The Cycling Chat Thread

[Sprocket.]

I had to angle grind a crank arm from a square taper BB as the previous careful owner had stripped the thread.There is something so satisfying in cutting into cast aluminium with an angle grinder, like a knife through butter.

Bit late spotting this, grinding wheels/discs and aluminium are a bad mix. Please dump the disc you used before attacking other items, a face full of hot metal and disc are not pleasant and are bad for the complexion.

But is like a firework display I must admit, try titanium and duralamin for different colours.

 

[Utopia]

Tbh, my next bike will probably have discs. But my next bike will be a cross bike.

I've just sold my BMC CX02 cross bike, calliper brakes though, (now just down to my Pina single speed for commuting & my new Giant carbon road bike for long rides/races). Loved having the Cross bike, so strong, nothing worried it, great for the potholes London roads.

 

[DownwardDog]

How messy is it to do this? I live in a 3rd floor flat with no garden so anything that leaks fluid everywhere is not likely to please my wife.

Not messy at all if you follow the instructions. The Shimano bleed kit comes with the prosaically named 'waste bag' which will catch any excess fluid.

 

[DownwardDog]

I've spent an interesting (to me!) afternoon messing about with various Di2 bits and have discovered than you can mix and match - to a degree. The XTR control box/display works fine with Ultegra shifters and derailleurs and correctly indicates gears for 2x11. Ultegra shifters work with XTR derailleurs which opens the door to drop bar MTB builds. However... the XTR sequential shifter annoyingly does not work with Ultegra derailleurs and the whole system goes into error mode. I theorise the system interrogates the shifters and derailleurs to identify them and certain combinations are locked out in the control box firmware.

A 3rd party Di2 controller that exposed all functions (a sort of Power Commander for bicycles) would be great.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Bit late spotting this, grinding wheels/discs and aluminium are a bad mix. Please dump the disc you used before attacking other items, a face full of hot metal and disc are not pleasant and are bad for the complexion.

But is like a firework display I must admit, try titanium and duralamin for different colours.

Actually there were no sparks, just metal frags but I knew they were coming so wore a mask. The sparks only started when I nicked the BB taper...

 

[Sprocket.]

Actually there were no sparks, just metal frags but I knew they were coming so wore a mask. The sparks only started when I nicked the BB taper...

Sorry, not lecturing just concerned for your well being whilst grinding aluminium fella.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

cheers Dad

 

[Sprocket.]

cheers Dad

Yer welcome lad.

 

[han]

Damn! I didn't even notice this thread as I've got just the commuting one as a favourite on my phone. Where I've been putting my thoughts about new bikes. Doh.

Anyway, I'm on the verge of getting this:

 

[han]

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-tec...t87djKyQ_dm|pcrid||pkw||pmt||prd|5360631107uk

 

[han]

Reviews here:
http://guides.wiggle.co.uk/staff-review-verenti-technique-claris-2015/

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/verenti-technique-claris-2015-just-in-43539/

I'm a beginner to road bikes, but the spec and components for the price seem pretty good. I'd get an XS frame.

 

[han]

It'd just be for weekend fun rides. For commuting/touring I'll continue to use my trusty Marin Larkspur.

When I say 'touring', I mean going at a snail's pace with a shit load of panniers which is my usual way of doing long distances (idiot!)

 

[Ted Striker]

Amazing value for £400. Seen a lot worse than 10kgs for a large (and a lot uglier) for that price too.

(btw, Verenti are a Wiggle own-brand - a (very) moot point, though their staff reviews may not be so impartial )

 

[han]

Yes, good point about the reviews, lol! But the components all seem good. I'd probably replace the tyres with gatorskins at some point.

 

[han]

I know that really expensive carbon Road bikes that cost about 2 grand are about 8kg aren't they. 10 seems pretty light to me, still. I guess it's all relative, comparing it to what you're used to.

 

[iamwithnail]

10's definitely not bad. My Dawes Giro road bike was 11kg, and that was £300 when I bought it. Current hybrid is 11.5kg (£700 price point) so definitely not bad going.

 

[han]

Great! I'm just wanting to see if anyone says 'no, that looks terrible' before I buy it. And also, some positive feedback as well!
Yeah my hybrid is 12kg (and was 500 quid 10 years ago). So this is going to seem lovely and light.

Thanks for the feedback, folks.

 

[Boycey]

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-technique-claris-2015/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&kpid=5360631107&sku=5360631107&ci_src=18615224&ci_sku=5360631107uk&utm_source=google&utm_term&utm_campaign=All+Products&utm_medium=base&utm_content=st87djKyQ_dm|pcrid||pkw||pmt||prd|5360631107uk

the claris groupset is great IMO- it's a really good example of trickle down in shimano's line up, feels a lot like a much more expensive groupset from a few years back. the frame is likely to be a bit of a boneshaker but a well fitted saddle and the carbon forks should go some way to alleviate that. maybe a carbon post would be a worthy upgrade in the not too distant if you're doing long rides. and those tyres belong in the bin, to be expected on most off the shelf road bikes many of which would cost twice the price of that one. looks like a steal

 

[weepiper]

Agreed. Looks like a great buy for the money. Claris is a great groupset.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

The verenti substance do everything bike for £600 is a steel

 

[han]

What a beautiful bike, Sigmund!
Ah, if only I were taller.
Looks like the Verenti range are pretty good for the price...

 

[Ted Striker]

Just noticed I get 12% off at Wiggle as a platinum member (Pretty much everything at Wiggle is discounted >12% off RRP anyway, though just seen these bikes are £400 (etc) rrp, so I could get it for £351.12!)

 

[han]

Wow! What do you have to do to be a platinum member?

 

[Ted Striker]

Wow! What do you have to do to be a platinum member?

Spend over a certain amount each year (500, according to this)
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/h/option/customer-rewards-and-reviews

Looking at this, and if you sorted it with a mate, you could get 10% off (worth of Wiggle vouchers) your first order pretty easily

 

[han]

Liking the look of this as well.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-div...ow&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_campaign=road.cc

 

[han]

I've just ordered this! [emoji43] [emoji4] very excited.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/verenti-defense-wr21-sora-2015/

It's a little heavier than t'others at 10.4kg, but that's the weight of the medium one, and I'm getting XXS which is the perfect size for me, and I imagine it'd be under 10kg. I like the fact that although it's a road bike you could add a rack if you wanted. And I like the black and mudguards - very classic looking. I looked at reviews of the Sora groupset and they compared pretty favourably to the cheaper Claris and more expensive Tiagra groupset.

I did a 40+ mile ride today with a friend on her roadbike, and although I carried very little with me, my heavy hybrid was definitely slowing me down. I can't wait to tackle some big hills on the new bike.

Thanks for your feedback folks, it's been very helpful.

 

[han]

Quick question - where do people put their bicycle pumps if they're going on a ride with no bag/pannier etc? Even a compact pump isn't going to fit in a saddle bag, is it....

 

[Ted Striker]

You can get frame clips with some/most pumps (I've seen some that fit on the water bottle holder, or with just plain velcro strapped to one of the tubes).

Tbh a pump isn't worth carrying unless you're also having the full puncture repair routine with you - you'll know at the start of your journey whether your tyres need inflating (which is pretty rare) and they won't need re-inflating mid-ride. Also most bike shops will have a pump tied up outside for you to use. FWIW, if you'r ein the pump buying game, Lezyne are amazing - they have a twiddly section on the end that revolutionised the process for me!.

 

[han]

Thanks! Do you just take inner tubes with you then, generally?

 

[Ted Striker]

I'm trying not to say it out loud (to hide the wrath from the puncture gods!)...But, no.

I carry one of these http://www.evanscycles.com/products/zefal/sealant-spray-ec019743

(and a co2 cartridge) with me - it's air and a sealant in a can, the theory that it will inflate and seal the damaged inner tube in one (at least to enable me to hobble home/to the finish/to the next mechanic stop.

I'm yet to be convinced it will work (indeed, it's never been needed to - touch wood) though the idea of me ever at the side of the road, bike upended, broadcasting the full extent of my lack of dexterity/bike skills as I get 5-year-old tantrumy-stressed, trying and failing to stretch the tyre/new inner tube round the rim...well it's just not happening!