Bicycles!

Thinking about rebuilding my ancient old daily driver bike (~15yo Aluminium „trekking“ bike with 3x8 deore and v-brakes) with some of Chinas finest 1x gravel groupset 👌 the only thing worth saving on that really is the frame (drössiger) and I still have a set of old OEM wheels from my cx bike that now lives on the trainer. Riding the bike is still very enjoyable, but it needs major work… the cockpit is all screwed, the FD doesn’t do anything anymore so I effectively run it 1x anyway, and I’d really like some better brakes… maybe I’ll start an excel sheet parts list some time (so that I’ll actually do it next year maybe…).

Kaffeeradeln seems very nice, but a bit time consuming 😉 enjoy, I hope you get good weather and stay safe out there!
 
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Yeah, it's my vacation this year, I'll visit my sister in Tübingen afterwards and take the train back home. I'll always be the last of the group since I have a rear view mirror, a rear facing flashing light and an air horn to warn the group when someone overtakes dangerously. Worked very well last year when the organizers did it for the first time. :wink:
 
That looks like a pretty epic trip. Good luck!
 
Picked up a Trek Marlin 6 yesterday to replace a $150 Chinese POS that chewed through three sets of crank bearings in four months. Didn't need anything uber crazy to chase the kids around the retention ponds behind our neighborhood and its nuts to think that bike is on the very low side of "entry" level. Hydraulic disc brakes and a clutch activated derailleur are nice to have options as well.

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From the beginning of next year my employer will offer a bicycle leasing scheme, today I went to a nearby shop to test ride one of the bikes which is on my shortlist. It's a bamboo frame bike (sorry, the website is german only, but you should get the gist even without speaking any german). While I was test riding the bike I discovered that on the GRX 1x11 drivetrain the highest gear is too short so I think I'll let the shop spec a different drivetrain. A SRAM eTap 1x12 with a 44 teeth chainring and a 10-50 cassette with the accompanying derailleur which can accomodate this big cassette (likely a SRAM Eagle eTap) should do the trick, let's see how much that'll cost and if it can fit into the leasing scheme...
 
Have I posted this bike yet?

2001 Schwinn Moab Disc in 17". As always bought it is a bare frame and built it up with new and used parts.

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It rides great, partly because I converted it from 26" to 650b. The Surly Sunrise handlebars allows me to be a bit more upright than a set of flat or riser bars would.
 
It's awesome to be able to do a ride at the end of October due to 20+°. :) It's a shame though that I cannot use some of my favourite tracks because they are so full of fallen leaves that safe riding is just not possible there, with a road bike at least.

And tomorrow winter time begins, meaning sundown at around 17:00. :(
 
AirTag holder under the bottle cage, kinda nifty!

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Haven’t hidden an AirTag on my bike yet… then again I’ve never left it out of my sight either 🤣 I rather like the Knog Scout… but I’m not sure about that yet.
 
eizbaer said:
I’ve never left it out of my sight either
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Honestly, I’ve been the same way with this one, but it’s kinda silly for paranoia to stop me from using it, right? We recently got a lock again (sold the last one with the Fuji), and I’d like to, well, use the damn thing occasionally, and I figured this might make me feel better about it when combined with the lock. I went for a ride on Sunday but didn’t leave it anywhere, so the hypothesis hasn’t been tested yet, ha. Now I’m feeling a little inspired to ride to lunch today! It’s a gorgeous sunny day outside and the high of 65ºF/18ºC should be perfect.
 
altoid said:
it’s kinda silly for paranoia to stop me from using it, right?
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Oh for sure! If that is the case then definitely take all steps to at least somehow alleviate said paranoia. For me, that’s not an issue tbh - with the most recent bike, I wouldn’t ride anywhere I’d ever leave it out of sight anyway 🙈
 
Same here with my road bike. As it's acquired via JobRad, I had to get a good lock with the bike - and prompty put that on my trekking bike which I actually use for getting around town.

An Airtag is not an option for me as I don't participate in the Appleverse at all. :(
 
altoid said:
AirTag holder under the bottle cage, kinda nifty!

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Click to expand...

Neat idea! I found a spot on my bike where the AirTag I’m trialling is completely invisible and protected from the elements: the open bottom end of the steerer tube; if that’s the correct term. I simply wrapped it in a sheet of kitchen roll and some cling film and wedged it in the tube. I suppose that if it falls out, I ought to be able to find it! :unsure:
 
reception still ok in there? Watched some tests by gplama on youtube about that, and some hiding places are much better than others in that regard (also beeping).
 
eizbaer said:
reception still ok in there?
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I’m not actually sure. I keep the bike in a spot where I don’t expect many encounters with devices that pick up the signal, but the “last seen” info indicates an extremely small number of sightings. Perhaps I’ll get one of the many holders on offer.
 
eizbaer said:
reception still ok in there? Watched some tests by gplama on youtube about that, and some hiding places are much better than others in that regard ( also beeping).
Click to expand...

The reception issue is a big part of why I chose this location. If the thieves rip it off, so be it.

Also, I removed the speaker, which seems like the pro move for this use case.
 
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