rode this recently:

then rode this:

when I say rode, I mean a road ride about 14 mile loop with climbs and descents, and rough surfaces

found the first bike with the mechanical discs much more controllable in terms of brake modulation, the TRP Spyre brakes were the most impressive mech. disc I’ve ridden yet and I’ve ridden all of them.

found the second bike with the Shimano hydraulic discs actually a bit scary in terms of brake modulation:- on/off and lock up within a small amount of lever travel

would have liked to spent more time looking at the brakes to see if the setup could be altered to soften the bite. bike only had 140mm rotors front and rear, so no chance of reducing rotor size to reduce leverage and improve modulation that way

on both bikes, you could feel the effect of the disc brakes through the frame and fork, especially when braking hard

in comparison, I run Ultegra calipers on my road bike and prefer to setup the brakes with lots of throw so I can have a wide modulation

I’ve also owned many mountain bikes with hayes, shimano, avid, hope disc brakes 203mm down to 140mm rotors so lots of experience with different brake systems

My missus bought a pashley poppy for the looks and hated the ride – uncomfortable, heavy, limited gearing range, sketchy when standing up, very rattly on bumps and surprisingly fast handling in a bad way!

Only good thing was it held its value and we sold it for £350 two years after purchase – was in great condition.

She bought a road bike, much happier now…

CRC are doing manitou forks brand new on sale for £120-150 but disc brake only, not sure if that’s any use?

Speak to Hope..they are solid on backing up their products. They recently replaced the alloy free hub body on my pro 3 mono rear road wheel, with a steel body FOC as it was the second alloy one I’d ruined.

@sub….

Because bike shops are weird places where other staff whether sales or tech cannot be trusted!

Not owned shimano discs since XT 4 pot on my big hit in 2003…

Recently rode a 2015 big brand road bike with shimano hydro discs with tiny 140mm rotors and wow, juddery, grabby unpleasant riding experience. My MTB runs avid elixirs with 180mm front and 160mm rear and has great modulation in comparison…

You may buy your own tools, but the golden rule is that you don’t bring your own tools into work….unless you have a secure locker so you can protect your tools whilst not being used

Some of the chain stores I worked in, the mechanics locked up the company provided tools of their bench, because the sales staff and/or other mechanics could not be trusted to not ‘borrow’ said tools when that mechanic was not on duty

In my current store I have 30 of my own tools under lock and key, including a full suite of Di2 tools, bearing pullers and specialist hub tools

charging appropriately for fixing puncture?

its called “idiot tax” in the bike industry for a reason, you know…

any decent Specialized dealer can ring Specialized UK at Chessington and get the parts number for the 2014 bearing kit, no problem…

No one works for free, or works for free today on spec. of work tomorrow unless they are stupid.

Today? Local guy came into our shop with his kids bike. Wanted new front brake blocks and front puncture fixed, can we do it for £20?

Okay, shop is new, he is local with 4 kids in tow..I take this as speculation and we agree to £20.

39 minute later after faulty brake and bike is put right as best as possible ,tube swapped and missing non-drv side wheel nut has been replaced by packing out axle with spacers and using suitable nyloc, bike ready.

Guy is thankful but I now feel stupid as workshop hourly rate £50 and we sold him £5.99 inner tube and £2.99 brake blocks, but wasted time.

Interesting to see if he ever comes back..

Hope just sorted me out with a steel free hub body after my 2 previous aluminium bodies were so badly gouged by ultegra cassettes on my road bike that cogs moved under load causing creaking and shifting issues. To be fair to Hope they replaced without quibbles about it.

Rebuilt the body using couple drops of ceramic lube as I normally do and noticed the steel body substantially quieter than aluminium body.

Oakley are not cheap, but worth the money. I’ve been selling and using Oakley since the early 90’s, and have owned a number of other brands

for optical quality, I cannot think of another brand that comes close, especially on the more three-dimensional glasses like the Radarlock

29’er is a 700c rim with a 2.1″ + tire which generally gives a 29″ measurement from tire edge to tire edge across the wheel axle centre

I measured my first 29’er which had a Specialized Ground Control tire and it came up 29.2″

obviously the exact measurement depends on the brand and model of tire, the 29’er Specialized Fast Trak currently on the rear of my bike actually comes up just smaller than 29″

rim width also has a big influence on tire shape and height, as I found when I mounted a pair of Fast Trak tires on my hybrid’s Mavic A319 rims

Was in my local optician yesterday getting eye test and updated lenses for my Oakley prescription glasses (non riding)

The optician is a leading UK independent and have on-site lens manufacturing capabilities

Showed my Oakley gas cans (non prescription) to the optician, he said they could not do such a three-dimensional lens on site but send it to Ireland where Oakley have a lens manufacturing facility

@breadcrumb

Carbon rockhopper?

If you race TT, sprints or are doing tri (but don’t want a tri specific bike), then yes its worth it

Otherwise I’d take a good race bike over an aero bike every day.

I’ve spent enough time on the specialized venge to know I prefer the tarmac (I own a SL4) or even the Roubaix sl4.

The handling of the tarmac sl4 is sublime especially at speed, the Venge in comparison feels wooden /harsh and not anywhere as precise when descending or cutting tight turns.

A lot of customers bought the Venge on looks, but customers are always right 😉

2nd generation GP4000 or Specialized S-Works Turbo in either 24mm or 26mm (the new model)

both very good, the Turbos are quicker but the Conti will outlast the Turbo by some distance

I’m running the 26mm in my Tarmac SL4 and there is plenty of room, it certainly comes up a little smaller in volume than the Specialized Roubaix 25c

got introduced to it by these guys, keep running into them at events and in local parks where they give it out for free

really nice to have on a hot day whilst road riding

@iainc

here’s another I got to play with..

Zipp wheels and hydro discs were very noticeable enhancements

had an aluminium alloy Stumpjumper 29’er hardtail

had an issue with the BB shell in the frame

had it replaced with a carbon fibre Stumpjumper 29’er hardtail frame, moved all the same parts across

rode on the same trails

definite difference to the carbon, much better ride quality, stiffer yet smoother on rough ground

this is used for mountain biking though, i would not use it for commuting if being left or locked on the street

yup, will fit no problem

check out what I got to ride on Thursday, 1st person in the UK to get their sticky mitts on one 🙂

been to the London Olympics Velo Park recently and really enjoyed the road circuit

properly designed with great flow and corners, smooth surface and only £6 for all day. they’ve also got the tamed down public version of the Olympics bmx track, the indoor track in the Pringle building and 6km of mtb trails which seemed to be under development

much better than the road circuit at the bike park in Gravesend, Kent

here’s the Velo Park

@captainflasheart

Its the old adage of customers knowing ‘the price of everything, the value of nothing’….

I sat on high on the bridge above the Limehouse Link in East London

45 mins of rain and then suddenley the peleton through in 15 seconds, great atmosphere though. Just watching the highlights on Itv4 and could see myself sitting up there on the bridge 🙂

@bencooper

its a valid point that you make about “bicycle clubs”, as long as this cost is being offset by another part of the business.

I know this first hand from retailers who are successfully making the transition as retail undergoes a dramatic transition, due to rising costs, ever decreasing margins, the introduction of the internet channel with an off-street warehouse, etc.

my last employer (as workshop manager) Sigma Sport was a great model of a retailer who has found a niche and operates a successful workshop reception undertaking complimentary services for regular customers, whilst upstairs they have a fully featured repair workshop operating scheduled servicing.

They also do a huge volume of retail sales of bikes, clothing and accessories which can be used for this “costs offset” with the mindset that you are building a community / club environment.

@stoffel

my comment about:

“I’ve never understood why workshops in bicycle shops should be any different”

rings true whether its a multi-chain store owned by investment banker (i.e Evans Cycles with Active LLP or Cycle Surgery with LGV) or a LBS

neither want to be in a position when they are providing “free” services to customers that any other retail business would be charging appropriate money for?

If they stock tools, they would like to sell some of these tools to customers.

If they employ mechanically minded staff with qualifications and experience, they would like to sell their services to customers.

Its not a corporate conspiracy but basic business practise!

The workshop is certainly not free to operate, it has its own operating costs including a partial share of shop rent, rates, utilities, payroll, tooling and training.

I’ve worked in the bike industry for years (working retail, distribution and as the owner of a bike manufacturing company), and something I have noticed in these years is that cycling has always attracted a different customer, to other retailers, who perhaps expects that others should always help out for free?

I have never found this in retailers selling white goods, electronics, etc. Services are always charged for, and customers pay for assistance.

Bicycle shops cannot be expected to provide free services, whether its staff time or tooling, there are many pressures effecting modern retailers including rent, rates and payroll, none of these are free to the business operator.

The problem with expecting free services is that is has a real drag on the profitability of a business, and over time excess abuse of goodwill whilst operating on slim margins, can put a business into administration

Of course there is always give and take in customer relationships, but its surprising the number of times I have helped out “customers” who have never purchased, and will not purchase anything from the stores I have worked in – this is called taking a liberty because these “customers” are just a bleed on the store resources whereas genuine customers willing to pay for good service keep the store operating

I’ve worked at a number of stores for Evans and Cycle Surgery as a workshop manager, as well as a store manager and workshop manager for a number of LBS

At Evans and CS I would never lend tools out of the workshops; because it was hard enough to get tools to fit out the workshop in the first place, but I’d always try to help a customer in need.

“No, I can’t lend you tools, but Yes I will help you” – which normally got the issue resolved in a few minutes.

I’ve walked into stores where tools have been lent and customers appear to be taking their bike apart on the shop floor just next to the front door!

Sorry, but I learned from experience not to lend out tools, having had customers break tools, leave tools in the road (!) outside the store, leave tools in random places inside the store, or actually steal tools and never come back to the store.

Nothing worse for any mechanic to come into the workshop after their day off and find tools missing off their workbench, and then spend 1/2 hour roaming the store looking for the missing items, at some stores it was so badly controlled (by store manager) that the mechanics would strip their benches each night and lock their tools in a secure box

At some of the chain stores we provided a basic selection of tools which the shop staff were allowed to use or lend, and there was always a track pump for customers to do by the front door.

Bear in mind the stores stocked a full range of affordable tools for retail.

I would never expect to walk into a car garage and ask the mechanic to “borrow” some tools, the only thing I would expect is abuse.

I’ve never understood why workshops in bicycle shops should be any different – we need those tools to do our jobs – if the shop itself wants to hold a pool of basic tools then there is no problem.

I can guarantee every time I have lent a tool like a chain breaker or particular size allen key, 5 minutes later either myself or one of my mechanics has needed that same tool, its happened too many times

Good customer service is assisting customers in genuine need, not providing room for ‘customers’ to take liberties

@daveR

before putting your new XTR chain on your bike, have a good look at the transmission specifically the chainrings and cassette and make sure you don’t have any damage to teeth or burrs that caused the KMC to open up and fail

seen this too many times…

KMC aren’t known for snapping without an external issue like poor fitting (using a chain tool with a damaged pin) or damage somewhere in the drivetrain

most modern chains will withstand abuse without issue including bad shifting under load

check your cabling

did you build the bike yourself?

was it a complete boxed bike?

the new 6800 and 9000 feel terrible in both brakes and gears (I’d describe both as “gritty”) unless you use the genuine Shimano Polymer cabling or similar PTFE cabling

this is what you need:

brakes – CABBC68BK, Ultegra 6800 Road brake cable set, Polymer coated inners

gears – CABGR68BK, Ultegra 6800 Road gear cable set, Polymer coated inners

£30 for each set.

Seen a number of OE builds with jagwire or similar lower spec. cable and both the gears and brakes have felt very unpleasant, with the rear derailleur suffering some shifting lag

I’ve tried using the new cabling on my 6700 and the difference in brake and gear performance is noticeable compared to the older SP-41 cabling

typical procedure in my workshops (Specialized Covent Garden, Sigma Sport, Specialized Kingston, Giant Docklands):

-carbon head tube with carbon seats would be wiped clean with iso alcohol and bearing placed directly onto the CF seats.

Any metal parts fitted above or below the bearings (compression wedge ring for upper, and crown race for lower) would get a thin smear of Shimano anti-seize

-carbon head tube with aluminium alloy cups / seats would be wiped clean also with iso alcohol and then a good smear of Shimano anti-seize between the seat and the metal bearings, and also on the metal parts fitted above or below the metal bearings.

we only use carbon fibre assembly paste for CF seat posts, CF handlebar stems / CF bars or similar applications. Certainly not where a bearing is rotating.

I definitely liked this one

switched from Specialized Turbo Elite 23c to Specialized SW Turbo in 26c

the 26c runs at a higher pressure (120psi) as its the S-Works tire, whereas the previous tire ran around 100-110psi

the new tire is definitely more comfortable on the same roads, its a much higher volume tire and feels substantially quicker (which is probably the new casing and compound rather than just the bigger tire

I also had the previous 2 generations of SW Turbo tires in 23C as a further comparison, and both felt harsh on the same roads

I noticed they offer this new SW tire in only 24c and 26c and its aimed at professional road racing

from what I’ve read the bigger tire are faster, which goes against the old thinking of narrow tire = faster

but once you go over 26c aerodynamics start to negate the advantages of lower rolling resistance that bigger volume tires provide

@hishairyness

Only ridden the Specialized fat bike a couple miles but it blew away my misconceptions – if I had cash and space but add one to the stable

@MrSmith

Its not a “piss poor choice” because it demonstrates that people don’t pay attention to signs, whatever the circumstances of that particular layout could be – I am well aware of the fatal accident and other serious RTC that occured at Holborn because I spent 14 months working in that area

There were also a number of RTC along that “no cycling” road (which as you pointed out has now changed to a cycle and bus lane) from cyclists coming into conflict with buses and oncoming traffic in the other direction

will more stickers and signs make any difference?

don’t see many cyclists in London pay attention to signs on the road (or the traffic lights / pedestrians crossings for that matter..)

or “no cycling” signs next to schools

or on the rear of large moving vehicles

mind you the motorists seem to have just as much trouble understanding road signs and markings

nice place to park for a couple of hours

my first experience of buying some bike parts (road wheels) from an-online retailer in Europe (A-Cycles, France) has been less than stellar

specifically paid for next day delivery to UK by UPS, wheels were ordered 8.30am

Shipment did not turn up by end of business the next day, and I then found out with some detective work (the tracking number did not work with the UPS link they sent in the order email) they had not used UPS, but used GLS (??) and Royal Mail Parcelforce.

May receive the wheels on Monday, 4 days after they were due.

They are not responding to my efforts to reach them, may have to ask my credit card company to do a chargeback on the UPS shipping I paid for and did not receive!

Muck off are doing a dry body wash shampoo probably ideal for your needs. Tried a sample last week, very effective

The old BS 6102 pt.2 regs were considered ‘the law’ if a claim for injury following assembley negligence went to court, both employer and certified employee could be held liable

Good practise was to always build bikes to these regs, this included brake setup, reflector/bell package and correct pedal/foot retention to suit ‘open’ chainrings, then to have a record of this pdi, in case of any future claims.

Any bike sold in the UK must have right brake lever operating front brake unless customer has specifically asked for euro setup and we’d make a note of this on the work order in case of any future legal enquiry 😉

@cynic – al.

True. We’d only pay attention to a wheel hub during an assembly and pdi if we noticed an issue such as lateral play or binding / rough running

although rough running hubs and sticky free hubs (you see this as chain deraillment whilst back pedalling in smaller rear cogs) on brand new wheels of affordable branded bikes are not uncommon