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basscyclist thread picture thread
- Thread starter Nobody
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I always ride with an extra dropout, too. Never broke one, but a friend of mine did, once. It's a pain if you don't have a spare.
I ride with portable tools, extra dropout, tubeless plugs, chain quick link, tape, pump, CO2 pump, tire levers. I stopped bringing an inner tube, since I bought the plugs.
I didn't hit a rock but I did have spare. I was "just riding along". It was kind of bizarre.
You don't realize your own strength. Those calves snapped it like a twig.
Question for you riders out there.
I bought my first bike since high school this past summer. Unfortunately, the heat was brutal and I was in the process of starting a new job so I didn't get to ride as much as I had planned. However, one issue I noticed during the few times I took the bike out was that I'm struggle to balance on the bike. In my youth, I could turn a bike with no hands on the handle bars. With my new one, it's a bit more frightening to attempt. In general, the balance of the bike just seems a bit off.
My brother said the spokes might need to be "true-upped." Any thoughts on if that's it or what it could be?
I bought my first bike since high school this past summer. Unfortunately, the heat was brutal and I was in the process of starting a new job so I didn't get to ride as much as I had planned. However, one issue I noticed during the few times I took the bike out was that I'm struggle to balance on the bike. In my youth, I could turn a bike with no hands on the handle bars. With my new one, it's a bit more frightening to attempt. In general, the balance of the bike just seems a bit off.
My brother said the spokes might need to be "true-upped." Any thoughts on if that's it or what it could be?
Hard to say if spokes are the issue. But if they wobble at all when rotating, the spokes need adjustment. As I get older my balance is not the same and considering the skinny tires [on my road bike] and lightweight modern frames, it's probably harder to balance than before.
Modern headsets are far more sensitive with a lot less friction than what used to be. Lift the front end of the bike, centralize the bars and tap them to the left, centralize and tap again to the right. They should smoothly travel the full extent of their plain without impedance. If something sticks, that will be a problem.
If the wheels rotate without wobbling (the rims) then probably it's not the spokes especially if you bought the bike new. Age definitely plays a role but also the geometry of the frame, head angle, wheelbase etc can make huge difference. The more you ride it though the more comfortable you will feel on your new bike.
The headsets are so light and frictionless now that shifting your center of gravity needs to be finer. It takes a while to get used to the sensitivity.
I'll see if I can get one tomorrow or Wednesday. The "summer" stuff is towards the back of the garage now lol.
Problems riding without hand can be a couple of things:
- Wheel dish > is it dead center ? ( if your hubs are "Boost" a certain dish is normal )
- Brake and gear cables > if not at the right length , they can pull (too short) or push (too long) the balance.
- Tire mounted on the rim > some type of rims are more trouble than others to center.
- Wheel dish > is it dead center ? ( if your hubs are "Boost" a certain dish is normal )
- Brake and gear cables > if not at the right length , they can pull (too short) or push (too long) the balance.
- Tire mounted on the rim > some type of rims are more trouble than others to center.
Some bikes are just plain twitchy, even if they are in good working order. I don't know enough about frame geometry to say why. My winter bike, on an old Schwinn Varsity frame with studded tires, is hard to ride no-hands. Yet it's set up perfectly, because I set it up. 
Now if the bike is stable when riding no-hands on level ground (most roads are slightly cambered), then something is crooked. Since I rescue old bikes, I've had to straighten frames that were out of alignment. There are videos on how to check the alignment of a frame, using string.
If the bike is in good repair and it's just twitchy, that's not a show stopper, and it might be possible to get it under control by just practicing.
The truth and "dish" of a wheel can be checked. You can look at the distance between the rim and the frame on both sides, and then turn the wheel around and check again. It should be the same either way except on some very strange modern frames for things like fat bikes. But if the rear wheel is centered in the frame, it's probably not the problem.
Now if the bike is stable when riding no-hands on level ground (most roads are slightly cambered), then something is crooked. Since I rescue old bikes, I've had to straighten frames that were out of alignment. There are videos on how to check the alignment of a frame, using string.
If the bike is in good repair and it's just twitchy, that's not a show stopper, and it might be possible to get it under control by just practicing.
The truth and "dish" of a wheel can be checked. You can look at the distance between the rim and the frame on both sides, and then turn the wheel around and check again. It should be the same either way except on some very strange modern frames for things like fat bikes. But if the rear wheel is centered in the frame, it's probably not the problem.
I'll also guess it's a geometry issue. Is your new bike the same type as you rode as a Ute? A road bike is gonna be much twitchier than a BMX bike or beach cruiser. If the bike is new, I can't imagine the wheels are wonky enough to cause stability issues.
It's different. I used to ride fairly cheap (Target model) Diamondback mountain bike as a kid, and I also had my brothers old BMX bike. My current bike is a hybrid and the wheels are quite a bit smaller/thinner than I'm used to. It also rides higher, so I'm willing to bet it's mostly a "me" issue.
Head angle and bar width have the most effect on steering feel. Obviously bar width isn't important when riding with no hands. My bike isn't super slack (66 degrees) but I can ride with no hands at ridiculously low speeds compared to a buddy's 90s XC bike (71 degree HA).
We are still riding mountain bikes on dirt out here. Very strange considering there's usually a couple of feet of snow pack by now. Frozen dirt is amazing to ride on though. Very fast. As for snow riding, now that they're grooming the trails I've found that by the time you get a few days after a snowfall you can ride a regular MTB on the winter trails no problem. Not sure if it would work like that in Ottawa because the snow up there tends to be drier than down here.
Yikes! I've bent a bunch of them but never broken one before. Your bike predates (or maybe they didn't use them on the 5.5) the dropouts with integrated hangers on Intenses. Those were super durable. I actually sheared a derailleur off on my Uzzi VPX and it didn't damage the hanger at all. The mech flew into my rear wheel and took out half a dozen spokes, though.
The last couple of thousand feet up Haleakala must have been hard, or were you accustomed to the altitude? We hiked down into the crater and I found breathing hard going back up ( I live at sea level). I wanted to rent a mountain bike and ride down the Skyline trail down to Rice Park but that wasn't as easily done back in 2008 as it is now. I will do it when we go back though.
We are still riding mountain bikes on dirt out here. Very strange considering there's usually a couple of feet of snow pack by now. Frozen dirt is amazing to ride on though. Very fast. As for snow riding, now that they're grooming the trails I've found that by the time you get a few days after a snowfall you can ride a regular MTB on the winter trails no problem. Not sure if it would work like that in Ottawa because the snow up there tends to be drier than down here.
Yikes! I've bent a bunch of them but never broken one before. Your bike predates (or maybe they didn't use them on the 5.5) the dropouts with integrated hangers on Intenses. Those were super durable. I actually sheared a derailleur off on my Uzzi VPX and it didn't damage the hanger at all. The mech flew into my rear wheel and took out half a dozen spokes, though.
The last couple of thousand feet up Haleakala must have been hard, or were you accustomed to the altitude? We hiked down into the crater and I found breathing hard going back up ( I live at sea level). I wanted to rent a mountain bike and ride down the Skyline trail down to Rice Park but that wasn't as easily done back in 2008 as it is now. I will do it when we go back though.
We may be back to frozen dirt by the weekend. I love riding frozen dirt - its like 100% traction even on tough climbs. Back in the old days, I used to snow ride all the time (on 26" wheels with normal MTB tires)....some rides were a real slog.
There's some groomed trails around here. I've been walking them for the last week but they're getting slick not having had any real new snow in the last 10 days or so. Riding with summer MTB tires would be tricky, but there were a few days of decent conditions out there....hard packed enough, but still with some traction available. Now it's super hard packed but slick, almost icy.
We get all kinds of snow - light fluffy and dry, heavy and wet, freezing snow showers, snowy rain storms, you name it. No matter how it starts, it eventually gets packed down into the infamous eastern hardpack.
Ride faster. Seriously. The gyroscopic force of the wheels helps keep the bike upright. that force should overcome any "loose spoke syndrome". I've finished many bike races with completely broken spokes. Not optimumm but not a deal breaker either. Unless the wheels were not properly built in the first place.
Also, look father ahead of than just in front of your front tire....eyes up, head on a swivel. Look at where you want to go, you and your bike will follow.
Oh, yes. That is awesome. I'm cursing myself for not ordering a fattie in time for this winter. Next year for sure.
