What did you do with your bike(s) today?

[Tim]

I actually rode one of my bikes this morning but very slowly.

A slow ride is a good ride. A whole lot better than no ride at all.
I'm lucky if I average 25 kph these days. Faster on the flat but it's fairly hilly around here, or should I say constantly undulating. It's like riding a continuous (gentle) 2 hour interval session. If I overlay my heart rate profile over the elevation profile they coincide almost perfectly. A spiky HR plot with dozens of peaks and troughs is good for me, I think.

The old CAAD9 is a great bike. People say aluminium frames are a rough ride but not in this case. Carbon forks, bars and seatpost help although I'm still riding a 25mm tyre on the front and an old 23mm on the back. The curvy "hourglass" seat stays soak up a bit of road buzz.
I'm just as comfortable on the CAAD as I am on my Defy, and dare I say the steel framed Hillman too.
The Giant TCR SL with the fixed seatpost is as rough as guts. Goes fast but takes some getting used to with twitchy handling at lower speeds and feeling every minor bump.

[g-boaf]

Rode 70km on mine. Bit of an annoying diversion caused by locked gates.

But it ended up with me helping a guy with an e-bike find the way to the M7 cycleway and have a nice chat at the same time.

Unfortunately some poor guy had a bad accident on the M7 cycleway, must have been caught out by a bump he wasn’t aware of (not far from Wallgrove Rd). Sterling job by the excellent ambulance crews and fingers crossed the rider makes a quick recovery.

The Giant TCR SL with the fixed seatpost is as rough as guts. Goes fast but takes some getting used to with twitchy handling at lower speeds and feeling every minor bump.

I have had my share of ISP equipped TCR Advanced SLs, and yes they are harsh for ride quality, but never found them twitchy. If anything found them to be nice, stable bikes at all speeds from walking pace all the way up to 80km/h+. Good bikes.

One day as a project I might resurrect my black/grey one with a new group set and new paint.

[Tim]

I think all my other bikes have a little bit more of a relaxed geometry compared to the TCR ADV SL. A bit longer wheelbase maybe.
I also fitted a shorter 80mm stem to the TCR which might also affect the handling. All the other bikes have 90-100mm stems.
By twitchy I mean more responsive turning. It's as solid as a rock and feels well planted and stable, particularly at high speed.
Only takes a few minutes to readjust to the different feel. It is a very good bike.

[g-boaf]

Oh, mine had longer stems.

[warthog1]

Mine doesn't have an ISP.
It was $450- as a bare frame on ebay. Worked a treat

[familyguy]

Finally got this pesky stuck stem out of the steerer tube. Took some doing but the tube feels fine, just a little remnant to sand out.






So, now I can do something with this. I'm thinking a flat bar setup just because I can (and I have another Champion Mondial of the same era with Ultegra gear for nice days).

[g-boaf]

I have to replace the bottom bracket of the Kickr Bike. It's not terrible yet and I should do the change, but just putting it off for now.

[warthog1]

New bottle cages on the Reacto. Giant Propel from Aliexpress. A mm or two wider than the downtube but pretty damn close.
Should be easier to locate the holder and put the bottle back in whilst watching the road ahead.



The Merida holders are much harder to locate the bottle and slide it back in quickly.

[warthog1]

The young bloke was up and rode my Revolt on the O'Keefe with me today. I rode the Reacto. He is a bit taller but similar leg length.
First time in spd pedals and on a drop bar bike. He did well.
My kit and shoes fitted too.

I have never encouraged road riding as I want him alive. I simply dont trust our driving public.
Must get a gravel bike for him. We both enjoyed it. He is 23 and lives in Melb now.

[foo on patrol]

The young bloke was up and rode my Revolt on the O'Keefe with me today. I rode the Reacto. He is a bit taller but similar leg length.
First time in spd pedals and on a drop bar bike. He did well.
My kit and shoes fitted too.

I have never encouraged road riding as I want him alive. I simply dont trust our driving public.
Must get a gravel bike for him. We both enjoyed it. He is 23 and lives in Melb now.

I'd be checking for any missing gear when he goes home.

Foo

[g-boaf]

So no bottom bracket upgrade for my Kickr Bike because I didn't have the right tool to get the existing one out and put the new one in without having to disassemble the entire housing on the bike.

I have ordered the appropriate bottom bracket tool: https://www.amazon.com.au/Park-Tool-BBT ... B0B6JJF8PZ

[warthog1]

I'd be checking for any missing gear when he goes home.

Foo

I'll keep an eye out for a second hand large gravelly now

[elantra]

Finally got this pesky stuck stem out of the steerer tube. Took some doing but the tube feels fine, just a little remnant to sand out.






So, now I can do something with this. I'm thinking a flat bar setup just because I can (and I have another Champion Mondial of the same era with Ultegra gear for nice days).

Those Gazelle 531 frames are a thing of beauty !

and the issue of the stuck stems (or seatpost) with classic 1980’s bikes is such a pain when it occurs.

[Newcastle Dave]

Rode home from dropping my car in for service (Cardiff-Valentine), only 15km but does include a couple of nasty (> 15%) short hills. Mostly on shared paths so no traffic worries (but the bit son road seemed good, no school traffic I guess)
Glad it wasn't last couple of days in pouring rain

[warthog1]

Going away for the weekend. Will take the TCR as it is quick release so have a carrier that locks the front fork. Don't have a locking carrier for through axle bikes.
So bike is less likely to get stolen and less concerned if it does being an old secondhand goer.
Anyway, haven't ridden it since I got the Reacto, so about 9 months. Took the wheels off and cracked the beads and took a bit of bead off. 40ml of sealant in each tyre. Pumped them back up which seated them with the track pump on high volume setting. Chucked em on and went for a short test ride. Yep still fits like a glove. Will be good to take it for a spin again.

[jaseyjase]

So, now I can do something with this. I'm thinking a flat bar setup just because I can (and I have another Champion Mondial of the same era with Ultegra gear for nice days).

di2/etap flat bar!

[baabaa]

Finally got this pesky stuck stem out of the steerer tube. Took some doing but the tube feels fine, just a little remnant to sand out.






So, now I can do something with this. I'm thinking a flat bar setup just because I can (and I have another Champion Mondial of the same era with Ultegra gear for nice days).

Those Gazelle 531 frames are a thing of beauty !

and the issue of the stuck stems (or seatpost) with classic 1980’s bikes is such a pain when it occurs.

Yes indeed - I expect that...
Pesky Stuck Stem™
will be in the Museum of Contemporary Art soonish so we can all see in in real life!

[familyguy]

di2/etap flat bar!

Grand idea. Maybe Di2 with blips. Intriguing.

Those Gazelle 531 frames are a thing of beauty !

and the issue of the stuck stems (or seatpost) with classic 1980’s bikes is such a pain when it occurs.

My other AB doesn't have the chrome, but it's an exact match for size, caps and pantos.

Yes indeed - I expect that...
Pesky Stuck Stem™
will be in the Museum of Contemporary Art soonish so we can all see in in real life!

Binned. Couldn't look at it. Too painful!

[am50em]

Front disc brake had some slight occasional rubbing on this mornings ride. Removed and cleaned, reset pistons and then used new alignment tool as described here.
https://cycleacrossamerica.com/how-to-p ... rake-pads/
Simple and worked a treat.

[g-boaf]

I replaced the bottom bracket of the Wahoo Kickr Bike V1.

They have used Loctite on the threads so it is super difficult to undo it, you need the Park Tool socket and a long extended bar to loosen it. The included bottom bracket is from Samox, SAMOX BB-EB240 is the type.

Some details here on what to do: https://youtu.be/IfGGoWJvaZU?si=0rhORx-12-nxL_yu

The recommended torque for tightening the Samox is 35-50Nm.

The Wheelsmfg replacement I've got wasn't exactly the same dimensions so I had to use the spacers provided.

[Mr Purple]

Why did you upgrade the Kickr bike? Noisy BB? Mine’s holding up quite well considering the abuse it cops.

Finally managed to log into the TCRs Di2 with the Shimano app. Didn’t realise it had a screen showing your past gear selection. Apparently I spend 81% of my time in the big ring. Figures…

[Dent]

Hello bike people . I've got too many bikes . It's ok of the 12 ....3 are sort of for sale . Picked up a gorgeous Giant Cypress for $100 . Needs $100 spent and some time in the stand . Found an abandoned shock front MTB across the road and was just going to donor it and chuck they frame but it's in 700C . Missing the chain . Smashed gear lever ... Apart from that it's a good flipper . I cannot get my gurl off the Gazelle Carbon alloy hybrid .Lite Line . What a beautiful bike ..... Soooo I built a bike service stand . It's not good enough . I look forward tona torrent of replies . I want a fixed stand in my workshop

[bychosis]

Couple of days ago I pulled the fat bike out of its cobwebs and put it on the caravan. Been pootling around the caravan park. Unfortunately the weather has been abysmal and haven't had a chance for a proper beach ride yet.

[elantra]

Hello bike people . I've got too many bikes . It's ok of the 12 ....3 are sort of for sale . Picked up a gorgeous Giant Cypress for $100 . Needs $100 spent and some time in the stand . Found an abandoned shock front MTB across the road and was just going to donor it and chuck they frame but it's in 700C . Missing the chain . Smashed gear lever ... Apart from that it's a good flipper . I cannot get my gurl off the Gazelle Carbon alloy hybrid .Lite Line . What a beautiful bike ..... Soooo I built a bike service stand . It's not good enough . I look forward tona torrent of replies . I want a fixed stand in my workshop

I’m just an amateur bike mechanic but to me I prefer this sort of “operating table” in preference to a “fixed stand” …..



It’s a home-made operating table, construction from some thin hobby-steel which you can purchased at many hardware retailers.
And a nice big plank of wood that I found at the local Op-Shop.
And a few castors, a few nuts and bolts etc.
And a fork clamp- in this case Yakima brand but there are probably other brands also, which are easy to find at a local bike shop (usually)

BUT for work on the transmission (eg. running through the gears etc.) you might need to flip the bike upside down, not a problem with the old down/tube gear shifters but a little bit more tricky with modern shifters that are controlled from the handlebars

The bike illustrated is a 1987 Repco frame (made in Australia using Japanese tubes) with various other components from the parts bin.
Works really well