I like to Ride my Bicycle...

[kayceeee]

yea mine is a 42 i think, if not 40

[OTG-ZR2]

I feel guilty. I haven't had the bike out for almost a week. Knee is feeling better so I'll be commuting on it again.

Not logging the PP hill climb was bull shit! Happened to me last week.

[dat_steve]

had a mystery rattle on the caad for the past two weeks or so. drove me NUTS. would make me sound like a maraca on the road. pinpointed the sound to the BB/crank area and spent a good hour or so shaking, bumping, tapping...everything short of throwing the damn thing into a wall before i finally noticed: loose screw on my bottle cage with the washer rattling between the screw and the cage

[604CEFIRO]

May was an insane riding month for me since i wasn't working at all... I got saddle spoiled LOL.

Now that I'm at OpenRoad Hyundai in Richmond, it's severely impacting my cycling career LOL

Originally Posted by OTG-ZR2

I feel guilty. I haven't had the bike out for almost a week. Knee is feeling better so I'll be commuting on it again.

Not logging the PP hill climb was bull shit! Happened to me last week.

[Ch28]

Only time I've ridden the past 2 weeks was to my gf's place. Started muay thai again, so that cut into it. Will probably go for a ride Wednesday after work if the weather permits. Hopefully I can hit up Grouse Grind tomorrow to help with Tough Mudder on Saturday.
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[UFO]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

Question - how the heck do you measure pressure with the pump gauge on a Presta valve? I unscrewed the little nut at the end of the valve, attached my pump, and tried to pump it and the pressure gauge shot up to 100 psi immediately. I don't know if that seems right or not, it felt way too easy. 100 psi on a single pump? Granted the bike tires were already pumped up from beforehand but I'm not sure how this works exactly... It's not like my car tires or MTB tires where when I attach the pump it immediately gives me the pressure reading.

Originally Posted by roastpuff

The gauge has no reading until I start pumping, whereas the other style (Schrader) will read when I screw on the hose from my small 12v compressor. This is what is confusing me I guess.

EDIT: I don't know if I'm reading the pressure in my pump hose or the actual pressure in the tube, that's my confusion.

presta valves rely on air pressure to hold the valve closed, that's the bit of resistance you feel when you 'burp' the valve after unthreading it. By attaching the pump, you haven't actually opened up the valve. When you pump it higher than whatever's in the tube already, then the valve opens and the gauge will read the tire pressure, which is the same pressure in the hose since it will be at an equilibrium. This isn't an accurate figure because of the amount of air needing to fill the pump hose before it gets to the gauge, but the tire pressure after you finish pumping will be pretty accurate assuming you don't lose much air when you remove the pump head from the valve. Schraeder/car valves rely on a mechanical spring, that's why when you attach an air pressure gauge or pump head, it will open the valve and detects the air pressure. Tip for presta tube users to help save tubes, you don't need to unscrew the end all the way to air up, just a few turns is enough. Screwing it all the way out makes it a lot easier to bend or even snap.

On another note, I attempted the PP climb again. Attacked it pretty hard after the left hairpin and sprinted up about half way before hitting the slight right. I was hoping to save up enough energy to do a sprint after hitting PP cafe, but wasn't to be. I didn't attack the last 1/3 as hard as last time as I didn't have the energy left today lol. I felt like I was able to maintain a steady cadence most of the way up though, but would love to be able to do it a gear or two higher as the summer goes on to help cut the time down. I think being able to push 2 extra gears the whole way would make more difference than attacking harder at the beginning and limping across the finish. 3:28 today, 3:15 would be a nice end of summer personal goal.

[604CEFIRO]

Who's the baller that ordered RAPHA goods just now? Just got a msg that the friend i referred made a purchase!

[bcrdukes]

I can only think of dat_steve.

BTW congrats on the new gig!

[dat_steve]

negative! i'm banning myself from that forsaken money suck of a web page.

i really want some dem rapha gloves though.

[dat_steve]

bros need some advice:

noticed my brakes are "squishy"...i have to apply quite a bit of force to stop and if i pull too abruptly i skid 90% of the time. that said, i don't have much confidence bombing down hills or riding too fast anymore.

Is this a function of my brake cables needing adjustment, shitty brake pads, or both?

note: tires are pretty new too but i think i've broken them in (about 400k on them already)

[604CEFIRO]

Yea i was very close to buying the Grand Tour gloves in white... But for $180.00 .... it was a pure luxury item.

Usability wise compared to my Assos Summer Gloves, my assos ones i feel are more functional.

The GT gloves are a nice plush leather, but there's no snot wipe... and wiping your nose with white leather is

Originally Posted by dat_steve

negative! i'm banning myself from that forsaken money suck of a web page.

i really want some dem rapha gloves though.

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by dat_steve

bros need some advice:

noticed my brakes are "squishy"...i have to apply quite a bit of force to stop and if i pull too abruptly i skid 90% of the time. that said, i don't have much confidence bombing down hills or riding too fast anymore.

Is this a function of my brake cables needing adjustment, shitty brake pads, or both?

note: tires are pretty new too but i think i've broken them in (about 400k on them already)

Strange. Never had a problem on both my Rival setups.

[604CEFIRO]

If your brake pads are old, and you're complaining about the travel of your brake lever, then you need to adjust the barrel to lessen the travel.

Originally Posted by dat_steve

bros need some advice:

noticed my brakes are "squishy"...i have to apply quite a bit of force to stop and if i pull too abruptly i skid 90% of the time. that said, i don't have much confidence bombing down hills or riding too fast anymore.

Is this a function of my brake cables needing adjustment, shitty brake pads, or both?

note: tires are pretty new too but i think i've broken them in (about 400k on them already)

[dat_steve]

yeah i'm thinking it might be my cables. i don't think BSP put my bike together very well as there are some mystery rattles still.

[bcrdukes]

Originally Posted by dat_steve

yeah i'm thinking it might be my cables. i don't think BSP put my bike together very well as there are some mystery rattles still.

You should have seen GREddie's build by Cap's Westwood.

[604CEFIRO]

then take an allen key and adjust the tension on the cable, screw in the barrel all the way and go from there. its pretty easy adjustment

[Ch28]

Came back from a short ride just now. Boy is it hot outside!

[Ch28]

Originally Posted by dat_steve

yeah i'm thinking it might be my cables. i don't think BSP put my bike together very well as there are some mystery rattles still.

Originally Posted by bcrdukes

You should have seen GREddie's build by Cap's Westwood.

It sounds like BSP & Cap's in general are pretty shitty for servicing and sales.

I remember when I bought my bike from Cap's New West and asked about getting the bike fitted to me. The guy told me to stand on the bike, and he adjusted the seat. Told me to sit down and saw that my knees weren't super bent when pedaling and said I was set. This was when I didn't know anything about bikes, so for them to take advantage of noobs is pretty fucking shitty

[bcrdukes]

There's only so much these shops can do. Their livelihood is dependent on the volume of sales so for them to spend the time to "fit" each and every customer is counter productive. This is why some shops will charge an arm and a leg for a fitting.

Regarding GREddie's CAAD10, he experienced a lot of front and rear derailleur issues when it came to shifting. Eventually, he brought the bike over to my place and we watched YouTube videos on how to set them all up. Took a while to get it right so now all he needs to do is ride the bike more to stretch out the cables.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by Ch28

It sounds like BSP & Cap's in general are pretty shitty for servicing and sales.

I remember when I bought my bike from Cap's New West and asked about getting the bike fitted to me. The guy told me to stand on the bike, and he adjusted the seat. Told me to sit down and saw that my knees weren't super bent when pedaling and said I was set. This was when I didn't know anything about bikes, so for them to take advantage of noobs is pretty fucking shitty

To be fair, 90% of the people buying bikes will not need the indepth expertise and knowledge of these custom pro-fits which many of you guys have gone elsewhere and paid for. Nor would I expect it to be a part of the general sales process of a $500 bike. Looking for almost a full leg extension at the end of the pedalling stroke is a good way to check for bike fit, the other one being the top-tube reach which is more subjective and depends on personal preference. Important not to mix up a bike that fits vs. getting a customized fit for a bike, most people only need a bike that fits.

[Ch28]

I wasn't expecting a custom bike fit. It was just the way they did it that seemed like they didn't give a shit about you.

In this day and age where online prices >>>>> lbs prices, you need to provide some semblance of good customer service in order to retain your customers. There's a reason that I never bothered to go back there afterwards and would much rather buy online, because I'd get as much customer service doing it myself as opposed to going in store. The difference is that I'm not paying 3-4x the price.

If the customer service is there, then I'd occasionally purchase from them to support their business because the customer service justifies it.

Just take John @ PMS as an example. His prices might not match or be cheaper than online, but you know that he provides top notch service and send like he genuinely cares about you as a customer. Stores like that definitely deserve the support regardless on the price premium
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[UFO]

Agreed. It just sounded like you were expecting a full on comprehensive bike fitting from your previous post, when it sounded like you got a pretty normal 'new bike' fitting that you would any other store. Just remember that if you're caught in a pinch and need some emergency servicing done the day before a big ride, the online retailers won't be able to help you out.

I do all my own building and wrenching at home, buy the majority of my gear 2nd hand. But if I need to run out and grab a part in a pinch or don't have a specialized tool I have no problem running out to my LBS because I know they are good people, even if I am paying double the price. At the end of the day I'm not the customer that shops cater to because they won't make much $$ off me, I understand that and don't mind it and keep my expectations real. But if they treat me nice on the few occassions I need their help, you bet I'll recommend them to others who may be part of their key demographic.

[TurboTalon]

Hey guys, regarding bit fits, does John at PMS do fits on one of those adjustable bikes to determine the correct size of a bike that you should be getting? Reason I am asking, is in the near future (i hope) I am looking at getting rid of my norco cyclocross bike and getting a road bike, now I feel that my current bike is a little bit small.

[bcrdukes]

Nope.

You bring your bike in and he puts it on a trainer when you do fittings. As for determining the size of bike you should be getting, I believe he simply takes measurements of you and ask you to do some walking/flexibility tests. He'll ask you some questions like what type of riding you plan on doing etc. (OTG-ZR2 might be able to chime in on this one.)

A lot of the times, the moment you get onto your current bike, he'll already know whether the bike is too big or small for you instantly. He does a lot of professional fittings for cyclocross and triathletes on a regular basis and I believe for well over 15+ years.

[kayceeee]

i think most of us doing the bike fit already had our bikes, but if you are getting one, maybe he can measure you and give you an idea of what size you might need.

when i went for the fitting basically he put my bike on the trainer, and went for a few mins riding it, checked my posture on the hoods, drop, bars, checked my cleat angle, seat height/angle, also had me walk towards him to check how i walk/pedal for the cleat angle, did a quick flexibility test.

thats what i can think of now.