Your latest bike purchase?

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Originally Posted by dkel

... Surly Straggler ...

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I have a couple of bikes being made (1 each for me and my wife), so when we got our REI dividend and I half-jokingly said that we should use it on a Straggler for me, I got the death stare that sent shivers down my spine ;) I love that lilac color since it reminds me so much of my mid-90s Fat City Yo Eddy!

My latest acquisition is a Motobecane Cafe Sprint in December. It goes on sale every December for $400. I rationalized that I needed a snow bike intermediate between a Nashbar Steel Touring bike and my post-apocalypse 1990 GT Karakorum MTB with studded tires. This way, I could put studded tires on the hybrid and leave slicks on the touring bike so I didn't have to switch wheelsets. Plus, Rod told me that hybrids are the best bike out there.

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Originally Posted by vvill

Steeper/longer downhills, pedal strike on turns, and riding over bumps/bridge joints/potholes/etc. I do often wonder (and ask) other FG riders about how they handle those things. How are they for you? I noticed you took to FG like a duck to water!

I think if I just commit to riding a few days in a row on FG I'd feel more comfortable overall, but when I need to brake suddenly (a situation I encounter more often than I'd like on my commutes), my natural reaction is to stop pedaling and concentrate on handling the bike and braking (with brake levers). I do love the ability to modulate speed with your legs though. Rim brakes feel so clumsy after a FG ride (and coasting almost feels like some part of the bike fell apart).

I am planning to switch out my stock dropbars for a more compact set, and probably the stock 23mm tires as well. I'm sure I'll try FG again after I get those set up right, at some point.

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I find I'm getting better at dealing with the drawbacks, like riding over potholes and bumps, and taking corners at speed (although I'll probably go with 165mm cranks on my next build). Since my commute is pretty open and doesn't involve the complications of riding in the city, I've had time to get the fundamentals down without constantly worrying about obstacles and such. I do use my brake pretty liberally, but mostly that's because I have quite a few hills to go down and relying solely on backpedaling just seems crazy. I also have a hard time adjusting to my geared bikes now, since I don't ride them very often at all...coming to stoplights is the most awkward, since I keep trying to backpedal and time my stop to sync with the correct spot in my pedal rotation, which is totally unnecessary with a freewheel.

I'm planning to do the Cap2Cap century on my FG, since the ride is pretty flat and boring/easy on a geared bike...so we'll see if I have the legs for a fixie century. I've been riding my FG so much, but not over long distances, that I don't have a good idea of my current long-distance endurance. But I do almost as much climbing in one day of commuting than the entire Cap2Cap ride, so I think I'll be okay. I put drops/hoods on the FG for that ride, as bullhorns seemed silly for that distance...not sure if I'll leave them on permanently, but the bike does feel a bit more "performance-y" with them.

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Originally Posted by TwoWheelsDC

...coming to stoplights is the most awkward, since I keep trying to backpedal and time my stop to sync with the correct spot in my pedal rotation, which is totally unnecessary with a freewheel.

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Track stand?

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Originally Posted by hozn

The reasons *I* would want a tapered HT (may be the same as vvill, we often agree) is that almost all of the full-carbon disc-brake forks out there are for (1.125-1.5) tapered head tubes. The exceptions are the Spot fork and the new/upcoming (maybe released now?) Ritchey WCS fork. The tapered HT is especially a requirement if you want a thru-axle fork.

I don't know if I can feel the difference in tapered HT alone. Certainly my new bike has a much stiffer frontend than previous (Enve 2.0 straight-steerer fork), but it's a completely different frame/fork with different wheels (45mm 28-spoke vs previous 50mm 20-spoke), so hard to know what is the making it feel different.

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That makes total sense. My own carbon (with al. steerer) disc fork is 1.125/1.125 so it didn't occur to me that this configuration would become scarce. I'm trying out a 2007 Kona Major Major to replace my 2004 JTS with cracked frame. It is an awesome frame but I'm considering two factors that may be at end-of-life, the first being the non-tapered head tube and the second being the 130mm dropout spacing with disc brake option.

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Originally Posted by dkel

Track stand?

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I wish. I'm terrible at track stands...skidz too. Thankfully, neither is an essential skill.

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Originally Posted by krazygl00

That makes total sense. My own carbon (with al. steerer) disc fork is 1.125/1.125 so it didn't occur to me that this configuration would become scarce. I'm trying out a 2007 Kona Major Major to replace my 2004 JTS with cracked frame. It is an awesome frame but I'm considering two factors that may be at end-of-life, the first being the non-tapered head tube and the second being the 130mm dropout spacing with disc brake option.

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Indeed both of those (especially the 130mm spacing) do seem to be end-of-life. I'd say the 44mm straight headtube is a very flexible solution that seems to be adopted by many frame makers. If the industry moves to straight 1.5-1.5 tubes, that should still work (with external cups). My first choice for a new frame would be 44mm; second choice would be tapered.

For the rear, it seems like most people have decided that 135mm makes sense for drop-bar bikes. There was one disc road (or cx?) bike recently that was doing 142mmx12 thru-axle rear. Assuming that actually requires wider spacing that seems like a horrible idea with road-length chainstays. (I've also seen reference to the additional 7mm being "built-in" to the dropouts? -- Maybe I just don't understand how the 12mm thru-axles work.)

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Originally Posted by TwoWheelsDC

...I'm planning to do the Cap2Cap century on my FG, since the ride is pretty flat and boring/easy on a geared bike...

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I really want a fixed gear in time to do the Seagull Metric on it. I did it last year and it was fun because I was leading two friends on their first organized ride but there's like 6 feet of climbing in the whole ride.

What: specialized tricross disc.
When: November 2013
Why: It was on sale. It was my size. I had to, right?

Ok, I *had* already been toying with the idea of a ‘cross bike for a while, as I was feeling my hybrid was not zippy nor comfy enough for longish rides and my road bike was somewhat lacking in practicality, and neither of them are particularly handy off-pavement so what do I do when I want to ride more than fifteen miles and carry more than a credit card with me or what if I want to find some dirt or gravel or something to ride on? I had been resisting actively shopping for it, though. Also, I like to whine about not being secure enough on the brakes with small hands and had gotten some feedback on the forum that SRAM levers would be worth a try. Disc brakes seemed like a nice idea, and possibly also helpful with my braking confidence. And then my LBS put a 46cm disc-brake, sram-component ‘cross bike on sale for about 1/3 off. What else was I supposed to do?

I’m very happy with it, and I suspect it will eventually completely replace the hybrid (as well as adding its own benefits), though the hybrid has grannier granny gears and l live on a hill so I’m still mostly using that for any carrying home of anything of noticeable weight.

BF recently got a Cervelo S2 less than a year after getting his first “real” (not-from-Target) bike (Cannondale Synapse) and I am coveting very badly. I am currently actively resisting shopping for some pretty, aero-framed, carbon road bike.

On the Thursday before Easter I got a brand spankin' new Jamis Quest Comp. Steel frame with carbon fork. SUPER smooth ride that was reminiscent of my other love the Bianchi Volpe. It's just a bit lighter and sportier which is what I wanted. A smooth riding fast road bike that could go off road onto the Georgetown Branch trail and C&O Canal. Thus far with crappy weather and holidays I've only gotten two commutes in but it's meeting and exceeding my expectations thus far! Someday I'll be able to bring it by DTSS Coffee Club!

If you haven't yet, I'd give the Jamis Quest Comp a try.
And yes, it has rack and fender mounts.

are spouse-approved pending purchases fair game, too?

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Originally Posted by jrenaut

I really want a fixed gear in time to do the Seagull Metric on it. I did it last year and it was fun because I was leading two friends on their first organized ride but there's like 6 feet of climbing in the whole ride.

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I have the opposite inclination, have been toiling over doing kill bill fixed

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Originally Posted by Harry Meatmotor

are spouse-approved pending purchases fair game, too?

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I want to hear about it! My Straggler covet is pretty close to a "spouse-approved pending purchase."

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Originally Posted by dcv

I have the opposite inclination, have been toiling over doing kill bill fixed

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You, sir, are certifiably insane.

Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by TwoWheelsDC

I find I'm getting better at dealing with the drawbacks, like riding over potholes and bumps, and taking corners at speed (although I'll probably go with 165mm cranks on my next build). Since my commute is pretty open and doesn't involve the complications of riding in the city, I've had time to get the fundamentals down without constantly worrying about obstacles and such. I do use my brake pretty liberally, but mostly that's because I have quite a few hills to go down and relying solely on backpedaling just seems crazy. I also have a hard time adjusting to my geared bikes now, since I don't ride them very often at all...coming to stoplights is the most awkward, since I keep trying to backpedal and time my stop to sync with the correct spot in my pedal rotation, which is totally unnecessary with a freewheel.

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I do the timing my stop to sync thing out of habit even though I don't ride FG much. I use my brake a lot too, I've tried the Powhatan loop fixed and it wasn't too bad but I used the brake a lot.

165 cranks would help cornering but then you would lose leverage when you climb. I've only ever used 170 and 175mm cranks though so I can't really compare.

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3785/...a86b096b_h.jpg
Why? It is fun. :D

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Originally Posted by dkel

I want to hear about it! My Straggler covet is pretty close to a "spouse-approved pending purchase."

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the new high-speed steed: 54cm Spec. Allez Smartweld with some Force22 hung on it. I'll be repurposing the November Rails for this bike. The Salsa Pistola will keep the HED Belgiums laced to King hubs for good.

Attachment 5413Attachment 5414

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Originally Posted by Harry Meatmotor

the new high-speed steed: 54cm Spec. Allez Smartweld with some Force22 hung on it. I'll be repurposing the November Rails for this bike. The Salsa Pistola will keep the HED Belgiums laced to King hubs for good.

Attachment 5413Attachment 5414

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Sweet! Look forward to the build pics. Is that a bike for racing? I was really tempted to do the Force22 on my build, but I somewhat stupidly built my wheels with a 10-speed only hub --- to save $30 (on $800-worth of wheel parts ...). So I did 10-speed Force. I figure 10-speed still has a few more years before it is obsolete, though I assume 105 going to 11 is the tolling of that bell. (When dealing with disc-brake hubs, though, there's still a prevalence of 10-speed stuff since MTB is a little slower to add a cog.)

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Originally Posted by hozn

Sweet! Look forward to the build pics. Is that a bike for racing? I was really tempted to do the Force22 on my build, but I somewhat stupidly built my wheels with a 10-speed only hub --- to save $30 (on $800-worth of wheel parts ...). So I did 10-speed Force. I figure 10-speed still has a few more years before it is obsolete, though I assume 105 going to 11 is the tolling of that bell. (When dealing with disc-brake hubs, though, there's still a prevalence of 10-speed stuff since MTB is a little slower to add a cog.)

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No racing for me. I tell myself that if i were to start racing, it'd be more like work (i'd actually have to "train" which means no more beer drinking, my commute would be considered "junk miles" and I'd have some wattage gizmo, which means my wife would have to put up with me strava-bragging). But i do like to hang on with the Cat 3 & 4 guys I occasionally ride with. I wanted to build a different flavor than my Pistola. Stiff, light, and fast. Luckily the November Rails have 11spd hub bodies, too, and the cost difference between Force and Force22 is minimal. Specialized is out of stock on the murdered out frames, hopefully back in stock mid-summer.

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Originally Posted by Harry Meatmotor

No racing for me. I tell myself that if i were to start racing, it'd be more like work (i'd actually have to "train" which means no more beer drinking, my commute would be considered "junk miles" and I'd have some wattage gizmo, which means my wife would have to put up with me strava-bragging). But i do like to hang on with the Cat 3 & 4 guys I occasionally ride with. I wanted to build a different flavor than my Pistola. Stiff, light, and fast. Luckily the November Rails have 11spd hub bodies, too, and the cost difference between Force and Force22 is minimal. Specialized is out of stock on the murdered out frames, hopefully back in stock mid-summer.

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Gotcha. Yeah, I'm in a similar (though I suspect slower) boat. No road racing yet (well, I've done 1 road race), but one of these years when the babies aren't babies anymore I'll dedicate a season to at least getting out of Cat 5. For now MTB and a few CX is good fun and plenty casual. I was very tempted by the Rails; were I building another rim-brake bike I would have bought those instead, but I couldn't quite justify 2x the cost when braking surface / heat buildup is a non-issue and I'm less concerned about wind-tunnel data; I like the carbon rims for ride quality and the aesthetics and my LBU45 rims to fine on those benchmarks :) ).

Today I pulled the trigger on a set of Ortlieb panniers so I can start going grocery shopping now that the ice and snow is all gone. Oh yeah, and I plan on using them when I ride up to Duluth this fall.

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Originally Posted by NicDiesel

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I sooo want some of these. Not cheap, though, and the $15 cheap pannier I bought some months ago does work. Still...

I got a set, delivered, for $112 today from Pro Bike Kit thanks to an extra 20% off coupon. They take a while to deliver to the central and western US but they're pretty quick on east coast delivery.

This thread has lead me to a million-dollar idea: Stitchfix for bikes!

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Originally Posted by dkel

I sooo want some of these. Not cheap, though, and the $15 cheap pannier I bought some months ago does work. Still...

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Check out these Bushwacker panniers. You get two of them for the price of one($50 total). Each one is separate and independent. They are not attached to each other by a piece of cloth like some panniers, so you can use only one, and give or sell the other one, or use it on a different bike. I almost bought them, but I couldn't find them in local stores, so I don't know how easily they fold. I ended up buying Jandd Pannier from Green Lizard Cycling at Herndon. It included only one pannier, but it was good enough for me.

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Originally Posted by dkel

Going home with the Straggler may be a foregone conclusion anyway. I'm mostly concerned with fit; I already love the thing, and I've done copious amounts of research.

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For basic bike fit, download the PDF file at the following web page:

http://bikefitkit.com/bike-fitting/h...oniometer.html

You could order their kit, or use one of these protractors from Home Depot to measure the angles(I have the $9 one). By trial and error before using this method, I found that I could go uphill faster if I raise the seat by an inch or two but not more or less than in this range, and after measuring the angles at this new position, I found that they correspond with what's mentioned in the PDF file. There are three positions to check, and the recommended angles are 90, 120, and 150 as mentioned in the PDF file.

If you have the time, watch this longish but very informative for "new" people video about Bike Fit. It covers both the biological and mechanical aspect of bike fit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxNznrlRXGU

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Originally Posted by hozn

Sweet! Look forward to the build pics. Is that a bike for racing? I was really tempted to do the Force22 on my build, but I somewhat stupidly built my wheels with a 10-speed only hub --- to save $30 (on $800-worth of wheel parts ...). So I did 10-speed Force. I figure 10-speed still has a few more years before it is obsolete, though I assume 105 going to 11 is the tolling of that bell. (When dealing with disc-brake hubs, though, there's still a prevalence of 10-speed stuff since MTB is a little slower to add a cog.)

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I've really had trouble getting behind 11 speed, perhaps because my bikes are all 9/10 speed (or 7 speed on my old MTB). I think the next wheelset or whatever I get will be 11 speed compatible though just for future proofing, even though I have no intention of upgrading anything else. None of the Shimano cranksets/rings I have will be compatible with the new 4 bolt chainrings either.

I bought a Salsa Vaya frameset and all its associated parts. Still working on it.

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Originally Posted by 83(b)

Thanks! I had actually run across your review of the FM145/166 via google. Small world! I've been thinking of doing a very similar build but would really like to spring for hydraulic brakes and Di2. I think it'll be a few seasons before the tech has settled down to an acceptable price point and worked out any kinks. Hopefully by then I'll have worn out something significant on the Lemond and can easily justify it!

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Oooh, here is an attractively priced disc road option ....

http://www.bikerumor.com/2014/04/30/...e+Rumor+RSS%29

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Originally Posted by NicDiesel

Today I pulled the trigger on a set of Ortlieb panniers so I can start going grocery shopping now that the ice and snow is all gone. Oh yeah, and I plan on using them when I ride up to Duluth this fall.

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I'm jealous, both for the ride, but mostly for the panniers. And orange, too. When my Axioms die, I plan on getting some Ortliebs. I'm torn between orange and red. Nice choice. :)

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Originally Posted by vvill

I've really had trouble getting behind 11 speed, perhaps because my bikes are all 9/10 speed (or 7 speed on my old MTB). I think the next wheelset or whatever I get will be 11 speed compatible though just for future proofing, even though I have no intention of upgrading anything else. None of the Shimano cranksets/rings I have will be compatible with the new 4 bolt chainrings either.

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I think you'll find that a lot of hub manufacturers realized that the difference between 9/10 spd and 11 spd compatibility amounts to merely machining away 1.85mm of the cassette body splines and including a matching 1.85mm spacer. That work wasn't much to entertain, and therefore maintaining 9/10/11 spd compatibility will be pretty simple. of course, i'm leaving campy out of the discussion...

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Originally Posted by cyclingfool

I'm jealous, both for the ride, but mostly for the panniers. And orange, too. When my Axioms die, I plan on getting some Ortliebs. I'm torn between orange and red. Nice choice. :)

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I got Erin the yellow ones with orange dots. Because...dots!

B

For a post-Christmas present I bought myself a Fuji SL-1 road bike. It's carbon, and probably stupidly, I'm using it as a commuter bike. I got it for pennies on the dollar because it's a 2010 vintage, but new out of the box. It became my numero uno bike, taking the place of my 1997 Trek 1220, which I want to winterize for this coming winter. I'm pretty happy with the Fuji so far, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around how light it is and how it handles. It's really, really different from the old Trek, but I'm starting to feel more as one with it.

So my wife said to me the other day..."You're going to get rid of your old bike, right?" Are you crazy?!

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Originally Posted by cyclingfool

I'm jealous, both for the ride, but mostly for the panniers. And orange, too. When my Axioms die, I plan on getting some Ortliebs. I'm torn between orange and red. Nice choice. :)

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The ride up to Duluth is tentatively scheduled for mid-October, assuming I don't blow out my legs or heart training for it. I haven't ridden with panniers before so I'm going to start testing these out doing grocery shopping each week, hopefully they'll hold up.

No recent purchases of a bike as such. But I just got a new InSTEP Ride N Stride Bike Trailer and Stroller, so I can haul my granddaughter around when she's here.

Attachment 5461

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Originally Posted by Harry Meatmotor

I think you'll find that a lot of hub manufacturers realized that the difference between 9/10 spd and 11 spd compatibility amounts to merely machining away 1.85mm of the cassette body splines and including a matching 1.85mm spacer. That work wasn't much to entertain, and therefore maintaining 9/10/11 spd compatibility will be pretty simple. of course, i'm leaving campy out of the discussion...

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Maintaining it to be backwards compatible to 9/10 yeah, is simple, but I already have a bunch of 9/10 speed wheels that won't fit a 11 speed cassette.

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Originally Posted by vern

For a post-Christmas present I bought myself a Fuji SL-1 road bike. It's carbon, and probably stupidly, I'm using it as a commuter bike. I got it for pennies on the dollar because it's a 2010 vintage, but new out of the box. It became my numero uno bike, taking the place of my 1997 Trek 1220, which I want to winterize for this coming winter. I'm pretty happy with the Fuji so far, but I'm still trying to wrap my head around how light it is and how it handles. It's really, really different from the old Trek, but I'm starting to feel more as one with it.

So my wife said to me the other day..."You're going to get rid of your old bike, right?" Are you crazy?!

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Nah, not stupid. Most of my miles in general, and for commutes, have been on my "light" road bike (or nowadays, my other drop bar 700c bikes). It's more efficient to commute on than a hybrid/MTB, and I think it made me better at learning to spot/react to potholes, bumps, etc. and how to ride in bad weather. Especially after I crashed and broke my elbow. :D

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Originally Posted by vvill

Maintaining it to be backwards compatible to 9/10 yeah, is simple, but I already have a bunch of 9/10 speed wheels that won't fit a 11 speed cassette.



Nah, not stupid. Most of my miles in general, and for commutes, have been on my "light" road bike (or nowadays, my other drop bar 700c bikes). It's more efficient to commute on than a hybrid/MTB, and I think it made me better at learning to spot/react to potholes, bumps, etc. and how to ride in bad weather. Especially after I crashed and broke my elbow. :D

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Agreed. Now that school is wrapping up for the summer and I don't have to worry about locking my bike up (the bike parking at work is, uh, extremely secure) I'll probably go back to doing a good amount of commuting on my Cervelo. It's the fastest and most comfortable (and expensive) bike I own, so it makes sense to get as much use out of it as I can. If I was mostly riding across the city, I'd probably rethink that, but my commute is basically a wide open workout ride, so using a road bike is a good match of tool to task.

My most recent purchase, somewhat utilitarian and likely geared to a subset of the biking population is a Halo Skull cap.

It provides a sweat band along with a mesh top to help wick moisture away and provide protection from the sun: UPF of 50+.

Attachment 5474

I purchased my Halo at REi for $21.95.

Nah, not stupid. Most of my miles in general, and for commutes, have been on my "light" road bike (or nowadays, my other drop bar 700c bikes). It's more efficient to commute on than a hybrid/MTB, and I think it made me better at learning to spot/react to potholes, bumps, etc. and how to ride in bad weather. Especially after I crashed and broke my elbow. :D[/QUOTE]

I think that's true for me, too. Awareness is definitely up, and I've found the wooden bridges on the W&OD seem like ice when wet riding the Fuji. I can feel the bike sliding horizontally in those situations, so I've started to slow way down when, like this morning, those bridges are wet.

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Originally Posted by cvcalhoun

No recent purchases of a bike as such. But I just got a new InSTEP Ride N Stride Bike Trailer and Stroller, so I can haul my granddaughter around when she's here.

Attachment 5461

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We have one of those. Watch out when folding it up for storage (if you do that) the window plastic on mine has torn where it connects to the fabric and now my daughter likes to stick her hand out of it like an open window.

The rear nylon support in the back also rends to poke through when folded, ripping a small hole in the sleeve.

other than those two complaints (and the weight) it's done a great job for the past two years!