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Old 16th July 2021, 07:19   #6076
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Isn't that Marin very similar to the RC500 from Triban? Heck 10k more and he moves into the 105 group set on the 520!
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Old 16th July 2021, 08:39   #6077
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by Red Liner View Post
Isn't that Marin very similar to the RC500 from Triban? Heck 10k more and he moves into the 105 group set on the 520!
Golden rule

You buy the frame

Not the components.

The frame is the heart of the bike.

A cromoly frame is the apex of steel frames. Only a much more expensive titanium frame would be better.

And for all its advantages, it demands a penalty of approximately just 1-1.2 kilos over an alloy frame.

When I was researching Marin steel frames, I found the manufacturer total payload limits to be around 156 kilos. Compared to around 100-110 kilos for most other frames.

Cheers. Doc

Last edited by ebonho : 16th July 2021 at 08:45.
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Old 16th July 2021, 09:27   #6078
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Re: What bike?

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Originally Posted by ach1lles View Post
Trouble: I want a better bike.
Been there done that! As someone who settled on a bike only at the 3rd try (and a 1 short-lived trial a couple of years back) I can completely identify with this

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For a bike like this 80k is nothing. Entry level road bikes from big mass produce brands now come in at 60-70k.
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Originally Posted by ach1lles
“So how much is this”, looks at name on bike, “Marin Four Corners”.
“80,000”.
Hmm. Problem. This is quite costly.
Extremely reasonable for the Marin, especially when you think that an entry level iPhone 12 costs more

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Originally Posted by ach1lles
So I ask them, if they have something similar for a lesser price. And they bring out this similar looking bike but with skinny tyres, and this one is “just 60,000”.
That’s the point; I started with a budget of around 500 SGD, ended by buying something at 800 SGD, and then finally settled for something at 1400 SGD, which is around the price point you have. Its better not to compromise on the ‘feel’ aspect.
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Old 16th July 2021, 10:12   #6079
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by sunilch View Post
Friends, any thoughts on this?

Also saw post regarding Rockrider ST30 - https://www.decathlon.in/p/8641588/m...8641588&type=p above. Is the Rockrider ST30 a better deal?
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Old 16th July 2021, 10:16   #6080
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by sunilch View Post
Friends, any thoughts on this?

Also saw post regarding Rockrider ST30 - https://www.decathlon.in/p/8641588/m...8641588&type=p above. Is the Rockrider ST30 a better deal?
A geared bike versus a single speed. And cheaper too. Of course the ST30 is a better deal. Plus you get Decathlon spares and service dedicated support.
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Old 16th July 2021, 10:22   #6081
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Re: The Bicycles thread

What kind of racks if any do you guys have at home?

Yanko Design: Bicycle Racks designed to perfectly fit + store your bike even in the tiniest space!.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yanko...3/I64kIRU4JmU/

I guess i will just need to put that wall hook thing from Decathlon and have the bike standing on two wheels on the floor against a wall.
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Old 16th July 2021, 11:06   #6082
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Re: The Bicycles thread

My rear wheel had a broken spoke. I discovered this when cleaning the bike after my morning ride. Thought of riding it to Decathlon to get it fixed but the wheel was wobbling so much I had to take it in my car.

So my question is, what do riders do when faced with something like this when on a long ride /brevet? Is it fixable on the go?
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Old 16th July 2021, 11:17   #6083
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by goandude View Post
So my question is, what do riders do when faced with something like this when on a long ride /brevet? Is it fixable on the go?
This is always one of the nightmare situations you can't do much about, apart from some proactive maintenance. I have never faced this on a brevet but have faced this on long rides. Once I cycled back about 30 kms with a broken rear spoke. The wheel was wobbling so much that I had to disengage the rear V brake completely.
On my brevets I used to carry a few spare spokes, and the plan was to ride to the nearest cycle repair shop I could find, in case of that eventuality. Trying to fix it on my own would probably cost me too much time and yield an imperfect result.
That said I have developed this habit of checking the (nearly equal) tightness of my spokes every single time I top up air.

Last edited by roy_libran : 16th July 2021 at 11:18.
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Old 16th July 2021, 11:28   #6084
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by goandude View Post
My rear wheel had a broken spoke. I discovered this when cleaning the bike after my morning ride. Thought of riding it to Decathlon to get it fixed but the wheel was wobbling so much I had to take it in my car.

So my question is, what do riders do when faced with something like this when on a long ride /brevet? Is it fixable on the go?
Someone over here (I forget who) has the spoke key and knows how to replace broken spokes on his own. You could do a thread search with "spoke" as the keyword.

I've broken a spoke short of the 200 km turnaround of a 400 km BRM. Wheel hit one of those raised square reflector things they anchor to the tarmac. Hit it hard, and at the turnaround I discovered I had popped a spoke.

Twisted the spoke around an adjacent one so that it would not snag anywhere while riding. Checked the rim and how out it was. Released tge cable out a bit of the rear V brake. So that the rim was not touching the brakes anywhere and I still had brakes.

Managed to ride back 200 km through the night like this. Broke a spoke on my road bike at Kamshet. Released the rear brake. Wrapped the spoke around a buddy. And rode back to Poona.
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Old 16th July 2021, 11:46   #6085
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by roy_libran View Post
On my brevets I used to carry a few spare spokes, and the plan was to ride to the nearest cycle repair shop I could find, in case of that eventuality. Trying to fix it on my own would probably cost me too much time and yield an imperfect result.
That said I have developed this habit of checking the (nearly equal) tightness of my spokes every single time I top up air.
That's a great idea, to carry a spare.

But tell how do you check spoke tightness? By tapping with an object and listening to the sound?
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Old 16th July 2021, 12:01   #6086
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Re: What bike?

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Originally Posted by ebonho View Post
A nice bike will remain a nice bike, regardless of what you choose to do with it. You are paying for the niceness. What you do with it is up to you.
True. Niceness is in short supply.

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Originally Posted by ebonho View Post
After 3 months of research, gigabytes of whatsapp brainstorming, endless calls to the dealer, and me personally trying the bike out in the flesh, a batchmate bought a flatbar Marin cromoly hybrid. Some 45+ k. This was sometime 2-3 years ago
Decathlon was raided and a bed top full 9f gear and accessories were bought in anticipation too
That bike I kid you not has been ridden less than 500 km. To date. And the niceness paid for is doing duty as a fancy steel kaccha stand in the main. And will live her life like that till my friend admits it was an impulse toy and sells her for some ridiculous price.
We’ve all been there, for something or the other. But one thing for sure, I keep my things well. The bike’s not gonna be stand for anything, haha.

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Originally Posted by ebonho View Post
Coming to your other question, sure there are very nice bikes in all price ranges. But you will not get the feel of a steel bike and fat tyres on any of them. The "live" feel you even as a noob got, is a real thing.
Thanks. That’s settled then.

I do have follow up questions.

Since this will be a first purchase, what all do I need to look for while purchasing?
1. Maintenance, servicing? What’s the basics to keep it in top shape?
2. Warranty?
3. If I want to at some time, can this bike work with thinner tyres?
4. Can the quick release be used frequently without penalty in fit and feel to carry it about in the car?
5. Where can I find padded shorts that aren’t second skin in fit, but are like regular shorts on the outside?

Any other noob basics?

I have the accessory list from earlier in the thread. Not on the list for now: fenders and a stand

Quote:
Originally Posted by vb-san View Post
Been there done that! As someone who settled on a bike only at the 3rd try (and a 1 short-lived trial a couple of years back) I can completely identify with this
I’ve been riding this Atlas Rovello, which is a tenth of the price with fenders, a tiny bell, and a kickstand, and a couple of times while trying to aggressively take off, I’ve heard and felt something almost snap. I’m not that heavy.
Still, that bike’s great. My watch tells me I’ve been averaging 19kph on that.

Also, since I’ve been riding and specially in traffic, makes me think of all motored vehicles as so wasteful. There’s unnecessary heft, heat, sound, and the mostly unnecessary honking.

I think a (successful) case can be made for dedicated bike lanes. Maybe we can create a group and lobby, change.org etc?


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Originally Posted by vb-san View Post
Extremely reasonable for the Marin, especially when you think that an entry level iPhone 12 costs more
The iPhone has been sneaky. The OG was less than 25k. The 4 was 36 or so. The 7 was 70. The 11 fro 90. Yikes!

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Originally Posted by vb-san View Post
That’s the point; Its better not to compromise on the ‘feel’ aspect.
Haha, yeah.
Preparing self for “bike kyun nahi le li itne me”.

It’s funny, seems like I’ve rediscovered this two wheeled self. I got my first motorbike last year and have been loving that, and now this. Man I’m excited!
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Old 16th July 2021, 12:05   #6087
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Just thought I'd share this for the sake of nostalgia...

A new customer came a couple days back saying he had two cycles he'd bought ten years ago and never used, requesting a basic inspection / adjustment as his kids now wanted to ride them. I had no idea what was going to turn up, but I have to say, was surprised to be presented with two extremely pretty early Firefox, new enough as to still have the manufacturing tags hanging from the quick-releases...

The Bicycles thread-img_20210716_104153.jpg

The Bicycles thread-img_20210716_104210.jpg

Back in the day, imported bikes were basically unknown, and this was about as good as it got...

Vs. the later Targets like mine (which themselves are hardly current), these are equipped with hybrid tyres, twister shifters, bigger chainwheels and no "Megagear" out back... Also the old style threaded steering spindle and seat clamp, and non-adjustable sprung fork.

Bit of a time-capsule / trip down memory lane here... nary a scratch on them, and it seems.a privilege to be able to twist a few wrenches on these... Needless to say, they didn't require much apart from light brake/gear adjustments.

-Eric

Last edited by ringoism : 16th July 2021 at 12:07.
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Old 16th July 2021, 12:38   #6088
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by goandude View Post
That's a great idea, to carry a spare.

But tell how do you check spoke tightness? By tapping with an object and listening to the sound?
I use the tapping method on motorcycle spokes. With cycle wheels I use two fingers to lightly pinch a crossed pair of spokes to guesstimate the tightness, and follow it up by visually checking the alignment of the wheel while rotating.
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Old 16th July 2021, 12:57   #6089
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Re: The Bicycles thread

Can the experts here confirm here if its OK to ride a cycle with tires that have not been "in use" for some time ? I'm planning to start taking out my cycle soon, but it was lying unused due to the pandemic situation. What are the things I need to check (apart from a moving chain/brakes, etc) to ensure it runs without any major trouble? I will inflate the tires to the standard ~50PSI and hope there wont be any tube/tyre cracking damage due to lack of usage?!?
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Old 16th July 2021, 13:42   #6090
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Re: The Bicycles thread

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Originally Posted by ringoism View Post
Just thought I'd share this for the sake of nostalgia...



-Eric
You also seem to have a very pretty garden around you
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