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Singlespeed & Fixed Gear "I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

I'm torn on which to do first.

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Old 09-11-18, 01:06 PM
  #26  
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Old 09-11-18, 01:14 PM
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Originally Posted by ryan_rides
I'm fully committed to upgrading my components. New and better. Of course I want my bike to look good but that's just a bonus of upgrading. I care more about performance. I want to be able to maintain more high speed rather than have faster acceleration. Also I want to go to a higher cog and chain ring for a smoother drive train. Tires: I ride gatorskin hardshell and I don't want to change that. There's glass etc. everywhere you look down here. I also ride tire liners. Yes I know it's more rotational weight but I like not worrying about getting flats.
So, you have a clear ideas what you want to achieve.

As discussed above, there is an argument that it is smoother and causes less wear if you achieve essentially the same gear ratio using more teeth at each end. That needs to be offset against a very slight increase in weight (most chainrings are light alloy, most sprockets are steel, and your chain will be a couple of links longer and heavier) and, arguably, the tiniest possible increase in aerodynamic drag from the larger chainring! I suspect that the effect of more teeth on smoothness and reduced wear is only noticeable if there is a big difference in teeth, for example, hypothetically, going from 25/10 to 50/20. I don't know if anyone has accurate figures based on bike-specific experiments.

It is debatable how much difference you will notice in the smoothness and reduced wear. British Olympians famously go for the cumulative effect of marginal gains, often of less than 1%. For most of us, the best way to reduce weight is to eat fewer pies, and the best way to reduce drag is through the right fitting clothing and a good riding position. The choice of how much water to put in your water bottle may have more effect on performance than most of the components of your bike: a litre weighs a kilogram.

For all of us, cleaning and lubing the chain and checking the tyre pressures regularly will have more effect on efficiency than adding a couple of teeth to the chainring and a tooth the the sprocket. However, if you've got everything else optimised, and you have the money, the change of cogs can do no harm and may do some good.

In fast and steady riding on the flat, weight makes little difference. I remember a test many years ago in which a rider did the same 25 mile TT on the same bike, but the second time he had
lead strapped to the bike. Same rider, same bike, same course, but 3 Kg (? from memory) of extra weight. Over 25 miles, the times were almost identical. On this basis, the weight penalty of aero wheels would be more than made up for by the aero benefits if you were doing that type of riding.

However, as soon as you have a hill to take the weight up, or busy junctions to cope with, the equation changes and the lighter wheels are better.

Seeing as you're choosing your tyres very much for practical reasons, you're likely to take other practical matters into consideration. Will you need to carry the bike upstairs to your flat? What is the theft risk in your area? Will you be carrying a lock that weighs more than the wheels anyway? Which wheels will be most compatible with your preferred tyres? And so on.

I'm a big believer in only making expensive upgrades when you are absolutely sure that you know what you want for your own reasons. Other people may have different ideas, but no one can tell you that you are wrong for wanting something that you really want! Good luck with your choice.
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Old 09-11-18, 01:41 PM
  #28  
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I'd figure out gearing first. Everything else is less important if you are pushing the wrong gear.
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Old 09-11-18, 02:05 PM
  #29  
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It's always the wrong gear when you ride fixed.

That's half the allure, and half the fun.


-Tim-
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Old 09-11-18, 03:30 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by TimothyH
Lighter wheels will give you both.

Get the lightest wheels you can that will still hold together.

If I could convince you to go with lighter tires I would but flats suck so I won't try.

What kind of bike are we talking about anyway? What is it? Sorry if I don't recall from another thread.


-Tim-
I currently ride an aluminium Aventon Cordoba fixed gear with carbon fork(aluminium steerer tube). I know that upgrading my wheels will save weight and also upgrading my cranks. Right now my bike sits at 18.9lbs with rear light and one ass savers fender
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Old 09-11-18, 05:02 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by seamuis
that’s the problem with your opinion here, though. 99% of riders couldn’t tell the difference between a cruiser tire and a TT tubular, 99% don’t even bother to keep their chain from rusting. We’re not talking about this 99% though, we’re talking about the OP, who specifically want to go faster and increase efficiency. For someone who specifically wants the smoothest, strongest, most effiecent drivetrain, especially with a fixed drivetrain and they want to be able to put down more torque, it makes a difference. If for nothing else than the basic principle of spreading torque load. That is increased efficiency. This has been understood for over a century. You’re welcome to your opinion, but for the 1% for whom this matters, it both mathematically and practically holds true. Cheers.
I don't even consider the guy with a rusty chain on his 30 year old Schwinn beach cruiser to be a serious cyclist. Of course anyone posting regularly on BF is already in the top few percent of everyone who owns a bicycle.

But you think this ryan_rides dude* cruising around Florida on his Aventon is such an elite, finely tuned athlete that he'll realize an advantage by going with larger gears? Might as well also recommend he get a carbon fiber stem top cap and titanium bolt, because these are verifiably, objectively lighter weight than aluminum and steel pieces, and lighter bikes = better performance.

This is not opinion: The performance difference between small vs. large gears of the same overall ratio is infinitesimal. You can achieve greater results by changing your tire air pressure by 2 PSI. Get bigger gears because they look cool, or you found some for a good price, or they may wear longer. Heck, get some because a Voodoo witch doctor put a curse on your current gears, so if you ride west on them when Jupiter is aligned with Sagittarius, a baby panda will die. Imagining it will make you faster is just that, imaginary. Cheers to you too!


* No disrespect to the OP intended here.
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Old 09-11-18, 06:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Broctoon
I don't even consider the guy with a rusty chain on his 30 year old Schwinn beach cruiser to be a serious cyclist. Of course anyone posting regularly on BF is already in the top few percent of everyone who owns a bicycle.

But you think this ryan_rides dude* cruising around Florida on his Aventon is such an elite, finely tuned athlete that he'll realize an advantage by going with larger gears? Might as well also recommend he get a carbon fiber stem top cap and titanium bolt, because these are verifiably, objectively lighter weight than aluminum and steel pieces, and lighter bikes = better performance.

This is not opinion: The performance difference between small vs. large gears of the same overall ratio is infinitesimal. You can achieve greater results by changing your tire air pressure by 2 PSI. Get bigger gears because they look cool, or you found some for a good price, or they may wear longer. Heck, get some because a Voodoo witch doctor put a curse on your current gears, so if you ride west on them when Jupiter is aligned with Sagittarius, a baby panda will die. Imagining it will make you faster is just that, imaginary. Cheers to you too!


* No disrespect to the OP intended here.
You need to relax.
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Old 09-11-18, 08:21 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by ryan_rides
You need to relax.
You're probably right. But these discussions are fun.
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Old 09-11-18, 08:27 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by seamuis
This, in my opinion just stresses my point that wheels (and behind that, tires) are the most important 1st upgrade to spend your money on.
I agree with this. (See, we have some common ground.)
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Old 09-11-18, 10:25 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by ryan_rides
I currently ride an aluminium Aventon Cordoba fixed gear with carbon fork(aluminium steerer tube). I know that upgrading my wheels will save weight and also upgrading my cranks. Right now my bike sits at 18.9lbs with rear light and one ass savers fender
18.9 is a respectable weight. That's really not bad at all.

Dropping a half pound off that by changing wheels will make a very big difference in how the bike rides, handles, accelerates and holds speed.

It won't feel like a 15 lb Cervelo S5 but you will be able to tell the difference.

I agree with someone who previously mentioned stiffness, which is a good reason to change cranks. Bottom brackets are a good place to gain stiffness as well. Weight might actually be secondary to crank and bottom bracket stiffness in terms of reasons to change cranksets.


-Tim-

Last edited by TimothyH; 09-11-18 at 10:30 PM.
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Old 09-11-18, 11:21 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by seau grateau
Enjoy your placebo.
whatever you need to tell yourself, mate.
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Old 09-11-18, 11:32 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Broctoon
I don't even consider the guy with a rusty chain on his 30 year old Schwinn beach cruiser to be a serious cyclist. Of course anyone posting regularly on BF is already in the top few percent of everyone who owns a bicycle.

But you think this ryan_rides dude* cruising around Florida on his Aventon is such an elite, finely tuned athlete that he'll realize an advantage by going with larger gears? Might as well also recommend he get a carbon fiber stem top cap and titanium bolt, because these are verifiably, objectively lighter weight than aluminum and steel pieces, and lighter bikes = better performance.

This is not opinion: The performance difference between small vs. large gears of the same overall ratio is infinitesimal. You can achieve greater results by changing your tire air pressure by 2 PSI. Get bigger gears because they look cool, or you found some for a good price, or they may wear longer. Heck, get some because a Voodoo witch doctor put a curse on your current gears, so if you ride west on them when Jupiter is aligned with Sagittarius, a baby panda will die. Imagining it will make you faster is just that, imaginary. Cheers to you too!


* No disrespect to the OP intended here.
none of the claims you just threw at me, I actually made. Can you point to where I said any of this? Makes you faster? No. I said it creates a smoother, more efficent drivetrain with reduced friction and it spreads torque load. That’s verifiably what I stated and it’s verifiably true. It’s also true that smaller chainring combos have faster pickup and acceleration. (Though that can be mitigated by lighter weight chainrings) this is why I also asked him wether he’s more interested in sprinting performance or a more sustained higher speed in his performance upgrade desires. I also, specifically mentioned tire pressure, but its clear you didn’t bother to read before flinging your nonsense, which is a pattern I’m noticing.

What this guy and his aventon in Florida is capable of is irrelevant (some elitist bs there), so you may not have meant disrespect, but you gave it and you know you gave it because you had to give a disclaimer. That’s pathetic. He asked specifically about a more efficent drivetrain, I answered, with facts. The only thing you’ve offered so far is twisting of my position, putting words in my mouth and insulting the OP. And all for what? Because I gave an open opinion that going larger could be useful? You clearly don’t care about helping the OP, otherwise you wouldn’t have blantatly insulted him to try and take a jab at me. Doubly pathetic. My facts still stand, even if some guy and his aventon in florida can’t utilise, and you’ve successfully made yourself look like a right bully. Congrats mate, for being a tosser. Cheers.

Last edited by seamuis; 09-12-18 at 12:34 AM.
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Old 09-11-18, 11:50 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by ryan_rides
I currently ride an aluminium Aventon Cordoba fixed gear with carbon fork(aluminium steerer tube). I know that upgrading my wheels will save weight and also upgrading my cranks. Right now my bike sits at 18.9lbs with rear light and one ass savers fender
may not be race bike weight, but not far off. In fact, that’s just a smidge lighter than my daily ride. UCI has weight limits so most of the top end bikes that people spend huge money on are lighter than what the actual pros are pushing. That’s a good thing to remember, to keep yourself from going overboard on upgrades and not paying enough attention to your own fitness level. You know, something along the lines of Merckx’s “don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades.” I don’t know if that’s relevant or not, but it’s a longwinded way of saying that your weight is respectable. lighter wheels will make a big difference though. (The biggest difference) They don’t just reduce weight, they reduce rotational weight. That’s the most important weight to lose, besides any excess body weight (don’t worry, I’m not making any assumptions, mate) Add to that good tires and you’ve got a good setup going. It’s worth repeating though, that you’ll need to think hard about your ratios and the type of performance oriented riding you’re really after, before committing to drivetrain upgrades. If you’re still going son/gran compe for your wheels, what rims and spoke numbers are you considering, out of curiosity?

Last edited by seamuis; 09-12-18 at 12:09 AM.
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Old 09-12-18, 05:25 PM
  #39  
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Okay, seamuis, I guess I have been sort of a right bully here lately. I apologize for that.* SS/FG forum seems to bring that out in me. I don't know what a tosser is because it's not a common term in American English, but I'm probably guilty as charged on that one too. I swear I'm a pretty nice guy in person and we'd get along fine if we met on the street.


Your approach to cycling is curious. You advocate for light weight wheels, something we can all agree contributes to efficiency. You also insist it makes a difference to ride with the most efficient drivetrain possible; fine--I'll concede on that for the sake of discussion. In another thread you say you don't like skinny tires because they're uncomfortable--harsh ride or something, was the gist of it. Not trying to put words in your mouth, but I'm sure you wrote that your bones get shaken loose by anything narrower than 28mm. So you're taking two steps forward and one step back. Your preferred setup is analogous to eating eggs Benedict, with cheesecake for dessert, but drinking Diet Coke with it to save calories. In terms of efficiency, how do huge chain rings and cogs vs. smaller ones of the same ratio make up to any significant extent for the weight difference between 25mm and 32+mm tires? I'm not calling names and not trying to insult you. Just looking to understand the philosophy that drives your bike component choices.



* My apologies to the OP as well. I'm just some dude cruising around Utah on a second-hand Surly Steamroller. It's doubtful any of us will get invited to the Tour de France. That's all I was trying to say before.
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Old 09-12-18, 06:12 PM
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Dear lord, people live to argue on this site.

Not a criticism, just an observation.

I too am curious about what spoke count/cross you're thinking? Maybe weight and height while we're at it? It'll help.

Originally Posted by ryan_rides
I live in South Florida. The only hills we have are bridges to go over the intercoastel or the highway/train tracks. I only skid of I have to. I don't run brakes although I did when I was a messenger. I'm guessing that prime/odd number cogs give more skid patches? I said before I believe I can ride a 50t maybe a 51t. I carry a U lock every where I go.
Originally Posted by ryan_rides
I'm fully committed to upgrading my components. New and better. Of course I want my bike to look good but that's just a bonus of upgrading. I care more about performance. I want to be able to maintain more high speed rather than have faster acceleration. Also I want to go to a higher cog and chain ring for a smoother drive train. Tires: I ride gatorskin hardshell and I don't want to change that. There's glass etc. everywhere you look down here. I also ride tire liners. Yes I know it's more rotational weight but I like not worrying about getting flats.
Originally Posted by ryan_rides
I currently ride an aluminium Aventon Cordoba fixed gear with carbon fork(aluminium steerer tube). I know that upgrading my wheels will save weight and also upgrading my cranks. Right now my bike sits at 18.9lbs with rear light and one ass savers fender
Ok Ryan, I get the sense you're a strong rider that wants to go fast in a mostly flat environment. To me, on the scale of hill climber to Time Trialist (TT), you are firmly on the TT side of the scale. In other words, heavy and aero vs as light as possible. Being light is always a bonus, don't get me wrong, I just think it should probably be priority 2 instead of 1. Also, more weight = more momentum to fight wind friction at a constant speed. Accelerating and stopping suffer, so there's your trade off.

I'll paint you a picture of what I think is kind of the far end of the scale for fixed track aero, and you can approach as you see fit.

first thing, a few items I've found super useful:
- Pinheads security track nuts for the front wheel (lighter and more secure)
- Ynot pedal straps, if you like wearing regular shoes. I'm guessing you probably have clipless.
- Short crank arms (~165mm or less, great for maintaining speed @ high cadence)
- 17 cog (more skid patches, you got it!)
- The biggest front chairing you can handle, and still climb the overpass
- Once you run out of room up front, start to shirk below 17 in the back. I ride 48x17 with 170mm cranks for climbing, but I'm fat and in a super hilly area.

Wheels - Disc back, spoke front. - most aero with control.
Back - Full disc, 80mm, or 60mm back.
Front- Tri-spoke carbon, 60mm, 50mm, or 40mm.
I've heard less than 40mm at lower than 30km/hr has negligible aero advantage, so just go for light or strong if these don't float your boat. Also, deep rims are annoying for street for locking and because you need long stem valves on your tubes. Fair warning.
Tires - Gators, yeah buddy! Honestly though, go fat, especially on the back. 25mm is good. More surface area to skid and lean, comfort, ability to roll over bumps, maintain speed, etc. Skinny tires are fine if you want to sacrifice the above.
Handlebars - deeper drops, TT bars or both. Depends how you feel about them. Here's some good info:
https://youtu.be/oJ9H0INZ2_s
Bottom Bracket, External BB, Ceramic hubs - I don't have enough experience to recommend, but there's certainly things here to consider.

And, Ryan, if you live anywhere near a velodrome and haven't gone yet, go check it out! You have to drop some cash and do some intro courses, but I'd bet you'd probably enjoy it!.. and you might possibly stomp other new riders.

Hope this helps!
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Old 09-12-18, 06:28 PM
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People love to take themselves too seriously even more than they love to argue.
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Old 09-12-18, 07:02 PM
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Originally Posted by seau grateau
People love to take themselves too seriously even more than they love to argue.
No they don't!

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Old 09-12-18, 07:57 PM
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Tires will make a bigger performance difference than wheels. For example, some GP4000's on box wheels will go faster than Gatorskins on Zipps. I've seen the latter before at USAC races... no joke

Also that Monty Python skit is classic!!!
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Old 09-12-18, 08:01 PM
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Originally Posted by phobus
No they don't!
Oh, yes I do!
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Old 09-12-18, 08:09 PM
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Originally Posted by phobus
I love that.
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Old 09-12-18, 08:14 PM
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Originally Posted by 2manybikes
I love that.
It's probably in my top three favorite Python clips, along with Dead Parrot and Ministry of Silly Walks.
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Old 09-13-18, 02:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Bang0Bang00
Dear lord, people live to argue on this site.

Not a criticism, just an observation.

I too am curious about what spoke count/cross you're thinking? Maybe weight and height while we're at it? It'll help.







Ok Ryan, I get the sense you're a strong rider that wants to go fast in a mostly flat environment. To me, on the scale of hill climber to Time Trialist (TT), you are firmly on the TT side of the scale. In other words, heavy and aero vs as light as possible. Being light is always a bonus, don't get me wrong, I just think it should probably be priority 2 instead of 1. Also, more weight = more momentum to fight wind friction at a constant speed. Accelerating and stopping suffer, so there's your trade off.

I'll paint you a picture of what I think is kind of the far end of the scale for fixed track aero, and you can approach as you see fit.

first thing, a few items I've found super useful:
- Pinheads security track nuts for the front wheel (lighter and more secure)
- Ynot pedal straps, if you like wearing regular shoes. I'm guessing you probably have clipless.
- Short crank arms (~165mm or less, great for maintaining speed @ high cadence)
- 17 cog (more skid patches, you got it!)
- The biggest front chairing you can handle, and still climb the overpass
- Once you run out of room up front, start to shirk below 17 in the back. I ride 48x17 with 170mm cranks for climbing, but I'm fat and in a super hilly area.

Wheels - Disc back, spoke front. - most aero with control.
Back - Full disc, 80mm, or 60mm back.
Front- Tri-spoke carbon, 60mm, 50mm, or 40mm.
I've heard less than 40mm at lower than 30km/hr has negligible aero advantage, so just go for light or strong if these don't float your boat. Also, deep rims are annoying for street for locking and because you need long stem valves on your tubes. Fair warning.
Tires - Gators, yeah buddy! Honestly though, go fat, especially on the back. 25mm is good. More surface area to skid and lean, comfort, ability to roll over bumps, maintain speed, etc. Skinny tires are fine if you want to sacrifice the above.
Handlebars - deeper drops, TT bars or both. Depends how you feel about them. Here's some good info:
https://youtu.be/oJ9H0INZ2_s
Bottom Bracket, External BB, Ceramic hubs - I don't have enough experience to recommend, but there's certainly things here to consider.

And, Ryan, if you live anywhere near a velodrome and haven't gone yet, go check it out! You have to drop some cash and do some intro courses, but I'd bet you'd probably enjoy it!.. and you might possibly stomp other new riders.

Hope this helps!
First off, to everyone who have advice, thanks.

I am 5'10 and I'm the heaviest I've ever been at roughly 185-190lbs.
I consider myself to be a strong rider. This bike is my only bike and it's my daily. I don't drive and I don't uber. South Florida is flat and boring. And every 40 year old roadie is surprised when I drop them in normal clothes (although I do get dropped hard but not often but I'm dead after and have to stop for Chik-Fl-A) Wind sucks here especially right now during hurricane season. The hurricane reservations are pretty booked right now. I do ride Clipless (look keo carbon blades). I'm pretty my stock cranks are 165mm. I'm not too I want to mess around with different crank arm length yet. I'm open to going up to 17t rear since it's basically just going up 2 teeth front and rear 48/15 ---->50/17. I think it would feel similar? And I think I can go up to 51t front maybe.
Wheels wise I cannot afford a disc wheel or carbon for that matter. I really can't spend more that $350 on wheels and I think that's a good price range to get decent wheels. Like I mentioned before hplus sons laced to gran comps from retrogression. In the future I would love to buy front and rear profile racing track hubs (with hed rims['Merica]. Also I carry a U lock everywhere I go unless I'm on an early morning ride so deep wheels just won't work for me right now. I hate riding anything skinnier than 25c tires. All the old heads still riding 23c blows my mind. I would love to strictly ride 28c but my forks won't allow. New bars will come eventually. Most likely after I get a new stem first. I want a longer reach. I probably will stay with the compact drop style although the classic track drops look nice on certain bikes. I could definitely benefit from a higher quality BB. I love the simplicity of the gxp BB that the sram omniums come with. Easy maintenance. There's a velodrome about an hour South of me. Haven't been yet.

This is my not track ready yet, daily. (S-works front tire was free, will ride until bald)
Currently riding an Izumi Super Toughness Track Chain
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Old 09-13-18, 07:28 AM
  #48  
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Dropping roadies who aren't racing you is the coolest thing ever.
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Old 09-13-18, 07:33 AM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by ryan_rides
I am 5'10 and I'm the heaviest I've ever been at roughly 185-190lbs.
I'm 5'10" and was 198 lb. This spring I dropped to 166 lb.

Loosing weight was the best cycling upgrade I've ever done.

10 lb will be very noticeable. The bike will fly if you loose 20 lb. Lose the weight if you can. You won't regret the hard work.

My Fitness Pal is a great tool.


-Tim-
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Old 09-13-18, 08:34 AM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by seau grateau
Dropping roadies who aren't racing you is the coolest thing ever.
Come to South Florida. I'll give you a head start.
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