My new bicycle
- Thread starter Tony L
- Start date
SteveG
pfm Member
Where are the pics?
I've never had a Ti road bike yet although it's on the list for when I can justify a nice present to myself!
I've had a couple of Ti mountain bikes but didn't keep them as I found I preferred others in the fleet.
merlin
Avatar changed - Town names deemed offensive.
This was my Ti ride before a recent groupset overhaul.
Fortunately it cost about the same as the Lynsky does now - some prices have gone through the roof over the past five or six years.
Still my bike of choice for riding around here and sill looking like new after a quick buff up every spring.
Fortunately it cost about the same as the Lynsky does now - some prices have gone through the roof over the past five or six years.
Still my bike of choice for riding around here and sill looking like new after a quick buff up every spring.
clifftaylor
Absolutely retired!
Pics soon - it's very nice; the handling is as sharp as the CAAD8, but it's much smoother, even with the Ultegra wheels with not a lot of spokes. I shall probably be getting something with more spokes, and more give in them.....
Edit - and I had my first punctre of the year; it's hedge trimming season here, and I collected a piece of very pointy hedge.
Good on you Cliff, I'd love something like that!
Very jealous of Merlins Seven as well, probably flew into Watertown for a personal fitting too..
I will have one one day, I will I will.
I have an extensive list of the bikes I would like to own should I become an accidental millionaire!
Very jealous of Merlins Seven as well, probably flew into Watertown for a personal fitting too..
I will have one one day, I will I will.
I have an extensive list of the bikes I would like to own should I become an accidental millionaire!
Tony L
Administrator
Interesting, I need to learn about road wheels at some point. I've got Shimano R500s on my Lynskey which I understand are something of a budget starter set. They seem fine to me, round and spinny and stuff, but I've no benchmark. I might look to get something a bit better next year. I need to think about clinchers vs. tubeless tyres too, again something I know nothing about (currently running conventional Continental Gatorskins and inners), so that will all be part of the same decision. Any advice / opinions welcome.
R500s are as you say a fairly basic entry level set. You can get them for £100 the pair. I fitted them when I rebuilt the crash bike - I reckoned there was little point in spending a lot on a bike that might have hidden damage. It's OK and I may at some point upgrade but I'll want to get a few thousand miles on them first and a bit of wear, and by that time the rest of the bike will be getting tired and I'll put the money into an altogether better machine.
Your Lynskey will certainly carry a much better pair of wheels, the sky's the limit. As others have said there's a compromise between weight, durability and spring. You also have to bear in mind how big and powerful the rider is, hence why rear wheels tend to have more spokes than fronts. I have to say that the R500s I bought are pretty damn good for the money, certainly good enough for me and I didn't feel outpaced by my mate on his much nicer bike with Ultegra everything. I would of course like a pair of Ultegras but you're probably into about £400, which is half the bike's original cost and more than its current value.
Your Lynskey will certainly carry a much better pair of wheels, the sky's the limit. As others have said there's a compromise between weight, durability and spring. You also have to bear in mind how big and powerful the rider is, hence why rear wheels tend to have more spokes than fronts. I have to say that the R500s I bought are pretty damn good for the money, certainly good enough for me and I didn't feel outpaced by my mate on his much nicer bike with Ultegra everything. I would of course like a pair of Ultegras but you're probably into about £400, which is half the bike's original cost and more than its current value.
SteveG
pfm Member
The cheaper Shimano wheels seem good value and have the benefit of also looking good. On my Specialized Roubaix I went with a set of Planet-X Model B wheels which seemed to be a bargain - quite light, cheap and durable. Sadly they don't seem to do them any more otherwise I'd like a set for my other road bike.
I might treat myself to a set of American Classic wheels - I've got a set of their mountain bike wheels on my Epic and they're great.
I might treat myself to a set of American Classic wheels - I've got a set of their mountain bike wheels on my Epic and they're great.
Tubular tyres like Vittoria Corsa CX are a joy to ride on they really are but you'll need to carry a spare as you won't be able to fix a flat by the side of the road without changing the entire tyre which is carefully glued or taped and centred on to the rim.
I only ever used them for racing for two seasons then switched to clinchers as it was too much hassle and expensive. I let the shop fix the punctures for me though, I chickened out of fixing them.
They were run on a set of campag sigma rims on chorus hubs, they went like the clappers, on a nice summers day on the nice bike nothing is more perfect but my god do they cost a lot of money!
Mark
I only ever used them for racing for two seasons then switched to clinchers as it was too much hassle and expensive. I let the shop fix the punctures for me though, I chickened out of fixing them.
They were run on a set of campag sigma rims on chorus hubs, they went like the clappers, on a nice summers day on the nice bike nothing is more perfect but my god do they cost a lot of money!
Mark
Paul R
pfm Member
Loads of bullshit about wheels, and some seriously expensive sets available. OTOH wheels make a difference, you will feel the change to lighter, stiffer, more aero (assuming you go above 25mph...).
Three types at the moment,
clincher - tyres and tubes, most common, what you run now.
tubeless - tyre without tube, requires compatible wheels and tyres. The coming thing. The rims are essentially 'clincher' but have provision for a valve and are airtight between where the tyre goes and the spokes. You can convert some standard clincher rims into tubeless setups.
tubular - the tyre is sown into a tube around an inner tube. This is then glued (or taped) to a slightly concave rim. Old fashioned but very effective.
Tubulars and tubeless setups can be loaded with a small quantity of a sealant, so most punctures will auto fix. They are also (more or less) immune to 'pinch' punctures.
Tubular rims are lighter and stiffer than clincher rims because they do not have to withstand the force of the air pressure trying to burst the tyre off the rim. Tubular tyres can therefore withstand much higher pressures, which means when you are braking on big descents you are less likely to have a blow out. This applies in spades when you use carbon wheels that reach higher temperatures under braking. Pros use tubulars for a whole bunch of good and spurious reasons.
Anyway I think you should be looking at tubeless setups. This is both the coming thing and a clear upgrade on tubes. No pinch punctures over stones or potholes, sealant to handle thorns and flints. And you can install a tube and any standard tyre on a tubeless compatible rim.
Chap I know at the LBS is running an American Classic tubeless setup with Schwalbe tyres. He likes the combo a lot, but I've no personal experience when it comes to wheels. Something to read up on...
Paul
merlin
Avatar changed - Town names deemed offensive.
The state of many of Britain's roads make most options impractical. I can ride a good tyre or tub in France for a season without a puncture. Here in the Chilterns, flats become a regular ride feature. Tubs are popular on the continent as much because they are safer in the mountains. I ride them over there and carry some Vittoria Pitstop.
Good thick inner tubes and maybe some slime tubes for the Winter here in the UK. So you are a tiny bit slower. Who really cares. I'm happier being slower and riding all day without needing to fix a flat or two. No mountains to worry about.
For wheels in the UK, I'd always say steel double butted spokes. After that it depends a lot of the terrain and rider weight and his goals IMHO.
Good thick inner tubes and maybe some slime tubes for the Winter here in the UK. So you are a tiny bit slower. Who really cares. I'm happier being slower and riding all day without needing to fix a flat or two. No mountains to worry about.
For wheels in the UK, I'd always say steel double butted spokes. After that it depends a lot of the terrain and rider weight and his goals IMHO.
Tony L
Administrator
I didn't even understand there were two different types of non clincher & inner systems of tyres until I read Paul's post. I also very much don't race - I'm not a competitive person at all and never will be. I just cycle because I like it and to keep fit. Sure, I like to cycle fast on occasion, I hit over 40 again this afternoon on a downhill (same GPS caveats as earlier apply, let's just say bloody fast), but I'm not looking to beat another rider or the clock. The only thing I keep a count of is miles, and that just to make sure I'm progressing health-wise year on year.
When I get round to thinking about wheels my priorities will be that a) it is an obvious upgrade, i.e. I get some speed or something I haven't now, b) it's no less puncture resistance (I very much like the idea of self-sealing as that should mean I just need to take a light CO2 pump to get home), and c) I'd like them to be safe, strong and long-lasting. When I buy something I like it to stay bought for a long time, i.e. I'm not interested in some really highly-strung competitive wheel that saves 40g or something but has a life-expectancy of a days racing or whatever.
dan m
pfm Member
And there's evidence the roll faster and are more aero.
merlin
Avatar changed - Town names deemed offensive.
With Winter approaching, I'd get some 25mm Continental Gatorskins and some road Slime tubes. I've certainly found that combination to be pretty bullet proof.
The French recommendation is for 1 bar of pressure for every 10kg of body weight. Depending on the roads around your way, you might want to make that 1 bar for every 12kg.
The French recommendation is for 1 bar of pressure for every 10kg of body weight. Depending on the roads around your way, you might want to make that 1 bar for every 12kg.
I generally run tyres a tad softer than the max simply because you get a better spring over uneven surfaces. I certainly regretted blowing my tyres up to max yesterday when I went to see a pal and came home via a steepish and rocky offroad descent, the thing was bouncing all over the place. MTB tyres at 40psi would have been a lot nicer than 26 x 1.5slicks at 70-80psi.