The Bicycle Thread

[jewelknows]

Been in such a buying mood lately since I just sit on my phone all day. Trying to fix up my bike back to where I am not upset looking at it. Finally ended up getting the Shimano EH500 SPD pedals. Sort of legitimizes the bike now that I have the right pedals on it.

Also got 2 Abloc bottles coming in which are just some plain water bottles. I had some Bianchi bottles and the graphic would just come off from putting it in the cage.

Got anther carbon fiber cage too which is insane these are $50 but just have to get it to go with the bike. Also got new bar tape and some Celest Green touch up paint that I hope I can fix some scratches with.


The next big thing is shoes which is a whole monster of a thing to think about. I am eyeing the Fizik Terra Powerstrap X4 Shoe. They are $150 which is a moderate price believe it or not. I was even thinking the Nike Indoor Cycling shoe that they use for the Peloton. I know some folks who use it on bikes but it's not the thing to do with that shoe apparently.

I have the Fizik R4 which are fairly similar but more road orientated so a stiffer sole I believe. I really like them. They have the boa adjustment which is perfect for me while I ride, I can increase or decrease tightness on the fly. IMO an upgrade well worth it, since my two feet are very different (have a bunion on the left).

 

[Thierry Henry]

Have you ever chased down someone on a bike? Like on foot? Was considering doing it today because the kid on the bike was being an *******.

How doable is it? I'm thinking of a short sprint, bike is starting at low speed, flat ground, and there's enough traffic that they have to be mindful of their surroundings.

A casual biker probably sprints at 15-20 mph while a decent sprinter can hit 20 mph, no?

if you're an athlete or just the average person who exercises, you can catch a casual biker on a short sprint while they're starting to turn the cranks

i throw my bike inside the whip

take off da front wheel

i do the same but sometimes it gets annoying as hell

That's what I've been doing. I got a Jeep Grand Cherokee and don't even need to take the front wheel off.

Which is why I haven't got one yet, but if I keep riding as much as I do, I'll prob invest in one. I ride with friends too and it'd be nice to have a 2 bike rack at least. I don't know though, the price is steep.

$380 is a lot for a rack? I thought ~$300 was the average for a nice one

Yeup. Toshis and just generic mountain bike cages.
Snapped a pair of generic straps and metal cages like 2 weeks into riding. Went to the shop that same day and copped toshis. Good foot retention is a must!

Toshi's have been outta production for years, people are paying $100+ for them nowadays. I have MKS sylvan track pedals with Mash toe clips and all city leather straps. The straps don't really fit all that well with my pedals so i'm gonna look into getting something similar to Toshi's

 

[MakeNTGreatAgain]

Took a ride in Jersey City this last Sunday.

ay man that bike beautiful

 

[GreenNGold89]

if you're an athlete or just the average person who exercises, you can catch a casual biker on a short sprint while they're starting to turn the cranks








i do the same but sometimes it gets annoying as hell







$380 is a lot for a rack? I thought ~$300 was the average for a nice one









Toshi's have been outta production for years, people are paying $100+ for them nowadays. I have MKS sylvan track pedals with Mash toe clips and all city leather straps. The straps don't really fit all that well with my pedals so i'm gonna look into getting something similar to Toshi's

Yeah I think that is average for a nice rack. A little more than I want to spend right now but I'll get one eventually.

 

[Chao321988]

ay man that bike beautiful

Thanks man, appreciate that. Got some carbon wheels I’m putting on it soon.

 

[MakeNTGreatAgain]

Thanks man, appreciate that. Got some carbon wheels getting out on it soon.

what kind?

 

[Fong$tarr]

the abloc bottles are are dope I got the jet black 24oz and they’re stylish.

Man.....I debated hard and got the small ones rather than the large bottles. I wonder if I messed up but I figure two small bottles is a lot of water to consume regardless. I might even use one for just adding my repair kit in with tools and what not.

I have the Fizik R4 which are fairly similar but more road orientated so a stiffer sole I believe. I really like them. They have the boa adjustment which is perfect for me while I ride, I can increase or decrease tightness on the fly. IMO an upgrade well worth it, since my two feet are very different (have a bunion on the left).

I'll take a look at them. Bike shoes are so new to me that I am not sure if I should get straps or the boa for tightening. I've been to a couple of bike shops and saw some Shimano and other brands but man, bike shoes can either be really goofy or just to slick. Hard to find that happy medium.

I actually dig the Nike indoor cycling shoes a lot but hear the soles are not hard at all.

 

[Fong$tarr]

Anyone also got any thoughts on the Searsucker bike rack? Looks cool but it's just a suction cup that holds your bike up top. I've watched some videos and all swear it safe but something just screams that these will looks power and you end up seeing your bike on the ground.

 

[justinvincent]

Fong$tarr I have the super reps. The soles aren’t super stiff and they lack adjustment. Def better off going with a road or mtb specific shoe.

super reps are stylish as hell tho lol

 

[Chao321988]

what kind?

Bontrager Aeolus pro 5

 

[justinvincent]

Toshi's have been outta production for years, people are paying $100+ for them nowadays. I have MKS sylvan track pedals with Mash toe clips and all city leather straps. The straps don't really fit all that well with my pedals so i'm gonna look into getting something similar to Toshi's

Nice! I had sylvans at one point but preferred the GR9s since the tab were easier to flip.

Damn that’s wild. 10 years ago these were about $110 new but you could find em on Craigslist for $50-60 with pedals sometimes.

Seems like a lot of the older NJS parts and companies are gone/rarer now. Wish I kept more of the stuff I had back then. Me and my homies bikes are like time capsules now hah.

 

[darthska]

Anyone also got any thoughts on the Searsucker bike rack? Looks cool but it's just a suction cup that holds your bike up top. I've watched some videos and all swear it safe but something just screams that these will looks power and you end up seeing your bike on the ground.

LEGIT. I promise you, they are SOLID.

 

[cjdynasty]

New wheel delivered today. Excited to get back on the road!

 

[beacon ave south]

Kind of a newb here, just picked up an older specialized road bike with an older shimano 105 groupset. Never had to swap out any components on older bikes that I've owned so this is foreign territory for me. My apologies in advance for any dumb questions.

- currently have a 3x10 setup, am i able to change it over to a 2x11?

- how do I know which cranksets are compatible with which cassettes?

- what groupsets would you guys recommend for a leisure build? Not looking to spend a whole lot. Might actually piece it together little by little so i dont drop a ton of dough at once.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jewelknows]

Kind of a newb here, just picked up an older specialized road bike with an older shimano 105 groupset. Never had to swap out any components on older bikes that I've owned so this is foreign territory for me. My apologies in advance for any dumb questions.

- currently have a 3x10 setup, am i able to change it over to a 2x11?

- how do I know which cranksets are compatible with which cassettes?

- what groupsets would you guys recommend for a leisure build? Not looking to spend a whole lot. Might actually piece it together little by little so i dont drop a ton of dough at once.

Thanks in advance.

-You should be find if tis currently a 10. The rear spacing should be the same for both cassettes. Any reason for the change? 3x10 would offer very close ratios to 2x11. Not sure if you would gain much.

-Cranksets are less finicky, but depending what ratio you may have to change your rear derailleur to a larger cage to accommodate a possible bigger ration.

-If you are not using this specific bike for racing or anything to that extreme, I would just leave it. The 105 is a great groupset. Unless the shifters are bad or the rear derailleur is bad, I just dont see the need. Plus whats the next step Ultegra and Dura ace? Unless the frame is amazing and you must keep it, I would just get a new bike with the group for the money you'd spend.

I just upgraded a 90s specialized last weekend. It was a 2x7, I re-spaced the rear to take a 10-spd. Its a 3x10 not. I used a Tiagra 4700 aka Tiragrace and to me its more than enough for what I do. It also has full internal cable routing for being essentially the lowest tier group. Shimano is good at trickling down technology to lower tiers over the years. It would be what I recommend but you already have a 3x10.

Just my input as someone who just redid a old steel frame rather than buying new.

 

[beacon ave south]

-You should be find if tis currently a 10. The rear spacing should be the same for both cassettes. Any reason for the change? 3x10 would offer very close ratios to 2x11. Not sure if you would gain much.

-Cranksets are less finicky, but depending what ratio you may have to change your rear derailleur to a larger cage to accommodate a possible bigger ration.

-If you are not using this specific bike for racing or anything to that extreme, I would just leave it. The 105 is a great groupset. Unless the shifters are bad or the rear derailleur is bad, I just dont see the need. Plus whats the next step Ultegra and Dura ace? Unless the frame is amazing and you must keep it, I would just get a new bike with the group for the money you'd spend.

I just upgraded a 90s specialized last weekend. It was a 2x7, I re-spaced the rear to take a 10-spd. Its a 3x10 not. I used a Tiagra 4700 aka Tiragrace and to me its more than enough for what I do. It also has full internal cable routing for being essentially the lowest tier group. Shimano is good at trickling down technology to lower tiers over the years. It would be what I recommend but you already have a 3x10.

Just my input as someone who just redid a old steel frame rather than buying new.

Its a 08 roubaix with carbon frame, not super old but the components i feel are a bit dated. Main reason id like to upgrade is because its a bit annoying having to go through 3 chainrings, petty i know. Also weight reduction and a really stupid reason is aesthetics. All the components are chrome and i cant stand looking at it.

Im gonna go on a longer ride today to get a full feel of the bike.

 

[jewelknows]

Its a 08 roubaix with carbon frame, not super old but the components i feel are a bit dated. Main reason id like to upgrade is because its a bit annoying having to go through 3 chainrings, petty i know. Also weight reduction and a really stupid reason is aesthetics. All the components are chrome and i cant stand looking at it.

Im gonna go on a longer ride today to get a full feel of the bike.

I would say If it shifts fine just ride it out. I went from 2 chainrings back to 3 and it isn't a big difference from what I remember going to a 2x. I like dropping down and clipping out at a stoplight or stop sign so I feel the more choices help now. Plus I have a lot of climbing in my area so that helps.

But all things aside, I would recommend the Tiagra 4700 group (newest version) if you are not trying to break the bank and you want the newer aesthetics. Money not an issue, then go for the new higher groups. Just depends on how you use the bike. Plus anything 105 and up will get you in the x11 with the new sets.

The bike I upgraded I use for touring (upgraded it because I have a tour on Friday) and for smaller training sessions. Also what I use for around town until I build a new single. Tiagra was the sweet spot for modern and price.

You can group a 2x10.

SHIMANO TIAGRA 4700 | SHIMANO BIKE-EU

To Build Closer Relationships between People, Nature, and Bicycles. We believe in the power of cycling to create a better world as we move forward. We inspire all people to enjoy our products in their everyday lives and where they take them.

bike.shimano.com

Edit* I should add, that I am in the camp of ride it out until you need it. That is just the type of person I am. I try to squeeze what I can out of something until an upgrade is completely necessary. So my input may also be meh

 

[whywesteppin]

Kind of a newb here, just picked up an older specialized road bike with an older shimano 105 groupset. Never had to swap out any components on older bikes that I've owned so this is foreign territory for me. My apologies in advance for any dumb questions.

- currently have a 3x10 setup, am i able to change it over to a 2x11?

- how do I know which cranksets are compatible with which cassettes?

- what groupsets would you guys recommend for a leisure build? Not looking to spend a whole lot. Might actually piece it together little by little so i dont drop a ton of dough at once.

Thanks in advance.

If you're swapping within a groupset, sites like this one have compatibility charts for Shimano parts: https://www.celebrazio.net/bicycling/shimano_compatibility.html

I think you could swap just the crankset while keeping the cassette the same, assuming other things are compatible (you may need to change the front derailleur and maybe the brifter too). The chain depends on the cassette (afaik) so that could stay the same.

Personally, if you're going to do anything extensive, I would just upgrade the entire groupset together (including brifters, brakes, etc.). 105 is already pretty good with ultegra and dura-ace often just offering minor weight savings and not a significant performance improvement. Getting a newer generation can be a big improvement though, so that's what I would go for. The price point on dura-ace is steep, so I would avoid that unless you have money to burn. Often you can interchange these (I have 105 parts with my mostly-ultegra build). If you patiently snipe on ebay, you could get a full 105/ultegra groupset for a reasonable price for a more modern generation. This is also assuming you don't mind some dirty work with cleaning/fixing used parts.

 

[beacon ave south]

appreciate the responses thus far fellas.

 

[jewelknows]

Anytime! I have been doing a ton of research before I upgraded mines to the newest Tiagra, so I was in a similar boat. I just have a 90 steel frame that I love.

In the end if its worth it for YOU, go for it if you have the scratch for whichever set you have. I will say the new stuff shifts and performs awesome.

The biggest difference for me were the shifter feels vs the older tri-color and previous drifters. The click tactile feel on the newer Shimano shifters are WAY better. You can differentiate all up and down shifts vs the older shifters, which can feel muddy ( for lack of a better word). I have dura-ace on my older specialized carbon, and the new Tiagras are even better than that, that I want to get another set for that bike.

 

[whywesteppin]

Anytime! I have been doing a ton of research before I upgraded mines to the newest Tiagra, so I was in a similar boat. I just have a 90 steel frame that I love.

In the end if its worth it for YOU, go for it if you have the scratch for whichever set you have. I will say the new stuff shifts and performs awesome.

The biggest difference for me were the shifter feels vs the older tri-color and previous drifters. The click tactile feel on the newer Shimano shifters are WAY better. You can differentiate all up and down shifts vs the older shifters, which can feel muddy ( for lack of a better word). I have dura-ace on my older specialized carbon, and the new Tiagras are even better than that, that I want to get another set for that bike.

You're making me want to upgrade now lol... Maybe next year.

 

[jewelknows]

You're making me want to upgrade now lol... Maybe next year.

HAHA. DO IT. Honestly if it weren't for this recent TIagra 4700 set that Shimano really killed it on, I wouldn't have gone brand new. They absolutely killed it with value vs performance. Similar thing that happened to 105 back in the day as the Ultegra and Dura-ace tech started trickling down.

Shimano finally let the 105 greatness trickle down to the Tiagra, and them making the newest Tiagra internally routed, was the nail in the coffin. Its the new pro budget set. It can only go up lol.

 

[Mark Antony]

Almost copped this but had to cancel because couldn't confirm what their frame sizing translates to after endless research. Hell of a lot of bike for 850 though, thinking about it should have still bought and flipped.

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[boywonder]

HAHA. DO IT. Honestly if it weren't for this recent TIagra 4700 set that Shimano really killed it on, I wouldn't have gone brand new. They absolutely killed it with value vs performance. Similar thing that happened to 105 back in the day as the Ultegra and Dura-ace tech started trickling down.

Shimano finally let the 105 greatness trickle down to the Tiagra, and them making the newest Tiagra internally routed, was the nail in the coffin. Its the new pro budget set. It can only go up lol.

When did the trickle down happen? Asking because i picked up a 2016 Specialized Roubaix with the Tiagra groupset 2x10 and I'm wondering if the trickle down had happened on that model year. FWIW, the components are stock with the bike.

 

[jewelknows]

When did the trickle down happen? Asking because i picked up a 2016 Specialized Roubaix with the Tiagra groupset 2x10 and I'm wondering if the trickle down had happened on that model year. FWIW, the components are stock with the bike.

Good question I am not sure.

The easiest way to tell is, on your shifter. Do both the shifter and brake cable run under the bar tape? Or does one cable come out of the shifter head? If it still has external cabling (coming out of the shifter head) then it is probably the version right before. It doesnt make it any worse, just a cleaner look, but also means they used a different mechanism closer to 105 & up.

This:

vs

This: