Cycling UK Forum

For me it would be the 4 Seasons for the winter. Always impressed by how much better the soft rubber gripped in the colder conditions. Also, when I replaced some old 25mm 4 Seasons with new 28mm ones it only added about 1mm to the true width anyway. Maybe because I was fitting them to Mavic Open Pros? Worth checking what the real difference is on your rims.

well this ought to be short thread then.

A genuine laugh out loud moment. Had to explain myself to Mrs Bomber.

I maybe misremembering my school physics lessons, but it should burn brightly if you get caught out on a dark night.

Freeflow - great link and a recommended read for all. Note that it does still recommend lights...

That RD is designed to cope with a largest sprocket of 30T:

https://productinfo.shimano.com/#/spec/ROAD/Rear%20Derailleur

In the same area you can see that its 'capacity' also copes with an 11-30 cassette when coupled with the chainset you have (16T difference between large and small rings).

It is highly likely that your derailleur will cope with an 11-32 cassette (with a longer chain) as the specs tend to be conservative, but there's no guarantee. If it doesn't then you may need to go back and get the gs model derailleur too. Would you then wish you'd bought the 11-34 cassette? That would be a risk of the 'suck it and see approach'.

I’ve ended up with Axa for similar reasons as the OP - they made no distinction between items in the house and those in the garage. You’d need to double check that a shed is similarly covered - though I believe it is.

They’re called’STIs’.

The growth in popularity of 1x systems means the latest generations of STI type levers often are sold singularly now but I guess this hasn’t affected pure road systems such as Ultegra yet. Which model Ultegra or how many speeds at the back do you have? NOS items do come up for sale as do nearly new single levers where the other one has crash damage. This forum is great at help with compatibility issues if you try and use a lever that isn’t exactly the same as the bike had originally.

Also which German site? Many people here (me included) have used them for years and never worried about guarantee issues.

I guess these aren’t the replies you wanted to hear. On the flip side it does mean that you have STI levers that will work well with Avid BB7 (road) cable discs. BB7s have many fans but they only work well with the older STI levers. They would also save you from the setup issues of hydraulics if you’ve been finding that difficult. If you don’t fancy cable discs and end up replacing the STIs then there is probably a ready second hand market for your old levers from those who have BB7 or other older design callipers.

Regarding the routes chosen by Garmin maps, my understanding is that they are supposed to be influenced by the routes uploaded by other cyclists to their Garmin Connect accounts. This should mean that it chooses the routes best suited for cycling. I see this as a 21st Century equivalent of the old Bicycle magazine book 'Cyclist's Britain' which highlighted the roads that local cyclists used:

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This book differed from many other tour guides as it wasn't just saying 'this is the route I followed when I went on holiday and you should do the same', but was compiled from the suggestions of locals who knew all the alternatives.

I've recently replaced my Garmin 800 with an Edge Explore and so far I'm really pleased with it. Bit early to give much advice but for me the only negative so far is that it doesn't have any data card slot, so I can't bring my old 1:50k mapping across from the old unit. If Garmin routeing really is able to pick the most cycle friendly roads I see that as a game changing feature when used in an area you're not familiar with.

[Sorry the photos aren't inline - my first attempt at including them in a post.]

This is carbon expert Raoul Luescher's cautionary video about carbon steerer compression plugs, some of which are seriously inadequate

In case anybody’s not in the mood for the whole video, jump forward to around 7mins for the demonstration. Interesting. Thanks Kyle.

Is the riser a very loose fit when initially placed over the steerer? Stem risers are typically designed for inch and an eighth steerers whereas the one on a child’s bike may well be just an inch. If the riser didn’t come with the necessary shim then the bike shop should be able to supply one easily.

What claims were made about the abilities of the meter when you bought it - as without the calibration table many are likely to be false, giving you grounds to return it? Obviously the table is not required for getting even tension.

I was recently given the Park one (with its calibration table) but unless I’ve been building wheels with far too much tension for years it’s not accurate anyway. I’m tempted to build one of these as a lockdown project:

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=136484&p=1464360&hilit=Spoke+tension#p1464360

But I can understand that might be a step too far for a first wheel build.

Glad we were on the right lines. The twist grips I have used in the past have been for triple chainsets. I was never a fan but that was more about the rear shifting where the cheap models I used would quickly develop a lot of play. Never had a problem with the front shifting. No idea about current availability.

Hi Tom

You might want to proof read your question as it’s not completely clear what you’re saying - but assuming you are looking for a front shifter that doesn’t hurt an arthritic thumb, have you considered a twist grip shifter?

The ‘don’t crash’ comments, while said in jest do have elements of truth in them. Think if you’d bought a race car - there are 2 good reasons for why you might be likely to crash it:
- it’s easy to get carried away and go very quickly
- it’s harder to drive and less forgiving than a family hatchback

Maybe consider joining a club and/or riding with some experienced roadies. There’s plenty to learn.

As for the wheel, assuming the spokes are the same as the rear then it should probably have the same orientation. Otherwise check with the manufacturer.

Enjoy. Sounds like you’re getting the miles in already.

However well you think your gears are set up, things happen

The other thing that happens is the disc wears notches in the spokes where it is attached. So, not just an ugly face.