The Cycling / Bicycles Thread

[TheForce]

thanks m8 ! I've had a Gaint, Trek and Merida bike, but this Cannondale is the one I still totally love since the day I saw it (have it for almost 2 years now) . Normally I switch bikes every 2-3 years, but this one still runs as good as the first day, this one I keep it for atleast one more year.

and that lefty suspension really is good ! even if it looks a bit strange for most people.

[Crisp_Rapper]

i've test ridden an f800 before actually, when they first released the lefty fork. it looks VERY disconcerting when you're riding along and you look down to see only one fork leg, it works really well though.

so yeah, i think i'm decided now, i want a cannondale. (can i be in your gang?)

[TheForce]

yep, the cannondale is the most stable bike I've had so far. It has an awesome frame. I have to admit I was a bit worried also when I bought it... but before I made the decision had one for the weekend to try out, and it was excellent, and the lefty on this bike (2005) is a new version of the lefty suspension.

and you're welcome ofcourse to join the gang !

[dataDave]

I wouldn't trust anything without a fork at the front I'm afraid. That thing just doesn't look safe to me.

[Rossco]

Same here, looks really really odd, I couldnt use it! Its like driving one of those 3 wheeled cars!

Was tanking about the streets today in the pouring rain for a bit before my squash game to warm up. Was excellent fun. There arent many hills and stuff round here though, need to find some good places to go soon.

[Spagoli]

at the moment I have an Cannondale F800 with a lefty front suspension and shimano brake discs.
I MTB for over 8 years now, and now MTB season has begon again , so there are many organised MTB tours (about 50km) every weekend ! I totally love it.
.

I had the same bike, it was a 2005 model in black and loved it, sadly never used it off road once and used it on road half a dozen times, sold it after about 9 months it was just too sad seeing it stuck in the shed! Sold it for ?600 the bloke buying it got the deal of the century!

Was never sure about the lefty I thought it pulled very slightly due to balance but I loved the look. A few of my mates have the and I know one of them has gone through about 4 lefty's then again he's a bit of a monster and also busts frames so guess thats nothing to go by. My others mates love them though, ones got the ELO which was a bit tempremental to start with but got it sorted out quickly. Still the best lookin bikes by a country mile IMHO love the welds and the quality, the lock out on the lefty makes it great for climbing.

[Eps]

only just got to 40mph on a road bike?

No, I meant on this road bike, ie. this new one, after having moved to a new country (full of mental drivers) where I had to take time to get used to the way stuff is on the roads, etc. Plus, as this is after all a pretty inexpensive bike, I'm loath to push it too hard; none of the Spaceballs-style ludicrous speed I used to be into down (roads on) hills

try it off road, wheels off the ground more than on it, scrabbling for traction on corners... i both hate it and love it.

I did -- but then I rode XC, so all you 'X-TREME downhiller' kids think that's almost as bad as being a road cyclist anyway I stick to the roads more now because of a combination of expediency and preference. Plus, there are too many alligators round here to ride off-road much

on the way back down the hill on the road we blitzed some roadies at about 40mph on this long stretch of hill outside otley. that took some serious aerodynamic adjustment considering the gearing on my bike only allows for about 27mph flat out spinning like a loon. 8) they didn't look happy

If it's a long downhill stretch then they are more likely to have been touring-oriented cyclists than racing-oriented cyclists. Touring cyclists think that high speeds are uncivilised, and that the noblest goal of the bicycle is to cause impotency by cycling for 400 straight miles... or something

I've had terrible trouble with punctures recently though, because when I get near my workplace there's loads of broken glass around (as it's a University and so is full of stoodents). I was sick of forever patching or replacing tubes, so I solved that by getting a nice set of kevlar 'tires' (as they call them here...). This is the first time I've had any for a road bike, though I used to use them on my off-road bike. Quite impressed so far; I thought they'd totally kill the ride of an on-road machine, but they're really nice and very puncture-resistant

[Crisp_Rapper]

alligators

**** that then.

[TheForce]

Was never sure about the lefty ........ the lock out on the lefty makes it great for climbing.

yeah, I know that feeling, I had the same feeling when I first saw it and I still get a lot of comments on the fork from people that never actually tried it...

But after almost 2 years I can say I'm very satisfied with the complete package ! I didn't have any problems with the lefty so far. The new Shimano dual control brake/shifters work perfectly.
And this is the first bike I have brake discs on, I always had Magura brakes (also very good) but I have more control with discs.

[Rossco]

Does anyone use the slime inner tubes? I bought two the other day but havent fitted them yet, wonder if they actually work and last longer than normal?

[Tirian]

Came off my bike on the way to work today

Not really sure what happened, one moment was sailing across a junction (quite fast), next moment flat on the ground sliding across the road - and the bottle I'd been holding, waiting to see a recycle bin, smashed and sliced my hand. Nice. Tore my work trousers (grr!), got blood all over the place - looked very impressive, although it was only a couple of cuts. Some very helpful passers-by helped me up, but I had to take charge a bit to stop them from calling an ambulance. Even in shock mode I was perfectly well aware that an ambulance was completely unecessary. Guess the sight of blood panics people.

Had to stop some well-intentioned woman from trying to tie a tourniquet round my wrist too. Did go down to casualty in the end though, just to check there wasn't any glass embedded in my hand (thankfully not). Could well have been worse if not for my cycle helmet I guess.

Ironically, I was on my way back to work from a hospital visit ...

Hehe - and after they'd confirmed there was no glass in there, they told me to wait and someone would clean up the cuts and bandage, but in the end I was waiting so long I just left. Went to get a sandwich, and the guy behind the counter insisted on getting out some antiseptic spray and bandages for me ... so next time maybe I'll just skip the NHS and go straight to the sarnie shop! Quicker service at least!

[Mad Gear]

Nice one on the bike thread idea.

I just got this yesterday:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_241179_langId_-1_CarSelectorCatalogId__CarSelectorGroupId__varient__categoryId_55070_crumb_33980-33957_parentcategoryrn_55070#

Its the new GT Agressor XC.1. Was going to be getting a different bike but it went down in price and they brought out the new GT's which I am over the moon with now as I have an older GT Agressor too and love it, and I really like the triple triangle frame thing they do. Plus this bike is so much better than the one I was getting, hydraulic disc brakes front and rear, excellent Tioga tyres and even got branded rims which the other one didn't have. Diore gears are always welcome. And the suspension feels so much better too.

Was out for a bit last night with it, after adding on some front and rear lights. Need to either take it back in though to do some tweaks or do it myself as some of the gears are sticking a bit and I need to loosen the grip on the wheels as I can hear them rubbing with the brakes I think. I was in after they closed so they were rushing to get me out, I should have waited til today so we had time to go through it and make sure it was running fine before taking it home.

But its just minor things which I'll get fixed then everything will be excellent.

You liking it now?
I'm asking as i'm finally gonna pick up a new bike through work on this cycle2work scheme. I have to pick a bike from Halfords and this is the only one really that's in my price bracket.

LMK on your latest thoughts.

[Crisp_Rapper]

Does anyone use the slime inner tubes? I bought two the other day but havent fitted them yet, wonder if they actually work and last longer than normal?

i've used them in the past... they're pretty good, but them working relies on you realising you have something sticking out of your tyre to begin with.

you find the offending item and remove it, spin the wheel to spread the slime and it fills the hole and seals itself on contact with the air.

the only real downside to them is they add a lot of weight to your wheels, and when your wheels are spinning they'll feel even heavier. if this is a bit of a pisser for you (it should be) then it may be worth investing in some tyres with puncture protection built in (continental tyres usually do, especially on their road mtb tyres) or make your own bullet proof tyres using a strip of tyre liner.

tyre liner: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/M...x?ModelID=7970
if you have a look on wiggle.co.uk and at 'tyres mtb road', quite a few of those have puncture protection built in.

it all depends on what kind of punctures you get... if you're riding down country lanes after they've cut the bushes then the pin prick punctures you'll get will be well fended off by the slime tubes. however, if you're getting 'pinch' or 'snakebite' punctures in your tubes it simply means your tyres are too soft.

and madgear, if that bike is half as good as previous GT aggressors (i have a feeling it will be) then it's a fantastic bike.

[Rossco]

Mad Gear, I'm loving it now. Its fantastic as Crisp says, I had a GT Aggressor 2.0 before and loved it and just gave it to my dad yesterday, and cycled on it for a bit, seemed sooo heavy and clunky compared to the new XC.1 but when I had the original it was brilliant. I really like the GT frames too, work so well.

I dont think theres anything else with the bike I would want to change either, suspension is great, 80-130mm adjustable travel, and lockout too which works great. Gears are perfect now that I got the cables tightened. You get great tyres with it, good chunky ones with plenty of grip but not too overpowering so as you can still use it on roads etc. The rims are great, cant remember what make they are off hand but its so much better to have a good branded set of rims as I've trashed many standard ones before and I imagine these will last alot longer, if not forever! Brakes are perfect too, hydraulic disc, cant believe I never had them on my last bike, they're so much better and work a treat. Even the handle bar and grips feel chunkier and better than my old Aggressor, which is good, makes you feel more confident on it as you've got a good solid grip of the thing.

Not really given you much useful info, other than I think its a fantastic bike for the price, I'm over the moon with it and even the guys in Halfords thought it was excellent when I bought it, saying it was the best one in the price range and an excellent choice.

I'm such a GT fanboy and easy to please though!


Crisp, I found that really odd saying about the wheels feeling heavier, the ubes dont seem alot heavier than normal and look/feel the same as any normal tube when blown up. I'll stick them on tomorrow and see if I feel a difference, if I do then I'll take em back and replace them with the tyre liner stuff as you recommend, I seen them in shop but never thought they'd be good. I'd of thought they'd be quite restricting and you'd feel a difference.

[Crisp_Rapper]

Crisp, I found that really odd saying about the wheels feeling heavier, the ubes dont seem alot heavier than normal and look/feel the same as any normal tube when blown up. I'll stick them on tomorrow and see if I feel a difference

physics my good man... any weight on the wheels is magnified when they're spinning. add some weight wherever else you want on the bike and you'll probably not notice, but unless it's only a tiny amount on the wheels you'll notice.

i've a set of downhill tyres which are quad ply (four layered rubber) for supreme sidewall strength, i can run them at about 15psi with no chance of pinch flatting. thing is, they weigh at least double my usual tyres. they're 1.4kg EACH... and with downhill tubes in, i'd added about a kg in weight per wheel which is insane really. the bike went wonderfully downhill when i didn't have to pedal but on flat/uphill it was a killer.

it's not always a bad thing in some cases, but heavy wheels are more effort to accelerate and keep spinning, they also tend to feel 'deader'. try it first, you may not be bothered by it at all. i notice these things but just get used to them, however your average roadie would cry at the thought of adding 200g per wheel