ISO gear and advice

[hozn]

… Not that I couldn’t just discuss this with you on our next hill or coffee ride, but …

@GB 85371 wrote:

water bottle cages – I have 1 and need 3 more (assuming they work well for MTB, thoughts?) Ideally 2 white and 1 red, or 3 red.
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb/bottlescages/cages/rib-cage-roadmtb

I am a big fan of Specialized’s Zee cages; I have Rib cages on my current bike and while they hold the bottles very firmly, they are very hard to get bottles into/out of. Especially when bottles get dirty, which they tend to on the mtb. Zee cages are easy to use without having to look down at the cage, which I find invaluable when trying to put away a bottle on singletrack. Especially during a race. They have always been out of stock when I wanted them, but this discussion has pointed out to me that they are in stock,so I just bought two for my mountain bike. — So if you want to buy 2 gloss black Rib Cages, I’ll have some for sale here shortly

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb/bottlescages/cages/zee-cage-ii-right
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftb/bottlescages/cages/zee-cage-ii-left

(Do bear in mind when ordering them which hand you’d like to use to get the bottles out, as you’ll need a right/left cage if you want to use the same hand for both.

Would these work for MTB? – I like the price
http://smile.amazon.com/FSA-water-bottle-plastic-Graphic/dp/B004S08Y5G/ref=sr_1_6?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1400125246&sr=1-6&keywords=water+bottle+cage+rib

While the $9 unit price isn’t bad, $9 shipping detracts a little. About as cheap to buy Specialized cages from the store.

saddle bag -maybe something like – http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_570832_-1___204800

Rule 29.

Half kidding. Is this for mountain biking? So far the most durable saddle bag I have found is http://www.topeak.com/products/bags/AeroWedgePack_micro_Velcro — note, the one with straps not the cilp-on one. I actually am using the clip-on one for the mountain bike right now and I have had decent luck with that, but a couple people I know have had theirs fall to pieces on the singletrack. I stopped using a saddle bag on the commuter or road and just put the pump+tube+tool bundle in my bag or jersey pockets. I’ll probably do the same on the MTB going forward unless I really need the space in the pockets for nutrition. Seems simpler.

a winter riding shoe – I’m looking at the defroster b/c I know specialized 45 fits me well, but I haven’t seen too many (positive) reviews for the shoe. I’m open to suggestions. I believe Hozn thinks Lake and NorthWave fit pretty similarly to Specialized, do others agree? (i.e. am I good to buy from ebay?)

Just for the record, I don’t know that Lake fit like Specialized. I just know Lake winter shoes are the gold standard — and priced accordingly. I think Lake *wide* shoes may fit like Specialized “normal” shoes, if width is a concern, but that is second-hand as I don’t own any Lake shoes currently. The Northwave are a pretty close match for Specialized; I would say they are slightly smaller, though, so you may want to size up half a size if you’re having to gamble. If you do Northwave, definitely do the GTX “Artic” [sic] version (http://www.northwave.com/it/product/_celsius_artic_g.t.x.) — or the hi-viz “commuter” version like I have. The problem with Northwave is that the best prices are from across the pond, but that’s not great if you’re not sure about your size.

Eggbeater pedals – Is the difference b/n 1, 2 and 3 worth it? I know they are good w/ mud, but are they as delicate as some reviews suggest? Is this safe to buy used, or am I fairly likely to get screwed?
http://www.crankbrothers.com/pedals_eggbeater.php

I am in the [small] camp that thinks Crank Bros pedals are garbage. I wouldn’t run them on MTB due to second-hand reports of them breaking on rocks. I have mashed my alloy Time Atac pedals against rocks many times without them flinching. If you haven’t committed to a pedal system, I would definitely do Shimano SPD. I don’t run these,but know that it’s what I should be doing from perspective of durability of the pedals, durability of the cleats, ubiquity of the pedals (e.g. want to swap bikes with someone? want to test ride a demo bike? etc.). Mud clearance doesn’t matter unless you’re racing, since riding muddy trails outside of a scheduled event is strongly discouraged (And from what I hear Shimano does just fine, anyway.) I use Time Atacs which are great, but the cleats lack any side-to-side position adjustability. They are very durable, though. Have yet to wear out a set on the MTB. My experience has been that Crank Bros get sloppy (retention springs) pretty quickly,then start making horrible noises,then eventually just fall apart while you’re riding (usu. ~5000 miles or so for me — depends on conditions, etc.).

If you decide you really do want to try eggbeaters, I have a set that I will sell you cheap

[Harry Meatmotor]

@hozn 85373I am in the [small wrote:

camp that things Crank Bros pedals are garbage.

This is not a small camp. Crank Bros have tried to play the whole “we had a bad run from our supplier” but year on year, run on run, they’ve got problems. And they keep saying they’ve fixed the problems, but I still see spring failures. New ones, old ones, doesn’t make a difference. If you’re looking for mud shedding pedals, go Time Atac or just get some cheapo Shimanos and be done with it ’cause believe it or not, boring old SPDs ain’t that bad in the mud.

[n18]

Posting “Wanted” ads is a good way here and at Craigslist to get used stuff. I wouldn’t recommend used drive train or anything with ball bearing because they could be worn out or damaged.

Almost every shop and even online shops sell at full retail, or perhaps for a small discount that shipping often cancels it. However, one “secret” is that some retail stores sell online in their “Outlet” section overstock or last year’s merchandise at around 30% off or more. Some examples are REI, Performance Bike. You can ask for ship to store, which is free. Performance Bike typically lists items on sale starting Thursday, and ending Sunday, and you can tell if they have a sale just by visiting their site.

Hope this helps.

[Phatboing]

If you are SPD-curious, I have at least one set of spankin new cleats and multiple pedals I haven’t gotten around to posting ads for yet.

One pair of these pedals (beaten-up but still very functional M520s) I’ll give you for free, even – forum discount!

[vvill]

I have the Elite brand “custom” fiberglass cages on almost all my bikes. As I’ve yet to rattle out a bottle with them even on gravel, I stick with them and you can find them usually for around $10 online. Not sure about MTB use.

I use Topeak’s “quick release” saddle bag system, never had it come off. The main bag I have is old and doesn’t have straps to get in the way of your pedaling motion. I have a spare with straps as well – I’m tempted to trim off the straps.

For Crank Bros pedals, I’ve had good enough luck although upon a recent closer inspection, there is some play in the ones I’ve ridden for 5000+ miles. I’ve mostly used their cheapest level Candy pedals – the only difference that’s perhaps not obvious on their website specs is that you cannot use the tread contact sleeves on the cheaper models. Quite a number of high level CX riders use Crank Bros but add extra material to get a tighter shoe/pedal fit, so Crank Bros came out with their own official tread contact sleeves to help with this issue.
Details on it here: http://velonews.competitor.com/2012/02/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/tech-faq-fine-tuning-entry-and-release-with-crank-brothers-pedals_207504
Remember of course that high level riders are often sponsored, etc. so they won’t have to worry about durability, cost, etc. much. I think if you are banging the pedals onto rocks, roots, etc it may be worth upgrading to a tougher metal body pedal.

For winter shoes I can’t offer too much advice. I ride mostly cheap Shimano shoes year round.

If you like Specialized stuff they have an online outlet store too. I recently got a Romin saddle for my commuter for a lot cheaper than current year models.

[cyclingfool]

For bottle cages, I’ve a couple Planet Bike cages on my bike. $5 each at REI, including red and white among the color options. Mine are black. Work fine. I can’t vouch for them in hardcore MTB conditions, but they’ve done fine in the times I’ve been “offroad” to cut through grass or over dirt. They’re basic and not as elegant looking as what you posted, but serviceable and very cheap if you’re looking for “less than retail”.

I’ve had other water bottle cages in this price range break/fall apart at weld points, but these have held up perfectly for 1 yr./3k miles, including a couple bumps and bangs in the bike parking process along the way.

[brendan]

I keep thinking this thread is about non-English-threaded bike gear…

B

[ShawnoftheDread]

^^ELITE level joke.^^

[GuyContinental]

@hozn 85373 wrote:

I am in the [small] camp that thinks Crank Bros pedals are garbage. I wouldn’t run them on MTB due to second-hand reports of them breaking on rocks. I have mashed my alloy Time Atac pedals against rocks many times without them flinching. If you haven’t committed to a pedal system, I would definitely do Shimano SPD. I don’t run these,but know that it’s what I should be doing from perspective of durability of the pedals, durability of the cleats, ubiquity of the pedals (e.g. want to swap bikes with someone? want to test ride a demo bike? etc.). Mud clearance doesn’t matter unless you’re racing, since riding muddy trails outside of a scheduled event is strongly discouraged (And from what I hear Shimano does just fine, anyway.) I use Time Atacs which are great, but the cleats lack any side-to-side position adjustability. They are very durable, though. Have yet to wear out a set on the MTB. My experience has been that Crank Bros get sloppy (retention springs) pretty quickly,then start making horrible noises,then eventually just fall apart while you’re riding (usu. ~5000 miles or so for me — depends on conditions, etc.).

If you decide you really do want to try eggbeaters, I have a set that I will sell you cheap

I’ll take your eggbeaters. I love ’em. Also break ’em all the time but they are soooo cheap and once you break a few you end up with a nice pile of spare parts to rebuild casualties. Two benefits that Hans overlooks- 1) 4 point entry works really well (until you rip one of the cages off…) and 2) nothing but a Time offers the same level of float, I HATE SPDs, won’t ride them because of the short throw on the exit and Times, although durable like tank are also heavy like tank.

(Also Greg, didn’t I give you a pair of Eggbeaters? Hard to beat that price…)

[hozn]

@GuyContinental 85461 wrote:

I’ll take your eggbeaters. I love ’em. Also break ’em all the time but they are soooo cheap and once you break a few you end up with a nice pile of spare parts to rebuild casualties. Two benefits that Hans overlooks- 1) 4 point entry works really well (until you rip one of the cages off…) and 2) nothing but a Time offers the same level of float, I HATE SPDs, won’t ride them because of the short throw on the exit and Times, although durable like tank are also heavy like tank.

OK I was running these on my road bike in the winter and they worked fine … except that I could easily pull out of the pedals on “spirited” climbs. Replaced the cleats but still same issue. Maybe just not made for holding on tight or maybe they started going defective (though I think these have 1500 miles or less?). Made them kinda scary, so I took them off.

I have a bag with 8 or 9 sets of trashed Crank Bros pedals from the last 4 years. A few of them i rebuilt too. I am not sure why i am keeping them. I think the eggbeaters (“SL”) were on sale for $50, but that is what my alium Time Atacs cost (also on sale). I have gotten Candy pedals cheaper on sale, but I am still not sure the economics pan out. But yeah the alium Atacs are definitely heavier. We shall see how long the composite Atacs last on the commuter/cross bike.

[GB]

Phatboing – free spd M520s – yes please! What’s a good time and place to meet – one of the these coffee clubs or third Thursdays?

Hozn – Discounted specialized water bottle cages – yes please! – Let me know how much.

Rolo – Thanks for the PM about the shoes – yes please! (at least to try on)

Guy – yes you did give me a set of egg beaters, but I gave them back with the shoes. (although I still have the cleats)

Thanks everyone for the advice.

[DismalScientist]

Toe clips rule!

[Author]

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