Ok what do you guys wear on yor legs? Ie been wearing a pair of jeans but with my build (fat arse) it means there baggy at the bottom and get caught in the chain sometimes. Do you really use clips?
Can you recomend a chain guard for me? ooh and a mud guard (i like those metal ones) that will go over 2.1" tyers
Is it possible to change the front gears (very cheaply please) as they seam to be too small (lots of peddling in high gear)
Lastly ive got those grip shift things and after a ride my hands have blisters. Is it just because i need to toughen them up more or can i get something else comfier?
ooh forgot. And im also thinking about a helmet. Any advice?
Quote from: noobOk what do you guys wear on yor legs? Ie been wearing a pair of jeans but with my build (fat arse) it means there baggy at the bottom and get caught in the chain sometimes. Do you really use clips?
I wear lycra on my road bike and cargo shorts on my fixie. baggie long pants and bicycles are a bad mix. Might want to try some trouser clips to get things under control. Toe clips are nice to keep your feet positioned right. I dont think theyre essential. Sometimes rubber block pedals are nice, as they work in bare feet.
Quote from: noobCan you recomend a chain guard for me? ooh and a mud guard (i like those metal ones) that will go over 2.1" tyers
Chain guards for geared bikes are usually a bit lacking, but there should be one or two plastic models that your LBS can order for you.
For mud guards, you cant go wrong with some classic SKS chromoplast jobbers. P65 model. Not the cheapest, but very good quality.
Quote from: noobIs it possible to change the front gears (very cheaply please) as they seam to be too small (lots of peddling in high gear)
For an mtb, youre probably going to be happier putting on a tighter rear cluster, something like a 11-26 in place of the 14-34 you likely have back there right now.
Quote from: noobLastly ive got those grip shift things and after a ride my hands have blisters. Is it just because i need to toughen them up more or can i get something else comfier?
Grip shifters suck for that very reason. You can replace them with trigger shifters, but its not an inexpensive proposition. Better grips might work for now. I like Ritchey True-grips. Make sure your cables are running smooth so you use little effort to shift.
Quote from: noobooh forgot. And im also thinking about a helmet. Any advice?
Depends. For normal utility cycling I dont see the point. If youre bombing through the city like a lunatic or off roading, then your chance of getting lacerations might make one worthwhile.
They dont have to cost a lot. More dosh doesnt mean more safety, just nicer holes. Whats important is that it fits, and that you wear it properly low across the brow and with the straps snug enough to keep it from pulling off in a tumble. The vast majority of people I see wearing the things dont wear them right...so if youre going to bother with one in the first place, do it right.
Giros fit round heads, Bell lids fit oval heads. Get your favorite color.
If its a mountain bike, get crud catchers, or Topeak Defenders to take care of the mud duty. As for keeping trousers out the chain, tuck it in your sock, wear shorts or shell out for some tapered cycling trousers. Shouldnt need a chain guard tbh and helmet, Pick up something like a Giro Indicator 30 sheets and your laughing.
Cheers folks.
Thing is im on the road and just dont want to get muddy so those crud catchers are no good really. Im also thinking about maybe using it for work and dont want to get my trousers mucky on the 10 mile commute. (yea whishfull thinking from me i think)
Ill try the helmets at the weekend.
So is it just a case of pulling the old set of gears off and whacking the new ones on?
If you bring your wheel into a shop it should just take a couple minutes. You can do it yourself if you want to purchase a chain whip and a lockring tool. :P Lets see here...if its an 8 speed rear, then a SRAM PG850 is a nice choice. 11-28. Shifts nice. Is shiny. About twenty pounds. Your LBS might have something even cheaper in their parts bucket that they want to get rid of, doesnt hurt to ask.
The SKS fenders are great, especially with a homebrew flap up front--youll stay completely clean. Theyre certainly not what you would use for anything rougher than a gravel path, as mud build up makes them sad. :P
The Bell Metropolis is about the only foam hat I could think of wearing--its good for big fat melons and doesnt look like a design exercise by an office full of poofster Italians. Overpriced as are most of those things.
care to link me up big man?
Well, is it a 7 or 8 speed cluster in the rear? 7 would be great, as such kit is even cheaper.
Here are the fenders: http://tinyurl.com/2ocl8p
If you retrofit skinnier 1.5" rubber, get the 55mm, otherwise youll need the hale and hearty 65mm ones to clear fatties. Beware if you have a suspension front end. You can likely mount them, but might need to be a bit handy.
thankyou very much!
its a 21 speed bike so got 7 gears on the back. the small gear on the back is really quite small though. im sure ive not seen one smaller in halfords. Hence why i was thinking about the front.
Count the teeth. Also report back on what your front largest ring is.
If its a 14 smallest in the rear, a cheap and cheerful 11-28 Shimano HG30 is available at wiggle for £12.99 Itll give you what feels like a "gear and a half" more speed and a tighter spread. If youve already got an 11T small, then you need a larger front chainring or even new chainset which is considerably more expensive.
ok will report back tomorrow
Ok its got 11t on the smallest cog on the back.
Ive just been for a ride to my grans (about 3 miles, hey im unfit every little helps!) and i manged to keep it in the biggest front cog all the way. using between 3 and 7 on the rear.
However around me its quite steep and soon ill be riding in brighouse (when the house is done) and thats even worse. as an indication the shallowest road around here is 1:20 with 1:10 being the norm. On the bigger hills i need the second cog on the front. but i allways end up stamping up the hills anyways.
Speaking of which....
i notice that the cables on my bike run down the outside of the top tube. Why is this? why not inside like my old bikes (i say old this is 10 years young)
and when going up hills im swinging it from side to side. any tips to stop me.
You might be using too low of a cadence. For casual cycling somewhere between 60-90rpm is the norm.
You can raise the high end, but its economically not the brightest thing to do.
Cable routing is up to the aesthetics of the designer, matters little.
And getting out of the saddle to climb hills might be frowned upon by some as inefficient, but inefficiency is not a bad thing if youre getting into shape. Whatever works for you.
Quote from: maximusotterYou might be using too low of a cadence. For casual cycling somewhere between 60-90rpm is the norm.
You can raise the high end, but its economically not the brightest thing to do.
sorry i have no idea what that means :)
It means you can spend $50 on larger chainrings, or spend $0 on moving your legs faster. :lol: Most casual cyclists use too high of a gear much of the time, effectively lowering power to the ground. If your pedals arent making a full revolution every second, downshift. :P
ah right.
steady cadence ftw.
spinning for the win.
Legs tire much faster than your heart and lungs.
Make your legs do 60 - 90 revolutions (thats cadence) :) per minute, itll feel crap to start with, but believe me really improves fitness and is so much better up long steep hills :) Saves your joints too :D
Real men pedal at a rate directly proportional to their forward velocity.
yea thats what im thinking. I get the feeling of going slow while peddling like a nutter. Theres no force on the peddle on the flat.
btw the biggest front ring is 38t
oooh and another thing i carnt find a chain guard kinda thing but have found this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=014&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=330116917289&rd=1&rd=1
any ideas on if it will fit my front chain ring? Im guessing you just take the peddle bit off and sandwich it between?
Geez, thats a tiny chainring. Swap it for a 44, 48, or 50T ring. You might have to raise the derailleur a bit to compensate. Standard Sugino 110BCD ring should run $25 American, so likely the same in UK money. :lol: Make sure you get the proper BCD (bolt circle diameter). 110mm is most common, but not exclusive.
That chainguard should work fine, but it only has a 44t chainring capacity. Youre better off just securing your pants.
(http://www.discountbicycles.co.uk/accessories/trouserclips/tp12large.jpg) (http://www.discountbicycles.co.uk/biz/product.php?xProd=605&xSec=9&jssCart=00c727e08d832d117654cb93640e6394)
2.00GBP
Ebay is your friend for chain rings, as long as you get the right BCD.
And roll your trousers up mofo
ok. so ive got a shimano atlas chainset on atm.
i carnt see any bolts holding the chain rings together. what does the pcd of the bolds therefore refer to?
can one of you knowledgeable bods pick me one? im lost at this thing.
Take a pic of the chainset and stick it here. Heres what they usually look like:
(http://www.sjscycles.com/store/suginomighty900chainset223242big.jpg)
The BCD is the distance in mm from the centre of one bolt to the centre of the adjacent bolt. Usually 130mm-ish.
Quote from: noobyea thats what im thinking. I get the feeling of going slow while peddling like a nutter. Theres no force on the peddle on the flat.
btw the biggest front ring is 38t
oooh and another thing i carnt find a chain guard kinda thing but have found this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=014&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=330116917289&rd=1&rd=1
any ideas on if it will fit my front chain ring? Im guessing you just take the peddle bit off and sandwich it between?
Theres peddalling like a nutter in the right gear, and there is topping out.
If you are going uphill your unlikely to be topping out. Pedal like a nutter. Its safer on your joints (less loading), youll go faster (it just feels like your going slow due to the difference in speed of your legs and your road speed), and youll go further than relying on brute force alone.
Theres a 2 mile hill I have to ride up whenever I ride home. Riding up in 10th gear (no idea what teeth) feels better but I average 8mph and im buggered by the end as my legs wont move anymore.
Ride up in 7th, and I average 10.2mph (last time I did it), and carried on after the 2 mile hill without stopping up a further 3/4 mile stretch of more hill with no issues just im breathing like an asthmatic. Knackers your cardiovascular system but doesnt completely screw over your legs.
i top out going up hills. i think im running a short gear ratio tho (it is a mountain bike with hybrid tyres on imo)
got some clips from the local pound shop today. for .... 1.49 :/ go figure
heres the front bit
(http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/5442/dsc02556ue5.th.jpg) (http://img479.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc02556ue5.jpg)
Any bolts on the back? If not, and its riveted together, youll need an entirely new chainset. A Sugino Impel 48-38-28 set is just fine for urban duty, and stupid cheap.
*should* run around 15GGP. Installation requires a crank puller.