What have you bought for bicycle today?

[formula400]

oh they're proper blingy...

That why I need a new road bike

[weeksy]

At the moment, so do i.... although i doubt i'd ride it with them daft bars !

[formula400]

Why not??? I never ridden one, but want to

[weeksy]

Why not??? I never ridden one, but want to

1. They're horrible
2. I have a broken hand

[Beancounter]

oh they're proper blingy...

That why I need a new road bike

Looks way cooler to wear them on a fixie with über narrow bars.

[Beancounter]

Why not??? I never ridden one, but want to

1. They're horrible

Having a belly like mine, I have to agree that using drops is horrible. They’re pretty useless for riding in London too, IMO.

[formula400]

Good to know.

Fair play about the broken hand.

[DefTrap]

Just completed changing most of the drivetrain on my beater road bike. Took it to bits in peak dont-go-out lockdown (previously running fine) and on reassembly it developed squeaks, clicks and rattles all over the place.
Eventually ended up replacing chain, bottom bracket, freewheel, pedals.
Moral of the story is "dont clean it!" But on the other hand pushbike parts are dead cheap.

[weeksy]

Pizza!

Well, that was for me but I was on the bike

[chutzpah]

Yesterday I bought a whole new (used) bike for my son, just in time for his birthday. His first adult sized frame

He'd definitely outgrown his last through lockdown, he's a member of a youth cycling club and was beginning to look a bit silly on his during their weekly training sessions.

The second hand market is nuts at the moment! Nice bikes are demanding high prices, crap bikes are listed at high prices. Had to do a three hour round trip but worth it for the right bike. Hoping to have a quick ride out with him today.

[weeksy]

Yesterday I bought a whole new (used) bike for my son, just in time for his birthday. His first adult sized frame

He'd definitely outgrown his last through lockdown, he's a member of a youth cycling club and was beginning to look a bit silly on his during their weekly training sessions.

The second hand market is nuts at the moment! Nice bikes are demanding high prices, crap bikes are listed at high prices. Had to do a three hour round trip but worth it for the right bike. Hoping to have a quick ride out with him today.

Give us a clue then?

[chutzpah]

Thought of the day: I have to stop buying white bikes. They're a nightmare to clean.

I was trying to convince him to get a lovely Charge Juicer I'd spotted, but at his age it wasn't quite the right style. It was gorgeous though. For the age he is though (12 tomorrow) and the type of road bikes everyone else in his club rides, I do get why he plumped for this one.

He wants to go clipless next, as most of the kids in his group have now.

[Bubbles]

Got some new rear pads, Muc-off drivetrain cleaner (that is pad friendly) and disc cleaner.

Can you guess what I did on Sunday?

[weeksy]

Wasn't bought today, but fitted today a new Vittoria turbo tyre. My older Tacx has done nearly 20,000km on the turnbo now so has been put to rest, it was cracked all the way round and looking quite sorry for itself.

[weeksy]

An 8 speed chain and rear Shimano mech...

My lad turned up with his mate last night who'd spannered his bike.

Said mate is from a single parent home and his mum is disabled slightly, along with him being a bit on the tubby side... So the kid doesn't have a lot going for him, however, he's a lovely kid, proper polite and nice.

So took his bike apart last night and straightened the mech hanger, but found he's snapped a tab off the rear mech, so it was dead as a dead thing.

Went to Halfords and bought him a rear mech along with a new chain earlier. But that was just the start of it, i then had to sort his headset, sort hi brakes, align the brakes, then we put the mech on which was a nightmare due to a stripped screw in the shifter, but we eventually sorted that and got a new gear cable fitted too. It then needed the Hi/Lo screws sorting and the gears indexing...

I then noticed his skewers have no springs, so dug out some spare springs, then put a new brake cable on the front end...

It's now working quite nicely.

[chutzpah]

Top marks, it can be disheartening working on a bike that isn't yours that has a litany of issues. In fact when someone says "could you have a look at my bike" I inwardly thinking "oh no"

[weeksy]

Well he was exceptionally thankful and said to my lad "Ask your dad how much money it all was" when they were outside and i was tweaking the gears.

As you can imagine i laughed and told him to bugger off.

We did have discussions about him looking after it along with him asking for help and assistance as there's another local dad who'd sort it too. Whether he will or whether he'll be too shy, i don't know yet.

[formula400]

That’s nice, I bet the lad was chuffed.

[DefTrap]

Bearings fell out the pedal on my 'nicer' road bike. So I nicked one off the missus' bike. Hope I remember to buy a new set before she notices.

[weeksy]

That’s nice, I bet the lad was chuffed.

He did offer to go home and raid his moneybox to pay me.. i laughed lots.