Had it about a year, ridden in all weathers. It's been faultless. Installation is very easy, I got the bikeshop to build the wheel then all I had to do was install the cable. It's quicker than installing a new front mech. It's not perfect, there is a shift in weight to the back and it's takes slightly longer to fix a puncture because you dont have a QR at the back. I have a an 8 speed one and I lose a few of the high end gears, but theis suits me, I dont race along. There's a new 11 speed version which I'll get once the price comes down a bit. The 8 speed is still available. Maintenance wise, the only things Ive done is adjust the cable and lube the chain. Adjusting the cable is ridiculously easy, there are 2 yellow dots that you line up by fiddling with the barrel adjuster. http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/shimano-alfine-gearbox-hub-inter-8-sg-s501/aid:341402 Here's my newly built up bike today... And yes, I need to change the stem to a black one.
I treat it like a normal hub, spray with water but not directly and with a lot of force. It doesnt trap mud, as there is only one cog and no mech, so it doesnt really get that dirty.
I have to admit your bike is impressing me more and more. The idea of not having derailleur hassles really appeals. And I like a front fork with 140 mm of travel. You know I just realized that your bike doesn't have a front derailleur either! That is kind of radical. The Chumba is beautiful. Wow, you didn't waste any time building it up. I thought that sort of thing was generally a long-term project. You know, you spend a month looking around till you find good forks for it or whatever. So are you going to keep it or sell it? And again, nice picture. Looks like the weather there has been like here in Madrid, though today we had a beautiful morning and I went to El Pardo with some friends and had a good ride. Actually it looks like my front shocks are going out. They're Tora and since I've never liked them that much, I'm thinking that, instead of rebuilding them, I'll just buy new ones that are better, maybe an Epicon. http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/categ...uct/review-sr-suntour-epicon-rld-15-09-34193/ I imagine there's good mountain biking in Bilbao. Do you get out much?
I'm keeping it, just going to sell my old P7 frame. I simply moved most of the parts from the P7 onto the Chumba. The new bike is just like my old bike but lighter and bit smaller, which suits me, so I'm very happy. Always a risk buying a frame without ever riding the thing. Ive heard good things about the Epicon but I have to recommend the forks I have, Sektor RL, they are superb, as good as the Fox and the Pace forks Ive had before, at half the price. http://www.bike-components.de/produ...-Federgabel-Modell-2011---Auslaufmodell-.html Weather was pretty grim today but had to test out the new bike. Actually the first mtb ride for 7 weeks. I injured my shoulder when I got a 5 foot drop-off wrong. Been road riding instead. Yes, there's some good riding round Bilbao, it's why I live here (and the nice wine and pintxos)
Ouch! Actually I have a few injuries myself lately, but so far none have kept me off my bike for long (touch wood, right?). Five-foot drop! I haven't tried that yet :alloreto The Sector looks a bit dear to me, especially for my Conor because eventually that's going to be my second bike, though for the time being it's Number One. I'm just worried that the forks might go out on me completely, and then I won't have any proper mountain bike, though I'd still have three more bikes (a road bike, a 20-year-old hybrid, and a jump bike), but I'd still feel pretty lost without my knobby tires. So what's your view on full suspension bikes? http://www.kingbarcelona.com/es/horquilla-rock-shox-sektor-rl-140-poploc-p-3226.html Enjoy the wine and pinchos! :chinchin P.S. Hey, Interaptor and Armentano, you're welcome to put in your two cents worth too c3
Sorry I can´t be any help here. I´m just happy on a modest bike, no matter what –if any- suspension it has. My need for a bike is as simple as can be. That Rock Sock device costs the same as two cheap bikes good enough for me… Don´t Know if I´m lucky to say this or not, but I enjoy the same riding a 20 yo bike model with no suspension at all or a top of the line bike. I know how important those devices are when you enjoy going fast in the dirt, but I enjoy riding just for the sake of it. Sometimes I enjoy going fast on the road, but I do really feel ok just going. I´m trying to imagine myself going fast up and downhill and I´m sure I wouldn´t enjoy more than just going any speed. Not less but for sure not more. I like being in the dirt as well, but speed is not a need. So, it´s not a need for me to even think about buying that expensive stuff… Yet some devices not orientated to competition, such as the Alfine hub and the like, are attractive to me since they provide some kind of convenient riding… but I guess any bike is capable of exceeding my low expectations!. Am I Lucky to say this???. If I had higher expectations as you have, I would be checking all this stuff out. Mackem and everyone be careful when five foot dropping! BTW Chainring, Is Juan Carlos on the road again???. I hope he is.
Hi Interaptor. Actually I finally got in touch with Juan Carlos and he's back on his feet, but not on his bike. But he says he now has an exercise bicycle to use so he's getting back in shape. His elbow bothers him quite a bit though, in fact more than his hip does. I don't know if you remember but he didn't just break his elbow, he splintered it. Poor guy. In any case, he may be back on his wheels in 2012, but he'll be starting out pretty slowly I imagine. People enjoy biking in many different ways. No five-foot drops for you. Well, nor for me, though I may be tempted to try sometime. In any case, we'll have to go pedaling one of these days, though I'm a bit busy at the moment. By the way, you can get a mountain bike and go for easy rides, for example in the Casa de Campo. It's good fun and not many worries about five-foot drops.
Hi! These days I´m quite busy. I´m riding with my new changes on my bikes, It seems I have new bikes, are total different. Chainring! If you finally are thinking the option for a new fork. I think it´s very important value if your idea it´s buy good components like fork in this case and in the future buy a new frame like Mackem, or in other case for your Conor frame it´s stupid if you spend all this money who cost the Sektor 140RL ,if you ar going to sell the bike in a short time. Obviously it´s my opinion. In the past I built a lot of bikes with my brother and sometimes we spent a lot of money in some components, when finally we changed all the bike for a new one, If you are going to do the same like Mackem it´s a good option. Interaptor! I would like have one bike like yours (same use) but my problem here it´s the weather, when I tried to ride by the city it´s too sweaty, I arrived with all my clothes in very bad conditions, only you can imagine in summer there are a lot of people who only rides with the road bike for these reason because with the mountain bike it´s too hard. Here in Elche we have BiciElx, (renting bikes) and now in autumn it´s when you can see more city riders because it´s warm, but all the other part of the year it´s very complicated to ride with normal clothes.
yeah, he suffered a terrible fall... Glad to hear that news at last!. First on his feet, then this coming year on the road. It is taking too much time but from what you say It sounds like everthing is ok. Cheer him up! Of course, one of these days in which you feel like a granny-pace ride we can meet up!!!. I´m planing to go visit the new bike-lane in Valdebebas (not far from where you live). They say it´s about 27 kmts. long... No idea whatsoever how it is like going there. Since it´s a new neighbourhood in Madrid I presume there is not yet too much to see. But i´m curious about it. Armentano, I´m just discovering the city side of biking and really like it. I thought it was dangerous or boring. It´s a pity you can´t go city biking that much due to the weather in Elche. I like see-sighting in Madrid and doing it by bike is a real pleasure when the traffic is not a problem, actually on the weekends. But I have to admit that commuting not only in Madrid but in any city has the inconvenience of sweating if you go too fast or too long. In any case, we have to enjoy whatever ride we take on a bike! I have a question for you fellas... Do you guys know what the hell is this little piece of plastic in the bike´s cable for?. Sorry for the poor quality of the photo: it´s raining again! :-(
Hi Interaptor! This small piece of plastic are usually on the cables, but not join like appears at your fotographs are separate, and are there with the idea the cable don´t touch with the frame and with them don´t make noises with the vibrations
Oh, I see, so it should be in the middle to avoid the cable to touch the frame.:aplauso4 Thank you very much Armentano. I will put them the right way. Cheers!
I thought you were setting new speed records, especially with the new aerobars. I was jogging up in Valdebebas last week and I didn't see any new bike lane there. That's an interesting question. I've seen those plastic things on cables all my life and have never really asked what they're for. Actually I always thought they were so you could sort of see what gear you're in since I've always seen them near the cable housing stops. Know what I mean? I've never seen them in the middle of the cable. Bike shops always seem to put them near the stop. Maybe I'll ask the next time I'm in a bike shop. By the way, with all this talk about accidents and five-foot drops, I've been looking into getting knee pads (I already have elbow pads). The 661 Evo look really good (they should be for 84 euros). They're comfortable for pedaling, and if you fall they've got a substance in them that hardens up when it receives a blow. http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_66...&product=f8a90ec7-d588-4262-8c52-3540a0909afe P.S. Non Newtonian fluids for you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5SGiwS5L6I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4HPQ-KDvsE
LOL! I broke my record to check the device out and how it performances when in use. Then returned to the average super hyper speed of 24 Kilometers an hour or so, that makes me feel like being at home on the bicycle!... This sensation is called "Home-bicycling" and consists of going anywhere on your bike as if you were on your favourite coach!. It can also named as "Backyardtouring" or "effortlesspedal", no effort no gain but some kilometers away!!!. Oh, that´s my poetry side... Yours is the weirder theory I´ve ever heard of what that little plastic piece is for!. How can I figure out what gear I am in by seeing it´s position on the cable???. LOL! Your inventive is really awsome!. Mine was less on the witty side. I thought it was there for cleaning reasons. To clean the cable by rubbing it or to prevent dirt from storing in the ends... But I have to give a thumbs up to Armentano´s answer. I think it could be really the right answer. But sme of the mistery reminds about theese pieces that need to be completely solved. If you ask and get a professional and convinced answer on the matter, let us know asap. Now, Non newtonian fluid is what Rick Perry seems to have in his brain when he tried to name the three federal agencies he is planning to cut. It is said this man was on some susbtances or drugs on yerterday´s Republican debate, his brain got completely frozen. It´s a human aspect of life but the funny thing is that he couldn´t solve it wihtout making fool of himself. Poor guy. Today all the States in the States, not just Texas, are talking about his fail to remember things... Would you forgive an error such like this?. I certainly would -nobody´s perfect- , but his political aspirations to be the president of the United States are done. Do you like political debates there?. It´s time for us to have our candidate election pretty soon... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcPjmiGwMTc Cool!. Did you Know of non newtonian fluids by searching for the right substance in a Knee pad ??? . I remember my knee goalkeeper - and football- pad when I was a kid. More than protection it gave me some kind of courage when tackling... Maybe it was a dangerous feeling of being safe... Never handle something beyond your possibilities just by wearing protection clothes! Anyway, good to know that the only SixSixOne distributor for Spain is located in Madrid -Motor dealer-. You have always to put this specific protection on before buying it. It´s important not to buy it via internet or something without having tested it. I guess it´s stiff stuff to fit your body. Stationary and pedaling... Take your time to find the right protection if it´s stiff non flexible material. Today is your road bike day. No rain. Where did your roadie take you? Cheers!
I think maybe we're getting a bit off-topic, but Rick Perry is not someone I'd particularly like to see as prez of the USA. I really don't care much about his gaff except that it shows how appearance is so much more important than substance. I sometimes wonder is democracy is turning into a farce. I checked out the 661 Evo at a bike shop called LTM Racing. That's quite an unusual bike shop in that it specializes in upper-end bikes. There aren't many bikes there for less than about 4,000 euros. Anyway, confidence is important, and if pads make you feel more confident then so much the better. Actually I've even considered getting full "armor", like the downhill riders wear. I know I'd look weird, but I'm not as young as I used to be and it'd be nice to really well protected. I rode my bike to Colmenar today and it looked like rain to me, so I turned around and came back. But in the end it cleared up. Oh well... (BTW, I averaged 28 kph.)
According to the MTB -not road bike- options below, Don´t you have the damn impression that searching for your style is as complicated as searching for the complication of a complicated new bike?. http://www.mondraker.com/12/esp/bikes.html Downhill - 200mm or more. Freeride - 180mm Enduro Xtrem - 170mm Enduro - 160mm All Mountain - 140mm Trail - 120mm Xc - 100mm XC 29r - 100mm Sport - 100-120mm Urban - w/wo Dirt - 100mm BMX - 20" Girls Only - Gurls only What would these guys think of Mackem´s answer "I don´t Know what style I´m in. I just like up and down mountains...". Notice that Mondraker - a spanish brand- differenciates their bikes by the lenght of suspension... Will we have to expect a new style every time we add 10mm to the suspension fork?. How can a customer be confident in what he needs?. It´s a real mess unless you don´t have any bike at all and almost everything is ok for you to practice some mountain biking. But thinking of Chain´s case, already one MTB at home, it´s a pain in the neck to even think about what a difference of 10mm represents... How much money would Chainring be willing to pay not to have this dilemma?. In other words, how all of us now and in the future, can scape specialization or consumisim or whatever it is to just answer Mackem´s answer?. I don´t mean to say that too many styles are useless. For sure when you got that specialized it´s a need. But taking into account that everything can be reduced to money... How much is it to get a dilemma before you buy your bike?. Then the second part comes. If it´s the right choice that you´ve taken you will be the happiest man in the world. But if not... You will probably end up frustated and trying to sell your bike and started from scracth again... But then a new 10mm longer suspension bike will be available on the market!!! I hope Chainring is lucky enough to choose the right thing. The chances for him not get what he expects of a different bike are not too great but great for sure. Maybe another moral of the story is possible. If you are a girl, it´s a piece of cake for you to choose one of the Gurls Only bikes they have 4 u. If not, you have 1 year to make up your mind before a new style is coming up- Cheers.
!Hi guys! Interaptor, I understand what you say, when you start looking for MTB "categories" is completely crazy and you can't understand what the hell is "Enduro" or "All Mountain". Now I must be mentally sick, because I know what is the difference between Trail and XC and if they are meant to be used just for "light enduro" or "hard XC". :cuñao I absolutelly agree with you, is all about consumism and create new needs, but at the end you have a wide range to choose (among all the brands). For example, it's pretty clear for me when I buy a new bike it will be between 120-140mm, no less, no more. Basically it depends what do you like to do and where. Also, is a great topic to discuss with the colleagues the weekends! :biker
Yeah, I see your point here. I truly enjoy discussing on whatever the device is made by what is called the market. We, when students were teached that there are two kinds of needs to buy it. The natural need of owning something, and the artificial need which is put on us by someone who wants to sell something that is prescindible or not important at first sight. I also see how important are both in terms of Economics and Development. Having said this, I don´t understimate neither the power to create "natural-needed" things nor the intelligence beyond an "artificial-needed". I have to admit that I love the process behind the scenes no matter artificial or natural is the device we need. So, I am a passionate partner in discussing such all these topics. Even when I haven´t got a clue, I like to see what´s the difference that 10mm makes. I´m more in the Economic -than in th biking- side of the matter, but I truly can enjoy as much as if I were a well reputated specialist... To me, even through a different path to approach,is a pleasure to discover what´s the ultimate reason for doing things one way and differenciate from doing them the other way... I agree this topic must be the real topic if you are keen on bikes. Congrats on being capable of conciously putting apart those styles you mentioned. It´s a step I haven´t taken yet to become a real biker!... BTW, the mayor step you took was your decision to commute by bike!. How are things going?
I suppose all this choice in mountain bikes is a bit of a double-edge sword. I mean it's great to have choice, but it can create an identify crisis. What am I: cross country or trail? All mountain or enduro? This can really involve some soul searching, looking deep within yourself. I know I like cross country, but I also like negotiating complicated trails going downhill. But which do I like more? Who am I? And I suppose that since most people are constantly evolving, our tastes might change with time. Then it's time to buy a new bike, so we stimulate the economy I think true consumerism is when we buy thing we don't need. I'm sure some bikers are that way, spending a fortune on state-of-the-art bikes but not really riding them that much, just showing them off. I actually don't know anyone like that. My biking friends are out in the mountains with me pedaling. It's true that it seems I need more and more things, but that's mainly because I'm doing more and more on my bikes. If I just stayed on the bike lane I could probably just get by with my bike and helmet, but when you're out in the mountains, you really need to be prepared, and that means buying products that will help you. I really need some knee pads, and not just any, but top-of-the-line knee pads because I'm going to be pedaling for hours so they have to be comfortable yet work effectively if I fall. But they're expensive!!
To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep, No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause—there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7740lGif65Y After the choosen one you´ll feel like this lady when she is capable of saying this: First the problem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9K3NCMpDO8&feature=related Then the outcome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVQgbg6wEq4 Sorry, beautiful off-topic
This is kind of fun: Nearly Everything Looks Better in Slow Motion. I love watching bikers in slow-mo. At normal speed in one second it's all over and done. At 1,000 frames per second you can spend some time watching it. In this link, more than bikers they're daredevils, but fun to watch! (BTW, you have to scroll down to the videos.) http://two-wheels-better.blogspot.c...1/nearly-everything-looks-better-in-slow.html
