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General Bike Thread (Desiderata, Questions, Pics)

patrick_b

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Post ride Double IPA while I time the burgers on the grill.
67EAC6D8-87D2-4AD4-8C8E-CCB83C376D16.jpeg

This should be a @smittycl tradition.
 

am55

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Brakes are tremendous. I can't believe how great disc brakes are especially in the wet.
Not all V brakes are created equal. I mounted some salmon Eagle pads on my secondary bike and the thing would lock the wheels with minimal pressure and not let go, even when the rim was covered in rubber from miles of riding the previous tyre and pad and dirt from a bush trail. Absolutely incredible and made me regret that my main bike has discs... they are so light and easily replaced too unlike discs which need a bit more babying and careful extraction. Salmon is supposed to be the wet compound but it was just fine in the ultra dry Aussie summer.
 

flipstah

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Short answer:
If your cassette is a Shimano (iirc it is) cassette, generally a Shimano 6/7/8-sp chain will work fine. Plus, as you point out 6-sp chains are very rare now.

Longer answer:
As cassettes and chains evolved (more gears) the only place to change dimensions to accomodate those gears (also why dropout spacing changed from 126mm to 130mm) was to reduce the sprocket spacing (6-sp cassettes have 5.5mm spacing, 7-sp have 5.0mm spacing, etc., now down to 12-sp ~3.65mm spacing); the thickness of the sprocket teeth themselves; and the thicknesses of the chain plates plus lengths of the chain pins.

So, ideally, 6:6, 7:7, etc., but there is some slack both in 6/7/8 and in 9/10/11. However, it is usually not recommended to use a thinner (in your case the 7-sp) chain on a thicker (in your case the 6-sp) cassette, whereas the other way (i.e. 7-sp chain on 8-sp cassette is generally +/- OK).

*****

I would recommend trying a 6/7/8-sp Shimano chain. You should be OK.

But, the worn and I assume very old 6-sp cassette means your new chain will wear out much more quickly engaging it, and then start damaging your chainrings as well, so you really should buy a new cassette and a new compatible chain at this point. The drive-train will be smoother, more reliable, and cost less in the long run.

Thanks as always. I'll stop by my LBS to see if they have 7 speed cassette and chain.
 

patrick_b

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I put my old bike on facebook marketplace last night and happily would have dropped the price if it didn't sell. I received 20+ offers to buy it at full price. It sold this morning at 9AM.

Rookie mistake on my part is that I threw on my old MTB pedals (shimano XT SPDs) so the guy could test ride it and forgot to take them off before I gave him the bike. Just sent him a note to ship them back to me at my expense.

I've only bought/sold on facebook a couple of times. He wanted to write me a check. I balked because I don't know the guy and he responded with, "I'm a UMass English professor." I was about to accept the check when we settled on venmo. What's the etiquette here? Was I unreasonable?
 

kjb

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I put my old bike on facebook marketplace last night and happily would have dropped the price if it didn't sell. I received 20+ offers to buy it at full price. It sold this morning at 9AM.

Rookie mistake on my part is that I threw on my old MTB pedals (shimano XT SPDs) so the guy could test ride it and forgot to take them off before I gave him the bike. Just sent him a note to ship them back to me at my expense.

I've only bought/sold on facebook a couple of times. He wanted to write me a check. I balked because I don't know the guy and he responded with, "I'm a UMass English professor." I was about to accept the check when we settled on venmo. What's the etiquette here? Was I unreasonable?

this isn't the 1990s, electronic payment (and with that some semblance of fraud protection) is absolutely the norm now.
 

otc

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I put my old bike on facebook marketplace last night and happily would have dropped the price if it didn't sell. I received 20+ offers to buy it at full price. It sold this morning at 9AM.

Rookie mistake on my part is that I threw on my old MTB pedals (shimano XT SPDs) so the guy could test ride it and forgot to take them off before I gave him the bike. Just sent him a note to ship them back to me at my expense.

I've only bought/sold on facebook a couple of times. He wanted to write me a check. I balked because I don't know the guy and he responded with, "I'm a UMass English professor." I was about to accept the check when we settled on venmo. What's the etiquette here? Was I unreasonable?

The last 2 bikes I sold, I got some crappy takeoffs or old used flat pedals just to put on for the sale. Figure it makes the bike more marketable, especially in covid times where the purchasers are someone desperate for a bike and not necessarily an enthusiast. Was a little tough last time around since amazon and bike shops were completely out (but I figured...that means my potential buyers won't be able to find them either)...luckily a used shop up the street tossed me a set of vintage pedals for $5. Didn't match the bike at all, but considering I showed my buyer how to shift gears (STI levers), I don't think he would have been a buyer without pedals.


I'd really prefer cash as a seller. I'm willing to accept venmo or zelle more for small amounts of money...but of course it is larger amounts where cash becomes inconvenient. For something like a $1,000 bike that is currently in extreme demand, I'd probably stand firm--I'll find somebody who is willing to pay my price in cash.

There are potential scams with Venmo or Zelle...I can't imagine they are worth doing for a $50 item, and they are way better than a check/fake money order/etc. For a higher dollar item I'd want a good read on the person. That's where facebook is potentially better than craigslist--if I can see their profile, I can at least get an idea if they are legit.

As a buyer, I've got no real qualms about paying with Venmo even though they really say it is *not* meant for paying strangers. About the only scam I could think of is someone basically taking your payment and then pretending they didn't get it/refusing to give you the item (like "you must have put the wrong number in, I didn't get it"). But if they are willing to do that face to face, they are probably also willing to just rob you of your cash...and if you really want to avoid it, you can always send $1 to the number/account, confirm that you got it right, and then send the balance.

edit: I should have said "as an in-person buyer". Don't ever venmo/zelle random people over the internet. High likelihood that's a scam and whatever they are selling is never going to show up. Paypal has its flaws, but at least it has *some* processes in place for selling goods online.
 
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otc

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For reference, I'm selling a bunch of junk right now. Someone came to pick up an old guitar from facebook marketplace and wanted to send me $45 on Zelle. Sure, whatever, dude whose family vacation photos I can see who came here in person in your late model car to pick it up, I don't think you're going to commit wire fraud over a cheap guitar.

Someone is supposed to come pick up an office chair tomorrow for $200 and wants to pay paypal or zelle. Craigslist post so I don't even have their real email. I'm slightly hesitant, and would prefer cash, but I'll take zelle. Zelle at least is pretty much a 1 way street from one bank to another...no games to be played like with paypal.
About the only fraud you can do for an in-person transaction is send money from a stolen account/phone that might later get reversed.
 

patrick_b

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@otc Thanks for the input.

Curious about all of your thoughts on bike computers. I've used the same Polar wireless bike computer/HRM for well over 10 years. I don't use the HRM much (actually have no idea where the chest strap is) but the damn thing still works. Gives me time/riding time, avg speed, distance, max speed, etc. All the things I'd ever need. I thought about upgrading to something like the Garmin models but wonder if it makes more sense to just use my phone and Strava.

I'm a couple rides deep into the free trial for Strava and think I'll pay for it. I don't want to mount my phone on the bars so I'll likely keep the old cyclometer until it dies and just keep my phone in my jersey pocket.

Update on the bike I sold: the guy ghosted me about my pedals. We went back and forth the day before about the bike not having pedals, he was going to bring some, then he couldn't and asked if I could throw pedals on just for the test ride. We messaged 5-6 times about pedals. I reached out to ask if he'd ship them back to me on my dime and I get radio silence. Grand scheme of things, they were 20 year old SPDs that I can buy used on ebay for $20 but still. I'd at least respond.
 

smittycl

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@otc Thanks for the input.
Curious about all of your thoughts on bike computers. I've used the same Polar wireless bike computer/HRM for well over 10 years. I don't use the HRM much (actually have no idea where the chest strap is) but the damn thing still works. Gives me time/riding time, avg speed, distance, max speed, etc. All the things I'd ever need. I thought about upgrading to something like the Garmin models but wonder if it makes more sense to just use my phone and Strava.
I'm a couple rides deep into the free trial for Strava and think I'll pay for it. I don't want to mount my phone on the bars so I'll likely keep the old cyclometer until it dies and just keep my phone in my jersey pocket.
Haven't smart phones basically killed other small electronics? MapMyRide or Google Maps can track the route, speed, elevation changes, etc. I'm sure there must be a Bluetooth chest strap that transmits cardio data to an app? I don't' even like wearing my Garmin anymore as it's too hard to see even on max brightness. I ride now with iPhone handlebar mount and mechanical watch with large face.

I'm not really tracking any biometrics in great detail but might have to as I get older I guess.
 

Piobaire

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Wahoo ftw.
 

kjb

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@otc Thanks for the input.

Curious about all of your thoughts on bike computers. I've used the same Polar wireless bike computer/HRM for well over 10 years. I don't use the HRM much (actually have no idea where the chest strap is) but the damn thing still works. Gives me time/riding time, avg speed, distance, max speed, etc. All the things I'd ever need. I thought about upgrading to something like the Garmin models but wonder if it makes more sense to just use my phone and Strava.

I'm a couple rides deep into the free trial for Strava and think I'll pay for it. I don't want to mount my phone on the bars so I'll likely keep the old cyclometer until it dies and just keep my phone in my jersey pocket.

Update on the bike I sold: the guy ghosted me about my pedals. We went back and forth the day before about the bike not having pedals, he was going to bring some, then he couldn't and asked if I could throw pedals on just for the test ride. We messaged 5-6 times about pedals. I reached out to ask if he'd ship them back to me on my dime and I get radio silence. Grand scheme of things, they were 20 year old SPDs that I can buy used on ebay for $20 but still. I'd at least respond.

I had an old cat eye from like 2007 and when I got back into riding this year I upgraded to a Wahoo bolt. I like it. It’s easy, super readable, no frills, and seems accurate. Syncs to Strava no problem.

Quick pic from my easy 30 min recovery ride this morning.

99660406-AD62-4535-86AB-E8C9F0FB6130.jpeg
 

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