The "what bike bits have you just bought" thread Vol 2

[ukbabz]

Have finally got around to a bike carrier replacement as my old Thule bacpack didn't go on the fiesta. So got a new thule roof rack (aero wing bars) with 2x proride's

Also got a bike fit booked for Friday as my TCR seems to be turning in to a tortue machine

[louiebaby]

yellowjack said:

I found my local Decathlon last night...

Their chain tool is a brilliant design:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/chain-whip-cassette-re...

I don't use it a lot, but everytime I remember how much better than a whip it is.

[yellowjack]

louiebaby said:

Their chain tool is a brilliant design:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/chain-whip-cassette-re...

I don't use it a lot, but everytime I remember how much better than a whip it is.

Yup. I got one of those a while ago. It's so much easier, and faster, than doofering around with a traditional chain whip. Good for me, as I have bikes in the garage from single speed to 11-speed and one chain(whip) does not fit all!

And it has saved the skin on my knuckles more than a few times, so it's worth it's price just for that reason alone.


I've moved from Farnborough to Bournemouth recently, and last night was my first visit to Decathlon in Poole. Quite a small store, but well stocked and with a decent range too. Still no 11-speed chains and cassettes, but tyres and tools had a good range. I was meant to be buying Conti GP5000 tyres, but I was stood in front of the GP4000SIIs in the right size, and thought "why not?" as going into the RideLondon with new tyres seems like a good idea, instead of risking it with older tyres worn thin. They are the "hand made in germany" Black Chilli compound version too, so it's a simple like-for-like swap for the old ones. As such I'm not expecting any nasty handling/grip surprises like there might be with a change of brand. Plus it's been a while and I've lost the link someone put on a thread to cheap GP5000s. No doubt the 4000s will slip out of production/stock eventually anyway, and they are plenty good enough for me at the moment.

I've found a bunch of bike shops since I moved down, and although none of them had me recoiling in horror or fleeing for the hills, I haven't found one which has that 'comfortable' feeling yet, one that I feel I would definitely be able to trust with my bikes. Given time I'm sure I'll get a better feel for which one is right for me, but sadly (for many a LBS) the Decathlon tools seem very well thought out and decent quality for less money than branded tools at the smaller indies...

[Master Bean]

^ Bit late

https://www.mantel.com/uk/continental-grand-prix-5...

[yellowjack]

Master Bean said:

^ Bit late

https://www.mantel.com/uk/continental-grand-prix-5...

That's the badger!

It was probably you that posted that link the first time too. N'er mind. I've been busy moving house and decorating, etc, so couldn't easily find the link, and the PH search facility is positively useless at finding key words in thread titles, let alone links in posted text. The 4000s are on the kitchen table now, but maybe next time I'll make more effort and get myself some fancy new 5000s...

...and that link might well come in useful for someone else looking for new tyres.

[louiebaby]

yellowjack said:

...and that link might well come in useful for someone else looking for new tyres.

I've book marked it, thanks!

[addey]

Sportspursuit are doing the gp5000 for £34.99 too. Postage is £5 but you can usually find some other bargains on the site to make it worth ordering!

[louiebaby]

I was given an Enve bottle cage for helping at a friends wedding a couple of months ago. Since I should be picking up a new bit of loveliness on Monday, I've just ordered another one to go with it. I obviously need a matching pair, right?



This could probably also go in the Frivolous thread too, because it's a lot of money for a bottle cage, but never mind.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

yellowjack said:

I've moved from Farnborough to Bournemouth recently,

I moved from Farnborough to Bournemouth 32 years ago....

I can recommend Cyclefix in Parkstone (a bike mechanic/repair) shop which imho is better than any of the local bike shops for maintenance.

There is some great cycling round here once you get out of town - The Purbecks have some nice climbs if you don’t mind the ferry faff and the New Forest is nice of you want something flatter.

I’m on Strava as SlowlySlowly I’ll send you a follow request

[yellowjack]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

I moved from Farnborough to Bournemouth 32 years ago....

I can recommend Cyclefix in Parkstone (a bike mechanic/repair) shop which imho is better than any of the local bike shops for maintenance.

There is some great cycling round here once you get out of town - The Purbecks have some nice climbs if you don’t mind the ferry faff and the New Forest is nice of you want something flatter.

I’m on Strava as SlowlySlowly I’ll send you a follow request

Aha! So that's where that follow came from then. I was wondering who would have picked me up on their Strava radar when I've been silent on there for a month or more. And I've lost the ANT+ "dongle" thing that is needed to upload data from my Forerunner watch too. Not in my laptop, not with my laptop, and not found in any of the boxes we've opened since we moved. And it's tiny, so could well disappear without trace if I'm not careful. I've bounced a follow request right back to you. I've found the Purbecks, and parts of the New Forest. Before we moved my wife was working down here in her new job so I joined her in a hotel week days and filled my time with exploring the area by bike. There's not too much faff with the ferry, or at least there wasn't earlier in the year, around April/May time. And £1 to cross doesn't seem too bad considering the alternative to ride round the long way (which I've done a couple of times too). Always good to see what other riders get up to in the area, and where I haven't yet found good routes. The only issue since actually moving here is that my bikes are in my brother-in-law's garage while I try to decorate and sort out space to move them into my new house. Downsizing isn't all it's cracked up to be! As I said, it's now more than a month since I managed to get a bike ride in...

[Johnny]

louiebaby said:

I was given an Enve bottle cage for helping at a friends wedding a couple of months ago. Since I should be picking up a new bit of loveliness on Monday, I've just ordered another one to go with it. I obviously need a matching pair, right?



This could probably also go in the Frivolous thread too, because it's a lot of money for a bottle cage, but never mind.

You tart

Also ordered a pair, to go with the new (Enve/King) wheels

The Boardman cage has worn and won't stay on the top mount.

Seemed rude not to go with the Enve pair!

[louiebaby]

Johnny said:

You tart

Also ordered a pair, to go with the new (Enve/King) wheels

Sounds like me!



I'm concerned about the bottom bracket durability on the incoming bike. I may need to consult this thread for suggestions if / when the time comes.

I also might need to change the incoming Conti GP tyres for GP 5000 tyres, but I'll see how they hold up for punctures first.

This will be my first properly quick bike (which I hope to one day be able to do justice to,) but it still needs to be reliable and robust. I need to find tyres that offer better feedback than Gatorskins but with reasonable resilience to punctures.

[yellowjack]

Better feedback than Gatorskins you say?


https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/232768388507




fwiw I'm almost serious. Gatorskins (imho) are complete garbage. In my experience they aren't even that much better (if at all) at defending against punctures. I used to use Schwalbe Ultremo tyres, but they were "race" tyres and somewhat less than robust at dealing with sharp objects. Now I flit between Continental GP 4Seasons and Grand Prix 4000SII tyres on my road bike. I did swap them in winter, but winter is such a loose term really, and so I'm more likely to stick with the 4000s all year these days, unless I wear a set out during bad weather when I'll probably buy the 4Seasons and use them all year until they wear out.

I tried Gatorskins on my old steel road bike which was relegated to winter duties after I bought something more modern. After no end of slipping and sliding on them (and a few offs) I switched to 4Seasons. The other tyres I just couldn't get on with were the Vittoria Zaffiros which came on my first modern road bike. Handling with them was unpredictable at best in the wet, or even the mildly damp, so they got stuck in the garage as "dire emergency" backup tyres for years. I'd try the Schwalbe One tyre if I couldn't get Conti GP 4000 or similar, because people I know have said good things about them, but beyond that I'd be reluctant to step into the unknown and (potentially) make an expensive mistake.

[E65Ross]

yellowjack said:

Better feedback than Gatorskins you say?


https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/232768388507




fwiw I'm almost serious. Gatorskins (imho) are complete garbage. In my experience they aren't even that much better (if at all) at defending against punctures. I used to use Schwalbe Ultremo tyres, but they were "race" tyres and somewhat less than robust at dealing with sharp objects. Now I flit between Continental GP 4Seasons and Grand Prix 4000SII tyres on my road bike. I did swap them in winter, but winter is such a loose term really, and so I'm more likely to stick with the 4000s all year these days, unless I wear a set out during bad weather when I'll probably buy the 4Seasons and use them all year until they wear out.

I tried Gatorskins on my old steel road bike which was relegated to winter duties after I bought something more modern. After no end of slipping and sliding on them (and a few offs) I switched to 4Seasons. The other tyres I just couldn't get on with were the Vittoria Zaffiros which came on my first modern road bike. Handling with them was unpredictable at best in the wet, or even the mildly damp, so they got stuck in the garage as "dire emergency" backup tyres for years. I'd try the Schwalbe One tyre if I couldn't get Conti GP 4000 or similar, because people I know have said good things about them, but beyond that I'd be reluctant to step into the unknown and (potentially) make an expensive mistake.

I don't rate gatorskins. I was using Michelin Power Competitions for a couple of years and liked them, now using GP5000s and they are good.

[loudlashadjuster]

FWIW Schwalbe Duranos have been excellent for me in terms of puncture protection, even in the flinty, thorny Buckinghamshire lanes. Subjectively, folk on Gatorskins always seemed to have more punctures than me.

Of course now I've spent time looking at that rolling resistance website, I'm now massively conscious of the 18-or-so Watts I'm giving up by using them compared to GP5000s or whatever and, as I no longer need bulletproof tyres (roads here are like racetracks compared to the UK), I reckon a set of them could be coming up.

[E65Ross]

loudlashadjuster said:

FWIW Schwalbe Duranos have been excellent for me in terms of puncture protection, even in the flinty, thorny Buckinghamshire lanes. Subjectively, folk on Gatorskins always seemed to have more punctures than me.

Of course now I've spent time looking at that rolling resistance website, I'm now massively conscious of the 18-or-so Watts I'm giving up by using them compared to GP5000s or whatever and, as I no longer need bulletproof tyres (roads here are like racetracks compared to the UK), I reckon a set of them could be coming up.

I have the most puncture resistance tyres on my winter hack, I can't remember the name but they're the highest star rating on the Schwalbe website for puncture protection. They weigh as much as the moon and they're slow as you like, but they don't seem to puncture. But I wouldn't use them on my summer bike, I like the speed of faster tyres

[louiebaby]

I hadn't intended to kick off a Gatorskin bashing session, but am reading the options and opinions with interest.

Thank you all.

[Johnny]

Well, i'm going GP5000 TL on the new wheels...

[maccas99]

Had a a bit of a spending spree at Wiggle and got myself a few bits:

Shimano Deore XT M8020 SPD's - first set of new pedals in 15 years so much deserved and felt I needed a slightly larger platform to pedal on...
Park Tool Cyclone Chain Scrubber - Fed up with using a tooth brush and white spirit!
Park Tool Citrus Chain Cleaner - As above
Finish Line Dry Lube - Only got the wet lube so thought I'd give this a go
Muc-Off 5 cleaning brush set - much needed to replace tooth brushes!
Shimano cassette tool - Cassette is a bit loose so thought I'd get one of these
Altura Attack Three 60 shorts - always need another pair of shorts

Interested in peoples opinions of the above, probably worth noting I have a 2018 Norco Sight A9 which is great by the way.

[Zooks]

Bought this for my Axis TT light rigid build