Author Topic: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers  (Read 62505 times)

Brokenreign

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #100 on: May 20, 2016, 04:55:58 PM »
carrying by bb >> carrying by top tube
literally anything is better than panniers. they make every bike handle like garbage and you can't reach your snacks

Do you have an image of someone carrying a bike by the bottom bracket (I assume that's what you mean by bb)? I'm having a tough time imagining that.

Also, I'm surprised you find panniers to be the worst method.  I currently have a cantilevered seatpost rack that has a matching bag it interacts with to quick secure & quick release it.  It's convenient, but it makes the bike very tippy when getting set up to do things like open doors, pump tires, lock bike, etc.  The dismount can be difficult/embarrassing if you fail to achieve leg clearance.  Forces you to have Jean Claude Van Damme level flexibility.

I've got a regular old steel road bike now, but I found a Yuba Mundo cargo bike on CL that I'm scooping up and hooking a Falco motor to.  I have been lusting after quality ebikes for a while now, but the sticker shock held me back.  I should be able to get this built for just over a thousand, which isn't bad considering electric Mundos go for 3,500 new.

I don't think that panniers are practical for bikepacking. Few of them can handle the constant vibrations and impacts associated with mountain biking (especially with loads) and you're just asking to lose hardware. MEC (Canuck REI) sells a pannier made for mountain biking but I've never seen one being used:

http://www.mec.ca/product/5043-071/thule-packn-pedal-tour-rack/?h=10+50156&f=10+50159

Porcelain Rocket (owned by a fellow Calgarian!) makes good bikepacking equipment. I read that Ortleib is now in the game as well. As usual, I'm guessing that their bags will be the best. The seat mounted bags make the bike a little tippier for sure but are still the most elegant and reliable way I could think of. I only go out a few times a year and just use a backpack, small seat bag for tools and snacks, a dry bag full of food strapped to the bar and a large water bottle in a cage on the frame. Once you get the water and food off the backpack it becomes pretty manageable.

As per bikes, I commute on a 80's Olmo road bike converted to a single speed. Hipster dished rims on sale at Amazon, Planet Bike Speed-Eze fenders (only ones that will work with no brake clearance) and narrow little hipster bars that provide no leverage or benefits of any sort. It seems that riding a single speed means that all the reasonably priced gear is oriented towards hipsters. My mountain bike is a 2013 Giant Reign X, with a hodgepodge of parts. I'm on my third iteration of the frame as they keep cracking. Giant is great with warranty though. On one occasion, they had already shipped out a new frame before I had even returned home from dropping off the cracked frame at the shop!

I like this thread. Bikes are fun. I sometimes with I was into a cheaper hobby, as bikes and the associated trips are definitely delaying FIRE.

131071

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #101 on: May 23, 2016, 08:57:28 AM »
This thread is awesome.  As a few others have said, bikes also represent a mustachian conflict for me.  They save my family tons of money vs owning an automobile, but I'm far more inclined to purchase accessories to make the ride even more enjoyable, and I have a far nicer/more expensive bike than I need.  The amount of time spent researching and reading about new bikes and technologies makes me feel very consumerist. 

Bike: Soma Double Cross.  Steel frame and fork, easily accommodates wide tires, racks, and fenders.  My frame has mounts for both disc and cantilever brakes, although I believe the current model is disc-only.  Makes an excellent commuter, in my opinion!

Lights: I have a Shimano Alfine dynamo on the front wheel.  They power a Busch & Muller Eyc T Senso Plus (front light) and a Toplight Line Plus BrakeTec (rear).  I frequently hear comments from drivers telling me how bright/visible they are, so that is a plus.  The rear brake light automatically detects a drop in current when the wheel spins slower, and pulses the light (effectively a brake light) to alert drivers who may not be fully engaged behind me. I use a Blackburn Super Flea strobe light on my helmet.  I like the combination of a steady light powered by the dynamo, and a strobe light that points anywhere I turn my head.  I find it very effective when I notice a driver who is not paying attention to the road. 

Tires: Schwalbe Marathons, 700x32.  These are the widest tires I've run on a commuter to date.  They make for a very smooth ride, and are virtually puncture-proof.  I've logged thousands of miles without issues on these tires. 

Wheels: The front wheel is a Velocity Blunt that my friend (manager/part owner of a local bike shop) hand built around the Shimano dynamo.  The rear wheel is an American Classic touring/commuting wheel that was included when I purchased my Soma off craigslist. 

Fenders: None at the moment.  I recently purchased this bike to replace another commuter bike I'm selling.  I'm still weighing whether or not I want to reinstall the fenders, as I'm usually decked out in rain jacket and pants when the weather is poor anyhow, and mud on those clothes doesn't bother me. 

Racks:  Portland Design Works, "The Payload."  Free from my bike shop buddy.  A customer purchased at his shop, then purchased another one due to aesthetic taste.  They didn't want to keep the PDW rack, so left it at the shop.

Panniers: Ortlieb back rollers classic. 

Photos: https://goo.gl/photos/b6Qs7ZdPi4pTQGHj7

« Last Edit: May 23, 2016, 09:01:36 AM by notnebtp »

infogoon

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #102 on: May 23, 2016, 09:16:46 AM »
Those Velocity Blunt rims are awesome. I wish they still made them in the brighter colors, though; I cracked an orange one and couldn't get a replacement.

Faraday

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #103 on: May 29, 2016, 11:11:55 PM »
...
Bike: Soma Double Cross.  Steel frame and fork, easily accommodates wide tires, racks, and fenders.  My frame has mounts for both disc and cantilever brakes, although I believe the current model is disc-only.  Makes an excellent commuter, in my opinion!
...

Great posting notnebtp in our awesome thread! I see you have ridden Walnut Cove, which tells me you are near Asheville, correct? We've got several mustachians there!

heywheresgina

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #104 on: June 14, 2016, 11:33:18 AM »
Bike: 2013 Trek 7.2 FX WSD in gunmetal with all standard components, except I replaced the quick releases with Pinhead solid axle wheel locks. I bought this bike new in 2013 in my pre-Mustachian days, and I love it. It's a reliable, comfortable, and attractive commuter bike. Trek's women-specific design is great for us short gals.

Lights: Knog Blinder 4 front and rear. They're rechargeable with built-in fold-out USB plugs. I recently replaced my unreliable battery-powered Planet Bike lights with these, and so far, they're meeting my needs perfectly.

Tires: Bontrager H2 Hard-Case Lite w/puncture resistant belt, 700x35c. No complaints here.

Fenders: None yet, but I'm moving to Portland in a few weeks and will probably install some soon.

Rack: Planet Bike Eco rear rack.

Panniers: Novara Gotham, but for most trips I just wear a backpack.

131071

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #105 on: June 23, 2016, 06:17:11 AM »
Faraday,

I'm in Charlotte.  Recently made it over to Asheville for a weekend away with my wife.  We don't own a car, so we don't get to the mountains as frequently as we like.  If there were public transportation between the two cities, we'd likely ride the parkway every weekend.  Are you in the area as well?

SoccerLounge

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #106 on: June 26, 2016, 07:52:28 PM »
The following responses may demonstrate my determination not to allow my bike to delay reaching FI ;) ...

Bike: A wonderfully dated-looking Haro Alpha hybrid. Green and purple logos on black frame! 1992 IS REAL!! :D
Lights: Just a couple of 'good enough' cheapies. I use rechargeable AAAs, which I already own.
Tires: The old answer was 'whatever is cheapest at the LBS without being total garbage'. The answer after I spent much of my college career bike commuting is 'whatever Kevlar is cheapest at the LBS without being total garbage.' ;)
Fenders: I don't use fenders. If I'm going to be riding in wet conditions I use a raincoat with a hood to keep back and head dry. Or I just suck it up. ;)
Rack: Just a cheapie, modded to have the smallest sized Action Packer toughbox attached. This is good for large-volume but low-weight stuff, like many grocery runs. For low-volume but high-weight, I use a hiking pack.
Panniers: I don't use panniers.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2016, 07:56:19 PM by SoccerLounge »

Katsplaying

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #107 on: June 29, 2016, 01:46:18 PM »
TANNUS TIRES FTW!

After flatting twice in one day I flipped out and started researching better tires. I got lots of advice here about using Slime and thorn-resistant tubes, etc., but all of that just meant less likely flats.

Tannus makes slicks, semi-slicks, the Razor (which is what I got), and some other styles of tires in a wide variety of sizes. And colors! I emailed the vendor in AZ, Cycle To Go, and ended up shipping my rear wheel and getting a new front from them. (My bike is a Frankenstein blend from the local bike co-op non-profit). After viewing some installations of these tires, I knew I'd be much happier having them professionally installed and they provide that service for an extra $15/tire. 

Shipping turn around was under 2 weeks. Expensive as hell but for me, totally worth it as I cannot risk missing work or being late due to a flat. Also, the idea of a pleasant Sunday morning ride that ends in a hike home is not fun.

The ride is definitely rougher but I commute on city streets in bike lanes that are littered with gravel and utility vault covers, so not all that noticeable. I chose the blue tires so they're crazy bright against streets & sidewalks and I am all about visibility when riding. I don't ride in the rain so cannot speak to traction on the wet. I've put about 60-70 miles on them so far and I do think they're a slighter tougher ride but again, that's not my primary worry. My commute is only 4.5 miles each way and working a little harder will only make me a little fitter.

The Razors are $70 each. The local Kona shop showed me "armored" tires that were $50 each, plus thorn-resistant tubes, plus Slime. And that still might go flat. My Tannus tires never will. For me the math works. As always, YMMV.

GuitarStv

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #108 on: June 29, 2016, 04:12:05 PM »
TANNUS TIRES FTW!
To be fair, STV pointed out that a gun in the home increases the chance of a family member being shot. You are arguing it can deter other sorts of violent incidents. You are using the general term 'safety'  in regards to "protecting' your family and STV is ONLY pointing out one very specific type of concern.  So, quite clearly, you could both very easily be correct, since neither of you is arguing the same point....
After flatting twice in one day I flipped out and started researching better tires. I got lots of advice here about using Slime and thorn-resistant tubes, etc., but all of that just meant less likely flaTo be fair, STV pointed out that a gun in the home increases the chance of a family member being shot. You are arguing it can deter other sorts of violent incidents. You are using the general term 'safety'  in regards to "protecting' your family and STV is ONLY pointing out one very specific type of concern.  So, quite clearly, you could both very easily be correct, since neither of you is arguing the same point....ts.

Tannus makes slicks, semi-slicks, the Razor (which is what I got), and some other styles of tires in a wide variety of sizes. And colors! I emailed the vendor in AZ, Cycle To Go, and ended up shipping my rear wheel and getting a new front from them. (My bike is a Frankenstein blend from the local bike co-op non-profit). After viewing some installations of these tires, I knew I'd be much happier having them professionally installed and they provide that service for an extra $15/tire. 

Shipping turn around was under 2 weeks. Expensive as hell but for me, totally worth it as I cannot risk missing work or being late due to a flat. Also, the idea of a pleasant Sunday morning ride that ends in a hike home is not fun.

The ride is definitely rougher but I commute on city streets in bike lanes that are littered with gravel and utility vault covers, so not all that noticeable. I chose the blue tires so they're crazy bright against streets & sidewalks and I am all about visibility when riding. I don't ride in the rain so cannot speak to traction on the wet. I've put about 60-70 miles on them so far and I do think they're a slighter tougher ride but again, that's not my primary worry. My commute is only 4.5 miles each way and working a little harder will only make me a little fitter.

The Razors are $70 each. The local Kona shop showed me "armored" tires that were $50 each, plus thorn-resistant tubes, plus Slime. And that still might go flat. My Tannus tires never will. For me the math works. As always, YMMV.

How did you park it on the ceiling and wall like that?

Katsplaying

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #109 on: June 29, 2016, 09:07:28 PM »
My job is so high security that if I told you, you'd know.

Seriously, I just fail computers.

Faraday

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #110 on: October 24, 2016, 12:18:35 AM »
Hi All, Faraday Here;

I winked out of the forums for awhile, but I'm back and ready to gab bikes 'n stuff.

I landed a pair of panniers - the "Transit" brand sold by Performance Bike. They are similar to the Ortlieb Backrollers (not clones, but you get the idea) and do a fine job so far.

katsplaying, you are a hoot. And I seriously lust for your tires.

Faraday

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #111 on: October 24, 2016, 12:21:45 AM »
Faraday,

I'm in Charlotte.  Recently made it over to Asheville for a weekend away with my wife.  We don't own a car, so we don't get to the mountains as frequently as we like.  If there were public transportation between the two cities, we'd likely ride the parkway every weekend.  Are you in the area as well?

hi notnebtp! Sorry for the slow response. I live in Raleigh but I get to Asheville whenever possible. All my family is there so if I don't go, I don't get to see them as they are loathe to leave the mountains. I hear you about public transport. Yes, it's sucky in NC but that's why taxes are relatively low, I guess.

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #112 on: December 02, 2016, 11:35:22 PM »
This is a great thread. I started reading it and was inspired to post my own experiences. Seeing some common themes in choices of gear. Hope this helps someone.

Background: My SO and I have been commuting or running errands by bicycle for the last three years in Maryland. We actually moved every year, so commuting distance has varied from 3-10 miles one way. We would bike basically every day regardless of weather. However, we just moved across the country and got work from home jobs. We no longer commute to the office but we do live in a small town in Alaska and don't own a car. A bike is critical for our day-to-day errands (and we quickly have accumulated 4 now between the two of us since our move!).

Bike: We usually buy whatever is cheap on craiglist/bike co-op/ebay that fits. Usually this ends up being a decade old or more mountain bike for around $100. I usually try to pick good frames with clearance for fenders, wide tires, plenty of eyelets for racks/fenders, as well as standard brakes (avoid frames with u-brakes or convert them over to standard road-style calipers - I ruined schwalbe marathon due a u-brake once on a frame I had due to the pad wear creeping up the rim instead of down). I've especially liked the number of eyelets on my old steel Giant Sedona ATX but have noticed a modern Kona aluminum frame with plenty of good stuff as well. And my recently purchased, used from the local bike shop, Specialized 29er has all kinds of good eyelets as well. Glad they are including these kinds of things on newer bikes. I also like disc brakes for all-weather riding but these tend to not be found in our typical price range (my 29er has them though and they are great).

Lights: We probably go overkill on our lights. But after almost getting run over in a dark neighboorhood shortly after we started biking everywhere we decided it was worth it. We use "Light&Motion vis360 plus" lights on our helmets which provide both front in rear lights (and a bit of side lighting). We use cygolite hotshot (2 each) on the rear. About once every year or so one of us end up losing a hotshot light as it invariably falls off somehow. Still we keep buying them because they are so bright and otherwise great. Just wish the mount was a bit more secure. They are so bright I put them on solid-only (no flashing) at night otherwise people have told me they thought I was a police car in the distance. On the front I use a Nightrider 700 and my SO has a cygolite explilion 850. Both are great and have a daytime flash mode as well. All lights continue to work 3 years later. We also tried "revolights" once but they felt too gimmicky and required constant adjustment and only fit on 700c wheels. In the end we didn't think they were worth it and returned them. Between the two front lights and the 3 rear lights of our system we haven't had a problem being seen at night (or during the day) since.

Tires: I love our Nokian Hakkapeliitta W240 Studded Tires for winter commuting. They are slow and noisy but the grip is amazing. Plus with the tread pattern they aren't bad in powder either. I've tried schwalbe marathon winters in comparison and wasn't impressed. For summer tires I had good luck with the Sheldon Brown approach of running a larger tire up front (Schwalbe big ben 26x2.15) for comfort and a narrower tire in the rear (schwalbe marathon 26x1.75). Using that system we were very comfortable on week-long mini-bike tour on the mostly unpaved C&O canal and GAP trails (DC to Pittsburgh). Not sure yet what tires I'll get for the summer in Alaska here (currently running winter tires and the summer tires from our co-op bikes were rotten).

Fenders: Our Maryland bikes ran either Planet Bike cascadia or SKS longboards. They cascadia's were OK. They were one of the few fenders I could find when I first started biking that had clearance for 2.0"+ mtb tires (there are more options I realize now), but I feel that the longboards were much more rigid (didn't flex when deflecting water) and had better coverage of the bottom bracket area. Both the SKS longboards and the cascadias were very easy to mount to the bikes in my opinion. Since moving to Alaska (and a temperate rainforest) I sprang for some gilles berthoud metal fenders for our new (used) bikes. These were much trickier to mount and took several trips to the hardware store to make right, but they have awesome coverage though and are rock solid (and look good to boot). If you add mudflaps (don't come standard) they have more coverage than the longboards even. The one drawback is you shouldn't just ride off a curb with these fenders (it will scrape).
 
Racks: I had a planet bike eco rack on my Maryland bike which was very light and pretty (white) but it was also tiny. My SO had a bontrager back rack 2. Since her rack had a solid top I was able to mount some bolts and wing nuts for a home-made quick disconnect system of her rear milk crate. I had always thought the topeak explorer rack looked really weak since you have to bend the connections to the seat stays but after reading the sweethome article on them http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-bike-rack-basket-panniers/ I bought them for our bikes in Alaska. No regrets so far; they are solid and should be easier to migrate from bike to bike if necessary.

Panniers: We've never used panniers. Almost. I bought a set when we first started biking but I found them to be too impractical. I was constantly worried about them falling off the bike, and was confused about what to do when you went into a store (do you leave them on the bike? Are you supposed to awkwardly carry them around?). To us baskets and milk crates seemed to make more sense. Just toss your backpack or bags in and go. We even used our baskets and crates on our mini bike tour. Also I had a hard time paying over $100 for panniers (I guess I'm cheap about some things). Milk crates were free from friends or cheap from good will ($3 maybe). I was able to make a wingnut release system to quickly detach my so's and used hose clamps so I could detach mine - albeit a bit more slowly which was handy if we wanted to put our bikes on our car rack. I really liked my wald detachable front basket as well but it is not a universal fit for bikes. Since moving to alaska I decided to spring for wald foldable rear baskets but the verdict's still out on those. They do fold flat but they're heavier and noisier (they rattle) than a milk crate. Also they sit lower like a pannier which helps your center of gravity but means spray from the wheel (even with fenders) tends to land on items in the baskets. We also went with the adjustable fit front baskets for our Alaska bikes from the sweethome article. That front basket works well though sometimes I wish it was larger and I miss the quick release feature though the support to the eyelet makes it much sturdier. We have found that we can stuff plenty of things in our baskets but for really big loads as MMM recommends you can't beat a "child" (grocery) trailer. We picked up a used one for $30 in Maryland on craigslist (and sold it for $40 three years later!) but so far they're a bit harder to come by in Alaska at that price point. Maybe next year.

cincystache

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #113 on: December 10, 2016, 03:11:53 AM »
but we do live in a small town in Alaska and don't own a car. A bike is critical for our day-to-day errands.



That's awesome! Inspiring to hear people using their bikes and avoiding cars in AK of all places. Well done. Truly badass

cincystache

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #114 on: December 10, 2016, 03:48:51 AM »
I have 2 bikes, one is currently set up for ice/snow/rain and the other for dry conditions. My office is only 3 miles away but I usually stretch it out to 6 or 7 via bike path detours to get a little exercise.

Bike 1: Specialized crosstrail sport, 8 years old. (Bad weather bike). Kenda Klondike studded tires 700x35. SKS Commuter 2 fenders. Milk crate attached to a rear rack for cargo.

Bike 2: Kona Mahuna 29er, 3 years old. Originally bought to be my mountain bike but have since stripped it down to an awesome lightweight singlespeed fair weather commuting tool. I put 700c tires (side note: 700c tires fit onto 29er wheels as long as the tires are wide enough). My tires are 700x40 Schwalbe Marathon Plus Touring tires I found on Jenson during black friday last year for $20 each. Given these tires are built to withstand heavy touring under load, I think these were a good investment and will hopefully last many years. Highly recommended, no flats yet (knock on wood).

Side note:I'm a fan of singlespeed bikes (not "fixie") after riding them for awhile, particularly if you live in a relatively flat area. They are less maintenance and easier to clean and lube with fewer parts to break or cables to adjust etc. you can ditch all your shifter and derailing mechanisms.

Lights/visibility: I have a helmet mounted niterider 650 and a chear usb click rear light I use on both bikes. I do a fair amount of night commuting so I'm looking to make myself a little more visible to cars. Any suggestions are welcome. I might get one of those bright reflector vests. Cars never fail to do stupid things, but I want to make it as obvious as possible and help drivers see me better.'

Keep riding folks!


Faraday

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #115 on: March 08, 2017, 09:19:00 PM »
Recently bought a pair of these:
http://www.performancebike.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10052_10551_1185783_-1___
(I hope that link works...yell if not...)
I love 'em. Tons 'o room and I don't fear rain or water any more.

Same Road, Same Rules! :-) :-) :-)
I love this thread so much.....
« Last Edit: March 08, 2017, 09:23:11 PM by Faraday »

Capt j-rod

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #116 on: March 26, 2017, 05:26:09 PM »
I'm probably the luckiest guy on here. A guy was moving and had to sell everything... I snagged his Surly Big Dummy for a steal. $500. Has the saddle bags, a schlumpf drive, and is mint. Schwalbe Fat franks, custom wheels, the whole nine. I can carry the kid with a load of groceries. I only wish that my area was more bike friendly.

131071

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #117 on: March 26, 2017, 06:18:59 PM »
I'm probably the luckiest guy on here. A guy was moving and had to sell everything... I snagged his Surly Big Dummy for a steal. $500. Has the saddle bags, a schlumpf drive, and is mint. Schwalbe Fat franks, custom wheels, the whole nine. I can carry the kid with a load of groceries. I only wish that my area was more bike friendly.

I love our Surly Big Dummy.  What is a Schlumpf drive?  We picked ours up on Craigslist used, but not quite at that low a price.  What have you hauled with it?

Capt j-rod

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #118 on: March 28, 2017, 09:30:15 PM »
Mostly my 4 year old and a lot of groceries. The schlumpf does away with the front sprockets and is either a high or low gear. I kinda kick myself because it had a rohloff hub in the back but the seller wanted another $500. It was too much to wrap up in a bike. Really a cool setup. I decided the dummy was cool enough and had him swap it out.

moof

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #119 on: March 30, 2017, 02:19:12 PM »
Performance Access Prowler 2011 29er.  Not a big fan of it.  About 4500 miles on it, about $1600 total into it with assorted repairs and maintenance.  Rear derailleur seems to be shot, so that is likely the next repair on the docket.

Tires:  1.9" Serfas semi-slicks, but they still kick up a lot of rad muck.

Fenders:  SKS shockblade thingies.  They keep the worst off my crotch and back, but tons of spray on the lower legs, and the front one will spatter my shirt any time I go 20 mph or over.  I can't find decent 29" fenders that will work with the non-existing front mounting lugs.

Front shock is always locked out since I ended up only ever using it as a commuter despite bigger intentions.  It slowly lost oil and the lockout stopped functioning.  I rebuilt it with a stiffer spring, and now my handiwork is slowly leaking oil (worse than before).  The last rebuild was enough of a mess and hassle I am really not looking forward to tearing it apart yet again.

Back wheel got replaced because of constant loosening and breaking spokes.  Spent more time and money trying to fix it than the replacement cost.

Now I'm on the hunt for a good sale on something better suited for commuting.  I like disc brakes, but want get rid of the front shock.  I need a more upright seating position, but most of those style bikes are "cruisers" that don't interest me, so I am resigned to putting on a riser style handle bar on whatever I end up buying.

KCM5

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #120 on: March 31, 2017, 06:17:28 AM »
Now I'm on the hunt for a good sale on something better suited for commuting.  I like disc brakes, but want get rid of the front shock.  I need a more upright seating position, but most of those style bikes are "cruisers" that don't interest me, so I am resigned to putting on a riser style handle bar on whatever I end up buying.

I put a taller stem and risers on my mountain bike (early 90s Trek) and I find it really comfortable. I used to have a dutch bike (some would call it a cruiser style) and frankly, the mountain bike with risers is just as comfortable. Its not as upright (no "sit up and beg" anymore) but still less pressure on the hands, which is a problem for me. Bonus: people think it looks awesome. I get complements on the thing all the time.

What do you like about the disc brakes? The stopping power? I have a disc on the back and rim brake on the front (kind of weird, but I have an xtracycle attachment) and I really find myself hating the disc brake. The subtle noise that the emit annoys me. And they don't work as well as my rim brakes when its below freezing. I'm in the midwest with plenty of snow, ice, and springtime muck, so you'd think I'd be the target market for disc brakes, but I hate them.

Capt j-rod

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #121 on: March 31, 2017, 06:54:26 AM »
You might try some different brake pads... The discs on the dummy were pretty weak when I got it. The LBS had some different pads and I adjusted them. Been great ever since.

KCM5

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #122 on: March 31, 2017, 07:40:52 AM »
You might try some different brake pads... The discs on the dummy were pretty weak when I got it. The LBS had some different pads and I adjusted them. Been great ever since.

Thanks! I'll look into that the next time I do any work on the bike. It's the rear brake, so right now I pretty much just don't use the disc brake, which is fine.

Kmp2

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #123 on: March 31, 2017, 11:27:25 AM »
Ugh, so bikes are my favourite thing... I seem to commute for a year, and then take a years worth of parking money savings and buy a bike... my current n+1 is this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1616617044/the-lift-cargo-bike

Bikes: 3.5 bikes, The newest is an Uptown 8 LS by Breezer... it's my summery <5miles wear anything... and outfitted with everything, seriously fully enclosed chain, Nexus 8 IGH, integral rack, fenders, kickstand, bell, and dynamo hub powered lights... love the simplicity and low maintenance. The 0.5 bikes is a extracycle edgrunner that I share with my hubby. It takes our two kids (1 & 4) where they need to go, and carries all their gear (like a stroller, and picnic, and diaper bag.. and winterclothes/rainstorm gear etc...). It also hauls a good amount of groceries, and is way more fun and easier to ride then a regular bike with trailer... I can carry 100+lbs on the extracycle and only really notice it on the hills, the smaller wheel is so helpful when starting, and it keeps my kids center of gravity low... I just hate derailleurs... too much winter maintenance.
My winter/longer city rides bike is a MEC chance and is outfitted as below :)

Lights:  Planet bike blinky in rear, a Magicshine front light (2000 lumens... although I usually keep it on the 200 setting unless I'm on a really main road, in winter, or route finding through the forest in the dark...)

Tires: Summer continental touring, winter shwalbe marathon studs

Fenders: Planet bike cascadia

Rack: ? but I had to change it out to a 50kg rated one to put the Yepp childseat on...

Panniers: Main ones are an Arkel Bug pannier/backpack, and an ortlieb shopping bag, and a basil basket. I have others... though not used as frequently.

and my final bike is a Trek road bike, that used (prekids) for long rides and triathlon races... hoping one day to get back on it. For now I find it wonderful to ride in races when all my training was done on an extracycle... It feels like I have grown wings :)

And wow, that's a lot of bicycles for one person...

Lenify

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #124 on: April 04, 2017, 12:19:39 AM »
Bikes! Recently decided to upgrade to "real" bike commuting and get clipless pedals. I'd read about the benefits but nothing compared to actually riding clipped in for the first time.

PNW commuter, roughly 6mi/day. Fenders and a rear rack. Lights front and rear. Gatorskin tires to deal with terrible road conditions.

distanceman89

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #125 on: April 11, 2017, 12:50:22 PM »
I've gone through a couple!

My first was a 70's/80 Peugeot UO-8 that I got for $24 at a yard sale (didn't have 25 and made a deal), put velo orange fenders on it, cheapie walmart lights and rode to classes and did errands during college on it, ~2-3mi. wonderful bike for the purpose, I'd recommend if you're a road-based commuter, heavy but still fast, great loaded handling, and classic good looks.

That bike fell off with a roof rack and got eaten by a semi, now the Leather saddle (totally worth the weight and cost for the comfort IMHO) lives on an 80's Panasonic MTB I got for $50.

Currently I ride a 7 miles one-way commute in the Lehigh Valley PA, one mile on road, the rest on a mix of rail-trails and singletrack, so i really need a jack-of-all trades and the old MTB fits the bill. My Advice: Get a lugged steel no-suspension MTB that's slightly too big for you. I ride a 17-18" MTB normally, and this 20" basically has a mix of road and MTB geometry for me. Upright enough to commute, be comfy and see easily, but longer and more stable than a regular mountain ride, especially when loaded. They may need some maintenance and love, new cables, chain, a few replacements for bent parts, but they are strong enough to take some abuse, use great modern-ish components and sealed bearings, and dirt cheap on CL. They're the used '90s cars of the bike world, not yet classics, and not new enough to cost much.

For Lights I currently use a Cygolite metro 550 and hotshot rear, I have zero complaints, battery lasts long enough for a full day of riding, and I charge at work anyway. Plenty bright, though I'm not on busy streets or hyper-fast speeds either. My unnecessary desire is for a dynamo hub light, but I don't ride randonneurs or anything that needs one.

Tires Serfas Drifter Survivor Series, 2" tires. Inverted tread is the bomb for me. Best compromise tire out there. Smooth center strip for fast pavement and hardpack rolling, while the inverted tread provides adequate grip on loose, wet, snowy stuff. The only thing that stops me is 6" or deeper snow, when the rear won't have enough traction to push the front through. They are heavy, but I'm not racing, and the thickness means they're that much harder for anything to puncture (no flats yet, 1 year on them, through glass-littered college-town streets, and old rail beds with plenty of loose metal that ate many tires before these.)

Fenders Velo Orange SS Fenders. Hard to find fenders that fit 2" tires well, and these did. Super durable, and work great paired with some homemade Leather mudflaps at keeping my feet dry. Again, I went for heavy and durable over lightweight, these occasionally eat sticks and things and are none the worse for wear.

Racks More Velo Orange, and another splurge like the fenders, but after breaking 3 aluminum rear racks (I guess car batteries and some tools exceed the weight limits a bit) I felt justified. They integrate nicely with the fenders, giving structure to one another, and the threaded holes on the racks let me do things like attach baskets and tools easily, which helps as I am a woodworking teacher by trade.

Panniers Ratty old Avenir Panniers I got ages ago, have some holes in the bottom even but all I use them for is clothes and food, occasionally I'll bag my laptop and add that in, but otherwise its all my hand tools that travel back and forth with me. Someday I'll build some nice light wooden boxes for them and my food/clothes... someday. Someday ALL the projects will be done hah


FrugalFisherman10

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #126 on: April 18, 2017, 06:56:28 AM »

Magicshine Clones:
http://www.amazon.com/1200LM-XML-T6-Headlamp-Headlight-Bicycle/dp/B00GFLQMAK/

This light  will run on USB 5v and has a USB connector. These low-cost lights promise remarkable lighting for a fraction of the cost of the Schmit and B&M. The design and efficiency is lesser (IMHO) than the German-engineered dynamo lights. I have seen where some people complain that the lights fail, and in that case you're likely out of luck unless it just never worked out of the box.

These clone lights may not last as long as the German lighting, but I'm going to give 'em a try, see how they work out. I'll report back to this thread what I find out.

UPDATE: I've been using the cheap Amazon USB-powered light and I love it. It doesn't have a "perfect" beam shape, but it's bright as hell and runs damn near forever on a 10000mAh lithium backup battery pack. This has become my new fave el-cheapo bicycle light!

Beware: This light is easy to steal - it attaches to the bike with a little rubber donut and would be trivial to steal very quickly. I expect to use this light for commuting to work, where I don't have the problem of theft.
Couple questions for you on this light, as I'm new to the idea of a USB powered bike light.
1) This requires a USB charger - can you recommend a certain one?   Also, how do you mount the usb charger in a way that it is not just dangling somewhere near the headlight?
2) Process: When using this light, what does the process look like? i.e., if you need to charge the light, what you really do is charge up the USB battery pack right? So the battery pack needs to be able to be quickly removed from however it is mounted (i.e. I shouldn't just tape it to my bike frame or something?)
3) Is there any other attachments or ways that the housing of the light could be mounted to the handle bars better? It seems like a pretty bulky headlight to be mounted using the donut ring method..and I go over a lot of bumps on my commute so I'm concerned it would just be wobbling around the whole time. If it weren't mounted securely it would just be something else on my mind/distracting while biking.

All that to say, I'm very interested in this bright light, and at that price it seems like a win-win since I don't bike much at night. I'd even like to use it during the day time just to make sure cars see me better.

FrugalFisherman10

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #127 on: April 18, 2017, 07:38:47 AM »
Bikes! Recently decided to upgrade to "real" bike commuting and get clipless pedals. I'd read about the benefits but nothing compared to actually riding clipped in for the first time.

PNW commuter, roughly 6mi/day. Fenders and a rear rack. Lights front and rear. Gatorskin tires to deal with terrible road conditions.

That's a Bikesdirect bike, correct? Or maybe I'm mistaken and the motobecane brand is it's own thing.
My uncle (when he was also located in the PNW) told me about that site a few years ago and I looked into it a little bit. Have you been happy with it? It looks great.
I ended up buying a used bike recently instead of going that route (a Trek FX 7.3, similar to heywheresgina) as the feeling I got about the bikesdirect bikes was that there aren't huge difference makers till you get up into the higher end, with really great components/groupsets etc. Also since I don't know a ton about all the bike components and what I needed to pay the most attention to from the outset, yet.

Lenify

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #128 on: April 18, 2017, 09:41:58 AM »
Bikes! Recently decided to upgrade to "real" bike commuting and get clipless pedals. I'd read about the benefits but nothing compared to actually riding clipped in for the first time.

PNW commuter, roughly 6mi/day. Fenders and a rear rack. Lights front and rear. Gatorskin tires to deal with terrible road conditions.

That's a Bikesdirect bike, correct? Or maybe I'm mistaken and the motobecane brand is it's own thing.
My uncle (when he was also located in the PNW) told me about that site a few years ago and I looked into it a little bit. Have you been happy with it? It looks great.
I ended up buying a used bike recently instead of going that route (a Trek FX 7.3, similar to heywheresgina) as the feeling I got about the bikesdirect bikes was that there aren't huge difference makers till you get up into the higher end, with really great components/groupsets etc. Also since I don't know a ton about all the bike components and what I needed to pay the most attention to from the outset, yet.
Yes it's a bikes direct model. One of the higher end models with 105 components and quality disc brakes. Feels much safer in the rain than my previous bike with rim brakes.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk


Nightwatchman9270

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #129 on: May 08, 2017, 09:47:24 PM »
Do I win the Mustachio Award for Bicycling Cheapness?

Giant Nutra bought on CL :$70

Bike rack:  Came with the bike so....free?

Panniers: Milk Crate I Found in the Dump in Back of a used Book Store I Frequent in Chattanooga:  Free + $1.00 for the Bungee Cords
              I do my groceries with it and it will carry a weeks worth of groceries (or at least the staples I buy)


Tires: Dunno came with the bike...

At 25 lbs the bike is no lightweight but for grocery runs of ten miles it's fine.

Oh yeah and no fenders and no lights.  When it's dark I don't ride.  Lights wouldn't change that. People with light on their motorcycles get killed all the time at night. :)

taiwwa

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #130 on: May 09, 2017, 03:57:02 PM »
For an el-cheapo commuting bike, this is what I'd recommend--

Sram Automatic 2 speed hub

Possibly get a folding frame from Montague. Otherwise, any track bike frame will do.

Get some panniers and a rack, fender, all that.

Drop bars.

The Sram automatix 2 speed is the best IGH I've used. No cables at all are needed and it has a good drop down for when you need it on hills.

It comes with a 19t cog so I'd recommend something like a 42t front chain. Though, make sure to get a chain guard...my chain fell off and I wrecked hard.

You'd have to build the wheel yourself though.

Total cost:

$200 for single speed bike with drop bars
$20 for appropriate spokes
$60 for hub.
$50 for rack
$50 for panniers
$50 for cyclocross tires.

That's like $430.

Runner5

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #131 on: May 17, 2017, 10:58:13 AM »
Long time lurker, second time poster.

Can anyone recommend some (UK available) panniers, or luggage solutions for a folding bike to help me quell my Brompton lust? I've got the Dahon on loan from a v. generous colleague, but aside from the fact that it doesn't fold up as small as a Brompton the custom made luggage options are luring me in, which is very non MMM of me. (I'm not just being opulent with the folding bike, I live in a terraced house, so no garage and no shed for full sized bike storage!).

Infraredhead

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #132 on: May 17, 2017, 11:59:11 AM »
Bicycle:  This is my grocery store bicycle and I ride a KHS Urban Xcape. I rode close to twenty bikes before deciding on this one two years ago and chose it for the following reasons:

1.  Strong frame.  I live in a large city with large potholes so I knew I wanted something that could take a beating.
2.  It fits my body perfectly plus it had a walk through frame.  I tried to make a man's bike work for me but that was a no go. 
3.  The name brand doesn't attract looks like my Trek and Specialized. We live in a high crime area with a large homeless population so I knew I wanted something that I wouldn't cry over it if I left the store and found it missing.
4.  I got a screaming deal on it because it had been sitting in the store for quite some time.
5. I obviously like the color purple. Don't hate.

Lights: I have an old flashlight holder on it so I can easily unscrew it and remove my inexpensive light when it isn't needed.  Nothing fancy.

Tires:  The ones that came with the bike. My only requirement were that they needed to be able to take a pounding on city streets and that they have Schrader valves because I hate you Presta!  I have had this bike close to two years and so far no pinch flats.

Fenders:  Planet Bike brand off of Amazon

Racks:  I have a Topeak rack.  My other bicycles also have Topeak so I can easily switch around carriers.

Panniers: My entire bike is outfitted with Wald bike baskets.  The front one is a smaller basket that can be removed but mine is pretty much permanently attached in an attempt to prevent theft. The back baskets fold in and are also permanently attached.  I like the Wald baskets because they are TOUGH, last forever, and each basket can easily accommodate a reusable grocery bag.  They easily hold heavy important items like boxed wine.  Ha ha ha
« Last Edit: May 17, 2017, 12:01:04 PM by Infraredhead »

Faraday

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #133 on: May 30, 2017, 10:40:01 PM »

Magicshine Clones:
http://www.amazon.com/1200LM-XML-T6-Headlamp-Headlight-Bicycle/dp/B00GFLQMAK/

This light  will run on USB 5v and has a USB connector. These low-cost lights promise remarkable lighting for a fraction of the cost of the Schmit and B&M. The design and efficiency is lesser (IMHO) than the German-engineered dynamo lights. I have seen where some people complain that the lights fail, and in that case you're likely out of luck unless it just never worked out of the box.

These clone lights may not last as long as the German lighting, but I'm going to give 'em a try, see how they work out. I'll report back to this thread what I find out.

UPDATE: I've been using the cheap Amazon USB-powered light and I love it. It doesn't have a "perfect" beam shape, but it's bright as hell and runs damn near forever on a 10000mAh lithium backup battery pack. This has become my new fave el-cheapo bicycle light!

Beware: This light is easy to steal - it attaches to the bike with a little rubber donut and would be trivial to steal very quickly. I expect to use this light for commuting to work, where I don't have the problem of theft.
Couple questions for you on this light, as I'm new to the idea of a USB powered bike light.
1) This requires a USB charger - can you recommend a certain one?   Also, how do you mount the usb charger in a way that it is not just dangling somewhere near the headlight?
2) Process: When using this light, what does the process look like? i.e., if you need to charge the light, what you really do is charge up the USB battery pack right? So the battery pack needs to be able to be quickly removed from however it is mounted (i.e. I shouldn't just tape it to my bike frame or something?)
3) Is there any other attachments or ways that the housing of the light could be mounted to the handle bars better? It seems like a pretty bulky headlight to be mounted using the donut ring method..and I go over a lot of bumps on my commute so I'm concerned it would just be wobbling around the whole time. If it weren't mounted securely it would just be something else on my mind/distracting while biking.

All that to say, I'm very interested in this bright light, and at that price it seems like a win-win since I don't bike much at night. I'd even like to use it during the day time just to make sure cars see me better.

1) This requires a USB charger - can you recommend a certain one?   Also, how do you mount the usb charger in a way that it is not just dangling somewhere near the headlight?

It requires a battery with a USB power-providing port on it, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-20000mAh-Portable-Charger-Battery/dp/B01N3C001I/ref=sr_1_6?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1496205357&sr=1-6&keywords=usb+phone+power+bank

I use a couple different packs I got off Amazon. I bought mainly on price. Put it in a handlebar pack or a top-bar pack. Goto performance.com.

2)  You got the idea right: you remove the battery to charge it up. If you use a velcro-on pack or bag, remove it from the pack to charge. It's all done with velcro-on packs, pretty much.

3) Light attachment:  The little rubber donut works plenty fine for me. If it's too floppy, flip the light upside down and let it hang from the handlebars.

Give 'er a try and let us know how it works out!
« Last Edit: May 30, 2017, 10:41:52 PM by Faraday »

taiwwa

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #134 on: May 31, 2017, 03:47:30 PM »
I should add that I was in Ikea recently and I noticed that their city bikes have the SRAM automatix installed.

And at a little under $400 they look like a pretty good value.

FrugalFisherman10

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #135 on: June 03, 2017, 09:47:31 AM »

Magicshine Clones:
http://www.amazon.com/1200LM-XML-T6-Headlamp-Headlight-Bicycle/dp/B00GFLQMAK/

Couple questions for you on this light, as I'm new to the idea of a USB powered bike light.
1) This requires a USB charger - can you recommend a certain one?   Also, how do you mount the usb charger in a way that it is not just dangling somewhere near the headlight?
2) Process: When using this light, what does the process look like? i.e., if you need to charge the light, what you really do is charge up the USB battery pack right? So the battery pack needs to be able to be quickly removed from however it is mounted (i.e. I shouldn't just tape it to my bike frame or something?)
3) Is there any other attachments or ways that the housing of the light could be mounted to the handle bars better? It seems like a pretty bulky headlight to be mounted using the donut ring method..and I go over a lot of bumps on my commute so I'm concerned it would just be wobbling around the whole time. If it weren't mounted securely it would just be something else on my mind/distracting while biking.

All that to say, I'm very interested in this bright light, and at that price it seems like a win-win since I don't bike much at night. I'd even like to use it during the day time just to make sure cars see

1) This requires a USB charger - can you recommend a certain one?   Also, how do you mount the usb charger in a way that it is not just dangling somewhere near the headlight?

It requires a battery with a USB power-providing port on it, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Waterproof-20000mAh-Portable-Charger-Battery/dp/B01N3C001I/ref=sr_1_6?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1496205357&sr=1-6&keywords=usb+phone+power+bank

I use a couple different packs I got off Amazon. I bought mainly on price. Put it in a handlebar pack or a top-bar pack. Goto performance.com.

2)  You got the idea right: you remove the battery to charge it up. If you use a velcro-on pack or bag, remove it from the pack to charge. It's all done with velcro-on packs, pretty much.

3) Light attachment:  The little rubber donut works plenty fine for me. If it's too floppy, flip the light upside down and let it hang from the handlebars.

Cool. So you keep the battery in the velcro pack, then just put the cord from the battery pack to the light, and zip the pack closed as tight as you can?
M
« Last Edit: June 04, 2017, 08:47:59 AM by FrugalFisherman10 »

Stahlmann

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #136 on: June 28, 2017, 10:12:30 AM »
Any good tips on panniers?
I mean I live in continental Europe.

Lenify

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #137 on: June 28, 2017, 10:29:06 AM »
Any good tips on panniers?
I mean I live in continental Europe.
I got some cheap waterproof ones on Amazon for about $30. Don't be afraid to try an unknown brand if rated well.

runbikerun

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #138 on: June 28, 2017, 03:24:51 PM »
Just getting started on the road towards FI, and I think reading about cycling was what led me to MMM in the first place, so it seems as though a thread about bikes is a good place to begin. I'm in Europe, so some of the brand names popping up for me are absolutely mystifying. I'd never heard of Nashbar, and my entire knowledge of Schwinn bikes is based on Brad Pitt laughing at them in Burn After Reading...if any of the manufacturers or shops mentioned below are equally confusing in the opposite direction, my apologies. My own cycling habits are a bit different to those of other posters - I use mine mostly to train and race, albeit badly. My route to work is both well-served by a public transport option and almost as easy to run as to cycle (the best run route is about 4km shorter than the best bike route), so bike commuting is only as often as I feel like it.

The bike itself is a B'Twin road bike from Decathlon, with Mavic Aksium wheels and a 2x10 105 drivetrain. Picked it up on sale for about €550, which was well below half of what I'd have paid for a comparable bike new anywhere else. I've upgraded a few bits and pieces - the pedals are dual-sided SPDs also from Decathlon, and because I like doing duathlons, I have a set of Deda Due aero bars installed which I picked up on Wiggle for €45. My helmet's an aero road model made by Planet X - when they introduced the new model, the old ones were sold off for €23 each - and I race in a trisuit bought from Lidl for €20. For training purposes, I have a very basic turbo trainer (bought in Halfords) and turbo wheel (Wiggle) which lets me go flat out in my own house - total cost about €160. Just about the only thing on the bike that cost absolute full price is the pair of GP4000s.

Lights are USB chargeable (Halfords again). Because my cycling is done mostly in daylight or on well-lit roads, I need something to alert drivers to my presence rather than show me where I'm going - so the ones I have are fine for what I do. I don't have a rack or panniers, because I'd rather carry a big backpack than spend my time either detaching the rack every few weekends or worrying about the aero penalty instead.

I may yet end up buying a wildly expensive blade-shaped time trial bike in the future, but that's not going to happen until and unless I miss the podium at a race by a margin smaller than the claimed time savings I'd be buying. In other words, if a TT bike is worth a full minute over 20kms, then I don't get to buy one until I finish within a minute of third place at a race with a 20km bike leg.

---

In case anyone here is in Europe and wondering about the suppliers I've mentioned:
Decathlon - big-box sports stores, stocking everything you can imagine. Their in-house brands tend to be far better quality than the price indicates.
Wiggle - cycling gear website. I try to shop local, but Wiggle prices things at a level I can't justify ignoring - frequently half the price of physical shops.
Halfords - their cycling stuff is usually nothing to write home about, but every now and again they sell something at a comically low price to clear the shelves for the next model. Worth keeping an eye on for things you're planning to buy eventually.
Planet X - bike manufacturer with a reputation for producing equipment significantly better than price would suggest.

infogoon

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #139 on: June 30, 2017, 08:26:50 AM »
Any good tips on panniers?
I mean I live in continental Europe.

I just purchased a pair of Ibera clip-on panniers from Amazon, and I'm very happy with them so far; plenty of room for a change of clothes, lunch, and a few tools in just one, and the rain fly is very effective.

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KW2ZIMQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

FrugalFisherman10

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #140 on: July 21, 2017, 07:56:02 AM »

Magicshine Clones:
http://www.amazon.com/1200LM-XML-T6-Headlamp-Headlight-Bicycle/dp/B00GFLQMAK/

I use a couple different packs I got off Amazon. I bought mainly on price. Put it in a handlebar pack or a top-bar pack. Goto performance.com.

2)  You got the idea right: you remove the battery to charge it up. If you use a velcro-on pack or bag, remove it from the pack to charge. It's all done with velcro-on packs, pretty much.

Cool. So you keep the battery in the velcro pack, then just put the cord from the battery pack to the light, and zip the pack closed as tight as you can?
M

Can anyone recommend a top tube bag where the 'charging port' coming out of the bag is near the handlebars? (not near the rider) There's all these cheap bags on Amazon with a headphone jack at the bottom of the bag, but I think it would make more sense to use USB rechargeable lights with a power bank and cord coming out of the 'front' of the bag.

GuitarStv

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #141 on: July 21, 2017, 06:32:38 PM »

Magicshine Clones:
http://www.amazon.com/1200LM-XML-T6-Headlamp-Headlight-Bicycle/dp/B00GFLQMAK/

I use a couple different packs I got off Amazon. I bought mainly on price. Put it in a handlebar pack or a top-bar pack. Goto performance.com.

2)  You got the idea right: you remove the battery to charge it up. If you use a velcro-on pack or bag, remove it from the pack to charge. It's all done with velcro-on packs, pretty much.

Cool. So you keep the battery in the velcro pack, then just put the cord from the battery pack to the light, and zip the pack closed as tight as you can?
M

Can anyone recommend a top tube bag where the 'charging port' coming out of the bag is near the handlebars? (not near the rider) There's all these cheap bags on Amazon with a headphone jack at the bottom of the bag, but I think it would make more sense to use USB rechargeable lights with a power bank and cord coming out of the 'front' of the bag.

Why not just get an available bag and then put a rivet in the top (or even a simple hole) in the top?  Hell . . . you could even sew a bag together with only a couple dollars worth of heavy canvas, a small zipper, and some velcro (pro-tip . . . use dental floss instead of thread and the stuff you sew will last forever).

I'm a big fan of making what I need for my bike if it's not immediately at hand.

FrugalFisherman10

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #142 on: July 22, 2017, 05:20:18 PM »
I really should get better at sewing...
I'm constantly thinking of things I could make/revise if only I could sew better. (pant legs, backpacks, pockets, etc.)

I mean I took home ec and  learned the basic knot and all, but I don't have the 'gear' to be sewing through canvas I don't think.

Poking a hole in something isn't a bad idea, but it would have to be big enough to receive one of the cord I'm putting through it, and then it would be 'too big' after wards. Good suggestion though, I may just do that.

GuitarStv

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #143 on: July 23, 2017, 02:10:54 PM »
I really should get better at sewing...
I'm constantly thinking of things I could make/revise if only I could sew better. (pant legs, backpacks, pockets, etc.)

I mean I took home ec and  learned the basic knot and all, but I don't have the 'gear' to be sewing through canvas I don't think.

Poking a hole in something isn't a bad idea, but it would have to be big enough to receive one of the cord I'm putting through it, and then it would be 'too big' after wards. Good suggestion though, I may just do that.

No special gear required.  I've done a fair amount of modification to backpacks and bags with just a needle and dental floss ( it's worth investing in a thimble though, so you aren't stabbing yourself all the time when pushing through).  It just takes some time.

J Boogie

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #144 on: July 28, 2017, 08:46:35 AM »
I have a specialized awol comp (it's a cyclocross/touring kind of bike, they call it an adventure bike).  It's steel and pretty sweet overall, great components.  CL for $800.

Front rack - specialized pizza rack.  $90 online.

Bag for front rack - mission workshop transit duffel.  $200 online.

My biggest priority in looking for a rack & bag system was finding a work-friendly laptop compartment bag that I'd use everyday regardless of whether I biked or drove.  I hated the hassle of having to move my badge, wallet, keys, etc from one bag to another if I was switching my commute mode.

It was tricky, as most panniers wouldn't be something you carry around in an office every day, and I don't want to wear a backpack either biking or in the office. 

The mission workshop transit duffle connects to my front rack really well, even though I have drops.  It totally fit the bill, an everyday carry that works really well on a bike.  Pricey but worth it.

Tass

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #145 on: August 02, 2017, 07:31:17 PM »
This seems to be a thread of experienced cyclists; do you have any recommendations for a newbie? I just moved 3 miles from work and I'm in the market for, as MMM puts it, "an instant gratification bike." I'm nervous to spend too much before I've proven myself; any recommendations on brands that put out decent starter bikes in the low hundreds of $$? Schwinn seems to be a popular brand on craigslist but I've seen some scorn toward it as well?

Should be a fully paved commute with some hills, and I'll want decent lights to alert cars to my presence. Thanks!

GuitarStv

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #146 on: August 03, 2017, 07:36:20 AM »
At three miles, any bike will work fine.  My recommendation is to ask around your friends and family to see who has an old bike they're not using and then hop on that for a while.  Don't buy anything at first.  Just try it for a couple weeks until you figure out what works for you.  That will give you a much better idea of what to look for in a bike.

PS - If you're biking during the day, very bright clothing is more important than bike lights in my opinion.  Get in touch with your inner early '90s fluorescent colour worshiper.

Lenify

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #147 on: August 03, 2017, 09:35:51 AM »
You may be able to rent a bike locally for a few days as well to get a feel for commuting

palebluedot

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #148 on: October 25, 2017, 10:44:50 PM »
@Tass

Check out MMM's secret bike page: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/bike/

I bought a fortified 8-speed bike on sale during Memorial Day for $549. I've been commuting 9 miles round trip everyday to work. It's a very nice ride and a big jump for me since I was riding an old Trek bike from the 90s which I picked up from my sister when I began cycling again.

With winter approaching I'm now looking for bike lights. I'm thinking of keeping it simple and purchase Fortified's own light combo: https://fortifiedbike.com/products/aviator-afterburner-combo-pack?variant=3851867333

or try custom as suggested in these reviews:
http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-commuter-bike-lights/
https://www.bikelightdatabase.com/best/headlights/

Are most USB rechargeable bike lights reliable nowadays? I probably can't go wrong with either option.

Tass

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Re: Discuss Your Bike, Bike Lights, Tires, Fenders, Racks and Panniers
« Reply #149 on: October 26, 2017, 09:35:02 AM »
@Tass

Check out MMM's secret bike page: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/bike/

Good to know, but even those are out of my price range for now. I got a simple Trek FX 7.0 off craigslist for $200. Thanks for the link though!

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!