The All Things Cycling Thread

[VOLatile]

How do you like the Spooky? Way back they made a Darkside frame that I really wanted. Did you ever deal with the company?

I love my Spooky. It rides like a dream. I never dealt with the company, but it's now in its third iteration. The first iteration made the Darkside and others, then they went under. They were rebuilt by Mickey, who started doing road and cross bikes, then he closed up shop somewhere around 2014. Mine, I believe, was built in 2009 at Sapa in Portland - not a Frank the Welder built Skeletor. I heard that Mickey was kind of hard to deal with, in that he lacked some important communication skills. Someone in Portland has taken over the reigns and they now have FTW welding full time for their road (Mulholland) and cross (Dune). A new Mulholland may replace the Skeletor in a year or so. They also have a new full suspension mountain bike out that I believe is being built by Ventana.

 

[sona]

I love my Spooky. It rides like a dream. I never dealt with the company, but it's now in its third iteration. The first iteration made the Darkside and others, then they went under. They were rebuilt by Mickey, who started doing road and cross bikes, then he closed up shop somewhere around 2014. Mine, I believe, was built in 2009 at Sapa in Portland - not a Frank the Welder built Skeletor. I heard that Mickey was kind of hard to deal with, in that he lacked some important communication skills. Someone in Portland has taken over the reigns and they now have FTW welding full time for their road (Mulholland) and cross (Dune). A new Mulholland may replace the Skeletor in a year or so. They also have a new full suspension mountain bike out that I believe is being built by Ventana.

Thanks, sounds like a wild company history. The Darkside at the time probably handled better than anything else out there. They were making a killer east coast bike when no one else except EWR was doing it. Cool to see that both are still around in some form.

 

[jvol1]

Just stay off of the busy roads, and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[VOLatile]

Just stay off of the busy roads, and you shouldn't have any problems.

Why does this thread attract so many trolls? I ride one of the busiest non-interstate roads in my city daily for my commute. No issues. It's the low traffic back country roads that I begin to have issues with rednecks who think they own the road. Gtfo.

 

[VOLatile]

Windy and chilly 73 miles of crushed limestone and sand yesterday on the Hennepin Canal towpath on my new Sequoia. 51° today and I wore shorts...

 

[jvol1]

Why does this thread attract so many trolls? I ride one of the busiest non-interstate roads in my city daily for my commute. No issues. It's the low traffic back country roads that I begin to have issues with rednecks who think they own the road. Gtfo.

Not a troll. Never had a problem on low traffic roads. Have seen memorials for people killed on busy roads, and it doesn't surprise me considering how many times I see traffic stacked up behind bikers riding 20-30 mph slower than the cars want to go. If you have a bike lane that changes the equation, but for reasons of politeness if nothing else, I stay off of the busy roads.

 

[VOLatile]

Not a troll. Never had a problem on low traffic roads. Have seen memorials for people killed on busy roads, and it doesn't surprise me considering how many times I see traffic stacked up behind bikers riding 20-30 mph slower than the cars want to go. If you have a bike lane that changes the equation, but for reasons of politeness if nothing else, I stay off of the busy roads.

If there's traffic stacked up that's the cause of whoever is driving directly behind the bicyclists, not the cyclist. The person either (a) doesn't know how to pass a bike or (b) can't safely pass at that moment. US drivers are so stupidly impatient it makes me sad.

Don't get me wrong, there are some roads that I absolutely won't ride on but that's because drivers are jerks and speed around blind corners. They're low-traffic roads. I've ridden on nearly every street it the 5 cities that surround me.

 

[VOLatile]

Forty miles in summer kit today. That is not normal.

 

[sona]

Forty miles in summer kit today. That is not normal.

Not nearly so many miles but yay shorts! Had a fun little rip today. Loving this February.

 

[VOLatile]

Not nearly so many miles but yay shorts! Had a fun little rip today. Loving this February.

30mph winds today, but shorts still.

 

[bigeasy]

So I really want a new road bike but can't decide what I should do. I have had my Specialized Roubaix with full Ultegra for 3 years and have some Velocity A23 wheels built for it. Great wheels but I want something a bit stiffer. I have really enjoyed the Roubaix, but I was thinking of getting something with more aggressive geometry. I ride mostly hills.

Should I just upgrade the wheels on my Roubaix and get CF handlebars? I was thinking maybe Roval CLX 32, Zipp 202, or Mavic Ksyrium Pro Carbon for the wheels. For handlebars the Ritchey Superlogic Evocurve maybe? So I would probably be looking at around $2,600 for those two items.

Or do I just bite the bullet and get a new bike. The Specialized bike I like is the Tarmac Pro Ultegra. Which would give me Di2, Roval 40 wheels, and other improvements. ($5,600)

Or wait another year and get a Canyon for when they are released in Q3. Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 which would have Cosmic Pro Carbon wheels, Dura-Ace, etc ($5753)

 

[VOLatile]

So I really want a new road bike but can't decide what I should do. I have had my Specialized Roubaix with full Ultegra for 3 years and have some Velocity A23 wheels built for it. Great wheels but I want something a bit stiffer. I have really enjoyed the Roubaix, but I was thinking of getting something with more aggressive geometry. I ride mostly hills.

Should I just upgrade the wheels on my Roubaix and get CF handlebars? I was thinking maybe Roval CLX 32, Zipp 202, or Mavic Ksyrium Pro Carbon for the wheels. For handlebars the Ritchey Superlogic Evocurve maybe? So I would probably be looking at around $2,600 for those two items.

Or do I just bite the bullet and get a new bike. The Specialized bike I like is the Tarmac Pro Ultegra. Which would give me Di2, Roval 40 wheels, and other improvements. ($5,600)

Or wait another year and get a Canyon for when they are released in Q3. Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 which would have Cosmic Pro Carbon wheels, Dura-Ace, etc ($5753)

Don't get carbon wheels or bars unless you're an elite racer.

Spooky Mulholland with SRAM Red22 or Dura Ace and a really nice set of wide aluminum wheels would fall right into the price range of the two bikes you mentioned.

I went from carbon to handmade aluminum and won't go back.

Also look into Vynl and Zonconato.

 

[sona]

So I really want a new road bike but can't decide what I should do. I have had my Specialized Roubaix with full Ultegra for 3 years and have some Velocity A23 wheels built for it. Great wheels but I want something a bit stiffer. I have really enjoyed the Roubaix, but I was thinking of getting something with more aggressive geometry. I ride mostly hills.

Should I just upgrade the wheels on my Roubaix and get CF handlebars? I was thinking maybe Roval CLX 32, Zipp 202, or Mavic Ksyrium Pro Carbon for the wheels. For handlebars the Ritchey Superlogic Evocurve maybe? So I would probably be looking at around $2,600 for those two items.

Or do I just bite the bullet and get a new bike. The Specialized bike I like is the Tarmac Pro Ultegra. Which would give me Di2, Roval 40 wheels, and other improvements. ($5,600)

Or wait another year and get a Canyon for when they are released in Q3. Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 9.0 which would have Cosmic Pro Carbon wheels, Dura-Ace, etc ($5753)

Not sure on road bikes, way out of date with those but Canyon did announce plans to begin selling directly for US customers. Really nice looking products, completely intrigued by the Stitched 720 frame.

 

[VOLatile]

50 miles today. In shorts and a light jacket. I'm 8 miles from 1000 on the year. I have never hit 1000 in February before.

 

[bigeasy]

What is the main reason you are against CF bars or wheels unless you are an "elite racer"? I am not sure if I would go back to an aluminum frame. I like my spare ride bike that is aluminum, but I love the CF bike. I could only see myself getting an aluminum if I was to start trying criterium races and didn't' want to risk destroying a nice CF frame due to a crash.

Vynl bikes do look good though!

Also I am very jealous of your miles!! I only have time to ride on the weekends since it gets dark so early. I can't wait for the summer to get here so I can finally ride some after work.

 

[VOLatile]

What is the main reason you are against CF bars or wheels unless you are an "elite racer"? I am not sure if I would go back to an aluminum frame. I like my spare ride bike that is aluminum, but I love the CF bike. I could only see myself getting an aluminum if I was to start trying criterium races and didn't' want to risk destroying a nice CF frame due to a crash.

Vynl bikes do look good though!

Also I am very jealous of your miles!! I only have time to ride on the weekends since it gets dark so early. I can't wait for the summer to get here so I can finally ride some after work.

The reasoning behind CF bars/wheels is strictly a cost benefit analysis. If your bike falls over with carbon bars then you could quite possibly end up with a $300 wind gust. The cost of a really excellent pair of handbuilt aluminum wheels on Chris King hubs is about 1/3 the cost of decent carbon wheels ($800 vs $2000). The advantage of carbon wheels is lost on most people as the avg person can't sustain 20mph avg over a full ride, which is where aero wheels start having an effect. Furthermore, if you have a cross wind they become somewhat dangerous and annoying. This assumes you're interested in aero cf wheels...

 

[Biopsyman]

Mopeds are coming back

 

[VOLatile]

Mopeds are coming back

That's nice. I have always wanted a Vespa. I passed up on buying a Tennessee orange one last summer because the owner was asking too much for it. Still rather ride my bike, though. Keep hating.

 

[sona]

That's nice. I have always wanted a Vespa. I passed up on buying a Tennessee orange one last summer because the owner was asking too much for it. Still rather ride my bike, though. Keep hating.

I would rather ride a bike than anything. Cars are either amazingly boring or impractical. 2 wheels and dirt for life!

 

[VOLatile]

I would rather ride a bike than anything. Cars are either amazingly boring or impractical. 2 wheels and dirt for life!

Been car-free since 2012. I only really have the urge to own a car for trips out of town. I want a Vespa just for the novelty and tinkering.

 

[bigeasy]

The reasoning behind CF bars/wheels is strictly a cost benefit analysis. If your bike falls over with carbon bars then you could quite possibly end up with a $300 wind gust. The cost of a really excellent pair of handbuilt aluminum wheels on Chris King hubs is about 1/3 the cost of decent carbon wheels ($800 vs $2000). The advantage of carbon wheels is lost on most people as the avg person can't sustain 20mph avg over a full ride, which is where aero wheels start having an effect. Furthermore, if you have a cross wind they become somewhat dangerous and annoying. This assumes you're interested in aero cf wheels...

yeah I can see the being an issue with the bars. If there was a crash there wouldn't be any easy signs of structural integrity. I don't think I would get any aero wheels. I mostly ride hills, so something like the Roval 32 would be the biggest I would want. My current wheels aren't bad, I just would like something stiffer. But I could probably just get some different spokes and solve that problem. I think the biggest drawback for the carbon wheels would be the stopping power, but I am not going down mountains or anything long. I do ride in bad weather some, but I could just swap out to another set of wheels if it was going to rain.

I just would like to get around the 1,400 grams? weight I think. My velocity are around 1,600 if I remember correctly. Stock wheels were probably around 1,900 grams

Side note that is awesome you have been car free that long! I couldn't last a week.

 

[sona]

Been car-free since 2012. I only really have the urge to own a car for trips out of town. I want a Vespa just for the novelty and tinkering.

And wheelies! I would love to not have a car, but I have kids and dogs and like to camp a bit too. If I was single I would try my best to do without one.

 

[VOLatile]

yeah I can see the being an issue with the bars. If there was a crash there wouldn't be any easy signs of structural integrity. I don't think I would get any aero wheels. I mostly ride hills, so something like the Roval 32 would be the biggest I would want. My current wheels aren't bad, I just would like something stiffer. But I could probably just get some different spokes and solve that problem. I think the biggest drawback for the carbon wheels would be the stopping power, but I am not going down mountains or anything long. I do ride in bad weather some, but I could just swap out to another set of wheels if it was going to rain.

I just would like to get around the 1,400 grams? weight I think. My velocity are around 1,600 if I remember correctly. Stock wheels were probably around 1,900 grams

Side note that is awesome you have been car free that long! I couldn't last a week.

I'm building up a pair of Stan's Alpha 340 to Ultegra 6800 hubs that should come in around 1400g and be stiff. Velocity rims and hubs have a tendency to be pretty heavy, so any high end aluminum rim and hub combo would probably be lighter and possibly stiffer. If you're not going aero, then carbon rims would be fine. I've ridden the Roval 32 and they're pretty nice.

 

[VOLatile]

And wheelies! I would love to not have a car, but I have kids and dogs and like to camp a bit too. If I was single I would try my best to do without one.

Advantages of not having any of that, I guess. I use my bike to go camping, but can't take any kids with. I wonder how long this'll last as my girlfriend has a 7 year old. Idk, I'll let her be the responsible one for as long as I can.

 

[sona]

Advantages of not having any of that, I guess. I use my bike to go camping, but can't take any kids with. I wonder how long this'll last as my girlfriend has a 7 year old. Idk, I'll let her be the responsible one for as long as I can.

Get that kid on a bike asap!