New to cycling

[DJM83]

So the last couple of years ive set myself a km target on Strava to work towards.
Last few years its been 2000kms.
Last year i never made it, ones before i did..
Seen as ive been on an ebike, i 'upped' it to 2500kms
So nearly halfway into the year im at 1344kms, and 152kms ahead of my plan.
My commute to work is a slight bit longer now but ive also been trying to get out before work and take the long way to work via the local trails.
So ytd
1344kms
19500 metres climbed.
3 bikes
This bike has clicked over 500 kms since i got it about 6 weeks ago.
Got around 400kms out of the first AXS charge (it wasnt completely flat, just a low battery warning on my Garmin)


Wouldnt mind having a crack with one of these next, bit pricey though.
Full fat ebike, kinda like mine thats had some good weight loss gains
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/tr...s-elite-1-2023

[prydey]

It's good to set goals. I find it useful to set short, medium and long term goals, just to keep the motivation higher.

My best is just over 11000km in a year. I did that by deciding to commute to work every day, rain, hail or shine. It required a massive commitment so it only lasted 1 year. The following year I became a much more fair weather commuter. 6-8000km/yr was much more manageable and kept the love of cycling alive. Cycling every day to work turned it in to a chore.

Currently I'm confined to the trainer as my new bike has been delayed yet again. Now mid July apparently.

Wet winter in Adelaide so at least I'm not really missing out at the moment.

[roKWiz]

Been a while since I regularly rode to and from work.

Commuting to work by train/bike was something I just enjoyed doing when we lived on the NSW Central Coast for a while.
A 2km climb out of Phegans Bay then a brisk ride down the super steep Bulls Hill and onto the rail station, boarding the train for Hornsby.

The train in itself was one of the most scenic rides in Oz, skirting the Hawkesbury then up the grade to the outer northern burbs.

Some of the weirdest people, funniest conversations and incidents happened on these trains. Including trying to evade the railway cops due to no bicycle ticket on peak train.

Alighting at Hornsby the ride took me down the back roads of the upper north shore and depending on which stone job I was working on governed which station I would board for the afternoon commute back to Berowra carrying a small backpack of handtools.
I would again leave the train here and ride home along the old Pacific Hwy back to home exactly 54km away on the best rolling route via Mt White which was the halfway point.
The most exiting part was re joining the traffic down fast moving Woy Woy rd from the Superslab all down hill to home.

Really felt like you did a days work. Still occasionally bike commute depending on location.

[prydey]

Stage 2 of the Tour de France last night was sabotaged by some moron throwing tacks on the road about 40km from the finish. I think there were up to 20 riders affected with many puncturing.

What a dog act. There was no sign of any protest so officials aren't sure if it's just an isolated incident. Hope so, for the safety of the riders.

Whoever did it obviously has no clue as to how much injury they could cause, or even death.

Absolute moron.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by prydey

Stage 2 of the Tour de France last night was sabotaged by some moron throwing tacks on the road about 40km from the finish. I think there were up to 20 riders affected with many puncturing.

What a dog act. There was no sign of any protest so officials aren't sure if it's just an isolated incident. Hope so, for the safety of the riders.

Whoever did it obviously has no clue as to how much injury they could cause, or even death.

Absolute moron.

Dumpa**es, I remember that happening to Cadel Evans on a last climb day several years back but this is typical Basque country stupidity.

[asagaai]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Been a while since I regularly rode to and from work.

Commuting to work by train/bike was something I just enjoyed doing when we lived on the NSW Central Coast for a while.

Yes- riding to work is a great way to start the day.

I am now commuting from home to work, but on alternate days and when there is no rain.

For years I did not bother commute cycling as the traffic along Pacific Highway was too dangerous to ride from Eleebana Heads to Newcastle.

Then I discovered the Fernleigh track, and bingo- ride from Eleebana Heads to Belmont to start of Fernleigh track, ride that all the way to Adamstown, and then from Adamstown to Newcastle CBD. Bit of car traffic on that stretch and need your wits about you.

32 km 1 way, nice nature, clean air. Like cycling summer early in dark to avoid heat, and winter-well when it was 5 degrees in morning I like a later start when sun is up.

Biggest thing was sorting out clothing for hot weather and now cold days. Just got a cold weather cycle jacket and leggings, and boy, anything over 15 degrees and it feels like a hot steamer wetsuit with hills-constantly zipping up and down the front.

But it sorta feels like a free lunch exercise session, and is so much better than exercising in a room.

[blueoval]

West Australian Jai Hindley wins Stage 5 of the Tour De France and gains the yellow jersey.

https://www.letour.fr/en/news/2023/s...-again/1310765

[prydey]

Pog got his work cut out for him now. It's still early but you don't want to give too much time away to your direct rivals. Vingergaad put in a solid effort to keep the damage to a minimum. Had to pull about 4 other riders with him as they were all instructed by their teams not to pull a turn on the front. Super effort.

[blueoval]

its good there is this much excitement early in the tour. i think Jai will hold onto yellow for a few days before the alps. Having yellow this early is a blessing and a curse.

[prydey]

Yeah, normally most of the first week is for the sprinters. Good having some hills early.

[prydey]

New bike day finally arrived.













What a machine. I would have preferred a new cannondale supersix but the wait times on cannondale are similar to landcruiser. Insurance offered a choice of orbea, bmc or giant, all similar spec, so went with bmc because it's not a giant (no offence to those who own a giant, they're great bikes and popular for a reason) and I love the look of it.

Feels a bit twitchier than my old supersix. Could be slightly shorter wheelbase. Stem is about the same length although bars and stem all one piece on the bmc. Otherwise it was just great to be back out riding. 12 months since surgery last week but still feel like I'm not quite there yet. Fine in day to day stuff but still feel it when some effort is required.

[DJM83]

Looks bloody great Rob, love the colourway! Di2 and lots of carbon also.

I know what you mean with Giants. I know you arent slagging em off. Plenty of folks do thats for sure. One of the best BFYB brands around though imo. Fortunate for me, my Giant didnt cost me Love it though.

[prydey]

Definitely not slagging off the brand.

[roKWiz]

Nice bike. It's strange how bikes have totally lost all the external cabling, giving them that clean look now.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Nice bike. It's strange how bikes have totally lost all the external cabling, giving them that clean look now.

Agreed, but they dont think of the mechanics that work on em. Ive said many a curse word replacing internally routed cables/hoses

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Agreed, but they dont think of the mechanics that work on em. Ive said many a curse word replacing internally routed cables/hoses

True, you look at them and think there's something missing.

It's good the way they've hidden the front fork brake cable though, always the bane of mountain biking, how the front wheel could pick up sticks and jam them between the cable and the fork.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Agreed, but they dont think of the mechanics that work on em. Ive said many a curse word replacing internally routed cables/hoses

So this bike was an insurance replacement. My local bike shop just happened to be the agent through whom they went.

When I picked the bike up he commented on similar lines. He gets a fee to assemble the bike but he said it's nowhere near enough for what is involved with these modern bikes. The internal hydraulic hoses took about 2 hours he said. Cockpit is all one piece to make it even harder.

At least with di2 there no cables at all.

This is my first experience with di2 (ultegra) and to be honest it's not overly quicker than my mechanical dura ace. It's just super reliable. No miss shifts. No need for trim functions as it's automatic. Kept nearly changing gears with the front derailleur every time I went up or down the gears on the cassette because I'm used to having to move the front with the mechanical system.

So yeah, they look good but the mechanics hate them. Hopefully it won't need working on much. I'll have to get myself up to speed on di2 and disc brake maintenance.

[DJM83]

Depends, ive never built a BMC, but most of not all bikes ive built. The brake hoses/cables are already installed. Some cheaper bikes you have to install brake callipers and sometimes even attach a cable to the rear mech. Dropper post cables are really the only thing, and even then the outer cable housing is already in the frame.
Electronic shift bikes are super easy to set up shifting wise.
Its moreso having to replace hoses/cables when they are stuffed.
Id imagine possibly your BMC at that higher end has channels inside the carbon frame so slide hose into the frame and its guided to the exit hole at the back. Also road bikes dont have the pivot point like mountain bikes so the hose/cable only goes in the frame once then out.

[prydey]

Another thing to note is the changing philosophies in cycling over the years. Tyres went skinny and rock hard. Now they're back out to 25mm at least and wider rims because they've realised vibration damping loses more watts than what small contact patch gains.

Similar thing with frames. They now focus more on aero rather than weight. This new bike of mine is noticeably heavier than my old supersix hi mod. Aero now trumps weight, to a point. Maybe this is more to do with needing to house batteries and disc brakes.

A lot of top teams or bigger manufacturers have or use wind tunnels now so the lengths they go to for those small gains is incredible.

I often wonder how a pro from even only 20 years ago would enjoy a modern bike.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by prydey

Another thing to note is the changing philosophies in cycling over the years. Tyres went skinny and rock hard. Now they're back out to 25mm at least and wider rims because they've realised vibration damping loses more watts than what small contact patch gains.

Similar thing with frames. They now focus more on aero rather than weight. This new bike of mine is noticeably heavier than my old supersix hi mod. Aero now trumps weight, to a point. Maybe this is more to do with needing to house batteries and disc brakes.

A lot of top teams or bigger manufacturers have or use wind tunnels now so the lengths they go to for those small gains is incredible.

I often wonder how a pro from even only 20 years ago would enjoy a modern bike.

Id be curious to know what it weighs Rob. Gotta be about 7-8kg at a guess?

[prydey]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Id be curious to know what it weighs Rob. Gotta be about 7-8kg at a guess?

You're on the money. Just weighed it and came in at 8.2kg.

[DJM83]

Local MTB club, combined with a local trail builder co. Have been rebuilding some trails. This particular one is amazing, had a good few runs down it. Super flowy. Now we just need some work on the steep ones and ill be happy.
Starting to get accustomed to this bike, wont be long before it gets sold and something new comes.
Its more so the weight and geometry that took some getting used to.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by DJM83

image

Local MTB club, combined with a local trail builder co. Have been rebuilding some trails. This particular one is amazing, had a good few runs down it. Super flowy. Now we just need some work on the steep ones and ill be happy.
Starting to get accustomed to this bike, wont be long before it gets sold and something new comes.
Its more so the weight and geometry that took some getting used to.

You sure that's a MTbike run and not a bobsled one ?

There's talk of building some new trails around Balmattum regional park, just east of the Hume at Euroa.

[DJM83]

Thought id chuck this in, i know Rok loves his cannondales. Came in for a service.
Man they had/have some strange tech in their bikes


Swapped the AXS off my ebike, to my Norco this week. Ebike possibly gone soon, changing to another one (hoping to get one of the lighter ones with lower Wh battery). Also ordered some new hubs/wheels that i can take bike to bike. DT Swiss EX511s and Hope Pro 5 hubs

[mad2]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Thought id chuck this in, i know Rok loves his cannondales. Came in for a service.
Man they had/have some strange tech in their bikes
image

Swapped the AXS off my ebike, to my Norco this week. Ebike possibly gone soon, changing to another one (hoping to get one of the lighter ones with lower Wh battery). Also ordered some new hubs/wheels that i can take bike to bike. DT Swiss EX511s and Hope Pro 5 hubs

i'm sitting here looking at that pic going .. W..T..F

[DJM83]

So my current ebike is up for sale at work. (good buying, full warranty, first owner etc)
Ive been riding my Norco a bit lately and really enjoying it. I might hold off on getting another ebike for a bit.
Built up some wheels for my Norco (can take em from bike to bike now)
DT Swiss EX511, laced to The new Hope Pro 5 hubs, rear is an ebike hub so stronger (same price as the normal rear pro 5).
Sram GX AXS also.
The bearings in the old front wheel are getting long in the tooth so ill replace them.
I think the BB needs to be replaced also so will probably do that.
But these hubs just roll, and roll and roll and roll
Will keep it for another 12mths and then i might upgrade. This model is getting an upgrade with a high pivot design next year. We'll see

[DJM83]

Loving this thing!

[galaxy xr8]

Ok guys, I'm in need of some advice on cleaning/maintenance equipment. My bike (Giant Trance advanced Pro 1 29er, 2019) and I've just purchased a Giant Trance X Advanced Pro 29 2, '22, for my son, I also have my wife's Trance Intrigue Advanced pro 0, I'm looking for recommendations on the best gear to clean the cassette and chain and etc.
Any thoughts ?.


On another note, why is it that I can't get an accurate reading (let alone any reading) when trying to inflate the tyres using my air compressor or Milwaukee air inflator ?, I use the little gold adaptor on the Presta valves but I have no idea on how much pressure is in the tyres, do I need to purchase a foot pump ?, are they the only way to read correct pressures ?.

Cheers.

[John 13]

[QUOTE=DJM83;6841156]So my current ebike is up for sale at work. (good buying, full warranty, first owner etc)
Ive been riding my Norco a bit lately and really enjoying it. I might hold off on getting another ebike for a bit.
Built up some wheels for my Norco (can take em from bike to bike now)
DT Swiss EX511, laced to The new Hope Pro 5 hubs, rear is an ebike hub so stronger (same price as the normal rear pro 5).
Sram GX AXS also.
The bearings in the old front wheel are getting long in the tooth so ill replace them .(Severely edited)
I just stumbled on this branch of the FF, what ever is not covered here doesn't matter!
I have a basic interest in cycles. I now use my sons old Chinese Speedwell. Anyway a few years ago, rather than replace rear hub/wheel I machined up a stepped axel to suit industrial ball race bearings which fitted snugly into the hub. Didn't use the cycle thread made do with UNF. Runs incredibly quietly by my standards anyway.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by galaxy xr8

Ok guys, I'm in need of some advice on cleaning/maintenance equipment. My bike (Giant Trance advanced Pro 1 29er, 2019) and I've just purchased a Giant Trance X Advanced Pro 29 2, '22, for my son, I also have my wife's Trance Intrigue Advanced pro 0, I'm looking for recommendations on the best gear to clean the cassette and chain and etc.
Any thoughts ?.


On another note, why is it that I can't get an accurate reading (let alone any reading) when trying to inflate the tyres using my air compressor or Milwaukee air inflator ?, I use the little gold adaptor on the Presta valves but I have no idea on how much pressure is in the tyres, do I need to purchase a foot pump ?, are they the only way to read correct pressures ?.

Cheers.

I use good old Kerosene for cleaning the cassettes and chain either with a cheapo paint brush or a flash 'Park" chain cleaning tool.



Give it a short rinse using the paint brush without soaking the axles to much with some clean Kero then dry and lube. Wet lube on the road or dry offroad.

Yes and a foot track pump (I like Silca) is the most accurate way to pump tyres.