Biking

Originally posted by batmanwest Originally posted by j_lucky84 A 30 mile ride is perdy darn good! But now it sounds like ya shoulda saved that 40 for when ya got home! That sounds awful though, dude! I've rode some over-tensioned chains before and I know the hell it can be! (though i didn't have the need to ride 10 miles.. yikes!) I'm glad you had equipment with ya so ya didnt have to hoof it home. But mostly hopin you can get out of it for the cheaper of those two estimates. I don't really blame it on the beer, I blame it on me always wanting to push all my bikes past their limits. I have found over the year that it is extremely important to carry certain tools with me wherever I go. It sucks to be stuck miles out from home, with no way to "limp" your bike back. After looking at things a little more today, it kind of seems like my drive side crank is slightly bent. No way to totally tell until I get a chain bolted up and try it out. Dear god I hope the crank is fine. It's one of the nicest things on my bike

Originally posted by batmanwest rzero, does your ass get sore much on your rides? I feel like you ride enough that your soft tissue should be used to being in the saddle that long. Maybe try out a different seat? 40 miles is pretty good. I've been trying to do more and more long rides this year. Planning on doing my first century before it gets really cold this year. Longest I have ever done in one sitting is just under 80. I have a bunch of friends doing something called the CFC (Columbus Fall Challenge) this year. It's a "tour" race where you do 100 miles on sat, 110 on sunday and has over 16k feet of elevation change in the 210 miles. Trying to make it a goal to do it next year.

AWESOME

Got dayum what a day in the shop. First repair of the day, I'm tightening down a bottom bracket in a carbon frame (2005 Roubaix comp) and before I even get to the torque spec, the metal coupling that holds the BB in the frame, cracks and separates from the carbon. Ruined, trashed...game over. Bike is toast.  Luckily Specialized has a great warranty, and we are going to replace it for free with a 2013 Roubaix Elite. Still, scared the shit out of me, and had to deal with the dude bitching up a storm that he has to pay shipping... :/

THEN, around 1 I get a call from a customer asking me when she can bring her bike in to get her fork replaced due to the recall....
What recall I ask! I haven't heard shit about a recall. I ask her if I can call her back.
Apparently, on the front page of NBC online today, there was a piece about Specialized recalling 12,000 shtooking bikes due to faulty forks. Would of been nice if they would of contacted us to give us a little heads up. Dealt with close to 30 calls during the day of people asking me when they could bring their bikes in....
I have a feeling it's going to be a long month.

Originally posted by mommehK ^^I guess the bike world doesn't work like the car world when the dealers would hear about the recalls first...? O.o

We should of heard about it before it ever made the press. Total crap. Someone seriously dropped the ball on this one, and we are going to be paying for it.

The recall is for 12k forks to be replaced on 2008 bikes sold between 2007-2011. I think our store sold something like 300 of the bike being recalled. While as a mech. I will get paid for my time to replace the forks, it's going to be hell dealing with customers and trying to keep a good back stock of the forks. Bleh.

My friend Chris is currently in the middle of a bragging rights type bike race in WV/VA right now. He is in first with about 140 miles out of 400 under his belt. Really stoked for him, he is trying to beat the record of 42 hours for 400 miles. He is on a pretty good pace to possibly contend for that, just comes down to how much (or rather how little) sleep he can get away with.

You can follow his current location updated frequently via gps tracking/mapping system attached to his bike at this link: http://trackleaders.com/alleghenyi.php?name=Christopher_Arndt&fb_comment_id=fbc_472674686086131_5540961_473705109316422#f344ef656239cde 

a work in progress almost done with my leader fixed build she's been fitted w/ 806v2 fork it needs to be recut on top steerer, just installed the zerostack headset and this weekend if i have time i'll be picking up a Sugino CBB-103 bb to match her rd2 cranks,can't wait to have her up and riding before the season starts

Good luck, BMW! hope the road isnt a speed trap! Just keep it under 35 and out of school zones, and the ticket wont be too steep ;) lol

And i really like the color of that bike, boot :)

Originally posted by j_lucky84 Hey! Batman! Ya never filled us in as to how this went!

Yeah...it didn't go THAT well. Only a handful of people showed up. Had 16 people race, and another 5 or 6 people come out and watch. It was a fun time though, party at my place afterwords. It was nice to meet a few new faces.

In other news, a customer gave me these yesterday. One of the shifters wasn't working correctly, but I tore them apart, cleaned the living piss out of them, and they are working just fine. One step closer to having a complete Ultegra groupo. I have Ultegra cranks and BB, and he also gave me an Ultegra 9 spd. cassette and front derailleur for free. I love my job some days. Well....most days actually

Originally posted by batmanwest Originally posted by j_lucky84 Hey! Batman! Ya never filled us in as to how this went! Yeah...it didn't go THAT well. Only a handful of people showed up. Had 16 people race, and another 5 or 6 people come out and watch. It was a fun time though, party at my place afterwords. It was nice to meet a few new faces. In other news, a customer gave me these yesterday. One of the shifters wasn't working correctly, but I tore them apart, cleaned the living piss out of them, and they are working just fine. One step closer to having a complete Ultegra groupo. I have Ultegra cranks and BB, and he also gave me an Ultegra 9 spd. cassette and front derailleur for free. I love my job some days. Well....most days actually

Those are very shiny! Have ya decided on the bike ya wanna put it all on yet?

As far as the race goes, was that the first time you guys have done it? Hopefully it will pick up some ground/popularity next year.  :)

Originally posted by derbytownjoe I WANT!!!!! you suck btw.......

Heh. Not sure if you purposely typed the "I Want!!!" in white, or if that's just some weird feck up that happened. Either way, as far as the sucking, I leave that to the wife, I just have nice (and rich) customers.
In all fairness, I do have to buy new hoods for them, as well as ultegra branded face plates. Should run me about 25 bucks.

As far as what bike they are going on I still am not sure. It would be nice to replace the Tiagra shifters I have on my Allez (as I said my goal with that bike is to have a full Ultegra groupo) but my wife's bike could use them as well.
Actually will probably go on the wifeys bike as she has a tripple crank and the shifters are a 3x9 set where as my bike is a 2x9. I could just limit it out, but I don't want to "rig" stuff that like on my bike. Also, the Ultegra Front D. is a triple so that might go on hers as well. The only problem with the FD is the cinch bolt threads are stripped on the inside of the derailleur, so to use it you need a nut/bolt set up. Picture kind of shows the mangled-ness...

 

Other than that it's in good shape. Scratched up, but actuates as Ultegra should.

As with all of this stuff, it has really been used. Guy has almost 30k on these parts, so they are not new by any means, but mechanically everything works. Guess that is a good example of why quality (and dollars) matter when dealing with bike parts. Oh, and taking care of your shit...gotta take good care of your shit



I also picked up some fenders for the Allez the other day. Opted for the planet bike "race blades" as I don't have dropouts for a full bolt on fender on the front. That, and I like how easy they are on/off. While they don't offer the best (or really any) frame/component protection, they have your ass and legs covered. Rode with them on all last week while dealing with a constant 4 day long rain from the remnants of Sandy, and I stayed dry. The bike didn't and had to do a full clean/tune up of my bike, but hey, that's why I work in a shop ya know.

If I didn't work in a shop or didn't have access to a stand and tools to take things apart and clean/tune/grease them, I don't know if I would use these things. Probably would find another option that is a full fender.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a little bit of my bike in "dirty fender porn"...

Okay, well check your PM!

And hey, it makes up for the minimum wage shit, so...ya know. Can't be TOO Jealous.

Holy cow dude, congrats! I've had my bike for like 8 months and have barely put 100 miles on it :( lol. Really should put some owrk into it over the winter so it'll be road ready come spring. A friend has the same model of the same year in the same color. would be pretty kick-ass to ride around a matching set of nearly 40 year old bikes.

Originally posted by batmanwest Get on it Lucky! Not trying to be a dick, but 100 miles in 8 months is weak sauce. Keep riding, try to get out a few times a week, push your self, and I assure you it will help your snow game ten fold!  Oh, and have I mentioned how I love cross season? This little guy came in the shop today for some new brakes. German made, strong as hell, and pretty sexy lookin. Full Tiagra groupo (even down to the hubs). Not the lightest thing out there, but VERY responsive. Never heard of the brand before today, but after just 10 miles into a "test" ride after the repair, I rule it as a badass Apparently the carbon version is the bee's knees...

1. You failed! <runs home to cry> lol. I know 100 in 8 is weak.. I was workin at getting things for it that would allow me to ride more. Didnt have a water bottle holder til like 3-4 months in. Had to get new brake pads, my shitty tubes kept blowing out before i got the liners. That's all been resolved. Still need to get some dual pivot calipers, that side pull crap sucks. Also need to bring 'er in to the LBS and try to get the front derailleur fixed. Only having 5 speeds available really cuts down on the fun of longer distance rides! Probably should get my wheels aligned too, but can't afford all of that at once!

2. That is a pretty sexy lookin bike :).

in germany focus is a pretty big name! 

Originally posted by j_lucky84 Glad someone posted in here today! I was just getting around to searching for it. I discovered Sunday afternoon that my bike had been stolen :( . I was thinking a few days ago that i should bring it up to my rent's house n store it in their garage over the winter to keep it out of the elements. So Sunday afternoon i went out out to go check on how it was doing, and realized it was no longer there :(. I guess it's a good thing i didn't dump any more money on modifications for it.. but i'm pretty bummed!

Ya bike thieves are something else, it's amazing how big the market for stolen bikes is. I watched some documentary on undercover police in San Fran who basically set up bait bikes and arrest perps all day long. It was pretty good, the majority of the thefts were bums or crack addicts borrowing the bike to get from point A to point B. But they did catch a few who made pretty good money on high end bikes, can't remember for the life of me what it was called though.

Originally posted by Muse25 Batmanwest: What do you think about a kona stinky for all Mtn? Found a frame I can built up on.

WELL....

First and foremost I must say that I live in Ohio and don't do DH. There isn't anywhere to ride that stuff here for the most part, and to be honest I like pain and like to make my legs to most of the work, not gravity. I would love to give it a whirl though, looks fun.

I have never physically handled the bike you are looking/talking about, but I do have a pretty decent knowledge of Kona with some of their road and trail bikes (once again, not gravity). Kona makes a pretty decent product, not high end (even their high end/high priced  bikes would not be considered high end in my world) but still a good starting point. I do know that their warranty and warranty process is CRAP. BUT, since you found a frame to build up I would go out on a whim and say there is no way a warranty is coming with this frame.

How much is this deal you are getting? What comes with the frame if anything?

I will say, as a full built bike, the stinky is just that in components IMO. I would never ride hayes...never. Never. The RD that comes on this bike is pretty sub par and don't think it would live very long for a DH bike. The suspension is marginal at best, once again IMO. I have never liked Marzocchi as a product. Ridden their stuff a few times and never was left with an impressed feeling. Marzocchi makes a durable product, just not a great working one. While we are on components, I think it is a good thing that you have the chance to get just the frame. There isn't a single component that comes stock on the bike that I wouldn't change out if it were mine.

From reviews I have read around on trusted bike nerd sites is that the bike is really heavy. Once again, a good chunk of that would be coming from those awful components I keep bitching about, but it would be interesting to find out how much the frame weighs alone.

So, I leave you with this. How much can you get the frame for, what all comes with said frame, and what level of experience do you have with gravity riding? How good are you? What area do you ride in, what kind of features do you normally have the balls to hit? Answer all that and I can offer in a bit more insight.

Now, on to the real reason I came to post here!
Trolling around bike radar I came across this RAD video. It's a 360 view run of the World Cup downhill track. WARNING: High bandwidth area though if you plan on watching the video. I also suggest letting it load all the way so it doesn't lag. Click the link, load the video, and use the arrow keys to look around 360 while some dude rides the DHWCT! Super cool.

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/watch-360-degree-video-on-mtb-world-cup-track-35804/

EDIT: I'm a dumb ass. Just realized you asked what I thought about the Kona for all mtn. For all mtn  I would say to stay away from that bike. It's going to be a really sloppy geometry for all mtn. WAY too much travel for that style of riding. It's going to do nothing but work against you the entire time. What kind of budget are you trying to work with for a built up, ready to ride rig?

hey BMW, i ran across this the other day and thought it was pretty genius!!!

Batman, that frame you are painting looks pretty good....made me want something like that but with a distressed dark wood grain look.

This definitely motivated me to finish replacing my tubes, true my tires, and fix everything on my bike before the weekend starts or before it ends.

Anybody catch the Red Bull Rampage?

Originally posted by gunda pickle Here is just a taste. Link to Red Bull Rampage

I've watched a little bit of it. To be honest I really haven't had time to do anything other than work lately though.

Just got an area set up in my house to work on bikes. Trading a guy an old CB radio for a bunch of open ended Craftsman wrenches, and a socket set. Picked up an allen "3 way" this morning from the shop, and am picking up a few more tools from the shop later this week. It's starting to come together. Need a bunch of other stuff so I can work on anything that comes my way, but going to have to wait a while for that. Shit is expensive!

Originally posted by batmanwest Originally posted by dy3versity This is my bike. It's a 2011 felt B16. I use it for all my triathlon races. This is the setup I will be using for Ironman California 70.3 and Ironman Lake Tahoe next year! Oh dear...a tri rider...odd bunch you all are I kid, I kid. Although, every single tri bike I have worked on was covered in un-healthy amounts of sweat and piss. How do you like that Planet X wheel set? From what I hear they are pretty decent at a nice price, but overall tension and the cassette bodies are pretty weak. I've never ridden with them, or physically seen them in person, so...Just got done giving a friends bike a little tune up. Didn't realize she had such a cool little bike. Nothing over the top, nothing super fancy, no weight saving titanium bolts, no carbon fiber...Just some 4130 Reynolds Cro-mo and weird (I think...) late 80's/early 90's Raleigh tube design. Full Shimano Exage 500 groupo on it too, which was nice.  Some times I tend to forget not everything has to have carbon or "designer" metals to rock. I get too surrounded by crazy new tech at my job. Would have to say that (other than pay) is the only thing I don't like about the place. Anyways, popped off a few lower quality bike porn photos for all ya....

Sorry! Never realized you hit me back up. I was thinking maybe a 2nd hand with $750 for a budget. (for now) I was thinking something with a 6 inch travel both rear and front? Someone has a Jamiz XLT for sale for $500. Or something that can handle Northstar's blue runs. What do you think?