on the bolt to hold both cups in place but it did work and i'm just amazed
just wanted to share it here because that's the sort of bodge i'd die to come up with 5 years ago
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>>2065074
Thats so SO cool man totally justifies your consumerism
Most people don’t need a new bike of any brand, its a rip off. Get a used road bike, get it tuned up. $200-500. A good, cheap bike to be used for many miles.
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And here's a list of overhaul packages with a bike shop in my area that I would consider decent but not "fancy".
If you're dragging in some clapped out ten speed you bought from a junkie, factor in the cost of all the shit that needs replacing too. Tires, brake pads, tubes, bar tape, maybe a chainring, maybe a cassette. What's included here is the labor, the cables, and the cable housing.
So. Clapped out ten speed, let's be generous and say $200. Overhaul $380. Additional parts, let's be serious now and not hobbyist accounting: around $200. So, pushing $1000 here. But sure, a new bike is a ripoff right?
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>>2065081
>he thinks all that shit takes 20 minutes
You think stripping the bike down to the frame and rebuilding it with new bearings, new cables, etc, takes 20 minutes? Including sourcing all the fucked up parts for a bike that hasn't been in production in probably 40 years?
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budget bike getting chinese makeover. Anyone tried chinese garbon wheels? seatpost is probably fine but I'm sketch on forks and wheels.
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>>2065064
nah, wax is good in any enviroment, because shit doesn't stick to it. you come back home after a winter ride with a lubd chain and it's black because every single particle of grit has stuck to it.
winter in general sucks, that's why you use sacrificial casette and chain. old worn out 8-speed and middle ring out of a triple crank will do.
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>>2065099
wax. not your garden variety wax lube. just wax. wax stays inside the rollers, where it matters, and additives from motor oil make it stick to the metal. it'll fall off the sides but nobody cares about the sides.
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>manual for carbon seatpost says you need to reverse the clamp backwards to evenly distribute the pressure when clamping the seatpost
Does this actually work or doesn't really make a difference. I asked my LBS and he said that not if you do that, the seatpost might slip because it won't get tightened properly.
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The fuck do you live man. All around me are $100-500 road bikes. And a basic tune up is $100, $200 for the barn find.
Picrel is listed for $75.
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>>2065152
And this bike is ready to roll for $190.
I can see how if you have no sense for money and don't know how to buy a bike or manipulate a wrench, then sure go get milked by Trek.
Even then there are so many other new bikes to buy that for commuting's sake would be way cheaper. Sure it depends on the commuting you're gonna do. But a Name brand, 11 speed hydraulic disc brake woo-haa is just overkill for someone asking for a CHEAP bike.
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>>2065152
>But how much of this shit can be fixed on your own?
All of it
$20 of aliexpress tools to remove cassette, chain and bottom bracket
If you can’t perform basic bicycle maintenance annd parts replacement after watching a YouTube video of how to do it, that’s pretty grim.
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I mean it's one thing to be a bike hobbyist and a home repair hobbyist and combine those things into trying to milk as much value out of junk that you possibly can. But I think your blood pressure will benefit from understanding that you're an extremely niche combination:
1. People who are "into bikes", and
2. People with a lot of spare time and extra space, and
3. People who get a kick out of doing things as cheaply as humanly possible
Most people who are just casually asking "oh I need a form of transport that isn't a car, wat do" are (a) in no position to fix up some junker off craigslist, because they don't have the tools, the time, or the money, (b) not really interested in making a hobby out of it. If they were, they'd probably just want something nice to begin with.
Right now it's about 10 degrees Fahrenheit outside, has been for weeks. Coldest winter in years. So of course, used bikes on the market have been languishing, and there are unprecedented deals to be had. Doesn't mean that's normal or that it's going to last.
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Sometimes we get a wat bike iz gud poster and their local CL is like, slave-hunter sundown towns in the florida panhandle, and yeah, you're liable to find a pristine Pinarello Dogma there for $35, doesn't mean you should go there and buy it
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>>2065112
hm apparently that is a thing
https://www.reddit.com/r/bikewrench/comments/9azdji/comment/e4z7n1w/
sounds like it should be fine, especially if the seatpost manual gives you a torque rating.
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>>2065164
used to be they got mentioned in the same breath with the big 3 and represented a sort of middle ground between trek and scott. bike brand identity is a lot more diffuse and nebulous than it used to be and cannondale's -brand-identity bullet points (light frames, unusually good alloy/alu frames, the lefty-fork, etc... ) are irrelevant right now. a supersix evo is still one of the best road bikes that you can buy but it isn't a status symbol that will make dentists sweat anymore. the conversation has changed.