jbchybridrider 

Nice pictures. For someone who's never seen snow before I would try riding all winter where you are just for the experience.

dhunley1

Thanks. I managed to get out a few times last winter, but this past one was especially bad. Very cold and lots of snow. I would like to get something a little more appropriate for winter riding though.

Gus90

Thanks. It looks even better now that I have the black cassette on the 26 wheels.

mrodgers

Finally got a pic of the new bike.



Sure beats riding this thing...

MikeRides

^ Definitely looks like a vast improvement, but that mountain bike is still better than no bike and may be worth taking on some off road trails What size tires do you have on that Giant?

Golfersailor

mrodgers

Yeah, it was better than no bike but it is very worn out. The chain is garbage, rear gears worn out, every cable frayed, doesn't shift well, skips around if you put any torque on the pedals let alone stand up and pedal, it's just a Walmart bike. For the price of a new chain, new cables, and I don't even know if I could replace the rear gears, it would be 75% of the way to buying the same thing new.

If my daughter rides it enough with me, I'll be buying her a new decent bike soon.

Oh, and it's 700x32 stock on the Giant. 11x34 9 speed on the rear and carbon fork. He threw in the bottle cage and toe clips (perhaps go clipless next year) and I put some $15 aluminum bar ends on it. LOVE the bar ends after riding last year without on the old bike.

badger1

Project 2010 Sirrus Comp updates.

FWIW, and for anyone interested, here's my Sirrus in its latest form:







Basically, all that's left stock is: frame/fork; seat post/stem/bars/bar ends. The rest:
Drivetrain: Apex front/rear der.; Apex crank (48/34); Force cassette (12-32) and chain; Double-Tap shifters. Dura Ace cables.
Brakeset: TRP CX9 brakes; Avid SD7 levers; XT cables.
Grips: Ergon; Saddle: Spec. Avatar
Headset: Spec. Mindset (full cartridge bearings).
Pedals: Shimano XT
Wheelset: Giant PSL-1 (new this year; much nicer than stock)
Tires: Panaracer Pasela TG, folding; 32 (to be replaced by Conti GP4000s 28s when available).

Going into its fifth season; wouldn't replace it. I do about 7k (kms) a year, a mix of commuting, weekend rides -- short and long. Mixed surfaces (road; gravel; non-technical dirt). The perfect bike for this old git.

badger1

Here too! Finally out for first rides yesterday/today!

giantcfr1

I know how you feel. I feel the same with both my Hybrid and Road bike. I don't envy the members whom feel it nesessary to buy new frames / bikes often.

m_senjaya

Some 400 miles after my last post in January (https://www.bikeforums.net/hybrid-bic...l#post16372270). Since then I have upgraded the drivetrain to 9-speed Shimano Deore system: HG61 cassette 11-28T, chain, FD, crank, rapid fire shifters, V-brakes and levers. The upgrade was really worth it because I can feel the difference in shifting (much smoother and crisper). I decided to keep the old Alivio M430 RD since it can run 9-speed as well (or even better than it did at 8-speed, I would say). Around the same time, I started using trekking bar (Zoom), which I find very useful, relieving me from wrist pain in long rides (>20km). I changed the pedals to Wellgo platform since the last pedals started making crazy noise, but I had to go with white since my LBS didn't carry other colors at that time. And the latest update was the Selle SMP TRK saddle, a relief for the nether region
* my ride*


The trustworthy Alivio M430 RD:


Crank and FD:


View from the front:

jbchybridrider 

You've done a great job of making it your own, looks great.

jbchybridrider 

That's a vast improvement, the difference between riding them must bring a smile to you face. That mongoose must weigh a ton.

badger1

Yep ... dunno what it is; I must be a creature of habit! Once I've found a bike that fits/does what I want, I just tend to keep it and give it presents each spring! Both my mtb (2005 Giant Rainier) and flat-bar road bikes are the result of that process.

m_senjaya

Thanks JBC! The bike has really become like 'part of me', and it's only natural that I build it around my needs and personality, just like many of the riders here. Thanks to all you 'seniors' here for the inspirations.

DowneasTTer

Here is my Giant Escape RX Composite on the newly opened Withlacoochee trail extension bridge in Dunnellon, FL on opening day. I added the Topeak explorer rack to the Composite's rack mounts just the other day.

ColonelSanders

Your setup looks great.

Oddly enough, the thing I am most intrigued about from your photo is your lock and chain.

I've been looking a lot at various lock options I might end up going with, but am far from decided at this point, due to the trade offs between weight & utility, peace of mind.

So is your lock and chain a particular brand and how heavy is it?

ColonelSanders

I do love the look of racks on bikes.

Apologies if I have missed you talking about this previously, but I was hoping you could talk about how big a difference you feel the carbon frame has made to your riding, over the aluminium.

I'm still tooing & froing over going aluminium vs carbon, so would like to hear your perspective.

m_senjaya

Hi ColonelSanders,
The set of lock (cable& padlock) you see in the picture is one that I bring on the road. The cable is a 6-feet Serfas brand less than 1cm thick, cost $15, nothing special really. It weighs around 380gr.


The padlock is a China made, cost around $12, again nothing special. 230 gr.


Some might think that I am so daring to bring such little security for my bike. But the fact is that bike theft in Singapore is not as rampant as in other big cities in US or other places. But still, low crime doesn't mean no crime. So at school, I have left another set (chain and padlock) so I can double up the security without carrying two sets of lock. At office, I normally lock the bike with just the cable and padlock to the railing outside my office door (still inside the building). At home, when I have to leave the bike outside I double up the security with a set of stronger chain and padlock (Stanley brand, laminated steel with shroud), recently bought by my wife as a 'gift' so I can leave the bike outside ^^". 590gram, so I never carried it around. hehe..

ColonelSanders

Thanks for that info.

Ravenhog

Today's ride along the River

ColonelSanders

Very nice looking setup.

Those fenders look awesome, what brand/model are they?

Nordo

This is my Specialized Crossroads Elite. It's all stock except for the stem, seat post, and Topeak rack/bag. Well, and the tires.

Ravenhog

Thanks, they are the Planet Bike Full Hybrid. They come with no mud flaps so I added the mud flaps from the Cascadias to add a little bit more coverage.(Dirt cheap from PlanetBike.com) They are much sleeker looking compared to the Cascadias due to the single curved over stay.

dhunley1

Looks good. What bag do you have on your rack?