Cannondale 'Headshok'...
Discussion
gazza285 said:
Were you in Pistonheads kit again? Failed to see you for another year, I rode on my 'cross bike, had a pretty good run, apart from shedding a tub at the furthest point away from my spare wheels...
I was in a long sleeve PistonHeads jersey, with 3/4 length Planet X (remind me never to buy anything from them again. Ever) bibs.Were you the rider walking back along the beach with his shoes in his hand? I hope not, as that's a bloomin' long way to walk. Over three miles, maybe four.
I hung around for the live band after the Battle In The Dark. I thought they were pretty good. Crazy going out into the night through the marquee between a live band and the spectators.
I also hung around for the podium presentations after the main race, after I'd warmed up in the car with the heater cranked up, and got into a dry tracksuit. It was horrible being cold and wet after that last lap and then being unable (or unwilling, at least) to open the boot of the car because the wind was driving that rain straight into the boot opening.
So I missed any announcement about getting a raffle ticket for the Surly Krampus frame giveaway. In previous years that was a spot prize given out to the rider who most closely matched a time ridden by someone not in the race, I believe. This year it was done with raffle tickets, and the number was "chosen at random" by a young girl plucked from the audience.
A great weekend though. Made better for me because my wife ended up coming down with me, and because she's been unwell we didn't camp, but stayed at the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli instead. So instead of trying to warm up in a small damp tent, and queuing to rinse off under a temporary camp site shower, I got to have a nice long soak in a hot bath followed by a pretty good meal with a view of the sea and a comfy bed for the night.
I'm pretty sure I'll be hovering over the computer at midnight next New Year's Eve waiting for the entry website to go live again. There's just something about this race that I'd be incredibly disappointed to miss out on it...
...although I think I might take a 'proper' MTB along next time - the beach was good on this 'Dale, but I struggled with it on the single-track. Too compromised really. Not enough grip to make up for the weight, and over-geared. A smaller triple, or a compact double up front might do it, but then I'd have to change too much stuff like shifters and brakes to make it all work. And that would start to push the budget up, which I promised myself I wouldn't do. It'd also alter the character of the bike too much.
I loved it on my 'cross bike, but it's no good spinning up the climbs like you would on a mountain bike, you need to attack them from the off, and keep the momentum going, I had a 39t chainring and a 12/28 cassette and never felt overgeared. My biggest problem on the climbs was being held up by people spinning up in too low a gear...
gazza285 said:
I loved it on my 'cross bike, but it's no good spinning up the climbs like you would on a mountain bike, you need to attack them from the off, and keep the momentum going, I had a 39t chainring and a 12/28 cassette and never felt overgeared. My biggest problem on the climbs was being held up by people spinning up in too low a gear...
Funny you should say that, as I went out for a 40 miler on it tonight, and started to ride it like you describe, pushing harder on the climbs on a bigger gear. Perhaps I struggled during the race simply because I wasn't used to the different gearing just yet? The more I ride it the better I'll know it's idiosyncrasies I suppose. I'd only really managed one ride on it before race weekend, as I only bought the last few bits for it on that Thursday.I've got it just about how I want it now. Picked up a fiver's worth of in-line gear cable adjusters from my LBS yesterday, so I'll need to fit them soon. It'll be nice to be able to tune the front mech a bit (no adjusters at all currently, just the cable clamp at the mech end) to get it to shift up to the middle ring a bit more positively. Aside from that, I may still swap the stem out at some point, and invest in a more comfortable saddle. Then it'll be a HeadShok service if the parts are available and it'll be right for the foreseeable future I reckon...
gazza285 said:
Were you in Pistonheads kit again? Failed to see you for another year, I rode on my 'cross bike, had a pretty good run, apart from shedding a tub at the furthest point away from my spare wheels...
Suitable picture found...
...in the same spot as the ones you uploaded in the Racing thread! I see you liked that grassy line up that rise too. Much better than wrestling with the bike over the soft sand on the right hand side!!!
Right then! This bike's racing career was brief enough. No other races planned at the moment, and no possibles that would look suitable for it. So it's back to blatting about on local byways, bridleways, and the odd single-track section with some tarmac roads to join it all up...
https://www.strava.com/activities/1529693292
...plus a few random new sections I'd never ridden before which led me to finding this big patch of Bluebells in the woods.
This bike is much more fun to ride than I ever expected it to be. It's heavy, it's old, and it's still in need of a few small jobs and new components, but it's absolutely fabulous. Happy (although not particularly quick) on tarmac roads, it transitions seamlessly onto the bridleways and such, and even takes the odd turn-off into woodland single-track in it's stride. It's done the Red and Blue Swinley Forest trails, and a fair bit of the Brass Monkeys/Torq 12-12 courses in Minley. I tend to do less of the single track and more of the forest roads and fire trails on it, because that plays to the bike's strengths.
I even grabbed a (very) cheeky joint KOM on it on this ride, even though I didn't realise it was even a segment, just an enjoyable downhill sprint on a straight forest road with a pretty good surface.
It's going to have to be enjoyable to ride too - I asked at a LBS about getting a gear cable replaced on my Trek Emonda, and they reckon they're booked up for over three weeks!
If I can't find somewhere else that'll do it quicker I'll have to book it in and swallow the delay. Or take a chance and dick about with internal cabling myself. Unlike this 'Dale which, when it comes to maintenance, is simplicity itself.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1529693292
...plus a few random new sections I'd never ridden before which led me to finding this big patch of Bluebells in the woods.
This bike is much more fun to ride than I ever expected it to be. It's heavy, it's old, and it's still in need of a few small jobs and new components, but it's absolutely fabulous. Happy (although not particularly quick) on tarmac roads, it transitions seamlessly onto the bridleways and such, and even takes the odd turn-off into woodland single-track in it's stride. It's done the Red and Blue Swinley Forest trails, and a fair bit of the Brass Monkeys/Torq 12-12 courses in Minley. I tend to do less of the single track and more of the forest roads and fire trails on it, because that plays to the bike's strengths.
I even grabbed a (very) cheeky joint KOM on it on this ride, even though I didn't realise it was even a segment, just an enjoyable downhill sprint on a straight forest road with a pretty good surface.
It's going to have to be enjoyable to ride too - I asked at a LBS about getting a gear cable replaced on my Trek Emonda, and they reckon they're booked up for over three weeks!
If I can't find somewhere else that'll do it quicker I'll have to book it in and swallow the delay. Or take a chance and dick about with internal cabling myself. Unlike this 'Dale which, when it comes to maintenance, is simplicity itself.Barchettaman said:
Eh? Internal cabling is (generally) ok - I slip a CX liner over the cable before I pull it out, whip out the cable and then feed the new cable through the liner. It's the initial feeding through of the first cable that's fiddly!
Bike looks great BTW.
I had the idea that internal cabling was fiddly and not a good idea to get wrong. I've avoided it as a DIY-er up to now simply because I've had no need to change cables. Then the front mech cable went "Ping!" and changed all that. I'll have a trawl through Youtube to see if anything specific needs doing for the Emonda. Not sure what a CX liner is though? Am I being dumb or is it just that it's something I won't have come across before now?Bike looks great BTW.
I've got to be honest and say that although an internally cabled bike looks nice and neat, I'm not sure that there's a good enough functionality reason for it. More of a marketing gimmick in my opinion.
Thanks for the positive comment on the bike, by the way. I've got a couple more photos of it somewhere that I'll upload when I get around to compressing them for PH's steam driven upload system. I've got to update the running costs table too, but I'm so busy riding the thing that I neglect that record keeping side of things.
The tyres I put on it are good too. Bontrager LT2 700 x 38C - the cheap ones, retailing at about £25. Done me proud on the BOTB, and pretty good all round. I went for the larger volume 38C ones to keep the volume up and the pressure as low as I dare. I was recommended against buying tubeless ready tyres because of my old, narrow rims though, and the fact that "if one might suggest that 2 days before a race isn't the time to start faffing about with tubeless sealant, sir" (and the fact that the 'Team Issue' TLR 33C versions of this tyre were over £60 each). They're holding up really well, no visible cuts on the tread or carcass despite covering a lot of gravel roads so far. I'm pleased with my choice, and with the price I paid for them too. If I could sort out 'going tubeless' then I might come down to a 33C tyre section to see if there's any advantage to be gained.
Minor complaints? My first bugbear with the bike is the frame. The quite severe slope on the top tube means that space is tight within the triangle so I can't access the second water bottle on the move. No real hassle, as I simply swap them over when the front one is empty, but that costs a few seconds in a race so it's not an ideal bike for longer duration races. But on a 'normal' ride out, no problems at all. The only other thing that bothers me is the rim brakes. Great in dry conditions, and even when it's a bit damp. But when the trail turns to mud and slop, and the rim gets coated, then I can hear the abrasive paste getting to work on those lovely American Classic rims as soon as I pull on the levers. I've taken to stopping and pulling clumps of grass to wipe 'em down when they're particularly bad to try to extend rim life. In an ideal world I'd have a modern hydraulic disc-braked stable-mate for it, to use in wetter conditions, and this one would get an easier life, only coming out when the trails and fire roads were completely dry.
Running total as at 18/04/2018...
This is the current, up-to-date totaliser for every penny spent on this bike so far, including parts (cable adjusters, for example) not yet fitted but only needed for this bike. I haven't been as committed to the task of recording the weight of every component going on and off the bike, so any weight savings relate only to those specific lines in the table. This pretty much amounts to wheels and tyres.
Planned work now includes replacing the front derailleur outer cable, inserting an in-line adjuster into both of the derailleur cables near the exit from the shifter, and buying/fitting a new saddle (likely a Fabric, or Charge Spoon or similar). Cost-free adjustments I've made include re-aligning the handlebars. The angle of the top part of the drops was significantly "nose down" previously, and not particularly comfortable. I've now rotated the bars to be parallel to the ground, and pushed the shifters forward and down on the drops. This now means that I no longer feel that a change of stem is required, at least not as a matter of urgency. I can race for more than two hours, and ride for more than three at slower pace and feel no real discomfort. Disappointing to see the total nudge over £200, but hey? I've got a great bike, it's almost completely how I want it now, and I'm all in for under £208 including the initial purchase and collection cost. There really isn't anything not to like...
| Cost So Far: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Item | Cost | Item weight | Weight saving | Notes |
| Bike purchase | £53 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Fuel to collect | £20 approx | n/a | n/a | Hampshire to Essex return |
| Broken tyre levers (x 4) | £? | n/a | n/a | Broken removing/refitting tyres |
| 2 x Conti Tour Ride tyres (700 x 42c) | £nil | n/a | n/a | Previously salvaged from a 'dead' bike |
| 2 of 700c x 28-38c inner tubes | £nil | n/a | n/a | Unused spares from garage stock |
| SRAM PG-950 11-32t cassette | £19.95 | 367 g | n/a | Halfords - price match |
| SRAM PG-970 114 link chain | £12.49 | n/a | n/a | Halfords - price match |
| 2 x Clarks 9-speed chain connectors | 2.99 | n/a | n/a | Saddle pack spares |
| Swapped in some Mavic MA2 rims on no-brand hubs | nil | 2,223 g inc. skewers | 144 g | spare wheelset my brother gave me |
| BTwin Anti-friction derailleur cable | £3.99 | n/a | n/a | Decathlon |
| BTwin Derailleur housing, red | £3.99 | n/a | n/a | Decathlon |
| BTwin Derailleur housing ferrules | £1.99 | n/a | n/a | Decathlon. Pack of 10 |
| Road brake inner cables (x 2) | £4.00 | n/a | n/a | Silvester Brothers, Farnborough |
| Shimano Brake cable outer housing (1 metre approx) | £2.49 | n/a | n/a | Silvester Brothers, Farnborough |
| fi'zi:k black 3mm bar tape, 1 pack | £15.00 | n/a | n/a | Silvester Brothers, Farnborough |
| BTwin Anti-friction derailleur cable | £3.99 | n/a | n/a | Decathlon |
| BTwin brake cable housing ferules | £1.99 | n/a | n/a | Decathlon. Pack of 10 |
| AZTEC BX V-type insert | £5.35 | n/a | n/a | Pedal On, Tadley - V-brake cartridge insert x 2 pairs |
| Bontrager LT2 Hard-Case Lite 700 x 38C tyre | £22.49 | n/a | n/a | Pedal On, Tadley - Gravel/CX tyre |
| Bontrager LT2 Hard-Case Lite 700 x 38C tyre | £22.49 | n/a | n/a | Pedal On, Tadley - Gravel/CX tyre |
| Madison (M-Part) Micro Gear Cable Adjuster | £5.00 | n/a | n/a | Silvester Brothers, Farnborough (1 x pair of in-line gear cable adjusters) |
| Halfords Essential Inner tube, 700 x 28 - 38C | £3.00 | n/a | n/a | Halfords, Farnborough Gate (spare tube for saddle pack) |
| Halfords Essential Inner tube, 700 x 28 - 38C | £3.00 | n/a | n/a | Halfords, Farnborough Gate (spare tube for "race box") |
| Swapped in American Classic Sprint 350 wheelset | nil | 1,423 g - no skewers | 1,354 g | Kindly donated by a friend's husband |
| * wheelset swap note * | - | 3,264 g | = | Complete wheelset weight inc skewers, cassette, tyres and tubes |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Running Total | £207.20 | - | 1,498 g | - |
This is the current, up-to-date totaliser for every penny spent on this bike so far, including parts (cable adjusters, for example) not yet fitted but only needed for this bike. I haven't been as committed to the task of recording the weight of every component going on and off the bike, so any weight savings relate only to those specific lines in the table. This pretty much amounts to wheels and tyres.
Planned work now includes replacing the front derailleur outer cable, inserting an in-line adjuster into both of the derailleur cables near the exit from the shifter, and buying/fitting a new saddle (likely a Fabric, or Charge Spoon or similar). Cost-free adjustments I've made include re-aligning the handlebars. The angle of the top part of the drops was significantly "nose down" previously, and not particularly comfortable. I've now rotated the bars to be parallel to the ground, and pushed the shifters forward and down on the drops. This now means that I no longer feel that a change of stem is required, at least not as a matter of urgency. I can race for more than two hours, and ride for more than three at slower pace and feel no real discomfort. Disappointing to see the total nudge over £200, but hey? I've got a great bike, it's almost completely how I want it now, and I'm all in for under £208 including the initial purchase and collection cost. There really isn't anything not to like...
While I'm logged in, I thought I might as well post a couple more gratuitous photos of the bike...
...taken on the Saturday afternoon before I pre-rode the course for the Battle In The Dark time trial.
All set up and ready to race, I'd not long unloaded it from the car and it was the cleanest it's been since I bought it and probably cleaner than it'll ever be again. But that 'Specialized' saddle definitely needs to go, if only for aesthetic reasons...
...taken on the Saturday afternoon before I pre-rode the course for the Battle In The Dark time trial.
All set up and ready to race, I'd not long unloaded it from the car and it was the cleanest it's been since I bought it and probably cleaner than it'll ever be again. But that 'Specialized' saddle definitely needs to go, if only for aesthetic reasons...
I've enjoyed reading this and it has encouraged me to keep an eye out for a second hand jump/pump track bike.
yellowjack said:
and buying/fitting a new saddle (likely a Fabric, or Charge Spoon or similar).
I've got a Charge Spoon on my old hardtail and a Fabric, whatever their nearest to the Spoon is, on my full sus and I'm convinced that the Charge saddle is comfier, I also prefer the leather to the finish on the Fabric saddle. The Charge Spoon was half the price too...13aines said:
yellowjack said:
Minor complaints? My first bugbear with the bike is the frame. The quite severe slope on the top tube means that space is tight within the triangle so I can't access the second water bottle on the move.
Side entry bottle cage?e.g.
Well, the cages it has will do for now, especially as I'm watching every penny I spend on it. And for purely "bike tart" reasons I'd have to have a pair of side-entry cages, obviously. Mis-matched bottle cages would be a big no-no!
The latest update on the 'Dale?
Our first century together! Yay!
105.11 miles @ average speed 10.2 mph, 3,172 feet climbed (not sure that's correct Garmin/Strava? It was a pretty flat ride along canals and the Thames after all), in 10hr:16min:20sec moving time, 12hr:17min:40sec elapsed.
I went to London in the end, as I had planned to visit the PH Sunday Service at Denbies Vineyard but there was no way I was going to get there in time when I was still on my driveway at 11:30 am. Almost all of it was off road, and traffic free. Obviously I had to ride with traffic at either end, especially in London around Parliament Square/Trafalgar Square/St Pauls, but it was fairly quiet being late on a Sunday afternoon.
Route up was Basingstoke Canal tow path to Wey Navigation (junction under the M25!) then on to Weybridge to Thames Lock. Right, onto the Thames Path all the way to Putney Bridge, then north of the Thames through the tourist sights up to Tower Bridge and back on the south side to Westminster. Aside from forgetting to cross the river at Kingston, and wrestling with how to get across again to Hampton Court (which I needn't have done, as I was on the correct side by then) I made it back without too much hassle. Entirely self-sufficient, I didn't buy so much as an ice cream.
I do wish I'd fully charged my lights before the trip, as I was worried that both my main light (which actually failed on me) and my back-up light (which just about got me home by it's dim light) were going to fail and leave me stranded water-side in the dark. Arriving home just before midnight wasn't welcomed by my wife, who phoned to demand to now where I was about five minutes from home.
Lessons to learn? Just prepare things the day before (including CHARGING LIGHTS!!!), leave earlier in the day to avoid an extended period of darkness on the way back, and maybe actually PLAN one of these century rides one day, instead of going out "for a long-ish ride" and making the route up on the hoof.
Strava file with full details and some photos here... https://www.strava.com/activities/1570887580
'Relive' recreation of the ride here... https://www.relive.cc/view/1570887580
805 miles ridden since I collected it back on February 24th 2018. An average of more than 10 miles per day. Happy days...
If my maths is correct, that's an ownership cost of around 26 pence per mile so far.
Our first century together! Yay!
105.11 miles @ average speed 10.2 mph, 3,172 feet climbed (not sure that's correct Garmin/Strava? It was a pretty flat ride along canals and the Thames after all), in 10hr:16min:20sec moving time, 12hr:17min:40sec elapsed.
I went to London in the end, as I had planned to visit the PH Sunday Service at Denbies Vineyard but there was no way I was going to get there in time when I was still on my driveway at 11:30 am. Almost all of it was off road, and traffic free. Obviously I had to ride with traffic at either end, especially in London around Parliament Square/Trafalgar Square/St Pauls, but it was fairly quiet being late on a Sunday afternoon.
Route up was Basingstoke Canal tow path to Wey Navigation (junction under the M25!) then on to Weybridge to Thames Lock. Right, onto the Thames Path all the way to Putney Bridge, then north of the Thames through the tourist sights up to Tower Bridge and back on the south side to Westminster. Aside from forgetting to cross the river at Kingston, and wrestling with how to get across again to Hampton Court (which I needn't have done, as I was on the correct side by then) I made it back without too much hassle. Entirely self-sufficient, I didn't buy so much as an ice cream.
I do wish I'd fully charged my lights before the trip, as I was worried that both my main light (which actually failed on me) and my back-up light (which just about got me home by it's dim light) were going to fail and leave me stranded water-side in the dark. Arriving home just before midnight wasn't welcomed by my wife, who phoned to demand to now where I was about five minutes from home.
Lessons to learn? Just prepare things the day before (including CHARGING LIGHTS!!!), leave earlier in the day to avoid an extended period of darkness on the way back, and maybe actually PLAN one of these century rides one day, instead of going out "for a long-ish ride" and making the route up on the hoof.
Strava file with full details and some photos here... https://www.strava.com/activities/1570887580
'Relive' recreation of the ride here... https://www.relive.cc/view/1570887580
805 miles ridden since I collected it back on February 24th 2018. An average of more than 10 miles per day. Happy days...
If my maths is correct, that's an ownership cost of around 26 pence per mile so far.
Edited by yellowjack on Monday 14th May 18:03
Just bumping this thread back up, with the intention of actually updating it soon!
As some of you may recall, shortly after the post above this one, on 19th May 2018, I broke my leg falling down stairs at home. My last ride had been a few hours earlier, on the 'Dale this thread is about... https://www.strava.com/activities/1582741910
The big gap in my PH and Strava activities meant that I all but forgot about this thread, and so it has been dormant for a good long time. Happily I made a pretty good recovery from the surgery to fix the leg, but it took it's time. I've been back riding since November 2018 though, with a lot of those miles on the Cannondale Backroads.
To outline a few things that have gone on, I had issues with the saddle clamp bolts loosening during rides, after buying a cheap Charge Spoon saddle for it. I then stripped a thread over-tightening things, and had to buy replacement nuts/bolts from non-cycling sources because the suspension seatpost is an old design no longer supported. Two specialist fixings suppliers were used to get what I needed, and threadlok was employed to stop a repeat performance.
I also lost my PC, along with the photos on it, so there isn't much in the way of pictures from the dormant period of the thread either. Add to that, any recent photos I do have of the bike can't seem to be uploaded right now because Thumbsnap keeps telling me there's "No Image To Upload".
Suffice to say that the bulk of the time I've actually been riding the 'Dale, and maintenance has been restricted to cleaning and adjusting/lubricating it to keep it ticking over. No recent "big ticket" items bought or fitted either, so far as I can recall. I'll now be looking to get back to updating this thread, as it has been a veritable mine of useful information and advice for me...
As some of you may recall, shortly after the post above this one, on 19th May 2018, I broke my leg falling down stairs at home. My last ride had been a few hours earlier, on the 'Dale this thread is about... https://www.strava.com/activities/1582741910
The big gap in my PH and Strava activities meant that I all but forgot about this thread, and so it has been dormant for a good long time. Happily I made a pretty good recovery from the surgery to fix the leg, but it took it's time. I've been back riding since November 2018 though, with a lot of those miles on the Cannondale Backroads.
To outline a few things that have gone on, I had issues with the saddle clamp bolts loosening during rides, after buying a cheap Charge Spoon saddle for it. I then stripped a thread over-tightening things, and had to buy replacement nuts/bolts from non-cycling sources because the suspension seatpost is an old design no longer supported. Two specialist fixings suppliers were used to get what I needed, and threadlok was employed to stop a repeat performance.
I also lost my PC, along with the photos on it, so there isn't much in the way of pictures from the dormant period of the thread either. Add to that, any recent photos I do have of the bike can't seem to be uploaded right now because Thumbsnap keeps telling me there's "No Image To Upload".
Suffice to say that the bulk of the time I've actually been riding the 'Dale, and maintenance has been restricted to cleaning and adjusting/lubricating it to keep it ticking over. No recent "big ticket" items bought or fitted either, so far as I can recall. I'll now be looking to get back to updating this thread, as it has been a veritable mine of useful information and advice for me...
An update (of sorts)...
Currently sitting at 1,909 miles ridden since purchase, the humble 'Dale has seen a few pennies spent on it lately. Back in March it had a new Charge Spoon saddle fitted. There was also a saga with the saddle clamp. No suitable spares were found when the thread was stripped from one of the threaded rods that sit in the clamp. The bolts screw up into these (female) threaded nut/rod things (they have a name, but I can't recall). Various other sizes were available but none that fitted this saddle clamp. So specialist fittings websites were perused, and between two companies I put together several sets of stainless steel nuts and hex screws of exactly the right diameter and length to repair it properly. I'd had trouble with a seat clamp bolt loosening off repeatedly at this year's BOTB, losing places stopping to nip it up again. Here's the BOTB Strava file... https://www.strava.com/activities/2276327731 ...terrible result, 596th out of 704 classified finishers.
Then, at some point around/after BOTB I must have gone to my LBS and bought a chain and cassette for it. Because I moved house this May, and lots of stuff has sat in boxes in the garage since then. Sorting through boxes a few weeks ago turned up a new SRAM 9 speed chain and PG950 11-32 cassette. Which I fitted yesterday prior to the bike going in to The Forge Cycleworks in Ringwood to have a new headset bearing fitted. At the weekend I bought some cheap 'solid' brake blocks for it in Decathlon, because I happened to be near there. Although I probably should have bought pads to fit into the pad carriers instead, these cheap ones will have to do for now.
I've ridden it in and around the New Forest a fair amount, and it's been great fun. By far the best compromise available to me for the type od roads and off-road cycle trails in the area. The Anthem is too much bike for these trails, and while the Emonda copes with most of the gravel roads OK it's tyres are the weak point and I've already ruined one nearly-new Conti GP4000SII playing silly-arses on gravel tracks. One thing that is apparent is that it is a "bit too long" when on the hoods. This, as pointed out by the shop, is mostly down to the fact that the bars are quite long from the clamp to the front of the drop. More modern bars might bring that distance back a bit so I might look at swapping at some point. I've also been warned that stuff like chainrings will be difficult to find now, as this generation of 105 has been superseded many times over. So I'm torn between trying to save for a modern gravel bike to replace this one and just keep it for fun 'retro' rides in nice weather, or buying a cheaper road 2 x 10 gearset (Tiagra, maybe) to drag it into the 21st century. For now, though, there'll be no upgrades, just maintenance to keep it running, and then only what it needs.
I'll try to update the spend totals soon too, if only for my own use. It's nice to know how much it is costing to run this old heap...
Currently sitting at 1,909 miles ridden since purchase, the humble 'Dale has seen a few pennies spent on it lately. Back in March it had a new Charge Spoon saddle fitted. There was also a saga with the saddle clamp. No suitable spares were found when the thread was stripped from one of the threaded rods that sit in the clamp. The bolts screw up into these (female) threaded nut/rod things (they have a name, but I can't recall). Various other sizes were available but none that fitted this saddle clamp. So specialist fittings websites were perused, and between two companies I put together several sets of stainless steel nuts and hex screws of exactly the right diameter and length to repair it properly. I'd had trouble with a seat clamp bolt loosening off repeatedly at this year's BOTB, losing places stopping to nip it up again. Here's the BOTB Strava file... https://www.strava.com/activities/2276327731 ...terrible result, 596th out of 704 classified finishers.
Then, at some point around/after BOTB I must have gone to my LBS and bought a chain and cassette for it. Because I moved house this May, and lots of stuff has sat in boxes in the garage since then. Sorting through boxes a few weeks ago turned up a new SRAM 9 speed chain and PG950 11-32 cassette. Which I fitted yesterday prior to the bike going in to The Forge Cycleworks in Ringwood to have a new headset bearing fitted. At the weekend I bought some cheap 'solid' brake blocks for it in Decathlon, because I happened to be near there. Although I probably should have bought pads to fit into the pad carriers instead, these cheap ones will have to do for now.
I've ridden it in and around the New Forest a fair amount, and it's been great fun. By far the best compromise available to me for the type od roads and off-road cycle trails in the area. The Anthem is too much bike for these trails, and while the Emonda copes with most of the gravel roads OK it's tyres are the weak point and I've already ruined one nearly-new Conti GP4000SII playing silly-arses on gravel tracks. One thing that is apparent is that it is a "bit too long" when on the hoods. This, as pointed out by the shop, is mostly down to the fact that the bars are quite long from the clamp to the front of the drop. More modern bars might bring that distance back a bit so I might look at swapping at some point. I've also been warned that stuff like chainrings will be difficult to find now, as this generation of 105 has been superseded many times over. So I'm torn between trying to save for a modern gravel bike to replace this one and just keep it for fun 'retro' rides in nice weather, or buying a cheaper road 2 x 10 gearset (Tiagra, maybe) to drag it into the 21st century. For now, though, there'll be no upgrades, just maintenance to keep it running, and then only what it needs.
I'll try to update the spend totals soon too, if only for my own use. It's nice to know how much it is costing to run this old heap...
Edited by yellowjack on Thursday 5th December 11:00
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