Posted on 09/01/2019 11:12:10 PM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
Welcome to The Bicycle Thread, thread. A monthly PING List for bicycle enthusiasts to share experiences, information and ideas.
Happy Labor Day!
Anything new in the bicycle world?
Anything new in the bicycle world?
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SRAM AXS wireless electronic shifting. Crazy expensive, as all new technologies are, but very cool. A precision servo motor driven derailleur is controlled using a Bluetooth connected shifter.
https://www.sram.com/en/sram/mountain/collections/eagle-axs
I’m still riding my ancient Specialized Hard Rock which is about a quarter of a century old. I wish I could afford a new bike but my economic situation is still pretty grim. I’m 6’3” so the new larger wheel sizes are interesting.
For those of you who like to do your own bike repair, I highly recommend the informative and entertaining Park Tool videos. Park Tool specializes in bike-specific repair tools.
https://www.youtube.com/user/parktoolcompany
Excellent. Thanks! There are a lot of instructional videos, but it is nice to have them in one place.
I am looking for help. I want to know if to go for a xtr or
sram 1x11 or 12 mountain bike and change the knobbie tires
to street tires.
Lets take these separately, first both brands offer 12 gear
or 11 gear, but only the newest Shimano offers their new
group set. Which brand to get.
Also I would be buying a whole new bike, which brand offers
the best bang for the buck, bikes have sure gotten way more expensive since my 20 year old Fuji, does any brand give you value for money?
Then the tires, I wanted an urban bike for regular streets
but no real choice for 1x12 available. I want flat bars
because I have old joints and its easier to ride without
all the weight on my wrists. Does street tires on a mountain bike make sense for a smoother ride. What size
wheels and tire would make sense.
Thanks for doing this thread. FR is my daily diet for news etc. and it’s been really depressing with the deep state going free and thumbing their nose at America. It’s nice to get away from that and share bike stuff with other FReepers. I’m down at Emerald Isle riding my Specialized Robaix. Had a great ride yesterday but Dorian is headed our way. Guess I better head for higher ground. Thanks again!
They all look like 2x setups. I don’t want to spend for carbon frame, aluminum is fine. 1x11 is fine too if it is
at least 11-45 tooth cassette range.
I am looking for help. I want to know if to go for a xtr or
sram 1x11 or 12 mountain bike and change the knobbie tires
to street tires.
Lets take these separately, first both brands offer 12 gear
or 11 gear, but only the newest Shimano offers their new
group set. Which brand to get.
Also I would be buying a whole new bike, which brand offers
the best bang for the buck, bikes have sure gotten way more expensive since my 20 year old Fuji, does any brand give you value for money?
Then the tires, I wanted an urban bike for regular streets
but no real choice for 1x12 available. I want flat bars
because I have old joints and its easier to ride without
all the weight on my wrists. Does street tires on a mountain bike make sense for a smoother ride. What size
wheels and tire would make sense.
—
Regarding 11-speed and 12-speed, both SRAM and Shimano now ofter 1x12 systems. SRAM’s system has been out for awhile (about 2 years I think). Shimano’s 12-speed is more recently released. I can’t attest to the Shimano 1x12, but I’m sure it’s solid. I have the 1x12 SRAM Eagle GX on my mountain bike. Only had the system about 6 months but it has been excellent.
Adjustment of the system is, however, critical for it to work correctly. As one can imagine, for the derailleur to be able to shift reliably between a 10T and 50T cogs, everything has to be aligned. It’s not hard to do. SRAM offers several step-by-step setup videos.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wCt9BJRNew
As to bike brands, as I heard on a podcast recently, there are a lot of great bikes out there nowadays.
The first item is determine what sort of riding you are doing. While you can certainly put “street” tires on a mountain bike, mountain bikes are going to be typically heavier that a road bike. The frames have to be stronger and they typically have suspension (front-only “hardtail” or full-suspension).
The reason 1x12 is available on MTB’s is because it provides greater range of gearing for hill climbing. It is likely not available on road bikes because of the weight penalty of the extra cog and roads are not likely to be a steep as the hills encountered mountain biking.
One good workaround to a 1x12 on a road bike (if it would even fit a road bike frame) is to consider installing a smaller chainring on the front to improve your mechanical advantage. The trade off is of course that you potentially lose some top-speed capability.
A good starting place for finding a bike might be, Trek’s “find a bike” offers a good step thru of selecting a bike based on how you want to use the bike.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/
Beyond internet research, the very best thing to do is to check out an independent bike shop or two in your area. Most shops will carry a range of brands and you can often tell from even a brief ride around the parking lot as to whether or not a bike “fits” you. You can also often get a decent discount at a bike shop on in-stock bikes that are new, but the prior year’s model. Ask questions. let them explain the options. A good independent shop will have bike enthusiasts working there who want other people to enjoy biking.
I would avoid purchasing a bike from one of the big chain operations like Dick’s Sporting Goods or Walmart. Especially Walmart. It’s unlikely the salesman in those stores would be particularly knowlegable about the bikes and the selection of bikes will be both limited and, in the case of Walmart, of dubious quality.
“I’m still riding my ancient Specialized Hard Rock which is about a quarter of a century old”
Still riding my Trek 451 which I paid $400 for in 1985. Same with my Trek 1986 model mountain bike.
My Ducati identifies as a bicycle. Anyone want to race?
Please add me to the ping list. Thanks.
Shimano has had electronic shifting since its DI2 series. Not that there’s anything wrong with SRAM ...
Diamondback also makes some great off-road models.
Even though Trek is an American brand, made right next door in Wisconsin, I have trouble buying from them after the way they crapped on Greg Lemond in the Lance Armstrong fiasco.
Anyone with a cellphone can tell you battery life is an issue. While wireless shifting is interesting I think
a smooth shifting under load and some feedback on what the shift is more important.
I also had a bike that didn’t want to die, a steel alloy Fuji 21 speed, 3 chainrings, lots of duplication in the gears and heavy.
I like the idea on 11 or 12 gears and only one shifter.
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