Any cyclists here?

rando · Aug 10, 2020

Hambini Performance Engineering (Hambini is quite the outspoken character so be warned) consistently provide tailored solutions to production and design flaws inherent to specific makes and models.

Quite the track record of diagnosing and fixing problem BB's or I'd be loathe to mention him as the likely next best step.

Folsom · Aug 10, 2020

I’ve never found a bottom bracket as good as track bottom brackets SuperLap or Hatta. Everything else sucks in one way or another. External BB’s while not impressive have one thing going for them, and that is they don’t bind and even when trashed still work.

andromedaaudio · Aug 10, 2020

Hambini is good , but dont forget he sells a product himself .
So other brands are competition .
My 9 Year old Be one bike is a dutch company designed frame which unfortunately doesnt exist anymore.
I have been through to much with this bike so i restored it .
I rode it to work in - 20 snow salty roads no cleaning multiple crashes .
Carbon bikes are very strong ime.
Sram isnt that bad i ve only changed bearings once and it keeps up with the trek/ultegra speedwise .
The trek is a more stable bike i suspect it has a longer wheelbase.
The Beone is a bit more likely to turn /nervous but it rides awesome on par with the madone
Having ridden steel frames aluminium frames i think carbon is more robust then either of them..
Same goes for cranks parts whatever .
Sram red etap would look cool on my new trek .

defride · Aug 10, 2020

tbf the Cannondale has done nigh on 10k miles, should expect some wear. Had the headset out after I did the BB, bearings perfect. As Hambini succinctly says, tolerances... Cannondale aren't renowned when it comes to a BB, onto it's 4th. That said it's lovely to ride, super light (Sram Red), stiff yet comfortable and rock solid at speed. I had an SS Evo hi mod in a 56, my 'correct' size but always felt I was sat on it rather than in it. When a 'Black' nano carbon version came up nos at a local shop in a 54 I grabbed it. The Evo was a solid performer, with same components it rolled along as per any bike but when you hit a hill or just needed to stomp on the pedals it took off and you felt more connected. The 'Black' has a liveliness the Evo missed with all it's benefits. What a bike. I've a TCR I use through winter, it's far more nervous at high speed and feels sluggish by comparison to the Cannondale but at a 1/3 the price it should!

Shame about Beone, didn't know they were Dutch. They had a distributor in the UK and quite a few local shops kept them.

rando · Aug 10, 2020

andromedaaudio said:
Hambini is good , but dont forget he sells a product himself .

Hambini's product site was linked to. The aside was he deals with tools and techniques to correct frame and insert issues that prevent any third party solutions from working. Tolerances and QC are the key as defride noted.

Speaking of headset tolerances. I fail to believe there is anything past or present that bests the feel of a Campy Hiddenset. Have to be careful when leaning the bike against something it takes so little force to move the bars and dump it on the ground. Outside of BMX it is rarely used.

MPS · Aug 20, 2020

defride said:
That Colnago deserves a proper introduction and picture!

This one may not totally do justice but at least it's authentic on the road "action" shot during today's ride.

Colnago C-40 B stay [size 52]
Campagnolo Record 10-speed
Campagnolo Hyperion Ultra / Schwalbe One [25mm]
Time Impact Mag Ti pedals
ITM Carbon seatpost & Mag stem
Schmolke Carbon handlebar
Selle Italia SLR Kit Carbonio saddle

The bike is about 7 kg and as far as I can tell, perfect balance between stiffness and comfort.

rando · Aug 20, 2020

That'll get the blood racing.

Well reasoned mix of period correct and current parts on a very nice bike. Thank you for sharing a larger photo.

MPS · Aug 20, 2020

rando said:
That'll get the blood racing.

Well reasoned mix of period correct and current parts on a very nice bike. Thank you for sharing a larger photo.

Period correctness comes from the fact that I build up the bike in early 2000 and it's all I was ever expecting from a bike. Somewhere in between those days and present life happened and it's been "on hold" for 10+ years only to return to action as needed

asindc · Aug 20, 2020

MPS said:
This one may not totally do justice but at least it's authentic on the road "action" shot during today's ride.

Colnago C-40 B stay size 52
Campagnolo Record 10-speed
Campagnolo Hyperion Ultra / Schwalbe One
Time clipless pedals
ITM seatpost & stem / Schmolke handlebar / Selle Italia SLR saddle

Love those classic Colnago paint jobs.

chuck · Aug 20, 2020

defride · Aug 20, 2020

MPS said:
This one may not totally do justice but at least it's authentic on the road "action" shot during today's ride.

Colnago C-40 B stay size 52
Campagnolo Record 10-speed
Campagnolo Hyperion Ultra / Schwalbe One
Time clipless pedals
ITM seatpost & stem / Schmolke handlebar / Selle Italia SLR saddle

Looks a good day for it!

Really nice, suits those Hyperion. Must fly up the hills!

sujay · Aug 20, 2020

Hi,

I just chanced upon this thread. I am new to cycling.....of course I have cycled all my life, just that it’s only recently ie 3 months ago I picked it up as a hobby. I am doing 70-100 km a week which is not much by hobbyist standards with avg speed touching 24.5 km/ hr.

I bought a trek fx3, very nice hybrid and quite happy with it. However as my performance continues to improve, I am getting the itch to move up to a proper road bike. Any suggestions what I should look at from here? The fx3 has a MTB groupset, Shimano Acera which seems like entry or mid level

Grateful for some suggestions

Thanks

Sujay

rando · Aug 20, 2020

sujay said:
I am new to cycling.....of course I have cycled all my life, just that it’s only recently ie 3 months ago I picked it up as a hobby.

A brilliant suggestion would be to keep riding the wheels off new bike you own. Time and experience add up to more than a new type of bike would contribute.

chuck · Aug 20, 2020

sujay said:
Hi,

I just chanced upon this thread. I am new to cycling.....of course I have cycled all my life, just that it’s only recently ie 3 months ago I picked it up as a hobby. I am doing 70-100 km a week which is not much by hobbyist standards with avg speed touching 24.5 km/ hr.

I bought a trek fx3, very nice hybrid and quite happy with it. However as my performance continues to improve, I am getting the itch to move up to a proper road bike. Any suggestions what I should look at from here? The fx3 has a MTB groupset, Shimano Acera which seems like entry or mid level

Grateful for some suggestions

Thanks

Sujay

I can only speak for the US, this may be different where you are but I sort of doubt it. Find a really good bike shop that knows road bikes. And ask questions to make sure they know how to do a proper fit and can set up the bike for you. That is as or more important than the bike itself. The majors all make very good road bikes -- Giant, Trek, Specialized, Cannondale, BMC, its a long list. When you get the bike and shoes, kit etc. and the bike is properly fit, then find a good road bike club to learn how to ride and where to ride. And learn the rules -- velominati.com.

defride · Aug 21, 2020

sujay said:
Hi,

I just chanced upon this thread. I am new to cycling.....of course I have cycled all my life, just that it’s only recently ie 3 months ago I picked it up as a hobby. I am doing 70-100 km a week which is not much by hobbyist standards with avg speed touching 24.5 km/ hr.

I bought a trek fx3, very nice hybrid and quite happy with it. However as my performance continues to improve, I am getting the itch to move up to a proper road bike. Any suggestions what I should look at from here? The fx3 has a MTB groupset, Shimano Acera which seems like entry or mid level

Grateful for some suggestions

Thanks

Sujay

If you have a local club that caters to all levels of rider it's well worth looking into. You'll get plenty of good advice

As for the bike, I'd concur with chuck, if you're not familiar with bikes a good shop is definitely the way to go, do your research and find one that can really cater for your needs, it'll be worth paying a little more for that service.

If you think it's something you're going to continue with buy the best bike you can afford, you get what you pay for, riding a 7kg bike up a hill is a world away from struggling on a 12kg monster no mater your fitness level

andromedaaudio · Aug 21, 2020

MPS and Chuck those surroundings look ideal to pedal .
Brussels belgium is one of the worst cities i have ever cycled , no good bycicle paths basically a jungle on the road for bikes .
Country side is a bit better .

Nothing more healthy then do bit of cycling and jump in the ocean for a swim

rando · Aug 21, 2020

Modern hybrid designs are deviously good at conveying the joy of riding. Original Specialized Globe was easily a runner up for best bike of the 00's. A few engineers and designers do a brand's race bikes while entire teams are devoted to hybrids. Trek's European catalog contains a shocking variety of them and they all make sense.

Personally, I'd attain a set of handbuilt wheels and extravagantly supple tires close to the maximum suggested size for that frame. Well tuned Acera won't hold you back on city streets.

Folsom · Aug 21, 2020

I don't think hybrids are comfortable. I'm a bit odd though and prefer my seat forward into basically triathlon position... it works for me, whatever reason.

My criteria for a bike riding around on the streets aren't too complicated but not always easy to fill. 700x25 min tire size, 23 is too small. Rolling up to some 38's can work nice. Tire liner on the rear at least is a must. The fork should be a straight blade for best absorption. Frame wise steel with a lateral but not horizontal flex - track works for me - or carbon type frame that has a little give. Aluminum is just awful...

chuck · Aug 21, 2020

I worked in bike shops for years, I am a Serotta Certified fitter and have done hundreds of custom fits. Fit is first. If it doesn't fit nothing else will make up for it and it will be painful to ride. A less expensive bike that fits is preferable to any bike that does not. I disagree with the comment about aluminum bikes -- current aluminum bikes are pretty good and offer a less expensive way to get into road cycling.

I don't know your budget. But this is WBF so maybe a Giant TCR Advanced SL0. . .

Folsom · Aug 21, 2020

When you say fit, do you mean getting a fit to the bike, or the actual size of the bike? I'd say size of the bike is absolutely key. Even adjusting certain things like stem size. I guess that goes into the fit range. But the point being probably to both of us, we see lots of people on really inappropriately sized bikes for them with seats adjust either way too high or way too low.

I've heard rumors of aluminum that is flexy, under another name, but then ultimately is likely to sheer... I don't think steel bikes are that expensive, not with some companies like Salsa around.

Any cyclists here?

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