Cycling UK Forum

jb wrote: ↑9 Jun 2022, 12:51pm
Apparently it claims to have "inflatable rubber tryres" - whatever next.

We live in an age of wonders.

Next time I'm on IoW I must try the Tennyson Trail. I've ridden the road route around the island but not been off-road. Maybe some stealth camping in a bivvi one summer would be a good idea.

If you do, give me a shout. Tea at the Freshwater Hotel and then back. A lovely day!
There is a folder of pictures from ten years ago, when I rode it one beautiful Saturday, here: https://cloudi.dwccloud.uk/index.php/s/dNbXeFWmP3QZF3T
The Island is great for off-road mooching - we've even got an 'Island mountain biking centre' now! https://www.isleofwightmountainbikecentre.com/ The Eastern end of the Island has a load of beautiful downs with some amazing climbs and descents. I don't go over that way as much now, because we've moved to East Cowes and the South, which is even more beautiful, is an easy ride, but I used to pootle around the bridlepaths between Brading, Shanklin and Ventnor a lot. Pics here: https://cloudi.dwccloud.uk/index.php/s/sk6DoXYdqqS6Hga and here: https://cloudi.dwccloud.uk/index.php/s/Z5XSKwozt43ZzXR

Thank you, Cycle Tramp, reohn2 and LInusR. I'll take your advice. The last time I had an internal bottom bracket was on the first bike I rode as an adult - a Mongoose Rockadile, which was great value at £200! The memory of it failing is stronger than the memory of it working effectively, so has created an aversion.
LinusR, my Bizango was the year before yours, with a triple, but was a beauty of a bike. It was my first 29er - I've got an old Stumpjumper full suspension, and a hybrid, but the Isle of Wight roads had become too nasty a few years back for road wheels in the dark (they've got better since) and a 26" wheel made my commute, trailing a load of folders and laptops on a single-wheel trailer, really hard work. I didn't expect too much from a Halfords bike, but I loved that Bizango. It pulled the trailer easily, even when it was overloaded and, without the trailer, it was a proper mountain bike. I did the Tennyson Trail on it one Saturday last summer and, although it wasn't quite as comfortable as the Stumpjumper, I really enjoyed the day's riding.
I forgot to bring it in one night, we were away for the weekend, and it had gone by the time we got back. This is a very safe place to live, with very low crime, but there is an opportunist thief somewhere in the Cowes/East Cowes area. He's had quite a few bikes over the years and the Island police, even given their 'see no evil' attitude to crime generally, are remarkably blasé about bike theft. Vexing. I'm insuring this one.

I am buying a Voodoo Bizango from Halfords, to replace one that was stolen a few months ago.

The new model has a SRam 'Powerspline' internal bottom bracket https://www.sram.com/en/truvativ/models/bb-ps-a1. I suppose this is how they save money for the better gears and brakes, but I have been spoilt by external BBs, and want to change that as soon as I can afford. I just want to be clear that it is possible and won't make the purchase of a £650 bike, instead of a £1000 bike unreasonable.

I've looked up bottom bracket specifications https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/the-complete-guide-to-bottom-bracket-standards/ and am bewildered. I can't find any detailed specs sheets for the Bizango and the Halfords near me is on lowered staffing, with a car enthusiast doing the bike sales - he's a nice lad, but he knew less than me about bikes when I phoned, and said that their bike mechanic wouldn't be in until later this week.

So, I'd really appreciate any guidance on these three questions: 1) can all bikes be refitted with external bottom brackets, and 2) would anyone know what size and type of external BB I'd need? 3) Would I need to change the cranks and so on? The fitted internal BB is 73mm by 118mm. I'm guessing, from my reading, that the 73mm is the length of the tube through which the axle set up goes, from side-to-side of the bike. The 118mm: could that be the length of the rotating bit of the internal BB? It sounds about right, going by the picture on the Sram site: the extra length would be 45mm greater than the tube bit.

As you can probably guess, I'm not very good at the technical stuff.

Thanks in advance.

I joined a year ago, because cycling had become an important part of my life over the previous two or three years. I care about the politics of transport and value the sense of fellow feeling between cyclists that I experience as a commuter and a mountain biker.
As I want to vote responsibly, I've spent an hour trying to understand this issue before I cast my vote and have come to the conclusion that there is no issue, just some rather overheated and short-sighted people obscuring the situation. What the board says and what the save the CTC group say aren't differences of opinion; one side must be either mistaken on several specifics or lying.
I'm inclined to believe the board, simply because their language is more moderate and their arguments more calmly expressed. As far as I can see, my interests as a citizen of this country as well as as a member of the CTC will be better served by a strong, well funded coherent and moderate voice arguing for the expansion of cycling as a transport option and as a leisure activity. However, my faith in the CTC as a friendly and decent group of people has been rather dented by the 'debate'.