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Splode
Jun 18, 2013

put some clothes on you little freak
Hello thread - I discovered a weird problem with my bike, and I was hoping for some pointers.

The bike is an aluminium frame, rear hub motor ebike. When I bought it, it had rim brakes and it became apparent immediately that the bike was too heavy for those - local bike shop suggested installing hydraulic disk brakes, which I agreed to. They're great! Fast forward several months later, and I get my first flat. I discover that the addition of the brake rotor means that the rear wheel doesn't really fit between the rear forks anymore, and getting it off and back on was extremely difficult (and nerve wracking given the aluminium frame).

I'd like to be able to change a flat by the side of the road, and I'd need to fix this for that to be feasible. A friend (who's a much better mechanic than I) suggested swapping from my current 1x7 gears to 1x6, and then adjusting the spokes of the wheel to recentre it. This should give me enough room to get the rear wheel in and out without any issues.

Here's where I'd like some advice - the current drivetrain is a shimano altus 7 speed. I don't think there is a 6 speed altus shifter, so I'd need to go to a shimano tourney one?
I'll also, obviously, need a new set of rear gears, with 6 rather than 7. Is there a way to determine if I've got a cassette or freewheel without removing the wheel? As I mentioned, getting it on and off is a big challenge currently, so I'd like to avoid that if I can. An alternative idea, is can I just remove one of my gears from my current set, or do they need to be evenly spaced to shift properly?
Finally - will I need a new derailleur, or will the current 7 speed altus be compatible with the new gears and shifter (as the shifter does the shifting)?
Is there somewhere easy to find all this compatibility information?

I'm also open to other ideas or warnings if this whole approach is a stupid idea.

Splode fucked around with this message at 14:04 on Apr 13, 2024

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tarlibone
Aug 1, 2014

Am I a... bad person?
AM I??




Fun Shoe
Derailleurs are dumb; as long as it fits and can move across the gears, that derailleur should work with fewer gears. All of the indexing occurs in the shifter.

It should be easy to tell if you have a freewheel or cassette. There are a bunch of YouTube videos about it. It might be harder in your case because of the e-bike-specific components that might be blocking your view, though. That said, I'm willing to bet it's a freewheel hub.

Havana Affair
Apr 6, 2009
You should post some pictures about what's going on. How have they mounted the disc brake to your bike? Is the hub somehow wider than before? You probably have a freewheel on your bike and I don't see how swapping to a 6 speed is gonna help if you don't space the hub differently on the axle and that might not be possible to do because of the motor.

tarlibone posted:

Derailleurs are dumb; as long as it fits and can move across the gears, that derailleur should work with fewer gears. All of the indexing occurs in the shifter.

This is not true. The derailleur has to have the correct ratio or it won't index with the shifter. All 6 to 9 Shimano deraillers have the same ratio but a different brand or a 10 speed model wouldn't index correctly.

Havana Affair fucked around with this message at 15:00 on Apr 13, 2024

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

Havana Affair posted:

You should post some pictures about what's going on. How have they mounted the disc brake to your bike? Is the hub somehow wider than before?

Yeah, it would be strange but I suppose not inconceivable if the shop decided to shove in a wider hub motor wheel just because it had a rotor mount. But also strange that the frame would come with disc brake mounts but not be sourced with disc brake out of the factory.

E: assuming you’re on a front disc brake, swapping back to rim brake in the back wouldn’t change your braking force that much. Assuming you have proper braking technique. Still wears the expensive wheel though.

Splode posted:

I discover that the addition of the brake rotor means that the rear wheel doesn't really fit between the rear forks anymore, and getting it off and back on was extremely difficult (and nerve wracking given the aluminium frame).

If you’re having to spread the frame a couple mm to get the hub loose, that’s not too bad. Assuming it’s not a issue with accessories (rack, fender, trailer mount), the wheel be able to pull straight down given that the rotor is spinning freely in the caliper.

kimbo305 fucked around with this message at 17:07 on Apr 13, 2024

spf3million
Sep 27, 2007

hit 'em with the rhythm
Can we get a photo of the wheel in question?

Platystemon
Feb 13, 2012

BREADS
X-post OSHA thread

https://i.imgur.com/JssExHz.mp4

https://i.imgur.com/8HtpG9v.mp4

corona familiar
Aug 13, 2021


wonder if those wolves would show up on those newfangled rear radars (for the 2 seconds before they knock you off)

hope the Levi's gran fondo riders are doing alright, seems like kind of a crummy day for biking

Splode
Jun 18, 2013

put some clothes on you little freak
Excellent thanks for the advice everyone!

Sorry, another absolute monster of a post follows:

it sounds like I can keep the derailleur, but will need to replace the shifter as expected - to confirm, can I be really dodgy and just remove one of the gears, or do I need a new full set? As its an ebike, my need for gears is odd: when it has battery, it basically lives in the high gear to go as fast as possible, but in the event I run out of battery, it becomes a very heavy bike, and the very lowest gears tend to get used instead - so the middle gears really don't see much use at all. Given the ability to remove a gear of my choice, I'd probably remove the 3rd gear, but if I have to keep a straight sequence, I'd lose 1st gear, as the little high gear is absolutely indispensable, and tbh if I could get an even smaller one, I would (unlikely, its already very small, and I wouldn't want to make the front gear much bigger as its already quite close to the ground).
I took some photos:
(caption for each photo is under the photo)



This is the bike itself. Specific model is an Independent Torquay from a local company around here (I'm in Australia), but lets face it its likely some branded standard chinese frame with standard off the shelf parts. Annoyingly, and in a way that's making me question my hold on reality, it now appears that this model is sold with disks standard. Fundamentally this issue could have always been present, and the rear forks were just made too close together - I have heard that bike frames can have pretty wide variations from their nominal dimensions.


Rear view, left side of the rear wheel. These spacers were all necessary to ensure that the disk rotor aligns with the caliper.
Notably, the caliper cannot move any more to the left: it is already all the way up against its slot holes. Filing those holes out would give me a at best a mm before the rotor was interfering with the frame itself. In theory I could grind that down too but I don't have a grinder and that's all seeming like a very sketchy option I don't really want to try.


A shot of the rear brake caliper, for a bit more context.


Rear view, right side of the rear wheel. There's only the inside, location-locking washer as a spacer here. It is necessary before the gears/chain catch on the frame.


view looking down on left side of rear wheel.


Close up of left side spacers


Straight on view of the right side of the rear wheel


View looking down on right side of rear wheel.

I am hoping those show everything necessary?

So my next steps are to determine what I need to get for the gears - can I bodge my existing set, or do I need to order a whole new set, and if so, is it a cassette or freewheel. As before, all comments are welcomed!

--

Answering some specific comments:

kimbo305 posted:

Yeah, it would be strange but I suppose not inconceivable if the shop decided to shove in a wider hub motor wheel just because it had a rotor mount. But also strange that the frame would come with disc brake mounts but not be sourced with disc brake out of the factory.

E: assuming you’re on a front disc brake, swapping back to rim brake in the back wouldn’t change your braking force that much. Assuming you have proper braking technique. Still wears the expensive wheel though.

If you’re having to spread the frame a couple mm to get the hub loose, that’s not too bad. Assuming it’s not a issue with accessories (rack, fender, trailer mount), the wheel be able to pull straight down given that the rotor is spinning freely in the caliper.

The shop who did the break upgrade was not the same shop I bought it from (the guy I bought it from extremely gave off the vibe he didn't want to do any bike repair/service work, only sell bikes - in hindsight, a red flag, but I was extremely new to bikes when I bought it). There's almost no way the shop who installed the hydraulic brakes replaced the wheel or motor.
This bike appears to be sold with disks standard now, which is annoying. I presume the original intent was for the guy selling the bikes to save some money, but clearly, I wasn't the only one who discovered that the rim brakes were completely inadequate. Hindsight is 2020 and all, but if I had my time again, I'd have gone back to him and asked for disks. He really wasn't nice to deal with however, and the shop I did use for this install have been a lot more approachable and helpful.

Unfortunately, it's a just enough mm that it is beyond my personal strength to jam the wheel in without using a push clamp to hold the frame for me while I get it in. Being an e-bike, my current solution is to just have a push clamp in my pannier all the time, but this is a bit poo poo, and I'd really like to be able to just pop the wheels on and off easily, as you would any other bike. I am a little bit concerned about the extra stress on the frame, and I also will be the one servicing the bike going forward, as I've been volunteering at a local bike coop, so I can do it myself with their tools and save a fair amount of cash.

Havana Affair posted:

You should post some pictures about what's going on. How have they mounted the disc brake to your bike? Is the hub somehow wider than before? You probably have a freewheel on your bike and I don't see how swapping to a 6 speed is gonna help if you don't space the hub differently on the axle and that might not be possible to do because of the motor.

This is not true. The derailleur has to have the correct ratio or it won't index with the shifter. All 6 to 9 Shimano deraillers have the same ratio but a different brand or a 10 speed model wouldn't index correctly.

I hope these photos help. From what I can tell, I think they just slid the disk rotor onto the axle: this means, while the axle, of course, isn't wider in total, the total amount of poo poo that needs to be between the rear forks has increased: all the original components, + the new rotor. Its also possible that they added spacers to ensure that the rotor lines up with the calipers, unfortunately I didn't take any photos before I had this done, so I don't have a point of comparison.

I did know that derailleurs must have the right ratio between how much the cable can move vs how much they move, and that for sizes above 9(?), chains and gear spacing gets narrower and thus derailleurs need to follow suit. As I am going from 7 to 6, and sticking with shimano, it sounds like I'll be fine with my current derailleur, but yes I was unsure, which is why I asked. Thanks for giving the specific details about where it could be an issue. I am also aware that all manufacturers have use different ratios, so you can't mix and match brands - that was another reason I wanted to check, as I wasn't 100% sure if shimano maintained the same ratio between families, but it sounds like they do, and the tourney shifter will be ok with the altus derailleur. Thankyou Shimano for not doing something dumb.

Splode fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Apr 14, 2024

PolishPandaBear
Apr 10, 2009
Are you sure the upgrade wasn't from mechanical disk to hydraulic disk? It does look like Independent has some product photos on their website with mechanical disks.

I don't see anywhere where rim brakes would mount, and there doesn't appear to be any wear on the "brake track" of the rims.

Splode
Jun 18, 2013

put some clothes on you little freak

PolishPandaBear posted:

Are you sure the upgrade wasn't from mechanical disk to hydraulic disk? It does look like Independent has some product photos on their website with mechanical disks.

I don't see anywhere where rim brakes would mount, and there doesn't appear to be any wear on the "brake track" of the rims.

It's entirely possible - I can find no mention of rim brakes anywhere online either. And I don't think there's a hole in the frame to mount the rim brake caliper. I knew almost nothing about bikes when I bought it and had this upgrade done. I'm beginning to seriously doubt my memory.

This changes the story - the bike had this issue from birth and the local shop did nothing wrong. However, it doesn't change the problem, or the solution, does it?

If I knew then what I know now, I likely would've bought a different bike entirely (I do not really need the folding frame after all), but this one is serving me well, so I'd like to get it perfect.

Havana Affair
Apr 6, 2009
Ok, I'm guessing they added the extra spacers so the disk will clear the frame. So you would remove spacers from the other side to return the width to what it was but you have to first get the freewheel off to see if there's anything to remove. There might not be any. Getting a freewheel with less gears might help if the current one doesn't clear the frame after moving the spacers but might not be needed. You can't remove any gears from the one you have. Then you also would have to redish the wheel and working on that wheel is gonna be awful - though with the extra spacers it's already off center so it might be good enough.

I also wonder if they've just swapped a different type of disc brake for you as there doesn't seem to be any mounts for a rim brake. In that case it might be that they've also put in a disc with bigger diameter that needs the extra clearance and causes the problem. Going back to the smaller size would reduce braking power a bit.

vikingstrike
Sep 23, 2007

whats happening, captain
Nvm

Splode
Jun 18, 2013

put some clothes on you little freak

Havana Affair posted:

Ok, I'm guessing they added the extra spacers so the disk will clear the frame. So you would remove spacers from the other side to return the width to what it was but you have to first get the freewheel off to see if there's anything to remove. There might not be any. Getting a freewheel with less gears might help if the current one doesn't clear the frame after moving the spacers but might not be needed. You can't remove any gears from the one you have. Then you also would have to redish the wheel and working on that wheel is gonna be awful - though with the extra spacers it's already off center so it might be good enough.

I also wonder if they've just swapped a different type of disc brake for you as there doesn't seem to be any mounts for a rim brake. In that case it might be that they've also put in a disc with bigger diameter that needs the extra clearance and causes the problem. Going back to the smaller size would reduce braking power a bit.

Yeah, there's no spacers left to remove on the gear side. Good to know that I do indeed have to buy a new set of gears - I'd assumed as much.

Redishing the wheel will be necessary but I'm ok with that. Why do you think this wheel will be awful to work on? I trued my first (very normal) wheel recently so I'm not familiar with what makes some wheels easy and others hard. I really appreciate warnings like this.

I think you're all correct, and they just swapped from one kind of disk brake to another. My current theory is that the bike had this issue new. I never removed the wheels until I got this flat, long after I'd bought it and the brake had been modified, so it absolutely could've always been like this and the bike shop just didn't bother telling me about it. In fact they may have told me and I just didn't care, and then forgot, as at the time I wasn't confident in my ability to do a roadside flat repair on any bike, let alone this one, and figured if I got a flat, I'd fold it up and call a cab, or walk it home.

Thanks again everyone for providing so much expertise and advice.

Splode fucked around with this message at 05:15 on Apr 14, 2024

Havana Affair
Apr 6, 2009
There might be spacers under the freewheel on the axle but you have to remove the freewheel first to see them. If you aren't touching those a new freewheel won't change anything.

I'm guessing it's a pain in the rear end to true since usually those tiny motor wheels already have really high spoke tensions and short and thick spokes and the rim being so wide and stiff makes it very hard to adjust. Very different from a normal wheel.

Looking at the pictures they couldn't have put in a smaller disc since the brake saddle seems to sit as low as possible so it's probably an issue with how the new saddle sits in the frame. Or it very well might have been like this from new.

Splode
Jun 18, 2013

put some clothes on you little freak

Havana Affair posted:

There might be spacers under the freewheel on the axle but you have to remove the freewheel first to see them. If you aren't touching those a new freewheel won't change anything.

I'm guessing it's a pain in the rear end to true since usually those tiny motor wheels already have really high spoke tensions and short and thick spokes and the rim being so wide and stiff makes it very hard to adjust. Very different from a normal wheel.

Looking at the pictures they couldn't have put in a smaller disc since the brake saddle seems to sit as low as possible so it's probably an issue with how the new saddle sits in the frame. Or it very well might have been like this from new.

surely a freewheel with 6 gears would reduce the stack up of stuff between the rear forks by the thickness of one gear?

Noted about high spoke tension and thick spokes.

This is all partially an exercise to help me learn more about bikes generally. There is a strong case for me to just live with it. I did go ~1200km without a flat, and when I did get a flat, it was a slow puncture (I made it home and discovered the flat the next morning), and on the inside of the tube: a spoke had done it, I believe when I didn't avoid a big pothole in time while I was pulling a trailer of cargo. The tires were fine, and are puncture resistant. I still very much have the option to do nothing at all, or to find and install some tougher rim tape.
I would like the peace of mind of knowing I can do a roadside flat repair should I ever need to, but also this whole adventure has helped me to learn a lot about different drive train compatibility issues, and is motivating me to learn a lot more about wheel design, maintenance, and modifications.

Also next time I buy a bike I am going to make them take the rear wheel off in front of me to prove it hasn't been jammed in with a hydraulic press.

Havana Affair
Apr 6, 2009
The freewheel sits on the hub, not between the hub and the frame. If you were to remove the freewheel altogether the hub still wouldn't fit to the frame any better than right now.

Splode
Jun 18, 2013

put some clothes on you little freak

Havana Affair posted:

The freewheel sits on the hub, not between the hub and the frame. If you were to remove the freewheel altogether the hub still wouldn't fit to the frame any better than right now.

Oh I see, if I went to 6 gears, the extra space would be between the last gear and the spokes, and the total width would be the same. Bugger.

Hadlock
Nov 9, 2004

HamburgerTownUSA posted:

If it has a quill stem from that old, it's going to be 1" threaded.

There are both 1" threaded and 1" threadless carbon forks out there, and 1" threaded and threadless headsets.

Some of my older bikes (which is most of my bikes) have 1" threaded carbon forks on them, and some I converted to 1" threadless by switching to a threadless headset so I could use modern stems (with a 1" to 1-1/8" spacer).

It just comes down to what you ultimately want to do and availability of parts. It's probably going to be easier to find a 1" threadless fork nowadays, and threadless is going to be easier for you to swap poo poo around to get the right fit unless you already know what you need as far as a quill stem (unless you get one of those threadless quill stem adapters). Threadless ending up being easier for me to deal with in general, because I ride a generally smaller bike frame, so all the threaded forks I was finding were for bikes with way larger headtubes so the threaded part of the steerer tube didn't go down far enough to actually reach my headset without a shitload of spacers. That then made it easy for me to find forks because I could get a threadless fork, or a bigass threaded fork and just cut off the threaded part.

I've linked this before, but here's my retro-roadie 1994 Performance R-204, converted to 1" threadless: https://www.pedalroom.com/bike/1994-performance-r-204-di2-22182 by switching the headset to a Cane Creek threadless headset. Most of that stuff then got swapped over to my 1987 Centurion Lemans RS until the frame broke:



It sounds like you've done this before

Can you throw me some part numbers for what you recommend. I'm dad bod these days so it's gonna take me a while to get to "slam that stem" shape again. I'm pretty average build. I guess I'll need headset gear and a fork

In addition to that trek, I have a lead on a Vitus 979 which I guess is a French top of the line press-fit aluminum bike that's epoxied in place for good measure? The only downside is it has a powder blue frame (:france:), and all my bikes since I was 6 years old have been red

The Trek of course is red

Other benefits to a red bike vs powder blue, is that the red bike stands out, whereas the powder blue is practically camouflage against these asphalt roads in my hood

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

Splode posted:

Unfortunately, it's a just enough mm that it is beyond my personal strength to jam the wheel in without using a push clamp to hold the frame for me while I get it in. Being an e-bike, my current solution is to just have a push clamp in my pannier all the time, but this is a bit poo poo, and I'd really like to be able to just pop the wheels on and off easily, as you would any other bike. I am a little bit concerned about the extra stress on the frame, and I also will be the one servicing the bike going forward, as I've been volunteering at a local bike coop, so I can do it myself with their tools and save a fair amount of cash.

My best guess is that the manufacturer incorrectly specced the brake mount position by a bit, and adding the extra washers got juuuust enough clearance to make it work. I totally empathize with your fear on effects of having that kind of stress on the rear triangle, particularly how the bridge plate is welded between the two chainstays.

As has been said, how spread apart your frame is depends on the total axle width.

quote:

A friend (who's a much better mechanic than I) suggested swapping from my current 1x7 gears to 1x6, and then adjusting the spokes of the wheel to recentre it. This should give me enough room to get the rear wheel in and out without any issues.
This could only work if you had a different axle width. You could try to find a new wheel, which is complicated by compability issues with the rest of your electric system, I presume. And honestly, axle widths should be pretty standardized. I mean, I place more faith in that being 135mm (pre spacers) in your situation vs the frame being all correct.

I'm not sure how much this could help your particular clearance issue, but to try to reduce net axle width, you could try filing a half mm off the drive side axle lock nut (the rightmost nut):

Yes, that would definitely get tolerances even more uncomfortably close with your current freewheel.
If you got a 6 or 5 that were significantly narrower, you could even file down the spacer under the locknut, assuming you have one.
At a couple mm at most of lateral shift achieved by that, I probably wouldn't bother redishing the wheel.


Personally, I might also slightly file down the sharp edges of the outer most washers / nuts, just to help them from catching on the dropout geometry as you're trying to shove in both sides simultaneously.
That and thinning the locknut a bit would not make me feel like I was making the overall system more at risk of breaking. But you're also not really achieving much change.

Splode
Jun 18, 2013

put some clothes on you little freak
Wow thanks that really helps.

I think I'm going to have to give up and live with it. I could try and pick a fight with the company that sold me the bike, but given I already messed with the brake system, I doubt I'd get very far.

I believe that aluminium frames are heat treated, so modifying the frame to widen the distance between the forks is not feasible.

It appears that messing with the gear side of the wheel is also not really feasible. Replacing the rear wheel entirely is not worth it - I'd just get a new bike and sell this one instead.

It does seem like loving with the brake side is a somewhat feasible. So the best I could do would be to file the brake mount position, allowing me to remove some of the spacers on that side. Next weekend I might brave removing the wheel and having another look at exactly how much material I could safely remove from the brake mount, and if that's going to be enough to take it from "drat near impossible, and also, is this frame about to crack" to "annoying but doable with enough swearing". I'm not entirely sure how many mm I actually need, so something else I'll probably do is actually try and measure everything. I agree: it's far more likely that the axle width is some standard (135mm or otherwise) and the frame ends up being out of spec. If its super obvious, I might have a case to go back to the manufacturer and go "hey man what the hell"

Thanks again, everyone in this thread who's helped me. You've given me some really great advice, and you've now saved me from going down a difficult and ultimately doomed path. I'll be sure to update the thread if I make any progress or discoveries because I am sure at least a few of you are morbidly curious now.

edit:


Using an image I uploaded earlier, I've taken the width of that larger spacer (green box) and moved it to the brake mount. obviously there's some perspective stuff I am ignoring here, its not exact: but for this to work I might have to remove quite a lot of material: not just slot out the brake caliper bolt holes more (that's fine) but also grind off a few mm of the mounts themselves. That seems... risky.

I think my plan is going to be to take out the rear wheel, measure the distance between the forks, take a photo of the measurement and then call up the original manufacturer and make them find a solution. Because if the frame is out of spec then its there problem.

Splode fucked around with this message at 07:33 on Apr 14, 2024

Platystemon
Feb 13, 2012

BREADS
If only someone made an offset brake rotor.

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

Splode posted:


Using an image I uploaded earlier, I've taken the width of that larger spacer (green box) and moved it to the brake mount. obviously there's some perspective stuff I am ignoring here, its not exact: but for this to work I might have to remove quite a lot of material: not just slot out the brake caliper bolt holes more (that's fine) but also grind off a few mm of the mounts themselves. That seems... risky.
Take some closeups of how well those are welded to the chainstay. From the non-driveside shot, they look pretty beefy.
Another thing you have working in your favor is that the caliper grabbing the rotor causes the caliper to push down into the mounts, so there shouldn't a huge stress on the filed face.
The front mount looks entirely clear of the rotor, which helps.
I'd be willing to do some filing primarily because it's the rear rotor, so you still have more braking force up front if things suddenly fail.
Even so, I'd be filing to a very smooth finish to make sure no cracks start at the filed edges.

quote:

I think my plan is going to be to take out the rear wheel, measure the distance between the forks, take a photo of the measurement and then call up the original manufacturer and make them find a solution. Because if the frame is out of spec then its there problem.

It's tricky with the rotor and bulky hub in the way, but try to measure the total width of the axle as well as:
- the offset from the non-driveside locknut to the face of the rotor mount (behind the rotor itself, but you can add 1.9mm for a rotor if you measure to the rotor face)
- the offset from the outermost spacer to the face of the rotor mount

The former is supposed to be 15mm. If the frame is correctly made, then maybe the latter is 15mm and you have a bad hub configuration.
If the former is 15mm, then the frame is definitely janky.

Platystemon
Feb 13, 2012

BREADS
It’s got a small wheel and friggin’ huge stay bridges just beyond the radius of the wheel, so it’s no wonder that it’s hard to spread the dropouts even a little.

Cactus Ghost
Dec 20, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 3 hours!
does anyone make new downtube friction shifters or am i stuck digging through parts bins for increasingly rare finds

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

Cactus Ghost posted:

does anyone make new downtube friction shifters or am i stuck digging through parts bins for increasingly rare finds

https://www.rivbike.com/products/z4449999jz-lsdkj

If you want 11spd range, something like this:
https://www.somafabshop.com/shop/ene-ciclo-downtube-shifters-11-sp-8-9-10sp-2627

https://www.somafabshop.com/shop/590713-ene-ciclo-uno-bar-end-shifter-rear-only-12-sp-8272

kimbo305 fucked around with this message at 19:08 on Apr 14, 2024

Cactus Ghost
Dec 20, 2003
Probation
Can't post for 3 hours!
amazing, thank you

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud
Apr 7, 2003


First ride after getting a new chain on the bike is always nice

Salt Fish
Sep 11, 2003

Cybernetic Crumb

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud posted:

First ride after getting a new chain on the bike is always nice

Yeah its great, and then the 2nd ride isn't great, and then its time to clean it again.

This is what they don't tell you about gravel riding.

wooger
Apr 16, 2005

YOU RESENT?

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud posted:

First ride after getting a new chain on the bike is always nice

Same every time if you wax your chain.

You at least took the packing grease off with degreaser or something before riding right?

Pittsburgh Fentanyl Cloud
Apr 7, 2003


wooger posted:

Same every time if you wax your chain.

You at least took the packing grease off with degreaser or something before riding right?

Zep Orange + Muc-off ceramic lube

The old chains were just pretty stretched and you really don't notice it happening over time because it's so gradual. Then you get that new chain and every shift is magical

corona familiar
Aug 13, 2021

went for a bike ride today and saw an identical model parked outside the ferry building in SF



there are two of us!

corona familiar fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Apr 15, 2024

Residency Evil
Jul 28, 2003

4/5 godo... Schumi
Figure this is as good a thread to ask in as any: does anyone have any experience with those Strider-style bikes for toddlers? It seems like the Woom bikes get the best reviews, but are also significantly more expensive and I'm not sure how much it matters for something he'll be using for a year.

wooger
Apr 16, 2005

YOU RESENT?

Residency Evil posted:

Figure this is as good a thread to ask in as any: does anyone have any experience with those Strider-style bikes for toddlers? It seems like the Woom bikes get the best reviews, but are also significantly more expensive and I'm not sure how much it matters for something he'll be using for a year.
Get one used from a kid that’s grown out of it, from a local neighbourhood group. Facebook or whatever.

Save the planet, save your wallet.

in a well actually
Jan 26, 2011

dude, you gotta end it on the rhyme

Residency Evil posted:

Figure this is as good a thread to ask in as any: does anyone have any experience with those Strider-style bikes for toddlers? It seems like the Woom bikes get the best reviews, but are also significantly more expensive and I'm not sure how much it matters for something he'll be using for a year.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/hotwalk-carbon they were $1k new

(They're all fine.)

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

in a well actually posted:

(They're all fine.)

Some don't have good geometry, or have a really wide platform at the "bottom bracket" junction for perching your feet, which interferes with the initial walking along learning part.

This side is imo the definitive resource for bikes for young kids, and has a lot of info on balance bikes:
https://www.twowheelingtots.com/balance-bike-comparison-chart/

The only problem is that for newer bikes that enter the market, the authors don't have the same set of [their own] kids to do in-depth testing with.

Hutzpah
Nov 6, 2009
Fun Shoe

Residency Evil posted:

Figure this is as good a thread to ask in as any: does anyone have any experience with those Strider-style bikes for toddlers? It seems like the Woom bikes get the best reviews, but are also significantly more expensive and I'm not sure how much it matters for something he'll be using for a year.

Both of my kids started riding a strider bike when they were 2, and they were both able to ride a regular pedal bike by 4. The strider bikes are awesome at teaching them the balance that they need to ride a real bike. I'd recommend skipping the training wheels step entirely and just going from the strider bike to a real bike.

With kids bikes used is the way to go, as they grow out of them so fast. I have a strider bike collecting dust in my garage waiting for an interested friend of family member to want it.

edit: not that you should get a carbon strider (https://striderbikes.com/st-r/) but I would recommend a lighter balance bike because you'll end up carrying it when they decide they want to walk or when you have to carry them on your shoulders AND carry the bike AND carry the backpack full of waters/snacks that you brought to the playground with you.

Hutzpah fucked around with this message at 16:08 on Apr 15, 2024

Residency Evil
Jul 28, 2003

4/5 godo... Schumi

wooger posted:

Get one used from a kid that’s grown out of it, from a local neighbourhood group. Facebook or whatever.

Save the planet, save your wallet.

Oh yeah, definitely looking used. The world does not need another bike to sit in a year.

kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

Hutzpah posted:

I'd recommend skipping the training wheels step entirely and just going from the strider bike to a real bike.
Most balance bike companies promote this direct path, with perhaps a more awkward phase of having to teach them the pedal motion in a "trainer" setup where the bike is off the ground.
But I agree that adding in a training wheels phase would interrupt a more natural progression. Not to mention most training wheeled bikes are heavier and assume a larger stronger kid when the training wheels come off.

quote:

edit: not that you should get a carbon strider (https://striderbikes.com/st-r/) but I would recommend a lighter balance bike because you'll end up carrying it when they decide they want to walk or when you have to carry them on your shoulders AND carry the bike AND carry the backpack full of waters/snacks that you brought to the playground with you.
I had a normal Strider with wheels and real tires for better grip, and that weighed about 7.5lbs. Then got an Aliexpress carbon balance bike that was just under 5lbs or so.
That weight difference was extremely appreciated with all the lugging around I did of it. I thought it was totally worth it. It was $300, and I'd gladly sell it on cheap, but it's already on loan to a friend.

Mind you, I got the Strider for $40 used, so can't beat that price. The Strider Pro alu model is 5.6lbs at $190 but still comes with those less grippy foam tires.

Residency Evil
Jul 28, 2003

4/5 godo... Schumi

kimbo305 posted:

Then got an Aliexpress carbon balance bike that was just under 5lbs or so.
That weight difference was extremely appreciated with all the lugging around I did of it. I thought it was totally worth it.

"Oh I didn't think of aliexpress I bet a carbon balance bike there is cheap and that'd be kind of funny and adorable"

quote:

It was $300

oh.

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kimbo305
Jun 9, 2007

actually, yeah, I am a little mad

Residency Evil posted:

"Oh I didn't think of aliexpress I bet a carbon balance bike there is cheap and that'd be kind of funny and adorable"

oh.

You gotta think the labor for making a 12" fork is not much less than a 700c one. It's got a one-piece bar-stem, even.

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