Show your Bicycles.....

Legionreturns

capo4th said:

I need a new more comfortable saddle for my Merida Big Nine.
 

I can't recommend fizik saddles enough, I've got different ones on nearly all of my bikes. They don't *look* comfy, but my butt has never been happier! 

ThePrettyDamned

Legionreturns said:

capo4th said:

I need a new more comfortable saddle for my Merida Big Nine.
 

I can't recommend fizik saddles enough, I've got different ones on nearly all of my bikes. They don't *look* comfy, but my butt has never been happier! 

The lady in the shop advised me a lot on saddles yesterday. A lot has to do with not annoying your bum cheeks and relying on your sit bones. 

so in other words, ultra slim seats can often be more comfy for long journeys than wider, padded ones. 

Budgie

capo4th said:

What saddle did you go for? @Budgie ;

I need a new more comfortable saddle for my Merida Big Nine.
 

It's a Charge Spoon. It was just over £20. They are really good saddles for the price and renowned for decent comfort.

Budgie

ThePrettyDamned said:

Budgie said:

Just added a new seat to this. what a difference, it's far more comfortable now!

Phwoar! That's a looker.

Haha.. cheers @ThePrettyDamned .. I wasn't sure if it was a little ott when I first bought it but it is kinda pretty :-)

ThePrettyDamned

Budgie said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

Budgie said:

Just added a new seat to this. what a difference, it's far more comfortable now!

Phwoar! That's a looker.

Haha.. cheers @ThePrettyDamned .. I wasn't sure if it was a little ott when I first bought it but it is kinda pretty :-)

It just needs a good coating of mud.  

I didn't get my mtb it was awesome fun though, I'd recommend anyone after a fun mtb on a budget to try it. It was not what I'm after though, really - geared far too low, and not nippy enough (heavy and big tyres). They suggested I want a gravel bike or possibly even a hybrid. I don't get on with most hybrids (which I find are either not-great mtbs or road bikes that lack the best bits of road bikes, like drop bars and a forward, aggressive position) so that left me ordering in a cyclocross/all road/gravel/touring style bike (basically a heavy duty road bike seemingly). 

Went for another marin (they're on offer!). It's a gestalt 1 - they advised I saved up and try a croix de fer, but it's actually £300 dearer which is a lot of money to me. The marin looks good though, decent bits, quality tyres (in winter I'll swap for something knobblier and put some mudguards on) and should be quick but tough enough to take riding up pavements, dirt roads, gravel roads and generally cycling around the fens, while also being a good candidate for commuting and a bit of bikepacking with the ladyprettydamned. 

I'll test ride it around Grafham next Saturday. 

strtdv

@ThePrettyDamned the Marin looks really nice.
Is it the 2017 model in blue?


Spec-wise compared to the croix de fer 10 (which I presume is the one you're comparing it with) is pretty similar.

Both have the new Sora R3000 groupset (which is very decent, and will also be cheap to replace if it gets worn out/damaged, and looks much better now they've tidied up the shifting cables), both have mounts for mudguards and racks, both have TRP Spyre brakes (not hydraulic but the best mechanical disc brakes you're going to get).

In terms of differences the Marin has gone for the cost saving option of fitting an Octalink BB/Crankset, which is an odd choice considering a modern bottom bracket and new Sora crankset would only have cost about £35 more, but should work fine and be easily changed if you want to at a later stage.
The big difference is the Genesis is a double-butted cromo frame rather than a 6061 aluminium frame, and will probably have a smoother ride as a result (particularly as the Marin has an alloy fork rather than a carbon one), but on the plus side the Marin weighs about 2.2kg less than the Genesis.

Both are nice bikes, for under £600 I'd be very happy with the Marin.

ThePrettyDamned

strtdv said:

@ThePrettyDamned the Marin looks really nice.
Is it the 2017 model in blue?


Spec-wise compared to the croix de fer 10 (which I presume is the one you're comparing it with) is pretty similar.

Both have the new Sora R3000 groupset (which is very decent, and will also be cheap to replace if it gets worn out/damaged, and looks much better now they've tidied up the shifting cables), both have mounts for mudguards and racks, both have TRP Spyre brakes (not hydraulic but the best mechanical disc brakes you're going to get).

In terms of differences the Marin has gone for the cost saving option of fitting an Octalink BB/Crankset, which is an odd choice considering a modern bottom bracket and new Sora crankset would only have cost about £35 more, but should work fine and be easily changed if you want to at a later stage.
The big difference is the Genesis is a double-butted cromo frame rather than a 6061 aluminium frame, and will probably have a smoother ride as a result (particularly as the Marin has an alloy fork rather than a carbon one), but on the plus side the Marin weighs about 2.2kg less than the Genesis.

Both are nice bikes, for under £600 I'd be very happy with the Marin.

I looked at a croix de fer and it was heavy - very different from the chromo frames of old. It was slimmer and tubular but not as slim as I'd like. The weight surprised me a bit! I have recently ridden a Raleigh touring bike from probably the 90s and it is light weight, while still be rack equipped. I wonder if there is steel and steel these days...

There is the cannondale caadx but it's out of stock in my size... And £200 over budget. I figure I can replace the fork with a carbon one at some point, the next model up has the same frame but carbon fork and a couple of other nicer bits. And come winter I may swap the 30mm schwalbe g-one tyres for something a bit knobblier (apparently it's got enough clearance for 35mm tyres too, although I wonder if the g-ones will be good enough anyway). 

So the Marin is the closest off the shelf I can find. I've looked for used and there are not many bikes here that fit the bill for a low enough price that it's worth not getting a warranty (lots of older bikes have v brakes and are really just road bikes with a big tyre rather than having a more upright position, disc brakes, lower gearing etc). So it's probably just right for me, for a few years at least. 

The pine mountain though... If anyone wants a crazy fun MTB on a budget, don't hesitate. Much nicer than any £550 bike with forks I tried, good gears, good tyres, almost hilariously fun to ride. If I wasn't considering cycling to and from work I'd have it.

ThePrettyDamned

No pics, but I've just done a 7km test ride on... 

My new Marin Four Corners. It's brilliant! Wider tyres but still quick (certainly for me, got up to 23mph and I'm deathly unfit and overweight!), it goes up low curbs, pot holes don't bother it at all and it doesn't mind gravel and tow paths either.

Absolutely love it, such a comfortable bike, quick (enough) on roads, copes with British roads, the shifting is actually brilliant (from a sora set! Pretty smooth and no let downs on ride one, in the wet, with mud, gravel and a fat bloke pushing it) and the brakes have amazing stopping power (takes a good squeeze, but it's there in spades). I was concerned about the brakes, having read poor reviews, but I won't be replacing them anytime soon. 

My girlfriend got the exact same one, but in grey. Mine is sexy matte green and orange forks got a bottle mount and a micro floor drive on it. Just needs the mudguards to arrive (I've plumped for sks chromoplastics), bar bag and a saddle bag for some spare kit and a sandwich and I'm ready for day long adventures with LadyPrettyDamned. 

Stock photo, because it's a damn handsome bike. Hopefully this week I'll get my own shot. 

https://goo.gl/images/eNMvG7

I (very!) nearly went for a marin Gestalt 1, but when the shop people heard it would occasionally go off road and be used on village roads, they said this would cope far better and take a bit more of a beating while still being good on the road. They said I'd be thankful for the extra clearance on the four corners for knobbier tyres should I need it, and frankly riding the two I knew which I preferred pretty quickly, despite the lighter gestalt being a bit quicker on a test ride. The four corners seemed to soak up bumps so easily. 

Chuffed. and now I can use my strava app! Off to shower the brown line of muck off my back.  

ThePrettyDamned

strtdv said:

@ThePrettyDamned the Marin looks really nice.
Is it the 2017 model in blue?


Spec-wise compared to the croix de fer 10 (which I presume is the one you're comparing it with) is pretty similar.

Both have the new Sora R3000 groupset (which is very decent, and will also be cheap to replace if it gets worn out/damaged, and looks much better now they've tidied up the shifting cables), both have mounts for mudguards and racks, both have TRP Spyre brakes (not hydraulic but the best mechanical disc brakes you're going to get).

In terms of differences the Marin has gone for the cost saving option of fitting an Octalink BB/Crankset, which is an odd choice considering a modern bottom bracket and new Sora crankset would only have cost about £35 more, but should work fine and be easily changed if you want to at a later stage.
The big difference is the Genesis is a double-butted cromo frame rather than a 6061 aluminium frame, and will probably have a smoother ride as a result (particularly as the Marin has an alloy fork rather than a carbon one), but on the plus side the Marin weighs about 2.2kg less than the Genesis.

Both are nice bikes, for under £600 I'd be very happy with the Marin.

Interestingly, the marin four corners I went for in the end (having test ridden against the gestalt) has an awful lot in common with the croix de fer. It's a bit different, I think the croix had a 2x9 gear set and the marin is 3x9, and the marin has cheaper promax render r brakes, which are supposed to be crap but I've found are absolutely fine - loads of stopping power there on a good squeeze. Both are steel framed and heavier than other bikes, but on a test ride it rolled brilliantly well and was super comfortable - those wider tyres really do help. 

I'm really impressed by the sora gear set - I have been informed that until you get to tiagra level, the gears are all much the same, but the soras were definitely a significant step above the alivio set I tried on a lesser bike. 

As for the brakes, if I did want to sub the front brake out (as it does do most of the work) I'd probably leap up to a trp Hy/Rd. But I am not expecting to do it anytime soon - I'm quite amazed at it's stopping power considering the reviews, very strong and steady (it's not a super hard "bite", but it got me from top pelt to stand still very quickly indeed). 

I was worried about the weight, until I rode it - it didn't slow me down much at all compared to the gestalt (my own body weight will have a far bigger impact as I could lose 10kgs or more myself!) but it was a noticeably smoother ride, even over roads (the roads around here are nasty). 

Chuffed. 

TTBZ

ThePrettyDamned said:

Legionreturns said:

capo4th said:

I need a new more comfortable saddle for my Merida Big Nine.
 

I can't recommend fizik saddles enough, I've got different ones on nearly all of my bikes. They don't *look* comfy, but my butt has never been happier! 

The lady in the shop advised me a lot on saddles yesterday. A lot has to do with not annoying your bum cheeks and relying on your sit bones. 

so in other words, ultra slim seats can often be more comfy for long journeys than wider, padded ones. 

Indeed. I got a Specialized BG one years ago after sitting on the spesh "arse-o-meter" and buying the recommended one -it's still going strong coming up to what must be 6-7 years later, and very comfy it is too. The charge spoon I had on my other bike was ok but still got a sore arse after a while.

Legionreturns

Also... This stuff! Outstanding! 

Their slogan is good too: 

"Tested on arseholes, not animals!"

ThePrettyDamned

Legionreturns said:

Also... This stuff! Outstanding! 

Their slogan is good too: 

"Tested on arseholes, not animals!"

I was reading their blurb earlier, amazing! 

"Some creams are a bit zingy and meant for men only. So read the label. However our own product "Happy Bottom Bum Butter" is "fufu friendly" and compatible with ladies and their wonderful parts"

And, "Load up a blob of the cream onto your finger and smear it between your buttocks, and behind your :"daddy batteries""

I don't do the kind of mileage that warrants this yet, although I'd like to get some proper cycling shorts/3/4 again. 

ThePrettyDamned

Today was mud guard fitting day. So, as I was going to do that I figured I'd best give the bikes a good clean, degrease and oil the chain and then fit the guard. 

Sadly, the sun disappeared just as I finished oiling the chain and the mudguards were not fitted. I grabbed this quick shot first though. 



Still haven't got those stupid wheel reflectors off. Bloody rain. We desperately need those mudguards to go on though - are they easy to fit? It's sks chromoplastics. 

Hope the photo works! 

strtdv

SKS are a bit fiddly to fit, you may need to cut down the wire supports a bit (measure carefully before you cut though), but they're worth it once they're on, they provide very good coverage, and once adjusted they don't rub or rattle either.

I have them on my commuter bike and my wife's bike.

I don't mind wheel reflectors per se, but they're not necessary when the tyres have much brighter reflective strips on them.


I managed to come off my bike on the way into work last Sunday, just cuts and bruises thankfully.
I hit some slippy surface mud on a corner (after all the heavy rain we'd been having).

Been sore all week but was back on the bike for a fairly gentle 50 miles today.
Don't seem to have lost too much fitness, although they say you lose about 5% of your VO2 max if you take a full week off exercise, and it takes 2 weeks to get it back.

ThePrettyDamned

strtdv said:

SKS are a bit fiddly to fit, you may need to cut down the wire supports a bit (measure carefully before you cut though), but they're worth it once they're on, they provide very good coverage, and once adjusted they don't rub or rattle either.

I have them on my commuter bike and my wife's bike.

I don't mind wheel reflectors per se, but they're not necessary when the tyres have much brighter reflective strips on them.


I managed to come off my bike on the way into work last Sunday, just cuts and bruises thankfully.
I hit some slippy surface mud on a corner (after all the heavy rain we'd been having).

Been sore all week but was back on the bike for a fairly gentle 50 miles today.
Don't seem to have lost too much fitness, although they say you lose about 5% of your VO2 max if you take a full week off exercise, and it takes 2 weeks to get it back.

Ouchies. Hope you recover! 

Yeah, I've never used anything but clip ons before but these were recommended to me as 'the ones to get if you can't afford really expensive ones' by the local bike shop, especially as the bike will be going on towpaths and stuff too where it's a bit bumpier. 

I'm hoping they won't need too much cutting... But I do have some pretty beefy wire cutters that would get through it. Measure five times, cut once...

Legionreturns

Race blades on all mine. Can't be beaten for simplicity and fit

Deadman

What bars are everyone running? I've just put some Easton 800's on mine. They're massive 

BigMonka

Got a new bike last week for commuting duties :-)
It's a Pinnacle Dolomite 5. Mainly 105 components with hydraulic discs. Need to get some full mudguards and fit them (one of the reason for choosing this one was that it's got mounts for full guards).

Feels like a nice upgrade to my Planet X London Road that I've 6000miles commuting on in the last couple of years.

Legionreturns

Nice @BigMonka  that looks like it'll do the job. 

Re mudguards...I gave up on fitted ones. I now just use SKS Raceblades which fit in seconds and I can move from bike to bike. Can't recommend them highly enough. Get the XLs and they'll fit anything. 

BigMonka

Legionreturns said:

Nice @BigMonka  that looks like it'll do the job. 

Re mudguards...I gave up on fitted ones. I now just use SKS Raceblades which fit in seconds and I can move from bike to bike. Can't recommend them highly enough. Get the XLs and they'll fit anything. 

Thanks :-)
I'd read in quite a few places that clip-ons don't give as good coverage as full guards, which is important as I ride to work everyday all year round (18mile round trip). It made finding the right bike difficult though, so I wish I'd asked on here beforehand!