badger1

Thanks!

I'll stay with grips ... more specifically, Ergons.

I've been using these now for at least six years (I think) exclusively -- since they became available. The Ergons 'just work' for me.

My aim with the Fleegles is just to try them out ... they're inexpensive enough to warrant an experiment! Trying a slightly wider bar, with the 15 degree back sweep, appeals because I'm finding myself using my bar-ends less and less as I "age" (none too gracefully!); a couple of medical issues mean I'm not that comfortable climbing out-of-the-saddle anymore (gotta 'sit and spin') anyway; and as I mentioned above I do like riding on mixed surfaces, so why not try 'em?

Lots of people do use these and other "alt bars" with tape, though, so you might want to give it a try.
Cheers.
P.S. the Odin bars look good too; I just like the really stupid-looking image on the Fleegles, along with their name!

pierce

FWIW, I'm using the ergon gp3 with the end grabbers, on a nearly straight flat bar.... I found the endgrabbers way more comfortable when I hacked about 25mm off each end of the bar, so its about 550mm wide instead of 600-ish.

I'm not doing any standing up either, broke my foot in ljuly, cycling is my PT to build my leg strength back up after 3 months of cast & splints and sofa time, plus I was way overweight and out of shape when the accident happened.

badger1

Ouch!! Sympathies!

I'm afraid with me it really is age + congenital 'medical' issues (a bunch of 'em); heigh ho, I just adapt! I'm really not worried how 'Fredly' I look so long as I can do my 6 to 7000 kms/year on the bike.

pierce

the good news is, I've lost about 23 lbs so far. 25 to go and I'll be happy at 180 again, which I haven't seen since I was about 30 (58 now).

Roadshadowww

Interesting day today... My '13 Specialized Camber 29 arrived late today to become my MTB/Hybrid cross-over. I also sold my
'11 Specialized Sirrus Disc.

Decided to move the Camber to a full suspenders Hybrid vs adding "stuff" to the Sirrus.

I'm moving my comfort seat over as well as Ergon GP-3L grips..... We'll put the cassette tomorrow and switch to a little more roadable unit.

I'm adding a set of CF riser bars as well.

Photos tomorrow....

badger1

Good on ya (weight loss) ... the cycling does help!! 61 here; I've been at around 155 (summer) to 165 (winter + wine!) these past 10+ years (5'9"; 55 bpm resting heart rate, cholesterol all good etc. blah blah), all of it down to cycling. I don't ride "for fitness", but I certainly don't mind the incidental benefits in that department; way I see it, if I didn't love cycling so much I'd be an even worse bloody wreck (physically) than I am!

pierce

I'm 58, and at about 207 lbs and 6' tall, down from a peak of 230 lbs. I've been hovering aroudn 220 the past 6-10 years. I always used to have really low blood pressure... in the ER after the accident that broke my foot, they said I had really high blood pressure, ugh, *and* sub optimal oxygen in my blood (EMT's kept asking if I was a smoker, and I'm not, although I smoked 30 years ago)

Phoenix 6.0

Sirrus Elite here. Put Ergon GP5s on it so far and love them, so nice having grip options. Too wide right now so i plan to try some Orgin 8 bar ends as bar middles, and if i don't like that i will chop down the bar 15-20mm each side. Also need a seat bad, but no clue what im goin with yet

pierce

Indeed, I took a full inch (25mm) off each end of my flatbar with the ergon gp3's, and now its perfect for me, at about 22.5" wide.

I find the lower the bars (within reason), the less a hard seat hurts. I ended up lowering my bars a LOT from stock, the stem went down 35mm and forward 20mm (110mm instead of my bike's stock 90mm), plus flat bars instead of risers meant for another 50mm or so of lower.

soft seats suck after 30 or 40 minutes of dedicated riding, they make hotspots that turn to pain.. a Specialized dealer should have a seat sizing thing thats like this slow memory foam saddle you sit on and then measure the distance between the indents from your sit bones, and most of their seats come in several widths. find one thats the right width and you'll be way ahead of the game. I like the Milano (NON-Gel version) in the wider size for a hybrid.

rise000

Thnx

Here it is...left is front, right is rear brake >




sry for crappy iphone pic...

giantcfr1

Thank you very much for showing me. I was interested to see what it's front view is like.
Are you concerned about the cables rubbing on the paint and wearing it? My wife put some silicon sleeves on her cables to protect the paint. I use just black electrical tape.

rise000

not quite...it rubs a little but i don't mind...
frame is matt black so it's hard to notice small scratches...

pierce

so changes to date to my Globe Vienna...

Wellgo B67 pedals...


Ergon GP3 grips, narrowed flat bars (instead of risers), longer stem, speedo, and a 150 lumen NR Mako ...




Narrow range 13-26T HG50 cassette (replacing a 11-32T), Alivio derailleur (replacing a sloppy Altus)


Water bottle and Kryptonite cable round it out for now...



next, will be looking for a lighter crankset, maybe a 26-36-48 instead of the 28-38-48, I dunno. With that narrow range cassette, my gearing is pretty good. longer term, some better wheels, and 32mm instead of 35mm tires.

badger1

Looks really nice, Pierce; very smart (well-targeted) upgrades. I always thought those Globe bikes were a nice design; crankset would be another well-targeted change.
If it were me, I'd go for either an LX or XT 'trekking' triple w/external b/b; you'd probably lose close to 2 lbs. off your all-up bike weight and have a noticeable increase in pedalling efficiency. If you do go that route, be sure to face (or have your LBS face) the b/b.

giantcfr1

You've got great taste. Very classy.

pierce

I'd love to use one of those, but aren't they all setup for 9 or 10 speed now? so I'd need to change my shifters, as well as crankset, both derailleurs and chain? and cassette. that gets expensive.

maybe I'll have to find an older bike with an all aluminum triple on it and swap it, then flip the old bike, hah!

wish we still had my wife's 1984 vintage stumpjumper. it was stolen a couple years ago, had a nice vintage Sugino triple, forged cranks with all aluminum machined rings, and hardly any miles on it. My college son still has 83 stumpie, with the same crankset, its a really durable bike. was originally a 3x5 setup, but I think its got a 7 speed on it now. friction thumb shifters, vintage suntour mountech derailleurs. sweet stuff.

corwin1968

There's a chance that just switching to friction thumb shifters would negate the need to replace the derailleurs and cassette if you jumped to a 9-speed crankset. 10 speed is a whole other story. Rivendell Bicycle Works has good thumb shifters for $16. That's what I run on my bike and they work great.

pierce

the problem is, the 9 speed rings are thinner, meant for a thinner chain. they will get chewed up with the heavier 8 sp chain.

can't switch chains unless I get a 9 speed cassette, whereuon I'd need a 9 speed trigger shifter.

friction? BTDT. worked OK with 5 or 6 speeds. kinda sucks with 8 or 9. I like trigger shifters.

heck, I still have a pair of early 80s all aluminum suntour thumb shifters.

SHOFINE

I purchased this 2011 Kona Dr. Fine last December on closeout shipped for $507 ($1100 MSRP) from Department of Goods. One thing I didn't like about the bike was the flat handlebar. I ordered the Metropolis handlebar about the same time of the bike.
So far I have been thoroughly impressed with this bike!

MY Kona Mods:
1. FSA Metropolis Handlebar
2. Cardiff Leather Grips
3. BBB 125MM Adjustable Stem
4. Sunlite Gold Tec Disc Rack
5. Brooks Flyer Saddle (swapped the springs from the B67 on Sawyer)
6. Velo Orange Long Setback Seatpost
7. MKS Sylvan Touring Pedals
8. Dimension Classic Chrome Bell
9. Greenfield kickstand

Before and Now Pic

For the time being I am done with it until I get some stuff done with my Sawyer. I have the Shimano Alfine Crankset along with the Hollowtech 2 bottom bracket that I will put on it later. (wouldn't fit Sawyer)

giantcfr1

What a transformation (^o^)/

SHOFINE

I blame this forum! I look back to when I had my Schwinn World Sport in the '80's & can't remember upgrading or adding anything to it.

johnread

Wow - what a great thread! So many great ideas!

giantcfr1

As you've worked out...once you catch the bug, you can't stop.
I know many would criticize us for spending the money on modifications and argue that we could upgrade by purchasing a new bike for our money, but there's no fun in that.
No tinkering, no experimenting....no fun!

badger1

Agreed; further, in my view, short of going full custom this method is in fact a cost-effective way of tailoring a bike specifically to one's needs/preferences.
I've gone this route twice now: Project 2005 Giant Rainier h/t and Project 2010 Sirrus. I don't regret it one bit; I think the key is the frame; if it's of good quality, fits well, and does what one wants, go for it.
Yes, I could have "waited", e.g. with Sirrus, and then bought something more in line with what I've ended up with, but the thing is I'd still have to 'tailor' the bike to my preferences anyway, so I really think the difference in cost, assuming some smart shopping/choices, is pretty minimal.

corwin1968

I've also had a few episodes of second guessing myself but it always comes back to the fun factor and more importantly, ending up with a bike that is exactly what I want. In my case, whatever complete bike I might buy, I would have added a set of custom built wheels, which would have jacked the price up. When I'm done I will have a Deore level bike with a custom wheelset for a bit more than an equivalent new bike witht he same wheels. The fun factor makes it worth it.