where r u guys from? please don't tell me Ohio, it often happens to me in Spain. everyone back there seems to come here for some reason...ya know...birds of a feather fly together, lol
Hi greenlunni, welcome to this part of the bike forum. Actually I'm a little embarrassed to say that I don't really follow your post. Sounds like you're responding to someone but I'm not sure who. In any case, I'm not from Ohio. I was born in Kansas but grew up in California. So what kind of bike riding are you into and where? Interaptor, don't be so modest. You were certainly no slouch on our ride last Sunday. I'm sure you'll do fine, and if you ever decide to take the plunge and buy a road bike we'll probably have to struggle to keep up with you
It turns out we didn´t get a kiwirider into MMPCC but a much better option of a female rider!. Have a warm welcome, Greenlunni. I did pm you back on your problem. We look forward seeing you soon on the road again. Alcalá de Henares is not far from our routes here in North Madrid. Cheers!. PD.- I didn´t get it. So many Ohio people in Madrid?. Anyway, see U Chain, this friday.
I've had a busy weekend of bike adventures. On Friday we went to El Puerto de la Morcuera on our road bikes, about 120 km total and nine km of continuous uphill there. Very beautiful. I'm sure I'll be doing that again before long. I should also mention that in the first part of the ride Interaptor joined us. You did good! If you get a road bike and continue building up endurance before long you'll be able to go on longer rides with us. Saturday I got out my moutain bike and did Las Zetas in La Pedriza with people from my neighborhood. Let me tell it's not flat there: you're either cranking up hills or flying down them. I kind of get a kick out of the fact that I was clearly the oldest but also clearly one of the strongest. My forte is endurance as opposed to raw strength which will help get you up a very steep hill. Sunday (today) I had a little accident on my mountain bike as I was riding to the Casa de Campo to see a friend. Me and another bike rider actually crashed into each other at a pedestrian crossing. We were both unharmed but my front wheel is crazy bent and won't be rolling anymore. (The disc of the disc brake is also bent.) Had to take the subway home. So I'm happy everyone's OK but bummed I have to get a new front wheel because they don't tend to be cheap.
Hi pals, I´ve been out for some days… Sorry that I couldn’t post anything, so i´ll make up by getting this thread at top position. Giving an up, giving an up… Just arriving in Madrid and checking out how things are going on in here… Rainy day (this has become a constant since I bought my bike!), Chainring is also becoming more and more powerful on his bike (my God, I remember him ruling out the idea of joining a cyclist club because he thought he was not good enough!!! – for any of you who doesn´t know how he performances, how he pushes, please read my last frustrating thread on this subject: http://www.foromtb.com/showthread.php?737954-Siguiendo-a-3-flacas-y-fuera-de-punto. Finally, telling by the visitors that the forum has, I can only say that it is well alive!. Nothing new under the rain in Madrid, except for Chain´s accident riding his hybrid (I guess). You know, to be in that good shape requires a lot of rides and taking risks is part of the game… I am happy that nothing but a bended front wheel happened –nobody was harmed- and curious about the reparation. Did you fix it? Is your beautiful, faithful hybrid ready to be used (and abused!) again??? I hope so. Cheers!.
Hey, interaptor is back in town! Good to hear from you. Things were a bit quiet around here. And thanks for saying those nice things about me, but you shouldn't, I'm going to end up thinking I'm a bike god In any case, in my little bike world there are definitely people better than me. On my road bike, when the chips are down, Juan Carlos can leave me behind. And on my mountain bike there are loads of people who can make me look like a novice. Actually my little accident was on my mountain bike. Happily I already have a new wheel and disc, and they've already had some good use: went to Soto de Viñuela on Saturday and El Pardo and the Casa de Campo on Sunday. On Friday we went to el Puerto de la Morcuera on my skinny bike. By the way, we were really lucky to have a nice weekend. The rain decided to wait till Monday so I spent a lot of time pedaling last weekend. Hope you've been on your velocipede too!
Great!., I´m under the impression that you don´t rest till everything in your bike is ok. I´m also that way, especially when it comes to sounds!!! You know how annoying the slightest unidentified rear sound in my bike can be… . Criiiiiik , criiiiiiiiiiik, criiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik… After riding with you, J.C. and Brian, I´ve decided a different approaching tactic to get in shape. Definitely I can´t follow you on my hybrid, but for now I will take endurance (better than speed) as a priority. In my particular battle between kilometers vs speed, I´ll go for increasing distances as an objective keeping my “touristic pace” of 22 kilometers an hour. So my aim is to add 5 kilometers each 2 months or so to reach 100 kmts per ride. I will probably be able to increase my endurance power and eventually my pace to 24-25 kilometers an hour on a hybrid. Any speedy will require a road bike, but I feel too lazy to push in a hard way, especially considering that I enjoy the same ride going a little slower… I tend to naturally slow down my pace!. I do feel road bikes are not for me, at least for now, even when I like riding on the road too much. But judging by your words, MTB can even be tougher. Well, I need to ride more and more… Starting from tomorrow… That´s what I need!!! Cheers!.
Yes, I do spend time chasing down funny noises on my bike. It's amazing how many sources there are. By the way, that reminds me that when we went for a ride your bike was making a funny noise. Did you manage to track it down? There's a lot to say about getting in shape, but I'd definitely say that the first step is to build up endurance, and a good way to do that is to go long distances at a steady pace. Once you feel pretty comfortable going far then it's time to do more specific workouts like intervals and hill climbs. Here I must confess that I haven't been too methodical in this department, but I do do hills once a week where I focus on spinning as opposed to standing up and slowly cranking up the hill. I feel this has noticeably improved my riding, obviously mainly going up hills, but this is where it really counts. By the way, I looked around the internet and found this article which doesn't look bad for bike workout basics. It talks about getting a round pedal stroke as well. I kind of like the idea that when your feet are down you should make a movement like wiping your feet on a doormat. I'm sure there are plenty of articles in Spanish if you prefer easier and faster comprehension. http://www.essortment.com/guide-road-bicycle-training-40074.html Cheers!
Ey, sorry for my “weekend-delay”… Thank you for the article!. I´ll try to improve my technic. It easy when you are into this for just 5 months. Not so easy later... Yeap, the rear sound is going on every other ride!!! It drives me nuts. This sound seems to draw back in fear whenever I try to track it down…  Besides, I´ve noticed another sound… this time in the pedal axel when I push hard. So I´ve decided to use the Berg free service plan that covers a tune-up for every new bike with less than six months on the clock. I will take advantage of it to also change the chain. It´s +- 2.300 Kmts, good condition as you said, but i´d like to use the SRAM´s power link to change it in a split second. Better to be cleaned. Do you use or know if this link is recommendable or strong enough??? This or next week I´ll be riding to SZ to fix it all and doing some shopping. I think the Anillo Verde is not far from Isla Azul, so I´ll go riding the thing… Cheers!
Hello! I've been off the radar myself lately because I've been busy with my classes. Beginnings and endings are the hardest and most stressful times, and I've been busy finishing them up these days. So you're still after that noise, are you? Noises can be the darnedest things, like you can only hear it when you're cranking up a hill and can't get off your bike and look for it. Well, maybe SZ will find it for you. Let me know what happens. Last Friday we went to Navacerrada on our thin wheels. Let me tell, that's a climb for champions. Wish I could say I was a champion but I was really hurting by the time I got to the stop. Really had to slow down to make it to the top. How humiliating! You mention technique, I think a big thing you could do would be to get toe clips or cleats so that your feet stay in the right place. Ciao!
Oh my God. :aplauso2 I like Navacerrada´s landscapes a lot, but when I think of me trying to climb up that beautiful hill I just get tired!!!. Just thinking of it makes you a hero!!!... :angelito Only those who dare come far… CONGRATULATIONS whatever the result is. I know how hard you can push and if you tell me that you had to speed down, I can imagine how hard it is… WELL DONE!. No humilliation AT ALL. Getting to the top is just AMAZING no matter how long it takes. Navacerrada could well be a pro climb. Did u measure the speed, % or time?. It´s a great goal that you achieved. Feel very proud of yourself!!!. Thank you for the tips. :!: Letting u Know that It´s all over! :bye The sound has disappeared for ever (I hope). Last Thursday I decided to put an end to every sound in my bike istolas and went to SZ Alcobendas. I finally chose Alcobendas as the right facility to go because is the most convenient one taking into account where I live and where the Anillo Verde is located. It´s to easy to go by bike using the bike lane we used on our first meeting. :dance SZ Alcobendas is inside a Mall called La Gran Manzana. It´s no more than 2 years, but I could tell people in there are professional and friendly :meaman as I was telling them about the problems in my bike… Thkx Víctor & Antonio. :clap They immediately located the origin of the two sounds I had on my bike, one in the pedal axel when I pushed hard, and the other one, “our mysterious” rear sound seemed to come from the freewheel that needed to be readjusted. :alabando I went back home by tube. I knew my bike was in very good hands. latano It didn´t take a long time for them to fix it. Next day, on Friday, they called me back :walkman telling me that the bike was ready to ride after been fixed, readjusted, lubricated as the manual specifies in its chronograms. My bike was professionally re-assembled and tested. No sounds, the 6ht month maintenance as programmed done. Great!. Once again, all I have to say about Berg service is usually very good. :flores On Saturday I rode :rally to Manzanares el Real Castle and La Pedriza Natural Park. I remembered my childhood when I went there with my classmates for the first time. 100 kmts. on the clock – my longest trip up to now- and great sensations. What a beautiful flat road from Soto to Manzanares!!!. :biker Average granny speed of 22 Kmts an hour as usual. Maybe one day I´ll try to face a 6-7% steady uphill. Navacerrada is a colossus too high for me!. :calimero Now relax. You had a hard work to do but summer is coming soon!. :foto Cheers! :chinchin
Wow! You used 18 emoticons in your message, and all of them different. That must be a record! I didn't measure my average speed going up Navacerrada, in any case it'd be a little embarrassing. But the average for the whole ride was 28 km/h. Going back on highway M608 we had a tail wind and we were averaging 40 in that section, helped make up for how slowly I went up the mountain. If I have a chance maybe I'll stop by SZ Alcobendas one of these days, mainly to check out their prices on cycling shorts and jerseys and the like, though my most pressing purchase at the moment is chain oil. I think the price of that is basically the same everywhere i.e. really pretty expensive when you think of how much you're getting and the cost. Sounds like the people at SZ are good. So is your bike quiet now? Congrats on your 100-kilometer ride. That's getting to be a long one. And the next time you go to Manzanares, just go a few kilometers farther and you can go up La Pedriza, that way you add a real uphill to your ride. In any case, you're going pretty far now, the next step is to pick up the pace a bit. You can train for that by going for long rides on some days while on others going for shorter distances but faster. Feel your legs burn as you crank on those pedals :x No pain no gain ;-)
All right!. This post will have just one emoticon, this one: ___> :cuñao Oil lube price in SZ is pretty much the same as others, they use to have Swiss brand MOTOREX. Great oil, 2 steps in one, it´s a cleaner and a lube at the same time, but as you say, everything concerning lubes is a little rip-off in terms of prices. I use TF2 from british Weldtite. A good alternative in good price is GT85. 7 a 400ml can at Otero http://www.oterociclos.es/Lubricantes/ver-todos-productos.html. Squirt seems to be a great way to maintain a clean lubrication, but requires to change your mind (it´s too dry) and even your chain (no oil at all, you have to clean it up before using it). That said it´s 2 times the price of Teflon oil. Anyway, many people use sewing machine oil to lube their bikes. As a lubricant it works out but nothing like Teflon in it, so your chain doesn´t repel dust especially if you ride off road. Don´t know if its a viable alternative for road bikes. I guess it will require a more specific work on degrease and a drop by drop lubrication. Just for the sake of curiosity, Singer Pfaff sewing machine oil is 7 a liter, 22.5 a 5 liter can. How profitable is adding some Teflon and packing it as a specific lube for bikes!!!. I´m under the impression that SZ Alcobendas textile cycling section is not as big as other facilities they have, but quite good enough. It´s an easy ride just following the bike lane. Let me know if you want me to guide you when you enter Alcobendas. Finally, entering SZ, keep your bike with you. You are allowed to have it with you inside the shop. Cheers!.
OK, have read your one-emoticon post. You know maybe you could do two or three if you feel so inspired, but who's counting? So I've been using GT 85 and imagine I'll keep on using it. It's good for this hot dry weather (which seems to be getting ever hotter and dryer); all the dust and crud doesn't stick to it too much. One drawback though is that you have to re-oil after every ride. I've heard it's better to put it on after a ride (not before) because it takes about 20 or 30 minutes to settle in, then it sort of dries up and solidifies like wax so it doesn't splatter. I have conventional oil (recommended for wet conditions) but that's much messier, attracts more crud, but stays on the chain longer. I'm a little suspicious of two-in-one oil: how can oil clean and lubricate at the same time? How can you put degreaser and oil in the same can? Must not be degreaser. Must be something else. I've heard about Squirt and know there are people who swear by it. Maybe one day I'll take the plunge and give it a try. Like you say, you have to completely clean the chain and remove all the conventional oil, then apply the Squirt, and apparently you can then leave your chain alone for a long time. Amazing! Yeah, maybe we can go by SZ Alcobendas one of these days, though I need chain oil now: there's only a tiny bit left in the spray can. Maybe I'll take a ride later today to Biketown Montecarmelo. Very friendly and competent folk there, and it's within easy cycling distance for me. Cheers!
Yeah, better to lube 30mins before riding and let it stand for a while. Bike oil seems to solidify once it penetrates as a fluid. First it reaches the critical parts –the links- of the chain as a liquid, and then keeps them well lubed by hanging around the metal for a quite long distance. But I´ve noticed that most of the cans in the market are not efficient in doing this. You Know, to “drop-by-drop” lubing your links, you need a more accurate system than those that just spray the lube all around the chain. What´s the point of spreading oil when you know it will be too much?. You have to clean the excess of oil later. It´s not an efficient way to do it, but since we the bikers are asking for easy rather than efficient, it´s a pretty convenient way. I calculate this method to be 60% to 70% less efficient –so less accurate- than one of my own… Well, just think about it: If you need only the links in your chain to be lubricated… Why don´t you use a needle? (First emotive emoticon here: irat ) . You only need to extract the oil from the can -WARNING: GT85 or any other spray system is not recommended at all to be damaged!!!- with a syringe and inject it drop by drop on every link of your chain. This way you don´t waste a lot of lubricant and it goes straight on,... direct to the point. I´m giving this method a try. I think It works really well. It turns out that I´m running out TF2 oil as well and decided to broke the can (no pressure, no damage) to extract oil directly to the syringe... By doing this you´ll save oil –and money- every time you lubricate your bike. But above all – I like doing things in an efficient way- you´ll be using a more efficient and really accurate method to lube your bike. Every time you spread oil, you´ll need at least 4 to 5 ml liquid, if not more. But if you inject it you´ll only need 1.5ml to 1.7ml per lubrication… Check it out on the syringe´s marks. That´s a 70% saving in lubes!!! And here comes another emoticon (the 70% reduction): :compress. Nice... By the way, On Saturday I broke my record. 115 Kmts in a ride from Madrid to little but beautiful town of Matalpino and back home, averaging 22,5 Kmts an hour. Contador is going to have nightmares with me. And that deserves the third and last emoticon: :bond Cheers!.
My name is bond. Interaptor Bond. The scourge of worldclass cyclists like Contador, ha ha ha. So congratulations on your 115-km ride. By the way, looks like we're both breaking personal distance records. I recently did my first century, my first 100-mile ride, actually a 105 miles (169 km). So I've been thinking about oiling chains these days, especially because I recently got some oil at my new local bike shop (Biketown Montecarmelo: a good place) and it turns out they don't carry GT 85, so I bought what they recommended: Finish Line teflon oil. Cost about 10 euros for 120 ml bottle. I don't doubt it's great stuff but it must be worth its weight in gold. So I can see how important the application technique is. You don't want to waste any of that liquid gold! In any case, as you know GT 85 comes in a spray can and has a little tube to direct the spray. Actually I thought it worked all right. You hold the tube parallel to the chain with the end actually touching the chain. Then you turn the pedals three times (enough to spray the whole chain once) while spraying right into the links. The idea with GT 85 is you spray the chain, but not too much, and you don't wipe off the excess and after 15 or 20 minutes it solidifies. So you spray more often (basically after every ride), but don't wipe off excess. It sounds fairly efficient. With Finish Line teflon they recommend you apply it (by dripping it on), then wipe off the excess (a waste in my book), they apply more. I rebelled against their instructions and tried not to apply too much and didn't wipe off any excess. It seemed to work because it didn't splatter when I went for a ride. By the way, I always oil AFTER a ride so it has a long time to work its way into the links and solidify and reduces the chance of splattering. Also, after my ride my chain still seemed well oiled, whereas GT 85 sometimes seems to evaporate before the ride is over. In any case, your idea of applying oil with a needle doesn't sound bad. I think you'd have more control than with the Finish Line drip system where sometimes you put on too much and it ends up on the floor. Maybe you can patent the system a make a fortune So what sort of syringe do you use? Where did you get it? If the answer to that last question is embarrassing send me a MP. :meparto Kudos for your moderate but effective use of emoticons! Cheers!
Yeah, as Alanis Morissette says I´m high but I´m fine!!!. My syringes are guaranteed to come only from the best jet-set cocaine parties in Madrid… pop stars, football stars, model stars, people like that… you Know, i´m only thinking of Just the best lubrication for your bike!!!. Well, really my sister is a doctor. No problem to get them, but I´m not using that kind of medical syringes but a properly injection syringe used to inject ink in a printer. If you need one to give that method a try just tell me. I have one left for you. I thought it´s a general interest idea for all the bikers in here, so I posted it as a general thread… http://www.foromtb.com/showthread.p....-En-busca-de-la-eficiencia-en-la-lubricación. I´m sure that many bikers have yet proved it. We can take advantage of their experience… Let´s see what they have to tell us! BTW this afternoon I´m going to join the “Comando Norte” as a part of the “Bici Crítica”´s demonstration every last Thursday of the month in Madrid, at Cibeles Palace… I expect hippie nice people on their bikes … http://bicicritica.ourproject.org/pre-kedadas-barrios-ve-grupo-cibeles-mini-masas-criticas I eventually bought your radicalism in going green!!! Pd.- Congrats on your 100 mile (plus 5) ride. Soon you´ll run out space in Spain! Cheers!.
