Bicycling

Ao-_sl said:

there an adapter to fit 5" tires?

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Yeah, its called a pick up truck bed.

NV/Sherpa rear tire strap extender


I guess the top part still holds on a fat bike tire? Doesn't seem like it would as I remember my friend's but I've never seen it tried. Its pretty wide looking in Seventh's pic.

Just saw this video on a forum. Some nasty crashes, but nothing gory.

I wish I had POV video of all my crashes, that would be awesome.

Disp_sl said:

Just saw this video on a forum. Some nasty crashes, but nothing gory.

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I've never understood the appeal of downhill mountain biking.

Same reason some people like fast cars. Because it's fun and dangerous.

A lot of that stuff was really just XC trails.

Disp_sl said:

Same reason some people like fast cars. Because it's fun and dangerous.

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I don't like the danger of it, that's a big downside to it in my books. But I do enjoy the hell out of it because of the adrenaline rush aspect. That said, I draw the line at single black diamond runs at Whistler and Silver Star. I had a buddy who trained a couple experienced riders on Crabapple Hits at Whistler, and the only thing I could think of was "there is no fucking way I will ever do that". 30+ foot jumps will never be my thing.

I need some advice from some of you bike experts. If you remember (at least, I think I posted it in this thread) last spring I bought a used Trek 820 mountain bike. I rode the hell out of it last summer and I plan on doing the same again, this summer. However, one of my big goals for the summer is to ride the 184 mile C&O Canal Towpath from Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, MD. I'm comfortable with my physical ability to do the ride, but I want to start getting into the mechanics of bikes/repairing things before I do such a long ride. So I have some questions:

1) The seat on my bike sucks. Can I buy any mountain bike seat and slide it in or do I need to measure the tube on my bike to make sure I buy the right size? I'm not sure if there is a standard size for mountain bike seats.

2) Any recommendations on a good multi tool to carry with me to make adjustments to brakes, gears, and change inner tubes in my tires?

3) Similarly, any suggestions on a good manual air pump I can carry with me in the case of a flat? Any other "must have" bike tools I should get besides these two things?

4) How do I know what size replacement tubes to buy for my tires? The bike is used all most of the paint is completely worn off and I have no idea what year it is so I'm not sure how to find the specs. I looked at the store and there were a bunch of different tube sizes. Do I simply need to measure the height and width of the tire?

Help out a bike newb, friends. I've done a bit of Googling on these but I trust the advice from the fine folks and Rerolled.

1) Yes, essentially any seat rails will clamp into your post the same way. WTB is a popular choice for MTB saddles, Pure V series are quite comfortable even out of the box, although I find the stitching doesn't hold up to extensive trail use over time.

2) Any multitool will do, Toppeak, Park Tool, Pedros, etc. Most will include two tire levers and allen keys and screwdrivers and a way to break chain links. If you're riding a mountain bike I'd suggest running a chain with a quick link, but in reality I'd hope you won't have to worry about your chain, especially if your drivetrain isn't wearing out.

3) I've tried to do the manual pump route for MTB'ing for years and I've finally just said fuck that and I carry CO2 carts and a cracker now instead like I do on road. For a long ride like that I'd pick up a mini pump though as well. I understand that Lezyne makes the best hand pumps and they actually do a fair job of on the spot inflation unlike many brands which seem nearly worthless and take forever to even get a tire rideable. Carry tubes and inflation for sure, that's a must. Multi tool is good but if you don't know how to do maintenance its not necessarily going to do you any good, especially if the bikes in good repair in the first place, flats are the most likely mechanical issue on the C&O, its not at all extreme riding at any part of it. Hydration and bags to carry your gear/food are probably a bigger need. You may want to consider a lock and lights.

4) If its older, then it probably has 26" tires, measure the rim or look on the rim/tire sidewall to find some sizing info. You can also find on the tire the width of those tires, most tubes come in a range of widths that will work and your stock tires aren't likely to be so extreme that you will need anything beyond what you find on a shelf. If you're shopping at bike stores not online, just bring the bike with you and get help with tubes and everything else from the shop guys.

ALL THAT BEING SAID.....don't do that ride on an old mountain bike. Go get a new mountain bike if you like riding so much anyway. You said you were doing that this winter, RacePace had their sale list for clearance out recently, might still be some left and this is the time of year to buy closeouts still anyway. Even more appropriate would be to get a cyclocross bike and get used to riding it/get the fit dialed in. You will be so much faster and more comfortable than on a mountain bike, and a new bike will likely give you less potential trouble mechanically as long as you break it in first and get that free tune up before the big ride. The C&O is dirt, but its generally totally smooth and flat, the biggest environmental concern will be bugs and mud. CX bikes are probably better for mud than a mountain bike anyway, and it would just be so much faster too.

When are you doing the ride? Any logistics thought out? I've always wanted to do that too.

If you want to learn more about working on your bike the best thing to do is just learn by trial and error. Park Tool website, Sheldon Brown website, and especially YouTube are great and free instructional resources. Nothing on a bike is THAT hard to work on, most of the battle is just amassing the specific tools. Get a basic all-in-one bike tool kit for like $100+ and you are mostly set. This is the cheaper method than buying tools as you need them, although buying one tool is cheaper than a whole set for the one time cost. PricePoint has decent tools branded as their Sette line for budget prices.

Park Tool sometimes does classes at local shops that you can pay to sign up for and get hands on instruction. Sometimes shops will do their own classes as well.

Awesome, thanks for the detailed info. I've found some useful videos for bike maintenance and repair on Youtube but, like you said, the best way is to just give it a shot. My front tire appears to have a slow leak, so I'm going to replace the inner tube for practice as soon as I get the tools I need. Really, that's my main concern with doing a long ride; being somewhere on the trail and getting a flat from a sharp root or some stones and having to walk 15 - 20 miles because I'm not able to fix it on the fly.

I looked at Race Pace's clearance sale a little while ago and I just don't see anything worth buying. I mean, my current Trek 820 is great and it took a lot of punishment last summer without any problem. Really, the only complaint I have about it is how heavy it is (compared to some other Treks. My friend has a better/newer model and his is noticeably lighter), but even that is super minor and isn't a real problem for how I use the bike. Looking at Race Pace's prices, I can see lots of $499 and up bikes, but I imagine those would be marginal upgrades, at best. I don't have the money to spend near a grand right now, and I'd rather not do a minor upgrade when my current bike is performing perfectly well for my needs. I'd rather save up a bit and, if/when this one dies, upgrade to a really nice one for a grand or more.

In terms of logistics, I'll probably do it some time in July. I'm thinking of taking a Friday off work and doing it at a fairly leisurely pace starting Friday morning and ending Sunday afternoon or evening. Basically, I'm going to follow the Three Day "Econo" Optionhere. I'm a sucker for history and I love taking pictures, so I'd like to make sure I have enough time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. I'm going to try to have someone drive down to the staring point in D.C. with me, drop me and my bike off, and then take my car out so I don't have to worry about parking. Ideally this person will also meet me at the other end on Sunday to give me a ride back. If I can't get anyone to drop me off on a Friday morning, I'll probably park at Reagan National and take the Mount Vernon trail up to the Towpath's start. I shouldn't have a problem getting someone to meet me and give me a ride back.

Those trek 820 frames are nice because you can run 26inch wheels or 700s, so if you like you could easily by a set of 700 tires and then buy some cross tires and drop bars and it's a pretty quick switch to do all that. If you went the used route on CL you could probably get out under 200-250.


Also, when buying a mini pump, buy the ones with a little air tube, fucking sucks trying to get your tire up to 100psi when it keeps wanting to wiggle off.

Double post but here's mine, got it for free and just built it up with spare parts laying around.

Yeah, the Lezyne's have the tube like that. I almost bought one a while back on Chainlove but I run tubeless on my mountain bikes and its exceedingly rare for me to flat on the trail anyway. I just bring CO2 and tubes.

Definitely practice/learn to change a tube, its a must. Tubes come in widths that fit a variety of tire widths, the 26" or 700c/29" is the part of size you really need to worry about more likely.

If you like history then you're going to dig Harper's Ferry, which also has cool views if you haven't been. Paw Paw tunnel is pretty badass too. Lots of the C&O is a bit boring but there's definitely history to take in along the way.

Are you camping?

Mine looks a lot thicker. Is that a difference in model years or is yours just heavily modified by how you built it up?

Yeah, the Lezyne's have the tube like that. I almost bought one a while back on Chainlove but I run tubeless on my mountain bikes and its exceedingly rare for me to flat on the trail anyway. I just bring CO2 and tubes.

Definitely practice/learn to change a tube, its a must. Tubes come in widths that fit a variety of tire widths, the 26" or 700c/29" is the part of size you really need to worry about more likely.

If you like history then you're going to dig Harper's Ferry, which also has cool views if you haven't been. Paw Paw tunnel is pretty badass too. Lots of the C&O is a bit boring but there's definitely history to take in along the way.

Are you camping?

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Absolutely not planning on camping. At least, not on my first trip. There are plenty of small towns to stop off in, and I've been to most of them. My dad and grandparents are from Cumberland and I've been all up and down the area where the trail goes and to several of the little towns. I really enjoy the secluded areas of the towpath. It's a bit boring, but I like the quiet and solitude. Most of the times I've ridden I've started at Great Falls and gone north or south, and I can never get away from those areas fast enough.

Oh looks like you have a newer model, not sure if you can run 700 on that. Mines mid 90 s I believe.

Stop at Shepherdstown if you haven't been there before.