Biking

Hey lucky, are you sure your seat height is correct, and that your cleats are properly aligned on your shoes? Not saying it IS the reason you are getting knee pain, but those two things can directly be linked to knee pain/injury. Sucks either way though. From time to time I get pain in the leg joints and it puts me on the sidelines for a few days. Mainly from old skate/snow injuries though.

On a super sweet side note, I am ordering my new mtn. bike today!!!!
I really can't believe I made it here. There have been so many bumps in the past few months that totally thrashed my mtn. bike budget...but today is the day! Going to go into work in an hour and fill out the EP form. Now.....to order some carbon bars with it. I mean....the EP form DOES have 5 lines on it....would be a shame to see those go to waste

Should be out on some trails this time next week. Well...as long as my work schedule allows hahha

Gonna test out how well my knee has healed on a short ride this evening. I doubt its still at 100%, but if its at 90+ I'll have more confidence to join the local riders for their 60 miler this weekend. I've heard the route has some awesome scenery, and would love to see some of it.

BMW, you'll be happy to hear I got my bike in for a tune up (after having put 120 miles on it or so). Haven't seen it yet, as I had to have a friend pick it up for me. But will be getting it in about 30 minutes. Had them redo the bartape, as I figured the $10 they charge (listed as 10, ended up bein $5) ended up being easier this go around than spending an hour or two doing it myself. Still need a new chain (mines past the .7mm mark, and closely nearing the 1.0m), but a buddy has a brand new one I think he's said he's not gonna use and is willing to give me. Will post a pic of the bike later. :)
Today I bought a gatorskin tire for the rear, as it's on its way out, as well as some spare tubes, a pump and a pink Nalini jersey.

Stuntin!

Never mind, Schleck got his ass handed to him today. Looks like Tejay Van Garderen is going to wrap this up on the Time trial

fun 20 miles yesterday on the Trek single speed....legs burnt

Another 40+ mile ride this weekend (i think 46 was the final tally).
Got my first flat on the new bike. One of the others in the bike group lent me a spare tube (i stupidly didnt have one with me), and it exploded as soon as notable pressure was pumped into it. replaced it with another tube... new in box and still wouldnt hold air. In the meanwhile had patched mine, but the hole I patched seemingly isn't the only one, as it remained flat. BLAHH. Fortunately there was a guy following the gang around in a car stocked with supplies. Was able to grab a tube from the bag he had in the trunk, and was back on the road within minutes. All in all a 45+ minute detour I did not anticipate.
My knee was still a bit sore at the start from my fall the week prior. It possibly could've been something else, but the bruised muscle is certainly noticed when my legs are bent. By the end of the ride it was miserably painful. Gonna take a break and lay off from this weekend's ride. Kinda a bummer, as i've really enjoyed getting around. I've put a bit over 115 miles on this bike in a little over a week that i've owned it. More miles than I put on my Schwinn in 4-5 months haha. Took a few pics along the ride. Here's one of em :)

Broke the bike in with a little 15 mile trip around town yesterday. The front derailleur seems to need a bit of adjustment, but otherwise a very pleasant ride. I was constantly remaining aware that when I stopped, i had to unclick my feet... haven't biffed it yet n don't wanna start now haha
Going to ride with the local bike group this Saturday on a 30 mile trip. Been having some glorious weather, so hoping that keeps up!

Originally posted by batmanwest Yeah, man, tri bikes aren't all that purdy. In fairness though, while being designed, they really do just have one priority in mind (after stiffness of the frame) is aerodynamics. That doesn't make for the most aesthetically pleasing ride. What I meant about the chain being too small doesn't have much to do with if the shifter was bumped or not. What I mean is with the chain on the largest chain ring on the front, and biggest (lowest ratio though...) gear on the cassette in the rear, the rear derailleur should not look like that. Meaning the RD is stretched out..pulled to far forward. NOW...with the chain on the smallest chain ring on the front, and smallest gear/cog on the rear, the chain section on the bottom should come really close to touching the jockey wheel after it passes through the pulley wheel.... Hmm...I think that last part got a bit lost in translation. Do me a favor and shift into the smallest ring on the front, and smallest ring on the rear and snap a picture of the rear derailleur from the drive side. On a side note, when you snap off photos of your bike, you should always be shooting the drive side of the bike. I mean..it IS rule #26 and all....

LOL fair enough. Actually, that's why i find the bike not as good looking as others.. They certainly to every extent serve a function-over-form principle.

Yeah, man, tri bikes aren't all that purdy. In fairness though, while being designed, they really do just have one priority in mind (after stiffness of the frame) is aerodynamics. That doesn't make for the most aesthetically pleasing ride.

What I meant about the chain being too small doesn't have much to do with if the shifter was bumped or not. What I mean is with the chain on the largest chain ring on the front, and biggest (lowest ratio though...) gear on the cassette in the rear, the rear derailleur should not look like that. Meaning the RD is stretched out..pulled to far forward.
NOW...with the chain on the smallest chain ring on the front, and smallest gear/cog on the rear, the chain section on the bottom should come really close to touching the jockey wheel after it passes through the pulley wheel....

Hmm...I think that last part got a bit lost in translation. Do me a favor and shift into the smallest ring on the front, and smallest ring on the rear and snap a picture of the rear derailleur from the drive side.

On a side note, when you snap off photos of your bike, you should always be shooting the drive side of the bike. I mean..it IS rule #26 and all....

Lucky, looks like that bike is missing something...around the front 

Glad you got a bike man. I know you were really stoked to get a proper steed. On a side note though, it looks like that chain is too small. While you really shouldn't be in that gear anyways, as it is some massive cross chain, that rear derailleur looks REAL stretched out/strained to hit that gear. So while that ratio is something you shouldn't do, it IS something the bike SHOULD be able to do...if that makes any sense.

But yeah, you did well on the price too, for sure!

So, I finally have a true weekend. I have tomorrow (well...technically today) and wed. off. First time having two days off in a row in 6 weeks. So pumped to get a ton of shit done around the house. I feel like work has taken over my life. The spring sale drained my faith in humanity, and lately all the bikes I have worked on turn into major overhauls. Just draining having to explain to people why item A, isn't compatible to item B, and why they shouldn't of bought item C off the internet to try and make up for the incompatibility. People amaze me some times.

Got to cut up some carbon today (shortening aero bars ) and thought I would shoot off a pic or two for you tri guys. I personally can't get into tri stuff at all.....at all...but I do find the engineering and tech that goes into these bikes fascinating.
Don't remember the year, but wanna say it's a 2010. Dude put a power meter on a few months ago. You should also see this thing with the set of Zip 404's he's got for race day. Full RED group, including dem fancy-smanchy RED R2C TT aero levers. Those two levers alone cost over 300.
Don't get me wrong, I'll spend some stoopid moneies on bikes, but 300+ for aero bar shift levers is a bit silly.








belleayre: I'm glad they are for separate bikes. I know people that buy 5 chains at a time to save a dollar, maybe two. Sure dollar saving is cool, but that is 2 to 5 years of chains...no need to stock pile that much! :)
Oh, and to those surprised about that "many" bikes, it really isn't a TON. Variety is the spice of life. Don't you all know that the number of bikes you should own is N+1?! N being the number of bikes you currently own.
Oh, and I know a good deal of people that commute/get around town by fixie. It actually makes a lot of sense if you don't have a ton of money to spend on a bike. VERY low maintenance. Also, fixies make a perfect snow/winter bike. Riding fixed in the snow actually can make riding in that type of shit easier, as you have more direct control over the bike. Granted, if you live in a really hilly region, a geared bike to get to work/inclement weather/snow is a fine idea

Lastly, divesti, I see how you interpret it as ironic (your previous statement about being on an online retailer, bitching about not shopping online) but I don't think it is an ironic thing to say. Well, for me at least. Yes, I have spent dollars on this site. BUT, I have spent more at my local shop, and always do. I (personally) only get a few small things here, and make my big purchases at the brick and mortar spot.
When it comes to items that need to be installed on something, unless you plan on installing it yourself, you should buy said item at your local shop. Bikes included.

Oh, and yeah, that s-works tarmac is sick. I am not a fan of satin finishes on bikes...or anything for that matter, but it works on that bike. Actually, a ton of the 13 Specializes work with the satin finishes they are putting out. Got a ton of them in the shop, and I have to say...the paint just works.
We actually have a Roubaix Ui2 on the floor in my size...been trying to find a way to take it out for a "spin" next time I get a free moment at work. Never ridden electronic shifting, only have played with it in the stand...

No doubt! I've been jazzed all week to get it! Met the local riding group this morning, and did a slow but lengthy 13-mile ride with em. Had some uber-slow people that we had to keep waiting for. Rather windy today, so the trip back into the wind was a bit rough.. but a good outing all the same :). Rode my buddy's hybrid bike. No drop bars to keep me more aerodynamic, but eh, my fat ass needs to work harder anyway :))

I get my bike a week sooner than I anticipated! A buddy was gonna grab it for me and bring it down next thurs/fri, but as it turns out, my parents are headin up to Spokane today and offered to bring it back sat/sun :D 

Originally posted by j_lucky84 just found this one...2006 Trek 1500 58cm105/ultegra comps and $300?! :D

Not bad, my roadie is older and still going strong.

Originally posted by bootleg Originally posted by anna.chan18 what do u need 5 bikes for??!! there's a lot of reasons to own as much as 5 bikes, a street fixed gear for commute/wok only,a strictly track bike for the velodrome for competition races, a road bike for highway/time trail/triathlons training,a bmx for urban/street tricking/and the mountain bike for off roading on trails.Every bike serves a good purpose for different types of riding.

Originally posted by belleayre Originally posted by batmanwest Originally posted by belleayre Ordered five new chains ...five? What for? Five bikes. Not every chain was all that bad, but I figured I'll do them all at once. KMC makes nice chains.

what do u need 5 bikes for??!!

Am I the only one who sees the irony in the whole shop your LBS when we are on a forum for a discount snowboard site. I'm all for shopping my LBS and supporting the community, spent a few hundred this month alone at mine between parts and service. Just find it ironic

Seen this at the LBS yesterday,

Hey BMW.
Was lookin through craigslist postings again and found this 2008 Trek 1.2. He lists it as a 57, which wasn't actually a size offered for that bike. Emailed him to find out if it's possibly a 56 or 58.
It's MSRP new was $770, so not terribly sure if gettin it for 5 is a great deal or not.

Last summer/fall I started looking at a few bikes but hadn't gotten very far before I learned I was moving soon. Now that I'm settled near Denver and the weather is starting to get consistently warm, I'd like to find something before too long. I'm just not sure what I want/need vs. what's out there. Last time, in the initial stages of a search, I was a little overwhelmed by all the technical info sellers were spewing at me.

I have limited experience in mountain biking, but I'd like to get more into that. I was thinking maybe an affordable solid performing hardtail 29er. The only ones I saw in my previous area were a couple Treks and Cannondales. I'm not yet sure what's around here.

Unfortunately, I can't test ride any right now due to just having shoulder surgery. I would like to start looking now so I can narrow down what I want to try out. Any suggestions on where/what I should check out would be appreciated. I'd like to keep it under $1000, really focusing on value for the cost. Any ideas?

THat's a really perdy bike!
And yeah, I've totally accounted for gas costs in the bike budget. $500 would certainly be a selling point for the R-1000, if it wasn't gonna cost 120+ in gas to get to Spokompton and back. I don't wanna jump the gun and end up with something I don't want. I dig the look of the R-1000, but for the extra 120 in travel costs, i could get a (probably better) bike closer to here.
Hell, the LBS offered that Jamis for 700. Might've been able to haggle with em a bit.
Also am no longer on a project offering overtime :(. So much for additional money to put into the bike budget :( .

Ok.. while waiting on some stuff at work, I looked through the Spokane listings...
Found:
Trek Madone 5.9, 58 CM. Only $500.. Seems kinda fishy after finding the MSRP has an extra 0. lol - EDIT: Ah, It's just for the frame/fork/headset. :(

and
Cannondale R1000, 58cm, $600 - a little more than I'm willing/able to spend. Might be able to budget it.

Originally posted by DiRtDeViL batmanwest, Both bikes have the same OEM drivetrain components, SRAM X5 shifters and rear mech with a Simano Deore front mech; Will replace as things break thou. The only thing changed was the crankset on both bikes at different times. The Zocchi is nice, my kid's bike used to be mine and can say that the fork is easy to dial in and after broken in is a very nice inexpensive fork; he loves it. The Reba is great but was a pain to dial in. Will be going for a ride on Saturday at 5:30p at Split Rock in Syracuse.

Right on. Well, if you are waiting on the drivetrain to fail, you might have to wait a while

Just curious, what did you find to be a pain to dial in? Rebound or your air setting?

thinking tomorrow im gonna ride around time square in NYC. a lot of fun if anyone is close enough to try it.

BMW,
If you've caroused the bikesdirect website at all, do you have any recommendations from their sites for budget builds? I searched a bit through the models with SORA components, but none seem to be the 2013 gear. I suppose i could go cheap-cheap on those specific components there, and upgrade when I'm able. Just really didn't like the pre-13 SORA stuff.

Thoughts?

Just got a new GT Avalanche 4.0 mountain bike for the summer...great bike if you don't want to break the bank...they go for around $4-500.

Originally posted by bootleg Originally posted by batmanwest Bootleg: What's this road build you talk of? I'm looking for a vintage 1990-1996 Specialized Allez with aluminum lugged & carbon fiber tubed frame.I found a guy selling just the frame in good condition but he was an hour /half away up north for about 120$

Careful with that man. There is a reason they are asking 120. Those frames are notorious for being poorly built. A friend had one and it rode like shit, and I have also had 2 of them come into our shop (once in the past year, the other was 3 years ago when I didn't work there) with the carbon separated from the aluminum. Just a pretty poor design if you plan on doing any serious riding, or...well...hit any types of bumps in the road.
They are rather rubbish IMO.

Now, if that's all you can afford, and it gets you out on the road with a different discipline of bike, go for it. Don't let me debbie downer your plans  but just giving you a heads up that if all possible, let go of the dream of that particular frame.