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Post #721
going out and buying a pretty reasonable last year's model diamondback that a store in my area is selling for cheap (cause last years model). 212ish (cause its all i can afford)
how does one take care of their bike? other than keep it clean.
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With the power of youtube tutorials, and not crashing. In all seriousness, these guys have a lot of really great instructional videos that will help you understand a lot of stuff starting out:
http://www.youtube.com/user/IMBIKEMAG
And there's tons of technical repair and maintenance videos for everything bike-related. A biggie is change your chain when the axles within the chain have worn past a certain point, because when they do your chain "stretches" so to speak from its original length and starts riding higher up on the teeth of your cassette and chainrings. This causes accelerated wear on the entire drivetrain, and left unchecked it will force you to have to replace parts.
This is a good starting point:
http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html
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And always keep moving parts clean and greasy.
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so what does this entail?
wipe them down with a clean lint free cloth and regrease maybe every X amount of rides? what kind of grease do i use? any good spray on greases?
Edited:
I shall browse around youtube and look at that website. thank you!
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ProLink chain lube is amazing. Prior to using it, I was using Finish Line teflon lubricant which applies on wet and dries, creating a sort of coat. My shifting was pretty terrible overall and nothing ran smooth like I imagined it should have, but I didn't realize it until I made the switch. I bought this:
http://www.amazon.com/Progold-Prolin.../dp/B0015FI8AS
Easily worth the $20, it's a huuuge bottle. The nozzle allows you to spray it exactly where you want it to go without wasting any too. My bike feels like it did the day I got it now. Why spend a bunch of money on a bike if you're going to use a lube that makes the bike not function as good as it can? Cheapest/best bike upgrade I've bought :P.
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I dont know what bike are you getting. But I use WD40 for my suspension. (Had to clean in out in almost every ride though, attracts dust like a b*tch)
As for other moving parts get a proper grease. I use a Zefal Pro Bike Grease.
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WD-40 is pretty terrible on seals, seeing as it contains little metal particles. A good rule of thumb is don't ever use WD-40.
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WD-40 isn't actually a lubricant, it's an abrasive due to the metal particles contained in it. It's good for loosing things up, but never as a lubricant.
Edited:
Is this lube chain only or for all moving parts?
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Well this WAS my bike. I was hoping to get into cycling but can't afford it. Plus the guys at my local bike shop are dicks. If you're not in their store to drop $2,000 they treat you like crap.
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Yeah, stick to cable management.
Well this WAS my bike. I was hoping to get into cycling but can't afford it. Plus the guys at my local bike shop are dicks. If you're not in their store to drop $2,000 they treat you like crap.
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Right. I've never used WD40 and I just bought a can of it. Thought it would be good.
Thanks for warning me early though, I wouldn't be able to sleep if I knew I did that to my bike.
Edited:
I think its chain only. Most moving parts grease are well, white and jellyish, like lard.
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Which really just means they're a thicker viscosity so as to last longer and not have to be serviced as often. Sticking to thick greases for derailleurs is probably a good idea but a thin one like that will do the job too and just as well, just not for as long. Derailleurs are a bit more protected from the elements (excluding rocks lol) by their outer pieces whereas a chain is a completely exposed component of the drivetrain. Thus, chains need to be serviced more often than most other parts. Not to dismiss the necessary maintenance of everything else...You can always go without lube/maintenance, you'll just always regret it when you create unnecessary wear and tear on metallic components that require lubricant to extend their lifetimes and make them function well.Right. I've never used WD40 and I just bought a can of it. Thought it would be good.
Thanks for warning me early though, I wouldn't be able to sleep if I knew I did that to my bike.
I think its chain only. Most moving parts grease are well, white and jellyish, like lard.
Oh, and as per the ProLink lube, as per the bottle, "Great for cables and derailleurs too!".
I used WD-40 on the bolt of my old Super 9 airsoft rifle and it cocked back smooth as butter for a good 20 shots, but then it exploded. That was probably more due to the fact that it was a shitty gun though.
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I got a swag ass Schwinn today!
Its a 62cm (fucking huge) 1975 Japanese Schwinn Le Tour.
I got it as a labor exchange at the bike church today. It fits me perfectly, me being 6', 6'1" ish.
In exchange for this lovely full stock 12 speed, I am building a 1950s 10 speed Lygie road bike. It gets me experience in bike mechanics and I can put it in my resume when I apply to one of the 5 local bike shops! Plus building bikes is fun as hell.
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Hey it was $100 and all the components worked fine.
Also if I ever find myself with hundreds in spare cash, I'm thinking of getting a Fuji ACR 3. Thoughts?
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Going to buy a BMX from a classmate on Monday for 200€
Also, cycling ~4-5km every day to and from school for the past few months with my nice Focus mountainbike really improved fitness
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Did you test ride it to make sure it fit good? It would be a shame to buy it and find out it doesn't fit you well.
Also, I got this in the mail yesterday:
Not my bike but mine looks just the same. It's a Scott Scale Elite 29er to replace my Cannondale Trail SL4. It's got a much nicer component set than my old bike, and the frame is a Large rather than an XL that fits me perfect at 5' 11 3/4". Too bad it's pouring rain today, my friend and I were going to hit some trails after work.
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Well, I combined trying the bike out with deciding that I actually wanted to ride BMX
Borrowed it for a while and rode around the schoolyard while waiting for the seller after school.
Turns out it is fun as hell.
Also rode a friends bike who was waiting with me that same afternoon, tried out some easy tricks with them that seem to work out just as well on both bikes, so I guess the one I'm getting is going to be right
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why is shit, my seat and the thing that holds my handlebars, both loosen up today while riding on pavement? is this like.. normal?
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If your bike is new out of the factory, yes it is. The material/equipment has a "burn-in" period during which stress causes the components to settle properly, making it necessary to tighten bolts, tune brakes and stuff like that.
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thank god because i had to readjust my seat 3 times since ive got it
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Going down a dark unfamiliar road, on the sidewalk due to lack of lights on my bike at the moment (broke off in another wreck -_-) hit a groove and off the curb. Instictivly turn my wheel to get back up, it's higher than anticipated. End up with my wheel at 180* instead of 90*, throw myself over the handlebars and ended up putting my weight on the front tire as I went over.
Cost $125 to fix it but its up and running again.
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What exactly are you having to readjust? You may just need to tighten up the seatpost clamp.
Ohgod I rode my new Scale Elite today for two and a half hours with my friend doing lots up uphill, downhill and singletrack. Hairpin turns/switchbacks are so much easier with the shorter wheelbase, the bike is lighter overall...everything about it is perfect for me.
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im new to this section, but i figured id post my bikes
here's my most recent acquisition (free from somebody's dumpster!)
an old blue schwinn sprint
the person that owned it I think didn't know bike mechanics, but it was only experiencing a minor problem with the crankset that took 5 minutes to fix
for some reason I really love this bike, it has a certain character to it. There are a ton of little things that need tuning up but for a free bike it's awesome! Also, I'm getting a new seat for it (tonight!), so itll finally look presentable.
my father's old pinarello. I honestly have no idea how old it is, but to me it's like an old ferrari (like the california in ferris bueller). Such a beautiful bike
and then my road bike, a canondale six 13. Super light, super fun to ride. So far no (big) crashes on it. Lovely bike
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on the underside of the seat are two rails which a sort of "clamping" device on my seat-post holds onto. this links the actual seat to the post that connects to the bike frame. The clamp seems to like to loosen up and require re tightening
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My friend had a seat/seatpost that did something similar. He ended up replacing them when he realized that the teeth that interact had been stripping. Tightening it up didn't do any good, no matter how tight he made it. Hopefully this isn;t the case for you but it very well may be. Perhaps you should disassemble it and check for signs of wear.
I finally made the switch to clipless pedals today. I've had them for a couple of weeks and was scared to start off mountain biking with them so I tried them out last night on the street. It takes a big conscious effort to remember that your feet are glued to your bike at first. I used them today for a 2-hour ride and the difference in control is astonishing, particularly in uphill speed retention. No nasty spills, just an awkward moment where I hit my foot on a big log that I was trying to get over. I was so focused on the new pedals that I forgot to level them out.
Also Woodchuck, nice find! It's amazing what some people will toss. Just out of curiosity, what exactly was the problem with the bike?
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Goddamn that Pinarello is sexy as fuck.
I would NOT trust those wheels with my weight though. :c
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actually, now that I think back on it, it wasn't exactly all that simple. Nothing some hard work and a few tools couldn't fix, but still.
the rear wheel had to be re-trued in order to spin freely (it was so bad that along with the brake pads adjusted to just barely touch the wheel, it wouldn't even move without a lot of force. The front brake didnt work due to the pad being broken, and then the crank wouldn't even turn. I had my dad to help me with all of this, and we ultimately just ended up taking the whole thing apart and putting it back together (correctly) all greased up. To my surprise it worked fine, so maybe the chain got stuck somewhere, I have no idea.
I just put on a spare forte bike seat on it, but due to the profile of the seat being so small and the seat rail holder being part way down the seat post I had to hack saw part of the post for the seat to fit. So in exchange for a nice seat it's a lot lower than I'd like, but I ordered a new post off amazon for it, as well as some white fizik tape.
I know it's probably not even worth it, but I like this whole tuning up a junky bike thing, haha
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Alright, my parents are acting mildy conservative about me riding. But anyhow, if I get a judgement about the bike I want to get, maybe I'll find out if it is the one I should get.
So, here it is:
A 2010er Premium Duo, new price was 460€.
Is the 200 I would pay an adequate price or am I gutting fucked over, mind I'm getting it from someone who barely used it and is quitting BMX because he's tired of it
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http://vimeo.com/3908754
http://vimeo.com/4597676
http://videos.mtb-news.de/videos/view/22063/h
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJbWnVhXP8A
Handful of cycling related videos that I found entertaining.
Currently commuting on this:
Frame is too big for me though, probably going to sell it on and buy something in the 54-56cm range. Also recently bought a tenspeed for next to nothing. It's some unknown German brand but I'm not hugely bothered since I bought it and got it roadworthy for under £40.
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so i did 25 miles of biking yesterday, yay me! but the shock in my seat is kinda squeaking. since i dont have a local sports store or the capital (till thusdays) to go buy some grease is there anything i can use to make the squeaking stop? like olive/veggie oil? (use vegetable oil on my double kick pedal for my drum set, as per rec of the store i got it from)
Edited:
oh sweet i just figured out a nice 18 mile circuit that i can do a few times a week starting and ending at my house
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That frame look huge for anybody honestly.http://vimeo.com/3908754
http://vimeo.com/4597676
http://videos.mtb-news.de/videos/view/22063/h
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJbWnVhXP8A
Handful of cycling related videos that I found entertaining.
Currently commuting on this:
Frame is too big for me though, probably going to sell it on and buy something in the 54-56cm range. Also recently bought a tenspeed for next to nothing. It's some unknown German brand but I'm not hugely bothered since I bought it and got it roadworthy for under £40.
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Now that you mention it, yeah whatthechrist. 'Dat headtube...and strange geometry.
Oatmeal man, I would try to help but I know next to nothing about BMX.
My friend says he's tired of doing the same trails mountain biking. We have so many good trails all over the place, I don't understand.
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It's an old 1980s Dawes. Was literally rusting in the garden so I thought hey, this is a cheap entry to the world of cycling/fixed gear.
Funnily enough, when I was looking at bikes before I bought my ten speed I saw a number of Dawes models of a similar vintage come up and all of them had absolutely colossal frames. Nothing under 60cm.
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Alright, my parents are acting mildy conservative about me riding. But anyhow, if I get a judgement about the bike I want to get, maybe I'll find out if it is the one I should get.
So, here it is:
A 2010er Premium Duo, new price was 460€.
Is the 200 I would pay an adequate price or am I gutting fucked over, mind I'm getting it from someone who barely used it and is quitting BMX because he's tired of it
You can get a new bmx with 200 euros. Considering this bike is from 2010, try to haggle it down to 160
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got a new seat, new seat post, and some new tape. i also oiled up the chain as well as redid the brake and the gear shifters. Pretty much rides perfectly now. My campus commuter is now complete.
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Fuckin' awesome. Wish I had a semi-racer like that
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Hi again all!
Had a little bit of an issue with my legs over the past few months, and I was wondering if any of you could shed any light on the problem. In a nutshell, when I sit down for any more than 15 or 20 minutes, the back of my knees cease up and become tense. As you can imagine, when I move (i.e. stand up again) they are very sore until fully straightened. I assume it's a tendon problem, but I'm not sure.
I've been an avid cyclist for around 7 years and I guess this is as a result of it. Could be wrong however.
Any experiences or information?
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yea i love it. i did some research and I'm pretty sure it's a 1981 schwinn sprint. So for being found in a dumpster and putting in about 70 dollars and a lot of effort, i think it's pretty good!
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The fabled dumpster find.
My housemate bought his Falcon from a tip for £1, then dropped around £100 getting it powder coated and road worthy again. I am mad jealous.
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I've got that after a few years of cycling. Doctor said there is absolutely nothing wrong with it but I doubt it. Now it comes and goes.
Agree x 1
Zing x 1
Winner x 1
Funny x 1