Community > Non-Thorn Related

What about your bike are you obsessive about?

(1/6) > >>

Andre Jute:
We all agree your bike must be right for you. For me the fit, or the capability to tailor the bike to fit me to within a millimeter, is the most important thing. The way some people are obsessive about having a clean bike, especially the transmission, I'm obsessive about having precisely the right relationship between saddle, pedals and handlebar grips.

All of that said, my last three bikes I bought sight unseen, unridden, on the reputation of their makers -- and I've been very happy with them after a bit of light reengineering.

Of course, that happened after a dozen years of educating myself with the wrong bike, buying my physio every new BMW that came out.

After I didn't visit her for more than a year, she stopped me in the street to ask me, "What happened to your old purple Peugeot bike?"

She sounded rather bitter. Probably lost face driving a two-year-old Bimmer.

Hurrah!

Danneaux:
Initially, it is achieving a similarly good fit, then suitable gearing

Both are important to me because cycling is a pursuit that involves a lot of repetition. Get it wrong, and it is easy to incur a repetitive stress injury, especially if you are a high-mileage rider as I am.

Once the bike is properly setup, then I turn my attention to keeping it cleaned and well maintained. Goes back to the old mantra, "take care of your tools and they'll take care of you".

Best,

Dan.

jags:
well not really obsessed but i do have it in pristine condition before and after a ride  ;) i also use quality gear wheels and tyres are important to me ,
i was always a strong little fecker so i could ride near enough any size of bike  but not anymore the fit has to be spot on if it's not i suffer like a dog so worth getting it right, you will most certainly pay for a bad fit sooner or later.
good fitting bike
keep her spotless at all times ,
don't let it out of your sight . ;)

anto.

Danneaux:

--- Quote ---...don't let it out of your sight . ;)
--- End quote ---
Yeah, that too! For sure! Absolutely for me!

So ingrained and natural, it didn't even come to mind till Anto said it. :D

All the best,

Dan.

PH:
On a new bike, absolutely everything has to be the best it can be, I'll change anything and everything until it's just right.  I like neatness and a zip tie on display is to me a sign of failure, I'll change screws till they're the perfect length to not stick out anymore than necessary.  When I've finished adjusting and changing, which can take days or months, that's it, that's the way it'll stay, there's nothing more to do except routine servicing and maintenance  and replace parts as they wear out.  Once it's done it's done, it goes from being all about the bike, to all about the cycling. It'll often be dirty, it'll pick up a few knocks, it'll be locked up all over the place and if someone wants to start a conversation about it I'll try and steer it away from the tech and onto the riding.
I sort of enjoy the new bike experience, but not as much as I like it being done with.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page