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My wife has been bummed because she can't keep up with me on the bike. I've planned routes and even half-loops that are easier on her, but she feels like she's slowing me down when I'm just happy that she's able to come out. Nothing wrong with a slow ride once in a while, after all. I like to take it easy when I'm in the mood. Let's me roll all night. Well, her last job had to buy out her hefty PTO balance because staffing issues prevented her from using anything beyond a sick day or maybe a day or two of PTO to pad out a weekend. I jokingly said, "somebody's getting an ebike!" when she made me look at her last paycheck. She laughed then, but then she saw how much fun I had on the I Scream For Iced Cream ride a few weeks back, and she wants in. Her RA prevents her from training as much as she'd like, but this thing right here should get her going:  It was on sale, probably to make room for the next model. The dang thing is heavy as a proverbial fucker of mothers, but it was within our budget for an entry-level ebike ranking higher than "holy crap Walmart sells ebikes now?" but below around two kilodollars. It ain't the fanciest by a long stretch, but for rolling on pavement and stuff, it should be more than adequate. The shop also had what I think they called Class 3 ebikes, which apparently offer assist up to 28 miles per hour. I didn't even know that was a thing.
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Aug 7, 2022 21:54
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Yesterday, I got a call from E-ville, Illinois, and I calmed myself and answered the phone... and it was a plumbing service I've used, offering to come out and maintain my HVAC system. Poop. Today, the bike shop in E-ville called, and they had a much happier message. So, I skipped back day at the gym to go and pick up babby's first road bike.   For an entry-level bike, I'm a little amazed at how light it is and how smooth it shifts. Took a few tries to get the seat height right (they had someone there watching me zip around), and it still might need to come up a little more, but this works for now. I love the gearing. It's weird feeling the bike lurch forward when I really lean into the pedals, but I'll get used to it. It came with basic platform pedals, so those'll do for right now, especially since I'm still getting used to how the shifting works. The guy there told me that I'll definitely want to upgrade when I notice the fatigue, but since this is my first road bike, I might want to get used to riding it first. tarlibone fucked around with this message at 02:40 on Aug 18, 2022 |
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Aug 18, 2022 02:38
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That's neat. Reminds me a little of my Escape, except for the shocks up front. You planning on doing some off-roading?
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Aug 19, 2022 02:49
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I have to read these posts several times to stop my brain from parsing "Eroica" as "Erotica."
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Nov 3, 2022 22:13
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The new bike is here, and professionally assembled! Just a couple of cosmetic issues with the seat and one of the pedals; other than that, it's pretty much what I was expecting: a cool, retro-ish chro-moly framed single speed that I can convert to a knee-busting fixie if I so choose.  I rode it around the block a few times, which was fun because I live on a road with a decent incline. But, I had to get back to work, and we have rain for the next... [checks phone]... forever. Of course. It's like when I buy a telescope. Still, this is a nice bike. The seat is comfortable in street clothes so far, but I haven't really tested it out yet. I probably won't be doing any centuries on this, but I like it. I love that blue and yellow. The only thing I don't care for are the grips. I'm going to look for something different, maybe with tassels, maybe without.
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Mar 23, 2023 23:20
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Hoopy Frood posted:On that note, here's a story in three parts: That's wild! First, I love the bike. But, this is the second time today I've seen one of those. I did a 30-mile ride today (no thanks to some sketchy navigation from Wahoo), and when I was packing things up to drive home after getting off the trails, a runner came jogging off the same trail and walked toward his SUV. On the back, locked up as tightly as I guess you can with a good bike carrier, was one of these bikes. I don't know if the color was the same, but it was definitely this model. I'm guessing he's a triathlete. I wonder where he's going to go swimming? (in the Midwest of the US, even though today was warm, the water in any nearby lake is still far too cold for a comfortable or safe swim.
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Apr 9, 2023 22:34
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Assless Chaps posted:I got a new bike last Saturday! I upgraded from my flat-bar Liv Rove 4 to a Specialized Diverge Elite E5. It's my first gravel bike and my first with drop bars, and the difference between the two bikes is crazy. I took it out for a quick spin on Saturday and a ~35-mile ride on Sunday, and I'm in love. I went over my modest budget by a bit, but NO REGERTS. I like the bike, and your pic has informed me of what sounds like a cool trail system upstate. That color reminds me of Fender's Seafoam Green, which I always thought was cool, but which I know I could never pull off myself.
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Apr 13, 2023 23:37
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:New bike day Well? We're waiting! Dot giff. Edit: ... apparently, the hospital wifi doesn't want me to see images!
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Apr 20, 2023 18:03
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frogbs posted:If my local craigslist is anything to go by, I think tandems can be kind of hard to sell, especially if they're priced high. It's also pretty niche, there's not that many people looking to ruin their relationship or get divorced because of a bike. My wife and I call tandem bikes "divorce starter kits".
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Jun 26, 2023 13:47
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The only bike I've ever been able to ride no-handed for more than a couple seconds at a time is my road bike, which has the shortest wheelbase of any of my bikes. And I'm going all the way back to when I was a little kid.
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Jul 6, 2023 13:41
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Mederlock posted:So my wife and I recently decided we'd like to get into cycling, and having not ridden since we were kids we had to buy some bikes. We love the look of old vintage road bikes, but didn't want to pay the $400-$800+(all dollar figures will be in CAD That's great. I've been thinking about getting an old steel 10-speed and fixing it up. Plenty of Raleigh bikes pop up on Facebook Marketplace, and old (but not vintage) Schwinns. The main thing that makes me hesitate is the fear that I'll end up with something for which compatible upgrade parts just don't exist. Great job on the bikes.
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Jul 7, 2023 05:49
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money) for one in fully serviced, good condition.
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Slavvy posted:I got my bike dirty today, maybe I'll wash it tomorrow Neat. I love that frame bag. Oh, and here's some bike pic tax, cross-posted from the other thread. Christmas: The Bike. (The wheel lights are color morphing.)  
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Aug 27, 2023 05:06
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Look at that sweet, sweet rack on that hot little thing over there. I'm a pack rat. I like being prepared for breakdowns or flats, and on a road bike, you only have so much room. I can manage with a nice saddle bag and handlebar bag, but when it comes time to do an unsupported metric century, I have to get really creative to plan convenience store rest stops at logical places along the route. Now, that won't be an issue. And, next time I hit Good News along the Katy Trail, I'll be able to make a proper beer run! I had the folks at the LBS do the main install. Attaching a rack to a D-Fuse-equipped bike requires one of two special seatpost adapters. A while back, I got one from the shop, but it's the wrong one--it goes on the frame and acts like the seatpost clamp and isn't compatible with my bike. The LBS did have the right part, though, soI let them deal with the rack install. When I got home, I adjusted the pitch of the shelf--they had it sloping away from the bike, so I fixed that. I'm not going to use this as a grocery-getter or anything, since I have a bike that's better suited and equipped for that. But with the MTX trunks I have, this bike is now capable of more than just road riding. Keen!
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Sep 11, 2023 00:56
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Here's my wife's new (not elictric) bike. The color is really nice, and it had some nicer mech than my road bike. 
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Oct 7, 2023 23:58
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New bike day!  I hope you can tell it's from State; I feel like they could have put their wordmark on it more so you don't mistake it for something else. Darkness was falling by the time I got home, but I did ride it up the hill and back down, and that was pretty fun. The shifter is not what I'm used to; up-shifting is a single click in, and down-shifting is done by moving the shifter even further in so that it clicks twice. Maybe that's a SRAM thing? I only have experience with Shimano road shifter levers, and these are supposed to be SRAM-compatible. It's got a 1×11 drivetrain, and while the lowest gear is just 1:1, that's plenty for the kind of riding I typically do. Hell, I did the hardest climbing I've ever done while going up Elsah Hills Drive around mile 70+ of that century ride, and my Contend AR 3's lowest gear is also 1:1. I should be good with this. The bike doesn't feel particularly heavy, and it has braze-ons for days. I'll have to kit it out for some fun like I did my Contend, except more stuff like fenders and junk. Maybe. I've also got some 650B wheels with 2.1" tires, so I'll have to think about the fenders. But in the short term, I'm going to ride it around and get a good feel for it. I do have some eventual plans for upgrading various components. It's all pretty much bone stock at this point. The seat has some cushion to it, so we'll see how that feels after a long-rear end ride. I'll probably upgrade the derailleur and shifters at some point, too, especially if I find that I'm dropping chains and stuff. I have wanted a steel bike like this for a while, and didn't know if I'd go with their classic road bike (an 8-speed) or this All-Road. I told myself that I'd get it if I finished the century ride, so... happy century to me!
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Oct 20, 2023 02:42
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Hypnolobster posted:Ayyyy I'll watch out for spoke issues. As far as the groupset goes, I'm aware of the issues some people have had. I've watched a lot of videos about this bike, and a bunch of them were pretty honest about the quality of some of the components. There were a lot of mentions of dropped chains from people who ride gravel aggressively, and the one thing they all eventually tried that worked was replacing the derailleur with a SRAM Rival, and thank you for saying "long cage" because I don't think anyone else did. There is a Rival with a shorter cage, and it is way cheaper. I won't waste my money on that one. The brakes are about what I expected from mechanical disc brakes. I don't know how crazy it is to put on new calipers or if changing them out will require new levers. We'll see how these perform. I'm mostly riding on relatively flat surfaces, so it may not be a big deal. I'll be breaking this in on Sunday. We are camping this weekend, and I'll be bringing my Escape because it's kitted out for that. And, if it gets stolen, I'm not out a brand new bike. But that wraps up Sunday morning.
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Oct 20, 2023 16:06
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n8r posted:Sounds like you shoulda spent more on the bike up front. Aftermarket poo poo is just brutal cost wise compared to buying a higher trim bike. You're not wrong, but a lot of higher-priced steel gravel/all-road/endurance bikes* I saw had better components but fewer options. And by "options," I mainly mean opportunities to add stuff to the bike. Just look at all those braze-ons! Adding stuff to my Escape 3 is what has me in the mindset that it'd be cool to have a bike where I have lots of mounting options if I ever want to go bikepacking or even touring. poo poo, the Katy Trail is right over there; that might be next year's goal. Earlier this year, my plan was to bikepack on my Escape, but now I'm not so sure. I did turn my Escape into my city commuting bike, and it works great for going to the gym, grocery runs, etc. But this one just looks better for any kind of adventuring. And, I want to start getting some experience wrenching on my bikes, so something ridable that will probably need upgrades is perfect for me. Buying low and upgrading also spreads the cost out over time while allowing you to get to know your bike, which may not be ideal for everyone, but it is for me. I'll know what I want to work on instead of just doing what other people say I need to do. Mainly, though, just look at this thing! I could've gotten one of these in my size earlier this year, but they were out of this color. I like the steel tube look, and the color is great. It's even better up close. I'm not ashamed to say that the overall look is a big reason I chose this bike, especially knowing its weak points. There was (probably still is) a stainless steel gravel bike with much better components at the LBS, and it's maybe even in my size. It's 2 1/2 times the price as this one, but I could've swung it. Why didn't I? Well, price, sure, but also, stainless might be super-cool and even lighter than 4130, and it might feel better... but it's as exciting to look at as a nice saucepan unless you know a lot about the components on it. It's a lot of gray with grey accents here and there. This bike is just pretty. And, if I'm being honest, this is kind-of a pattern for me. I have three hobbies that can suck the money out of you almost as fast as you can earn it: playing bass guitar, riding bicycles, and a third thing. And in each of those hobbies, my broken-rear end brain (or broken rear end-brain?) gravitates toward things that look good to me, even if--sometimes especially if--owning and using the thing is going to be a little harder than it would be with something nicer. I try not to get stuff that'll immediately break, but I'm happy with lower-performance, cooler-looking gear. I play Fender basses that always have necks that are thicker than they need to be. My new bike is a steel gravel bike that does not have the best components but looks really cool. The third thing is pretty much like that, too. * Basically, drop bar bikes with a less aggressive geometry that's easier on my back and neck
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Oct 20, 2023 18:49
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I headed to the bicycle shop to get my 650B tires trued up--they might be fine, but I don't want to slap them on the bike to try to check it myself only to have to take them off to head to the shop anyway. While there, I got a rack for the bike, because of course I did. I may move the rack from my road bike to my wife's Verve, since it has disc brakes, but we'll cross that bridge later. At any rate, I also ordered some drink cages from Amazon that are more appropriate than the black ones I had kicking around that I slapped on there before its first 20-mile ride. Nice. Amazon's listing for these cages had a "teal" color that looked way too light, so I went with emerald, which leans more on green. It doesn't match the front STATE color very well, but it does somehow match the first "shadow" color behind it. At a distance, though, I think the effect is pretty much what I was looking for. I probably would've had better luck going with the teal color, but this is good enough for now. (Also, they're cheap, so I can always get the teal ones.) I'm going to get a light blue Wahoo mount to complete the look. It won't be perfect, but it won't be too bad.
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Nov 1, 2023 23:46
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Literally Lewis Hamilton posted:You took wheels that might be perfectly fine to the shop to true them? You could just spin them in your hand to verify if they were out of true. Seems like a way to burn money unnecessarily I tried that, and the rear one looked like it had some side-to-side motion. Could be in spec, could be the way I was holding it because I've never done it before and most videos I have watched on it involve tools and/or rigs that I just don't have.
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Nov 2, 2023 01:24
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leftist heap posted:New bike day. Got it in my head that I wanted something just for aesthetics Sweet bike! I've been looking over the bikes for sale in Facebook Marketplace myself, trying to scope out an old-school road bike to tinker with. I have no delusions about how the ride quality will be, even after the worn-out components are replaced or refurbished. I just want a cool looking bike like that.
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Jan 1, 2024 23:21
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The other day, someone posted a picture to the local trail riders' group that was simply breathtaking. It was vertical aspect, which is usually strikes 1 and 2, but since it was a bike path going over a little bike path bridge over a creek billowing with fog, which my area has been dealing with for a few days since the deep freeze ended and the humidity and rain melted away the ice. Just a beautiful picture. Now... I'm not as good of a photographer, but I was finally able to ride my bike today because while I don't mind riding in the cold, the last couple of weekends have been the kind of dangerous cold that I'm not equipped for. But, I did get a lot of fun river fog pictures, a barge, some bridges, the usual stuff I get. So, here's the one I didn't share. That's Melvin Price Lock & Dam in the background. This was my first 25 miles this year.  Cheapest bike Giant makes, I think.
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Jan 27, 2024 03:31
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I should have just ridden my bike with the day off and all this great weather, but I have more days off this week, the weather will be good for two of them at least, and I honestly had some stuff around the house and garage to do that required good weather. One of those things was applying the teal bar tape to Copperteal, my SBC 4130 All Road. Wrapping the bars wasn't as hard as I thought it might be--shout out to the Goon who provided the Park Tools YouTube link!--but the bar end is what gave me trouble. I got it looking OK, but the side I did first isn't as perfect as I'd like it to be. SBC included two strips of finishing tape, and I tried to use it, but it immediately failed. So, I grabbed my trusty, 30-year-old roll of fancy electrical tape, and that got the job done. The stock bar tape was wrapped using the "figure-8" method folks were talking about earlier. I did it the way they show you in the Park Tools video instead, which is easier, a little neater, and only requires a little bit of tape around the bottom of the brifter. And with that, I think I've just about finished with this colored nonsense. I really like how this looks, and while I was planning on taking my Contend AR out tomorrow, I think I'll take this one instead. I had toyed around with the idea of spraying the rack teal, but that's a lot of work, and I think that would be just a bit too much. I wasn't sure about the bar tape, honestly; it could have been too much, too, and I wasn't sure if I'd really like it. But, bar tape that looks like rear end is an easy problem to fix. De-teal-ing a Topeak rear rack is a bit more of a pain in the butt.
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Mar 11, 2024 22:07
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PoorPeteBest posted:New Bike Day: That is sharp as hell. Great bike. Not a new bike day for me, but a random guy downtown helped me take one of my favorite pictures of me and my bike. 
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May 4, 2024 23:43
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