New bike day

[ronin]

Beautiful Salsa build. Congrats!

Jonesing for a new Hardtail mountain bike. Have a well worn workhorse alloy Stumpjumper which I use for gravel, cross country, sometimes cyclocross races and many miles of training. Would love to retire Stumpy and replace with a new carbon-framed rig equipped with a 1x12 drivetrain and a set of magically light and extraordinarily strong carbon hoops.

Sadly the frame I want is out of stock in my size so new bike day is many months away.

My full-sus is carbon. SC Bronson. I love it. I searched the internet high and low to find the frame in my size. Lucked out and scored from an outfit out of Wisconsin.

 

[stepford]

My full-sus is carbon. SC Bronson. I love it. I searched the internet high and low to find the frame in my size. Lucked out and scored from an outfit out of Wisconsin.

I've only ridden a Bronson once - and just an Aluminum one (it's the shop bike that Gravity Nelson rents out to all the MTB tourists in that part of NZ - honestly overkill for the sort of XC riding I was doing). You sir, have a great ride.

 

[1242Vintage]

My full-sus is carbon. SC Bronson. I love it. I searched the internet high and low to find the frame in my size. Lucked out and scored from an outfit out of Wisconsin.

Your stable of bikes is high class!

We get team deals through Specialized so that’s what I ride. Full squish Epic, two Crux cross bikes (gotta have both a primary and a backup pit bike), and the aging Stumpy Hardtail.

I’m Fortunate that my lovely wife is very supportive of my sport.

 

[eytonxav]

I’ve ridden a Trek hybrid for many years. Crushed stone and asphalt trails and on roads. But now I’m spending a lot of mornings hiking and running. I don’t feel like biking in the heat of the day after hiking or running.

So I bought an ebike 2 weeks ago. Specialized Como 3. I still get a little bit of a workout on it because I find myself going twice as far as I did on the Trek. And I can’t believe how much fun it is to ride. 20 mph with little effort.

So can these also be pedaled for exercise? Maybe you should now be considered a motorcyclist.

 

[Ronstar]

So can these also be pedaled for exercise? Maybe you should now be considered a motorcyclist.

Yes it is pedaled for exercise. just makes hills and against the wind rides easier.

It has 3 levels of motorized pedal assist. It's a heavy bike around 50 lbs, so I normally pedal with a low or medium motor setting.

Some bikes have a throttle and are illegal in some places. Mine does not have a throttle - I need to pedal to get anywhere. The motor just makes it easier.

On my hybrid if I was pedaling at 10 mph - is about the same exercise as pedaling the ebike on motor level 2 going 18-20 mph.

 

[eytonxav]

My memory is foggy, but I seem to recall there was an elite european bicycle builder who was building bikes for elite racing competitors and he somehow incorporated micro electric motors that created an unfair advantage for the racers that was visually undetectable.

 

[COcheesehead]

My memory is foggy, but I seem to recall there was an elite european bicycle builder who was building bikes for elite racing competitors and he somehow incorporated micro electric motors that created an unfair advantage for the racers that was visually undetectable.

Early on undetectable, but they started using heat sensors I believe to catch the violators . A few have been caught including a woman. There are some interesting videos on YouTube regarding the subject showing the use of the motors in races.

 

[bloom2708]

Someone is selling a Surly Long Haul Trucker for $500 on my local Craigslist. Arghhh. That is a $1,300 bike.

I already have 3 bikes (Brompton, Specialized Fat Boy, Tommaso Carbon road bike). Don't need another, but I hate passing up a good deal.

 

[GravitySucks]

Don't worry your wallet. There are none available.

I went to 3 bike shops to find a part. My go-to shop had 3 e-bikes, 1 $5k road bike and 4 $300 toddler bikes. That's it. Part I needed out of stock.
Shop 2 had 1 e-bike and 7 overpriced used rides. Part out of stock.
Shop 3 just opened this year. Owner told me his allotment of Specialized sold out before May. Maybe 2 e-bikes. Finally got the part I needed.

OP - Any trouble finding components for that sweet build?

I should not have clicked on this thread. I’ve been thinking of upgrading my entry level bike, since I have been riding more and more over the past couple of years. I ride mostly on rail trails and paved paths, so was thinking of either a gravel bike with drop bars or a better hybrid/ fitness bike with flat handlebars.

You all are a bunch of enablers. I’ve started looking at specs on the Trek website and thinking I need a couple of test rides.

 

[mystang52]

I'm very happy with my Road bike and my hybrid. But I still get jealous any time I read, like this OP, about someone getting a new bike!

 

[67walkon]

Nice bike!

 

[68bucks]

Every night @ 5-6 pm we're off on our bikes. It's the best part of our day. We fly through tree lined neighborhoods. I do wish we had more challenging hills. Unfortunately, we live in the flat-lands of the Midwest...corn/soybean country. There are many country roads but can be dangerous with cars speeding.

That's the reason I have hesitated to get into biking. I need to find a substitute for running as I'm having more and more leg and foot issues. Biking came to mind, of course the timing is bad for trying to buy a bike, who would have thought. But I'm more than a little worried about getting run over by someone texting or reading email. Didn't have that worry when I was a kid. I'm in the country so people are going 40,50 maybe 60 mph. Seems like a hassle to load up a bike and drive to a park or trail. Most of the places I run aren't really that great for biking.

 

[scottpush]

attachment icon (paperclip above the message composition box).

My other bike is a full suspension, carbon, Santa Cruz Bronson. I like it a lot.

I have a Santa Cruz Tallboy, carbon. Love it but the rear hub makes a pretty loud clicking sound. I heard that's normal for higher end bikes but a little annoying.

 

[stepford]

I have a Santa Cruz Tallboy, carbon. Love it but the rear hub makes a pretty loud clicking sound. I heard that's normal for higher end bikes but a little annoying.

Your hubs might just need a bit of grease. Modern freehubs do vary in noise though. Some are as loud as the baseball cards we used to stick in the spokes 50 years ago and some are virtually silent. All benefit from the occasional bit of preventative maintenance.

Regardless, I like a bit of noise in a mountain bike hub as it serves as an alternative to a bell to alert other trail users of my approach. If I want quiet I'll ride the road bike.

PS What flavor of Tallboy? I'm a fan of the 3rd generation personally.

 

[ronin]

I have a Santa Cruz Tallboy, carbon. Love it but the rear hub makes a pretty loud clicking sound. I heard that's normal for higher end bikes but a little annoying.

What brand of hub is it? I changed out the star ratchet on my DT Swiss and get a nice little buzz from the 36 tooth version. It is good for making my presence known. Except half the hikers have ear buds and the other half are staring at their phones in obliviousness-land.

 

[scottpush]

Yeah I heard grease might help. Went to the bike shop and they said they said the rear hubs just sound like that. They are really backed up with bikes to work on was probably the real issue.

I bought it in 2018. Not sure what generation that is. Do you?

 

[scottpush]

What brand of hub is it? I changed out the star ratchet on my DT Swiss and get a nice little buzz from the 36 tooth version. It is good for making my presence known. Except half the hikers have ear buds and the other half are staring at their phones in obliviousness-land.

Yeah I noticed that the hikers notice me more with the buzz. Good reason to have it. It's a DC Swiss 350. That's the extent of my knowledge of rear hubs!

 

[Whoosh]

That's the reason I have hesitated to get into biking. I need to find a substitute for running as I'm having more and more leg and foot issues. Biking came to mind, of course the timing is bad for trying to buy a bike, who would have thought. But I'm more than a little worried about getting run over by someone texting or reading email. Didn't have that worry when I was a kid. I'm in the country so people are going 40,50 maybe 60 mph. Seems like a hassle to load up a bike and drive to a park or trail. Most of the places I run aren't really that great for biking.

Sharing the road with motor vehicles can indeed be scary. If the roads where you live are truly bike unfriendly, e.g., high speed limits, lack of adequate shoulders, you may be right in your apprehension. But I have logged 10's of thousands of road miles over the past 45 years (USA and abroad), and I have never been struck by a car. Some tips - find someone with road experience to ride with initially - any local clubs in your area? Riding with others enhances the enjoyment of the sport, and transfers to you the experience others have taken years to develop. Riding in moderate size groups (8 and under) is also safer, as motorists tend to give wide berth to groups. Use lights day and night (front and rear - the key to staying healthy is being seen by motorists (they actually do not want to run you over). Stay away from high speed roads, especially if they lack a wide enough shoulder for you to stay out of the lane of traffic. If you don't have safe roads close to the house, throw the bike in the car and drive somewhere where you feel safe. It's a pain, but at least you will be getting out on the bike.

 

[Badger]

Not sure if the same applies to mountain bikes but always felt the push to lite weight road bikes is more of a selling gimmick and has little benefit for most of us non-competitive riders. I have two road bikes, maybe 8 lbs difference between the two, and see little difference in total riding effort/speed.

+1
I never saw much difference in a pound or three in efficiency or speed especially since my weight will fluctuate that much from one day to the next. As far as enjoyment I have had as much fun on a $10 garage sale beach bike on the beach as with any other bike I have owned. Now days the hand built Klein hangs from the rafters in the garage while I do my riding on a much heavier recumbent trike. Love that comfortable laid back ride while I can breath easier with no back, neck, shoulder, and wrist pain.
However, no matter what there is not much that can beat riding a bicycle. Well, maybe a motorcycle.


Cheers!

 

[ronin]

I have the 350 on both my bikes. They are great workhorse hubs. You likely have 18t ratchets which can be upgraded easily to higher numbers of points of engagement. While the sound does change, the real benefit is quicker engagement when climbing. That means less of a "dead spot" when applying pressure to the pedals before they start to engage the power to the rear cassette. 36t works well for me all things considered. But it is possible to go as high as 54t. The hubs are simple to work on and the ratchet replacement is really easy. Even a cleaning and regrease can be done by the average DIYer. Plenty of videos on the internet.

 

[scottpush]

Thanks for the tips! I'll have to put more time into it and try the regreasing first.

 

[stepford]

Yeah I heard grease might help. Went to the bike shop and they said they said the rear hubs just sound like that. They are really backed up with bikes to work on was probably the real issue.

I bought it in 2018. Not sure what generation that is. Do you?

Yeah , you have a Tallboy 3 (C or CC) which came with Race Face Arc 27 or 40 wheels depending on whether you got the 29 or 27.5+ version. In either case they came with DT 350 hubs with 36 tooth star ratchets, just like Ronin described. Re-greasing is an easy job, but if the hubs aren't any louder than when you bought the bike then your LBS is probably right - that's just how they're supposed to sound.

I have the 350 on both my bikes. They are great workhorse hubs. You likely have 18t ratchets which can be upgraded easily to higher numbers of points of engagement. While the sound does change, the real benefit is quicker engagement when climbing. That means less of a "dead spot" when applying pressure to the pedals before they start to engage the power to the rear cassette. 36t works well for me all things considered. But it is possible to go as high as 54t. The hubs are simple to work on and the ratchet replacement is really easy. Even a cleaning and regrease can be done by the average DIYer. Plenty of videos on the internet.

I'm pretty sure Santa Cruz supplies 36T star ratchets in their factory builds with DT350s. In any case I've had wheelsets with 18, 36 and 54T and find 36 is plenty for my style of riding. There are some ratcheting moves that benefit from a hub with a high number of points of engagement (POE), but I guess I'm not a good enough rider to take advantage of them. For me the only real advantage of a high POE is when stalled out on a steep hill I can position my pedal for the best restart without having to move the bike around.

 

[mcbraemer]

Sweet bike! Here is my all carbon Felt GRX cyclocross, bought slightly used last year.

 

[ronin]

Very nice bike!

 

[ronin]

The C-dale trail bike I just sold had Shimano XT hubs which worked very well until the free hub failed after about 3-4 yrs. Talking with others, sounds not unusual. It was quiet though. I kept the freehub body meaning to take it apart and see what was going on inside, but never did. And now that bike is gone and I won't be going back to XT's for hubs.

But the XT drive train on the new bike rocks. My first 1x12 and I really like it. Crisp shifting and a little cleaner set-up on the bar. Not a weight weenie but I like less mechs to fuss with.