which bike is better?

tailwindhome

I'm just about to pull the trigger on this

Park Big Blue Book of Bicycle Repair

I'm sure it's all on a website somewhere, I like books though

tailwindhome

Bet the OP's glad he didn't post in Commuting Graveyard

Only joking

TailWindHome [BANNED]

supersonic

Lol. A lot of Park Tools book is on their website.

davis

jc0092 wrote:

Sorry for the mess.

Not your fault - it's a forum bunfight, and they'll happen.

I won the auction for Carrera Subway 1. Please guide me:

As in you've agreed to pay 67 GBP for this bike? Congratulations. It seems a good, or at least reasonable, price

1) What should I do to inspect the bike during cash on collection?

Well, the eBay description doesn't give much of a clue about its condition, so in my opinion you've pretty much agreed to buy it. You should really have asked some questions about its condition, but there you go. Unless you turn up and the bike's on fire, obviously in pieces, or not the bike in the photo then I think you're eBay-obliged to buy it. I'd guess (based on no evidence whatsoever) there's a 90% chance that it's fine, or very easy to get to "fine".

As a general guide, on aluminium-framed bikes, you really, really, want to inspect for cracks/dings/dents in the frame. Aluminium doesn't behave predictably when structurally damaged.

Other things:

Check tyres: Look at them, including the sidewalls. There shouldn't be excessive wear on the tread, and any wear on the sidewall (which could come from the brake blocks rubbing) is very suspect.

Check wheel rims: Push something flat (e.g. the flat edge of a key) against the rims, and see how dished they are. When they're new they're perfectly flat. As the brakes wear them away, they ...err... wear away.

Check hub play/axle tightness: The wheels shouldn't rock side-to-side or twist in the forks. They should spin freely without "grumbling". (There's much, much more on this subject, but basically you want to make sure the wheels stay attached to the bike, spin freely, and don't wobble from side to side or twist).

Check headset for play: Hold the front brake on tight, and attempt to "rock" the bike back and forth by pushing/pulling on the handlebars. What you're looking for is how much the front forks and handlebars move relative to the frame -- if they jiggle back and forth then the headset bearings/cups are probably shot or the headset's not tight enough.

There are many other things that will probably need tweaking, I really do recommend checking Sheldon Brown's site and Park Tools for specifics. Other things worthy of checking:

See how the brake levers and gears feel. They should slide easily, and not feel "sticky". Frankly, they probably will, however this is most easily solved by replacing the cable inners (cheap job, see Sheldon's site).

Check the brake blocks are aligned with the wheel rims. Perfect brake set-up can be an art form on some bikes

Check the shifting works. Can you get into the highest and lowest gears? Does it shift once when you press the lever once?

2) Should I buy the Bike Hand Bikeland 19 Piece Tool Kit instead of that for Shimano specific for self-maintenance?
http://www.wheelies.co.uk/p50649/Bike-H ... l-Kit.aspx

Ummm. Probably, yes. You can spend an age trying to find the "right" tool to buy.. That kit probably won't last for ever, but it'll get you started.

supersonic

The cone spanners are a bit ropey, but I still have my chain tool years on! The same kit can be found under a few names, Halfords sells it too. I think the other one is better though, more bits that could be handy in the future.

jc0092

thank you, very helpful, I am now learning the above tips.

So with my Subway 1, does it fit with the Shimano tool kil? Or perferably others? (sonic, did you mean the Shimano is better?)

And for the oil, is WD-40 okay?

tailwindhome

@OP

Don't over think this. You've bought a bike which will take you forward and back to work for the forseeable for less than a tank of petrol. Book that as a win. The rest will take care of itself.

supersonic

WD40 no, buy teflon chain oil.

The "Shimano" kit has more useful tools. But as above, can only really see whay you need to do when the bike arrives (if anything - though it will need checking over).

EKE_38BPM

TailWindHome wrote:

@OP

Don't over think this. You've bought a bike which will take you forward and back to work for the forseeable for less than a tank of petrol. Book that as a win. The rest will take care of itself.

+1
That tool kit is very similar to one that Halfords sell at the same price, but with less tools and of slightly inferior quality.
Good buy.

veronese68

Well done that looks a good buy, now you need to add a few more good buys.
The toolkit Sonic recommended is a great start. If anything ever breaks from that replace it with something a bit better. At least you'll know you will use it. You'll also need a pump.
Get some decent puncture resistant tyres. Slick if you will only ride on road.
Seeing as you've got it for a good price, assuming everything checks out hen you pick it up, it might be an idea to get a local bike shop to give it a basic service and check over before you get going yourself. That way you'll know you're starting from a good base and can teach yourself, with web help, from there. If you're confident enough to check it over yourself, go for it.
Enjoy.

optimisticbiker

Veronese68 wrote:

Well done that looks a good buy, now you need to add a few more good buys.
The toolkit Sonic recommended is a great start. If anything ever breaks from that replace it with something a bit better. At least you'll know you will use it. You'll also need a pump.
Get some decent puncture resistant tyres. Slick if you will only ride on road.
Seeing as you've got it for a good price, assuming everything checks out hen you pick it up, it might be an idea to get a local bike shop to give it a basic service and check over before you get going yourself. That way you'll know you're starting from a good base and can teach yourself, with web help, from there. If you're confident enough to check it over yourself, go for it.
Enjoy.

Better still, see if the local bike shop does a 'servicing tutorial course' or will let you 'help' with the servicing. Some Evans branches used to do this, they basically run an evening where you take your bike along and they help you service it, so you get to learn from people that know.

tailwindhome

Collected it yet?

EKE_38BPM

TailWindHome wrote:

Collected it yet?

Give him a chance! It's almost as if we're more keen for him to get the bike thn he is.

veronese68

OptimisticBiker wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

it might be an idea to get a local bike shop to give it a basic service and check over before you get going yourself

Better still, see if the local bike shop does a 'servicing tutorial course' or will let you 'help' with the servicing. Some Evans branches used to do this, they basically run an evening where you take your bike along and they help you service it, so you get to learn from people that know.

Excellent idea, good job somebody is thinking.

tailwindhome

EKE_38BPM wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Collected it yet?

Give him a chance! It's almost as if we're more keen for him to get the bike thn he is.

You know I'm beginning to think that too....

veronese68

TailWindHome wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

TailWindHome wrote:

Collected it yet?

Give him a chance! It's almost as if we're more keen for him to get the bike thn he is.

You know I'm beginning to think that too....

N+1 by proxy?

jc0092

Finally got my bike!! Need extra few pounds for train tickets, but still good enough.

The bike is in good condition. Brakes work quite well, gears shift quickly, wheels do not move side to side, minor scratches on the frame/fork, Tyres look so new (but they are full MTB tyres)

The bad thing is the left brake. It is harder to press than the right side. What can I do?
Also the sandle is a bit hard.

The bike is quite dirty, eg dirt on the front gear, hub. Can I just splash water onto it and dry it with a cloth?
Also, there's a hole on the frame, just above the back wheel, I think it is for mudguard. Any cheap mudguard you guys recommend?

Love it so far, smooth. Slower than my crap apollo hybrid tho.

davis

jc0092 wrote:

The bad thing is the left brake. It is harder to press than the right side. What can I do?

You mean the rear brake feels it's dragging? You can probably fix that by taking the brake's inner wire (cable) out completely, cleaning (or re-cutting) the ends of the housing so they're fresh and new (and necessarily a bit shorter; you can't chop off too much or do this too many times), and replacing the cable inner -- see this page and this page for help, then head to the commuting workshop for specific help -- pictures will help!

Also the sandle is a bit hard.

No, it isn't.

The bike is quite dirty, eg dirt on the front gear, hub. Can I just splash water onto it and dry it with a cloth?

Can you wash your bike? Yes, yes you can :-) See here for a full-on guide.

Also, there's a hole on the frame, just above the back wheel, I think it is for mudguard. Any cheap mudguard you guys recommend?

I'd only really recommend SKS Chromoplastics, but I'm not going to recommend a specific size; you might be best served by visiting an LBS because I don't know what fixings your bike has.

Love it so far, smooth. Slower than my crap apollo hybrid tho.

If the tyres are causing too much resistance 'cos they're knobbly, you can fit some slicks. If the gears don't go high enough, spin your legs faster...

EKE_38BPM

Yay, N+1 by proxy!

jc0092 wrote:

Also the sandle is a bit hard.

No, it isn't. You're bum is too soft. Give it a week or two to develop your cyclist's bum. If its still feels wrong, saddles can be changed, just don't get some big thing that looks like an armchair. They are OK for a pootle to the shops once a week but for dozens of miles a week, they are no good. Look at the saddles the pros use. They are on those bikes for many hours a day, day in day out, and wouldn't use them if they were uncomfortable.

jc0092 wrote:

Love it so far, smooth. Slower than my crap apollo hybrid tho.

Change the knobbly tyres to slicks, that will speed you up a bit. If the bike still feels too slow even when pedalling as fast as you can, maybe the gearing is too low.
Have a look at the chainrings and hopefully it will say the number of teeth on each ring, if it doesn't you'll have to count them, then let us know how many teeth there are on each chain ring. That will tell us how speedy the gearing is.
In a nut shell, small chainrings (with less teeth) are better at climbing hills, but have a lower top speed. This isn't uncommon on mountain bikes but you can change the chainrings for bigger ones.
The cassette (the cogs on the rear wheel) work in the opposite manner, but to a lesser degree.
The smaller the sprocket, the faster you go, but its like fine tuning. The chainrings (at the front) are for big changes of speed/gradient, the sprockets (at the back) are for fine tuning within the range offered by the chainring.
As usual, Sheldon explains it better.