Some beginner questions

mdavenport555

shirley_basso said:

This multi tool, as it has a chain breaker. It wont do everything for you, but will do most roadside repairs. The lack of philips is a minor gripe but never caused me concern:
https://road.cc/content/review/217008-pedros-rxm-multi-tool

This pump:
https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Topeak-Race-Rocket-Mini-Hand-Pump_34445.htm

Options for storage are:
Small bag which sits under your saddle (personally I hate them)

Squeeze them into a back pocket (perhaps put them in a bag first) such as:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-caddy-sack-medium

Or use a bottle cage mounted storage bottle. I have this one. You may wish to put a nitrile glove and some tissues in to clean your hands / stop it rattling. I use one bottle cage for my drinks bottle, and my second for the below. That frees up my pockets to carry my phone, debit card, £5 cash and a flapjack. If I ride much longer, I decant it and put into pockets, so I can carry two bottles, but nowadays I just carry one and stop somewhere and refill liquids if I need.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/PRO/Storage-Bottle-500ml/PDRS

Thanks for sharing the links... few questions:-

1. The pump - is the linked pump compatible with both types of bike valves.. Mine has the thin one that you unscrew (sorry not sure of official name). and not the sort you find on cars..

2. Storage - I don't really like the saddle bags and something that fits in a pocket would be good.. I also like the idea of the bottle cage but not sure if my frame will have room for it, in addition to my water bottle - any thoughts?

3. Puncture repair - any recommendations for a repair kit? My tires are tubbed (I may one day go tubeless but not yet).

pblakeney

1. Yes. https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/216-Mini-Pumps/386-racerocket-hp
2. Most things will fit in a cycling jersey pockets if that's your preference. I went through a phase of putting everything in a small generic superstore zipped case that fitted in a jersey pocket. I decided that I preferred a saddle bag to the weight drag.
3. A spare tube, levers and some self sealing patches just in case. Repair at home.

First.Aspect

Get a small saddle pack. Learn how to fix tubes and carry a repair kit. You can carry more patches than spare tubes.

You will need jersey pocket space for food, a phone, probably a mini pump. You don't want to have to carry a multi tool, a spare tube, levers and a patch kit as well.

You could go for bottle cage storage, but at the cost of space for at least one water bottle. There will be space for two at most.

mdavenport555

pblakeney said:

1. Yes. https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/216-Mini-Pumps/386-racerocket-hp
2. Most things will fit in a cycling jersey pockets if that's your preference. I went through a phase of putting everything in a small generic superstore zipped case that fitted in a jersey pocket. I decided that I preferred a saddle bag to the weight drag.
3. A spare tube, levers and some self sealing patches just in case. Repair at home.

Any recommended saddle bags as it does seem I may get weighed down a bit

mdavenport555

Just found this one that seems to come loaded with tool, patches etc.. any good:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-loaded-caddy-saddle-bag-with-tools-medium

mdavenport555

Hmm, just looking how the saddle bags fit and not sure if I will have room.. On my bike a have got the Garmin radar back light which its under my seat and above the reflector so doesn't look like I will have room - any suggestions?

pblakeney

mdavenport555 said:

Just found this one that seems to come loaded with tool, patches etc.. any good:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-loaded-caddy-saddle-bag-with-tools-medium

I have one and there's nothing wrong with it. The multitool is a bit heavy but does everything. You would be looking at higher costs to get lighter.
My favourite though is the Topeak Aero Wedge as it's easy to swap between bikes and just seems better attached.
https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/37-Saddle-Bags/130-AERO-WEDGE-PACK
By the time you buy everything individually it will probably cost more than the Lezyne so that's a decision to be made.
Either would fit your bike. You may need to lower your light a touch but I don't foresee any issues. The light may even attach to the bags.

katani

For a cyclocross bike the reach of that handlebar looks too long. Getting a handlebar with a shorter one, rotating it up a bit and placing the brifters higher up, like proper cyclocross racers do, would make you sit a bit more upright which would help with your lower back pain. It doesn't matter if the set up doesn't look cool. Those are all Eli Iserbyt's racing bikes with the handlebar set up like that:

i

First.Aspect

You are spoiled for choice. There are lots of designs that don't loop around the seatpost as well. Don't overthink it.

Fwiw avoid anything that looks like it has a hard shell, because it will rattle and annoy the t!ts off you. Also my preference is for something with a seat rail strap you can tighten for the same reason.

Just move the Garmin light down. There's lots of room there.

daniel_b

mdavenport555 said:

Hmm, just looking how the saddle bags fit and not sure if I will have room.. On my bike a have got the Garmin radar back light which its under my seat and above the reflector so doesn't look like I will have room - any suggestions?

Lose the rear reflector, and move the garmin varia mount down the seatpost - then you'll have room for a saddle bag.

Fwiw, in my opinion, the Lezyne kit is very good quality.

Purely from looking at the pics you posted, it looks like potentially you are indeed a little stretched out, but that could be down to current levels of flexibility, so may improve with time.

For a pretty cheap way of altering the position, I would firstly invert the stem, and secondly buy a super cheap version of what you have, presuming there is a 100 or 110 on there currently, perhaps something 20-30mm shorter as a starting point.

it sounds like you may well be completely new to road bikes, and I had the same experience back in 2007, having only ridden mountain bikes previously.
It's a very different experience, and takes a while to get used to.
The more you ride, the more your muscles will strengthen, and your body will acclimatise to the position, so a short stem may let you ride more comfortably, but you may well find you end up back on the original setup a little way down the line.

It's quite a bit of hit and miss, but if you persevere, and maybe even gain some enjoyment from the process, you will get there in the end

Munsford0

Skinny valves which you have to unscrew = presta
fatter ones like those on cars = schraeder

Most track pumps have a head which will fit both, many micro pumps also. Some require you to rearrange the internals of the head to switch from one to another.

I prefer my pumps to connect via a flexible hose; less chance of damaging the valve while pumping.

I have a Topeak Road Morph on one bike https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/216-Mini-Pumps/246-ROAD-MORPH-G
and a smaller Lezyne on the other
https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/hand-pumps-high-pressure-road/products/pocket-drive

First.Aspect

I don't like lezyne or other pumps where you screw on the pump head. Tends to result in unscrewing the valve core. In fact, got one trapped inside a topeak pump once in a remote location and for the life of me I couldn't get it out of the pump withwhat I had. Ended up with a major tantrum.

First.Aspect

None of us do, but you are required to have a reflector. As well as on the pedals. They also have to be British standard (from the 1980s) so scotchbrite strips and wotnot aren't legal. They are too effective, presumably.

Munsford0

First.Aspect said:

I don't like lezyne or other pumps where you screw on the pump head. Tends to result in unscrewing the valve core. In fact, got one trapped inside a topeak pump once in a remote location and for the life of me I couldn't get it out of the pump withwhat I had. Ended up with a major tantrum.

That is true. I now use a baby adjustable wrench to nip up the valve cores on all my tubes before use

mdavenport555

So legally do I need the reflector meaning my Garmin light won’t tick the box? Shame!! Do most people have a reflector?

First.Aspect

mdavenport555 said:

So legally do I need the reflector meaning my Garmin light won’t tick the box? Shame!! Do most people have a reflector?

Legally yes, after sunset. Almost no-one has a reflector though. In principle it could be regarded as a contributory factor in determining liability for a collision. In practice it's hopefully a moot point and is never enforced by the police. And if you are lit up like an Xmas tree it becomes hard for anyone to argue that the absence of a rear reflector is actually a contributory factor.

So take it off if you want to be down with us cool people.

pblakeney

Legally, yes. I don't see the point if you have a light on but that is possibly irrelevant.
Actually, no.

mdavenport555

So if I ditch the reflector, move the light down (happy to try and be cool :-) I should be able to fit this:-

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Topeak-Wedge-Strap-mount-Large/dp/B000FIE45O
and fill it with bits

or

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-loaded-caddy-saddle-bag-with-tools-medium
and not have to purchase any than a mini pump and repair kit?

First.Aspect

Yes. That topeak one is quite big, btw. Out of the two I'd go with the Lezyne.

MattFalle

First.Aspect said:

mdavenport555 said:

So legally do I need the reflector meaning my Garmin light won’t tick the box? Shame!! Do most people have a reflector?

Legally yes, after sunset. Almost no-one has a reflector though. In principle it could be regarded as a contributory factor in determining liability for a collision. In practice it's hopefully a moot point and is never enforced by the police. And if you are lit up like an Xmas tree it becomes hard for anyone to argue that the absence of a rear reflector is actually a contributory factor.

So take it off if you want to be down with us cool people.

yup. mug it off. its jeffy jeff bag.

mdavenport555

Ive now ordered the following kit from Wiggle:-

Lezyne loaded medium saddle bag
Topeak race rocket mini pump
DHB shorts

I think I still need to get a better top...

I'm going to rotate my handle bars very slightly this evening and take it for a ride.

Will feed back here later...

Thanks for all the help.

MattFalle

enjoy and keep us updated dude!

mdavenport555

Ok so back from 10 miles... Before going I rotated the handle bars slightly and tried to level up the seat a bit - see new photos..

I think the handle bars helped a bit but still got back with some lower back ache and also found that I was coming off the hoods at times to ride a bit more vertical using the flat part near the stem. I would say I spent 80% on the hoods.. I wonder if I need to rotate them a little further.

Also, I did find that it was a bit more comfy to come backwards on the hoods a bit and wonder if a shorter stem would help here.. Its been mentioned to invert my stem to try but I have no idea what this means or how to do it.. Any suggestions?

Something else I noticed and wanted to run this past you guys.. My pedals... should you be able to spin the pedals freely when flicking them with your hand or should they be stiff? Mine are very stiff and if I try to give them a spin they will only go 90 deg before stopping... I wondered if this will make riding harder as they still need to rotate around when riding..?

I've also dropped the reflector and lowered my Garmin Radar light...

mdavenport555

Ok test complete.. Just got back from a 10 miler. I made a slight handle bar adjustment which I think it made a little better but not perfect so maybe try altering a bit more... I also levelled the seat up a bit and took the reflector off. Still got lower back ache when I went out.

I found I rode the hoods for probably 80% and the other 20% I was on the flat horizontal section to allow me to be a bit more upright for a bit. It did feel as if my reach was stretched to get to the hoods after a while riding them so I do wonder if a shorter stem would help as I tried moving back on the hoods a bit and it may have helped (hard to know for sure).

It was mentioned here about inverting my existing stem to try that but I have no idea what this means or how to do it? Any pointers?

Something else I noticed was my pedals and how stiff their rotation is. If I was to use my hand and try and spin the pedals they would turn a max of 90 deg (with a good firm flick) before stopping. I just wondered if this would make biking harder as ultimately they have to rotate on their axis in every revolution I do.. Any thoughts? Could they be just too tight? Or is this normal?

Cleaning question.. with the dry weather we are having the bike isn't getting wet or dirty but is getting dusty.. Any recommendations on how to best wash/clean them? I know I need keep an eye on my chain and cogs which I have some degreaser and muk off dry lube to apply but was thinking more the rest of the bike... Do you just dust them down when they get dusty with a microfibre cloth or wash them etc..

Here are some more photos of my slightly adjusted bike... comments welcome.

MattFalle

Re stem - MF explained this to you above

Re dry cleaning: frame and forks with Mr Sheen or similar if its just dusty. GT85 on mechs.

if muddy, hose down, car shampoo hot soapy water, hose down, dry off, GT85 on mechs.

be sure to keep everything clear of discs as it turns it into a squeaky nightmare.

degrease chain, hose down, dry and lube

whole shebang should take 15 minutes.

mdavenport555

MattFalle said:

Re dry cleaning: frame and forks with Mr Sheen or similar if its just dusty. GT85 on mechs.

Is gt85 ok on chain and chain gear if not fully degreasing and re-lubing?

When you say Mr Sheen do you mean the furniture polish?

Any ideas on the pedals stiffness?

daniel_b

mdavenport555 said:

Ok test complete.. Just got back from a 10 miler. I made a slight handle bar adjustment which I think it made a little better but not perfect so maybe try altering a bit more... I also levelled the seat up a bit and took the reflector off. Still got lower back ache when I went out.

I found I rode the hoods for probably 80% and the other 20% I was on the flat horizontal section to allow me to be a bit more upright for a bit. It did feel as if my reach was stretched to get to the hoods after a while riding them so I do wonder if a shorter stem would help as I tried moving back on the hoods a bit and it may have helped (hard to know for sure).

It was mentioned here about inverting my existing stem to try that but I have no idea what this means or how to do it? Any pointers?

Great work - the bars to my eye look perfectly acceptable, but going from your original picture, it does look like your arms are pretty much locked out, which is exactly how I started riding, which led to much hand, arm and back discomfort

This vid (excuse Ollie's mullet) will take you through the process, though I have not watched to show if it tells you about inverting the stem or not - but basically it is simply taking the stem off completely, detatching it from the handlebars, and then putting it on upside down.
It should increase the height of the handlebars a fair bit, which might be enough for you, but I suspect you also need a shorter stem.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=D4kSe8xkYN8

Do watch it carefully, as it will show you how much, and in what order to re-tighten the bolts.

Even if you flip it and it still feels like a bit of a stretch, it might be worth trying to make a conscious effort to pivot more, and roll your hips forward, so lowering yourself, and generating some bend in your arms.
As you are new to this, it might just be that you are not used to it, and it won't happen overnight, but this may be what you need long term, though for my money a shorter stem is almost certainly what you need in the short term.

What length stem is on there?

This is how you measure, and in the example below it is a 70mm stem:


Re the pedals, I can't really tell what they are, but they are probably a fairly cheap generic flat pedal?
I don't believe a stiff pedal will do much to slow you down, so I wouldn't worry about it personally, just keep riding, and concentrate on making it comfortable.
If you really do get into it, chances are you will want to get some spd or spd sl shoes, and match them up with new pedals anyway.

Good job on ditching the reflector and moving the Varia down (One of my best purchases incidentally) you can still move it down further should the bag be too close for comfort, but I suspect it will be fine.

Hopefully the shorts will prove a vast improvement, just remember that when you try them on, you are looking for them to be nice and properly snug, otherwise the pad can move around, and then it becomes not comfortable.
Jerseys - there are so many makes out there, Decathlon always get good reviews, but you can also check out the likes of Tredz, Chainreaction/Wiggle, Merlin, Sigma etc, who all invariably have some heavily reduced kit for sale.

By the way, stunning looking bike, and you have chosen THE best colour out there.

daniel_b

Just found this video too, specifically on inverting the stem - should cover it, just make sure you tighten the bolts up in the right order, and snugly enough, but also not overtight

https://youtube.com/watch?v=SIUqoCMQlDA

MattFalle

mdavenport555 said:

MattFalle said:

Re dry cleaning: frame and forks with Mr Sheen or similar if its just dusty. GT85 on mechs.

Is gt85 ok on chain and chain gear if not fully degreasing and re-lubing?

When you say Mr Sheen do you mean the furniture polish?

Any ideas on the pedals stiffness?

not really as it will strip all the lube and flick off quite quickly. a proper lube is best.

remember though don't slop it on otherwise it'll pick up loads of road gank and clogvthe chsin and cassette up. thin drizzles are good.

spply, leave a few hours to settle in, ride.

yup. takes the dust away, stpps psint being scratched by dirt, dhines, smells nice. you can slso use GT85 for that workshop smell.

i honestly wouldn't worry about the stiffness of pedals at this moment in time.

mdavenport555

Been watching a few videos on changing / inverting the stem.. Most talk about using a torque wrench to correctly tighten the bolts.

Is this really necessary as they seem to be fairly expensive...?