+1

I have a pair of Sidi bullets from MEC. They work fine but the hard plastic sole is very slippery on ice, wet rocks etc.

Shoes are one thing you can get a good deal on at the show. I have been using SIDI for over 10 years and love em...my current pair have 5+ years and countless Km's on em. Great shoes but they are slippery as Cam said. That being said I picked up a pair of Specialized shoes this year and while I have yet to actually ride in them..in wearing them around the house to break em in a bit...they are extremely comfy. Very good sole grip as well.

...woops.

Totally forgot about the bike show, and that's funny because last year I remember thinking "man, I wish I had something I needed to buy" when the bike show rolled around. :crash:

That said I also went with a set of Sidi Bullets, mostly because I'd heard nothing but good things about Sidi and because I wanted something that looked like a cycling shoe and these were the cheapest. At 149 I'm ok paying that for something that's going to last me a long time. They happened to have my size, so I grabbed them and a set of Shimano M520s on the recomendation of the guy working the bike section.

Gonna get em on the bike and look forward to falling over at 1kph on the way to work tomorrow.

I'll keep an eye out for the slipperyness. I'll usually have a pair of shoes with me in my backpack to change into so it shouldn't be too bad a problem.

Thanks again for the pointers guys

only thing I need from the show is a decent 28H(Alex/DT/Mavic) rim and some DT revos (if I can find 'em) to keep for when my rear Velocity rim kicks the bucket. Say what you will about Mavic, but I'm 3/3 failures with Velocity Aeroheads and none on Open Pros. The OPs are what, 50gm heavier than Aeroheads?

Keith, I've used Specialized shoes for the past 4 years (cheapies & MTB comps), and while they are comfortable, they don't last. P.S. I don't take very good care of my shoes.

a friend of mine bought a set or open pros at curbside a couple weeks ago for $100. might be worth checkin out?

Just the rims I assume?

yep

If I have said it once, I have said it 1000 times...Velocity rims have some of the shoddiest QC in the industry. Non-round...crappy joints...metal filings left behind. I guess if you have to have pink and purple rims go for it. Otherwise Mavic, DT and even Alex these days have way better QC than Velocity.

Yeah....Specialized may not be the most durable shoes out there....I certainly don't expect 5+ like my Sidi's...but I have been having some pain with the old dogs so comfort was #1 for me. Plus I get pro deal on em :D

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3351/...28eebf.jpg?v=0

!

TJ left 5 passes here at the bike joint. First come, first served!

Thanks again Andrew!

I love surly's sense of humor. The instructions for my singleator were the funniest product documentation I've seen.

And yeah clipless is awesome. It actually feels a bit less secure because I'm not used to having float but I'll tighten up the tension when I get used to clipping out at stops a bit better

Question for experienced-types:

Is the spring bike show the one with the great deals on components (if I wanted, say, a new stem) or is it not worth it?

Thanks muchly.

the fall show is where the big deals are since it's the end of the season

i'm sure the spring show has its fair share of deals

You can get deals on components at the spring show. cycle solutions has a good booth for parts, and same with ziggy (the REAL ziggy as in ZM cycle fitness, not "ziggys") He usually does 30% off on everything. Sometimes it's 30% off a markup... but there's still deals to be had.

Initial build. Still working on the seat/bar height and angles.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/IMG_1942.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/IMG_1944.jpg
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...y/IMG_1943.jpg

Took her out for a spin this afternoon, so sweet to ride. Right now a double speed. 32x16 and 34x14 for getting there. Soul Cycles hooligan frame and fork, wtb dirt drops, tektro v-brake levers, race face next lp crank (thanks again to krusty for the crank) generic seatpost, front wheel handbuilt by cavernmech and the rear is a mavic rim/shimano hub. Older time atacs which are like clipping into butter.

Hehe, the bikes you ride are so similar yet some completely foreign to me. That looks like a really fun build. Is that one going to see the Don or is it more for commuting?

I will hand it to you - your builds are interesting.

Neato; why is there so much clearance over the front wheel? I know it isn't for a 29er wheel because of where the bosses are for the brakes...right?

Suspension-corrected.

kewl tip for hard to remove Crank Brothers Egg Beater Cs:

Don't use a pedal wrench!!!! You will warp the steel notches on the spindle, because these are very cheap pedals. Instead, start by removing the pedal body from the spindle using a flat head screwdriver and 8mm socket wrench. With the spindle exposed, get a good 15mm wrench (not open ended) and use that to remove the pedal. I use my Toptul ratcheting one.

Also, the manufacturer really isn't kidding when they say you need to re-grease every 100 - 300 miles. Holy crap were mine bone dry.

Yes, they are indeed.

You are correct.

Its going to be an offroad bike. I put slicks on for giggles and it looks hilarious. Although riding around tonight on 34x14 wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, until the chain broke that is.

Looks good... any reason you opted for the rigid fork? I have a very similar frame setup for transporting my son to daycare, but I put my old Judy fork on it. With the "pavement" these days riding like the Don flats (or worse) I find the days when I bring that bike to work are actually a bit of a relief... I can watch for Beck drivers and other familyman/sociopaths behind the wheel instead of focusing entirely on the gaping craters. The limited travel of the much older fork doesn't match up well with the newer frame design though so I have somewhat accelerated steering control.

Looks nice Chris!!!! Can't wait to lose the sus' on the front and go rigid! How wide to find those bars in traffic?
Monster CROSS on SUNDAY, SUNDay, Sunday!!!

The photos in the Toronto Archives. Can you get copies of them? I thought some old shots might be nice on the wall.

Edit: Apparently the answer is yes: http://www.toronto.ca/archives/copy_fees.htm