Bicycle-Fi! - Page 150

Quote:

Originally Posted by customcoco 

Yeah it looks nice, but I'm worried about the drop bars... I could change them, of course but then I'd loose the price advantage.

 

EDIT : And on the pictures it features ritchey stem and seatpost whereas the spec list only mentions warp components...

Yes, well you posted the picture. It may have been an 2011 in the photo than a 2012. The web site you posted said that the bike was no longer available, so a searched for a facsimile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redcarmoose 

 

Yes, well you posted the picture. It may have been an 2011 in the photo than a 2012. The web site you posted said that the bike was no longer available, so a searched for a facsimile.

Thanks a lot...

So now it's down to these three :

http://www.bmc-racing.com/fr-en/bikes/2013/lifestyle/model/alpenchallenge/ac01/105-tiagra.html

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/hybrid/hybrid_team.html

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/ht_teamr.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by customcoco 

Thanks a lot...

 

So now it's down to these three :

 

http://www.bmc-racing.com/fr-en/bikes/2013/lifestyle/model/alpenchallenge/ac01/105-tiagra.html

 

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/hybrid/hybrid_team.html

 

http://www.boardmanbikes.com/mtb/ht_teamr.html

I'm glad I'm not in your shoes. It looks like a tough decision. I will be getting a new one at some point this year too. Maybe 2 months or 10 months from now.

The BMC states that it's 6000 alloy but the Boardman only says it's alloy? What's amazing is the super thick Boardman mountain bike derivative carbon fork, is as large as a shock on a regular mountain bike. I think it's ridged?

When it gets this close I guess it would be good to find a place where they are in-stock so you could ride em? I didn't note the price points? The two commuters look to have the same relaxed slope down tube so I guess they will be super stable in traffic or ridding with no hands.

You will have to post a pic after you pull the trigger.

On the two commuter bikes I would look at clearance spacing to always have the option for different tires.

1) This gives you the option of putting bigger tires on with the addition of fenders, if you choose to go with fenders at a future date.

2) Do the bikes have eyelets for fenders?

3} I don't know your total goals. I commuted 35 miles to and 35 miles back from work everyday and did 2X centuries on the week ends. I still got into bigger tires than a standard racing road bike. It would be cool to see if both those commuters could accommodate "fateboy" slicks as an option down the road. The fatboys really make street holes sewer drain caps smooth to roll over. Because I'm not trying to go super fast now days, I like the benefit of less flats with bigger tires. But there is also the chain of thought that less surface area and higher pressure "thin" tires gives you less road contact and less of a chance to pick up a piece of glass. It's really a matter of experience and choice.

I would want bigger tires on the commuters than they have.Or at least the option to go bigger if I ever wanted to.

All of them do have fender eylets front and rear.

BMC is a reputable brand around Europe. Boardman retails only in the UK I believe.

I'd recommend the BMC Deore-SLX build because MTB components withstand more abuse than the road components. Road components are a bit light weight.

But can you test ride them beforehand?

Quote:

Originally Posted by customcoco 


Yeah, but it could be worse...

I don't know what kind of alloy boardman uses but the frame is absolutely gorgeous. And yes that carbon fork looks really tough.

Boardman only sells in the uk through halford retailers and they are imported in my country via online retailer wiggle. Wiggle doesn't have any brick and mortar shop nor do they have any test center... Now, i can return it if I don't like it. What really bothers me though is that the bike is not fully built. That's not a problem per se (if you remember my posts a few weeks ago; I wanted to build it by myself...) but I don't know what I am paying for. Full price for a 25% built kit? Mmm..

The bmc is available via a retailer network, but it's always a bit more expensive (10 to 30% more) and doesn't seem as well specced as the boardmans...

My daily commute is about 8kms long which, admittedly, is not very long but I'd like to take my bike on much longer journeys (20/30 kms)...

Where I am it's silly cheap to switch frames. They will take everything off my bike and add it to a different frame for $10 bucks usd! Still I think that it is normal for bikes to get shipped here 50% completed. What I worry about though is anything which could get cross threaded into the frame. They fudge and sometimes put some lock-tight in the thread which you find out about a year later.

Any of those bikes are going to be great. What is truly amazing is how much bang for the buck you get now days. When I started the shift levers were tightened by these little loops on the side. If the shifting loosened up you tightened them while ridding. The way you knew they were loose is gears would just randomly shift. There was no clicks but you knew you had a good shift when you heard and saw the chain move.

All those frames have nice sanded smooth welds, and great finishes. For what ever reason it seemed like the Boardmans were a little more easy to get your hands on. I also got the feeling they sell more than the BMC. That is not necessarily a bad thing. I noticed that the BMCs were sold out at many places which either says that they are really in demand or that they just don't make that many. 

It seems though that you could actually find somebody ridding a built Boardman around. Just stop em and ask how they like it. Most folks love to talk about their bikes. Once the person realizes you probably know more about their bike than they do, they will let you ride it around!

Now it seems that bikes at basic price points come together as a frame and a group of components and wheels which cost less than buying them separate. Did you try and order the frame by itself, then part price each added component? I would also wonder what happens to the warranty if you build it? The bike I just purchased had a 5 year frame and 1 years parts warranty. Buying it used he gave me a 1 year warranty which I thought was cool.

Your going to have to go to a shop and have your rims tightened after the first week. There is always one loose spoke. Maybe you do all that yourself though.

I'm warming up to the idea of a bike with fenders, along the lines of a Surly Pacer or Soma Smoothie ES. Will reevaluate that idea in a year. 

I had a first today. The ball bearings in my pedals froze. Every time I lowered the pressure when the pedal was on it's way up, the bearings would lock and the pedal would spin 180º under by shoe. It was quite a shock the first time it did it... I had to keep pressure on the pedals at all time for a while to loosen them.

I guess this is what you get for riding in -20º C with a wind chill of -31º C. 

I think it's the last time I'll ride under such conditions. All the grease and oil become so thick, you waste more energy working against them than you need to move forward. I moved barely faster than if I walked. I got there with my torso in sweat but both thumbs frozen. They still hurt...

Walking takes longer, so you stay in the cold longer. But at least you use your toes and you can keep your hand in a fist to warm up your fingers. Riding is faster so you stay out shorter, but you have more headwind. You also freeze your toes and fingers.... Ah the conundrum. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by customcoco 


No I cannot test them... The slx build is nice but it lacks the carbon fork and it costs the same as the boardman.
Mm that's pretty scary... So I should disassemble the bike before I ride it?

Well I've yet to see a boardman in the wild. I've seen a few bmc's but no alpenchallenge.

Here, bikes are always more expensive when you buy the parts. Significantly so.

I could pay the local bike shop to do it and to show that to me...

So as long as your sure about the right size, just get the Boardman. Hay, your going to have a bunch of bikes in your life. Just get it, build it the rest of the way up and enjoy it. You could even ask your local bike shop to both build it and check it over to see that everything is correct. Just trust a good bike mechanic you find. Are you ready to buy a bunch of tools too? What people do is slowly up grade. As you have the funds, slowly upgrade the bike to slx. You will have the fork you want. It sounds like you want the Boardman.

I have very little blood circulation. As I said, my torso was sweating, proof that my blood was warm. I still froze my fingers. Someone with better circulation would not have frozen their fingers in this state. You probably have good circulation.

I get frozen toes and fingers even inside when temperature is over 20C.

So yeah, I guess Darwin would say I'm an inferior human. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redcarmoose 

So as long as your sure about the right size, just get the Boardman. Hay, your going to have a bunch of bikes in your life. Just get it, build it the rest of the way up and enjoy it. You could even ask your local bike shop to both build it and check it over to see that everything is correct. Just trust a good bike mechanic you find. Are you ready to buy a bunch of tools too? What people do is slowly up grade. As you have the funds, slowly upgrade the bike to slx. You will have the fork you want. It sounds like you want the Boardman.

You're right. I'm going to get the boardman.

Now, about the usual accessories :

Best anti theft? I guess I should buy both a cable and a U..

And best pump?

Best Anti-theft is to never leave your bike locked anywhere. Any lock will be broken by a motivated thief. And cables are useless. You can cut even half inch cables using a handheld wire cutter. It looks like you're just unlocking the bike. A thermally-treated chain of the same size will need a 4 feet long bolt cutter, with one handle on the ground and all your weight on the other. It's a bit more obvious to a passer-by what's going on.

A good advice is to use two good locks of different technologies. Most thieves carry tools to break a single type of lock. Thieves are lazy too, so they'll take the bike easier to steal. And for those who think that using a cable locked trough a U-lock is using 2 locks, it's not. It's no safer than using only the u-lock - once the thief breaks the u-lock, the cable is gone. If you're gonna carry a cable and a U-lock, use a cable with it's own lock. This will give you two independent locking systems of different types, which will need two different tools to break. A LOT safer.

Take this picture as example:

The cable is secured trough the same U-lock that locks the frame. A thief only has to break the u-lock, and the bike is free. If you carry a cable with it's own lock, then you can secure the front wheel and the frame to the other pole of the stand. This way a thief has to break the u-lock using one type of tool, and the cable using another. Unless of course he's carrying a disc grinder, at which point no lock in the world will stop him.

Personally, I use a chain. I used a cable but my bike was stolen within the month I bought it. With luck, the police found it the next day. The thief was nice enough to leave me my cable.

The chain is just long enough to wrap both wheels and the frame. It's the strongest chain my local hardware store stocks, but it's small compared to other bike chains. I don't think I'd want to carry a larger one for commuting. It gets way too heavy and cumbersome. When I move to a larger city for University, I'll simply stop using my bike to commute. It's just not worth it.

I have had the best luck with floor pumps. In fact it is really hard to get Hi PSI tires full if your not using a floor pump. A hand held pump is going to get you home but may not get you to your regular pressure. My buddy uses cartridges to get his tires full if he gets a flat.

I know nothing of locks. Maybe some one has some great pumps they love to use.