Topic: I want to ride my bicycle

[Cools!]

I finally picked up a new bike last week. I was thinking of getting one for some time now but there are so many options these days that I got overwhelmed at first. I haven't owned a bike since high school which got stolen on the last day of high school. 

I looked at a bunch of brands, mainly Trek, Specialized and Giant since those were the main brands the local bike stores carried. I could've gone with any brand really (all the bikes I tried felt about the same) but I found a good deal for a 2011 Giant TCR Composite 1 at the last place I visited and because my parents decided to get a pair of bikes as well I managed to push the price down even more.

I also decided to go full "I_Chameleon mode" and get the special shoes and pedals (clipless) which have been "fun" thus far, ie. getting used to unclipping is a bit of a challenge and I literally tipped over a few times while attached to the bike. 

Anyway, I'll post pics shortly.

[Quemaqua]

I really miss my bike. Back when I lived at the Richmond marina I would take a ride every morning around the water. It was awesome. I never got that "into" it, though. Was always just casual for me.

[Cools!]

I'm not sure yet how far I want to go with this either.  

I wanted a light bike for trekking around the area and working out. Since moving to the suburbs I don't feel as connected anymore, everyone and everything is further away and I've noticed that I stay home a lot more now. The only thing basically causing me to explore the area is photography. So my original goal was to get a bike that would let me travel further out to take pictures but then as I started looking at all the bike options it brought back an interest I've always had to own a "proper" road bike. At some point I might add a mountain bike as well for the local trails.

I added the "clipless" shoes and pedals to see if it's something I would like. The pedals themselves are still large enough for use with regular shoes. After a few months on the road I'll decide if I want to stay with clipless, use a different brand/system or switch to regular pedals all together.

[Cools!]

Alright, since I'm too lazy to take a picture, here's an official one by the manufacturer:

[Cools!]

Ok, here's my baby:

[ren]

Nice. I'm thinking of buying a bike as well and using it to cycle to work and do errands. I'm in the suburbs as well and hate biking around here. Biking downtown is nice because there are so many other cyclists, traffic is slower and drivers know how to deal with bikers but around here you just get bullied.

[Cools!]

I've been on the bike almost daily the last couple of weeks. The area around me has been (thus far) fairly safe to ride though the major roads have been bit scary at times (crazy speed). I'm still a bit nervous about unclipping in time at intersections and emergencies (just had a small fall earlier today because i tried going down a bad trail, lost traction and couldn't unclip in time), but other than that I'm having a blast.

One thing you might want to consider is possibly getting a single speed road bike, maybe something classified for "cyclo cross". Since you only have a single speed it's a lot easier to maintain and you have less to worry about, especially if you want to keep riding when it rains or even with snow on the road as long as you have decent tires. Cyclo cross frames have more clearance for bigger tires and mud/dirt compared to pure "road" bikes. Single speed bikes also tend to be cheaper. I'm mentioning this because I'm thinking of maybe getting one at some point (if I'm still into biking in a few months).

[Cobra951]

Clips?  That's new to me.  The last contraption I remember to let you pedal on the upswing were straps.  Gravity always had them in the wrong place, and we'd get good at flipping them right-side up with our feet without even thinking about it.  Many moons ago.

[Cools!]

Yeah, you put special cleats on the shoes that clip-in to the pedals. Same idea as with straps: keep the foot on the pedal so you exert power through out the stroke. It's called "clipless" because the pedal no longer has the strap, also known as the clip. I could never get used to the straps either.

There's more info here.

[Cools!]

Well, looks like I'm in for a new bike...

My bike developed a thin crack all around the bottom bracket on the drivetrain side. I noticed it a few days ago after a ride and at first thought it might just be aesthetics but after getting it inspected at the shop turns out it's not. So, the bike is going to get sent out to the mothership sometime in the coming weeks and I'll probably get a 2012 model as replacement at some point afterwards.

I guess I win because I bought a 2011 model at a nice discount and now get a 2012 model, though I was really starting to get attached to my white bike (2012 models are all black) and it does leave me with a bad first impression of composite frames.

[ren]

That sucks. At least it happened early on so you could get a replacement without too much difficulty.

After doing my internet research I'm thinking of a hybrid bike with road-bike tendencies, a road-bike or a cyclocross bike like you recommended. Next step is to actually go to a bike store and do some test rides which I assume will make my decision a bit easier.

[Cools!]

Manufacturer (Giant) has a life time warranty, so it's all good. Just annoying to have to deal with it and possibly miss summer days not riding.

---

Hybrids are very popular these days. They are basically road bikes with thicker tires and a mountain bike style handle bar. Personally, after getting a bike with drop handle bars (the curly ones) I wouldn't go back to straight. You have a lot more hand positions, really helps with comfort and avoiding hand pain and numbness. Tire wise, I've found my thin 700x23c slick tires pretty decent and I've never had slips or loss of tracking (even after rain) on pavement. For winter, yeah, I'd want something more "knobby".

Bike stores can be a bit overwhelming. Lots of bikes and options and it's not easy deciding which bikes "fits you" more even after a test ride. Honestly, I probably could've gotten any of the other bikes that were on display at the place I visited. It was very hard to really tell the differences. Also, the general "fit" of the bike makes a huge difference, like a proper size frame, seat height, etc. So if the store doesn't do it before each test ride, tell them to adjust at least the seat height to roughly the same between all the bikes you try.

If you do find something you like, make sure the place has it adjusted for you right there. Ride it, tell them how you feel and listen to the little noises and creaks so all that stuff gets fixed right then. Make sure to check all the gears as well.

I'm still thinking of possibly getting a single speed cyclo-cross bike at some point, but after looking around, it seems it's a bit hard to actually find a complete bike locally. I know there are a few stores downtown that carry Felt bikes, just not sure if they even have the Felt Breed in stock. The Kona Major One is supposed to be pretty good as well (though for some reason Kona doesn't have it listen on their site anymore so maybe it's discontinued). Kona Jake the Snake is supposed to be a good cross bike in general if you want gears. Other than that, might have to resort to building one from parts, buying used, etc.

Oh and try to find a store near you, because chances are you'll be going for a check-up pretty quickly after getting the bike. The store I got mine at offers free life time check-ups. I've used that service a few times already in the first couple of weeks getting the bike "just right".

[Cools!]

A new pic of my baby:

[Pugnate]

Is that a pic you took? That's an awfully pristine home.

[Cools!]

Haha.

[ren]

I bought a Giant Rapid 3 yesterday. It's a hybrid bike leaning more towards the road bike side. I'm super happy with it. I just biked the 10k to work and back as a practice run and it was much quicker than my last trial run on an old Wal-Mart bike. I decided to stay on the cheaper end of the real bikes since my commute isn't that long and I didn't want to put down a huge amount of money in case I don't end up sticking with it.

Last week I signed up for the crappy gym at the office so I can shower in the mornings and on Monday I'll drive in and leave a bunch of suit jackets. From then on in, I should be good to go. Also got this Timbuk2 pannier for hauling stuff around.

[Cools!]

Awesome, congrats! Nice and solid bike, should last you a long time.

[Cools!]

Bike update:

Well, turns out the "crack" I described earlier is indeed cosmetic and is there by design though recent models no longer have it. So, I get to keep my white stalion. Just find it funny that people tried to convince me that it wasn't there originally.

[ren]

And now you can tear all strings to the bike store and enjoy your ride worry-free.

I'm still loving mine. I've been riding it to work almost every day and started to use it to run errands. My car use is down to maybe 20km a week meaning I can go months without buying gas.

[ren]

First flat tire

It was about a km away from the house so I just carried the bike back. It was a bit painful because I was coming from the gym but 1km isn't too bad. I guess I should learn something about bike maintenance.

[Cools!]

Hehe, it happens.

When you change or patch the inner tube check what kind of puncture it was. If you see two holes (like a snake bite) then your tire was probably too low. With thin tires you need to keep the pressure pretty high (compared to mountain bikes), around 100psi (the max you can go should be printed on your tires). They also lose pressure pretty quickly so you need to top off every couple of days for best results.

On the other hand if it was due to some sort of object on the road then make sure you check the tire itself to make sure the object isn't stuck otherwise it'll puncture the tube again. You could also invest in more sturdy tires. I haven't done so myself (haven't had a puncture yet), but at some point I'll probably get something more beefy just to be safe on the local roads.

[ren]

When I got the bike I got a pump with a psi meter and was pumping it up every three or four days to keep it at the recommended level. Nevertheless, the guy at the bike store told me that it probably burst from the pressure being too low. After delving deeper into how little I know about bikes, we concluded that I probably messed up. I've never used a bike with a presta valve before and didn't know that I needed to screw and unscrew the little cap before and after pumping. It was probably loose and leaking air at a pretty fast rate leading to the low tire pressure, even with regular pumping.

I didn't bother to attempt to fix it myself since I have no idea what I'm doing and wanted to get it fixed quickly so I could bike again. I'm thinking of finding a place that do bike maintenance courses on the weekend so I can get my head around it.

[Cools!]

Check out the vids on Youtube. Lots of bike stuff on there.

[Cools!]

Here's a series on how to change tubes if you get a flat. Time to practice!

[ren]

Hey cools, what do you suggest as far as tools go? I was looking at MEC and see a huge range going from multi-tools at $10 to kits going for over $200. Considering all I intend on doing is the most basic of bike repair, what do you suggest?

P.s. thanks for being so helpful with all this as I attempt to climb the learning curve

[Cools!]

For basic adjustment (like seat height) and tightening all you need is a hex key set. Tire levers for fixing flats. You can get some sort of bag, like this one that fits under your saddle for the tools, tire levers and spare tube (and other things depending on bag size).

I got this tool. Thus far I've only needed the hex keys, but it comes with tire levers which I figured might be handy to have in one package (I haven't used them yet).

Rest, like chain whip, etc., you can get later if you really want to get into upgrading and fixing everything on your own.

And no problem, I'm learning like you.

[Cools!]

So, another warranty check for me as I found a crack at the bottom of the seat tube. This time there is no doubt about it being cosmetic or not. So right now waiting to hear back from the shop about the manufacturer replacing the frame. I can still ride, just have to be a bit careful.

[ren]

Are you just unlucky with your bike or have you just been putting lots of miles on it?

Went for a ride from the west end to downtown via the Lakeshore bike path. During one section I was watching traffic and not paying attention to the road and slipped into a streetcar track on King and almost entirely wiped out. I was going slow enough to kick my leg out and rebalance but it almost made for a spectacular fall. Just another remind to always cross streetcar tracks at 90 degree angles.

[Cools!]

I'm guessing I've put in about 400-500km since I picked it up in April which isn't much and I don't think I've particularly been pushing the bike to its limits (no racing, etc.). Just a defective frame or something that developed while it was at the store and brought out when I started riding it.

Yeah, got to watch out for the tracks. Also when it's wet be careful riding over the painted areas on the road as they become really slippery.

[Cools!]

An update: I was slacking off a bit at the end of July and start of August, riding maybe once or twice a week, but this week I've been out on the road daily.

My average "recreational" trip has been around 20km (12 miles). The longer trips have been just under 50km (31 miles) and I'm hoping to go over that during the next couple of weeks. I got a cycling computer in mid June and thus far it looks like I've logged almost 500km, plus another 200 or so I did before then. If the weather plays along, I think I'll be able to reach 1,000km by the end of the season.

The biggest challenge thus far has been developing enough strength and endurance to manage the hills around the area, especially with the head wind when in the open. No matter which direction I head, I'm going to encounter plenty of hills. There are also not that many long scenic routes nearby so I've been pushing to bike further out into the farm land where there are less cars and the ride is more enjoyable.

And regarding the crack: I was recommended by the store to wait till the end of the season to get it fixed so I don't miss riding right now. When the time comes, they [the store] will take care of it.

[ren]

I gave up on cycling for the season a few weeks ago. It's getting a bit too cold and it's dark commuting in both directions so I chickened out. Spring can't come soon enough.

[Cools!]

Haha. Other than a ride yesterday I haven't been riding much lately either.

[Cools!]

I just sucked it up and started riding more frequently recently even with the cold weather. For the most part as long as it's not too windy or raining it's still enjoyable. I did do a few rain rides which were lots of fun, but one time I had to go through a new construction area and was completely covered in dirt afterwards (don't have fender mounts on the bike).

I've added a skull cap (worn under the helmet), a light elements jacket and shoe covers. The lowest I've been out has been around 5 degrees (41F). At some point I'd like to get cold weather cycling but it's too expensive. Actually, finding a complete selection of cycling wear has been a bit of a challenge around here. Most stores just carry a few items here and there and rarely a "complete" series (shorts, pants, jackets, etc. all belonging to the same series from one manufacturer). I guess at some point I'll just have to risk it with sizes and start ordering online.

Anyway, in the mean time here's a crash compilation:

[Cools!]

Not sure how long this will stay up, but here is Lucas Brunelle's Line of Sight movie. If you don't know who he is... watch even a bit of the movie.

[Cools!]

This looks like a fun hill.

[Cools!]

Who wants a bike that costs over $6,500 ($2,700 for the frame alone)?



It's a new mountain bike company by one of the founders of Cervelo. I'm not going to lie I like the plain look of the frame without any branding and it seems like a lot went into the engineering of it. However, $2,700 for a carbon hard tail [no rear suspension] is definitely excessive at this point, especially considering that very few bikes are still made locally anymore (I think high end Treks are still made in the USA). Cervelo bikes are all made in some Chinese or Taiwanese factory and the frames cost a minuscule fraction to produce compared to how much they are up-sold for being designed/engineered in Canada.

[Cools!]

How about some new pictures?

[Cools!]

And regarding the crack: I was recommended by the store to wait till the end of the season to get it fixed so I don't miss riding right now. When the time comes, they [the store] will take care of it.

Update: The bike is in for repair. It's been more than a month now (was told it'd take a week initial - yeah right) and I don't think I'll get it back any time soon. I kind of expected this even though it's supposed to be off-season now. I am a bit annoyed by the lack of updates from the store, but that's expected from businesses these days and that I was told different things depending who I spoke to: either the frame will be sent to the manufacturer (life-time warranty) or that it'll get fixed by a local carbon repair business. It doesn't matter to me as long as the frame gets fixed and I don't have any problems in the future (and that I don't lose my warranty).

Anyway, I still got my single speed mountain bike to train on so I won't go crazy yet.

[Cobra951]

I can't understand all that downtime with a bicycle.  Aside from the occasional flat tire and a few chain issues, I don't recall having to do anything to keep my 10-speeds going.  Well, I did snap a braking cable once.  That was an ugly landing.

[Cools!]

There still isn't much you need to do: wash the bike every so often, lube the chain and you are good to go for months.

My frame had a minor defect (either right from the start and I just didn't notice or through riding) so had to go back.