Do you still have any of the original Shimano drivetrain? Check the serial numbers against this chart

Well, I rode there in 1994 on a rigid Marin Bear Valley SE with a 120mm stem, bar ends and a purple seatpost qr. Then we went to the Swallow Falls, got pissed with some squaddies and tried to get off with two local girls.

Happy to help.

Uh? Down shifting the rear mech? Ie onto a bigger sprocket? With your index finger? How does that even work?

You people disgust and frighten me 🙂

LOL at the replies

Was confused for a minute – I thought you were talking about MTB shifters 😮

I use Campag these days which uses a different type of shift lever but when I was on Shimano, it was middle finger 🙂

Settle loop a great fitness ride but not very technical. Gisburn great fun with a variety of different terrain. Knock yourself out.

Just come home drunk, so feel perfectly qualified to write on this thread.

OP, cycling, like any leisure pursuit, is a displacement activity which temporarily staves off the certainty of death. Ordering a new bike will give you a twenty-minute endorphin rush, during which time you’ll feel good about yourself and happy with your astute choice. Then you’ll start to regret it. Biochemically, a good w-a-n-k will have exactly the same effect. So will injecting a bag of impure Bootle heroin, playing roulette, or strangling a prostitute with her own tights.

Probably.

Be careful. You’re looking at 2 different types of bike there. The Giant, with short travel and tight head angle, is more XC oriented, whereas the Spesh is an enduro bike. Personally I’d go for the Spesh, unles you’re planning on entering any XC races.

Or alternatively, ask more questions, do more research and wait a while and make a more informed decision about the type of bike you want/need.

It’s only a bike ride. You can always go out and do it on your own.

I’m presuming the OP was asking a genuine question [or was it an in-joke I don’t know about?] so all the p!ss-taking is a bit of a shame!

OP, a £500 hardtail will be fine for trail centres, but in my experience a good quality full-bouncer might make it more fun.* If that’s the bike you want, go for it, sir 🙂

*Let the abuse begin 😉

Yep – you’ll be reet round the trail centre on that.

100% fun rides for the rest of time would be fine with me

Actually yes you have a point. Ironman training felt a lot like work rather than play!

In 30 years of cycling, I have never, ever not enjoyed riding my bike 🙂

Road sti “shouldn’t” work with a mtb front mech – cable pull is different.

Aaargh.

Then comes my fit again.

[Macbeth]

rsmythe – did you have mtb or road cranks on your setup that worked?

You, sir, are a trooper. Thanks very much!

Good to know. Thanks. Was your kit 8spd?

Wow.. this thread dropped like a stone. Bump 🙂

You’ve got New Toy Fever. Don’t be a marketing man’s wet dream. You’ve got your bike how you like it. Don’t feel all dissatisfied with it just because something new has come along.

Google commodity fetishism. Then go out and ride somewhere gnarly, and just enjoy.

YoKaiser, I can’t find that Raleigh on the Halfords site.
I’d have bought it otherwise!

Me too!

I have a 650b Five. I like riding it. Before that I had a 26er hardtail. I liked riding that too.

It’s your money mate, but the price-to-benefit ratio of your proposed upgrade would not justify it to me.

, I can’t see why you’d need a triple unless hills are very, very steep where you are.

Yep – Calderdale is hilly but you don’t need a triple. I have had one in the past but it just made me lazy. When I went back to a compact my fitness improved massively.

Go into Blazing Saddles in Hebden Bridge. They have some gorgeous Charge steel things in there. They do C2W scheme, they do free 1st service, and if you’re nice to John and Alan, you might be able to negotiate a freebie or two.

I don’t think it’s news that all cyclists, in whatever discipline, have their saddles at the most efficient height for pedalling.

That is, apart from MTBers when they’re pointing downhill. This is why dropper posts are such a good idea, in my opinion.

Edit – beaten to it 🙂

You could always try instead to return the On One Fatty you also bought last week.

If he has a good job and no outgoings, and a bike to sell, he should be able to save up quite quickly. If you want to be a good uncle, try to discourage him from getting into debt at a young age just to pay for shiny consumer items. Debt limits your freedom and when you’re 20, freedom is priceless.

As you can tell, I made these mistakes when I was young, and ended up having to stay in boring jobs rather than travelling or going to uni, just because I had consumer debt. I did it all eventually but I did it the hard way.

For a 50th birthday present I’d go for a custom built steel frame. I know there no logical reason for owning one but I reckon it’ll then be a bike you’ll always want to keep and ride even if other bikes come and go.

this

Reporting him may inflame the situation further (remember he does know your address)

Yes. That’s the bulldog spirit. Stay silent or the nasty man might do it again. You should give up cycling, in case you see him on the road again. Best if you move house, too, because he might live local.

Sorry to hear this. You did absolutely the right thing.

If you’ve got the reg report him. The police can’t do much but they will definitely pay him a visit and “advise” him, then ring you or come round to tell you how it went.

Matt G is right. Unhappy man and rubbish life. I do feel sorry for his kids. Very sorry for them.

Yes I’ve done it, ie separated the axle from the body to try to get to the bearings. I couldn’t get the bearing races off the axles though (perhaps they’re not meant to come off?) but I packed the cavity with grease and reassembled and the bearings have been fine ever since.

You might be able to do less of a bodge job than me though 🙂

Good luck on the bike dude. I have a feeling you’ll grow to love it 🙂

So if the bike is too big for you, and you’re not going to ride it, why have you now decided to keep it?

edit – sorry I didn’t read your post properly. You said you’re going to go out on it. If it’s too big and you’re feeling stretched out, a shorter stem will help.

I know this has been done to death on another thread but road cycling can be great, exciting and an adventure if your bike is set up right (saddle height?) and you find the right places to ride.

You only went out for one ride before you decided to sell. And if that saddle height is right for you then the bike is too big anyway. Maybe take some time to get your position right and give it another chance?

Collection only from Devon? £100 more than what similar bikes go for?

Good luck mate.

They’re lovely mate,but put them in your ad, not on here!

Take a picture with a phone dude. See my post above re price. Look on ebay completed listings. A “mint” one went for £380, another one went for £420, another for £480. Those listed as a £500 buy-it-now did not sell.

Your ad doesn’t sound like an ad. You say “I’m thinking of selling” and then don’t specify a price or link to a photo.

Look at completed listings on ebay. Your exact bike (2013 model) goes for between £400 and £450. Yours is a common size – there are lots of options for budget road bikes in that size so you have a lot of competition. a 61cm bike went for £500 but yours probably won’t.

If you want to sell quickly, stick it on Ebay, be very honest about condition, list it as an auction with 1p start, and it WILL sell, for between £400 and £500.

Show us the ad dude

I’ve had no problems selling bikes on ebay. Set it as an auction, no reserve, and you *will* get a decent market price for your bike. Unless you live somewhere remote and specify collect only…

Otherwise, Pinkbike, and classifieds on here and on Bikeradar.

If you’re already doing the above and getting no takers, you’ve probably overpriced it.

There’s a saying in hifi hobbyist circles, where some people spend thousands on new components for a minimal performance gain: “the best upgrade you can make to your system is some new music”.

Translated to bikes, I guess this could mean “spend your money on whatever will help you enjoy your cycling the most”. Given that you already have a trail HT, will having another one, off the peg and made of titanium, really make that much difference? Could you consider a custom steel frame, or a road bike, or a fat bike, or a FS, or a foreign cycling holiday?

Good luck in Afghanistan and you and your mates come back safe.

Makes no mention in the ad of breathability. You’ll sweat.

For the same money you could get something breathable.[/url]