The "Show off your bike" thread! (Vol 2)
Discussion
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As a long time no post type of guy and wasn't sure where to post this. There are so many lovely machines on here and like most enjoy seeing all the different models and specs posted. This bike almost covers show us your ride and retro bikes.....anyway I generally peddle a Whyte Shoreditch multiple times a week and it's a great workhorse. Having picked my 10 year old up a 5 year old Kona Firemountain mountain bike for us to ride together thought I'd get something similarish to ride having ventured out on some muddy trails on my thin tyred hybrid and generally wishing I didn't.
I did have a Cube Aim until I was 'relieved' of ownership 12 months ago. I mentioned to a friend I was looking for something second hand for about 3 or 400 quid he reminded me he had built a really nice hardtail bike over 10 years ago which had been parked up for 5 years as he is now a Ultra marathon runner so riding doesn't fit in his ridiculous running schedule.
So this Ragley framed special is now in my hands and a good clean, service and new chain later I can report its very nice indeed. The 26 inch wheels and frame design dates it a bit but there are some really high quality components on it and it rides very well indeed. Sort of in between retro and the latest stuff but a teenage lad complimented me on it when out for a ride today so it might still cut the mustard..
I did have a Cube Aim until I was 'relieved' of ownership 12 months ago. I mentioned to a friend I was looking for something second hand for about 3 or 400 quid he reminded me he had built a really nice hardtail bike over 10 years ago which had been parked up for 5 years as he is now a Ultra marathon runner so riding doesn't fit in his ridiculous running schedule.
So this Ragley framed special is now in my hands and a good clean, service and new chain later I can report its very nice indeed. The 26 inch wheels and frame design dates it a bit but there are some really high quality components on it and it rides very well indeed. Sort of in between retro and the latest stuff but a teenage lad complimented me on it when out for a ride today so it might still cut the mustard..
Edited by RUSSB1972 on Monday 23 October 14:24
chrisga said:
Will probably be lambasted for "cheating" etc but for me (somewhat overweight and unfit) it's a game changer. Just can't wait to get out on it again, hopefully tomorrow.
Screw the neighsayers, I've got the previous gen 160 variant, and other than the pointy seat stays and terrible fox damping its a great bike out of the box, enjoy 
My 2019 Wilier Zero6 has done a lot of km’s and has had to share my time with two other road bikes since, Trek Madone SLR and Pinarello Dogma F but still it remains my favourite base mileage machine.
I have just recently given it a refresh: new Extralite chainrings, Sram Red chain, cassette, Hope jockey wheels, new batteries for the derailleurs and Hunt 36 UD Ceramic wheels.
Ready to be my Winter bike and at 6.1kg it’s lightweight even when I add mudguards.
I have just recently given it a refresh: new Extralite chainrings, Sram Red chain, cassette, Hope jockey wheels, new batteries for the derailleurs and Hunt 36 UD Ceramic wheels.
Ready to be my Winter bike and at 6.1kg it’s lightweight even when I add mudguards.
Funnily enough I just bought a Wiier for my winter bike. Had been trawling through disc options but prices are so inflated with nobody willing to budge I ended up going for this instead, purely as a change of scenery for the cold season. Only paid £450 and it appears to have barely been ridden.
Done around 90 miles on it, the sizing comes up small compared to other bikes and it is sluggish on the flats which I suspect is down to the wheel and trye combo, but for a winter hack it's fine.
Done around 90 miles on it, the sizing comes up small compared to other bikes and it is sluggish on the flats which I suspect is down to the wheel and trye combo, but for a winter hack it's fine.
Random_Person said:
Funnily enough I just bought a Wiier for my winter bike. Had been trawling through disc options but prices are so inflated with nobody willing to budge I ended up going for this instead, purely as a change of scenery for the cold season. Only paid £450 and it appears to have barely been ridden.
Done around 90 miles on it, the sizing comes up small compared to other bikes and it is sluggish on the flats which I suspect is down to the wheel and trye combo, but for a winter hack it's fine.
Nice! Done around 90 miles on it, the sizing comes up small compared to other bikes and it is sluggish on the flats which I suspect is down to the wheel and trye combo, but for a winter hack it's fine.
Wheel and tyre combo, maybe a part of it being sluggish. They are heavy wheels so that’s likely the main reason. Lovely endurance bike.
Mine accelerates very, very quickly and is very agile too. Of course, that’s mainly due to its light weight.
I got mine new in 2019 at a 60% discount from Chain Reaction. Bargain. Done over 35000km and is the most comfortable road bike I’ve ever ridden.
Edited by YorkshireStu on Sunday 7th January 09:47
After an age of cogitation and prevaricating as well as stock being all over the place, I finally got around to replacing my faithful 8yo Norco Search with a Giant Revolt…
It’s a 2023 Advanced 0 so 2x11 GRX, carbon rims and plum paintwork
Quick spin this morning shows it to be nimble in the corners whilst stable on the straights - hands-off riding felt as easy and natural as on the Norco. However lighter wheelset and lower gearing (46/31 v 50/34) makes it much quicker to get to speed.
Overall, impressed, and whilst £2375 equivalent is not small change, I think it’s pretty good vfm.
It’s a 2023 Advanced 0 so 2x11 GRX, carbon rims and plum paintwork
Quick spin this morning shows it to be nimble in the corners whilst stable on the straights - hands-off riding felt as easy and natural as on the Norco. However lighter wheelset and lower gearing (46/31 v 50/34) makes it much quicker to get to speed.
Overall, impressed, and whilst £2375 equivalent is not small change, I think it’s pretty good vfm.
PomBstard said:
After an age of cogitation and prevaricating as well as stock being all over the place, I finally got around to replacing my faithful 8yo Norco Search with a Giant Revolt…
It’s a 2023 Advanced 0 so 2x11 GRX, carbon rims and plum paintwork
Quick spin this morning shows it to be nimble in the corners whilst stable on the straights - hands-off riding felt as easy and natural as on the Norco. However lighter wheelset and lower gearing (46/31 v 50/34) makes it much quicker to get to speed.
Overall, impressed, and whilst £2375 equivalent is not small change, I think it’s pretty good vfm.
I'm sure that's pretty much the exact bike that I was shown in my most local shop at the weekend (UK v. Aus spec may differ slightly?) The price I was given was closer to £3k, but still a hefty reduction from it's original "list price". There was an awful lot to like about it, but it still felt "too rich" for me. So I crossed the showroom floor and had a good look at a c.£1500 aluminium Revolt which was also running 2x GRX but with alloy rims. The Advanced 0 was light, but surprisingly the aluminium framed variant didn't feel that much heavier. I've recently received a couple of cheques for 'interim payments' in respect of separately handled claims for bike loss and personal injury after nearly 6 months of waiting. So I can definitely afford something like the Advanced 0, but I'm not sure I want to spend that much on one new bike. My thinking is I'd like a nice "gravel" bike, plus money left over to have the suspension and bearings refreshed on my Giant Anthem, and a few nice items of new riding gear. The real trouble is that I'm almost "paralized by options", making the final choice ever so difficult. "Gravel" bikes, in the UK at least, seem to encompass full-on carbon fibre race machines to old school steel frames laden with bike packing racks, and pretty much every variation between. And I'm not sure myself whether I want to prioritise speed, comfort, practicality, or some mix of all that. Time to make a few trips to bike shops on the south coast, probably...It’s a 2023 Advanced 0 so 2x11 GRX, carbon rims and plum paintwork
Quick spin this morning shows it to be nimble in the corners whilst stable on the straights - hands-off riding felt as easy and natural as on the Norco. However lighter wheelset and lower gearing (46/31 v 50/34) makes it much quicker to get to speed.
Overall, impressed, and whilst £2375 equivalent is not small change, I think it’s pretty good vfm.
This is my "e-bay special" Cannondale Backroads. A CAAD2 generation frankenbike that is as close to a gravel bike as I currently have. The damaged bike is a Trek Emonda, but since I was never particularly quick on a road bike, and because I prefer the flexibility of being able to ride off up byways, bridleways, and the odd woodland track, a "pure road bike" like the Emonda is probably the one type of bike I can do without. The 'Dale currently has a HeadShok, Vee brakes, a 3x Shimano 105 9-speed gearset, a modern Sora replacement crankset, and runs on some Bontrager 700x38C tyres. It's also a hefty old lump of a bike, not particularly forgiving in terms of geometry, and restrictive in many respects when you want to "throw it around" a bit. I'd ideally like to get this bike looking more like it did when I bought it (dial back the rims, and get a silver-coloured "period" crankset back on it) for local pootling about, then start again with something a whole lot more up-to-date for my more serious riding.
Edited by yellowjack on Tuesday 9th January 11:57
Needless to say as a Lycra clad club rider I do ride proper carbon and titanium bikes but here’s some of the retro steely contents of my bike shed for a bit of balance. Posted on other threads so apologies if you’ve seen them before…
Pashley Guv’nor, obviously totally incompatible with and Lycra or Garmin mounts, but good fun, extremely comfortable, surprisingly quick on the flat, and the massive wheels and comically slack geometry make it feel about as long as a tandem…
…talking of which, my/our Orbit 531C tandem, bought locally for £150 off Facebook. Spent about the same again on new chains, saddles, tape, tyres/tubes, brake blocks and mudguards, but great fun to ride with my wife and we’re aiming to do some shorter tours on it this summer. Slow uphill, properly scary quick on the flat, and massively under braked for its speed potential downhill. Both cantis in your left hand, drag brake in your right.
(Now we are a bit more competent on it the flatties have gone in favour of M520 SPDs)
Brompton M6L in black lacquer with a number of leathery bits added by me. The second Brommie I’ve had and a much better ride than my old M3L which was way over-geared. A masterpiece of British engineering, incredibly handy for commuting/shopping/weekends away etc, and rides amazing well, it’s much stiffer and much faster than it has any right to be…on the occasions I take it to London for the odd work meeting it’s so much fun racing “proper” bikes!
(IKEA Kallax unit and Lego Caterham for scale!)
Pashley Guv’nor, obviously totally incompatible with and Lycra or Garmin mounts, but good fun, extremely comfortable, surprisingly quick on the flat, and the massive wheels and comically slack geometry make it feel about as long as a tandem…
…talking of which, my/our Orbit 531C tandem, bought locally for £150 off Facebook. Spent about the same again on new chains, saddles, tape, tyres/tubes, brake blocks and mudguards, but great fun to ride with my wife and we’re aiming to do some shorter tours on it this summer. Slow uphill, properly scary quick on the flat, and massively under braked for its speed potential downhill. Both cantis in your left hand, drag brake in your right.
(Now we are a bit more competent on it the flatties have gone in favour of M520 SPDs)
Brompton M6L in black lacquer with a number of leathery bits added by me. The second Brommie I’ve had and a much better ride than my old M3L which was way over-geared. A masterpiece of British engineering, incredibly handy for commuting/shopping/weekends away etc, and rides amazing well, it’s much stiffer and much faster than it has any right to be…on the occasions I take it to London for the odd work meeting it’s so much fun racing “proper” bikes!
(IKEA Kallax unit and Lego Caterham for scale!)
Edited by Hard-Drive on Wednesday 10th January 09:31
Hard-Drive said:
…talking of which, my/our Orbit 531C tandem, bought locally for £150 off Facebook. Spent about the same again on new chains, saddles, tape, tyres/tubes, brake blocks and mudguards, but great fun to ride with my wife and we’re aiming to do some shorter tours on it this summer. Slow uphill, properly scary quick on the flat, and massively under braked for its speed potential downhill. Both cantis in your left hand, drag brake in your right.
I remember you buying this - good work.Might be an idea to reconfigure the brakes so you have cantis in conventional set up and stoker has a lever for the drag brake. A hand each for the cantis and shortening the cable to the drag brake might give you a bit more stopping power.
oddman said:
Hard-Drive said:
…talking of which, my/our Orbit 531C tandem, bought locally for £150 off Facebook. Spent about the same again on new chains, saddles, tape, tyres/tubes, brake blocks and mudguards, but great fun to ride with my wife and we’re aiming to do some shorter tours on it this summer. Slow uphill, properly scary quick on the flat, and massively under braked for its speed potential downhill. Both cantis in your left hand, drag brake in your right.
I remember you buying this - good work.Might be an idea to reconfigure the brakes so you have cantis in conventional set up and stoker has a lever for the drag brake. A hand each for the cantis and shortening the cable to the drag brake might give you a bit more stopping power.
I'm holding off for now until I become a better "captain". Although we are riding it pretty smoothly now, I do keep forgetting to make some of the calls. It's really hard after around 45 years of being able to ride a bike, suddenly having to remember that I've got to tell someone else in advance every time I want to freewheel or change gear! I think when I've got that nailed it's definitely something to think about. I'm also going to keep my eye out for some V-brakes and the special adapter thing you need to get the cable pull ratios right for road levers.
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