What happened to the Grassroots Pedalsports thread?

Picked up a new used bike last night. First "new" bike since 2001. 2019 Transition Vanquish. Only a few minutes of saddle time so far but it pedals Nice :) 

Lately I've been trying to ride 150-200 miles per week. This morning I did 50 on my road bike.

I got obsessive when I built this thing and used a ton of vintage DuraAce parts on it. Spent way too much. It's older than the average reader on this forum, but it's still fast.

It hit me this morning as I was riding. I have four bikes and all of them are steel. 

Enduro Rig 18' Yeti SB5.5 

Fun Rig 19' RSD Mayor that wears 5.05" tires occasionally 

Old days- Raced DH in the East Coast series and Snowshoe. 

I need to cut back, told the wife today that I need to sell atleast 2 for room for the 2 projects still going

Nice rides all around on this page!

Took a 10 mile ride today. Omg! I love this bike! Modern tech and it's effortless to pedal. 

Sooooo....

Anyone want to point a guy in the right direction towards some good servicing tutorials? Or is bike service a dark art best left to the magical bike shop people?

I wouldn't mind getting my bike back into service, but it's barely been ridden in.... Several years, so figure a decent service wouldn't be a bad idea. I used to drop it in at the place I bought it from every 6-12 months. they were a 2 man band in a little independent shop who lived and breathed bikes. Now I don't live anywhere near them so can't do that.

In reply to daeman :

The basics are handleable by prettymuch anyone.  
And I say that as someone who is admittedly *trash* at turning wrenches.  

Park tool has a lot of quality videos on the youtubes.

In reply to daeman :

There's nothing to be afraid of on a bike and basic tools will take you pretty far. Youtube is your friend and Park Tool's website and videos are great like SnowMongoose mentioned. Post up pictures of the ride and a few of us can point you in the right direction on what might need attention.

Thanks for the suggestions! It's an irrational fear really hahaha, Ive built engines, gearboxes, done plumbing, electrical and construction yet a simple bicycle daunts me at times.

Here's the bike in question. Mid 2000's giant stp1 

And my partner's bike, she refuses to ride ladies bikes haha

And an obligatory dog head.....

The worst part of servicing those will be the derailers and even those aren't bad. 

dropstep said:

The worst part of servicing those will be the derailers and even those aren't bad. 

Or perhaps bleeding the Hayes hydraulic brakes, which can be a bit finicky. They use standard automotive DOT brake fluid.  The lever should be very firm and not mushy at all. If they are mushy, then a bleed/fluid change is needed.

The brakes on the other bike are cable operated and those will pretty much always feel a little mushy. Sometimes new cable and housing will help, but it sort of is what it is.

Unless you're doing a lot of jumping, the chain guide on the STP1 is probably overkill.

Been getting my YouTube on, I should be right for most of it. Though it looks like I need a specialist fitting for the Hayes brake lever for a flush and bleed.

The sprocket guard came as factory fit, STP is street, trail, park. Given how I used to ride it it wasn't a bad idea to leave it on..... How hard I ride these days, well, probably not like I used to hahaha, 10 years puts a dent in confidence and willingness to cop injury. 

I may have to consider swapping the hookworms out for something a bit grippier because there's a lot less concrete and asphalt and a lot more dirt out where I live now.

Sorry to interrupt your pedalsports party but I'm looking for some rear shocks.  Really need pairs if possible but open to anything.  Any of y'all got some take offs sitting on a shelf that you're willing to part with?

Don't have any spares but depending on what you want, new may not be a bad idea. There's everything out there from cheapo Chinese coil shocks for $20~$50 to adjustable multiple remote reservoir/active electronic control bluetooth-reconfigurable shocks for supervillains at $800+. Aliexpress can be significantly cheaper than most other sources for the cheaper stuff.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

Cheaper, you're talking to me.  I'll check Aliexpress tomorrow.  Thanks.

Instead of selling any I purchased and started assembling another. It's rare to find vintage men's bikes in purple. 

There was one downhill section on a gravel road that had a posted 25mph speed limit. I went full "don't tell me how to live my life" and broke 30 on it.
Doing 30 with gravel shifting under you on a bicycle is good for a thrill.

On the last ride I was doing, the Advantix Microshift decided to flake out again. It's been happening a lot- I adjust it, and it works for maybe 100 miles, then at some point in time I go to shift and it sounds like somebody stepping on walnuts and I lose the ability to move out of the middle of the shift range. 

So, I'm replacing the shifters and rear derailleur with some Shimano Deore XT units. Why the Deore? It's what I could find in stock. Which may not be a bad thing- they're known to be reliable and they're well documented. 

Opinions on Motobecane bikes from Bikes Direct?

I'm thinking a carbon frame gravel bike.

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:

On the last ride I was doing, the Advantix Microshift decided to flake out again. It's been happening a lot- I adjust it, and it works for maybe 100 miles, then at some point in time I go to shift and it sounds like somebody stepping on walnuts and I lose the ability to move out of the middle of the shift range. 

So, I'm replacing the shifters and rear derailleur with some Shimano Deore XT units. Why the Deore? It's what I could find in stock. Which may not be a bad thing- they're known to be reliable and they're well documented. 

This sounds like a shifter cable issue to me or possibly some dirt/grime inside the shifter that needs to be cleaned out and re-greased. 

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:

Opinions on Motobecane bikes from Bikes Direct?

I'm thinking a carbon frame gravel bike.

The fit and components (drivetrain, brakes and wheels in particular) on the bike are more important than the name on the downtube for the most part. With the way things are right now any bike you can get is probably a good one to go with lol.

adam525i said:

Brett_Murphy (Agent of Chaos) said:

On the last ride I was doing, the Advantix Microshift decided to flake out again. It's been happening a lot- I adjust it, and it works for maybe 100 miles, then at some point in time I go to shift and it sounds like somebody stepping on walnuts and I lose the ability to move out of the middle of the shift range. 

So, I'm replacing the shifters and rear derailleur with some Shimano Deore XT units. Why the Deore? It's what I could find in stock. Which may not be a bad thing- they're known to be reliable and they're well documented. 

This sounds like a shifter cable issue to me or possibly some dirt/grime inside the shifter that needs to be cleaned out and re-greased. 

I agree. My Microshift Advents have been pretty dead nuts for several hundred miles now (except for a little accident that bent one) but I am running it on my mountain bike and gravel bike.

What folding tubeless tires are similar to the Continental MountainKing? Got a matching Alexrims MD21 for the front of my bike for next year and I've been thinking of going to a 26x2.4 or 26x2.5 tire in the front in a more aggressive tread/compound than the CrossKings I've been running for some more grip off road, but at least 3/4 of my miles are on pavement so I don't want to go with anything too aggressive (TrailKing would be a bit too much I think). Seems the MK isn't made, or at least isn't available, in 2.4 or 2.5 widths.

Edit: Looks like Maxxis Ardent would be an option? Also Vittoria Goma?

Edit2: Got a good Black Friday deal on a 26x2.4 Maxxis Ardent.

So, I dumped my bike travelling around 25 MPH. I broke three bones in my arms and cracked the helmet I was wearing. If I wasn't wearing a helmet, that would've been my head.

Helmets save lives.

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