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  Choosing bike components (21 posts)

• AnnieD said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  I have no idea if I’m doing this the right way – I wanted to post a question about buying a new bike and couldn’t figure out how to start the post, nor what group it would fit in. So I’ve now created a group (which I can delete if there was already a group for this topic and I missed it) and I’m hoping that this will create a post in the forum.

  Anyway, here’s the thing. On a semi-regular basis I get the urge to buy a new bike. I don’t really know whether that’s a wise move, maybe I should just change components of my existing bike. But if I do buy a new bike, I could use some advice on the different components. So I’m hoping people can post the relative merits of different options for bikes. eg: Frames (steel? aluminum?), brakes (rim? coaster? disc? etc.) and so on. Then I can decide whether to just change components on my existing bike, buy a read-made bike, or have one built from parts I choose.

  I really don’t want something very expensive because I ride my bike everywhere (I don’t have a driver’s licence) and I don’t want to have to worry about getting my bike stolen. But my current bike is starting to suffer from the winter cycling: the chain is making various unhealthy sounds (though lube might be all it really needs), the rim brakes regularly fail, something about the wires freezing and/or some of the non-wire bits getting jammed (interested in disc brakes versus coaster brakes), and at least twice/year my gears refuse to change to the highest level (I usually ride in 3-5 but now have to ride is 2-7 since ”3” the gears won’t change to ”3” anymore) – tempted to switch to single gear.

  So let’s hear your thoughts on these and other bike purchase decisions! (I *know* there have been posts on this topic before, so there must be a group for it somewhere…)

• Joe T. said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  This is one way to do it, Annie.

  You could also put something like this in the How-To Group
  http://bikingtoronto.com/groups/how-to/forum

  The beautiful thing about BikingToronto is it's a user-generated site… what you guys want is what the site consists of.

  I am working on a better guide to the groups… have them organized according to theme a bit more.

• Duncan H said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  I've been out bicycle shopping lately and have learned a lot. My mother is in the market for a city commuter. Her current bicycle is a hybrid (which is far more mountain than road inspired). She loves it, it has disc brakes, suspension forks and a suspension saddle. The tires are wide but smooth down the middle for roads and there's a good couple dozen gears that have been shifting reliably for more than a year. The complete bicycle cost her about $700 new. It's made by Giant, the Cypress model.

  The reason she's looking for a new bicycle is first because of the weather and second she wants to change her riding style. Her hybrid is great for sweaty, active rides, but when she's heading to work she has time to take it easy. For that she wants an upright riding position. She also wants internal gears and brakes so she can ride with confidence no matter how wet, slushy or gross it may be. Internal hub gears are pricey and with many of the options she looked at this single component made up much of the cost of the entire bicycle. She's considering a Batavus.

  As far as frame materials we've found that steel is strong but heavy. Aluminum has less strength (although some of the most expensive versions are said to be as strong) but weighs a lot less. This weight difference becomes really noticeable around the $700 to $1,000 price points. Aluminum is also supposed to be a less comfortable ride, as it transfers the bumps to your body instead of absorbing them like steel. Personally I've never noticed this, there is a different feel to my aluminum Globe than on my steel Marin, but I can't say I feel more fatigued or more comfortable on either simply due to the frame materials.

  My girlfriend rides a single speed aluminum Globe bike with a coaster brake, you can read her review here: http://bikingtoronto.com/duncan/globe-live-1-review-by-my-girlfriend/

• said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  Annie – wouldn't it be easier if bikes were marketed like cars!? lol! Really, though, your question is something that, I think, is determined by personal choice. I'm not sure if switching components is a good idea or not since I don't know the quality of your frame, or if you really like it's geometry/shape. Generally, it's more expensive to swap components than to buy a whole bike (like buying a whole car is cheaper than buying each part separately). And replacing a derailleur, shifter, brakes, etc. takes a bit of mechanical skill and some special tools.
  I had a Devinci Stockholm (a hybrid) that was all aluminum and I found it to be a bone-rattler. I don't think it's a coincidence that mountain bikes started coming with front shocks when they started making the frames out of aluminum. And old road bike made of some steel alloy has much more 'give' and I'd wager that a decent old road bike frame isn't that much heavier than newer aluminum. I've found that a lot of old bikes that seem heavy are really from the wheels/rims, the crankset, gear cassette, stem and seat post being made of heavy steel alloys. For example, I pulled an old Le Circuit road bike apart and found that just one arm of the crankset was heavier than the frame! Replacing the crankset and wheels to aluminum ones effectively halved the weight of the bike!
  As for gears or not, I suggest you try riding without shifting gears and see how it goes for you – you can try riding in a lower or higher gear and see if there's one 'sweet spot' that works for you. You might find you need gears if you're climbing hills, but I honestly find leaving the bike in a 'hard' gear and 'sprinting' up a hill much easier/efficient than using an 'easy' gear and pedaling like mad. With your gears not working, sounds like they just need to be adjusted/tuned.
  Finally, I suggest going to a bunch of bike shops and looking at what they offer, ask questions and see if you can ride some around. Even just straddling a bike in a shop will give you sense if you like it or not.

• AnnieD said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  Thanks Duncan – I read your girlfriend's review, and then yours, and I think what I want (just to be difficult), is a cross between the two bikes. I like the chain guard – I keep forgetting to tuck my pants in and I end up getting grease on them.

  I like the fact that hers is single speed and has the coaster brakes, although I'm still not 100% sure about the single speed thing yet, and disc brakes might be good enough. I'm just fed up with my rim brakes, which seem to wear out too quickly and occasionally stop working altogether. I scared some pedestrians today with my inefficient and noisy stop – time for yet another brake adjustment or new pads…

  I also prefer something on the back of the bike for my panniers, not sure if mine would work on the Globe, though – the hooks (clips? locking thingies?) are small. I wouldn't object to both back and front – I sometimes have to haul a lot of stuff.

  I like the lights on the one you reviewed – how are they powered? I have magnetic lights on my wheels, and although not very powerful, I like the fact that if I forget to turn on my other lights, I always have at least those two working.

  Mark, I already use only one speed when I bike and like you, I much prefer high resistance. Since my gears have stopped working three times in the past two or three years, I keep wondering if it's worth the cost and trouble of getting them fixed or if I shouldn't just stick to one and not worry about it anymore. But then I remember the one time I got *really* sick last year and I had to switch to an extremely low gear to get home and even that was sheer torture. Thought I suppose there's always the bus (aside: are there bikeracks on streetcars?). I guess a part of me still wants at least a couple of low gears as a kind of security blanket just in case, but I'm interested in the argument against it. Personnal choice, absolutely, but I want to make an *informed* personnal choice.

  Interesting info about the aluminum frame. Since I ride in the winter, and since the streets have so many potholes, a smoother ride is important to me. Not to mention I haul so much stuff around (three days a week I carry a laptop and then there's the thermos of coffee, the two water bottles, and don't ask about all the food I carry with me!), it's probably silly to worry about a bit of extra weight from the frame!

  So that's one issue settled: steel frame. Still leaning towards single speed, but not sure about coaster brakes versus disc brakes.

• said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  I think a lot people just want a few gears (like 3). When you think about it, 21 gears is pretty silly! I suggest you check out the offerings at Curbside Cycle (Bloor and Brunswick). They have a lot of 'Dutch style' bikes, and have even started designing a bike specifically for Toronto's terrain. See: http://www.yongestreetmedia.ca/features/Fryslan0224.aspx
  I think Urbane (down on John, just north of Queen) might have some bikes you'd like. If you can, talk with Stephan – he's super nice and very helpful.

  I honestly think that disc brakes on a city bike is overkill. I can see them being useful for off-road and downhill, but in the city I think it's "too much rig"! However, some have said they're better in the rain. Personally, I only use a front brake (but that's technically illegal!).

  Oh, and there's a lot of people who believe that removing the rear deraillieur increases the efficiency of pedaling-to-forward-motion. In other words, a gear ratio with a deraillieur will provide more resistance that the same gear ratio without a deraillieur. If you haven't already, you might want to read Sheldon Brown's website – he's a big advocate of single speeds.

• Duncan H said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  AnnieD: The lights on the Globe Haul are battery powered LED. The rear requires 2 AAA and the front takes one of those flat round batteries, similar to the MEC turtle lights. Both front and rear are plenty bright and have had excellent battery life so far.

  I have MEC panniers and the clips that come standard on them are too small for the wide rails on the Globe Haul. MEC does sell replacements, but since I only have the bicycle on loan I didn't want to make the change over. Other bike companies like OPUS have similar integrated bike racks. I'll have photos of these bikes up soon on my blog from the Toronto Bike Show.

  I'm also going to post a review of my Marin bike, the Hamilton 29er model. Off the shelf it came with a single speed set up, steel frame, and u-brakes. I believe an upgrade to disc brakes wouldn't be too difficult, but I'll leave that answer to someone at a bike shop. I added fenders and a rear rack, both from MEC and this is been a very reliable ride. All in I spent about $600, and I'm pretty happy with the bike.

  As for the TTC, there are no bike racks on streetcars. You can bring a bicycle on board during non-peak hours, but it is a pain and I wouldn't expect a helping hand from the driver. Not that they are being jerks, I've just never seen it happen.

• HappyStuffing said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  Speaking of TTC and bikes. I recently went through a week of broken down bike, resorting to TTC. Is it just me, or do purposely pump in nautious fumes for heat? I get so car sick when they turn the heat on.

  Anyway, i'm not even sure how i would go about buying a new bike if i had to. I would be in the same situation as you Annie. There is a bewildering array of choices. I am only mechanically capable basic tuning of my bike, so when i go to the bike show like the one this past weekend, it is all visual with me

  I basically don't know one brand over the other. I don't know one model number over the other unless it looks really different.

  So anyways, there are more of us out there (like me) that needs to know how to go about buying a new bike

  . . sometimes riding the TTC just isn't an option.

• AnnieD said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  I might be on the market for a new bike sooner than I'd planned. My back brake jammed yesterday on my way home. Not sure what happened – maybe one of my panniers hit it and knocked it out of alignment. I tried to move it but couldn't get it to budge. I was worried I'd be late for the class I was headed to so I locked my bike to an R&P and took the streetcar. Problem is, by that point I was so flustered and rushed that I failed to take my seat with me and didn't even use my second lock to lock my wheels. I'm not downtown today so I wouldn't be surprised if, when I get back tomorrow, my bike is either gone or stripped down.

  I really have to take one of those bike repair workshops for women I keep hearing about – which group runs those?

  Does the Globe bike with coaster brakes come with a backup front rim brake? I once had a brake fall apart on me while I stopped at an intersection. Literally: pieces fell to the ground. There's something a bit magical about the way coaster brakes work – I hate to think that my entire ability to brake depends on a mechanism that lets you coast but engages when you want to brake. I need the additional brake as a security blanket.

  Wait a sec' – does house insurance typically cover theft away from home? Probably not worth making the claim, though. My premiums will just go up and I'll end up paying for it anyway. Funny thing about insurance.

  A

• Duncan H said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  AnnieD:

  I hope your bicycle is there when you return. There was an abandoned bicycle near my place that was simply leaning against a post and ring, no lock. It stood still for a few days before parts started to go missing.

  Community Bicycle Network runs classes like you're looking for, Joe has them listed on the Events calendar: http://bikingtoronto.com/events

  As for the Globe, yes, there's a front brake hiding under the front rack. I've taken the bike out a few times and found that I only used the brake either on fast descents or when I forgot about the coaster brake. Urbane Cyclist has this model, the Live 1 on the floor now. They also have the model up with internal hub gearing and I believe disc brakes.

• Joe T. said 4 months, 3 weeks ago:

  I think what Annie may be thinking of is "Wenches with Wrenches":
  http://www.communitybicyclenetwork.org/wenches

  According to that page, they are supposed to run in April, but I don't see anything scheduled on their calendar:
  http://www.communitybicyclenetwork.org/event/

• AnnieD said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

  Wenches with wrenches – that's the one!

  My bike was waiting for me safe and sound and with all parts intact. Even with the skills and tools, I couldn't have fixed it on the spot – I took it to Urbane's and it turns out the wheel was out of alignment (how does a wheel spontaneously go out of alignment???) and once that was fixed, the brakes needed to be re-aligned.

  I asked for a price on switching to single gear with coaster brakes, but on my way out a cluster of Globes caught my eye, and soon I was chatting with Marty about my options. Here's what I'm considering:

  First choice: Masi 7 or 8-speed with internal hub and coaster brakes – a nice compromise between my problem plagued 21-speed and a single speed that I might regret the next time I'm going up a big hill while coming down with the flu. Main concern is that the top gear will not be high enough for my tastes:

  http://www.ucycle.com/node/167

  Alternatively, a single speed Masi with coaster brakes – I can always get them to change the gear upwards if the current one is not high enough:

  http://www.ucycle.com/products/bikes/single-fixed/masi-soulville-ss

  This one is fully loaded, but has an aluminum frame and drum brakes. Since I can just take the accessories from my current bike, I don't *need* a fully loaded bike and prefer to put my money towards a better quality bike than towards one with all the bells and whistles, although I really love the chainguard on this one:

  http://www.ucycle.com/node/154

  Any thoughts?

• Joe T. said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

  Good to hear your bike (and all of the parts) were waiting for you.

  Those are some nice bikes at Urbane. I like the first and third ones. I have nothing against single speeds – I just know that sometimes I want a high gear to "book it / crank it", and sometimes I want a low gear to cruise and take it easy.

• AnnieD said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

  I tried out the 8-speed Masi and it's love.

  But the axle isn't long enough to accomodate the hitch for my dog croozer (which I use for groceries and to carry my djembe). I tried out the single speed but it doesn't have coaster brakes (my mistake up above) and after trying the 8-speed, nothing else would do. I was deflated.

  Then Kathleen thought of calling the croozer company to see if they made an adaptor to hook up the croozer to the stays instead. They do, but we're still not sure if it will work on this particular bike, which is not exactly like the one in the picture I linked to above. This one is a walkthrough bike and has three stays. The company is supposed to send a picture by email.

  I gave them the list of accessories to switch from what I will now refer to as my "old" bike and am waiting for the call to tell me that everything is OK and they can go ahead. I hope… Keep your fingers and toes crossed for me!

• Joe T. said 4 months, 2 weeks ago:

  Maybe Urbane can help you get all the parts to work together? They must have experience with stuff like this?