Bicycle Thread

[xALmoN]

flat bars, and drop bars all give me neck aches..

that's why i ride 1.5in rise, and 2in rise bars..

its not like i do offroad all the time too..

[25GTT]

Yeah I had a quick ride on a drop bar and although it felt good I don't think I could do long distances.

I wouldn't mind being able to upgrade the handlebar and the stem though and lift it up a bit more. Hmmmm now you have me thinking.

[xALmoN]

lol. a higher rise stem too?

I used to run this.

100mm 25 degree rise.

coupled to the easton ea50 1.5in riser bar

[25GTT]

that easton bar looks nice, reminds me of a bmx handle bar.

Hard to tell in that pick of the Kore elite, but I am taking it that if i replace my current Whatsemadoobee with that the extra degree rise will then bring my handlebars a bit higher. If so this could be exactly what i am after.

[macdog]

MR.EPS - I need some cheap but wide handle bars for my Masi fixie... any recommendations?

the narrow handle bars are driving me insane.

[*LOACH*]

Has anyone used the chain lubricants that come in an aerosol can? You can buy them here for about $1.20 and they are specifically for bicycles. Any good or not?

What do you recommend for chain/deraileur lube?

Edited September 28, 2012 by *LOACH*

[25GTT]

From what i see the brand "MucOff" is meant to be good for cleaning the bikes. Oddly enough though when i go to my local retail stores they use all different kind of oils and lubricants.

Cant remember what page or where it is but Marc gave a really good run down of how to clean and lube the bike plus what order.

If he does it again and a mod is reading PLEASE STICKY IT, i am forever trying to dig up that post :-)

[Nee-san]

Bike lords,

I want a road/racebike, carbon pls.

Where is the best place to look ?

1.5 to 3k pricing.

[JEPPE]

I have a Giant TCR Alliance. Guys bike, $1800, Full carbon, works perfectly. Love it

[*LOACH*]

Loving my "new" bike so have doing stuff to make it work even better for me....How about this it looks awesome

[darksky34]

hey guys,

have a flat bar road bike (VERY CHEAP) and bought this bar thinking I could just take off the flat bar and replace it with this, then my friend goes and tells me i'll need to basically buy a whole new groupset because of differences in length of wires and crap....and i've read on a fair amount of other forums that it is a massive hassle to do this.

I have this bike

http://www.progears.net/product.php?id=26 and it actually rides really well, and for the price, I can't say a single bad thing about it.

so unless anyone can tell me otherwise, I'm looking to sell the bar, which i realise is discontinued:

http://www.wiggle.com.au/fsa-colnago-omega-compact-handlebar/

but is superceded by this i believe:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fsa-omega-compact-white-handlebar/

[25GTT]

Loving my "new" bike so have doing stuff to make it work even better for me....How about this it looks awesome

WTF it even has a "tuning zone" on it, how much tuning can one piece of paper do? Wonder if Apexi has a power FC for this as well?

[mad082]

so a bit of a late reply, but i'll do it anway. there are a few posts to reply to.

flat bars, and drop bars all give me neck aches..

that's why i ride 1.5in rise, and 2in rise bars..

its not like i do offroad all the time too..

until you get used to lower bars you will always get neck aches. i did on my first ride back after 4 months off the bike. there are a few things that can help. first is not wearing sunnies if it means you have to lift your head up higher. i've stopped wearing sunnies when riding for this reason. well i wear them to start with but then take them off after a little while and put them in my jersey pocket, especially if i'm planning on spending a bit of time in the drops. also wearing a helmet with a peak means you have to tilt your head back a bit more too. and cheaper, heavier helmets also increase the strain on your neck.

Has anyone used the chain lubricants that come in an aerosol can? You can buy them here for about $1.20 and they are specifically for bicycles. Any good or not?

What do you recommend for chain/deraileur lube?

that's a big old no on the aerosol chain lubes, especially if you have a bike with disc brakes. the pads on bikes are extremely sensitive to contaminants and it's very easy to get overspray on the rotor. even degreaser can cause issues.

one of the best cable lubes i've ever come across is a shimano lube, but they don't make it anymore. thankfully i've still got 2 bottles of it. at work we use a custom lube that we make ourselves, so it's a bit of a secret recipe, but fork oil works pretty will as a cable lube, as do dry chain lubes (especially for mtbing).

as for chain lubes, the rock and roll lubes are good (the gold is the best all round lube), but for road use i'd have to go with the finishline ceramic road lube. it is a little bit messy, but it makes the chain silky smooth and quiet (because it is rather thick). that is what i use on my road bikes.

From what i see the brand "MucOff" is meant to be good for cleaning the bikes. Oddly enough though when i go to my local retail stores they use all different kind of oils and lubricants.

Cant remember what page or where it is but Marc gave a really good run down of how to clean and lube the bike plus what order.

If he does it again and a mod is reading PLEASE STICKY IT, i am forever trying to dig up that post :-)

the only experience i have with the muc-off products is their bike cleaner. it is good stuff. you spray it on, let it sit, then hose it off. but at work we use a mild degreaser in a spray bottle (koala care brand, get it in a range of sizes from supercheap). spray it on (don't get it on disc rotors or pads), give any thick bits of grease a scrub and then hose it of, then give the bike a wash with carwash.

for cleaning/lubing a chain, you shouldn't need to do it for the first few hundred kms (unless you are mtbing, and then you can still get away with not doing it if you are careful). the lube that is in the chain from new is good stuff and cleanign your chain will wash this out, as will most lubes. the best thing for cleaning a chain is a proper chain cleaner/scrubber. they start from $20 or $30. you simply but the cleaning substance in the scrubber, clip it over the chain, pedal backwards for a bit and then pull the scrubber off and hose the chain off. let it sit for a while to dry and put the lube on while pedalling backwards, then grab a rag, hold it around the chain and pedal backwards to wipe all the excess lube off the chain.

Bike lords,

I want a road/racebike, carbon pls.

Where is the best place to look ?

1.5 to 3k pricing.

trek madone 4 series, or a 5 series if you can find one on special for old seasons stock or stretch the budget a bit higher. you will find other brands with similar spec'd bikes for less, but in most cases they won't ride as nicely (someone who hasn't done much riding won't really notice the difference though).

hey guys,

have a flat bar road bike (VERY CHEAP) and bought this bar thinking I could just take off the flat bar and replace it with this, then my friend goes and tells me i'll need to basically buy a whole new groupset because of differences in length of wires and crap....and i've read on a fair amount of other forums that it is a massive hassle to do this.

I have this bike

http://www.progears....oduct.php?id=26 and it actually rides really well, and for the price, I can't say a single bad thing about it.

so unless anyone can tell me otherwise, I'm looking to sell the bar, which i realise is discontinued:

http://www.wiggle.co...pact-handlebar/

but is superceded by this i believe:

http://www.wiggle.co...hite-handlebar/

to replace a flat bar with drop bars you only need new shifters, but they need to be the same setup as the ones you remove. since your bike is only a 7 speed, you won't find any 7 speed road shifters around these days. you can get basic 8 speed ones (shimano 2200), but most are 9 or 10 speed ones. so you would be up for a full drivetrain upgrade, including rear wheel (yours would most likely be a screw on freewheel and all 8, 9 and 10 speed stuff uses a cassette system). plus the cost of a set of shifters alone make this a bit of an expensive excercise. you are looking at a few hundred dollars for even a basic set. you would be better off buying a basic road bike.

[xALmoN]

As for lube, i just use my old engine oil. (sure its splitter splatter, but who cares?)

And yeah, neckaches are, well part and parcel of riding i guess.

[mad082]

As for lube, i just use my old engine oil. (sure its splitter splatter, but who cares?)

And yeah, neckaches are, well part and parcel of riding i guess.

it's probably still better than wd40, but not gear. As long as you wipe off the excess, which will attract dirt and make your chain wear out faster

[Nee-san]

it's probably still better than wd40, but not gear. As long as you wipe off the excess, which will attract dirt and make your chain wear out faster

Ended up buying a BMC SL01 with the Ultegra stuff.

[mad082]

Not bad. We were looking at getting the bmc dealership at work, but decided against it (because of the outlay required to do it). We were also looking at doing colnago but decided not to for the same reason

[Nee-san]

Super cool frames !

[25GTT]

Nice work marc, good info there mate as always.

With my new flatbar (albeit 2 months old) i get 12 months of "servicing" which we both know is really just a quick clean and relube of the chain and some pink lube from the Rock n Roller brand on my brake levers etc.

When my 12 months are up, I am on the hunt for all the good stuff.

Even though it is just a quick relube my roadie feel soooo much smoother when it gets done, i get it done about every 8 weeks.

[mad082]

Every few months i give my bike an overhaul. I pull it to bits, lube everything up and put it back together. Fresh grease in the bearings, etc. new bearings if any feel a bit dodgy.

Things like chains, grips, tyres, etc, i just do as needed.