gah how unlucky

Tom

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I got 2 new inner tubes for my bike the other day, one of my old inner tubes was patched beyond belief, so I decided to replace it.

So, on a brand new inner tube (back wheel), I go out cycling around my usual route. Its about 7 miles, and covers tarmac, gravel, dirt, and mud. Everything is cushty, and I'm just cycling down the long straight road back home, when I get a puncture on the back wheel.

Bollocks! Anyway, I got off, and pushed it the 1/2 mile or so back home, leant it against the wall, and left it for a bit (no point repairing it so close to home).

When I came downstairs the next morning, I noticed the front wheel was flat also. Double bollocks! Anyway, I take both inner tubes out, and look for the punctures.

9 on the back wheel
5 on the front wheel

Turns out that I'd inadvertently cycled over some old, long dead braken, that was probably rose bushes. All the twigs and thorns had stuck in the tyres, so I had to search the insides of the tyres and remove each thorn one by one. What makes it worse is while the inner tubes were being patched, the damn kittens kept jumping up and pulling them off the table, putting more holes in!

Anyway, I'm off out again now, will probably come back with a twisted frame due to heavy winds, or something.

*wishes for kevlar tyres*
 

Will

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You can get Kevlar beaded tyres, or you can get those tyre liners. Though the liners seem to transmit every road bump straight to the frame.
 

jaba

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Im thinking about getting a bike to cycle to work on, I live about 7 miles from my office, what would you cyclists recommend bike wise? I dont want to spend that much on it, but I also dont want a cheapo crappy mountain bike with big ass tyres and silly suspension.. makes/brands that are good and cheap? what else do I need? :m00:
 

xane

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Tom said:
All the twigs and thorns had stuck in the tyres, so I had to search the insides of the tyres and remove each thorn one by one.

I hate it when that happens. I used to cycle to my sport centre past a whole road lined with hawthorn bushes and after they'd been trimmed it was a nightmare.
 

Will

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jaba said:
Im thinking about getting a bike to cycle to work on, I live about 7 miles from my office, what would you cyclists recommend bike wise? I dont want to spend that much on it, but I also dont want a cheapo crappy mountain bike with big ass tyres and silly suspension.. makes/brands that are good and cheap? what else do I need? :m00:
I'd go for a cheap tourer or a hybrid bike (MTB with skinny tyres). If it is just a short commute, you'd might be best going second hand.

I have a hybrid myself, single speed gearing, MTB frame, skinny MTB wheels with slick tyres. It's idea if you are either in a flat city, or know you can power up any hills you encounter.

Makes/brands - I got a bike that my local bike shop make themselves, and then slowly changed bits as I needed to. You might be best going in there and asking, giving them a rough budget too.
 

jaba

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How much do those sort of things cost? and whats MTB mean? :mad:
 

Will

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MTB = MounTain Bike.

My hybrid was £240, from the Edinburgh Bicycle Coop. You can order from their website, but I'd recommend getting a test ride on any bike before you buy it, to make sure of sizing. I'm over 6', so I take a 20" frame.
 

Xavier

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Will said:
You can get Kevlar beaded tyres, or you can get those tyre liners. Though the liners seem to transmit every road bump straight to the frame.
Yeah, I've got kevlar beaded on my road bike, but the reason you get a more 'live ride' is simply because they prefer to be run at higher pressures.

As to buying an MTB, I'd recommend getting a rockhopper hardtail (none of that crappeh rear suspension, on bikes below a grand it's a total waste of time) - avoid disc brakes, look for LX components or thereabouts.

All in, a rockhopper with decent running gear and kevlar beaded tyres should cost less than £500 and will be a pleasure to ride, without crippling el banco.

Xav
 

Cdr

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If you think thats unlucky, I awoke this morning to find that we had run out of butter for my toast!
 

Driwen

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why would you need a mtb for biking on a road? Wouldnt a race bike (the ones used in tour de france, etc) be better? Only then the hybrid version of that (less gears, wider tyres)?

my idea of hybrid(sorry for it being in dutch, but was easiest place to find a picture of the bike i meant):link
 

Will

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A hybrid tends to be a MTB frame, 26" tyres (some do have 700C tyres instead), reduced numbers of gears. They are more stable at slow speeds than proper racers, and have clips for mudguards / racks. Perfect for commuting.

A full MTB would be a mistake I think...all that extra weight of 27 gears, and the wider rims. Though if you can see yourself taking up MTBing, it might not be such a silly idea.
 

Driwen

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Will said:
A hybrid tends to be a MTB frame, 26" tyres (some do have 700C tyres instead), reduced numbers of gears. They are more stable at slow speeds than proper racers, and have clips for mudguards / racks. Perfect for commuting.

hehe hybrid racebike here tends to have a slightly heavier frame than a racebike(as shown in link) and ofc with mudgaurd+rack (thats natural here +you need to have a piece of white 30 cm long on the mudgaurd on your back wheel here). Of course we have the mtb hybrids aswell, but they tend to be heavier than the other bikes and with big tyres, which you dont need for commuting.

Off course the thing is wether you can find anything else than a race bike/mtb/mtb hybrid in the uk:p.
 

Will

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That's a thought...what do I need to do to my bike to make it legal in Holland?
 

Driwen

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Will said:
That's a thought...what do I need to do to my bike to make it legal in Holland?

mudgaurds, breaks (duh:p), light (front and rear), reflector on the back(so when you shine light on it, it shows up as something red). And on the rear mudgaurd starting from the low rear part 30 cm long white (so it is noticed easily).
Atleast thats what i got told, police would just want you to have light mostly and bike according to the rules (only two besides eachother, etc).
 

Tom

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I used to cycle to college and back (14 mile round trip) on my racing bike. I became massively fit (sadly no more), and had bags of energy. I had a few mishaps, so I would recommend buying a hybrid bike. They're like cut down mountain bikes, no suspension (you don't need it on the road), thinner tyres (lets you go faster), and generally more robust than a racing bike.

If its speed you want, get a racer. Get a nice stiff frame, and you'll be amazed how responsive it is to your pedal input.
 

Will

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Driwen said:
mudgaurds, breaks (duh:p), light (front and rear), reflector on the back(so when you shine light on it, it shows up as something red). And on the rear mudgaurd starting from the low rear part 30 cm long white (so it is noticed easily).
Atleast thats what i got told, police would just want you to have light mostly and bike according to the rules (only two besides eachother, etc).
Legal requirement for mudguards? That's about the only difference from here. I have crud catchers*, I'm sure they won't pull me over for having them instead.

*Plastic MTB-style mudguards, attached to the seatpost.
 

jaba

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Yeah I want some kind of light frame with thin tyres so I can go faster than if I had big fat tyres, there is no chance of me going off road with it so I think racer/hybrid thing is the way forward...hmm, now to find some money! ;)
 

Doomy

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Got myself a GT Avalanche 1.0 for just shy of £500. I actuall enjoy going work now.

Xavier. My Shimano disc brakes are absolutely brilliant so i dont know why you dont like them. My bike also has a 28 Speed Deore groupset (full) and Rock SHox Judy TT's which are fairly decent. In fact, the best sub £500 i ever spent.
 

Chameleon

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Xavier said:
As to buying an MTB, I'd recommend getting a rockhopper hardtail (none of that crappeh rear suspension, on bikes below a grand it's a total waste of time) - avoid disc brakes, look for LX components or thereabouts.
Totally agree there. Rockhopper is a lovely bike, great components if you avoid disk brakes (they will compromise on other more important things) and greater value for money over the pro models imo. Don't go for mtb unless you plan to use it off road though, I don't see any point.
That's shitty Tom. I bought a brand new bike and got a puncture the first week. That alone pissed me off and it was only one nail and one hole!
 

Tom

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I wouldn't mind disc brakes on mine, getting a bit sick of massive pad wear in the winter. The noise from the rims is a pain too.
 

Xavier

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Yep, discs are a gimick in the lower groupsets and soak up investment which could be spent on other decent components.

Personally the chainset (everything from crank arms down to rear casette) are more important to me, my rockhopper has a UN-52 and LX throughout. It's both hardtail and hardnose which means zero suspension and a bloody live ride. My kevlar beaded IRC's (tyres:p)are only 1'95s but grip on the wettest of tarmac at the most obscene of cornering angles, without the slighest problem... there's more chance I'll come off the bike because a pedal grazes tarmac than my tyres losing traction. XT v-brakes are where it's at for road bikes anyhow, discs were designed to help offroaders stop on the spot even with with mud and crud all over their rims, and unless you spend your weekend plouging through 6inches of bog are a waste of moolah.

Until last summer my second bike, an offroader, was also a specialized - their Enduro FSR - they're lovely too and on that I did have discs, but proper ones, none of this wire pull nonsense, oil driven... so I know all about their benefits. Awesome to take onto the trails - especially by night with my BLT on the handlebars, but sodding horrible for that last mile home along the local roads.

Ugh, *me feels need to get back out on bike more*

Damn you, damn you all...

Hmm, Wilier 'rides' too ;) maybe I should start rounding up fellow two-wheeled Freddies and organise some kind of long-distance charity ride :D heh - any other masochists out there?

Xav
 

Tom

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I'd be up for that, but I need to lose about a stone before I consider it :) The muscle is still there, its just got insulation now :D
 

Xavier

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Tom said:
I wouldn't mind disc brakes on mine, getting a bit sick of massive pad wear in the winter. The noise from the rims is a pain too.
Decent aluminum rims and nice grippy LX or XT v-brakes won't squeak if set up right. Get nice long pads and they'll last for aaages too, as long as you use them properly. ;)
 

Xavier

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Tom said:
I'd be up for that, but I need to lose about a stone before I consider it :) The muscle is still there, its just got insulation now :D
I'll give you until June/July time - reckon we can organise a Freddython to the land of TdC? heh. Actually, better not just incase he asks us to sneak some of his 'product' back to the UK in our tyres.

Thoughts Will ;)?
 

Tom

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Xavier said:
Decent aluminum rims and nice grippy LX or XT v-brakes won't squeak if set up right. Get nice long pads and they'll last for aaages too, as long as you use them properly. ;)

They don't squeal at all, they brake fine, but when you get mud/dirt on them after cycling through big puddles etc, they make a noise not unlike the 7 riders of the apocalypse galloping through the sandpaper section of B&Q armed with cheese graters.
 

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