Panthers007

Another piece of customizing-upgrading work: The Avid Single Digit 3 V-Brakes that came stock:

These brakes were powerful enough and would stop you fine - or throw you over the handlebars if you weren't careful. But they went out of adjustment standing still. Really! I had to carry a 3mm Allen-wrench when I went riding. So sooner had I braked - it was rubbing the rim. The Avid SD 3 brakes are not sold to the public - only available as stock on various bikes. And I had had it!

Upshot: After a bunch of reading reviews and such - I got Avid SD 7's for the bike. Though I was worried that another Avid product might have the same problem, the SD 7's are perfect. They stay adjusted and stop me in a dime.

Highly recommended.

Sixty Fiver

I have SD3's on my mountain bike mated to some XT V brakes... they have been very solid.

Panthers007

I have the one's from my Trek. Would you like to buy these (in my best Carnival-Barker voice) Wunderful-wunderful brakes?

Step right up!

(I guess you got lucky. Some say they work well. Others have the same troubles I related)

Sixty Fiver

It is probably a QC issue in that some are good and some are bad... mine are 01's and have been solid.

qmsdc15

Tour de France is pretty long, I didn't see anything like that there.

What you should learn is I enjoy yanking your chain. I'm a troll. There's nothing wrong with your position. Honestly, your bike does not appear to be set up for an aggressive riding position. Why are you in the drops most of the time? Is it because your bars are too high for your desired aggressive riding position?

To have a similar average position with flat bars, you would want to put them about where the brake hoods are. ie. a couple inches lower, and maybe four inches forward. So compared to how most people set up their hybrids, yours is an aggressive position. I guess it's all relative. Back at 45º is considered an average rule of thumb sort of starting place for finding your ideal position on a bicycle.

qmsdc15

Found my hybrid! Hybrid forum is hot and I wanted to be part of it, so I dug up my old Cannondale H300 CAAD 1, to see if I could get it rideable. It seems to need nothing but air, although the chain is a little rusty and the front brake squeals. When I finish my coffee, I'm going to take it for a spin.



More of a typical hybrid than my Marin, it came with wider rims, mtb gearing, 135 rear axle spacing. My main transportation for years, now a mish-mash of recycled parts. LX cranks from a mtb necessitated by non-replaceable worn rings. White elephant front wheel, 40 spoke Phil Woods hub radially laced to a 27" rim. Rear wheel, I built myself XT hub laced 3 cross to Mavic MA3 rim. Lift pass evidence that the Bontrager saddle was on my mountain bike in 1998. Steel XT seatpost from same mtb.

clydeosaur

I have a Trek 7000. I went to a Sunn CR18 rear rim (I'm 6'4 240 lbs and the factory Mavic wasn't cutting it), changed the tires to Bontrager racelights 28's, Shimano SPD pedals, new allow laid back post, WTB seat, 1' riser bars, with ends. Definately made it quicker and more efficient.

7mm Mauser

I bought a Raleigh Route 4 and added the standard accessories for visibility and carrying stuff. I also got a bike mount to put my Garmin GPS on the handlebar. I swapped the good Kenda tires with Vittoria Randonneurs, 700 X 35c, for smoother rolling.

7mm

rumrunn6

Drop bars
Road saddle
high pressure 700x28c road tires

Sixty Fiver

The mtb conversion has drop bars and road levers as well as a fixed drive and slicker tyres as it is both my winter bike and rehab bike aka "the bike I ride when the body isn't cooperating as it should".

Panthers007

I'd see my rheumatologist, rather than treating the symptoms by building a 'fixie' myself. If it were me.

qmsdc15

Nothing better for an aching back than riding drop bars and fixed gear.

Panthers007

I inherited gout from my Dad - Thanks, Dad! And this can make walking unbearable at times. Have to gobble codeine. But, oddly enough, bicycling feels fine. Must be using an entirely different set of muscles. I wonder if my rheumatologist could install wheels on my legs...

TamaraEden

They do it to dogs, so why not you

Sixty Fiver

There was a time the only bike I could ride was my fixed folder as I could not swing a leg over a conventional bike and could only pedal with one leg.

I have sold most of my upright bikes as I cannot ride these for any distance and am quite limited in how far I can ride them.

I am presently designing a similar bike for a fellow that has a similar problem in that he cannot use his left leg but still wants to ride as it will offer him greater mobility.

frunty

I was going to purchase a Trek 7.3FX and upgrade it, but the 7.6's brilliant blue paint and front carbon fork beckoned in the showroom. Since picking it up earlier this summer, I've added:

- Ultegra SL rear derailleur to replace the stock Tiagra piece
- Ultegra CS-6500 close ratio cassette replacing a SRAM PG950
- Reflectors taken off, added Cateye TL-LD500 and Exposure Red Eye taillight in the rear, Nite Rider MiNewt x2 Dual and Exposure Race Maxx2 lights up front
- Trek SpeedTrap sensor added to pocket in front fork, Trek Incite Link bike computer
- Bontrager Bzzzkill handlebar inserts
- Shimano A530 SPD clipless pedals
- ... and a bell for MUP use.

qmsdc15

Cutting back on the red wine and beefsteaks usually takes care of gout.

qmsdc15

Lower your bars and HTFU.

Doohickie

Road saddle? What road saddle?

Sixty Fiver

Like this ?



These have to come down a little more but I am still dialing this one in...

qmsdc15

Impressive! I though you had sold all your uprights.

rumrunn6

my saddle is a Specialized Avatar Gel size 143 https://www.thetristore.com/view_prod...ke=Specialized

I paid about $80. for it this spring and have racked up just about 2,000 miles on it so far. guess you can say I got my money's worth. only drag is swapping it when I change bikes. I should get another or try something similar so I don't have to swap so much. this "season" I used 4 bikes, well ... 5 if you count one of the bikes (2) I bought last week and rode 58 miles with on Friday

jaxgtr

I replaced the fork with a rigid fork. Got new handlebars, re-placed all the components; LX Hollowtech II crank, XT front and rear derailleurs, LX 9 speed shifters and brakes, Velocity Deep V rims, LX hubs, Jagwire cables and housings, ergon bar ends, bar end mirror, Time pedals. Great bike, so I figured it was worth the cost of upgrading. I plan to use it as a commuter in the fall, winter and spring. Summer has just too much heat, lightning and rain in Florida and I have to haul a computer everyday so not taking any chances.

anaheim flash

origin space bar...specialized rival saddle...fsa seatpost...dimension 50mm stem...replaced rear derailleur with a NOS acera (works great)...cheap ($50) 32 spoke rear rim bought off the shelf at local LBS...and some time this next week, a new tange chro-moly fixed fork.
planned is for a new IRD rear freewheel, and some new tires.

pictures when the fork is replaced.

Sixty Fiver

My apologies... when I said upright I meant bikes that require one to sit in a very upright riding position... like my old 1948 Rudge (which I will be keeping).

The triple sprung Wright's saddle is even older than the bike and has allowed me to take short trips on this bicycle as it absorbs a great deal of shock and the bike rides like nothing else.



I have parted with my vintage Raleigh Superbe and my 1933 CCM roadster as I found I could not ride these comfortably for any distance... little changes in geometry can make a huge difference.