Theft deterrance: If you've no lock and have to leave your bike alone for a few minutes, you can do one or all of these:
1) With your chain on the largest chainring (the front gear part thingy), shift so that the front derailluer (the front shifting thingy) would move to the smallest chainring. But do this WITHOUT pedalling.
Anyone who tries to cycle off would have to kick the pedals into position first, and this would render the chain jumping off the gears and getting stuck between the bike frame and smallest chainring. This effectively makes your bike unridable.
2) If you are using V brakes, disengage the front and rear brakes. This can be done by pressing both sides of the brake arms together and unhooking the brake cable from its holder. Anyone trying to cycle off with your bike will be in for a nasty shock when he finds out that he can't brake!
3) Unscrew the knob on your brake levers just enough so that it backs out without being disengaged from the rest of the brake lever body. This tightens your brakes. Meaning, it'll only require very little finger movement to give a heckuva powerful stopping power! This should give the person a rude shock as well! :happy:
4) If you are using quick release skewers on your wheels, unscrew the front skewers out and rest the front fork ends on the skewer rod. This should give the illusion that the front wheel is still attached to the fork, but the moment the would-be thief tries to cycle off, the fork would slip off the skewers and give da fella another shock. Hurhurhur...
*Added* 04/12/05
How to lighten your bike without lightening your wallet much:
1) Change your inner tubes (the stuff that inflates your tyres) to lightweight ones. Standard tubes cost about $5 and weigh about 200g each. Lightweight ones can cost around $12 and weigh 150g each or less.
Cost: $24
Total weight savings: +/-100g
2) Change your knobbly tyres to either semi-slick/slick (botak) tyres or lighter knobbly tyres. Most knobbly tyres can weigh 600g each. Lighter weight ones weigh around 300++ g, e.g. Maxxis Flyweight. But beware, the softer and lighter rubber means that it can be prone to debris getting stuck and wearing a hole through the tyre and to the tube, resulting in a puncture.
Cost: $70 and up for a pair of tyres
Total weight savings: up to 600g or more depending on the tyres.
Lighter weight at the wheels, especially the outer edge, equals to lesser rotating mass and faster acceleration.
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Originally Posted by <<neO.n>> Threadstarter has some good points - mind if I contribute some? Since I am more familiar with MTBs, most of my points would be relevant to these only... Anyone seeking to build a bike should concern themselves with 4 components first and formost - in order of importance - Frame, Fork, Wheelset and Crankset. Frame: Generally, the frame really makes or breaks the riding experience, check for the geometry and sizing before making a purchase - frames these days come in a variety of shapes and materials and the choices can be bewildering. Start with the decision of what kind of riding you intend to do, remember, while the trend these days is for superlight bikes with plenty of travel (5-6" or more) you may find yourself with too much bike to handle when running longer travel rigs. In SG, you're not going to find any double black diamond trails, so there's no real point to getting anything beyond 6". Therefore, if buying a full-suspension frame, be wary of the amount of travel that you really need. Also, be aware of the geometry, best bet is to go for test rides. While carbon is the most "in" material these days, it's not necessarily cost effective or the best option, esp when buying from one of those smaller or unknown brands - not all carbon is of the same quality and a frame failure can lead to catastrophic results. Fork: When chosing your fork, consider what features you need as well as the geometry of the overall bike - it's not really necessary to match the travel in front with the travel in the rear - although many advise it. The more impt aspect to consider is the ride geometry - if the fork is too short/long, it might affect riding adversely. There are also many features avail in the market - consider what you need rather than going along with what is "popular" or what is being pushed by the shopkeeper. Consider features such as a remote lock-out and adjustable travel, if you figure you need it, don't go along with the shopkeeper when he proposes a product that does not have it - it's what YOU need, not what the shopkeeper thinks you ought to get. Wheelset: The rotating surfaces affect the feel of the bike immensely, particularly the sensation of weight. When upgrading an existing bike - the wheelset usually makes a dramatic difference, so get the lightest, most durable set you can afford. Also note: when purchasing a bike, a lot of shops substitute components such as the hubs, rims and spokes for lower end stuff to keep the costs down - so a mid-range bike might come with low-end wheel components. Try to plug for a good wheelset, it makes a big diff. not just in terms of performance, but lifespan - budget wheels may not be able to take the strain of more demanding riding. To drop the weight on the wheels, lighter tubes are a good option, but for those who are really into weight reduction, going tubeless is an excellent avenue, you also get to run lower pressures for increased grip and get greater pinch-flat resistance as well. --Tyres> Tyres have a huge impact on the ride of the rig, grippier knobby tyres are generally great on the trail, but will increase rolling resistance on the road, while those which offer less grip may be faster but unsuitable for the trail you intend to ride - it's all about compromise. Also, note the kind of tread pattern - some tyres clear mud well while others get really fouled in the mud. Crankset: The crank is probably the most important component of the drivetrain particularly when it comes to rider "feeling". Budget cranks not only tend to be heavy, but they might not be as efficient in terms of power transmission. A good crank must not only be light, but very stiff - cranks with wobbly arms are a serious drag on performance - you'd be suprised at the difference a good crank makes to power transmission. <<neO.n>> - P.S. For any of those who are thinking of getting into biking fairly seriously, I'd recommend the following rigs (I've test ridden them both and found them to be excellent choices): GT Avalanch 1.0 : (Hard Tail) Excellent ride, with great spec for the money. ride geometry is comfortable, but also very capable - you feel capable of taking on lines with more confidence that what you would normall associate with a hardtail at this price point. The rock shox J3 that comes with the bike as standard is also suprisingly good for a budget unit. Price is around $900 and the frame is a unit that you'll find quite worthwhile to keep and upgrade even as the components start to wear out. I took my friend's GT 1.0 out for a spin and almost didn't want to give it back - it doesn't feel like a budget bike at all. Specialized FSR XC : (Full Sus) This is a relatively cheap intro to full suspension. The FSR XC features a tried and proven design, and the bike is plush but quite responsive and holds difficult lines with relative ease. While it comes with V-Brakes instead of disc brakes, don't be put off, disc brakes may be fashionable, but for the money, they would probably have had to spec some dopey, heavy, low-budget discbrakes, as it is you get quality SRAM Vs and the option of upgrading to disc brakes at a later date if you really need it (the bike is disc brake ready). Price is around the $2K mark. For those who want the thrill of custom speccing, and if you're more familiar with the parts and the kind of performance you're looking for, you can always custom spec - this was the road that I took after getting my feet wet. As always, feel free to discuss  Cheers and happy riding <<neO.n>> |
nice tip for the chain thingy
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