Show Me A Photo Of Your Road Bike



okay lol so first off fyi the hyundai u r talking about is an xg350 ...so well built that other companies actually paid hyundai NOT to build it anymore so that model lasted i think 3 years total lol....second...and i say this quietly....anyone who actually still lives in the 1990s and rhinks u cant build up a bike yourself thats actually of hugely better quality then a bikeshop bike for a fraction of the cost is just living in the past lol.....i built up my ride for about 1700 bucks...sram red carbo 10k frame...zipp wheels ....most carbon intergrated bars and seatpost etc etc.....and whenever i take it to my local bikeshop the owner himself as well as rhe staff drool all over it cause they think its priced double anything they sell lmao ....and as for how it rides...i am 190 lbs....put over 8000 kms on it already and not a twitch or issue....besides whats a bike brand anyway...lets see...a carbo frame built in asia with groupset of a different brand then the bike frame branding with different wheels tires etc.....so if u can actually name me one part on a bike brand thats not made by someone elae then u may have an arguement.....modern truth is branded bikes mark up are at the ridiculous mark up and to waste money on an "original" is plain and simple...a joke
 


Guru Photon with 2013 SRAM Red 10 speed, HED Ardennes FR wheels, Thomson bars, stem, post & clamp. Fizik Arione carbon rail saddle, Michelin Pro Race 3 rubber.
 
700
2013 self build project
 
Originally Posted by hughfrancis

okay lol so first off fyi the hyundai u r talking about is an xg350 ...so well built that other companies actually paid hyundai NOT to build it anymore so that model lasted i think 3 years total lol....second...and i say this quietly....anyone who actually still lives in the 1990s and rhinks u cant build up a bike yourself thats actually of hugely better quality then a bikeshop bike for a fraction of the cost is just living in the past lol.....i built up my ride for about 1700 bucks...sram red carbo 10k frame...zipp wheels ....most carbon intergrated bars and seatpost etc etc.....and whenever i take it to my local bikeshop the owner himself as well as rhe staff drool all over it cause they think its priced double anything they sell lmao ....and as for how it rides...i am 190 lbs....put over 8000 kms on it already and not a twitch or issue....besides whats a bike brand anyway...lets see...a carbo frame built in asia with groupset of a different brand then the bike frame branding with different wheels tires etc.....so if u can actually name me one part on a bike brand thats not made by someone elae then u may have an arguement.....modern truth is branded bikes mark up are at the ridiculous mark up and to waste money on an "original" is plain and simple...a joke
Yes, perhaps, brand bikes are overpriced, but not everyone has the knowledge of frame design and construction to build up from. Everyone knows the component names and quality, but buying these piecemeal is usually a very expensive proposition.
 
agreed for sure.......we tend to spend the time riding and never learning much about what it is that we are riding......
 
Amen Mr Francis!

Once you know a bit about bikes and how they work, building one is not a huge challenge. Get a copy of Leonard Zinn's book and check out You Tube, etc. for very helpful tips on how to build a bike. You can still go for brand names and find bargains. My build cost about half of what retail would have been for the bike new. Why? A 2012 frame bought for $1,900 when a new one is $4,500. Demo groupset at less than 1/2 retail as it is "old" 2013 10 speed and not 11 speed .OMG can you imagine having ONLY 10 cogs! Wheelset at half price as older version (23mm rim width instead of 25mm) The rest of the components were purchased online from eBay, Pinkbike, Amazon, Craigslist, etc.. The only "sweaty palms moment" was when cutting the carbon steerer which I'd never done before. An online search told me how to do it without buying a bunch of fancy and expensive Park tools and it worked like a charm . $5 carbide tungsten hacksaw blade and an old stem as a cut guide.
 
Quote by Jimbo:
"building one is not a huge challenge."

True that.

A modern bicycle is only slightly more complicated than a can opener.

Common sense and just a few simple hand tools (yeah...some folks can break an anvil with a rubber hammer and these are the people that NEED to go to the LBS to get their cables adjusted...). No, a $200 calibrated torque wrench is not required. Careful use of force is, however.

Does anyone really think the 18-year old dropout in the back room of the bike shop is smarter than you?

A little experience goes a long way and there's a YouTube video to guide those willing to learn through just about every build, maintenance and adjustment necessary.


That's a good looking Spesh, m3ta1head.
 
curious to know what specialized rhat and to think if you ask my lbs wbo one of their best customers is then thet would tel you it is me....i dont go in every year and buy lasts years model and ask for a further drop in the already marked down last years model ...and then never return to the store til i need to hassle them again for no profit lol...nope...i have LOTS of left over disposable guilt free CASH to blow on regualr maintencnace and new gear and shoes and and and ...and the kicker were they love me the most is that cause i tide a high end bike then of cpurse i eant hi end cassettes and cmothing and the newest garmin edge ol.....so at a way better profit margin and never a return of anything ...customers like me are great to deal with and extreemly profitable to the local economy
 
Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
Quote by Jimbo:
"building one is not a huge challenge."

True that.

A modern bicycle is only slightly more complicated than a can opener.

Common sense and just a few simple hand tools (yeah...some folks can break an anvil with a rubber hammer and these are the people that NEED to go to the LBS to get their cables adjusted...). No, a $200 calibrated torque wrench is not required. Careful use of force is, however.

Does anyone really think the 18-year old dropout in the back room of the bike shop is smarter than you?

A little experience goes a long way and there's a YouTube video to guide those willing to learn through just about every build, maintenance and adjustment necessary.


That's a good looking Spesh, m3ta1head.
Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
No, a $200 calibrated torque wrench is not required. Careful use of force is, however.
I now use a torque wrench when tightening any connection to a carbon component. I bought one from a mechanic at my LBS for 50 bucks as he was getting a new one free. While I agree that careful use of force is necessary, after buying the torque wrench and checking my bike, I found that on most bolts I was tightening them quite a bit more than what the manufacturer's specify. I'd rather be safe than end up with a cracked seat tube or steerer.
 
Originally Posted by Jimbo S

I now use a torque wrench when tightening any connection to a carbon component. I bought one from a mechanic at my LBS for 50 bucks as he was getting a new one free. While I agree that careful use of force is necessary, after buying the torque wrench and checking my bike, I found that on most bolts I was tightening them quite a bit more than what the manufacturer's specify. I'd rather be safe than end up with a cracked seat tube or steerer.
I just picked up a torque wrench and started using it with the delicate 3mm allen head bolts on my Ritchey WCS 260 stem. I've had the stem for a couple years and uninstalled, adjusted, re-adjusted, and installed a number of times by "feel". Well what do you know when using the torque wrench recently stripped one of the bolt heads. Go figure. Interestingly the forums abound with this exact problem and I have one of the first gen stems indicating 5nm max. When tightening using the new wrench to spec I was like "jeez this feels too tight!". Ritchey has apparently (and cost effectively) fixed the problem by stamping "4nm" on the newer versions.

But I agree better safe than sorry.
 
Quote by Dan:
"Well what do you know when using the torque wrench recently stripped one of the bolt heads. Go figure."

I have gone and figured. I own half a dozen torque wrenches from automotive Snap-On and Matco 1/2" drive to 3/8" drive, to 1/4" drive to a very expensive German Gehmann hex bit drive.

When...and it's not often...I use a torque wrench on a bike I torque to below the minimum torque spec and confirm what my fingers tell me is correct with a bare Allen or Torx wrench.

Most shop grade torque wrenches have a ±4% (8% total spread) accuracy of setting in the clockwise/tightening direction. When new. And in calibration. In the center part of their torque range. Use them at either end or their range and the accuracy spec falls off more.

Any experienced bike wrench will advise staying below the torque spec. when using a torque wrench. I'll add that sneaking up to a sweet spot is preferable to just setting a torque wrench and cranking until it clicks. I have watched shop rats do just that and I cringe when I see that wrench handle swing.

Be aware that thread lockers and lubricants affect torque ratings. Torque ratings are GENERALLY specified to dry, clean fasteners, BUT manufacturers of various components also spec torque ratings to oil lubricated, grease lubricated and/or thread locked fasteners.


Quote by Jim:
"I found that on most bolts I was tightening them quite a bit more than what the manufacturer's specify."

Most people over-tighten everything from jar lids to lawnmower blades to the lug nuts on their car wheels (and nothing pisses me off more than some moron distorting a brake rotor by over-tightening them or trying to use a factory lug wrench at the roadside to change a flat tire after 'Ahnuld' tightened the lug nuts!).

This is where common sense comes into play. Do not rely on brute force to retain a fastener. Clean the threads and use a little thread locking adhesive. Use only enough torque to keep the component from moving under the force applied during use. The use of one of the carbon assembly compounds also reduces the need for being ham-fisted with a wrench. Silicon caulk also works in some areas to lower the torque needed on a fasten to keep a component from slipping during use and has the added benefit of eliminating creaking and squeaking.

I make adjustments on the road with no worries about not having a torque wrench in my tiny spare tire bag. Loctite for the win.

I am not trying to discourage the use of a torque wrench, just noting their limitations and noting that a little experience with paying attention to fasteners will get a bike built without cracking carbon or risking pieces parts falling off.
 
Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB

I have watched shop rats do just that and I cringe when I see that wrench handle swing.
A girlfriend of mine would get annoyed at me hovering over her when cooking pasta (I do it perfect) cause it always came out a little too soft or a little too 'al dente'. I learned it was better just to stay out of the kitchen completely if I wasn't cooking the dinner, and live with it. Fast forward to my arrival to my LBS and catching the lug head in the mechanic station chopping down the carbon steerer on my new Columbus fork, holding it down on the bench with one hand and sawing away like Paul Bunyan felling a redwood with the other! I'm fine with the occasional plate of crunchy pasta but prefer to do as much work on the bike as my humble toolset will allow.
 
At least he wasn't holding the fork down with a knee and using a Milwaukee Sawzall on it. Yes...I've witnessed that.

An Allen wrench and two fingers have the power to create magic or become the destroyer of worlds.
 
Once I decided to clean my pedals and trying to take them apart discovered that the tension adjustment screw was stuck. So I went to a LBS and asked a guy to maybe use some anti-rust solution etc. He tried, he turned it around this way and that and said nope - it's hopeless. A well-regarded LBS by the way, and the mechanic was by no means 18. A current-model Shimano pedal.

Well I figured it out eventually - it's a left-hand thread and all I needed was to turn the other way. (Well I should've thought about that myself sooner but...)

So, yes, I suppose it's best not to expect to find your state's Mensa champion in the back of the LBS.
 
ypytusuh.jpg
New 2012 Cervélo R3 Rival. Before making it mine. Wheels, saddle, and bars to be changed soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Crash replacement, 2014 Synapse, set up for an old guy with a bad shoulder. :big-smile: De-reflectorized, but the spoke guard has to wait until I can brute force the lock ring with a long 1" wrench.
700
 
Originally Posted by danfoz
A girlfriend of mine would get annoyed at me hovering over her when cooking pasta (I do it perfect) cause it always came out a little too soft or a little too 'al dente'. I learned it was better just to stay out of the kitchen completely if I wasn't cooking the dinner, and live with it. Fast forward to my arrival to my LBS and catching the lug head in the mechanic station chopping down the carbon steerer on my new Columbus fork, holding it down on the bench with one hand and sawing away like Paul Bunyan felling a redwood with the other! I'm fine with the occasional plate of crunchy pasta but prefer to do as much work on the bike as my humble toolset will allow.
Oh boy. Incompetent mechanics are the norm. Most consumers will not watch their mechanics performing the service, and don't know much if anything about proper repairs and service anyway, which is great for keeping unethical and incompetent, sometimes grossly incompetent, car and bicycle shops in business.