Search results for:

To be honest I can't say I notice any difference in sole stiffness and walking experience between the two but I do feel that the lace-ups offer better fit thanks to the adjustability. I thought I would hate having to be mindful of tucking the laces out of the way but the elasticated loop over the lace bed actually does a really good job of this. My velcro ones have been relegated to bad weather commuting and the lace ups get used for all other rides.

I went from SIDI’s (road and mtb) to Giro Privateers and have been super happy with them. I have a pair of the Velcro ones and the lace ups and I particularly like the latter. I think if you’re not fussed about boa dials I r a super light shoe the privateers are hard to beat price wise. People say the fit is quite narrow but you can order half sizes (U.K.) or they do a wide fit version of some models.

Hmm interesting I own two sets of the pro bars in 40cm and they measure up ‘true to size’. @cjr I would recommend them, the flats are angled so they’re pretty comfortable but one thing to pay attention to is that they do have really short reach compared to a lot of bars.

Only have the pics to go off so far but it seems to be routed internally through the right hand side of the headtube and then stays internal all the way. Must admit when I've borrowed bikes with droppers in the past I've never really made full use of them so maybe I'll end up swapping back to a rigid post.

I thought so, I found the same model being sold second hand, in a size too large, here for north of £3000 so I figured it was worth the trip back home for.

No I don't mind sharing it was £1560 including the seller dropping it off at my families place. I will still have to make the trip there and bring it back to Switzerland but that will allow me to dodge import tax so it's a fair trade-off.

I won't lie seeing yours was part of the inspiration for me getting one! Yep they're the Kovee elite 30 model although according to reviews they're fairly hefty weightwise even in comparison to some alloy models.

It's the 9.8 sl model from 2019 that retailed for quite a hefty sum and I feared that there would be a flurry of bids at the last minute but I ended up winning it as the only bidder for what I think was a pretty sweet price.

It should be winging it's way to me soon and then I just need to actually work on some MTB skills because despite achieving minor podium places in a couple of XC races in Cambodia on my old Cotic Solaris I still think I'm pretty useless.

First thing to swap will be to a shorter stem, so I'm happy to hear recommendations for something flattish and kind of cool looking. So far I've been eyeing up the Orbea OC3 stem:

Update so after a month commuting and some long rambling sunday rides I can confirm that the Super C with Fidlock set up works super well. Although @hp93 are @Belagerent were totally right that a 90 degree turn for one of the connectors is very helpful in stopping unexpected bag ejection when things get rowdy.

In other news having a great set of trails on my door step (including switchbacks straight up to 800m+ elevation) has inspired me to get a hardtail again. So far I've just been riding them on the AWOL but now the snow has arrived the lack of clearance bettwen the tyres and guards means that has become a bit more sketchy. Plus I figured I'm in Switzerland now and a proper MTB opens a lot of doors for weekend riding.

The market for second hand bikes here in Zurich is surprisingly small so for the first time in 12 years I considered just buying a complete bike from new. I had my eye on the mid range Orbea Alma or Trek Procaliber but availability seemed to be limited for the next few months. But lo and behold, last week this popped up on ebay in my size:

Sorry a bit late, but is this still around? I’ll PM now.

Dibs on the classic jersey

So after surviving yet another plane journey the AWOL has finally been put back together and my carradice mod is finished. Unfortunately no test ride for a while as I’m stuck in my apartment for mandatory 10 day self isolation, super happy with how it came out though!

I had thought about this but the size of connector I have actually have quite a lot of surplus ‘clamping area’ to catch a lot of material. Plus the cotton duck fabric of the Super C is pretty tough even so I might reinforce it with another layer anyway.

While I’m here, here is an updated pic of my GXR from a ride in some late summer sun this afternoon. After swapping to a 100mm Zipp stem to match the seatpost and going down from a 44cm to 40cm bar it’s feeling pretty dialled now. The bars are the Shimano pro discover model and after the first ride I liked them so much that I bought a second set for the boardman. The ergo tops in particular feel really good.

Thanks much appreciated! Nah I’m about to start a PhD so it will remain just a hobby that sometimes ends up taking up way too much of my time.

Next I started think about a bag for commuting, I knew I wanted something to sit on the front rack, be easy to remove and something that I might conceivably use for touring in the future. Ordinarily I would just make something for myself but with time being tight I settled on a second hand Carradice Super C saddle bag with a plan to do some modifications to it.

I don't like how a lot of quick release bag/bar systems are pretty chunky so I wanted to try and do something that was a little more svelte but still secure. I saw that Restrap use Fidlock magnetic fittings to attach their rando bag so I thought this might be the solution for me so ordered up some bits from contact left.

First step was to remove the QR fitting that the bag came with and widen the existing holes to screw in the Fidlock female connectors. As for the handlebar mounted connectors I was orginally going to mount the male connectors on a piece of stiff plastic sheet which would in turn be mounted using the clamps from a DrJ0n G-funk handlebar set up. Instead I came across a thin piece of metal sheet of the perfect width in the attic and cut that up instead.

Just testing it the connectors work really well and they need a really positive action to unclip so I don't think the bag will be flying off any time soon. At the moment the backing plate is bright orange but I'll be spraying it black. Then I'll make a matching unit that will be zip tied on top of the rack and attach to other connectors which I'll be putting on the bottom of the Super C.

After that I planning to add some internal sleeves in the bag to hold stiffeners to give it some body as well as a carry handle and repair the d-rings on the back in order to hook up a shoulder strap. Hoping to have some more pictures of the whole thing once it's finished this week.

I thought it's time to do update this thread on some little bits I've been working on.

I'm about to start a new job with the opportunity of a decent commute by bike something that hasn't been necessary for a few years now and this got me excited about re-building my AWOL as a winter commuting tank.

First port of call was to move over the dynamo wheelset from my Curve and undertake something I've been avoiding for years, namely going tubeless. I picked up a couple of Muc-off sets on sale recently and upon arrival they seem pretty comprehensive. As a complete novice I had no problem getting an old pair of WTB riddlers to seat and hold air, the rim tape in particular I found easy to apply and the sealant pouch even has measurements for different tyres sizes printed on along with a transparent window.

Next I added a Nitto lamp holder to my M18 front rack and installed a B+M IQ-X up front along with a toplight line rear light down at the non-drive side dropout. For a brief moment I thought about ordering one of the fairlight 3d printed mounts but instead I found an IS to post mount brake adapter in my parts box which seems to hold it on fairly well. I wanted the cable run to be as neat as possible so I heatshrinked the dyanamo cable to the brake hose starting at the down tube all the way to just before the dropout and installed some supernova gold connectors there for good measure.

As for gearing I'd been toying with the idea of going for a wider ratio cassette for loaded riding and where I'm headed also has plenty of hills. I'm a big fan of Sunrace cassettes which shift well and last a long time for the cost so I picked up one of their massive 11-46 numbers. This I paired with a 42t chainring on a set of new shimano deore cranks.

I had a set of Sram Force 1 shifters that came with the Boardman however the accompanying Force derailleur seems to have some issues getting up into the largest cog which leads me to suspect that the cage is bent). So instead I opted for a 12 speed GX eagle mtb derailleur. As standard this isn't compatible with the 11-speed shifters because it has a different pull ration but this is easily remedieded by simply swapping the cable fin between the two derailleurs. After trying it out shifting is great and this means that if I wanted to go for an even larger 11-50 cassette in the future I can just stick it straight on.

I just used a set that came with the bike from Poler stuff. They weren’t great but they did the job. These days I would make some of my own but anything off the shelf by Ortlieb is pretty good and the fasteners tend to be adjustable.

Sold.

Got a pizza rack up for grabs, I think everyone knows the deal with these so I won’t hype it up. Came with my Specialized AWOL and has seen use with front panniers on one 6500km tour and it held up perfectly. Marks to the paint from panniers but otherwise no dents or anything. I’ll include a bag of bolts for fitting but I don’t have the pizza shaped triangles although the rack fit fine without these on mid-blade fork eyelets. I’ll also throw in an elastic cargo net with hooks that you can use to secure a load to the top. Let’s say £30 collection from York or postage on top. Buyer covers PayPal fees. Any questions ask away!

Hey I have a handlebar harness and tool roll sitting around to sell. Both have been made by me and work perfectly well (check out my current projects thread for some pictures of bags that I’ve done) but I wouldn’t be after much money for them. Pm me if you’re interested.

Bars and tool sold just the flat pedals left.

Few items from the parts box for sale:

Fizik Cyrano ‘bull’ drop bars 42cm widths, usual marks from fitting shifters but otherwise perfectly fine. £15

Fixed Gear London lockwhip tool, 3 in 1 tool combining chain whip, lock ring tool and wrench for track nuts. Really solid and kind of cool looking tool £15

Mtb flat pedals Not much to say about these really, branded as ‘fun’, adjustable pins and bearings are perfect as they’re basically unused. £15

Items located in York but happy to do postage. Buyer pays PayPal fees. Any questions ask away!

You saw this new steel, fully internally routed frame from Battaglin: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/road.cc/c­ontent/tech-news/officina-battaglin-laun­ches-power-evo-steel-frame-274823%3famp

Says that it requires a custom HSS tube set but the fork steerer doesn’t look proprietary.

Ok not 100% sewing but bag related. I have a new job starting and am oddly excited about the prospect of commuting by bike again (It's been years since it was an necessary/an option) so I've been thinking about luggage. I wanted a bag to go on top of my Nitto front rack on my Specialized Awol that was the right size to carry minimal amounts of stuff and be easy to take on and off whilst still looking kind of cool and that I'll probably also use for touring.

A few hours later and I have bought a second hand Carradice super C... Which at first glance seems like a bit of a hassle to easily take on and off when mounted up front but I have a plan. I recently noticed that Fidlock have made their various magnetic attachment bits available in small quantities on in the UK you can get them from contactleft. So my idea is to get some of the screw together ones and attached through the bottom of the super C and then mount some to the top of the rack using a similar approach to the Restrap rando bag.

Anyone done something similar before with any advice?

sold