Cycling UK Forum

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-7005-winter-bike-of-the-week/

This would be my suggestion

To update the thread, thought you might like a photo of the finished bike. Taken on a trip back from the pub

I have a Qumox which is a GoPro lookalike but a lot cheaper. My experience is pretty good - picture quality is as good as GoPro except perhaps when you have lower light (but not that much difference). Mine is about a 2 years old now so I'll leave you to seek out a suitable model

Hi,

I've got the VSF T-600 for commuting. I considered the Randonneur but fancied trying flat bars and IGH. The VSF bikes are really well equipped - I'd really recommend hub dynamo for commuting and the T-600 is very nice to ride. If I were buying again I think I'd go for the Randonneur based on my preference for drop bars. I'm not convinced that disc brakes are that necessary for commuting - I've got about 7000km on the rims now with very little sign of wear despite riding in all weathers but I've got an almost flat commute. I bought my bike from Bike-Park Dissen online over Fleabay at a very good price. (I also live in sausage land)

PH wrote:Your Campag levers should be fine with canti brakes, not as good as they would be with specific canti levers but plenty good enough for a lot of Cyclecross and touring riders. I think the the adapter above is for V brakes.

Thanks, had a look at the link and you're correct. I'll just give them a try as they are

Valbrona wrote:Drop bar levers tend not to pull enough cable. But you could give them a try.

Try travel agents: http://problemsolversbike.com/products/travel_agents/

If we are talking an early MTB, there may be so much reach that drop bars are simply unusable.

Thanks for the link. It's not an early MTB. It's more like a touring/ trekking frame with 700C wheels. Gearing is more road than mountain.

Hi everyone, I've just started to do up a bike I got second hand for €50. It's a Peugeot Ferrara and I would guess that it dates from around the mid nineties. It came with a broken stem, butterfly bars and, a broken XT shifter so, as it's an 8-speed setup, I'm hoping I can shift the LX rear gear with 10-speed Campy Chorus Ultrashifts which I happen to have in my parts bin. I've got suitable drop bars and stem so all I should need is an adapter to go from 1" to A-head once I've removed the completely jammed seatpost.

Before I start setting it all up I wasn't sure how the Chorus levers would work with the fitted LX cantilever brakes; will they have the correct cable pull or do I need some other adapter?
Does anyone have any info on the Peugeot Ferrara? I'm pretty sure that the bars fitted were not original.
Is my plan feasible?

I'm planning to use it as a gravel bike as it's already fitted with suitable 37mm tyres and should be about perfect for the trails around where I live. Apart from the broken bits and the seatpost I think it's a bit of a bargain.

I'd say around 20 - 30% for me at a guess. I certainly use them quite a lot and find my "racer" more comfortable than my flat-bar commuter.

What I found the most interesting was that the "self fit" amateurs had almost exactly the same weight distribution as the pros.

Sorry, didn't make it clear in my previous post. I've lived in Germany for 14 years & never heard of anyone having a problem here; lots of people ride without pedal reflectors & I wouldn't foresee any problems. The Germans aren't quite as law-abiding as people think

Officially pedals should be equipped with yellow reflectors according to StVZO §67.
Practically I have yet to hear of anyone being picked up here for riding without them. Judging by the number of ninja children who drive past in the dark without lights (on the pavement as well as the road) as my wife is pulling off the drive in the morning the lighting rules are pretty much ignored as well
FWIW my commuting bike has the full compliment of lights, reflectors etc., my racer & mountain bike don't

Yeah, I bought in Germany via ebay from a bike shop (bikepark dissen) which occasionally has offers. There were a few offers on the Randonneur at the time as the model was changing from Sram Apex. Offer price last year was €1000, down from the normal €1399. The exchange rate doesn't really help you at the moment. It's pretty easy to find the bikes here but hard to find any retailing for less than full RRP.
Meic, they're built like a Panzer

I've got the T-600. Good spec, reasonable price (ex-disply model) & fits me nicely. I got it last December so only have around 400 commuting miles on it but I'm very happy with it. It's a touch heavy but guards, stand, rack, dynohub & lighting all add to the weight. Didn't like my colleagues description of "schwarzes Altherrenrad" but I suppose I'm not getting any younger. I looked at the randonneur & I reckon for general day rides & touring it would be a great bike

I'm planning to see the finish of the 20th stage of the tour at Semnoz but have no idea when the roads will be closed/ how I can best access the summit. Does anyone know what usually happens on mountain stages? Sadly I won't have my bike with me so cycling up is not an option.

What I have now is Campag Chorus Triple 30/42/53 and a Campag Centaur 10sp cassette 13-29.

I have exactly the same ratios and even as a fat bloke in my mid forties I can get up most hills with a couple of cogs to spare. Like MickF I use all ratios: generally the 53 for downhill,tailwind or when I'm feeling fit, the 42 for flat riding and small hills and the 30 for the big hills in the Black Forest.