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Do You Road Bike?

Make sure the front der. is pointed perfectly straight and set as close as possible to the chain ring without touching. Find the tallest chain ring tooth and set it close while make sure it doesn't touch that tooth. The der. could move around a bit while tightening the bolt. That throws folks off a lot.

If you really think you did everything super right then the cable might be getting stuck somewhere in the housing/shifter. The cable guide underneath the bottom bracket could be moving around or getting stuck also. The cable housing could be not sitting perfectly tight or the cable could be breaking the individual wires one at a time without you noticing. A new cable might not be stretched enough and could stretch a bit every time you shift so you won't be able to make it work right until the cable is completely stretched.

You got the rear to work? While you're playing with it make sure the set screws don't let the chain fall to the wheel side and break spokes or to the chain stay side so it doesn't break the frame. (happens sometimes heehee)

If your'e putting together something new and can't get it to work, there could be a buncha little things. If your bikes been working and one day shifts poorly and continues to do so after you fix it, then most likely the housing is moving around or the cable is starting to break a small piece at a time.
 
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aram said:
I also think I might swap out the handlebar. The one I put on is a nice a light carbon one but I really don't like it when I'm in the drops. I have a 3t aluminum short/shallow one with the wide top that it really comfortable that will probably go on.

On the plus the bike came up well under 16 #'s with everything pedals/computer/cages/etc..
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16lbs is pretty good. Normally you don't weigh with pedals or anything else....just wheels and tires but nothing extra.

Personally I hate those "ergo" type bars and prefer the classic normal curve bars.....but that's not really a right or wrong answer, just preference. Seems like the drops are pointing too far down. Usually you want them parallel with the ground or just a tiny tiny bit pointing down. You probably won't find a comfy position with them pointing down that much.

Oh when you're not riding the bike, leave the front in the small (short) ring and the rear in the small (tall) cog....like you have the rear now. This way the der. springs aren't stretched for no reason. It'll make them last/shift crisply a ton longer.
 
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theAmazingKickstand said:
Make sure the front der. is pointed perfectly straight and set as close as possible to the chain ring without touching. Find the tallest chain ring tooth and set it close while make sure it doesn't touch that tooth. The der. could move around a bit while tightening the bolt. That throws folks off a lot.

If you really think you did everything super right then the cable might be getting stuck somewhere in the housing/shifter. The cable guide underneath the bottom bracket could be moving around or getting stuck also. The cable housing could be not sitting perfectly tight or the cable could be breaking the individual wires one at a time without you noticing. A new cable might not be stretched enough and could stretch a bit every time you shift so you won't be able to make it work right until the cable is completely stretched.

You got the rear to work? While you're playing with it make sure the set screws don't let the chain fall to the wheel side and break spokes or to the chain stay side so it doesn't break the frame. (happens sometimes heehee)

If your'e putting together something new and can't get it to work, there could be a buncha little things. If your bikes been working and one day shifts poorly and continues to do so after you fix it, then most likely the housing is moving around or the cable is starting to break a small piece at a time.
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Yeah I think I got it sorted out. I had the front derailleur set too high and the high stop was off. I just went back and re-set the rear derailleur from scratch and everything seemed to work out. Clicks right through them all and only barely rubs on the stand in the small front ring, smallest rear cog which I never use anyway.

As for the bars I put on I found that the bars were only comfortable in the drops when I tilted them down which made me uncomfortable on the brake hoods. :| So I think I'm going with the shallow drops/short reach that are a little heavier but way more comfy going downhill at 35 mph+ or even on flat ground when I'm trying to keep a little speed or in the wind.

Maybe tomorrow I'll head out in the morning for a longer ride in the SC mountains or something. :teeth
 
When your hands are in the drops are your arms bent or straight?
When you get into the drops does your upper body drop lower or do you just straighten your arms, effectively leaving your upper body in about the same spot.
Oh, I can't tell from the pic but put the clear frame guard stickers between the cable housing and frame wherever it touches if you haven't. Otherwise it'll scratch your pretty frame and you'll cry. Get the real stickers from a bike shop. Don't use clear office tape or sumfin.
 
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Registered for first two races of the season. Looked at some other races. Why the hell did they start moving CAT4s as first races? I thought I payed my dues as a 5. :laughing
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
When your hands are in the drops are your arms bent or straight?
When you get into the drops does your upper body drop lower or do you just straighten your arms, effectively leaving your upper body in about the same spot.
Oh, I can't tell from the pic but put the clear frame guard stickers between the cable housing and frame wherever it touches if you haven't. Otherwise it'll scratch your pretty frame and you'll cry. Get the real stickers from a bike shop. Don't use clear office tape or sumfin.
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I guess the answer is how tired am I for the first one. :laughing I try to keep elbows bent and all, but I'll pay attention to it more when I ride.

When I go out with the two guys I usually ride with I usually leave them behind going up the hills (they're riding good crabon bikes as well) but going down I have a hard time keeping up (not on the brakes or sitting up) so I think I need to work on my riding position/adjust the bars.

As for the protectors, they are indeed there. :D
 
Well I switched the bars out for some 3t ergonova? ones and went for a longer ride today ~40 miles and the bike felt really good and was shifting awesome. Very crisp/easy to switch gears, much better than my last bike.

Went up Eureka Canyon (from Corralitos) down highland which is better going up than coming down (very rough road) but not very crowded.
 

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Looks like a nice ride.

I think shifters are a tad high on the bars.
 
I just got back from rolling around woodside/sandhill. Was gonna do a hill but the winds were in my favor!!!! Cruisin at top speed for half the ride. What size bars do you have? I've got scratched aluminum and carbon and super fancy brand new carbon 44cm I don't really need. Could sell or trade anyone for a 42. Wanna try that size for a fancy bike.
 
aram said:
I guess the answer is how tired am I for the first one. :laughing I try to keep elbows bent and all, but I'll pay attention to it more when I ride.

:D
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If you havn't done so you should really have a knowledgeable person fit you and explain to you what's goin on. It makes a super huge difference in comfort and how fast you go. You won't have to guess about bars or anything for the rest of your life and you'll know how to fix your own pain or sitting issues.
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
If you havn't done so you should really have a knowledgeable person fit you and explain to you what's goin on. It makes a super huge difference in comfort and how fast you go. You won't have to guess about bars or anything for the rest of your life and you'll know how to fix your own pain or sitting issues.
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Yeah, I know I really need to do that. :(

I just started riding around the end of last year because in my dad's estate there was an old 90's trek roadbike in pieces and I fixed it and decided to give road biking a try and found out I really liked it.

When I started I was getting some knee pain after ~25 miles or so and was ready to call it quits, but I ended up switching cleats to speedplay and clearing that up, but I still know that there is stuff that's set up wrong probably slowing me down and making it less comfortable.
 
UDRider said:
Looks like a nice ride.

I think shifters are a tad high on the bars.
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Yeah I'm not sure exactly where they *should* be placed, I just kind of looked at pictures on the internet and the marks on the bars and guessed and figured if they felt funky I'd move them later.

Everything on bicycles is so adjustable it's kind of a pita to learn where everything is "supposed" to be. :p
 
Back to the question about Sidi shoe sizing - I found small sizes at Sports Basement in the city, and I'm glad I checked. The 36s were painful, and I had to get 37.5 for the right fit. Maybe it's just my strangely shaped feet, but shoe sizing seems very random; I have a set of Pearl Izumi mountain shoes in 38 that fit perfectly, but a set of PI road shoes in 38 were too big.

Anyhoo, I got a set of Sidi Genius 4s on closeout for $60, and I feel poseuriffic, particularly since they match the bike. However, the Garmin 910 that I splurged on has spontaneously shut off three times during rides since Saturday, so I'm going to have to make a warranty claim on it. I've never had a problem with the 305.

25gyr75.jpg
 
aram said:
Yeah I'm not sure exactly where they *should* be placed, I just kind of looked at pictures on the internet and the marks on the bars and guessed and figured if they felt funky I'd move them later.

Everything on bicycles is so adjustable it's kind of a pita to learn where everything is "supposed" to be. :p
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I was just being pedantic. For regular riding as long as they are comfortable and you can reach brake levers/shifters from drops without issues it's ok.

Looks like this weekend going to be very nice weather, and it's recovery week. Will be tooling around SC mountains just for fun. :teeth
 
Roadstergal said:
Back to the question about Sidi shoe sizing ]
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Bike shoe sizes deviate worse than women dress sizes. I have a buncha shoes from size 45 to 47.5 from different brands. They all fit the same. Are those old stock Sidi's? If you're lucky they could still be made in Italy and not Romania or some slave shithole.
 
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Interesting comparison - what women's dress size do you wear? :teeth

The little tag on the tongue does say Made In Italy. They're super-comfy and have a nice stiff sole.
 
Roadstergal said:
Interesting comparison - what women's dress size do you wear? :teeth

.
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You win today!:(
You got a much better deal on the shoes than you orignally thought! Congrats and keep em.

Was it Sports Basement by the GG bridge? I gotta stop by and see what old Sidi stuff they have for me. Maybe I'll get amazingly lucky too.
 
So a friend of mine is letting me borrow a road bike to see if I like it and to possibly do an upcoming ride in August. He said I can do anything I want to it as far as fit, specs and parts.

So I need to get it fitted anyone know of a good place in Oakland to take it too?
 
Kim said:
So a friend of mine is letting me borrow a road bike to see if I like it and to possibly do an upcoming ride in August. He said I can do anything I want to it as far as fit, specs and parts.

So I need to get it fitted anyone know of a good place in Oakland to take it too?
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depends on what you wanna spend . Cycle sports or Montano velo will do a fit for around 100.00 ... or you can bring it to me & Ill do it for 25.00 & advise you on possible part needs .

what kind of bike is it ?
 
Good question. He told me what it was but I dont remember off the top of my head. He just said it should fit me and Im more then welcome to borrow it to get into roading. I THINK its a trek. What model? I dont know. Im picking it up sometime this week.
 
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