I'm making my transition from the MTB world and picked up a Cannondale CAAD10-5 105. From what I researched, it has the best aluminum road bike frame at this price point and with Shimano 105 components to boot. I went with the compact 50/34 crank since I'm a noob and suck at hills Pic of it (same colors):




So question: I've never had clipless shoes/pedals/cleats before and want to get a set that'll work for both my MTB and road bikes. I'd like to go with the MTB pedal system since it's more comfortable to walk around in, but I don't want to lose pedaling efficiency with having the heavier weight on the road bike. Anybody share 1 set for both, or is this just a silly idea?

[Edited on August 18, 2013 at 3:35 PM. Reason : ]

8/18/2013 3:28:09 PM

^that's a great looking bike.

i was going to go with a mtb cleat setup originally, but i decided against it and am glad i did. I have the SPD-SL 105 pedals and love them. There is enough surface area to ride with street shoes if you are just tooling around. If you are serious about road cycling then you don't want to base buying an important part of the setup on "walking around". And the road shoes are much more sturdy and supportive than my MTB shoes; something i've learned that is really important on long rides. I got my pedals on amazon for a fraction of what they cost at my LBS.



went down to Nags Head this weekend and put in a nice 26 mile ride up through Kill Devil Hills, through the Wright Brothers Memorial and some very nice quiet roads on the channel side. Loved that it was so flat

8/18/2013 4:31:59 PM

^^ I have ridden 5-6 different types of bicycle clip-in pedals and I settled on SPD pedals (technically a mtn bike pedal) on both my mountain bike and my road bike and I would highly recommend it. Weight is generally a non-issue because if you are comparing in the same price point, SPD pedals are going to be around the same weight either way. The only thing that weighs more is the shoe itself. You can also get SPD pedals with a platform.

Plus, you can easily ride a road bike with mountain bike shoes, but it is much more difficult the other way around.

8/18/2013 4:45:32 PM

I used spd on my road bike for a long time for the same reason. So do lots of people, you'll want a520 or a600 single sides pedals.

8/19/2013 2:12:48 AM

tl;dr: Buy Speedplay Frogs or you suck.

I used Speedplay Frogs for a very long time on all my bikes (road, mtn, commuter, the road bike does have Zeros now). Pedals end up being a pretty personal choice, and a fairly hard one to test really well without buying. However, some clarifications in the road vs. MTB debate. First, the pedal doesn't care, they are bi-cyclical, and will happily thread onto most any bike.

Shoes:
Road shoes have less tread. That's it. The other geegaws and carbon plates and everything else are price-point issues, and you can find awesome support, light weight, 18-point-ratchet-tightening-suspension-magnetic-velcro-whatevers in either road or MTB. (Tread does have weight, which you seem to care about).

Cleats:
Not all cleats fit all shoes and not all shoes have bolt patterns that will take all cleats. Speedplay Zero, Look, and a few other road-type systems won't fit on a mountain shoe with any kind of tread no matter how you hack it with a knife. Check fit compatibility.

The mechanism:
Some systems offer great mud performance, others offer float, free-float, adjustable-float, zero-float, or root-beer float. Some offer double-sided entry, some offer a wider platform, some are the size of a quarter. This area is where personal taste comes in, and vicious fights break out between opposing supporters. I really like my free-floating frogs, and DEATH TO ALL OTHERS!

Any clip-less pedal without an added platform will work well on your road bike, and the pedal is unlikely to add as much extra weight as you'll be bringing with the tread on a MTB shoe. Any recessed cleat system will work on your MTB shoe (and dismounting on the trail). I really liked only needing one shoe for all the bikes. I enjoyed the simplicity. I also enjoyed passing people on my road bike in my beat-up old MTB shoes.

8/19/2013 8:38:04 AM

i thought i was posting in the cycling thread (not mountain biking) last night...oops...so i'm gonna throw this in here since i think this thread gets more views

Quote :

"suggestions on some basic maintenance after a week at the beach? admittedly, i don't even really know basic care, as i only just recently dusted off my bike and decided to begin riding again...but i figured it especially needed some TLC after being ridden on sandy roads (not the beach itself) and sitting out on the porch every night (there wasn't anywhere else to store it, unfortunately) oh, our bikes also rode on the back of the car in almost non-stop rain for 3 hours [Edited on August 17, 2013 at 9:55 PM. Reason : there's definitely more rust on the lines and various components than there was a week ago]"

8/19/2013 9:25:55 AM

i sprayed mine off with the hose, dried off the frame, used a cleaner/degreaser to clean up the chain, dried it off, and then lubed it up.

8/19/2013 9:32:39 AM

how big a deal is some surface rust on the steel components? it's mostly on some miscellaneous bolts, the wires that control the brakes/gears (what are they called?) and some on the on the sprockets (or whatever they are)...it's not very sandy at all, just sat out in the salty air and then a couple of hours soaking wet

8/19/2013 9:54:01 AM

I answered you in the other thread. You probably think that my suggestion was overboard, and maybe it is if you are riding some cheap wal-mart junker that you don't care about. If it's a nice bike with nice components, then my suggestion is the same. So long as you don't crash, rust is really the only thing that you have to worry about degrading your components and chain over time.

8/19/2013 10:20:40 AM

how much play in the brake levers do you guys have? My pads are so close to the rim that you can barely get more than one sheet of card stock between the pad and rim. There is really no "feathering the brake" as it takes just a touch of the lever to initiate stopping. It hasn't been too bad since I haven't been on too many fast descents. But I feel like i'd like more play in the brakes when at a higher speed. Thinking about letting some of the tension out of the brake cable.

8/19/2013 11:34:11 AM

i give myself quite a bit of play since I ride my cross bike off-road alot and like to feather my brakes around tight corners. It's all personal preference.

8/19/2013 11:46:16 AM

Zero play on my brakes on the road bike, just a smidgen on the mountain bike, so a wheel can get a bit out of true on the trail before it starts dragging.

Play is not about feathering. Feathering is not whether or not the pads touch the rims, feathering is the amount of stopping force being applied. Brakes aren't all-or-none, and rim brakes, especially, provide good modulation over a wide range

One question to ask is where are the brake levers in the range you apply force? Do you want them close to the bar, far from the bar, in between? This is very much personal preference and finger length, and can vary according to how much flex there is in the cable and brake. Many brake levers have adjustable reach, so you can set this separately from how much play there is.

Another question is do the pads interfere with the tires when you remove a wheel? A possible combination is larger than average tires on road-bike brakes, flipping the little lever may not move the pads far enough to remove a wheel with an inflated tire on it.

8/19/2013 4:57:32 PM

Quote :

"One question to ask is where are the brake levers in the range you apply force? Do you want them close to the bar, far from the bar, in between? This is very much personal preference and finger length, and can vary according to how much flex there is in the cable and brake. Many brake levers have adjustable reach, so you can set this separately from how much play there is."

This is what I was talking about when I said I give it quite a bit of "play". I like to have full stopping power about halfway to the bar, but like you said its a preference thing. Under your definition of play, I am probably pretty close to this

Quote :

"Zero play on my brakes on the road bike, just a smidgen on the mountain bike, so a wheel can get a bit out of true on the trail before it starts dragging."

8/19/2013 8:05:05 PM

Quote :

"I answered you in the other thread. You probably think that my suggestion was overboard, and maybe it is if you are riding some cheap wal-mart junker that you don't care about. If it's a nice bike with nice components, then my suggestion is the same. So long as you don't crash, rust is really the only thing that you have to worry about degrading your components and chain over time."

i didn't mean to ignore your advice in the other thread, i just figured this thread is more general and gets more views

it's true that the suggestion of taking everything completely apart DID seem a little overkill given the level of rust and dirt...my bike isn't a walmart junker, but it's not an $800+ bike, either, and from what i've read online, breaking the whole thing down just seems unnecessary unless it's a high-end bike with some neglect issues

what do y'all use as degreaser? anything to avoid? i have some "mean green super strength" degreaser that works well inside the house...any reason not to use it on the cassette and chain (after which i'll lube it up with some tri-flow)?



so what else do i need besides degreaser and chain lube? WD40 is mentioned (usually to avoid, but some people swear by it)...what would you use it for?

next question...i'm looking for a budget ($50 or less) bike stand for basic cleaning and maintenance...thoughts on these?

http://www.amazon.com/RAD-Cycle-Products-Mechanic-Bicycle/dp/B000ZIZXMW/
http://www.amazon.com/Ibera-Utility-Bicycle-Stand-IB-ST2/dp/B004OGAZCY/

[Edited on August 20, 2013 at 11:52 AM. Reason : mean green]

8/20/2013 11:49:30 AM

I don't have a stand, but if I did I would prefer one that sets the bike up so you can work on your feet at eye level.


getting back to chain cleaning and degreasers...it's a little pricey, but i bought this awhile back. easy to use, not very messy.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BS02K4/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and these two videos really helped out.

http://youtu.be/dF_q2yavhL0
http://youtu.be/kMGxiLc8jHE

the second video the mechanic actually uses WD-40 as the degreaser, just in case you were concerned

8/20/2013 11:54:21 AM

Shit, I used to be a very competitive cyclist in college. Rode thousands of miles a year. I cleaned my cassettes with simple green or even carb cleaner. There's nothing on them to ruin (like bearings).

Chains I would clean with a diluted simple green mixture. 50/50. Then clean water to rinse, dry, lube immediately. No problems with rusting and always was super smooth.

[Edited on August 20, 2013 at 12:20 PM. Reason : Penis]

8/20/2013 12:18:53 PM

^^ thanks for the links

^ thanks for the reassurance...just making sure i know what not to do before is start

so, suggestions on tools it's nice to have around (whether "official" bike tools or just stuff you have around the house that works just as well)?

like this...must-have or unnecessary?: http://www.amazon.com/White-Lightning-Clean-Bicycle-Cleaning/dp/B002KYJWAS/

8/20/2013 2:36:14 PM

You can use simple green full strength too...just be sure you rinse it well otherwise it'll corrode.

A brush like ^ that is nice to have...but the majority of my cleaning is done with an old toothbrush. Works great.

As far as other tools, a nice set of P-handle allen wrenches are definitely the way to go. I have this exact set and love them. http://www.amazon.com/Nashbar-P-Handle-Hex-Wrench-Set/dp/B004UMFZ36

The rounded end makes it super easy to get in the tight angles of your bike to install/loosen bolts.

8/20/2013 3:40:24 PM

^^ I knew breaking it down probably did seem overkill and honestly I only completely break mine down a once or twice a year when it gets really nasty.

Simple green will be fine and a good all in one chain lube. WD-40 as a degreaser is fine (but expensive compared to other products), but don't rely on it for lube and you will be ok. If you take anything apart, you can get an all-purpose grease to lube everything up with. I use an old tooth brush for small stuff and an all purpose soft bristle general cleaning brush for wheels and frame. No need to buy all the fancy (and usually expensive) bike cleaning supplies.

I havent used either of those stands, but the first one looks closer to what I use and am happy with. Like he said, its a pain to get down on your knees to get at anything so I would suggest something that brings it up to your level.

A good set of allen wrenches like he^ said makes a big difference and is really all you need for basic maintenance. Then you collect the other tools as you need to replace/work on specific parts. Things like a chain tool, cassette nut and nice cable cutters will come in handy when you do more advanced work.

[Edited on August 20, 2013 at 6:19 PM. Reason : d]

8/20/2013 6:18:09 PM

should i be worried at all about a rear tire being ever so slightly out of true? it's only noticeable because i've obsessively noted it.

8/20/2013 9:19:58 PM

I wouldnt necessarily worry about it, but its easy enough to fix and generally slightly out of true becomes more out of true over time. You can get a spoke wrench for cheap and there are tons of youtube videos on it.

8/20/2013 9:47:48 PM

thanks! i'll definitely take a look into it.



so i originally set out this spring/summer to buy a bike that i could use to get into road cycling and also as a town rider, one i wouldn't feel uncomfortable leaving chained up in the city. That didn't really happen with the Trek. So i've been keeping my eye on craigslist again for an older 10-speed style touring bike and came across this Cannondale. I've been reading that these types C'dales ran pretty large so this one could be too big, even though my Trek is a 58. But I'm interested enough to maybe go take a look and see what kind of shape it's in.


http://charlotte.craigslist.org/bik/4007747580.html

8/21/2013 8:19:25 AM

Another vote for good allen wrenches as the first purchase. Not much you can do without them.

After that, it depends on the type of work you'll do on the bike, and if you have any carbon. If you work near carbon parts, a torque wrench is a necessity. I think it's a good idea anyways. Also a necessity for some high-end parts (Thomson is known for being 'delicate' when it comes to torque).

Other tools on the top of my list:
Spoke wrenches
Chain tool
Cassette remover
BB remover (And crank-arm puller if yours needs it)
Grease gun (My pedals have a grease port)
Cable/housing cutter
Cone wrenches (if you have cup-and-cone hubs)

Parts and supplies:
Bearings (if you have cup-and-cone hubs, or any other loose bearings)
Grease (useful for many things, like greasing threads, but required for above bearings)
Lube (whatever floats your boat)
Degreaser (ditto, don't get it near bearings unless you plan to disassemble)
Cable ends (if you change your own cables and leave them open and fraying, you aren't a home mechanic, you're a hack)
Cable housing (comes in big rolls, much cheaper than buying 1 cable's worth)


That's about it. I have two wrenches in my kit, because my commuter has a bolt-on rear axle and a u-brake with a bolt on the cable hanger, but none of my other bikes needs a box wrench for anything.

8/21/2013 12:17:14 PM

@Jeepin -

That Cannondale looks nice, know that parts may take some looking. The wheels may not be a modern standard size. Sheldon Brown notes that 27 and a fraction was a size used a while ago, and might not fit today's 700 tires well. For cruisin' around town, probably not a big deal, you might need different tubes and you'll have to special order tires. Upgrading to a new set of tires may or may not be doable depending on if the brakes will line up on 700 rims.

Or, they are 700c wheels, and he just posted what he measured without knowing wheel standards.

In either instance, it's not a bad looking bike, though I'd never be able to reach the pedals.

8/21/2013 12:28:42 PM

man i wish i had someone to ride with here. all of these group rides seem really intimidating.

8/22/2013 10:49:14 AM

They're probably 650b wheels which aren't that uncommon nowadays.

8/22/2013 11:01:50 AM

do any of you recommend decent lights for night riding? I'm looking for something just to clip on when i'm riding up to the bar or tooling around. I've been checking out the Knog brand lights. How do they hold up?

8/22/2013 9:54:40 PM

I have had decent luck with the cheapo bell brand from walmart. Keep in mind that at that price point (even with the knogs), you are getting a light that allows you to be seen by traffic, but it won't illuminate the road in front of you really. There are light systems that are rechargeable and act like a headlight. The best in that category seems to be niterider

8/23/2013 9:27:46 AM

thanks! yeah, this is more for just being seen on a quick ride in the dark. don't plan to do many miles in the dark.

8/23/2013 9:30:58 AM

I used the Cygolight Expilion for a year of commuting, and liked it fairly well for being seen, and somewhat well for seeing. I have the handlebar-mount 350 series, and it threw enough light, straight ahead, for full-speed paved path riding at night. It's beam did not throw enough light for turns, and I augmented with a helmet-mounted Light and Motion HID light that I picked up in my night-time racing days. I imagine there are handlebar-mounted lights that _do_ throw enough light for full-speed cornering, but I have not seen them, and I would always want a helmet and handlebar combo in unlight and curvy areas.

There are some knock-off LED lights available through Ebay and other places for pretty cheap. Some are pretty good, and I did use a flashlight and handlebar-mount combo for a while. It was good, but unreliable (bumps changed mode... unexpected flash mode was annoying...) and I upgraded to the Cygolite, and have been quite happy.

8/24/2013 12:09:06 AM

I just picked up a two pack of the Bell Wo lights. they use rubber bands with clasps similar to a knog. runs on the disc type battery. they were cheap and came with a tail light and front light, nothing to write home about but should offer enough light on both ends that i feel safe riding home from the bar or in a group night ride. which is all i wanted.

8/24/2013 11:07:13 AM

For taillights, I'd get something with a good strobe, like a planetbike superflash or niterider cherrybomb or princeton tec swerve. mediocre lighting in front of you is easy to deal with, be it dodging potholes or oncoming traffic. Vehicles coming from behind are harder to dodge, and you primarily depend on your taillight. Get something good.

8/25/2013 8:37:50 PM

so i bought that cannondale. guy came down on the price a bit and honestly, once i saw it, i knew i wasn't leaving without it. Wolfpack red with white grip tape, i was hooked. It was in immaculate condition, even had the original bill of sale.

He had upgraded the shifters and changed the gearing slightly, changing out the smaller inner 'touring' crank ring to something that offered a smoother ratio. It rode great, even on the 32 tires that felt like i was on super swampers. not sure how much i like those, but they are brand new so i'll deal.

he even threw in a set of old Shimano Biopace crank wheels

the only issue is the front brake. not sure if it's old cabling or what, but they won't release after pulling. they stay in the brake position and the tension in the cable gives out. i tried fiddling with it last night but it was late. plan to drop it by the shop today just to get a once over.

9/6/2013 8:13:40 AM

Probably the spring in the brake is just gunked up. You could probably take it apart and degrease it pretty easily, then regrease it. I had that happening on my cross bike and it fixed it right up. It could need a new cable, but that cable would have to be really jacked up to override the spring.

9/6/2013 9:13:24 AM

in truth, how often do cables need replacing? when i bought my 2011 trek a couple months ago the mechanic at my LBS was insistent that i come back after the bike season to get all new cables installed. I just can't imagine them having that much wear or fatigue on a 2-year old bike, even with a couple thousand miles on it.

They did replace cables on my old MTB, but that was after 5-6 years of it being stored at my parents house. Was he just trying to get me to pay for something that wasn't really necessary?

9/6/2013 9:29:37 AM

Unless you are riding in the rain frequently (or otherwise getting it wet) and/or have extremely cheap cabling, then not too often--certainly not every season. That can vary depending on the setup, but if it's a nice road bike, kept indoors that isn't getting thousands and thousands of miles on it, then they can last a while.

I have a cross bike that gets ridden in dirt, mud and other assorted terrible terrain and I have had the same cables for 4 years now with no degradation in quality. Granted, I clean my bike regularly, store it indoors and I bought nice cables originally. Same thing with my mountain bike for a couple years and I abuse the heck out of that thing. Rode for a couple hours in the wet sand and mud twice a week all summer and my disc brake pads are gonna need replacing before the cables.

9/6/2013 9:52:12 AM

Cables shouldn't need replacing every season (or every x years/months/miles). More so than chains or tires or bearings or most anything else, cables and housings are environmentally dependent rather than miles or time dependent. My road bike has about 10,000 miles on it and is on its third set of cables. One change happened with a frame change (yeah, I changed the frame and I still call it the same bike) and one happened because I was changing cables on another bike (a commuter that goes through cables much more quickly) and found a good price on bulk cable housing. Neither time did they _need_ replacing due to any noticeable performance degradation. This is a bike that lives inside and rarely rides in the rain.

I second jocristian's suggestion on checking the brake itself. A quick way to check this is to flip the quick-release lever on the brake to open it wider (and by doing so, create some slack in the cable). Then, squeeze the brake (the actual brake, not the lever) by hand and watch the behavior. Two things to look for: How much effort does it take to squeeze the brake and when the cable is slack, does it move freely in the housing? The spring in the brake should offer smooth, steady resistance (like a spring) until it hits the rim. If it is jerky or rough, there may be gunk in the spring or the cable may be rusty/corroded. If there is very little resistance at all, then the spring may be out of adjustment, improperly installed, or missing. If the resistance is steady and smooth, but it sticks closed, move the cable by hand to see if it is interfering with the return, but the problem is probably gunk in the spring mucking things up. While squeezing enough to put the pads firmly on the rims, there should be some slack or play in the cable. Tug on the cable and see if it moves freely in the housing. There's not much cable outside of the housing on the front brake, this is a much easier examination on the rear brake (and I would suggest trying it out, as well, so you have something to compare to).

You can do a much more thorough job of this by disconnecting the cable from the brake, but don't do that unless you will be comfortable reconnecting it and re-adjusting the brake. I never manage to get the cable exactly back the way it was, and always have to adjust the pull after I reconnect the cable.

9/6/2013 12:20:24 PM

i took it into my LBS and they fixed it up in 10 minutes. i think i made it worse in my attempts to fix last night, the mechanic said it was just out of wack.

so i'm still learning a lot about gears and ratios and what not. This bike originally had a 50/45 front crankset. the previous owner changed that to a 50/39. What did he gain/lose by changing that inner crank to a 39? I have the original 45, should i consider swapping it back out?

9/6/2013 5:35:34 PM

The 39 in place of the 45 makes it about 10% easier to climb hills and moves the speed you have to shift up to the bigger chainring down by about 10%. You probably don't care about the second part of that.

Keep the 39 on the bike. In a few months or a year when you notice the second part of that, then decide if you want to change.

9/6/2013 8:24:57 PM

Thanks! i did a little reading about it after I posted. Interesting that a 45 was the smaller crank originally on a "touring" bike. I assumed they'd be equipped to make hills very easy.

I am loving this bike. It definitely rides like a 28 year old bike, but i really enjoy it. The friction shifting has taken some getting used to but it makes me happy when i'm able to finely tune a shift without missing. I have dropped the chain twice as a result of moving into the bigger ring and, i guess, over shifting. It's not as fast as my 2.1 and i know part of that is street pedals and the 32 Marathons that i've gotten used to, but would still prefer to drop down to a 28.

How popular are rear cassettes/freewheels (not sure which i have) in 6 speed these days? If I decide to replace the chain and rear cassette will it be a big money pit or fairly inexpensive compared to the newer 10-11-12 ring cassettes?

9/7/2013 1:25:34 PM

If you replace it yourself, it'll be relatively cheap. Search for 6-spd freewheel, I found a variety under $20. You'll also need the tools appropriate to the particular set of gears (chainwhip/freewheel remover or cassette remover, see Sheldon Brown for a good start on figuring out which you have -- http://sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html)

It should be similarly cheap at a LBS, particularly if you buy the freewheel and chain from them for replacement. With tools and knowledge, and no other problems, it's a 15 minute job.

As for throwing the chain, you may need to check the limit stop. Occasionally throwing a chain isn't unheard of, but if it is happening regularly, the front derailleur may be a little out of adjustment. Sheldon Brown has a pretty good explanation of what to do, you are looking for the "high-gear limit stop". - http://sheldonbrown.com/derailer-adjustment.html#front

9/7/2013 2:01:12 PM

Thanks for all your help!

reading through Sheldon Brown's columns and other pieces on this particular Cannondale it looks like my bike would be the perfect candidate for a 7 speed 13-28T or even 13-34T with the "bail-out" gear. The latter i don't think i want or would ever need in my situation.

Parts only it's looking like

Shimano FW722 Freewheel - $21.95
SRAM 870 Chain - $21.95
Freewheel Removal Tool - $7.00

I may take it into the shop and see what kind of quote they give me for parts and labor. Wish i had access to bike tools.

9/9/2013 12:55:35 PM

It will also require re-adjusting the derailleur limit stops. I _think_ a friction derailleur can swap between 6 and 7 speed, but you should confirm this if Sheldon Brown didn't do so explicitly.

Have you checked out the re-cyclery (http://tripsforkidscharlotte.org/re-cyclery-program/). They appear to be similar to some bike co-op programs, most of which will permit volunteers bench-time and tools to work on their own rides. This one looks like it primarily takes volunteers to fix bikes for their earn-a-bike and re-sale programs, so you may have to volunteer to fix their bikes first. Upshot, they'll train you before you hit your own.

I'm opposed to the one-gear-massively-bigger-than-the-others cogsets, though the aesthetics bother me as much as convincing all the parts to make a shift that big bothers me. If you are wondering what different gear ratios will do, you might look at Sheldon Browns gear calculator. It's complicated, and will give you lots of information that may or may not mean anything, but here's how I like to turn it into meaningful numbers. Set up tire size and chainrings/cassette, ignore crank length (it matters for other things, not this). I found the 7-speed "MegaRange Freewheel" that goes from 11-34. Then select MPH@80rpm under gear units and hit calculate.

The resulting numbers are how fast you'd travel pedaling 80RPM. I mentally correlate these speeds to hill steepness, since there's no point in knowing how many rpm I'll pedal to do 7.4mph down Hillsborough. Feel free to change the RPM if you happen to spin faster or slower, I like to be 80 - 90 rpm, and figure I'm interested in the bottom end where I'm struggling up a hill, so I like 80 rpm.

This "MegaRange" freewheel combined with the 39 chainring I think you have says in that biggest rear cog you'd go 7.4mph at 80 rpm. There's a lot of hills I could climb at 7 - 8 mph. However, the next smaller gear is a 24 with a 80rpm speed of 10.4mph. That's too big of a jump for me. It means a hill I want to do 9 mph on means I'm over 100rpm or near 70 rpm.

You may not care that you won't be able to do 9mph up a hill, since you can do 7-8 and 10-11+ just fine. If so, go for it. It is a nice bailout option if you are worried about getting stuck on a long hard climb.

9/9/2013 1:51:55 PM

i currently have a 6-speed with the largest cog being 28T


so moving to the 7-speed 13-28T wouldn't change my lowest gear. per that gearing program i would be at 9.0 on the 39/28T combo

9/10/2013 10:26:44 AM

Adding one more gear typically doesn't make the biggest gear bigger, it makes the steps between them smaller. Unlike cars (but similar to diesel trucks), humans have a very narrow peak RPM range, so tightly spaced gears helps the really fast humans go fast a little bit better.

Ride it around for a bit before you decide you need the bailout gear. Then, if you do find yourself wishing you had something two notches lower than the lowest you currently have, it's a fairly easy upgrade.

9/10/2013 4:14:43 PM

***Warning: HELLUVA deal below***

Want to start training with power?! I built up a set of powertap wheels for training late last spring, but have moved on to the Gamin pedal based system. Need to move these. If you want to get faster, training with power is the only way. 32h f/r, built for major mileage. Wheelset has about 750-900 miles on them, no dings/scratches/kinks/etc. 95% or better condition.

Velocity/Powertap wheel set and computer
-Velocity Deep-V rims, blue, 32h (f/r)
-Cycleops Powertap Pro+ wireless rear hub,
-Cycleops Carbon shell front hub
-Wheelsmith DB14 spokes, black
-Powertap Joule 2.0 head unit
-Set of wheel bags

$800 (shipping included, if necessary)

I don't log in often, email me at: mtns2sea@gmail.com

9/11/2013 8:24:47 AM

how do you like the garmin pedals? Have read some about them. Only thing I would be afraid of is breaking off the sensors.

9/11/2013 9:50:58 AM

Thoughts on Chris Horner's Vuelta victory? I want to believe, and Chris seems to be a much nice and more gracious guy than Lance ever was. Hope he did it clean and it holds up. He's said some things in defense of Lance that are troublesome.

Still, he's also done this:

9/15/2013 8:55:07 PM

Looking for a GOOD headlight for road bike. I'd like the idea of USB charging as well....cost isn't really an issue to a certain extent. I'm to the point where I want to buy once and be set.

Any good ideas anyone could recommend? Something like this seems to be the way to go-

http://www.amazon.com/Expilion-700-USB-Rechargeable-Headlight/dp/B0090Q5CTY/ref=pd_sbs_sg_1


Note: road cycling in an area that is usually lit-up but 'don't want to worry about seeing' is the goal. Again, any thoughts or recommendations are welcome.

9/16/2013 7:07:36 AM

from Stryver last week regarding lights

Quote :

"I used the Cygolight Expilion for a year of commuting, and liked it fairly well for being seen, and somewhat well for seeing. I have the handlebar-mount 350 series, and it threw enough light, straight ahead, for full-speed paved path riding at night. It's beam did not throw enough light for turns, and I augmented with a helmet-mounted Light and Motion HID light that I picked up in my night-time racing days. I imagine there are handlebar-mounted lights that _do_ throw enough light for full-speed cornering, but I have not seen them, and I would always want a helmet and handlebar combo in unlight and curvy areas. There are some knock-off LED lights available through Ebay and other places for pretty cheap. Some are pretty good, and I did use a flashlight and handlebar-mount combo for a while. It was good, but unreliable (bumps changed mode... unexpected flash mode was annoying...) and I upgraded to the Cygolite, and have been quite happy."

9/16/2013 8:45:16 AM