my GF started riding about 2 years ago and has done really well. But this weekend we took a newbie with us who asked her "what singletrack is like". She replied quite seriously "it's like a normal trail but you get more punctures" (she ONCE got a puncture on singletrack, she's had loads off of it)
How much is ....?
HOW MUCH!!!!!! 😯
It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't have a front and a rear brake, but instead have "left brake" and "right brake."
It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't have a front and a rear brake, but instead have "left brake" and "right brake."
I call mine "Eric and Ernie" anyone else have daft comedic names for their brakes??
It never ceases to amaze me how many people don't have a front and a rear brake, but instead have "left brake" and "right brake."
Lets hope they never go to mainland Europe, it can be quite difficult riding with your hands crossed over.
"What do you mean, you don't wear anything under cycling shorts?"
"Why did I get cold hands? I was wearing proper cycling gloves!"
Said to me by a friend of a friend. She had just arrived at the pub. In mid winter. In a pair of finger less track mitts.
Got asked on Saturday by a lady walkerist if i thought 42 was to old to let her husband have a mountain bike, as he had driven a car since he had last had a bike at 18,and may be a bit to old to ride a bike now.
"Why is your seat so high?"
Is probably the question I get asked most.
What´s that for?
"can i have your number"
yeah right! 😉
"Do you really need such big discs?"
I am amazed at the number of people who still ride with the brakes and shifters butted right up against the grips, not all newbies ever.
why are those pedals (spds) so small?!
Do you actually sit on that saddle?
my bike (bso) has rear suspension too!
"What gear should I be in?"
"What button do I press?"
Despite this, she turned out to be surprisingly well balanced when freewheeling down DH trails. Chapeau!
"So it's finger for down and thumb for up...?"
"Why does my arse feel bruised...?"
"Why are my knees hurting so much...?"
bloke to me on a fixed wheel: "what gear is that?"
me: "45:15"
bloke: "no, is it 1, 2 or 3"
me: "eh?"
bloke: "like on my Brompton, is it gear 1, 2 or 3?"
me: "errrrr, dunno, bye!"
Oh you work for a bike company! Brilliant I'm thinking of getting a new bike and the man in Halfords said . . . . .
MSP - some of us have small hands! I have my shifters inboard of my brakes, and my brakes about 10mm away from my grips. Any more than that and i can't comfortably reach the paddles on the shifters.
If i run my shifters outboard of my brakes then if the paddles are in the right place my brake lever is too far from my little fingers 😳
The high seat one, SPDs offroad bafflement, why ride uphill?
""Do you really need such big discs?""
Well do you really?
"amazed at the number of people who still ride with the brakes and shifters butted right up against the grips"
If your bike comes like that and you dont ride with anyone who has played around with their lever positioning (or you haven't noticed/been shown) then I can see it happening
I'm more amazed at the amount of bike shops/manufacturers that setup bikes like that
"if i run my shifters outboard of my brakes then if the paddles are in the right place my brake lever is too far from my little fingers"
You shouldnt have your little fingers on the brakes?
(If* you've got hydraulic discs) you ought really to only to use your first finger on the end of the brake lever for maximum leverage, the other 3 fingers on the grips/bars to hold on
*If not then 2 fingers? first and middle?
Some (newer) shifters allow you to move the shifter around in relation to the clamp that holds the shifter to the handlebar
"That cost HOW MUCH!?!?!" 😯
Hayes Stroker Trail brakes and 2009 SLX shifters. I've tried all sorts of positions, with and without the shifter windows and the current position is what works for me. I tend to use my middle finger for braking and fore finger and thumb for shifting for some reason.
SLX should be able to move the shifter/levers part of the shifter side-to-side in relation to the handlebar clamp part of the shifter (2 bolts, and 3 holes in a line)
I'm quite happy with the set up now ta!
"you must hate it when it snows"; - how wrong can you be!
"Isn't it dangerous?"; - er probably but its worth it
"But you don't ride uphill surely?" - for me that is the best bit. Sorry.
'I took my bike back to the shop for a refund because the gears and other stuff stopped working properly'
I've heard that more than once.
Sombrio? Should you really be wearing that at your age?
"Really, you wear a helmet offroad? That's a bit gay isn't it!"
Is one I hear all the time... Often from people who've just spent quite a bit of money on a half decent bike even! Not sure to be more worried at their lack of concern for their own Swedes, or their latent homophobia...
wait, i have my brake levers against my grips!
didn't realise it was such a newbie mistake.
i use two fingers to brake. don't think i could do it with one.. but maybe i should give it a go
But if I put my seat there... my feet are not on the ground 🙄
"amazed at the number of people who still ride with the brakes and shifters butted right up against the grips"
I position my shifters and levers where they're comfortable for me, but then I've only been riding MTB's since 1993 so what do I know 🙄
"don't think i could do it with one"
(youll get the most out of your brakes my setting up so your one (first) finger is at the end of the lever for greatest leverage)
You might find it easier if you alter the lever reach
Many bikes/brakes come with the brake levers wound right out away from the handlebar (tbf they can need to be to bled/setup)
There ought to be someway to move the levers range of movement inward a bit. You might have to check the brake manual but there ought to be about a 2mm allen key hole (if you dont have an external reach dial) somewhere around the lever to adjust it
'How do you get up hills with only one gear?'
strokers aren't the best lever for optimum cockpit setup, I don't remember exactly why, I just remember them being a bit of a pain.
"These trainers are fine for riding" is the newbie mistake you see the most. Okay they might be comfortable, but I bet they're not very water resistant, grippy or robust...
Spending more on your bike carrier than your bike seems a big newbie mistake
Pointing to SPDs "Wheres the rest of your pedals?
"What gear are you in?"
"Why do you need so many tyres?"
"Why do you clip in to the the pedals? Thats a bit dangerous isn`t it......?"
"Bloody hell that`s light!" When picking up c/f road bike.
"Where`s your bell and reflectors?"
Why do your wheels have such a loud clicky noise?
"Spending more on your bike carrier than your bike seems a big newbie mistake"
Well the thule catalogue seems to have hit that nail pretty square?
I'll put my brakes and shifters wherever I damn well fancy! Didn't realise they were some kind of badge of honour! 🙄
"But that means I can't touch the ground."
"Shingaurds? Kneepads? Do I need them likes???"
"Shorts? In January???"
"50psi? Thats more than the car tyres!!"
binners +1
I'm building a new bike. I like it very much so far. I don't want to be judged for every little detail, I just want to ride
I did run them fashionably inboard for a while didn't notice any difference. So gone back traditional stylee.
binners - MemberI'll put my brakes and shifters wherever I damn well fancy! Didn't realise they were some kind of badge of honour!
Ah you made the mistake of forgetting this is STW and hence you are just a retarded rambler for doing what the vast majority do.
Dont let them dictate to you. 😀
I'll put them where i can use them, not where is apparently fashionable!
How much is ....?
HOW MUCH!!!!!!
LMAO - double post man! Great minds etc....
I'd like to get a light bike. Oh no £300 is far to much and it's not even got a rear spring like the Asda one.
Lol maybe I should be less mean but it's been a long day
In what way is it a mountain bike if it doesn't have any gears? The other one is "but you can only ride one bike at a time" to which I would ask how many pairs of shoes they own.
"I'm going to need a comfier saddle - one with gel".
/\ this..
You recommend/put 50psi in your MTB tyres??"50psi? Thats more than the car tyres!!"
I'm trying to help a friend at the moment get a bit of confidence on a bike, however I cannot convince her that her feet do not need to be able to touch the floor when she is seated on the bike and that the reason it hurts is that her saddle is too low!
"You could buy a car for that!"
Binners +1
Also why are you always fiddling with your bike, if it cost that much it shouldn't need anything doing to it.
Ever heard of preventative maintenance and regular servicing?
I'll put my brakes and shifters wherever I damn well fancy! Didn't realise they were some kind of badge of honour!
You think putting the brakes where they work best is just some kind of badge of honour?
Blame it on Archimedes and all that fashionable nonsense he spouted about levers.
"I built mine myself/I had the man at Halfords build it for me"
The giveaway is that the brake levers are absolutley horizontal, necessitating an uncomfortable bend of the newbie's wrists.
"I want back suspension, I saw this bike in Tesco..."
"Where do you put your water bottle?"
And said to me more than once on a trail whilst I was sipping from my Camelbak - "Wow, does that contain extra oxygen?". If only!
You don't have inner tubes in your tyres!!??
HYDRAULIC disc brakes!!???
"How do I get faster"
Stepson 2 has been riding his bike for best part of two and a half years, which I've built up out of spare bits for him. I haven't held back on the spec but he doesn't take me seriously.
He came home from school the other day and told me that he'd been chatting to a mate of his and he wanted to upgrade his brakes. He decided that he wanted Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic brakes as they're better than the ones on his bike. I asked him if he knew what brakes he already had... 🙂
If I have my brakes as far in as I want them, I can't reach the shifters properly. Is that just me?
I get lots of kudos from newbies and oldies alike for riding a single speed. Shhh, don't tell anyone else, but it's an Alfine...
My dad swears that the LBS he got his Spec hardtail from set his bike up correctly despite the fact he can sit on the saddle with his feet flat on the ground.
Other half had me chop down the seatpost (wouldn't go low enough as it was) and put a gel cover on the saddle to make things easier for her.
I argued about the first, the second I didn't really want to get into a fight over. She doesn't ride enough to make a big difference and when she does I'll adjust it properly.
"You could buy a car for that!"
I got the Evans catalogue through the post the other day, and there was a BMC time trial bike in there for £8999.99.
I've been riding for decades and that's still the first thing that sprang to mind.
'Shouldn't cycling help you lose weight??'
*Is Birches Valley this way ?*
*Is The Monkey this way ?*
*How do I get to the car park* ?-
[i]Which car park ?[/i]
*Er...*
Do you have to get your frames specially made/reinforced? 😯
I am a bit of a fat biffer 😳
"Why do you need more than one bike?"
"you went up there? on a bike?!"
"You're only faster because you have a better bike"
we swap bikes...
"You're only faster because you're a better rider"
..... 🙄
"why would need more than one bike" I get a lot. Once to howls of derisive laughter in a pub as about 5 colleagues were in hearty agreement that surely one bike is all you would ever need.
And from newbie riders "my wheel is flat (puncture)" and "my tyre isn't working properly (wheel out of true)"
I once witnessed a bloke having a meltdown after taking his son into my old LBS (RIP) and storming up to the counter to complain about how much the bikes cost. The assistant rather cooly replied "the toy shop is four doors down mate".
There are hills in Surrey?
[countered by my own - the "summit" of Pitch Hill!!!]
This is a mean thread you mean sods! Everyone had to start somewhere.
but to continue.... 😈
Does anyone elase get really frustrated when they see people riding along with their saddle so low their knees barely make it over 90 degrees? They often have very colourful cheap helments that look huge and funny.
When I bought t'other half a rockhopper I used to keep sneaking the saddle up and up each week. Sometimes she would notice if I did it a bit too much but eventually she did admit it was much nicer to ride and started moving it up herself as she got more confident.
Have also attacked friends bikes with a set of allen keys to adjust bars, contols, saddle etc and they are always amazed at how much nicer you can make a bike feel without spending a penny.
SHifters/levers against the grips isn't a faux pas but it is indicative (tho not always an actual fact) that the user has not experimented with their setup and found what works for them. I've seen brake levers pointing up. Put 'em where you want I don't care as long as it works for you, just don't leave them where the bike shop did (unless they set it up for you properly) thinking that's "right"
I remember riding my brand new bike home then raiding my dads tool box for allen keys to mess around with bars, levers, shifter, saddle etc, dad complained "it's brand new what do you need to fix it for?" that's a tricky one to explain away, well to pig headed facetious fathers anyway 🙂
newbies don't normally say much to me, either too out of breath going up the 20% climb we take right at the start or quietly grimacing at the pain in their knee/elbow/whatever from the off they had on the techy downhills I've taken them down.
Might not be kind but it soon sorts the wheat from the chaff, if they turn up for a second ride they are serious 🙂
I think a common one - and you see it quite regularly - is people riding with their helmets on back to front. And about 2psi in their tyres
Donk - Surely getting the allen keys out is the first thing anyone does when they get a new bike home? 😀
HYDRAULIC disc brakes!!???
I've heard that from an olympic-hopefull roadie...
upgrades. newbies always going on about upgrading this and upgrading that.
how do you upgrade a saddle? 🙄
how do you upgrade a saddle
Ti 🙂
How many gears has it got.?
My friend in Whistler mountain bike park:
If I knew I had to stand up on the pedals for descents I would never have come!
Is my seat to high?
Errr...No looks alright.
You sure?
How the **** do I know?
Do you ride over bumps and things?
How many gears has it got?
I get asked this too, it makes me have to stop and think. I probably only use about 3 gears (climbing, pootle and road chomping)