My Santa Cruz 5010c "S" build in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

quote:

Originally posted by Beancooker:
I have decided I am going to build my grail bike, from the ground up. So many decisions. I would like to start with a custom built frame from Standard. Debating between a custom, one off frame to my specs, or one of many really nice frames out there. Some of it will come down to price. I also have to figure out if I want an aluminum or 4130 frame. Once that is decided, then the rest gets easy.

I prefer 4130 Chromoly as it is STOUT. A Chromo frame will bend and flex a bit more than an aluminum frame offering a slightly more comfortable ride.

I raced an alloy frame when I was in legit race events (where they require you wear a helmet and have to qualify for the main event) but for every thing else I prefer Chromoly frames. They ride better and take hard hits better.

I have started riding more again and all this talk got me into the rabbit hole. So I was looking at the big brands and some smaller ones and noticed that Specialized is running some what look to be amazing sales on certain bikes. They only have the smaller sizes but those are my size. They aren’t half price but pretty close. Good frame, really good components. Specifically the Stumpjumper EVO Alloy Elite. It seems like a good deal for very good components on a solid alloy frame. (I have a carbon bike, I don’t mind alloy). What am I missing? Are they just clearing them out or is it a bad bike that doesn’t sell? I’m thinking of pulling the trigger but it seems too good to be true. (If you can call crazy bike prices “too good” lol)

Well I still have my 2013 Orbea Orca, but at the last of last year picked up a 2023 Bianchi Infinito CV Disk.

The CV stands for Counterveil which is the way the carbon fiber is laid to reduce vibration.

This is a 61cm frame, and I made some upgrades.

Reform brand saddle (remoldable to my butt using heat)
Deda 35mm diameter carbon fiber bars
Rolf alloy wheelset (made in Eugene Oregon, and very stiff)
Stages dual sided power meter with 52/36 chainring
Di2 Ultegra shifting
Dura Ace +4mm SPD-SL road pedals
11/32 12 speed cassette.

This thing is super smooth, and super light.....I am running 33mm tubeless tires.

Riding takes me to my happy place, reduces my blood glucose levels which allows me to reduce insulin intake.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
I have started riding more again and all this talk got me into the rabbit hole. So I was looking at the big brands and some smaller ones and noticed that Specialized is running some what look to be amazing sales on certain bikes. They only have the smaller sizes but those are my size. They aren’t half price but pretty close. Good frame, really good components. Specifically the Stumpjumper EVO Alloy Elite. It seems like a good deal for very good components on a solid alloy frame. (I have a carbon bike, I don’t mind alloy). What am I missing? Are they just clearing them out or is it a bad bike that doesn’t sell? I’m thinking of pulling the trigger but it seems too good to be true. (If you can call crazy bike prices “too good” lol)

The bike industry is adjusting from being unable to keep up with demand to a glut of product they cannot sell at current prices.

I wish I had waited a year before I bought my Specialized Status 160. If anything right now is a good time to be a buyer for both the new and used bicycle markets.

That is what I was hoping. I think I am going to add this one. Thanks.

That Status looks like a fun bike. They have knocked a bunch off the frame set price. Hopefully in a week or two I can add some photos.

Any recommendations on platforms? I noticed there are a ton of choices. Simple seems like Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Gen 2. Any better/cheaper/but still good choices you recommend? I can go aluminum but it seems like a big price jump for not enough gain but I can be talked into anything. lol

We sell a lot of crank bros (stamp) platforms at the bike shop I work at. I have never had an issue with them.

I like Hope F20 platforms but there are a lot of good options out there. Chromag also makes a nice platform pedal.

Stickman, look at this. It’s about 40 miles from my house. I’m so tempted to call, but damn…that’ll be spendy.

https://prescott.craigslist.or...sale/7712033563.html

https://prescott.craigslist.or...sale/7716246087.html

I have a white, 1987 GT Performer since new. All original including the tires.

That is an interesting listing Beancooker.

I had a 90’s USA made Mongoose loop tail BMX bike. I was quite surprised when I looked at what similar bikes to mine are selling for on eBay.



Petr, I highly recommend holding onto that 1987 GT Performer. The USA made GT bikes will only become more valuable and collectable over time.

The new GT bikes are no longer made in the USA. They are made in Taiwan or China depending on their trim level/price point.

I have a late 80’s maybe early 90’s Dyno Compe buried somewhere in my parents garage. I need to dig it out along with my Powerlite P51 I used to race.


While I don’t like that GT bikes are not made in the USA anymore I am happy to see the geometry and basic frame shape of the Mach One I remember from the mid 1990’s is still being made today. Of course now it comes with either 29inch and 24inch wheels.

Unfortunately the new version has a frame made of aluminum alloy instead of 4130 chromoly steel. We have a green/tan camo version a lot like the one below for sale at the shop.

Look at the dropouts and the way the chainstay is bent and welded to the seatstay, identical to the 1995 Mach One pictured below it.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I've been wanting to reply to this thread with a picture but I just couldn't find one ...

... until today. I was so proud of this thing. A bicycle that looked like a motorcycle.

It had the working front forks in front and actual spring shocks on the back. Both of these features made it hard to pedal because any downward force was wasted into the spring action of the suspension. I won exactly zero bike races with it. However, the jumps I'd do were the best on the block.
I've never seen another like it or I'd probably buy it and try to ride it.

A friend had one of those, I remember it being all red. It was a tank. You could ride over anything with it, which was good because you sort of had to, because it lacked agility because it weighed so much. It was like a real dirt bike without the engine. It seemed to us to weigh twice what our bikes did (and our bikes weren't light by any stretch of the imagination). Try to do a wheelie, it would just suck it up. Forget trying to do a "hop", it weighed as much as we did and again it would just suck it up. That's what we would do for competitions, see who could get the front wheel off the ground the highest. (just barely an inch or two)

In 1987 GT sourced frames from Taiwan and, I want to say Japan?, as well as the US. I am unsure where mine was made and if it is chromoly or not. I need to do more homework on mine because I have seen what people are paying for them currently. Knowing when to sell will always be a guessing game.

Well, that didn't take long. Big sticker on the bottom...Made in Taiwan

I sold my chromoly frame Marin Pine Mountain hardtail to a friend that also works at the bike shop. He is converting it to a 72V 5,000w (6,500w peak power) mid-drive electric mountain bike that will make 260 Nm (191 ft lbs) of torque.

It is going to be an absolute monster and has one of the most powerful if not the most powerful mid-drive motor currently on the market.

A carbon wheelset is inbound so hopefully the build is completed today.

Didn’t feel like this question needed a whole topic devoted to it, so I figured I’d ask it here. I have a Specialized Sirrus X 4.0 and I love the bike but feel like I don’t have enough top end. I’m torn between getting a larger chainring or just adding a second bike to have something faster. Logically, I feel like I should just upgrade my current bike. Thoughts?

synthplayer,

It is the CYC X1 Pro Gen 4 and it’s a total monster. The side with the windings is clear so you can see inside the motor too. It’s such a cool design.

Link to CYC website



Spiff_239, a chainring is a fairly inexpensive mod. I would try that first. It’s an easy mod that makes a big difference with top speed.
I put a 50T chain ring on one of my e-bikes and can now pedal up to 30+ mph. It increased my max pedaling speed and also increased the range on my bike as it took a bit of the work away from my electric motor at higher speed.

Another year, another new bike…


For those not familiar with my biking/weight-loss journey, a bit of a recap…

In 2021 I bought an analogue Giant “recreation” bike. That lasted 6 months before I got in good enough shape to start climbing the hills needed to expand my riding area. Problem was the lowest gear was too much strain on my knees and I ended up having to dismount and walk over the crests at times.

In 2022 I sold it and bought a Salsa mountain bike. The low gearing made hills doable without too much strain on my knee, downside was the lower high gear limited flat road speed to about 14 mph.

2023, while riding with a church group, I saw how easily they could maintain speed on the uphill and started seriously considering the e-bike idea. So in June I decided that an e-bike could be the “best of both” with higher gearing for faster speed on the flats (unassisted), and climb hills using assist instead of super low gearing. I ended up with an Aventon fat tire bike based primarily on price/features and it seemed fat tire models were all the rage.

1700 miles later, I was happy with the Aventon as it solved my main problem. Winter came and I moved back to the NordicTrack for exercise.

I had a chance to get my first outdoor rides of the year in over the past couple weeks and returning to the Aventon from my NordicTrack really highlighted two issues that I realized I wasn’t happy with -

1. WEIGHT. At about 85lbs with rack and add ons, it is a HEAVY bike. Not really a problem while riding, but low speed maneuvers can be tricky and coming in to a stop and dismount after 30 miles or so requires care to keep my knee from getting overloaded while managing the weight and balance.

2. The rolling resistance of the fat tires (26x4) along with the weight means the slightest uphill and the bike quickly bleeds momentum requiring frequent gear changing to stay self-powered or hitting the throttle/assist level to keep my speed up. Even a 2-3% grade would require turning the PAS on or a throttle burst.

I managed good range on the bike, but had to be mindful of battery charge at all times. It is NOT a bike that is easily ridden on any appreciable grade without assistance. In the event of a failure of the assist, it would be a hard trip home.

With all this in mind (and current sale prices) I decided to upgrade to a higher quality e-bike that was more road/path oriented with lighter weight and “regular” tires. Still want to keep at least 60 mile range or so but with a lighter bike that could be ridden more easily without power, the max range wasn’t going to be as important and in the event of failure it could be ridden home without to much difficulty.

Came home with the Gazelle Ultimate T10+ HMB (Hybrid mid-drive Bosch). It has the current top of the line Bosch drive unit, 28mph top assisted speed, is a much lighter ~60lbs or so with rack and add ons, and rolls along on 28x1.75” tires.

Did a quick 10 mile shakedown ride when I got home and am very happy with the way it rides. Sooo much more nimble than the Aventure, especially at low speed. Doesn’t bleed speed anywhere near as bad the moment you hit a slight incline and the ~30% weight reduction along with road tires makes it a lot easier to the momentum going with less need for assist.

911Boss I think you are really going to like that new bike with the Bosch motor! I've only had one long ride on an ebike but it was a lot of fun and an ebike is in my future.

Stickman, thanks for starting and keeping this thread going. I need it during the winter doldrums. We got to 80° today and I hope to be riding this weekend. I had a mountain bike crash and broke my collar bone on a ride in October and I haven't ridden a lick since. Here's a pic of my Stumpjumper from last summer in Colorado. Saturday will be my first ride in 4 months!

quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:
Funny how bikes are just one more thing like guns and camera equipment that seem so easy to drop big coin on once you get over the “first” expensive one.

Three years ago I was like ”$800 is a LOT of money for a bicycle”. Two years ago I was like ”$1100 isn’t too bad for this bicycle”. Last year I was like ”$1400 is a good deal for what I am getting…” and last week I was like ”Only $3500? Wow, I was expecting to pay more…”

Ah, Grasshopper, you have finally found enlightenment!

I have been cycling for many years so when I bought my BMC Roadmachine (featured at the top of page 10), I had no illusions about the price. However, it was what I wanted so it was just a number to me. I was actually more worried about paying a premium as supply was still lagging behind demand and there were none to be found. It took me five months to find one but I only paid MSRP, so I was very happy. By the time I added the new wheelset and other accessories, the bike, as pictured, is somewhere around $7300 invested but I really don't think about it that much. I just go out and enjoy the ride....and try not to crash.

quote:

Originally posted by ibanda:
Stickman, thanks for starting and keeping this thread going. I need it during the winter doldrums. We got to 80° today and I hope to be riding this weekend.

I hear ya! I've been on the smart trainer and Zwift all Winter. We had a beautiful Saturday a few weeks go and about 20 of us from the local club went out for a ride. It was my first outdoor ride since November and it was great! Of course, the weather turned around and it has been crappy ever since. However, it's slowly warming up again and it appears that next week might yield some outdoor riding. Fingers crossed!