The Cycling Chat Thread

[Orang Utan]

Orang Utan don't clamp a d lock bracket to your carbon frame!! You'll crush it. Put the d lock in your pannier pack or a rucksack instead.

thanks for the warning. I haven’t yet, normally carry it in my backpack anyway. training weight innit.

 

[nick]

With those race blades, they came with a little Allen key. You can use that to fettle them as you progress, ie if they rub somewhere unexpected etc.
The good news is that once they're set up. and the Allen key bits are nice and tight, you can just clip them off and on again in seconds - if you ever feel the need to start tasting diesel flavoured puddle water as you ride, for instance

 

[Orang Utan]

Meybe they've sent you the wrong one? Possibly just whatever they had in stock.

Looking at this yours is the A type, for a small frame...and that doesn't look like a small frame to me. I reckon you want the V type or commuter version.

MTB BeamRacks

www.topeak.com

Aye,
they’ve sent me this:


when they should’ve sent me this:


or this:

 

[Orang Utan]

Oh, SKS Raceblades, they're a bit of a sod but it looks like you've got them on pretty ok there's definitely something not right with your rack though ... Agree that perhaps it's the wrong size arm for your frame. You will probably be able to clip your rear light to a loop on the back of the bag or there may be a bit of plastic bracket in the packaging for the rack that allows you to mount it to the back of that.

aye, ta, will probs be able to swap instore and get a couple of small red lights too for bags

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

thanks for the warning. I haven’t yet, normally carry it in my backpack anyway. training weight innit.

Weight is weight, doesn’t matter if it’s on you or the bike…

 

[Orang Utan]

Weight is weight, doesn’t matter if it’s on you or the bike…

it does, depending on how it’s distributed

 

[Orang Utan]

anyway, i’ve just received a voucher to spend at unnamed online bike retailer for £1871 - to pay for the bike that was stolen. I bought it in 2018 for maybe half of that, so no I have to go through the ordeal of buying another bike, tsk

 

[sleaterkinney]

Yeah, I have the v-type topeak rack, If you use the rubber inserts and clamp it tight it shouldn't move around. The clamp keeps rubbing against my thighs though. Can you not put a proper rack on?

 

[Cid]

Yeah was gonna say that’s a hybrid and presumably should have mounting points for racks and mudguards… properly fixed variants of both tend to be more secure (and better for the frame in the case of those mudguard straps).

 

[Orang Utan]

Yeah, I have the v-type topeak rack, If you use the rubber inserts and clamp it tight it shouldn't move around. The clamp keeps rubbing against my thighs though. Can you not put a proper rack on?

dunno what you mean. thought that was proper

 

[Artaxerxes]

Probably best to lock the bike, wait for a thief to come, and stove his fucking head in with a hammer.

I’m thinking there is a market for booby trapped bike parts.

Spike in the seat pole, specially weakened axle sort of thing, swap em out when you leave your bike alone and see whose gone under a bus on it by the time your back

 

[TopCat]

No I couldn’t. The rack attaches to the seat post, but it looks like it should be upside down so it will sit lower, nearer the seat, and perhaps give me some clearance on the seat post for reflector and lights to be visible. I think I’ve been given the wrong rack.

It looks like you started working for a fancy sushi shop and they bolted that thing on.

Why did you go for a big box? Side winds and aesthetics?

 

[TopCat]

Orang Utan don't clamp a d lock bracket to your carbon frame!! You'll crush it. Put the d lock in your pannier pack or a rucksack instead.

What are carbon frames like in a spill? I’m thinking not so good, can’t whack it straight.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Surely a rack that is only attached to the seat post will come loose fairly quickly? Bung some panniers on and you’ll have a lot of weight on that one clamp..?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

What are carbon frames like in a spill? I’m thinking not so good, can’t whack it straight.

Crashed my bike twice now and it’s fine, the frame hasn’t taken a hit though, I have taken that punishment…

 

[sleaterkinney]

dunno what you mean. thought that was proper

Like this.

 

[TopCat]

Crashed my bike twice now and it’s fine, the frame hasn’t taken a hit though, I have taken that punishment…

Oh dear. I remember skinning knees and head but half a lifetime ago.

I am still doing one day on, one day off. Enjoying it hugely. I’m going to update my shed security tomorrow. First defence.

 

[DownwardDog]

What are carbon frames like in a spill? I’m thinking not so good, can’t whack it straight.

I've shattered two in crashes. You can repair minor dings with resin but this usually changes the stiffness of the frame and not for the better as it transfers load to other areas.

You can't (safely) 'whack' an aluminum frame straight either as it is not a ferrous metal and has no specific fatigue limit so in practice carbon fibre and aluminum have the same very limited repairability.

Steel frames are highly repairable but all steel framed bikes are junk that should be thrown in the woods.

 

[Orang Utan]

It looks like you started working for a fancy sushi shop and they bolted that thing on.

Why did you go for a big box? Side winds and aesthetics?

lol. lots to carry

 

[Cid]

Like this.View attachment 284941

OU's bike doesn't have '4' mounting points. It has a suspension thingy too, which might preclude something that fixes to the seatpost and '5' (dunno though, can't move much). It definitely has mudguard mounts, says so in the specs, so dunno why he was recommended the strap fixed type.

Why a hybrid doesn't have rack mounts I don't know. Trek market it as a fitness bike, so have gone a bit daft with it.

 

[weepiper]

I've shattered two in crashes. You can repair minor dings with resin but this usually changes the stiffness of the frame and not for the better as it transfers load to other areas.

You can't (safely) 'whack' an aluminum frame straight either as it is not a ferrous metal and has no specific fatigue limit so in practice carbon fibre and aluminum have the same very limited repairability.

Steel frames are highly repairable but all steel framed bikes are junk that should be thrown in the woods.

Liked except for the last sentence which is hokum of the first order

 

[sleaterkinney]

With those race blades, they came with a little Allen key. You can use that to fettle them as you progress, ie if they rub somewhere unexpected etc.
The good news is that once they're set up. and the Allen key bits are nice and tight, you can just clip them off and on again in seconds - if you ever feel the need to start tasting diesel flavoured puddle water as you ride, for instance

Also, take the little Allen key out with you the first few times you ride, as you will get it wrong.

 

[Orang Utan]

Like this.View attachment 284941

that’s what i thought i’d be getting

 

[Orang Utan]

Surely a rack that is only attached to the seat post will come loose fairly quickly? Bung some panniers on and you’ll have a lot of weight on that one clamp..?

it already has panniers, they’re just zipped away

 

[weepiper]

My new flat has bespoke bicycle storage.

 

[Orang Utan]

Hiplok: The only Gold Sold Secure wearable chain bike lock

I bought one of these last week, but it's dead easy to break into as it just has a plastic clasp attaching the lock to the chain - you just need to yank it and it comes away - is it faulty or am I doing locking wrong or summat?

 

[Artaxerxes]

Took the bike out earlier and noticed I'd last a bolt for the panier at the bottom, anyone know the standard size for those so I can replace?

Bikes a standard MTB - Carrera

 

[Biddlybee]

I bought one of these last week, but it's dead easy to break into as it just has a plastic clasp attaching the lock to the chain - you just need to yank it and it comes away - is it faulty or am I doing locking wrong or summat?

I think the clasp is what makes it into a wearable belt, you might have to move it round to find the other bit of chain for the lock to go through?



There's a little vid in that link... you shouldn't be able to yank the lock off two links.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I bought one of these last week, but it's dead easy to break into as it just has a plastic clasp attaching the lock to the chain - you just need to yank it and it comes away - is it faulty or am I doing locking wrong or summat?

Jesus mate, attach the metal chain to the lock!

 

[Orang Utan]

I think the clasp is what makes it into a wearable belt, you might have to move it round to find the other bit of chain for the lock to go through?

View attachment 285217

There's a little vid in that link... you shouldn't be able to yank the lock off two links.

d’oh, thanks, there either wasn’t any written instructions or I didn’t see them!
I was looking at this and thinking wtf, it can’t be faulty - it was designed like that!