rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 27, 2015 16:12:39 GMT -8
Wow, thanks for the info! I'll read those things and experiment. Yeah, the problem comes from pushing hard, but with the hills around here, even with my granny gears, I have to do it some. But that may be why the issue flared up when riding with the spouse, who is much stronger than I am.
I hadn't thought about using the mixed pedals so I could ride (at least sometimes)with the bum foot unlocked. I had considered those just to allow me to ride to meeting and such in street shoes.
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johnnyray
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Post by johnnyray on Jul 28, 2015 17:42:53 GMT -8
I use the Shimano 324s on my hardtail MTN bike and like them a lot. I use rec style shoes for riding and can wear flip flops if I just am out having a coffee or getting a donut. Only down side is they are heavy if you are a UL fanatic and the flat side is a cheese grater on bare skin. If you are having chronic pain from cycling you might look into a professional fitting, the angles of your knees, hips and elbows can be checked as well as your knee alignment in regards to cleat float.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 30, 2015 21:38:56 GMT -8
Johnnyray, I'd like to get a fitting, but I don't even know where to look for one.
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Post by rwtb123 on Jul 31, 2015 3:50:16 GMT -8
Check with your local bike shop for a professional fitting.They are usually free with a bicycle purchase or available for a fee otherwise.A higher end shop near me offers this system www.retul.com/ and I noticed several shops in the SF area do as well. Both, Jim Langley and the former Sheldon Brown were former regular technical contributors to Bicycling Magazine and longtime professional bike mechanics so are among my go to sources for technical info on the internet(along with the Park Tool website and others).Read up as much as you can on schools of thought on bike fitting and in particular for the type of riding you do and check with several local bike shops to see what they offer.Many will probably offer custom fittings along the lines of Jim or Sheldon's advice a few others machine assisted.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Jul 31, 2015 7:40:16 GMT -8
Thanks!
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Aug 5, 2015 4:47:56 GMT -8
I'm finally hitting my stride on the hills. However, I notice I instantly blow-up when I get out of the saddle. Gotta work on that. Or start a cycle of EPO.
Also need to find someone local that I can learn some basic bike maintenance from. Gears are becoming a bit erratic.
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Post by rwtb123 on Aug 5, 2015 5:38:32 GMT -8
Congratulations on the cycling progress!
With the internet you have everything at your fingertips you need to learn basic bike maintenance.Start with the late Sheldon Brown's site for explaining everything maintenance and bike related in layman's terms.Then the Park Tool site and others for detailed instructions and tools required.And even Youtube videos of mechanics explaining and actually performing bike work.
If you mean the gears are not shifting smoothly then you need to perform a basic tuneup which is mostly just adjusting the derailleur limit screws with a small screwdriver.If the chain is stretched ,and it can be measured to determine, it should be replaced before it causes the gears to wear irregularly and start skipping. If it is at the point of skipping gears the chain and chainrings and possibly cassette/freewheel will all need to be replaced.This is still all within reach of the novice mechanic (whether mechanically inclined or not like me)with just screwdiver and wrench and a $10 cassette/freewheel remover (plus chainwhip if cassette to keep it from spinning while removing).
Knowing the size and type parts(chain,rings,cassette)will allow you to shop them on the internet for a significant discount to buying at a bike shop plus doing your own labor makes maintaining your bike very affordable.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 6, 2015 11:40:10 GMT -8
Skipping in the gears can also simply be the cable stretching, with index shifting (this was never an issue back in the days of friction!). There is usually a barrel adjuster down by the derailleur (rear, at least--front my be at the shifter end?) so you can play around with it.
Buy the parts at your LBS, especially if you a) want help knowing what to get, and/or b) anticipate needing a bike shop in your neighborhood. You will spend a little more, but you'll have a shop when needed.
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Post by rwtb123 on Aug 6, 2015 19:27:55 GMT -8
I think cable stretching tends to occur when first installed similar to the way the spokes on a new wheel need to be stress relieved after a few hundred miles.After that just checked and gone over with some light grease/lube to keep from rusting as part of that routine tuneup I mentioned.Only other time I have had to adjust a cable is if the derailler has gotten bent which does tend to happen from time to time.I think mtn bikes tend to have the barrel adjusters at the brake levers while most road bikes tend to have a clamp on the seat tube where the front derailler and cable can adjusted.
My touring bike needs vintage parts while my new bike custom parts neither of which bike shops tend to stock.And they make their money on the markup of clothing,parts and accessories in their inventory not selling low margin bikes or ordering custom parts for you.With the attitude some of the bike shop owners around here have I would be pleased if a few went out of business. I think the bottom line is if you want to rely on them for advice or the right size then buy from the LBS.But if you know what you want you are better to shop it online than have a LBS have to order it where they are not really happy anyway.
Say for chainrings, a LBS can get you the right bcd and an adequate gear ratio but if you know you want a custom ratio like say a compact double which I have on my Surly or a half step and granny with I have on my vintage tourer and sounds like rebecca could use for SF hills then you might as well shop it yourself.But you will have to spend the time getting to know all this because there are so many different bike standards.
Only two times I have found a LBS useful was advice(after talking to 4or5 others previously) that I cut broken bottom bracket threads out with a dremel tool(it was too time consuming for them to do themselves) and a bike shop in Sebring Fl respreading my dropouts and doing some other repairs with free labor when I was on a bike tour(and had damaged my bike by pushing it through a swamp and riding it before relubing).So if you are in Sebring stop in at the local Trek dealer haha.
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Post by rwtb123 on Aug 29, 2015 7:12:09 GMT -8
Rode 40 miles today.Given the humidity and how long I have been off the bike that was more than enough.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 29, 2015 21:57:04 GMT -8
Rode 50.5 miles today. Over the coast range and back, so about 5500' of climbing. I'm toast.
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desert dweller
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Post by desert dweller on Aug 30, 2015 5:53:21 GMT -8
Rode 50.5 miles today. Over the coast range and back, so about 5500' of climbing. I'm toast. Gee, I rode 12 miles downtown last evening for a burger, beer and birthday party an I'm not tired a bit.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 30, 2015 9:06:26 GMT -8
Gee, I rode 12 miles downtown last evening for a burger, beer and birthday party an I'm not tired a bit. I've been to Tucson. You probably had a massive elevation gain of oh, say 10 feet?
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desert dweller
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Post by desert dweller on Aug 31, 2015 7:11:38 GMT -8
I've been to Tucson. You probably had a massive elevation gain of oh, say 10 feet? Actually, 120 feet. But, net gain is usually Zero because I tend to ride home the same way I left. I just checked. The night of the party I gained a total of 235 feet in 11 miles. Then lost it all except 49 feet by time I rode home.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 31, 2015 8:21:00 GMT -8
DD, since I usually ride loops, my NET gain is also zero. It's the gross that will kill you! I did very little yesterday Though I did ride to the store for groceries in the late afternoon (which in itself has a 117' gain on a 1.8 mile RT--all on the return, naturally!).
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