Bicycle thread

[Yinzer Moto]

I was surprised to find out that Dura Ace and Ultegra had been failing because Shimano has always been top-notch. As that tech trickles down, will the flaws in the manufacturing? Supposedly, water was infiltrating somewhere in the bond and slowly eating away at the areas where it's joined.

Sorry, I did not watch that whole video. Please let me know if I missed something. Having spent a couple decades as a bicycle mechanic and then managing a bike shop, I saw a lot of interesting corrosion issues. He is correct that we do mix a lot of dissimilar metals. One of the tough ones that I tried to get customers to do is to remove their seat posts occasionally on TI and Steel frame bikes, when the seat post was aluminum. I think the biggest issue was human sweat. Some people have much more corrosive sweat than others. Certain customers would always have bad corrosion problems on their bikes. Stems, front derailleurs, bottom brackets, brifters, etc. This was made worse if they put the bike on an indoor trainer in the winter.

Lastly, higher end components are not made to last. They are made for performance. Mid level is generally where you will find a very nice balance in performance vs durability. I distinctly remember an altercation with a customer who bought a Sworks mountain bike. $10k+ bike. He rode 5 days a week, in all weather. After 4 or 5 months, he needed a lot of parts replaced. The titanium and aluminum drivetrain was totally shot. Rear suspension pivots were crunchy. He was very upset and wanted to exercise his 1 year warranty on the parts. We could not convince him that he wore the stuff out and taking the parts off and shipping them to Shimano was not going to do anything, especially since he would be without a functioning bike for several weeks. I think he decided to have us install mid level components on the bike so he could keep riding and ship his XTR parts off. Shimano denied the warranty.

 

[Yinzer Moto]

I watched some of that today. That's a bit of a surprise.

Here's a chart that stacks them up by weight & price. More than double the price of 105 to drop around 600g.

Finally, Shimano 105 Di2 affordable road groupset shifts electronic at 56% less than Dura-Ace!

Shimano 105 gets electronic Di2 upgrade with all the same semi-wireless, 12-speed & improved brake performance as Dura-Ace at <1/2 the cost!

bikerumor.com

600g of weight loss is pretty nice but something that can not be conveyed on a chart is how smooth the higher end stuff works. I can put full power into my pedals and shift a DA bike and it will still shift smoothly and nearly silent. The bearings are really smooth and efficient. I am not saying that everyone should be riding DA, the law of diminishing returns starts to hit pretty hard around the 105 level.

 

[Mambo Danny]

 

[CTG]

Hello Dave!

 

[2whlrcr]

Welcome back!

 

[CTG]

Welcome back!

Hi!

 

[Stormdog]

Great to “ see you “ over here Christine.

 

[CTG]

Three pinch flats in 25 miles sucks.
Going tubeless is a good idea.
When my friend says the roads are smooth, don't believe him.
When my friend says he has tire levers, don't believe him.
When a passerby says you're crazy to be riding in this heat, believe him.

The Garmin Edge 530 & Garmin lights worked flawlessly. Really good stuff. The Varia radar taillight is impressive, not a gimmick.

End RR

I agree... Not a gimmick.

I have owned Varia 510, 515, 315 and 715 and use them with Italian Road Bike Mirror. They alert me to traffic before I can see or hear it. I only use the audio cue to look at the mirror (not the bike computer) which streamlines the rear checks. Eyes go to where they need to be. I am not a fan of Garmin, but in an environment where we cannot trust others with our safety these are some of the most useful tools for maintaining situational awareness and our own safety. They are a great stocking filler or birthday present for cycling friends.

I prefer Cateye lights so use a 315 and gave the 510 and 515 to friends. A good feature of the light versions is the flash rate increases as vehicles get closer. And the high speed alarm. If speed difference is greater than 80kph (don't quote me on that for exact number) a Garmin head unit warns us. Radar has the occasional false positive, it is rare, but I have never had a false negative. They work very well.
My only gripe with the 715 was battery life. It has double the runtime (about 4 hours) of a GoPro for example and is actually really good for a camera, but can still be too short to record an entire ride. Wear is awful when using cells to the maximum and I'd ruin it within a year. Garmin doesn't make battery replacement easy. I have front and rear cameras for evidence, I don't have time to do anything else with it, and they are set up with external power from a battery inside the frame. All the cool gadgets around here disappear and turn up on the girl's bikes and I didn't get as far as seeing if the 715 would run on external power.

 

[CTG]

I've thought of that, but I want the bicycle specific features offered by a bike computer in addition to navigation.

If you have an iPhone it is easy. Options are Cyclemeter (app) that is IPhone specific and a Quadlock front mount with BT sensors. Power meters and rear radar (RTL-515 or later) are also supported.

My company still had boxes of iPhone 7 that have been donated to the club and are being refurbished by volunteers and given away as needed. The extra bonus for us is rider location/tracking in case they get past the sweep. They are always no drop rides and many riders are under age... It is a lot less money than a Garmin with all the bells.

 

[CTG]

Thanks. Finding ways to re-purpose older products is a smart approach.

I wanted a fitness watch, so going with an all Garmin solution made some sense for me - but only after I read enough reviews to convince me they worked well together. I also have no plans to upgrade for many years, so the upfront cost isn't too unbearable when buying their mid-tier products.

So far, I haven't run up against the backend frustration I had when using Garmin Basecamp with an older navigation GPS. If I had, I would've returned the lot.

Somehow I managed to miss the comment about having a 530 even though it was right there with the Varia radar. My comments might be some value to the next person pondering the same question. lol

Fitness watch... For interest Garmin Instinct will broadcast HRM to your 530 and you can record all day every day on the Instinct. It is interesting to see how low you go while asleep. IIRC Instinct also does speed and cadence, but you'll need at least Fenix for power and some other features. I don't do any of this except the HRM so it is all a bit hazy.

If you're working in the Garmin ecosystem it all works very well.

My problem with the company is from aviation products and EULAs, TOS and non-privacy statements. I pay enough as a customer and don't want to be the product. In many consumer lines they are near the top and it is really a question of whether a person can tolerate the terms (if they ever read them). Most people don't care and sign their lives away.
I have a number of Garmin products, Vector 3 pedals, 530, HRMs, speed and cadence sensors, Instinct and Fenix, but I keep them all away from the internet. Instinct is a useful HRM and 530 is for the advanced pedal features that I only use occasionally.

 

[CTG]

I ride with a helmet mirror and use it the same way when I hear a radar alert. Looking to my helmet mirror is such an ingrained habit that I'm annoyed when it's not there, and I've caught myself looking for it after long rides when I hear something behind me.

I suspect Garmin has a very segmented management structure which results in some uneven consumer products.

Helmet mirror never really worked for me. I made a mirror using a spoke, dental mirror and hot glue attached to a pair of Bolle safety glasses. That worked really well. I found that with a mirror that small the closer it gets to the eye the wider the FOV.

I can't find a photo of mine, but it is like common recipe on the internet sans bottle top. I also folded the end with a large radius so it wouldn't end up in my skull in a crash.

 

[CTG]

More like this...

Dental mirrors with front surface reflector are better than pieces of bathroom mirror.

 

[MrWellAdjusted]

Can e-bikes transform our cities? | FT Tech

Can e-bikes transform our cities? | FT Tech

Sales of electric bicycles, or e-bikes, are booming. At the same time, innovations in battery technology have extended the range an e-bike can travel. The FT’s Harry Dempsey explores the impact they’re having on commuting, deliveries, and the cities we live in

www.ft.com

 

[CTG]

Can e-bikes transform our cities? | FT Tech

Can e-bikes transform our cities? | FT Tech

Sales of electric bicycles, or e-bikes, are booming. At the same time, innovations in battery technology have extended the range an e-bike can travel. The FT’s Harry Dempsey explores the impact they’re having on commuting, deliveries, and the cities we live in

www.ft.com

Have an opinion? Let's here it. lol

 

[MrWellAdjusted]

Have an opinion? Let's here it. lol

I think it's great. Bikes, e-bikes, small e-motorcycles, and small displacement motorcycles instead of cars. The narrowing of streets, with bike lanes, so traffic is slower, improved transit, and walkable areas at the cities core.

 

[Stormdog]

Have an opinion? Let's here it. lol

I can’t see it happening here in the states.
Our suburban sprawl combined with our obesity rate leaves a very small percentage of the population that would even consider a bike.
Then throw in all the excuses…..
I need to stop at Whole Foods on the way home Etc.
Most office workers won’t give up their morning lattes let alone show up for the morning meeting with helmet hair.

 

[CTG]

I think it's great. Bikes, e-bikes, small e-motorcycles, and small displacement motorcycles instead of cars. The narrowing of streets, with bike lanes, so traffic is slower, improved transit, and walkable areas at the cities core.

It is happening in Europe. I can't see it happening in the USA and perhaps Canada until you have burnt every last drop of oil!

I am not going to agree with "small e-motorcycles and small displacement motorcycles" being included. Here and in Germany we have 50kph ebikes that are classed as mopeds. They are registered and used as a motor vehicle because they don't mix with pedestrians and other slow traffic. American class 3 and Canadian ebike limits are close to our moped limits.
I'd even push for revising (lower) power limits and especially minimum human input and multipliers on the existing lower EU limits because a bicycle should be primarily human powered and because they are mixing with pedestrians.

if you haven't seen this channel already...

https://www.youtube.com/c/NotJustBikes

 

[CTG]

I can’t see it happening here in the states.
Our suburban sprawl combined with our obesity rate leaves a very small percentage of the population that would even consider a bike.
Then throw in all the excuses…..
I need to stop at Whole Foods on the way home Etc.
Most office workers won’t give up their morning lattes let alone show up for the morning meeting with helmet hair.

I implemented ride to work schemes for my companies here... They don't actually have to ride to work. Any 45 minute recorded and uploaded aerobic activity is acceptable and employees receive payments of €100 to €350 per week for activities minimum three days a week and up to five days a week with bonuses for consistency. Every site has showers and lockers, helmet hair isn't a problem, neither is occasional weather related late. They can enjoy their latte and the money is a tidy bonus for a middle income earner. It is paid for by increased productivity of the fit and healthy and reduced health insurance liability.
Since Covid most staff work from home, but that doesn't change anything. In the EU participation is over 80%. The US and Canada had very poor participation and I heard all the excuses.

 

[Mambo Danny]

Hello Dave!

Great to see your virtual in-shape self here, C!

 

[Mambo Danny]