Your latest bike purchase?

[huskerdont]

@huskerdont 168005 wrote:

Here it is completed. Need to get a Surley Tugnut, and some nonslick tires are on the way, but that’s about it. Rode it this morning and it was fun, though a touch heavier and less nimble than the Fuji Feather was. The slicks actually worked in the wet leaves better than I expected, but I still want a little tread.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]15708[/ATTACH]

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Used the excuse of slightly damp pavement to finally take this for a ride after adding the tugnut, dishing the front wheel, and switching out the slicks with some Vredestein Fortezza Tricomps. It’s really fun to ride a fixie again, but it does weigh more than the claimed 21.5 (comes in at about 25.7 with the addition of the tugnut, cycling computer, and bottle cage). It is heavier than the Fuji Feather I stupidly sold, and does not climb or respond quite as well. Despite that, it is still a pretty thing and is a joy to ride. (I suppose I might feel differently grunting up the Custis into Arlington this afternoon.)

[cyclingfool]

Tired of unwieldy battery packs on the cheap, though pretty bright, Chinese headlights, and their need for a special charger, I splurged on a Cygolite 1100 Metro Pro headlight last week. Charges using standard micro USB… I’ve got a couple dark rides under my belt with it now and am very pleased, though I still want to replace it eventually with dynamo lighting.

[emoji605] Sent from my ONEPLUS 3T using Tapatalk [emoji605]

[LhasaCM]

@ian74 165161 wrote:

Super cool! I love the idea of the pinion gearbox, First, I wish they were more commonly available without going through boutique builders and Second, more affordable. I’m really interested in hearing how the ride feels and the shifting. Also, when you make such a large purchase from overseas, do you have to pay any duty fees on it when it comes into the states? Does customs give any grief about these types of things?

@LhasaCM 165165 wrote:

I’ll have to retrain my brain a bit more to give a solid report on the shifting. I’m used to the IGH “pause the pedal stroke to shift” mindset (which is only needed when downshifting here), so that’s not an issue – but getting used to the twist shifter and losing the “on this hill I shift to this number gear” habits from my 8-speed bike will take a bit. That being said – so far so good. The shifting itself has been quick and precise, and the ride definitely feels more balanced compared to the rear-heavy IGH.

Now that I’m about 3 months in, and so I can contribute something other than FS angst: here’s a slightly more informed review on the ride/shifting/etc. for my “Pinion drive” bike.

Altogether, I’ve ridden it about 800 miles so far. Of that, 500 has been with my daughter on the trailer cycle, 100 with the empty trailer cycle, and 200 all by its lonesome. Since I got the fit dialed in (had to raise the saddle a bit more than I expected and had originally done for the 50 States ride), the ride has been really good. I’m not sure if it’s the lower center of gravity with the gearbox location, just the weight of the thing, or something to do with lower resistance by having a freewheeling single speed rear tire, but going down hills it is amazingly fast (in a few cases I’ve crested a hill going slower than and a fair ways behind someone, only to catch up to them without even pedaling). The wider gear range has helped going up hills; I haven’t found myself yet “wanting” for a gear as I did with my previous bike (had an Alfine .

Shifting has been (and continues to be) smooth, for the most part. There is a noticeable extra bit of effort in the gearbox when moving between groups (i.e., shifting between 6 and 7 or 12 and 13), especially when downshifting, but it is easy to anticipate now that I’m used to it. I think the biggest issue I’ve seen is that there is a slight performance penalty going up hills. Upshifting can be done while under load, so on the level or downhill you don’t lose anything. However, the “pause” required to downshift, especially between groupings, does take away some of that precious momentum that is useful when transitioning to going up a hill. It’s pretty much a non-issue on my commute since I now have a good sense of what gear I need when for things like the ramp up from M street to the MBT, but on less familiar routes, it is a bit taxing. To avoid coming to a sudden halt, the tendency is to overshoot the mark by downshifting too much, and then while pedaling upshift to where I need to be. That is getting to be less of an issue the more familiar I’m becoming with the bike/gears/etc., but will never go away.

I’ll have to see how the “maintenance free” aspect works out as I put more wear and tear on the bike, especially when it comes time for the first oil change. If nothing else, I love not having to disconnect any cable when taking the rear wheel off.

All in all, it definitely feels faster than my old bike, even with the extra weight (even with the smaller 650b wheels, between the beefier frame and the slight weight increase in the gearbox, it weighs in around 4-5 lbs. heavier). It definitely has been easier to ride with a load (either groceries or a trailercycle), and feels a bit more grounded with the lower center of gravity. For my commuting needs, it’s been great.

[cvcalhoun]

Well, it wasn’t for me. But I got my granddaughter her first bicycle as a Chanukah present. Got to start her out right! She was a little nervous in advance. But once she got on it, she started zipping around the Toys R Us. As you can see, she got way away from the bike area. Only disappointment was that we couldn’t buy the display model, so she’ll have to wait a few days for them to assemble the one she’ll take home.

And she’s wearing a pink pussy helmet with it.

[hozn]

@hozn 166748 wrote:

I’ve decided to build myself a new set of carbon wheels for the road bike (or could use them on the commuter, I guess).

So far my favorite far-east rim experience has been Light-Bicycle, so I’m building a set of their new 46mmx28mm rims: https://www.lightbicycle.com/Road-bicycle-rims-28mm-wide-46mm-deep-aero-clincher-road-disc-brake-available.html

These are impressively light (we’ll see how true to estimates final product is), not sure about aerodynamic properties but they don’t have any specific claims or comparisons there. Really the reason I’m buying them is the 21mm internal width which should make a 28mm tire profile very nicely (compared to the <17mm internal width on my current rims that are making this tire size lightbulb a bit).

Plan to build these with silver Hope Pro 4 hubs. And either CX-Ray or Laser spokes (24/24, 2x/2x).

This time getting them with logos.

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I opted for Laser spokes. The rims built up beautifully. Tubeless setup was really easy (easy to mount the tires and easy to seat with hv floor pump). My 28mm Pro One tires now measure 31mm.

[AFHokie]

Well, I broke down and bought a set of something I thought I’d never willingly buy:

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[hozn]

My gravel rims are done and in the mail. These are the little siblings of those 46mm rims I just built for the road bike. But these are
– damn orange
– only 36mm deep
– hookless beads (22mm inner width)
– a bit lighter, presumably

I still haven’t gotten fully comfortable with the idea of beating up carbon rims, but I’m going to put big tires on these and ride them in some combination of gravel rides, races, commuting, and goofing off in the woods.

[Birru]

@hozn 172555 wrote:

My gravel rims are done and in the mail. These are the little siblings of those 46mm rims I just built for the road bike. But these are
– damn orange
– only 36mm deep
– hookless beads (22mm inner width)
– a bit lighter, presumably [/IMG]

I’ll be very interested in how your custom gravel wheelset treats you. I think those rims with 30mm G-One Speeds set up tubeless could be make for great performance a̶l̶l̶r̶o̶a̶d̶ mostroad wheels. How many spokes are you going with per wheel?

[hozn]

@Birru 172947 wrote:

I’ll be very interested in how your custom gravel wheelset treats you. I think those rims with 30mm G-One Speeds set up tubeless could be make for great performance a̶l̶l̶r̶o̶a̶d̶ mostroad wheels. How many spokes are you going with per wheel?

These will be 28h. Yeah, this will be a pretty fancy wheelset. I will probably always run bigger tires with it, since I think the hookless rims are recommended for lower (max 40-50psi?) pressures. Not that I couldn’t run the 30mm G-One at those pressures, but I usually do 50/55psi for those, so might be cutting it a bit close.

I am indecisive about the hubs. I have red Hope Pro 4 hubs. But I also have a set of used DT Swiss 350 hubs that I am gonna rebuild. I ordered some custom green labels for those. I think I will do the DT350s and save the Hopes for the next wheelset.

I might also pick up a set of the Yishun asymmetric gravel/road disc hookless rims to cross-compare. They are a bit cheaper, and I like the asymmetrical aspect.

[secstate]

I’m in India this year for my PhD research. It’s an exciting trip, but I don’t want to feel as if I’m putting my “normal” life entirely on hold. Skipping Freezing Saddles is sad enough! So, I bought a bicycle. I’m experimenting with riding in the city, but even if I decide I’d rather be in a steel cage than on a bike in Indian traffic (the shopkeeper suggested that I buy a horn rather than a bell!), I hope to get out onto dirt roads in the countryside on weekend mornings.

Most people here use extremely sturdy, single-gear steel bikes that cost anywhere from $50 to $100. I considered one of these, but I like gears, and my budget can support something a bit more.

There’s one store in Lucknow (Shunty Cycle Store) that sells imported as well as Indian bikes. I visited last week to test ride a few models: I tried a Cannondale Trail 6, a GT Avalanche (both of which run about $800), as well as two bikes by Indian cycle maker Montra: the Downtown hybrid (which costs a bit over $200) and the Rock 1.0 mountain bike (around $300), which features 27.5 tires. There are fancier models available for both the Indian and imported brands.

Having had some experience of South Asian roads while cycling in Kathmandu last year, I knew I wanted a mountain bike, and I settled on the Rock. My first MTB! I have already been grateful for the ability to take long stretches of massive potholes at speed and to descend and climb sandy slopes — just a normal day’s commute through the Indian cityscape! (Actually the sandy slopes come into play when entering and exiting a wonderful new riverside park that is under construction and that can take me much of the way from my house to my normal afternoon hangout).

There’s not much information about Montra available online — they seem to be focusing on combining quality frames (which are guaranteed for life) with imported, albeit lower-end, components. For example, the derailleurs on my bike are Shimano Tourney. Clunky but functional. We’ll see how the bike holds up. My hope is that it will provide reliable transportation for the year, be fun to take for rides in the countryside, and that I’ll be able to flip it at the end of my visit. The imported bikes and the higher-end Indian bikes have somewhat nicer components and 100mm rather than 50mm of front suspension travel, but I like the idea of having a bike that I haven’t sunk too much $$ into (something I’m willing to stick in the luggage compartment of a train). I’m also not confident in my ability to find anyone to service hydraulic disc brakes.

Kinda wish I had the excuse to buy something like this in DC.

Without further ado, the bike:

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[hozn]

@hozn 172555 wrote:

My gravel rims are done and in the mail. These are the little siblings of those 46mm rims I just built for the road bike. But these are
– damn orange
– only 36mm deep
– hookless beads (22mm inner width)
– a bit lighter, presumably

I still haven’t gotten fully comfortable with the idea of beating up carbon rims, but I’m going to put big tires on these and ride them in some combination of gravel rides, races, commuting, and goofing off in the woods.

They look great. Can’t wait to race them tomorrow. Hopefully I don’t destroy them.

I ended up using some Novatec D791SB/D792SB hubs that I ordered cheap and replaced with Enduro bearings.

[Judd]

@hozn 174834 wrote:

They look great. Can’t wait to race them tomorrow. Hopefully I don’t destroy them.

I ended up using some Novatec D791SB/D792SB hubs that I ordered cheap and replaced with Enduro bearings.

Dang. Those do look great, but I’m a sucker for orange.

[hozn]

@Judd 174835 wrote:

Dang. Those do look great, but I’m a sucker for orange.

They are really great. Admittedly only one ride on them (monster cross today). They took some abuse quite happily. The hookless beads should resist rock impacts better than hooked beads, so they probably are the best choice.

They are really light. (Rims are in 440-450g range.)

[Sunyata]

@hozn 174852 wrote:

They are really great. Admittedly only one ride on them (monster cross today). They took some abuse quite happily. The hookless beads should resist rock impacts better than hooked beads, so they probably are the best choice.

They are really light. (Rims are in 440-450g range.)

Gah! I meant to ask you how they stood up to the rocks and roots on Sunday. Glad to hear they worked well. I may be in the market for a new set of wheels for my cross bike before the season starts.

[hozn]

@Sunyata 174901 wrote:

Gah! I meant to ask you how they stood up to the rocks and roots on Sunday. Glad to hear they worked well. I may be in the market for a new set of wheels for my cross bike before the season starts.

Right now I would easily recommend these. I’m going to spend more time with them off-road at some point when our trails dry up. Not my first set of LB rims, though, and I think LB have done well to earn themselves a good reputation in the MTB scene. You can get entire wheelsets from their Pacific Northwest branch too now (https://us.lightbicycle.com/), though they cost a little more and options are more limited. I imagine it’s easier to warranty with them if there does happen to be an issue; hopefully one could warranty Asia-sourced rims to the NA location too. I hope I never need to find out!

While LB isn’t the cheapest, they’re certainly a great value compared to bigger-name brands. The 36mm-deep rims were just under $400 after shipping fees, etc. They threw in some valve stems too, which I guess is nice when you’re spending that kind of money on rims.

I went with cheaper hubs on that build. I wanted to try out the newer D791/792SB Novatec hubs. The hubs were probably $90 shipped slow-mail from China. I replaced the bearings with $40 worth of Enduro bearings, since the bearings they use in the mainland-China versions are allegedly not very good — so still a pretty inexpensive hub option. On this particular wheel I actually used CX-Ray spokes, because I had half of the spokes already from previous projects. So it wasn’t *that* much more expensive to do that. But my default would be Laser spokes. Which adds up to something like $400 (rims) + $120 (hubs) + 56 * $1 (spokes) + 56 * $0.4 (nipples) = ~$600. So not cheap, but also not very expensive wheelset when you consider they’re carbon rims. Upgrading to Hope hubs for another ~$120 might be worth it for a primary or gonna-get-abused-a-lot wheelset, though I’m not at all nervous about the Novatecs as I know replacement bearings or parts are readily available and inexpensive.

My next (and final, for this bike) wheelset is gonna be Yishun’s asymmetrical, 33mm-deep, 21mm-wide, hookless rims. They’re a little cheaper. (Around $370 shipped.) I like that they’re asymmetrical. Yishun also has a good reputation for their wheels; we’ll see how they turn out.

[Author]

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