[Other Sport] Cycling geeks

[RandyWanger]

Hello [MENTION=27162]RandyWanger[/MENTION]

A couple of quick questions:-
The £1300 is that all in, or just the bike? As your new steed will need accessorising.

I'd image you'll have a track pump with gauge already, fingers crossed you have a 'proper' helmet not some storm trooper knock off or worst still a full face jobbie. You will need to buy pedals, and you are NOT wearing those shoes.
Also I'm afraid you'll have to man up and get some lycra.

Ok now it's bike time.

For upwards of a grand we're at the cross roads of loads of questions, mainly centred around:-

style v substance

As said it's entry level carbon or high level aluminum.
But also very good generic brands or pedigree, usually Italian, brands. (who obviously trade on that pedigree).

Either way you can stick Giant & Tiagra up your arse

Best Road Bikes Under £1,000 - Updated April 2013 - BikeRadar
Scott for me, from that list.

Here's a pretty snobby, and Trek list from Evans.
As you can see it's a big old mix of carbon & aluminium, 105, Tiagra, & Veloce.

Road Bikes | Mens & Womens Road Racing Bikes | Evans Cycles
I've always had a soft spot for Felt

If you give us some more pointers we'll be able to whittle down the search and then you can buy something completely different.
Probably the Giant with Tiagra

Thank you very much. Lots to consider. I do wear a full face, but I have an XC style helmet, I can remove the peak? Lycra top but can I still wear my Troy Lee Baggy shorts? haha, £1300 for the bike, and was thinking another £200 for shoes and pedals. I do have a decent park tools track pump and I already have a Garmin.

I'm personally thinking carbon, just because it looks pretty! I can upgrade the components at a later date, but then might be cheaper to upgrade a frame!

Far too much to consider. Mind will hurt tomorrow.

Thanks again for the time and the effort you put in the reply.

I shall reward you with a picture a couple pictures.

 

[Stat Brother]

Thank you very much. Lots to consider. I do wear a full face, but I have an XC style helmet, I can remove the peak? Lycra top but can I still wear my Troy Lee Baggy shorts? haha, £1300 for the bike, and was thinking another £200 for shoes and pedals. I do have a decent park tools track pump and I already have a Garmin.

I'm personally thinking carbon, just because it looks pretty! I can upgrade the components at a later date, but then might be cheaper to upgrade a frame!

Far too much to consider.

That was just generic searching.
From the cursory glances I had at the odd bike, a possible rule of thumb would be:-

Carbon frame = lesser components.
Aluminium frame = better components.

You're going to suffer from cycling being the new 'must do sport'.
I haven't had a good look around the 2013 ranges, but it did seem like your £££'s don't go so far as they did.

Although, with that said, you'll still be getting a very very good bike for the money and it will eat up the road.
As with all bikes it's pretty important to try before you buy.

Even that gorgeous De Rosa in your hands might ride like a dog, because of one of a hundred and one possible tiny reasons.

Although I couldn't ride it's carbon copy, excuse the pun, not with a 105 groupset.

Wiggle | De Rosa R848 Carbon 105 Limited Edition | Road Bikes

 

[1066familyman]

The whole thing has got a bit 'football' hasn't it? Really all Wiggins has said is that the team leadership will be decided on form, Froome is saying he expects to be team leader as this is the plan. Come July if one of them is in significantly better form they will be the leader. Once the Tour starts team leader will be whoever is furthest up the GC at that time. Wiggo surely will not be able to win the Giro, then win the Tour on a route that does not suit him at all.

As for Froome winning more this season. He has been in the events with the time trials, Wiggins has only really had a short time trial in Tirreno-Adriatico making it more difficult to win from his point of view. Swap Wiggins for Froome in Romandie and he would definitely have won, imo. Probably the same for CI, Oman showed why Froome should be leader for the Tour, as he succeeded when there was not a time trial on a tough parcours.

I agree to some extent, I still think it is being blown out of proportion by the media but Wiggins just seems to love a chat. There may be a case for not even entering Wiggins for the Tour team. Him and Froome have not been in the same team yet this season, as far as I know, could this upset the balance of what has been a very successful team so far this year.

I would also like to point out I am very much in Team Froome, as far as the Tour is concerned and more generally. Absolutely loved the way he rode away from everybody at the end of Romandie, and the attacks in CI and Oman were brilliant. He is a much more exciting rider to watch than Wiggins, imo.

Didn't really want to enter into the Sky shenanigans debate as I think that, by and large, it's the media just trying to create a story. But have to quote Pantani here as he sums it all up perfectly for me and there's not a single word there I don't wholeheartedly agree with.

Meanwhile, by way of a casual aside, whilst in Giro provisional mode.....have you seen the price they've slapped on Rubiano! On the plus side, there's at least one absolute bargain listed in there too.

Bike wise - any advice on changing a bottom bracket as I think I really am going to need one after all

 

[Stat Brother]

Bike wise - any advice on changing a bottom bracket as I think I really am going to need one after all

First question you need the answer too is:-

Is it Italian or GB thread?

After that buy the correct ISIS BB and swap it over!

 

[Woodchip]

Bike wise - any advice on changing a bottom bracket as I think I really am going to need one after all

Don't ask Stat Brother to remove your cotter pins.

 

[1066familyman]

First question you need the answer too is:-

Is it Italian or GB thread?

After that buy the correct ISIS BB and swap it over!

Campy Centaur crank set on the Battaglin so I'm assuming Italian. Not sure how I'd check for sure though by seeing which way the threads run? Also need to buy another bloody tool I see! At this rate I could set up as a bike mechanic!, albeit a very slow & constantly frustrated youtube led buffoon of one.

Btw, I did clean and regrease the seat post etc and the front and back wheel skewers as per your and Glanders' advice. That took care of a lot of the squeaking but now I'm back to regular riding again the squeak is getting wporse again and always on the same point of the pedal stroke and now not even when I'm stepping hard on the pedals. Besides, I'll probably only feel contented now once I have changed the bottom bracket, even it does surprisingly turn out to be something else.

 

[Stat Brother]

Don't ask Stat Brother to remove your cotter pins.

I spoke to a car mechanic, I explained what I had done to said cotter pin.

He pondered for a moment.
Looked me in the eye, and said:-



"it's bolloxed then", and walked off.



Have you chaps seen the De Rosa with centaur, I unearthed?

 

[Stat Brother]

Campy Centaur crank set on the Battaglin so I'm assuming Italian. Not sure how I'd check for sure though by seeing which way the threads run? .

Yeah clockwise v counter CW.
I can't for the life of me remember which is which but t'internet knows.

It's 99% likely to be Italian but you will need to check first, sods law and all that.

 

[manintheblackpajamas]

Campy Centaur crank set on the Battaglin so I'm assuming Italian.

I recently had to find out my BB fitting when upgrading to Campag Chorus on an Italian frame and it required GB bottom bracket cups, so I would check for sure it's Italian.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

Is their enough interest in having a Giro d'Italia thread of its own, or can only the big daddy TDF stand up on its own.

 

[1066familyman]

I recently had to find out my BB fitting when upgrading to Campag Chorus on an Italian frame and it required GB bottom bracket cups, so I would check for sure it's Italian.

That's worth knowing, thanks. Measure twice and cut once type adage then, especially when it comes to internet buying. I'll have to buy the right removal tool first, get it off and see what I've got.

 

[Motogull]

My local shop is extolling the virtues of the fixie which doesn't fit well with me. Anyway, I often walk past a spesh which has slowly been been transformed. Not sure if it began life as a fixie but now has trialthlon stlye bars and just a front brake.

 

[1066familyman]

Thank you very much. Lots to consider. I do wear a full face, but I have an XC style helmet, I can remove the peak? Lycra top but can I still wear my Troy Lee Baggy shorts? haha, £1300 for the bike, and was thinking another £200 for shoes and pedals. I do have a decent park tools track pump and I already have a Garmin.

I'm personally thinking carbon, just because it looks pretty! I can upgrade the components at a later date, but then might be cheaper to upgrade a frame!

Far too much to consider. Mind will hurt tomorrow.

Thanks again for the time and the effort you put in the reply.

I shall reward you with a picture a couple pictures.

View attachment 42251

View attachment 42252

Good luck in your choice. Remember, pics here are a must once you've got her home. Just be wary of any SB backlash if you choose anything with "fishing tackle"

 

[1066familyman]

Is their enough interest in having a Giro d'Italia thread of its own, or can only the big daddy TDF stand up on its own.

You volunteering?

I'd be up for contributing certainly, but you'd have to decide whether to allow fantasy chat or not as it will almost certainly creep in otherwise ( I should know, I'm one of the worst culprits ).

 

[Woodchip]

Good luck in your choice. Remember, pics here are a must once you've got her home. Just be wary of any SB backlash if you choose anything with "fishing tackle"

And he'll only moan if there is no Celeste on it.

 

[Woodchip]

My local shop is extolling the virtues of the fixie which doesn't fit well with me. Anyway, I often walk past a spesh which has slowly been been transformed. Not sure if it began life as a fixie but now has trialthlon stlye bars and just a front brake.

Tri bars on a fixie. I feel violated and I've not even seen it.

 

[Stat Brother]

Good luck in your choice. Remember, pics here are a must once you've got her home. Just be wary of any SB backlash if you choose anything with "fishing tackle"

And he'll only moan if there is no Celeste on it.

Oi, no celeste on this recommendation:-

 

[Woodchip]

Oi, no celeste on this recommendation:-

View attachment 42259

The classic styling of that is beautiful. No bizzare shaped top tube (Spesh). Although that head angle looks a little shallow for my liking. I like quite an aggressive head angle on my road bike (but less so on a MTB).

 

[Stat Brother]

The classic styling of that is beautiful. No bizzare shaped top tube (Spesh). Although that head angle looks a little shallow for my liking. I like quite an aggressive head angle on my road bike (but less so on a MTB).

I know what you mean, I thought the Senteur (sp) had it right for a while, but from the glance I had at the new one yesterday, even that seemed OTT.
I always felt my carbon Bianchi was spot on, but the next years 'update' looked shockingly over emphasised.

Jnr stat was looking at the tabs I had open while I was cooking tea (bullet dodged there).
I asked him to pick his favourite from the bike on display, he choose:-



Sure the discussion we had ended when he called Childline but I can safely say he'll not be making that mistake again.

 

[Stat Brother]

A retrospective on Marco Pantani has just appeared on my '5 Live Sports Specials' podcast feed, I image it'll be on I-player too.




A seperate Giro thread will hamper this threads chances of being #1.
How intrested in the Giro is the wider NSC comunity?