Lots of questions!

Dmak

Picked up my first road bike yesterday, an Allez 2011 Sport, love it! She is by my side as I type this!

1, I need a mirror or 2, on occasions (dry, quiet roads) I like to listen to music whilst riding but I don't feel safe without good all round vision. I see some that mount on various parts of the bike, others on helmets, which is best? Even without music it makes it so much easier to keep tabs on things.

2, I need a mini pump, a good light one that will fit snug on the frame. Loads out there, just need to know what's best.

3, Torque wrench, I can't afford a super posh one. Popped into my local Screwfix only to discover that they come in various ranges, I could do with a recommendation for something that'll cover all the torques my bike requires at a reasonable price. I guess I may need more than one.

4, Chain cleaning, I want to keep the bike in tip top condition, what's the best way of cleaning the chain? It's not an expensive groupset (Sora) but still, l I'd like to maintain it well.

Any advice very much appreciated, ta, Dan

dmch2

I'd advise against music personally, but up to you. Get used to always looking all around you

A small pump won't ever be great as it's so small and you want 100psi. So it's only ever going to be a 'get you home after repairing a puncture' type thing. so get a 'track pump' for home too so you can easily check tyres before you go.

Most bike torques are pretty low so just an allen key by hand done up firmly (but not leaving marks on your hand) is about right. Exceptions are things like the BB and cassette that need special tools anyway. But if you do get a torque wrench it'll be a very small one, up to 20Nm would be ample i think

Chain - can open, worms everywhere. I give mine a decent wipe, bit of dry lube then whizz it round a bit and wipe off the excess after every few rides. If it's yucky then spraying light oil will rinse the muck out. Every few hundred i use a chain cleaning tool as well. After 1000 get a new chain to save wear on the cassette.

andyrr

I use an Ipod when out training solo away from urban areas but when commuting I don't, with lots of traffic sometimes getting too close etc I like to have my hearing focused on the traffic but on quieter roads I like to have a distraction to the pain in my legs !
Never had a mirror you can get ones that fit into the ends of the bars.

Pumps - do a search on here but Lezayne ones get a very good rep (relatively dear tho') - I got a Topeak MiniMaster Blaster in Halfords. Seems to be good for the money.
Also get a track pump - much easier to get to 100+psi and maintaining the right pressure in tyres means less punctures.
Also I now tend to not try to run tyres right to the bitter end when the canvas is visible, once they are really worn I find you get more punctures, chucking a tyre with maybe 15% of it's life left is a false economy when you are repeatedly stood at the side of the road fixing punctures tubes.

Torque wrench - BBB do one with the right range or there is a Ritchet tool that is preset to 5nM I think which is pretty close to what the common bolts that you tend to need to get accurately torqued - stem bolts, seattube binder etc
http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=T0019

Chain cleaning - you can get a chain cleaning device for £15 or so if you want to regularly clean it oer and above washing/lubing it
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=4671
Used these in the past (should use one again really) and they work well and minimise that mucky spray going everywhere.

Dmak

dmch2 wrote:

I'd advise against music personally, but up to you. Get used to always looking all around you

A small pump won't ever be great as it's so small and you want 100psi. So it's only ever going to be a 'get you home after repairing a puncture' type thing. so get a 'track pump' for home too so you can easily check tyres before you go.

Most bike torques are pretty low so just an allen key by hand done up firmly (but not leaving marks on your hand) is about right. Exceptions are things like the BB and cassette that need special tools anyway. But if you do get a torque wrench it'll be a very small one, up to 20Nm would be ample i think

Chain - can open, worms everywhere. I give mine a decent wipe, bit of dry lube then whizz it round a bit and wipe off the excess after every few rides. If it's yucky then spraying light oil will rinse the muck out. Every few hundred i use a chain cleaning tool as well. After 1000 get a new chain to save wear on the cassette.

Cheers, I would like to ditch the music but thinking about it, I've had some great rides with fantastic soundtracks and it really helps to keep the mind off the pain. I ride to get faster.

I got a track pump with the bike, not a great one but it does the job although as the rim was creaking earlier as I topped up I was doubting the gauge! The tyres say 115-125 so I put them to just under 120. I'd like a good mini pump that'll go to 160 if I upgrade the tyres. I don't want a sluggish return journey if I'm 50 miles out and get a flat.

What chain cleaning tool do you use? Cheers for the 1000m tip, I'll keep a tab on things.

Buckled_Rims

1. I don't advise to listen to music on the road. But that's my personal advice.

2. 2 types of mini pumps. One is just a pump, the other is a pump incorporating a Co2 cannister. A Co2 pump will inflate your tyre fast without you pumping it up.

3. The BBB torque wrench gets good reviews on here and comes with most of the heads you'll use. about £50. Example:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BBB-Torquefix-Cycle-Torque-Wrench-RRP-64-95-/290478671169?pt=UK_Spots_Leisure_Cycling_Tools_RepairKits&hash=item43a1e0c541

4. Just wipe with a cloth every other ride and then lightly oil. Change after 3-5k miles. I use a sponge and squeeze the chain gently and clean.

Dmak

Cheers for the advice guys, much appreciated Plenty of bookmarks appearing, I just need some more money!

andyrr

Tyre pressure - you won't need to go above 120psi, no ordinary tyres will need more than that (racing 'tubular' tyres can go towards 200psi but these are a different type completely and incompatible with your rims), around 110psi is a fairly safe bet for all tyres but check the tyre wall, some show a max of 130 others down to 100 and best not to stray too far above the max but on our roads I wouldn't put much above 110 otherwise they just transmit too much of the crappy road surface up to you.

Velonutter

Dmak wrote:

....
1, I need a mirror or 2, on occasions (dry, quiet roads) I like to listen to music whilst riding but I don't feel safe without good all round vision. I see some that mount on various parts of the bike, others on helmets, which is best? Even without music it makes it so much easier to keep tabs on things......

Sorry Dan, but your worried about being safe, yet you listen to music whilst riding. :roll:

Don't be a fool mate, you were given ears to listen, use them, music is for the social scene.

Pain...don't you think we all suffer the pain but we get on with it, the more you train the easier it is to cope with it.

Don't be a morgue statistic :roll:

Dmak

I'll knock them down a bit to 115 (min on tyre wall), most roads in this country are utter crap I agree, it bugs me a lot. The highway planners do not give a toss about cyclists, it's all about looking after the lazy drivers, this needs to change, but how so? Off topic soz.

Dmak

Slow-N-Old wrote:

Dmak wrote:

....
1, I need a mirror or 2, on occasions (dry, quiet roads) I like to listen to music whilst riding but I don't feel safe without good all round vision. I see some that mount on various parts of the bike, others on helmets, which is best? Even without music it makes it so much easier to keep tabs on things......

Sorry Dan, but your worried about being safe, yet you listen to music whilst riding. :roll:

Don't be a fool mate, you were given ears to listen, use them, music is for the social scene.

Pain...don't you think we all suffer the pain but we get on with it, the more you train the easier it is to cope with it.

Don't be a morgue statistic :roll:

Blimey, I don't plan on being a statistic! :shock: I was a H&S professional for over a decade, so I know a thing or 2 about self-preservation.

If you haven't tried it, don't knock it, different strokes for different folks n all. If a HGV driver is on his phone and doesn't see me, music or not, I'm probably dead. If I can see all hazards at a glance I'm well equipped and given that I don't like to hang about, wind turbulence in my lugs is just as deafening. At the moment I have no mirrors on my road bike and therefore there is no music, you can't rely on your ears and you can't rely on looking back all the time because doing this means you can't see where you are going. Even though this may be brief, it may prove painful or even fatal. Peace 8)

smallangryman

I wouldn't rely on a mirror to fill me in on everything happening behind me.

I've listened to music on the bike but only ever one headphone and quit enough that I know what's going on around me.

A mirror might help, but it can't keep you informed of everything around you, you need to be aware anyway.