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Carotid posted:Does anyone have a recommendation for a good trunk bag for a rear rack? I have this one but it flops over to the side a lot, which is annoying. I would prefer something that's still about this size but can be securely attached to the rack without floppage. I have a Topeak Trunkbag that slides into my Topeak Explorer rack. It's a pretty slick system, but you need the proprietary rack+bag interface. The rack also works with my Ortlieb panniers, like any other standard rack. The trunk bag is my go-to for long days out, it's the perfect size. Comes in a couple different sizes, too.
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Sep 21, 2021 21:47
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I have a DIY bag but if I were buying I'd trust something from Banjo or J&D. I have used a Topeak system too and it was good.
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Sep 22, 2021 01:34
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Speaking of bags/panniers, my Ortleib QL3.1 bags have become really squeaky. It's a neat system but the tolerance is pretty large so there's a fair bit of movement on rougher ground. Not sure if it's due to the material/coating of the rack or just the plastic of the locking system on the panniers. Wondering if someone makes some thin rubber covers for the mounting bits so I can reduce the rattle/creaking noises from them. Not sure what other solution there is other than deal with it.
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Sep 22, 2021 11:06
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A few wraps of electrical tape over the contact points on the rails?
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Sep 22, 2021 11:39
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very good idea, will give it a go when I get home
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Sep 22, 2021 14:22
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My chain jumped off today and somehow slipped underneath a bolt. I undid that bolt and fixed it, because I couldn't put it back otherwise, but how the heck did it slip in there in the first place? I'm worried my chain is otherwise damaged. Looking forward to winter so all these new bikers chicken out and I can commute without all these people not knowing how to bike. Those that stick out should learn in time I suppose. I shouldn't get annoyed but still.
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Sep 22, 2021 20:23
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100YrsofAttitude posted:My chain jumped off today and somehow slipped underneath a bolt. I undid that bolt and fixed it, because I couldn't put it back otherwise, but how the heck did it slip in there in the first place? A chainring bolt?
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Sep 22, 2021 20:29
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kimbo305 posted:A chainring bolt? Oh no sorry, it just jumped off the gear and somehow slipped beneath a bolt that fixes my back rack to the bike frame. There was no pulling it out from there, so I wondered how it managed to slide in there, in the first place. I had to slightly undo that bolt to give it enough room to be pulled out. Can't help but wonder if the chain somewhere is a bit warped due to it falling into that place in the first place.
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Sep 22, 2021 20:56
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The chain hitting the bolt under stress is going to behave differently than the chain when it's slack. I bet the chain elastically deformed a little and the frame/rack elastically deformed a little. Take a close look at the chain, but if you don't see any damage I bet it's fine to keep using.
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Sep 22, 2021 21:22
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Figured as much. It got me home just fine after I re-slotted it, changing gears with no difficulty.
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Sep 22, 2021 21:27
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Got a tour of my refurbished office buildings new cycling facilities yesterday. The bike racks are flimsy and a bit of a pain to use (45 degree angled, only lockable area is right by the bottom bracket). But they also added new changing rooms with lockers, showers, and a drying room with lockable cages, all right next to the bikes in the basement. I’m actually pleasantly surprised.
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Sep 23, 2021 20:53
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I bought a bike.  It's a Giant Revolt Advanced 3. I was going to buy the 2 but it sold before I got there on a day off. I also joined a local bike club and went out on a nice 30mi route with them. It has 37mm tires on it now and I'm not sure how much gravel I will actual do so I'm thinking about getting a set of 28mm tires for it and see how it goes. It's quite the upgrade from my 1987 Schwinnn and I'm enjoying it.
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Sep 29, 2021 02:12
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That's a really pretty bike and a nice chubby baby. If you're commuting with it I hope you have a nice secure place to lock it up because I would not leave that thing outdoors unattended! Also, for downsizing the tires would that work on existing rims? I'm not a bikspert Elsewhere, does anyone have that map tool that works better for bike routes than google maps? I'm looking at a trip this Friday that google says requires significant portions on boulevards that are not bike friendly and I want to plot out a safer route. A lot of my city seems to be connected by huge boulevards going East-West thanks to decades of hostile city planning efforts directed against black neighborhoods
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Sep 29, 2021 02:59
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ThirstyBuck posted:I bought a bike. nice bike and your kid looks like a real gear head  also from the c-spam car hating thread:
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Sep 29, 2021 03:46
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ThirstyBuck posted:I bought a bike. Sweet lookin ride, nice get. If you throw some road tires on at least go with 32s since you've got the clearance. Some 32mm GP5000s or GP 4 Seasons would make that a killer all day road bike. Guinness fucked around with this message at 04:18 on Sep 29, 2021 |
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Sep 29, 2021 03:58
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Thanks everyone. With the tires around 50-60 psi it’s super cushy compared to my other bikes. I’m not commuting on it right now, the Schwinn still handles the 6 miles a day to work. And the bike trailer It came on tubeless wheels so I was going to stay tubeless but with a more road oriented tire. I was looking at Giant’s own Gavia Fondo 1 or Course 1 tire. The GP 4 season looks perfect if I decide to add tubes.
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Sep 29, 2021 15:48
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ThirstyBuck posted:I bought a bike. Nice bike. Maybe it's the angle, maybe it's the bars, maybe both, but those brake hoods look like they're way the gently caress up there. Is that normal placement for gravel bikes? Or just personal preference?
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Sep 29, 2021 17:40
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I thought so at first glance, but I think it is mostly the shape of huge hydro levers. The transition from ramps to hoods doesn't look that bad (a little high). It at least looks a lot better than whatever is going on here in the other extreme. 
CopperHound fucked around with this message at 18:25 on Sep 29, 2021 |
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Sep 29, 2021 18:19
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Bike looks like fun. I do think the bars themselves are maybe rotated back more than I would expect, which is making the brifter look too high. Or it could be an optical illusion from the front wheel being angled a bit.
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Sep 29, 2021 19:20
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The bike is still set up stock as it was in the store a part from seat height so the bars have not been rotated but the hoods do look at little horny from that angle. Since someone mentioned brakes I’ll just add that I absolutely love these hydraulic brakes.
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Sep 29, 2021 20:22
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Mauser posted:That's a really pretty bike and a nice chubby baby. If you're commuting with it I hope you have a nice secure place to lock it up because I would not leave that thing outdoors unattended! Also, for downsizing the tires would that work on existing rims? I'm not a bikspert quote:Elsewhere, does anyone have that map tool that works better for bike routes than google maps? I'm looking at a trip this Friday that google says requires significant portions on boulevards that are not bike friendly and I want to plot out a safer route. A lot of my city seems to be connected by huge boulevards going East-West thanks to decades of hostile city planning efforts directed against black neighborhoods Albinator fucked around with this message at 20:54 on Sep 29, 2021 |
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Sep 29, 2021 20:47
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I have a line on a 1980s steel frame hub geared Dutch bike with the original Dynamo lights,, which in this country are as rare as rocking horse poo poo. It’s mid restoration and I can hopefully reserve it tomorrow and have a new winter commuter. 
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Sep 29, 2021 22:48
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ThirstyBuck posted:The bike is still set up stock as it was in the store a part from seat height so the bars have not been rotated but the hoods do look at little horny from that angle. Since someone mentioned brakes I’ll just add that I absolutely love these hydraulic brakes. Right on. If you're happy with it that's all that matters. For what it's worth I didn't mean to imply that you had hosed with it, but rather that the store had assembled it with the bars rotated a bit extra.
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Sep 30, 2021 00:08
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learnincurve posted:I have a line on a 1980s steel frame hub geared Dutch bike with the original Dynamo lights,, which in this country are as rare as rocking horse poo poo. It’s mid restoration and I can hopefully reserve it tomorrow and have a new winter commuter. Turns out it was earlier and not hub, just so old if you want to change gear you have to get off and move the chain by hand. Super awesome bit of history but not for commuting in Derbyshire.
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Sep 30, 2021 20:11
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What's a good lubricant for shifter cables? I replaced the cable a few months back and experienced almost telepathic shifting for a good while, but it's been deteriorating to the point that it wouldn't reliably go into the highest gear. I have naked wire along the frame tubes so it's really simple to slide the outer sheath sections around and wipe the inner wire down with some product or other. This time I reached for the can of PTFE spray, though I considered the light silicone oil too. Shifting is smooth again, but I'd like to use a lube that I won't need to reapply too often and one that won't attract too much dirt. (The only product I own that claims it's good for cables is the sticky oil I use on motorcycle chains but that proved to be way too thick for a bicycle shifter, unsurprisingly)
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Oct 15, 2021 08:00
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My new (to me) bike was cheap and is actually pretty good. Its some sort of Giant hybrid made in the last five years. However, Giant has cheaped out of the fender/rack eyelets - there are none. What is the best way to attach loads or extra crap to my bike without them?
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Oct 15, 2021 10:10
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yaffle posted:Giant has cheaped out of the fender/rack eyelets - there are none. What is the best way to attach loads or extra crap to my bike without them? I don't know if there's a best way, but a way is much better than no way. I was in a similar situation about 8 months ago with my trek MTB to civilized ebike commuter conversion.  At the bottom of the seat stays there were holes inside some kind of weird recessed conical cup thing. Not sure what they are meant for, but I doubt their intended purpose was a rack since they're not symmetrical left to right, but I used them anyways. I had to make some custom spacers. I had delrin round stock and a lathe so that's what I used but a stack of washers or a short length of tube would probably work good enough. Yes I know the bolts are too long I've only been putting off trimming them for the better part of a year sheesh. At least they're stainless.  On the upper part of the seat stays there was absolutely nothing of any help, so I used some stainless p-clamps. They've been working great. Not sure they're strong enough in compression that you'd get away with using them at the lower rack mount but lacking a better idea they definitely work. Also I should turn those bolts around because it would be neater. There are all sorts of other clamps out there, odds are you might find something that fits the frame well enough that you can mount the rack to, especially if the cross section of the frame is close to round. On my bakfiets I use a fitting meant for hydraulic hoses to clamp down around the seat post for example, it works perfectly. I also have a kickstand that clamps to the rear part of the chain stay. The stand itself is bullshit as is currently held together with JBweld but the clamp part of it is good and strong and came with various plastic spacers to fit different frame tube profiles that aren't circular and the whole thing was like 10bux on amazon, so you might look into that sort of thing. Yes my bike is dirty, I feel no shame 
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Oct 15, 2021 11:32
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My neck is really sore and I thought I had slept poorly and then I reread the thread title and now I wonder if it isn’t cycling.
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Oct 15, 2021 12:04
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My bike was making noise last night, there happened to be a bike store open along the way so I got some oil lube thrown on it and the bike is silent now and feels much better to pedal. The guy I bought it from swore by dry lube. Does the thread have opinions? How often do people clean the chain and relube?
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Oct 15, 2021 14:25
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There's too many variables to proclaim The One True Chainlube IMO. Dry lube is good for dry weather. Ride in the wet and wet lube becomes more attractive. In salty winter slush I like sticky grease myself, especially for internal gears. How often you need to clean a chain depends on how much you dislike replacing your drivetrain, and the type and amount of grit that sticks to you chain. I re-lube when I hear noise or see rust or when I feel guilty about it, others do chain maintenance after every ride. I hear lots of squeaky chains on my commute. (Countdown to someone evangelizing belt drive)
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Oct 15, 2021 15:04
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Is belt drive what it sounds like? E: It is, and it looks so wrong
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Oct 15, 2021 15:34
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Gates belt and never lube drivetrain again was my commuter solution.EvenWorseOpinions posted:E: It is, and it looks so wrong
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Oct 15, 2021 15:37
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Invalido posted:What's a good lubricant for shifter cables? I use lithium grease with good results. Not sure if that's verboten in the bicycle world, but it's doing well for me. I also use it on moto cables.
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Oct 15, 2021 15:37
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Someone recommended Rock n Roll Gold if you want a wet lube, which I now use because we get pretty consistent year-round rain here. The instructions say you can use it to clean the chain as well, which I've done because I'm lazy, but I'm not sure it fully replaces a good degrease and clean. When the chain starts getting dry or after getting rained on, I just spray some on and run it through a rag a bunch until it comes back cleaner, re-add and wipe off excess.
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Oct 15, 2021 18:15
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Nthing Rock n Roll gold. When you do service and clean your bike if its easy to get off and scrub down too. At least easier then the dry lubes I was using before. Mauser posted:The instructions say you can use it to clean the chain as well, which I've done because I'm lazy, but I'm not sure it fully replaces a good degrease and clean. Also this. It really doesn't replace a full scrub down but it does allow you to put it off a little longer.
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Oct 16, 2021 03:55
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Mauser posted:Someone recommended Rock n Roll Gold if you want a wet lube, which I now use because we get pretty consistent year-round rain here. The instructions say you can use it to clean the chain as well, which I've done because I'm lazy, but I'm not sure it fully replaces a good degrease and clean. When the chain starts getting dry or after getting rained on, I just spray some on and run it through a rag a bunch until it comes back cleaner, re-add and wipe off excess. Gold is great but isn't Rock n Roll Blue their wet weather lube?
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Oct 16, 2021 04:47
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Invalido posted:What's a good lubricant for shifter cables? Shimano recommends a silicone grease. If you use a grease you should be sure to use sealed ferrules to wipe the dust off of cables where they go into the housing. Many lubricants will cause the plastic lining to fail prematurely. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 16:22 on Oct 16, 2021 |
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Oct 16, 2021 16:19
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rngd in the womb posted:Gold is great but isn't Rock n Roll Blue their wet weather lube? looks like you're right. I'll probably grab a bottle of blue if I ever start commuting again.
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Oct 16, 2021 17:48
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I'm looking to convert my old 26" hardtail MTB into my main commuter/tooling around town bike. First thing I need are new tires, as the current ones are nearly worn out. I'm seeing decent prices for Conti Contact Speed in 42-59, anyone got experience with those or a recommendation? Riding probably 70% tarmac and 30% unpaved bike paths, plus it gets really wet later in the season.
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Oct 18, 2021 13:38
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In terms of feel, I thought they were very fast in 42 compared to any treaded tires I tried, and significantly faster than a Marathon, though that's not hard. I never rode them in lots of standing water or super wet conditions.
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Oct 18, 2021 14:47
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