Bike build ,,,Kit advice please

Neil Fat man on a bike

Hi folks
I'm building up a 531 Mercian tourer ready for LEJOG
Tha frame should be back from repair shorty so my thoughts turn to building up the bike.
Can anyone recomend a suitable rear rack, var bag and saddle bag please.
Also what chainset and running gear would you recommend ?
I'll be needing mudguards too, any recomendations ?
I know nothing about headsets either......any recomendations for headsets?

Basicly any kit recomendations would be welcome !
Cheers Neil

vernonlevy

Neil Fat man on a bike wrote:

Hi folks
I'm building up a 531 Mercian tourer ready for LEJOG
Tha frame should be back from repair shorty so my thoughts turn to building up the bike.
Can anyone recomend a suitable rear rack, var bag and saddle bag please.
Also what chainset and running gear would you recommend ?
I'll be needing mudguards too, any recomendations ?
I know nothing about headsets either......any recomendations for headsets?

Basicly any kit recomendations would be welcome !
Cheers Neil

If you are as portly as your name suggests then based upon my experiences as a portly LEJOG and JOGLE rider I suggest:
22/34/44 chainset (Deore)
11 - 32/34 rear cassette (SRAM)
Deore front mech
Alivio rear mech
SKS mudguards
Carradice saddle bag
Have the headset fitted by your LBS

Hope that helps

Special K

I have the Altura bar bag. Very good, though the map holder has come unglued, it's still a much cheaper and better option that the Orlieb or Carrdice.

I second VERONOLEVY's list. Looks very sensible. think about your knees - get some advice on crank length. Think about your back - advice on stem length and saddle position.


FSA headset.

can also recommend Michelin GP4 tyres

alfablue

For the bar bag I reccomend the Ortlieb Ultimate Classic bar bag. Very well designed and made, completely waterproof. Or for half the price the DHB Marsden bar bag. My partner has the Ortlieb, I have the DHB. The ortlieb has a nice simple opening lid, the DHB has a roll top (very secure and waterproof) with a lid over it. The lid on the DHB has a transparent map pocket built in, it is an extra accessory for the Ortlieb. The DHB is larger. Both are excellent, and they are both made of very tough waterproof fabric with laser welded seems, and they are waterproof by virtue of this, no inner waterproof lining layer involved.

For the rack, for the best of the best, a Tubus Cosmo, it is stainless steel, 10 year guarantee (they will courier out a replacement anywhere in the world for the first 3), and it has two levels of mounting rails for the panniers, allowing a lower centre of gravity and a further rearward position, and easier use of the top of the rack. A cheaper version in powder coated plain steel, there is the Tubus Logo (check Spa Cycles for slightly better prices).

For a bargain basement one, the Tortec Expedition is very highly rated and has the same design features of the Tubus.

As for the running gear I would echo the suggestions above, especially regarding gearing. SKS mudguards are the best available, full stop!

andymiller

I was just about to post to recommend a Tubus rack but alfablue beat me to it. the Vega is a nice minimalist alternative if you want something a little bit lighter and cheaper than the Cosmo.

Just received an FSA orbit XLII headset - impressed by the quality of the sealing, and you can upgrade to stainless steel bearings (though they'll cost you more than the headset!!).

alfablue

I'll second the FSA headset - run them for years, good price and trouble-free.

On the minimalist rack theme, Tortec also do a lightweight one for £25, and it is well made out of 10mm tubing, It's the Ultralight, and it is good for up to 25kg and the rack itself weighs only 400g. My g/f has one and I am impressed with the quality, though Tubus always wins if price is no object.

Neil Fat man on a bike

Many many thanks for your advice folks, truley appreciated.
I should be taking delivary of the bike this coming week and I'm really looking forward to building it up and getting a few road miles under the belt.
The furthest I've been is a shade over 50 miles but that was on my mountain bike with BIG mud tread tyres, so I'm really looking forward to getting a set of road wheels underneath me and relativly silent running rather than the roar of mud tyres !

I'll be meeting up with my lejog partner in a week or so for the first route discussion.

Regauarding the build kit, I did order deora chainset but cancelled and went for the Ultegra tripple in the end as I was running out of spin on faster roads on the mountain bike and figured I needed the bigger chainring. Hopefully this wont be too big a mistake.

Thanks again folks.
Neil

vernonlevy

[quote=

Regauarding the build kit, I did order deora chainset but cancelled and went for the Ultegra tripple in the end as I was running out of spin on faster roads on the mountain bike and figured I needed the bigger chainring. Hopefully this wont be too big a mistake.

Thanks again folks.
Neil[/quote]

You might find that you will have a near mint large chain ring on your ultegra chainset. I have a 48/38/28 ring set up and do not spend a large amount of time on the large ring as most of the routes that I ride have long climbs and quick descents with a perpetual headwind and very few flat stretches

Neil Fat man on a bike

We shall see.......what flavours do humble pies come in?

Just building up the bike at the mo.

Just wondering about saddle choice......it is a mine field there are hundreds to choose from.
I personly would shy away from th traditional Brooks saddle, I just want a fit and forget quality saddle. I live miles away from the nearest body geometry place so.........how do I work out what size of saddle I need ? I cant really go anywhere and try loads out without travelling more than 3 or 400 mile round trip. I would just like to do an informed internet order. How on earth do you measure your 'sit bones'?????????.

biped

Hi. Here's my 2p's worth seeing as I'm also building a bike.

If you are kitting the bike out from scratch and it is a 700c wheeled bike running road (as opposed to mtb) hubs, then I'd urge you to fit a Campagnolo groupset. Aside from personal preferences (so as not to start the Campag vs Shimano wars), a great advantage of the Campagnolo ergo levers is that they do not have the gear cables sticking out the side like Shimano's do, and the front mech isn't indexed, so you can mess about with different chainsets if you prefer without suffering chain rub. The levers are much more comfortable (to my hands) as well.

My road bike has Campagnolo Mirage, fairly low-end kit, and it has proven more relaible than the 105 and dura0ace I have used in the past.

Enjoy your ride.

redddraggon

biped wrote:

a great advantage of the Campagnolo ergo levers is that they do not have the gear cables sticking out the side like Shimano's do, and the front mech isn't indexed

It depends what Levers you get. The levers with Escape have a crappy trimming function.

Neil Fat man on a bike

Pretty much there now.
Ultegra 10 speed rear and tripple front with the same brake/gear levers (complete with side exit cable ).
Ultegra hubs on DT swiss rims.
Ultegra headset.
Push seat post.
Unknown stem
Tektro R556 brakes
Top peak rack
SKS mud guards
SPUDS
and the latest shock impulse purchase ( the wife may well kill me) a Selle An-Atomica leather saddle :oops:

The mercian frame looks stunning in pearl white with electric blue lug linning and stickers.
This really will look beautiful.

The only negative......I've way way way overspent on a £100 ebay bike that had a duff B/B shell.........totally spent up now :?

Neil Fat man on a bike

vernonlevy wrote:

[quote=

Regauarding the build kit, I did order deora chainset but cancelled and went for the Ultegra tripple in the end as I was running out of spin on faster roads on the mountain bike and figured I needed the bigger chainring. Hopefully this wont be too big a mistake.

Thanks again folks.
Neil

You might find that you will have a near mint large chain ring on your ultegra chainset. I have a 48/38/28 ring set up and do not spend a large amount of time on the large ring as most of the routes that I ride have long climbs and quick descents with a perpetual headwind and very few flat stretches [/quote]

:roll: Well, looks like you were right to some extent. I do use the big ring but need to lower the gearing. The bottom gear of 30" is just not small enough when loads, terrain and wind all conspire against you.
What is your lowest gear?
I can drop this down to 24" by using a different cassette with a MTB deraillier and still use the same shifters.

andymiller

Neil Fat man on a bike wrote:

and the latest shock impulse purchase ( the wife may well kill me) a Selle An-Atomica leather saddle :oops:
?

Your @rse will thank you even if your wife doesn't.

PHcp

Neil Fat man on a bike wrote:

I can drop this down to 24" by using a different cassette with a MTB deraillier and still use the same shifters.

You can also reduce the size of the inner chainring, to at least 28 and maybe 26. It'll make the gear change a bit clunky, but you normally get plenty of warning that you're going to need the bottom gears.

Or you can just not worry about it, on my 1,100 JOGLE I was probably in the bottom gear for less than 10 miles, cycling at little over walking pace. If I'd got off and walked those miles it wouldn't have taken much longer.

Neil Fat man on a bike

Quite suprised.
I put the big cassette on tonight and the ultegra mech handled the extra with no problem at all. Max 27 but handles 34 without any problem what so ever.
Which means the already ordered MTB rear mech is now going spare, just as I bend the rear cage on my MTB. (some good luck to counter falling off a ladder today.....well not so much falling as much as the ladder sliding on wet flagstone causing a sudden and dramatic ground contact, oh alright I fell off :oops: )
But the gears work

Bodhbh

vernonlevy wrote:

Have the headset fitted by your LBS

Probably best starting a new thread somewhere as this is a bumped one, but anyhow...

Why have the headset fitted by the LBS? You are likely to bodge it yourself or it requires special tools?

Just about to replace the headset on my tourer for the first time (it's pitted I believe keeps clicking into a particular position). I bought a headset press from SJS as they do them for 50 quid or so. Hope at least blowing the money on the proper tool will allow me to have a punt myself despite technical inexperience.

andymiller

I agree with Vernon. It costs a tenner of less to have a headset fitted, and for that the LBS should also ream the headtube for a good fit.

£50 means you have to fit five headsets for the tool to pay for itself - seems like a fairly long payback time to me (but OK, you also avoid the hassle/cost of taking the frame to the LBS).

Bodhbh

andymiller wrote:

I agree with Vernon. It costs a tenner of less to have a headset fitted, and for that the LBS should also ream the headtube for a good fit.

£50 means you have to fit five headsets for the tool to pay for itself - seems like a fairly long payback time to me (but OK, you also avoid the hassle/cost of taking the frame to the LBS).

Okay thanks. Well it's done now, but good to know how much a bike shop might have charged. Generally I've been trying to buy tools and try myself rather than go to the LBS, even if it often doesn't make economic sense (except in the very long term). Think I read somewhere you can also just tap them in with a hammer but I didn't want to risk it.

PHcp

Bodhbh wrote:

vernonlevy wrote:

Have the headset fitted by your LBS

Probably best starting a new thread somewhere as this is a bumped one, but anyhow...

Why have the headset fitted by the LBS? You are likely to bodge it yourself or it requires special tools?

Just about to replace the headset on my tourer for the first time (it's pitted I believe keeps clicking into a particular position). I bought a headset press from SJS as they do them for 50 quid or so. Hope at least blowing the money on the proper tool will allow me to have a punt myself despite technical inexperience.

Good argument for using a LBS. They'd have told you that only the bearings needed replacing, half the price, half the work and no specialist tools required.

Bodhbh

PHcp wrote:

Good argument for using a LBS. They'd have told you that only the bearings needed replacing, half the price, half the work and no specialist tools required.

Well so far my experience with LBSs has been limited but not great (latest visit had had a wheel with a broke spoke and bearings needed regreasing in the hub, 1 week queue just to bring the thing in, took 2weeks after to fix and 40quid charge). I'd rather have a go myself even if I break things or mess them up, find components incompatable, it doesn't even make too much economic sense, at least something is learned. Unused tools and bits can be ebayed easy enuff.