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Any Avid Cyclists on This Forum?

How many miles?

  • Total voters
    56
iJohnHenry said:
This is something new to me. :confused:

How much weight would the gel add to the bike?
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SLIME Tire Sealant

It's amazing stuff. Here, there are tons of goathead thorns and they can cause multiple flats in just a few short meters.

Slime in the tubes will patch small holes from the inside. It's a viscous material with small fibres in it. It's really amazing stuff, just don't get it on your skin as it can cause a skin reaction.

I've used slime for the past year and along with my Schwalbe tires, have not had a flat in 14 months. I am totally car free, so my bicycle gets daily use. I can't sing the praises of Slime and Schwalbe enough!
 
Ugg said:
SLIME Tire Sealant

It's amazing stuff. Here, there are tons of goathead thorns and they can cause multiple flats in just a few short meters.

Slime in the tubes will patch small holes from the inside. It's a viscous material with small fibres in it. It's really amazing stuff, just don't get it on your skin as it can cause a skin reaction.

I've used slime for the past year and along with my Schwalbe tires, have not had a flat in 14 months. I am totally car free, so my bicycle gets daily use. I can't sing the praises of Slime and Schwalbe enough!
Click to expand...

On my old bike, I had tubes that came with some sort of generic gel in them. The tubes were made by Bell. On my new bike, the tubes that came with it were fine, with no punctures. I didn't want to replace the tubes with gelled tubes, so I had Sports Authority (a large sports retailer chain in America) pump gel into it. They had a HUGE (maybe 10 gallons) container of it. On the label, it said SLIME, just like the image in the link you provided.

Where I live, there are also tons of goathead thorns. It's terrible. I pulled over and helped someone who (probably) had a goathead thorn in their tire. The thorn wasn't there, but there was a hole in the tube. I patched it for them and went on my way.
 

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iJohnHenry said:
I sense ignorance of yee olde method.

You could Google 'vulcanise tire patch' for further info.

Me describing the complex procedure would take us into tomorrow. ;)
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That seems to be quite complex and time consuming. It took me 2 minutes to apply the patch (the wind helped to dry the rubber cement), and another 10 to put the tube back in the tire on the rim.
 
I love the bike so much, I put it in my room with my mac stuff! (Yes, I know. I have a small room.)

DSCN1122.jpg


Any dangers of resting it on it's fork like that? I believe its an aluminum fork. The carpet is pretty padded in my house...
 
not a big roadie but do take my mountain bike out to the US National Whitewater Center and ride the trails every chance I get.
 
I just saw this article about Hutchinson Serenity Tires They're airless and were designed specifically for Paris' Velib, bike sharing program.

The last airless tire I had was probably 40 some years ago on my tricycle but, hey, I'm sure things have improved somewhat since then!
 
Well, I've decided to try a road bike. Been thinking about it for ages and a deal came up on eBay that was too good to resist. We'll see how it works out!
 
AlphaDogg said:
Any dangers of resting it on it's fork like that? I believe its an aluminum fork. The carpet is pretty padded in my house...
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No issues, if you were regularly slamming it down on concrete then there would be but I am sure you are resting it gently down then there isn't really anything to go wrong.

robbieduncan said:
Well, I've decided to try a road bike. Been thinking about it for ages and a deal came up on eBay that was too good to resist. We'll see how it works out!
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Details, details?
 
robbieduncan said:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230608623146&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

On a slightly related but somewhat tangential topic what do people think of the ANT+ standard. Thinking of getting a new computer and quite like the idea of an open standard...
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My garmin 705 edge, heart rate monitor and cadence sensor all use ANT+, I haven't had any problems with it even riding with probably 8+ other ANT+ devices from other cyclists all around me.

I haven't had to change the battery on the heart rate monitor yet so the power consumption seems to be really good.

I just wish the iPhone had it built in, you can get a hardware device to enable ant+ on the iPhone. There are some pretty good iPhone bike computer apps but as I don't have a modern iPhone I haven't tried them so can't say.

Garmin do a good range of bike computers, my 705 used to be top of the line but has been superseeded by the 800 and there also is the 500 which always comes highly recommended (and both are used by the Pro teams sponsored by garmin).
 
robbieduncan said:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230608623146&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

On a slightly related but somewhat tangential topic what do people think of the ANT+ standard. Thinking of getting a new computer and quite like the idea of an open standard...
Click to expand...

That's a nice bike but the listing is a bit misleading.

First of all it's a cyclo cross bike so the geometry is a bit more relaxed than a traditional road frame but you'll probably find that easier coming from a mountain bike. It's got another advantage because you can ride it off road too.

Also, the frame isn't full carbon as described, it's scandium with bonded carbon seat and chain stays. It's still top quality though and the carbon forks, 105 group set and Shimano wheels are all good stuff.

Enjoy. :)
 
xUKHCx said:
Garmin do a good range of bike computers, my 705 used to be top of the line but has been superseeded by the 800 and there also is the 500 which always comes highly recommended (and both are used by the Pro teams sponsored by garmin).
Click to expand...

They look great but seem very expensive compared to some of the others out there. I can only assume that's down to the GPS capabilities. I'm not convinced that I need or want GPS. Cheapest Garmin is £200 (without sensors?). Can get a Bontrager Node 1 for under £60. Speed and cadence sensors would be £50-£60. So about £120.

OllyW said:
That's a nice bike but the listing is a bit misleading.
First of all it's a cyclo cross bike so the geometry is a bit more relaxed than a traditional road frame but you'll probably find that easier coming from a mountain bike. It's got another advantage because you can ride it off road too.
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Good :) Maybe I won't by lying at the side of the road clutching my back then!

OllyW said:
Also, the frame isn't full carbon as described, it's scandium with bonded carbon seat and chain stays. It's still top quality though and the carbon forks, 105 group set and Shimano wheels are all good stuff.
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This was also pointed out by xUKHCx elsewhere. I think I'm happy enough with that. It'll still be night and day different to my old full suspension Marin!
 
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robbieduncan said:
Good :) Maybe I won't by lying at the side of the road clutching my back then!

This was also pointed out by xUKHCx elsewhere. I think I'm happy enough with that. It'll still be night and day different to my old full suspension Marin!
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I just saw xUKHCx's post after I posted that. :eek:

I wouldn't worry, I prefer cyclo cross bikes myself. They are a lot comfier and it's nice to be able to cut across the fields and head back home along the canal when you get bored on the road. I really regret selling my Giant TCX.
 
robbieduncan said:
They look great but seem very expensive compared to some of the others out there. I can only assume that's down to the GPS capabilities. I'm not convinced that I need or want GPS. Cheapest Garmin is £200 (without sensors?). Can get a Bontrager Node 1 for under £60. Speed and cadence sensors would be £50-£60. So about £120.
Click to expand...

Yeah they aren't cheap, I didn't pay for mine so didn't feel the burn. :D I like the GPS addition as it means I can go out and ride then work out where I have been, uploading the data to mapmyride.com to look at the climbs. etc. It is a big price to pay for that bonus though and the Node 1 looks from a quick read to be pretty decent.

robbieduncan said:
I think I'm happy enough with that. It'll still be night and day different to my old full suspension Marin!
Click to expand...

Oh yeah totally different, a big step up. And like OllyW has said they do have their advantages.

I wouldn't take my bike down a canal path for example.


Here is a picture of my bike before my 56 mile ride last Sunday, going to do the Isle of Wight Randonnee in two weeks time.

photo.jpg
 
Locked my bike up today in town. I have quite an eye-catching frame (shiny, new, only a few months old) and so compared to all the other bikes it stood out :D Used three locks though, I think you need at least two, maybe more, to be secure or at least stand more of a chance. That way you can lock both wheels and the frame.
 
R94N said:
Locked my bike up today in town. I have quite an eye-catching frame (shiny, new, only a few months old) and so compared to all the other bikes it stood out :D Used three locks though, I think you need at least two, maybe more, to be secure or at least stand more of a chance. That way you can lock both wheels and the frame.
Click to expand...

I used my DFs as primary transportation for about 12 years, and never had one stolen. Granted, they were not exactly pretty, but I was not really in any kind of position to lose one (especially 25 miles from home, as was the case from time to time). Hence, I took good care to fully secure them when necessary – with one Kryptonite™ lock: the QR front wheel would come off in seconds, allowing the U bolt to go through both wheels and the frame. Admittedly, finding a place to lock up did sometimes pose a challenge, but there was usually something.
 
My vote has vastly changed. I voted only on weekends, over 15 miles... But I am averaging 100 miles/week. I have done 50 miles this week, and it's only Wednesday (well, 7 minutes into Thursday...)
 
It's interesting to see this thread lay dormant for most of the Winter and then come back now. Us real diehard cyclists keep going regardless of the weather.

I'm looking at getting two new bikes this year but I'm not quite sure what makes to get. I know I want a road bike and a touring bike. I'm going to be doing longer and longer commutes over the next few weeks to help train myself for a tour this summer. My current road bike is good but I'm looking for something a bit more high end.
 
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