Bikes

[bels]

How many miles and what elevation? I'm more inclined to think you're correct rather than your dad. As long as you aren't buying a total scrap heap almost anything would work for an18 minute commute

[sknss]

If it's only 20 minutes, your bike won't matter tbh. Just take it slow on the climbs and you'll get there. Cheap bikes are perfectly fine

[zevolution]

I just took my bike on a joyride from clinton hill, brooklyn to brighton beach the other day, taking coney island ave the whole way down. it was far more stressful than anything i remember about commuting and joyriding in washington, d.c. Kind of a bummer, but I'll probably do it again if I'm honest.

[CMYK]

Finally took a "glamour" shot of my bar/grocery/commuter bike. Yes bela I know I should get fenders.

[norman]

need to bomb some hills, just wish i didn't have to push back up them.

[iralanwitnuk]

Got a bike for commuting around town.

[tweefwend]

new bike: Specialized Sequoia

Home for the weekend rode to the lake.

[zevolution]

Is anyone here in a bike club? I'm in Brooklyn, and the idea of being in a community to support this habit would really appeal to me. I just ride my beater, but it'll certainly do what it needs to, and there's no reason I couldn't become a pace line racing, big-thigh guy -- in fact, I'm sort of interested in the idea.

I've looked at Five Borough Bike Club and New York Cycling club so far, but would love to hear others' thoughts.

[CMYK]

Forgive me lord, For I have N+1-ed:

[rjbman]

[AARON]

[bels]

I have heard it rumoured that dickies shorts make good cycling overshorts in an urban/touring capacity. Can anyone corroborate this statement and provide recommendations on exactly which model shorts?

[rjbman]

ok i think im good on bikes (for the near future)



now where to keep it....

[tweefwend]

been riding a bit

[bels]

Me and major went on a jaunt

[rjbman]

had my first race saturday - 18.7 miles about 60/40 gravel & dirt / road. Ended up 49/59 but I genuinely thought I'd die on some of the descents or like, get Dead Fucking Last, so I'm pretty happy with how it went.



pic is just after the finish line

[Benson]

I moved to a new city (London, Ontario anyone?) and bought a bike from the local bike co-op




I need to fix the seat.

[maj]

I ride a brother Kepler which I bought used from a London messenger who is way cooler than most of us, it was used by Terry barentsen to record the London hotline videos

Recently swapped the 42s to 28s to avoid buying a new bike, don't think it's working but it rides a but nippier now



Here it is with the 42's (objectively better looking)



I think I'm going to put these tyres on a new bike and go back to something larger for the brother before winter, possibly doing a 42-11 / 42t conversion for gearing also to get up the steepest of hills.

It's a dream to "pound the grav' " on and commute, but it's not a nippy bike, does pull in the nods however

I should add if you're not riding bikes with horizontal top tubes why are you even riding bikes.

[maj]

As mentioned above the new tyres did not quench the thirst for a new bike

I also grew to really love those tyres on the brother, they ride good. +1 recommendation for Hutchinson tyres.

Introducing the BOWMANS PALACE R, road cc's framesetof the year for 2017

I bought this from a man off lfgss, where I got the brother, he was really nice and sad to sell the bike as he was moving to J A P A N, I rode it very briefly around by the Thames and handed the man a bank transfer.

It had a scoop saddle, the front derailer didn't work and needed a good clean, doing all those things would have cost maybe £75 and I would have had a nice, affordable fast bike.

But you see, I have a severe mental illness called "fashion forum neurosis" and couldn't live with the idea of not having my preferred brand of finishing kit, the saddle? That had to be gone I couldn't be seen on something that casual...and well the wheels? Look alright but that rotational weight? I feel that. I feel that at my 50 watt FTP.

I wheeled it down to my local bike man in Manchester and said

"Please sir, I'm sick, here is a blank cheque give me a fancy zipp from finishing kit and some new wheels please, thank you Mr bike man"

Now to you all, this is normal behaviour to see me exhibit, you're used to the guy who spent his teen years posting on forums about brand synergy and the intricacies of slightly racist remade clothes. But this guy? This was his first interaction with me

It's fair to say from the look on his face he wanted it to be his last

Now, a week and a bit passed and I got the call saying "hey Mr overspend, your bikes ready" and I rushed down there on my lunch break (slightly delayed as the sales manager sent me out to get sandwiches for the meeting in the afternoon, it's not his fault, he didn't know I had a prior appointment with a stunner).

Seeing it hang in the window as I walked in I was shocked, all that money...it...it was well spent let me tell you.

Look good, ride just the same but never shut up talking about your bike.

As the bike man ran me through it all and allowed me to pay (a lower price than I expected may I add) he asked me what I was doing with my old seat post.

What would I do with old parts???! I'm not going to keep them as that would be logical to save me money in the long run. "Nothing" I replied

"What do you want for it" he asked

"Nothing, take it, thank you for doing my bike!"

His next comments shocked me, he was said "great because I misplaced my black one and it's been bugging me, my chrome seat post just doesn't match at the moment"

Shocked I was

This bike man...the only bike man to be closer to the elegance axis than the functional one

We went on to talk about how he usually recommends shallow rims because they're a bit better every day and weight outweighs aero at low depths but we're putting on deep rims as they look fuckkkeenn sweeeet on this build, roasted me for using MTB pedals as he recently bought mtb pedals that looked like road pedals as he couldn't take it

What a guy, the perfect bike man

Hoping this is the start of a long, expensive relationship with this lovely shop

Anyway here is my bike, the new wheels come next week or so

[maj]

after some eventful weeks my bike is now done

You may look at this and think wow this looks the same as above, did you just put bottles in it?

and to that I say no, look at those wheels,

to the trained eye you can see they're 300 grams lighter for the set, have a much cleaner sounding free hub and have a G L O S S finish

i tell you i can feel this, i definately can...out of the ...saddle.....yeah it's just more responsive? .... also the hand built factor....can really feel that too...?

then we get to the tyres, a lovely set of vittoria corsas

i made my hands bleed attempting to get them on, 3 hours of swearing in my room as i wrestled the rubber on

levers, talc, washing up liquid, tying the tyre, nothing worked

I believed that they would not go on at all, so confidently in fact i took them to my local bike shop and said "can you get these on?!!? if you can't i will be relieved"

they called me 1 hour later and said "we got them on, we broke three tyre levers but they're on"

little did they know they also broke my ego

all through this ordeal bela was telling me to buy a "tyre bead jack"

i laughed at this, simply as every bike nerd has told me that you can put tyres on with your hands, i thought such a tool was for people who ride specialized bikes

i ordered one however, attempted to change the tyre the following night with it and W O W

that tyre just slips on and off, unreal ease

highly recommend the tool

anyway here is the bike

[JewTurk]

Anyone frequent a local bike co-op they particularly like? I've become enamored with them and want to visit them all...

[silvaeri]

[silvaeri]

Double post but yolo -- last thurs/fri was the last Fixed Gear Classic at my track before it gets torn down (rippppppppp). Anyways here some rippy footage from me during the scratch race.

[vice]

first real bike, using it primarily for commuting.

anybody got any recs for lights? will definitely need them as autumn winds on

[maj]

Nice bike, plenty of chill gearing.

If you're city commuting, on well flaxy streets you the lumen of light you need will be a lot less than if you commute in dark out of town roads, 150/300 is enough for a city on dark rainy days. Double (minimum) if you're on darker roads

I would reccomended you get a primary light which is usb rechargable and then a secondary battery powered one for when you eventually forget to charge them in the dark depths of winter

I use a lezyne strip drive 150 for the back, 600xl for the front, they look v good and are great lights but a little overkill for city commuting.

Also I would reccomended you make sure you can change your tyre before you get a puncture if you're commuting, and if its too frustrating buy a "tyre bead jack" for £10.

For every day a mini pump and a spare tube, 2 levers will be enough in your bag and will save you paying the bike shop 5x what those items cost to buy when you puncture once.

[silvaeri]

oh yeah, so i went to track national championships this year. was super cool. i got to race against a bunch of olympians and national champions and basically rub shoulders with all these people that inspire me and i've looked up to for years. it was wild.

[maj]

I have joined a local cycle group

Was very hesitant to do this due to the reputation of cycling groups fall into two groups

A) honestly they're all dorks, not even jocks, just dorks, yeah yeah yeah i didn't spot that pothole but cosco you have eyes???? jump that stale red m8y wanna get home it's 11pm on a wednesday!!

B) they're mega jocks who who spend the whole stop talking about their training program, like honestly my dude, take up running if you want actual transferable fitness and take up golf if you just want to buy shit and avoid your kids???!!!!

But the group I have joined r v cool and chill, strike the right balance between jumping red lights and being a nice social group while still having a somewhat competitive streak. who doesn't love late night city and country lane runs to pubs midweek???

While they accept all bikes they're a fixed bike group, after riding the bowmans to one or two and being it got me looking at fixed bikes, combined with the need for something faster than the brother which i could lock up andd not clean all the time like the bowmans.

the hunt was on and ali from the group set me up with dan who was selling a langster with no wheels for a v v good price



after going over budget and cutting my hands building it I turned it into this



It's fun, it's fast, it's practical and has loads of seatpost, what more could you want?

[Benson]

[eli7]

[tweefwend]

what are good cycling / commuting to office job pants? Currently look at arcteryx or sumthin

Here are some pics from Grinduro 2019 featuring 60 miles of dirt, rain, hail and snow. Something like 9000ft of climbing (smiling)