pdedes

that's not a good bike at all















kidding ... i think

tagaproject6

Correct....this is why he is sending it to me! I have first dibs!

GarlandR

One question though. How do you pronounce the name? It is Or-Be-A (Or Bee Ah) or Or-Bea (Or Bay)

And how do you clean the white tape? Water?

thirdgenbird

or use deda "carbon" tape or bike ribbon. both stay clean.

MegaTom

How well it can be cleaned depends on what kind of tape it is.... some brands clean up really well, others not so much. A very small amount of dish detergent and hot water will suffice. Honestly though, don't even worry that much about it. It's not a big deal, no matter how big a fuss some make about it. Just replace the tape in the wintertime, and by the end of cycling season it will look like a well used bike - the way it should look.

Jakedatc

i believe... it's spanish so i'd think it would sound spanish

listening to Razor isn't exactly the best way to go about things.. he asks more questions than he answers and has changed more frames, wheels, components in the last 12 months than anyone really should.

White will get dirty.. oh well. scrub it a bit with a wet cloth to take off the darker stuff and don't worry about the rest. "carbon" look tape looks stupid btw. it's like those plastic "chrome" hub caps.

CNY James

sounds to me like you might be regretting your decision.

Who cares about the weight? It doesn't really matter that much and if it does, you can find ways to lower the weight of the bike you bought.

There's a lot to be said about a shop that goes the extra mile for you. How they handle your purchase says a lot about how they will respond to your service needs. The shop that I bought my Felt from gives 2 years of maintenance for free, also said they will replace fit related parts until I'm 100% satisfied. Made it pretty easy for me to fork over my money.

You got a nice bike, I say ride the hell out of it and love every mile. There is no need to second guess your purchase decision.

GarlandR

Yeah, they offer lifetime turn-ups. Its pretty sweet.

And don't laugh when I asked how to clean it. I've never biked really, and I didn't know if anything what to clean it with. I didn't know if it would stain or mess it up. Better safe than sorry!! There are no stupid questions...mostly.

North of You

Wrong!!

(Sorry about the highjack...)

Have had the same white tape for the last two summers and it barely shows any discoloration. The secret?? A pair of these.....https://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=C2504


And its a he$$ of a nice bike OP.

GarlandR

Yeah, I always wear riding gloves when I ride. Much more comfortable. I really need to invest into some riding shorts.

I am just wondering why there are really no info on the Orbea Aqua TTG. It is just weird. I am just guessing that it is uncommon item since Orbea is mainly known for their Onix/carbon fiber frames.

When I want to upgrade later down the road, would it just be easier for me to upgrade the frame to carbon fiber...but I wouldn't have like the shimano 105 groupset.

Little Dwight

That's a nice looking bike.

eippo1

Get the Big Blue Book of Bike Repair from Park for 20 smackers if you want to learn how to do simple wrenching and cleaning maint. of you bike. It's worth it even with the free tune ups

jbholcom

My rule of thumb, don't ever look back. Stick with your decisions. That includes the wife, cars, houses, bikes, etc.

jwible

New bike.
Be happy.
Go ride.

Blackdays

Consider Zinn's too.

GarlandR

Ok. I just did my first 14.5 mile with the bike. And It was pretty uncomfortable due to it starting to KILL my hands. The web between the thumb and first finger and the side side of my palm is still red.

The great owner at the store adjusted it for me. I'm not sure if the bike is right for me. He changed the orbea stem to a bontrager stem because the orbea was too long. He said I was still a bit stretched out on the shorter stem.

He said he didn't have anything shorter.

I tried a Shimano 105 Trek (everything is 105 except for the front gear which is a Shimano 10S) It felt basically the same as the Orbea.

I am just wondering if the bike is a good fit for me or not. He said I am free to upgrade to another bike. However, I do like the Orbea. They only sell the limited amount of Orbea (There isn't any others my size) and 99% Trek.

Any thoughts here?

*Edit* I am wearing a nice pair of Pearl Izumi gloves. They are pretty padded and it still hurts like hell.

caloso

It's a nice bike. Let them dial in the fit with a new stem. Your hands hurt because of bad fit. Once your bike fits you and you fit your bike (two related but not equivalent things), your hands won't hurt and you won't need gloves.

As for bar tape: personally I like white tape that gets dirty. It makes it look like you ride your bike instead of cleaning it all day.

GarlandR

So I shouldn't worry about it? I am starting to like the bike more and more each day I look at it, but damn. I can't ride another 15 miles with my hands hurting like they did. I been off of it for like 2ish hours, and my hands are still red.

Is it the bike it self? Like the frame, and cm? It is a 54 cm bike. I was riding my cannondale (the old one) and it is too big for me, like a 56 CM and my hands didn't hurt.

I'm not sure if the frame makes a difference.

caloso

I think that your hands hurt because you're putting too much pressure on them, either because you're gripping the bars too hard, or because you're not centered over the bike and you're holding yourself up with your hands.

If you like the frame and it fits you otherwise, let them adjust the reach and height of the bars before you swap frames.

GarlandR

I am putting a lot of weight on the handlebars it feels like. Is that the frame?

The guy said I didn't look bad on it, but I am feeling that it isn't the right bike. I should of rode it a lot more before I bought it.

caloso

No, but it might be your saddle angle. From the picture you posted it's nose down a couple of degrees. I realize that it's in a trainer so it's impossible to tell in that picture, but check it on the floor with a carpenter's level.

GarlandR

He adjusted the seat. I am going to have to wait until tomorrow to ride to tell if it will help since the hands issue.

The reason I'm kind of freaking out is that the CAAD9 6 felt much better than the Orbea, but they have the EXACT same groupset. That is why I am thinking it is the frame. The CAAD9 wasn't fit for me either, while the Orbea was.

I tried a Trek with a Shimano 105 groupset, and I didn't like the feel for it. I liked the Orbea much better even though it had the Tiarga groupset.

If I can't resolve it tomorrow. I think it might be a good idea to get my money back and keep trying different ones or try the cannondale again. Or just get store credit and try to order another bike from the same store. (It'd have to a trek. I don't know if he can order an orbea....i'd think he would be able too)

MegaTom

A lack of core strength can lead to sore hands, wrists and/or shoulders, as can too far of a reach.

Time on the saddle and a good amount of exercise for your lower back & abs can help with the former. A better fit will help with the latter. The bike in and of itself will not cause you to be in pain, but the way the bike fits certainly can. Assuming that the frame is reasonably close to a perfect fit for your body, then it should be able to be dialed in with some seat, stem & handlebar tweaks. Raising the bars and getting a shorter stem will alleviate pressure on your hands... don't mess with the saddle for this purpose, it should only be changed to adjust your position in relation to the pedals. But the biggest thing is definitely time on the bike... you can only adjust so many things on the bike, the rest is up to your body to become accustomed to it.

WHOOOSSHHH...

wow!

jwible

For me I can just about take my hands off the tops of the bars without changing my upper body position. Where your center of gravity is in relation to your BB does a lot to determine how much pressure you place on the bars supporting the weight of your torso on your hands. Seat angle and and fore/aft position can go a long way to fixing this.

Make sure your cleat is properly positioned on your shoes for starters, then set your seat position so that it is flat or slightly tipped up. Move your seat aft enough that a plumb line places your knee slightly behind the spindle. Farther behind the spindle is easier on the knees than right on top of it.

And give it time. I remember getting back on the bike after a few years off. My hands killed me. Now I only wear gloves for crash and weather protection.