General Bike Thread (Desiderata, Questions, Pics)

[venessian]

That’s a fair thing to point out. I’ve added a warning.

And to add to the warning don’t do this at home, and don’t do this with even a steel seatpost which has a narrower wall thickness then an alloy seatpost. NEVER EVER EVEN THINK about doing this to carbon fiber or titanium, you will get hurt and it’ll suck.

If you are going to ignore the above warning or ask a professional to do this you want to start with something like the above a forged Aluminum seatpost, don’t do it with a cnc’d seatpost like a Thomson. I’ve seen folks drill out a Thomson stem to route canti cables, and the stems crack.

EXCELLENT.
Very fair warning now; all those points are spot-on.

That Sim Works (by Nitto, forged) post is probably one of the few posts that can take this drilling, and even then only done as carefully and precisely by experts as Alexidb has now explained above.

Completely agree: NEVER do this on c-f, ti, or CNC alu components; those parts are already very highly engineered to reduce weight (some even have rider weight limits), etc., and the risk of causing structural failure by modding them is simply not worth it.

@ Alexidb:
Thank you very much for the understanding and for the consideration of others who may not have (especially on this non-cycling-specific forum) the same experience that you clearly have.
Cheers and best regards.

 

[Joffrey]

So the rubber insert (?) for the mount on my brand new rear lights somehow worked themselves out on only my 2nd ride with them. Incredibly irritating. Why not just use a clamp and screw type mechanism to keep it in place and can fit multiple diameter bars like my front light has? So now my light mount slides out of place when riding.

So I guess my option is to try to find a rubber insert at a bike shop or maybe hardware store, buy a new mount and probably eventually lose the insert again, or maybe buy this? I'm not familiar with the last one but I like the idea of flexible if it has an adjustable width and can fit my seat post without an additional accessory. Thoughts?

PS: If you click the first link you can see the rubber insert I keep referring to.

 

[otc]

Cut a piece of inner tube and wrap it in there. That's how I solve pretty much all fit issues around the house.

The toolbox even has rolled up chunks of road and mtb tubes in it.

 

[Joffrey]

Thanks for the suggestion but I don't have extra inner tubes in my apartment.

I wound up calling Cygolite and they offered to send me a couple of inserts free of charge. I guess it's a recurring problem. Thus I will put off finding a better solution for a little while.

 

[ridethecliche]

Figured I'd ask on here...

I have an decade or so old CAAD9 that I really haven't used in a while. I'm hoping to get on something a bit more comfort oriented since I don't plan to race again... thinking something like a synapse. AFAIK, the DA and 105 stuff on the CAAD9 are pretty solid. Should I just hunt for a used frame and move things over or just take a hit on the bike and sell things and buy something used locally or on ebay?

I've built a few bikes back in the day so I'm not worried about wrenching a bit.

Might be a bit hard during residency, but I'd really like to get back out on the road if possible.

 

[venessian]

Figured I'd ask on here...

I have an decade or so old CAAD9 that I really haven't used in a while. I'm hoping to get on something a bit more comfort oriented since I don't plan to race again... thinking something like a synapse. AFAIK, the DA and 105 stuff on the CAAD9 are pretty solid. Should I just hunt for a used frame and move things over or just take a hit on the bike and sell things and buy something used locally or on ebay?

I've built a few bikes back in the day so I'm not worried about wrenching a bit.

Might be a bit hard during residency, but I'd really like to get back out on the road if possible.

None of what you is really sell-able for much these days.
Otoh, all of what you have is still good.

I think the best thing esp if budget is an issue, is to:
1) definitely keep all your DA/105 components
2) look for a used frameset that you prefer (but have you ridden Synapse, etc. already? Don't just go off of what you read)
3) take a hit, if necessary, on selling the CAAD9 frameset, maybe some young racer will want it
4) see if you can sell the existing wheelset with your CAAD9, depending on what they are. Your frame is definitely no "comfort frame", but better wheels make an enormous difference in ride quality.

 

[ridethecliche]

None of what you is really sell-able for much these days.
Otoh, all of what you have is still good.

I think the best thing esp if budget is an issue, is to:
1) definitely keep all your DA/105 components
2) look for a used frameset that you prefer (but have you ridden Synapse, etc. already? Don't just go off of what you read)
3) take a hit, if necessary, on selling the CAAD9 frameset, maybe some young racer will want it
4) see if you can sell the existing wheelset with your CAAD9, depending on what they are. Your frame is definitely no "comfort frame", but better wheels make an enormous difference in ride quality.

Yeah... I honestly may get more for my 84 trek than this bike lol.

I could just put the components on the trek I think...

My CAAD9 is a 56 and I've always fit on this size of bike. Just about everything I've ridden has been a 56. I'm pretty comfortable with that being my size, especially now that I'm not 18 anymore. No way am I sizing down lol.

 

[venessian]

Yeah... I honestly may get more for my 84 trek than this bike lol.

I could just put the components on the trek I think...

My CAAD9 is a 56 and I've always fit on this size of bike. Just about everything I've ridden has been a 56. I'm pretty comfortable with that being my size, especially now that I'm not 18 anymore. No way am I sizing down lol.

You might be very right there.

You know the market, I'm sure: CAADs are both ubiquitous and considered pretty expendable, as good as they are.

 

[ridethecliche]

You might be very right there.

You know the market, I'm sure: CAADs are both ubiquitous and considered pretty expendable, as good as they are.

This was one of the last years of the Made in USA frames and has a full carbon fork so I figured it might get atleast 200-300 for the frame/fork.

The only issue with the Trek is that it's reynolds 531P and I weigh 175ish now. It's gonna be way more flexy than It was when I rode it at 150lbs haha.

 

[venessian]

This was one of the last years of the Made in USA frames and has a full carbon fork so I figured it might get atleast 200-300 for the frame/fork.

The only issue with the Trek is that it's reynolds 531P and I weigh 175ish now. It's gonna be way more flexy than It was when I rode it at 150lbs haha.

200-300 FF on the CAAD9 seems right. Maybe even a bit more if you clean, photograph, and present it well.

You mentioned you will be doing a residency; will this be a commuter bicycle to/from, or a weekend real riding bicycle?

531P will be completely fine for regular riding, whether commuting or fitness. Even light racks. Just don't load it up daily with heavy h-bar and/or front/rear racks, etc. As you know "P" was not meant for heavy touring type use. Normal use, should be completely OK.

 

[emptym]

Have any of you tried Tublito tubes? Am thinking of gettin the City/Tour model for commuting.

 

[venessian]

Have any of you tried Tublito tubes? Am thinking of gettin the City/Tour model for commuting.

Meh.
I haven't actually ridden them (Tubolito) but wasn't so impressed at the lbs, handling them, and the lbs guys weren't exactly effusive. I really don't care about weight/compressed size so much in tubes, especially for commuting...and especially IF those characteristics compromise performance and durability...and especially IF they also cost $$$$!

Very mixed reviews here:
tubolito tubes
and here:
Tubolito - not so great

 

[Althis]

Here's my custom geometry Alchemy Eros titanium road disc bike with 1x drivetrain. Last road bike I'll ever buy hopefully.

Frame made in Denver, CO

 

[venessian]

Here's my custom geometry Alchemy Eros titanium road disc bike with 1x drivetrain. Last road bike I'll ever buy hopefully.

Frame made in Denver, CO

Very nice. Alchemy do great work.

Who is it that bought Spectrum Powder Works, them or Mosaic?

 

[Fueco]

Here's my custom geometry Alchemy Eros titanium road disc bike with 1x drivetrain. Last road bike I'll ever buy hopefully.

Frame made in Denver, CO

What’s the advantage of the 1X on a road bike? Whats the highest gear?