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zelatore
08-15-2011, 09:11 PM
I just had an eye-opener this weekend.

We were downtown in Sacramento Saturday when Michele says 'I think we should get some bikes'. Huh? And she didn't mean the walmart variety, she actually wanted to buy something nice.

I know jack-all about bikes. Once I turned 16 and got a driver's license I pretty much gave up on peddle power. But I've been riding (motorcycles) with a buddy who's the service manager of Mike's Bikes, a local chain of bike stores and they were only a few blocks away so we popped in for a look.

Holy Crap - there are some crazy things going on in bicycles! And some crazy prices to go with them!

For example, the all carbon fiber - even the wheels - race bike they had on display for a mere $9999. I reached out at full arm-length and lifted it off it's stand. It couldn't have weighed more than 10 lbs I bet.

OK, I get that the only person who'd buy something like that is a serious racer looking for the ultimate. It's the bicycle equivalent of an MV Agusta or Ferrari F430.

But the 'run of the mill' stuff was probably averaging $1500.

I'd never really paid much attention to the gear, but now that I'm actually looking, there's some pretty trick stuff just rolling around on the streets and trails.

We did end up buying a couple of bikes. I ended up with a Specialized CrossTrail Pro Disc and she got an Aerial Comp Disc (I have no idea what Disc means). Far and away the nicest bicycle I've ever owned. It's a 'crossover' meaning part street/part dirt. Ridged rear with adjustable front suspension including a lock-out for road riding; hydraulic disc brakes, what I'm told are nice (they feel nice) Shimano shifters, etc.

Yesterday I had some work to do in Oakland and Michele came down with me. On our way home we stopped at a park in the Oakland hills for a short hike. Being a multi-use park and near a lot of people there were tons of bikes out. I have a new respect for those guys, especially the guys wearing full face helmets and near motocross levels of crash gear. They were really hauling a$$. I know I'm too old and slow to get into that level of riding, but it certainly looked like fun. At least so long as you don't eat a tree or fall into a canyon. I can also see why the bike shop has a service manager. When Wayne (my friend) told me what he did I wondered just what kind of losers must shop there if they have to bring a bicycle in for 'service'. Now I see they are pretty high-strung/high-tech things, not the old Schwinns and Huffys I grew up with.

This could be bad. I don't have the time/money for another hobby! Fortunately my inherent laziness will likely self-regulate the amount of bicycle interest I develop. Those downhill runs seem to require an uphill grind that looks a whole lot less fun.

I'm sure you guys who know bicycle are having a good laugh at the noob. But I had no idea 'average' bicycles had advanced as much as they have.

However I do draw the line at spandex. Ain't gonna happen.

Carl C
08-15-2011, 09:21 PM
Mine folds up. A Fuji Folder mountain bike. :)

Buddyc
08-15-2011, 09:29 PM
The bikes today aren't what we rode as kids... far from it. I have been riding and racing bikes for years. I used to ride road bikes like the o.e you picked up... there sick and accelerate like crazy... weight is everything and its nothing to spend 6 grand on a bike.
I since moved to mountain biking... its a lot of fun and gives me the chance for the kid in me to come out. I now ride a Pivot 429. Front and rear disc brakes, full suspension and weighs less than28 lbs.

Walt. H.
08-15-2011, 10:08 PM
I got back into bicycles with a mountain bike during the mid 90's big time $$$ after like you forgot about them when I started driving cars as a teen, but now for the past few years I only look at it once in a while when i'm looking for something near-by and I notice the bike and check to see that the tires need airing and maybe take it for a quick spin then figure it's either too hot or cold out and say frig it for now. :hyper:
One thing I remember learning that unlike with motorcycles and cars, the more you spend for a bicycle doen't mean it's going to go faster, you only get better functioning component that perform better.
Enjoy and buy a good gel-seat real soon if you haven't already. :boggled:

pipnit
08-15-2011, 10:43 PM
Cool!

I'm an avid cyclist and have raced damn near every type of bike there is, road bike, mtn bikes, bmx. I actually still race 24" cruiser BMX bikes in 35+ but only in the winter time.
May I make a suggestion? Get the bike dialed in the best you can for your body. I'm pretty tall (6'5") so I have to change a lot of stuff on bikes to make them work for me, same with dirt bikes.
There are some key dimensions that you need to have dialed in to make your pedaling travails enjoyable. Namely, bar height and how far out they are, seat height and position (back and forth and angle). Basically you want your arms to be 90 degrees from your torso and to have your knee over the ball of your foot. For seat height, you want almost a full extension, something that I see way too low very often.
Here is a pretty good link to a Peter White article. I know he debunks the knee over the axle... http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm
One other thought is the type of seat. Big padded seats are only going to hamper your enjoyment. YOu need to break your ass in and get used to sitting on a bike seat but you don't need to be sitting on a 2x4. For males, we can get something called Bike Seat Neuropathy where you go "numb" down there and can result in some very serious issues. There are all sorts of seats out there that will leave your "choad" (for a lack of better words) suspended. I personally prefer one called the RIDO http://www.rido-cyclesaddles.com/
It sounds like you bought an awesome bike! Enjoy it! As someone else stated, often times the hardest part of riding the bike is just pushing it out the door. ONce you're on it, you'll feel like a ten year old again, having a blast! Have fun!! :hyper:

zelatore
08-16-2011, 12:48 AM
Thanks for the links - I'll check them out. I have some basic understanding of the set-up, and the shop we got them at did some quick adjustments but I'm sure there's more fine tuning to be done.

And yes, I'm sure the hardest part will actually be getting out the door. Though for a while the guilt of having spent that much money will make me ride the thing! Crap, I've bought cars for less!

Anything that gets us off the couch on the weekends has to be worth it though, right?

BUIZILLA
08-16-2011, 06:21 AM
if it wasn't for my Huffy, i'da never met Buffy..

gcarter
08-16-2011, 06:29 AM
Don, you get over the guilt quickly.
Elaine has a nice hybrid, and I have a mediocre Diamond
Back mountain bike w/disc brakes. It's easy to leave them on the wall.
We don't ride in the summer. Period.
Instead, I have a sallesman that is a serious biker and has been for years. He sells bikes in his spare time and goes cycling at least three times a week.

tmh
08-16-2011, 07:15 AM
With the heat in the summer I've been riding in the evening 10pm + iwith my 18 year old son as there is no traffic. There is a different vibe riding uner the moonlight with no vehicles around.

zelatore
08-16-2011, 08:38 AM
The same weather that has had the rest of the country way over normal for the last couple months has had us below normal, but it's still in the low 90s. Yesterday after I got home I thought about going for a ride but with the temps still up until around 8:00 I didn't feel like heading out on the levee roads at night. Sometime this week I'll see if I can string together some trails through the fields to get to the back roads and make up a loop.

For good or bad, living in the delta means it's totally flat here. That'll make for easy riding, but it also means there's nothing interesting (road wise) for 30 miles or more.

pipnit
08-16-2011, 08:49 AM
not sure if you like music or have an iPod but these are pretty cool and can liven up a boring ride.

http://www.geardiary.com/2008/09/24/ihome-bicycle-ipod-speaker-with-handlebar-remote-24-shipped/

Buddyc
08-16-2011, 10:21 AM
not sure if you like music or have an iPod but these are pretty cool and can liven up a boring ride.
http://www.geardiary.com/2008/09/24/ihome-bicycle-ipod-speaker-with-handlebar-remote-24-shipped/
Looks like a great idea. I wear a camelpack for water anyway. Is it loud enough to hear on the trail?

Ghost
08-16-2011, 10:37 AM
Been pondering this myself lately.

It's amazing to me what bikes cost, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like the dollar just buys less. A good, $200-$300 bike circa 1980 ought to cost bteween $500 and $1000 now, unless we've found a lot of ways to make them for less.

The folding feature on some bikes looks interesting, and jumping up from 10 to maybe 21 gears is perhaps most appealling. But the more I think about it, the more I am inclined to try to bring back my 30+ year old Raleigh. Most of the people I know who bought expensive bikes in the last 15 years had them stolen. My antique probably would fail to appeal, compared to the newer one locked up next to it.

pipnit
08-16-2011, 10:53 AM
Looks like a great idea. I wear a camelpack for water anyway. Is it loud enough to hear on the trail?

Yeah, it works GREAT and it has a remote on the bars to change songs, raise or lower volume, etc. It's actually pretty loud. My wife and I often pedal a tandem and both of us can hear it NO problem, actually we don't even use it that often on full blast. The remote DOES seem to eat the batteries though so I throw a couple spare 2032 (large watch batteries) in my bag on the bike.
That's another thing you need to put together, a nice little tool kit. There are high quality multi-tools you can use that will have you pretty well covered, just toss in a couple tire levers a patch kit and a pump and you're golden.
What wheels do you have? I'm glad you got a cross type bike, they're very good and roll better than 26" mtn bike wheels. I imagine you have 700c wheels?
There are lots of trick things you can get for your bike, the sky is the limit. One thing I add to most of my non race bikes are fenders... I've got a cool pair from this guy on our tandem:
http://www.woodysfenders.com/store/

some cool higher end stores with neat products:

http://www.rivbike.com/

http://www.velo-orange.com/

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/

and if you need a HORN, this one is STUPID loud, lol http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Airzound-Bike-Horn/dp/B000ACAMJC


the sky is the limit!

zelatore
08-16-2011, 12:02 PM
Yes, 700c wheels (I don't even know what that means - 700 cm circumference maybe?) It seems to roll pretty well but certainly it's not a racer. Here's the manufacturer's site: http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=52743&eid=6068&menuItemId=14884

I'll skip the music. I had an iphone for years and never loaded a single song on it. Even in the truck I usually listen to news-talk more than music. Riding will be (I suspect) for me more like what I get out of hiking - get away, out in the quite, nobody else around. Well, except Michele of course.

I could see the advantage of a rear fender though. And maybe a kick-stand! I don't know why they don't have kick stands any more. Weight maybe? Seems silly on anything but a true race machine though. Are you just going to toss your new $1000+ toy on the ground every time you stop?

Mike, I would tend to agree with you about the relationship between the product and the cost except that there's a LOT of technology that has come along since 1980. Go out and ride a modern bike and you'll be shocked at how much lighter and more efficient they are. Recently we rented a couple of road bikes and did like 18 miles (nice level paved bike trail) in an afternoon without breaking a sweat. 18 miles - with basically no experience on a bike in the last 25 years. When I was a kid, I considered anything over 5 miles a heroic achievement. I know I'm in worse shape than I was back then, so I have to give the credit to the machine. That said, I understand that you don't need a $1000 bike to just go for a ride. But hey, I'm a technology geek anyway.

Kirk
08-16-2011, 12:20 PM
www.moots.com or www.richardsachs.com

Buddyc
08-16-2011, 12:20 PM
I'm running a 29er and it rolls so nice .compared to 26

Walt. H.
08-16-2011, 12:20 PM
Nice bike Don,
No kickstand is due to achieving max ground clearance I was told, but like you for the same reason a kickstand and a rear derailleur guard were the first two items I added along with better foam grips and riding gloves for the handlebars.
I also added short alum 6" long fenders front and back that I painted flat black to keep dirt from clogging my expensive center-pull brakes, but of course you have hyd disc brakes so that won't be a issue for you unless you want to limit some water and dirt spray going up your back?
A trip mileage and time computer is also a neat item to have to keep a record of your rides.

DickB
08-16-2011, 05:19 PM
I was going to suggest a recumbent, but you already made a purchase. I've been riding a Rans Vivo for years and I really like it. Very comfortable. I still ride a mountain bike and a Dahon m\Mariner fold-up once in a while, but on long rides my shoulders get sore.

Ghost
08-16-2011, 06:06 PM
Holy $hit. Moots Psychlo-X. 19 lbs. That's different. Seems like when I was a kid, everything was a fight to get from 30lbs down to 28. And when I looked about 12 years ago, maybe 26.

19 is a different world. Of course, so is 3 grand...

gcarter
08-16-2011, 06:11 PM
But the more I think about it, the more I am inclined to try to bring back my 30+ year old Raleigh. Most of the people I know who bought expensive bikes in the last 15 years had them stolen.

I have a Raliegh Grand Prix that dates from 1973, I think.
Funny thing is, even though it was a medium price bike at the time at $150.00, or so, really good bikes at the time could be had for $500-$1,000. All were road bikes at the time, there really wasn't anything else.
Raleigh still markets a Grand Prix, it's fairly well equipped, and light for the price. It's a heck of a lot more bike than my 1973 original, and costs about $1,200. I might add, the only thing they have in common is the name.

Ghost
08-16-2011, 06:28 PM
I have a Raliegh Grand Prix that dates from 1973, I think.
Funny thing is, even though it was a medium price bike at the time at $150.00, or so, really good bikes at the time could be had for $500-$1,000. All were road bikes at the time, there really wasn't anything else.
Raleigh still markets a Grand Prix, it's fairly well equipped, and light for the price. It's a heck of a lot more bike than my 1973 original, and costs about $1,200. I might add, the only thing they have in common is the name.

That's funny, I think mine <stretching memory> is a 1977 Grand Prix. The first year they upgraded to Suntour gears I think. They were $299 at the time as I recall.

The more I peer at the new ones, the more I think the single biggest difference is number of gears. 24 gears on the last one I saw. That's a LOT more than 10. I remember being a kid, in real shape, and realizing that more gears would be better. By now (old and out of shape) that must be a lot more important than it was.

Buddyc
08-16-2011, 07:04 PM
More gears are nice because you can find the perfect one to keep you in an efficient cadence. So your not pushing too hard and pedaling to slow or spinning to fast. If your butt is bouncing on the saddle when you pedal, your cadence is too fast and drop a gear.

Greg Guimond
08-16-2011, 07:27 PM
Ok, I'm racking my brain here but ......Motobecane Le Champion, Ben Serotta, Mongoose. More years back then I care to remember and not sure they are still around.

pipnit
08-16-2011, 11:33 PM
www.moots.com or www.richardsachs.com

that's a whole 'nuther ball park! My bro has an old Richard Sachs frame.

Walt. H.
08-17-2011, 12:04 AM
Ok, I'm racking my brain here but ......Motobecane Le Champion, Ben Serotta, Mongoose. More years back then I care to remember and not sure they are still around.
Greg,
I still have a metallic blue 10 spd Motobecane Dynamic model that I bought new back in 1964 or 65' after working my entire summer off from school 6-days a week earning only $20 bucks per week plus tips.:(
A few yr's ago I was talking with a bike shop owner and he recalled them once being a high end bike but later became a department store grade bike before finally going out of business like so many other brands that met the same fate.

McGary911
08-17-2011, 01:40 PM
Cool thread.

I've always liked bikes from when I raced them in my teens. That ultimately turned into stunt riding on quarter and 1/2 pipes. It was tons of fun (stitches included; good think mom worked in the ER).

I've always had something to pedal since those days, as I prefer riding to most other kinds of exercise. My current ride is an old Pro-Flex 756 mountain bike. I got this thing in the mid 90s when I was still doing morning radio. One of our good advertisers was a bike shop that specialized in this stuff. This was actually an $1800 bike back then :shocking:. I suffered the same type of sticker shock as Zel. The shop owner gave me an insane deal ($800 if i recall?) and I've had it since then. The only big upgrade I made is the custom gas charged Risse racing shocks. The bike originally came with these weird dense foam "elastomers" doing that duty. They didn't last well in the UV, and soon became impossible to get (the company sold to K2 and stopped producing them).

I used to trail ride a lot more in NJ. Down here it's a lot flatter. There are some great parks and trails, but they're a car ride away. I like to just get on and ride.

Here's a pic. Whenever I run into some mountain bike geeks, they all think it's a very cool old school kind of ride.

Marlin275
08-17-2011, 01:57 PM
this was the bike

gcarter
08-17-2011, 02:01 PM
Maybe we could continue on w/bike racks;
I have a 4 bike Yakima that plugs int a trailer hitch and has a built in lock cable.
I gotta say, it's really flexible as far as configurations go.

handfulz28
08-17-2011, 05:24 PM
Still have my '93 Marin with no suspension. All original, tubes and tires, grips (what's left), brake pads. Have to air it up every time I ride nowadays. Thinking about putting on a new seat. LOL Only rode a suspended bike once or twice....not as easy to get the front wheel up. :D

Former Haro Master rider also, '83-'85. Bought frame & forks, hand picked every piece and put it together myself. It got stolen...and "recovered". Put lots of miles on that one.

New tech can be cool, but still nothing like old school...:shades:

zelatore
08-17-2011, 06:01 PM
Maybe we could continue on w/bike racks;
I have a 4 bike Yakima that plugs int a trailer hitch and has a built in lock cable.
I gotta say, it's really flexible as far as configurations go.


I've been watching craigslist for something like that. I could get something that mounts on the roof of the chevy but that seems like too hard to load. I can get the bikes in the back of the chevy, or of couse in the back of my truck, but again that seems like a good way to damage something. The only drawback I can see to a hitch mounted carrier is that I won't be able to open the hatch/tailgate of whatever it's installed on.

gcarter
08-17-2011, 06:45 PM
The Yakima has an upper bolt that is fairly quickly reemovable and allows the rack to lean back about 30*.
It's pretty useful.

Buddyc
08-17-2011, 07:03 PM
I have a dear friend that owns a bike shop in Hammonton NJ. If anyone needs anything plz let me know... I get anything from them at 10% over cost

Tony
08-17-2011, 08:39 PM
I bought a good quality Schwinn hybrid back when hybrids were first out. I still have it, seems it is indestructible. Good maintainance is key, though.

In college I had a Schwinn Super Sport, and a LeTour. One year I took a train from Windser, Ontario, to Banff, Alberta. 60 hours, 60 bucks! Unloaded my bike in a snowtorm and began a southern route that ended at Yellowstone National Park. Had a ton of fun, needless to say!

Recently I found a 1981 Fuji Monterey for $10, lightly used and all original, and am in the process of doing a "frame-off" restoration. Mostly for fun, but now my son wants it in Chicago while he shops for an "urban" style bike. He's in the $1,000 price range, so I sent him a link to your bike.

Keep us updated about how you like it!

:beer:

zelatore
08-18-2011, 09:15 AM
Banff to Yellowstone by bike - that would take me about, oh, 3 years! I think for that kind of trip I'll still stick with my (motor)bike. Maybe a nice GS1200...yeah, I could do that. Having been in Banff at the beginning of the year and (almost) Yellowstone a couple months ago, I seem to recall a hill or two in those areas. It would be a heck of a trip, but not something I can ever imagine myself doing!

Rode (the Triumph) up to the store yesterday and picked up a couple generic kickstands. I know everybody seems to be happy just laying them down but I guess I'm just old fashioned and want a stand. Went for a little ride around town when I got home since it had cooled down some by then. Unfortunately I found that the 'shortcut' I had hoped to use to get to some dirt field roads isn't passable any more as the field I need to go through is grown up and all soft dirt. I tried to skirt along the edge but its so soft the tires just buried and I came to an abrupt stop. I couldn't see trying to battle through that for 1/4 mile so I turned around and just cruised around town and down the levee a mile or two.

I haven't done the set-up on the bike yet but might play with it tonight some depending on when I get home. I can tell there's room for improvement. I think the bars might need to come up and/or fwd maybe an inch and I might take 1/2" out of the seat height and see how that feels.

pipnit
08-18-2011, 09:39 AM
Still have my '93 Marin with no suspension. All original, tubes and tires, grips (what's left), brake pads. Have to air it up every time I ride nowadays. Thinking about putting on a new seat. LOL Only rode a suspended bike once or twice....not as easy to get the front wheel up. :D

Former Haro Master rider also, '83-'85. Bought frame & forks, hand picked every piece and put it together myself. It got stolen...and "recovered". Put lots of miles on that one.

New tech can be cool, but still nothing like old school...:shades:

You still got the Bob Haro bike?

McGary911
08-18-2011, 10:07 AM
You still got the Bob Haro bike?

I used to have a Haro FST in '86 or so. It got stolen in '88 or so. :frown:

zelatore
08-18-2011, 10:38 AM
This whole stolen bike thing is a little unnerving. I guess I can understand it; they are quite expensive and easy to make off with, and I suspect the thieves (and cops) don't see it like as much of a crime as stealing a car even though some of these things cost as much as an older car. 'it's just a bicycle'.

Still, it seems like everybody has a story about a nice bike being stolen. I even found a youtube security camera video of the exact same model bike as mine being stolen in the Sacramento area on the same day I bought mine! Some guy rode up on another bike, looked around for a minute or two, then cut the chain/cable and rode off with the other bike in tow.

I bought a chain big enough to go around both bikes, but I suspect that would only slow down a thief, not stop them. Now Michele is scared to leave the bikes in our storage shed in the back yard and wants to keep them in the garage (which is already more than full with 3 motorcycles and the Donzi plus toolboxes, a parts washer, drill press, engine on a stand, gantry crane, etc...)

This in a neighborhood where I've occasionally left my motorcycles parked in the driveway overnight with the key in the ignition or left the garage door open over night because I came inside and forgot it was open. All that never really set off a red flag but the bicycles have her worried!

On a side note, I never thought this topic would get so much play. I was just sharing my new toy but had no idea so many people were so serious about bicycles. Once again, I'm learning to see what's been around me all this time but unnoticed.

h20loo
08-18-2011, 10:57 AM
I have three Schwinn Mesa GS that I bought for the kids and now I use myself. I also have a Straight 8 but its frame got bent while on the bike rack on the back of my car.Some one backed into it and left.
I always wanted to ride my bike up to the cottage since I was a little kid. Since my dog and I go out for a 5 mile run/bike ride almost everyday,I got up the nerve and early this spring I set out for the 100 mile bike ride. I made 60 miles which happened to be a buddies farm and that was it. No matter how much beer we drank- I was still in pain!

I wish I were younger because I would love to try the downhill courses we have around here. The kids riding those just simply beat the hell out of their bikes and have tons of fun.
BTW- I may be old but I can still ride a wheelie a few hundred yards. It amazes the hell out of the kids.

Ghost
08-18-2011, 10:59 AM
...The kids riding those just simply beat the hell out of their bikes and have tons of fun.

Does sound fun. Though, I think a little Newton suggests that if it beat the hell out of the bike, it would beat the hell out of me, too. :)

handfulz28
08-18-2011, 11:02 AM
I WISH I still had the Haro...probably a little big for the 20" these days...but the things I could do with that bike...

The Marin I got while in college. Biggest thing for anti-theft is a seat-leash which is still on to this day. With the quick-change axles, take off the front. Hmmm....might be difficult with hydraulic brakes? See what I mean about old school? :D

If they want it, they'll take it. But if you make it look like a PITA at least, that will stop the easy takes. Do you have room overhead in the garage, for some type of bike hanging storage?

BTW, the Marin was $400 back then. Not sure where a comparable bike would be these days. Problem is most at entry/low level are made in China these days so hard to compare quality vs price for similar.

pipnit
08-18-2011, 11:25 AM
If you had the Haro, you could have sent your kid to college by selling it!

zelatore
08-19-2011, 11:06 PM
Nice day out today, a little cooler. I came home and figured I'd go for a little ride.

Crap! The rear tire is flat! After all of maybe 15 miles - I can't believe it!:nilly:

Ran into town and bought a new tire/tube. I'll try to spoon it on tonight and maybe go for a ride in the morning as it'll be the only chance I get this weekend.

So....I'm guessing modern bicycle tires are built a little lighter/thinner than the old stuff? Most of the riding I did was on road, with maybe 2 miles of gravel and 1/4 mile of trail. I'm really surprised.

McGary911
08-20-2011, 08:31 AM
Nice day out today, a little cooler. I came home and figured I'd go for a little ride.

Crap! The rear tire is flat! After all of maybe 15 miles - I can't believe it!:nilly:

Ran into town and bought a new tire/tube. I'll try to spoon it on tonight and maybe go for a ride in the morning as it'll be the only chance I get this weekend.

So....I'm guessing modern bicycle tires are built a little lighter/thinner than the old stuff? Most of the riding I did was on road, with maybe 2 miles of gravel and 1/4 mile of trail. I'm really surprised.

I always have an extra tube in the little bag under the seat. I can change it without any tools. I've only had to do that once, but it's better than walking.....

Walt. H.
08-20-2011, 11:16 AM
I always have an extra tube in the little bag under the seat. I can change it without any tools. I've only had to do that once, but it's better than walking.....
Don,
What McGary said, I also carry one with tools.
Also since your bike is new check and make sure that your flat wasn't caused by a spoke end sticking too far thru the nipple inside the rim that might have poked thru the protective rubber-band and punctured the tube.
You'll know when you check where the air leak is coming from, also a patch kit can make for a quicker roadside repair by just pulling the portion of the tube out from the sidewall where the nail or stone pierced the tire without removing the wheel and then quick patch it and push back in, air-up and go.

maddad
08-20-2011, 01:19 PM
I f you ride with low air pressure, the tires are wide enough to pinch the tube between the rim and whatever rock you're going over. As close to a sure fire way of flattening a tire as you can get.

zelatore
08-20-2011, 05:25 PM
I changed both the tire and tube last night. Went shockingly easy-I had visions of the sweat dripping off my forehead when I last spooned a new knobbie on my dirtbike. Compared to that this thing practically fell onto the rim.

The hole in the tube is out near the tread so I suspect I must have just run over something. I'm sure the tire is probably usable but I figured I'd change it while I was there.

This morning I noticed the front tire was a little low....doh! At least it wasn't totally flat like the rear.

I thing I'll invest in some slime.

gmcars10
08-20-2011, 09:38 PM
Well I guess I am easily influenced. I followed this thread from the beginning and then started researching what bike would be right for me. I looked at mountain full suspension carbon fibre, Lefty's (couldn't figure that one out till I saw a picture) hard tails, road, crossovers, touring compfort etc. Was on company web sites and eBay. Then I went to our local bike shop. Asked to pick up a 19 lb mountain bike (figured it would be the only time I could) then ask them for advice in my price range. I bought a nice hardtail with front lockout very reasonable price. I don't have a wife to ride with but I do have a little daughter not quite 5. I bought one of those detachable tandem's to go with it. I think she is going to really have a ball on it (just hope she pedals too).
The one I bought has pedals that I shouldn't face plant with either. One step at a time. Lets see if I can still balance.
Thanks for the thread guys!

Buddyc
08-20-2011, 11:09 PM
I f you ride with low air pressure, the tires are wide enough to pinch the tube between the rim and whatever rock you're going over. As close to a sure fire way of flattening a tire as you can get.
I had that problem a lot... so.ce went with "stans" rims and tubeless. What a difference. A lot of tires can be changed on the .fly without and spoons... just need a good grip and fold it over.