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Do You Road Bike?

Rode a bike for the first time, well, probably since the 2000s started...

Bought a Giant Escape 3 from a local shop. Rode it 6+ miles today and feel fine. Little bit in the knees but not as bad as I expected. I felt I overdid it while I was out there so I took an extra break vs pushing myself to get back to the car.

Probably just me being a fatty :laughing
 
Eric B said:
So, the rim tape on my bike tends to migrate left or right, eventually resulting in the spoke hole being exposed and cutting the tube. I have tried the traditional cloth tape, and a plastic stretchy version. It is usually the back rim that migrates the most.
Not sure if it matters the rim or tires. This is a cross/gravel bike, with 43 mm tires, not really running low pressure.
Anyone experience this? How did you correct?
Click to expand...



Use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C0Z1Z5C/

Also, for the love of all that is holy, go tubeless. Use that tape, get some Stan's valves and some Orange Seal at your local bike shop and do the conversion. Your riding will become dramatically happier.
 
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i_am_the_koi said:
Rode a bike for the first time, well, probably since the 2000s started...

Bought a Giant Escape 3 from a local shop. Rode it 6+ miles today and feel fine. Little bit in the knees but not as bad as I expected. I felt I overdid it while I was out there so I took an extra break vs pushing myself to get back to the car.

Probably just me being a fatty :laughing
Click to expand...

actually, additionally, I think it might be the distance to the bike seat, what makes your knees hurt. YMMV try adjusting it up or down? But I assume the shop helped you somewhat (as they usually do.)

I have knee pain right now too and I rode 9+ miles with hills .. but.. it seems I always have it.

evryone in this thread (and my friend) will tell you "you shouldn't be having pain in the nees but it is what it is" .

For example if the seat is too far back, each time you could be overextending the knee .. and creating a pain from stretching. Or, if it's too low,it could be strained in another way. Just examples

...
meanwhile.. just replaced my disc brake pads again (front this time). They go out yearly (or less) so I barely remember how to do it. :laughing The old ones were black Tektro, the new pads are green Tektro (and it said metal ceramic on the packing) :dunno no idea if I had bought the right ones. Certainly the model number was correct...
 
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Knee pain for a new or returning cyclist can be 'normal', and what I mean by that is that even when everything is setup perfectly it's easy to overdo it and end up with an overuse injury. It doesn't always mean your fit is wrong, sometimes it's just your body telling you to take it easy while it adapts.
 
My Felt AR5 came with R3 aero wheels. Testers have found the rear is a bit on the flexy side during out of saddle climbing and I agree. So, after viewing some YT videos, I'm thinking of building a set of wheels...slightly deeper aero rims, DT Swiss spokes (of course!) and a Shimano 105-compatible hubs. I don't know if the rear chainstay-mounted brake has enough clearance for anything larger than a 25mm tire (bike rides on 23mm Vittoria clinchers), but after some research, looks like lacing and truing up a wheelset won't be as difficult as I used to think.
 
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Hooli said:
My Felt AR5 came with R3 aero wheels. Testers have found the rear is a bit on the flexy side during out of saddle climbing and I agree. So, after viewing some YT videos, I'm thinking of building a set of wheels...slightly deeper aero rims, DT Swiss spokes (of course!) and a Shimano 105-compatible hubs. I don't know if the rear chainstay-mounted brake has enough clearance for anything larger than a 25mm tire (bike rides on 23mm Vittoria clinchers), but after some research, looks like lacing and truing up a wheelset won't be as difficult as I used to think.
Click to expand...

Let us know how it turns out. I looked in to it previously, and sounds like it requires a lot of patience. That I lack. :laughing
 
Patience is key. Building good wheels is not all that hard if you have the resources. Building good wheels quickly takes experience.
DT spokes are fine, but don't forget that Sapim spokes are just as good and usually less expensive. Come to think of it, I've never had a Sapim spoke break on any of the builds I've done, can't say the same for DT.
What rims are you planning to use?
 
AbsolutEnduser said:
actually, additionally, I think it might be the distance to the bike seat, what makes your knees hurt. YMMV try adjusting it up or down? But I assume the shop helped you somewhat (as they usually do.)

I have knee pain right now too and I rode 9+ miles with hills .. but.. it seems I always have it.

evryone in this thread (and my friend) will tell you "you shouldn't be having pain in the nees but it is what it is" .

For example if the seat is too far back, each time you could be overextending the knee .. and creating a pain from stretching. Or, if it's too low,it could be strained in another way. Just examples
Click to expand...


Yeah, that was the one thing I wish he had spent more time on was seat adjustment for me.

I measured it out on myself and set the seat to my inseam based on youtube videoz out of England, as they seem to be the leaders on bicycle videoz.

Rode and felt I still had the seat a little too short so raised it up again for my next ride.

Pain wasn't in the knee as much as whatever the muscle is right above the knee. Knee pain is normal for me, but I'm fat, so it's weight related more than anything. Bursitis is something I've dealt with for years and this wasn't that.


Seat forward/back and tilt was the next thing I'm curious about.

Also just seats in general. The Giant stock one is a little bit stiff. Reminds me of a stock Triumph Bonneville seat for it's stiffness. Guy at the store advised me to run what I brung for a bit to determine if it's seat, or just a delicate taint. But I also think I can compromise and find something better than stock, and not overly plush.

Want to find one of those Dr. Scholls for taint machines and test my taint width.
 
Bought a brake bleeder kit for my setup too.

Just so I can swap the front brake to the right handle like motorcycles. I keep getting them mixed up in my head.

Or is that a bad idea? :laughing

I can see it now, letting someone ride my bike and them yeet'ing themselves over the bars.
 
Not a bad idea at all, all personal preference. I always test the brakes on bikes anyways before I test ride them just to be sure. But maybe a courtesy/heads up?

Story Time:
A good friend of mine was working for LIV (Giant's brand) as an on-site mechanic at the last Sea Otter in Monterey and she was replacing pads and about to bed them in and literally did the exact same thing :wow
Went over the bars, landed face/chest first on concrete and broke both of her collarbones. She was out of commission for some time.
 
I had opposite experience. For some reason my new bike had front being on the right. That came as a bit of a surprise. Tried to adjust, but ended up just brining it in and swapping to standard setup. You would think I would prefer it same way as motorcycle, but nope. I guess at this point I have enough muscle memory build up and my brain automatically switches. I certainly hammer on that front brake hard whether on motorcycle or road bike. lol
 
rcb78 said:
Patience is key. Building good wheels is not all that hard if you have the resources. Building good wheels quickly takes experience.
DT spokes are fine, but don't forget that Sapim spokes are just as good and usually less expensive. Come to think of it, I've never had a Sapim spoke break on any of the builds I've done, can't say the same for DT.
What rims are you planning to use?
Click to expand...

Never heard of Sapim, will check them out.

As for the rims? Something not Chinese. :laughing
 
True story: In the UK and other parts of Europe, pretty much everyone runs their brakes "moto style", i.e., front brake on the right.

Always check before you ride someone else's bike.
 
Sapim is a Belgian company, if the "About Us" pages of both companies are accurate, they've been around quite a bit longer than DT.
 
2nd ride today:

Bought butt-shorts, gooch-protectors, whatever you call them.

Went for a short ride today during my lunch break to try them out and explore my neighborhood. Adjusted seat height so I was curious if I felt a difference.

Fuck those hills!

I could keep going with gearing but it definitely got my heart beating. Probably not ready to go for the big hills in my neighborhood but there are a few loops I can do without needing to go anywhere.


Taint felt fine afterwards. Geometry felt better for my knees, at least until I started pumping to get up a hill.

Could feel the stretch below the knee as opposed to on top of the knee. Am I just missing the sweet spot for seat height? Or is that normal when your pumping to get up a hill?
 
Hooli said:
My Felt AR5 came with R3 aero wheels. Testers have found the rear is a bit on the flexy side during out of saddle climbing and I agree. So, after viewing some YT videos, I'm thinking of building a set of wheels...slightly deeper aero rims, DT Swiss spokes (of course!) and a Shimano 105-compatible hubs. I don't know if the rear chainstay-mounted brake has enough clearance for anything larger than a 25mm tire (bike rides on 23mm Vittoria clinchers), but after some research, looks like lacing and truing up a wheelset won't be as difficult as I used to think.
Click to expand...

Where are you located? I have a stand, wrenches, dishing tool and tensiometer if you want to dial them in after you lace them.
 
Hooli said:
Koi did you ever get your bike professionally set up for you?
Click to expand...

Have you met me? I wear your hand-me-down leathers on a beater $300 motorcycle, and you're asking if I had a professional set it up? :laughing


Of course not.

Who would I even talk to about getting it "professionally setup". Where would I take it? Most importantly, how much does it cost? You mean the guy I bought it from wasn't a professional? It wasn't setup for me off the showroom floor?

Unfortunately I had a mishap with a really sharp kitchen knife and cut the ends off two fingers. Haven't been on the bike since Saturday while I regenerate fingertips.
 
i_am_the_koi said:
Who would I even talk to about getting it "professionally setup". Where would I take it? Most importantly, how much does it cost? You mean the guy I bought it from wasn't a professional? It wasn't setup for me off the showroom floor?
Click to expand...

It's like riding a motorcycle as-is, compared to one that's been dialed-in by Dave Moss. ;) Seat post length, bar and lever position can all be altered (to a degree) by the mechanic. Come on man, you're a motorcyclist, you should know this bruh. :laughing

I got mine done where I bought my Felt (Sports Basement). Prices may vary so check around.
 
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