Hello FCCUK cyclists,

I had seen it suggested before that we should have a thread of pictures of our bikes (road or MTB, if that's your thing) for the rest of us to drool over. As far as I could see, it didn't happen so I thought I would start one with a couple of shots of my bike after washing it this morning.



Mine is my first road bike, a Forme Vitesse and I've had it for about 18 months now. As you can see, it is a 48cm frame for hobbits such as myself. It's equipped with Shimano 105 10-speed running gear and shifters, with an alu frame and carbon fork. Bars and wheels are the sort of unknown brand and spec you get on a basic bike, but it all works fine together and does the job for me at the moment.

I've done about 2000 miles on it now I think. All being well, it will complete LeJog in May as well.

So come on fellow cyclists, what do you ride?

James

Volagi Liscio Ultegra with Di2, Pro-Lite carbon bars and a few other bits'n'bobs

It was the first in the UK and I think my brother owns the only other one that I'm aware of. Fab bike - covered about 3000 miles on it since I got it in April and hit 59mph recently. Di2 is bling but great.

Some lovely bikes... The Volagi looks perfect. I've wanted a Cinq for years too!

Here are mine.

I massively lucked into this one - a Raleigh Airlite SF3.0 considering I had no idea what I wanted at the time.
It is perfect for the commute, the wheels make it fast and the straight bars/ disc brakes make it safe in traffic.


The Focus is more for speed than practicality, but it is comfortable,and amazing value.

A Cayo, right? Exactly the same as mine - really nice bike, especially paired up with some RS80 carbon wheels. I was lucky to get mine - the PO had fitted Pro-Lite carbon bars, Selle Italia seat, carbon bottle holders and several other bits. I also have a Focus Variado - my first road bike - also good.

Yes, it is a standard 2009 / Shimano 105 Cayo. I think the wheels are only RS20s but it is a really solid machine that works perfectly - just need some good weather to get out on it more.

Mine arrived with RS10s. The RS80s made a big difference to the comfort of the ride in particular. Mine is the identical frame and chainset. Great bike though I do prefer discs and Di2 is sublime to use.

I think the 105 / regular brakes are brilliant in the dry, but can imagine how much you gain from Di2 and discs in less than perfect weather. Is the Volagi still light with all that equipment? Do you have mudguards on it?

The thing with Di2 is that you change gear without even thinking and gear changes are perfect every time.

Yes - Volagi is at least as light as the Cayo. I fit guards in the winter (it has mounts) and a removable guard in the summer.

Best of luck to you on this. What's your plan?

Nice bikes, keep them coming



Thanks. My Uncle and I are going with a tour run by Peak Tours and it will be end to end over 14 days straight. All accomodation is sorted for us and luggage transferred so we will only have to ride the bikes and buy evening meals. Averaging about 70 miles a day or so.

I'm not ready yet, but that's ok, there's still 5 months to go. I can easily cover the 70 miles, but I haven't repeated it on consecutive days yet. The best I've done is 90, followed by 40. I'll be fine with a bit of practise though.

Being a bit new to this I find it odd that the cycling world resists progress like this. My gears are only sometimes perfectly aligned, yet this Di2 technology has been possible for decades.

Same with discs. You can brake and turn because they don't snatch, yet they seem to be going away from road bikes again.

Ridley Cheetah TT Alu with 4ZA carbon fork.
Ultegra 9 with DA bar-end shifters. 11-21 DA cassette. FSA 55/42 carbon solid with 105 SPDR's on DA Hollowtech 1 BB and 172.5mm cranks. FSA SL intgrated heatset. Profile Design carbon integrated stem/wing bar with Oval A900 extensions. Outland cut-down brake levers. ProLite Carbon seat post with Bontrager RaceLite X saddle. Black 105 dual pivot calipers with SwissStop Black Prince carts. All cables DA. Profile carbon bottle cage. Navigator carbon SL disc with Conti Podium 19mm and Bonger Yellow carbon extenders. front is a 50mm semi-deep carbon with 16off flat spokes radial on American classic needle roller hub. VDO 10+ wireless computer with head mounted on Profile mount on RH tribar. Skewers are Trans-X allen fitting.

Spare race wheels. Sinergy Rev-X (rear is SuperStiff) with 9 speed 12-21 sporting DA cassette. Both wheels shod with Conti Tempos with extenders. Q/R's are Campag Record.

New winter bike Carrera Virago, very adequate for winter training.

Bike on the turbo (Tacx 1450) is a rusty-with-sweat old Coventry Eagle running 52/42 9 speed (on friction) 12-23 with old 105 kit.

It looks like they've picked an interesting route - not the quickest but probably more rewarding going through Wales instead of the Midlands.

I did a couple of days with a friend as he did this in May this year. His success was down to getting on the bike most days for his 24 mile round trip to work. He only did a couple of longer rides to prepare.

I'll clear off now and let somebody else get a word in.. Sorry...

I did Ireland end-to-end this year. Provided you pace yourself during the day (I targeted 140bpm heart rate) you'll do it no problem. Provided you don't push too hard at any point and eat properly during the day, it really won't be an issue. I'm planning to do London to Edinburgh in 4 days (100 miles per day) in May

My custom built Condor Barrachi. Reynolds 853 main frame with Dedacci Black box rear triangle and forks. Sadly stolen last year



The replacement. BeOne Raw Carbon with Full Campag Record 2011



The Winter slogger. Ribble gas tube frame. Athena 11 speed with some record 2010 Levers (so i can drop down the block more than one gear at a time).

1996 Klein Pulse Comp


Haven't been on mine for quite a while, I've had it for 16 years though so done a few miles on it.

Of all the bikes I've had, this is one of those that just feels part of you when you ride it.

My Daughters fiancé is using it at the momment, it needed some younger legs but I'll never get rid of it.

I also built a nice little tilting side car for it which turned a few heads

FOR BOCKERS: nice B1 Campy though ..

Mavic failed miserably with Mektronic for a few years in the mid-90's and it didn't catch-on. Rogue signals kept interfering and caused impromptu gear changes. Clearly Shimano have perfected the RF screening required.
I still wonder what happens when the batteries pack-up?
Will you be stuck in-gear or will it select a limp mode.
Will you carry spare AA's?
What's wrong with good ole cable? and it's likely less weighty. Just thinking it through' a tad .. sorry!

Ah Rob - I can run through all the well-rehearsed arguments

The batteries last around 1000 miles between charges and there's a power indicator - you'd have to be an idiot to run out of charge unintentionally. I played charger chicken with mine as I was interested to see if the system works as designed. Sure enough, the front mech gives up first giving you notice that the battery is on its last legs. You then carry on using just the rear. I actually topped my battery up at the local bike shop - it charges from empty to full in under two hours - I just needed 15 mins to get mine plenty of charge to get me the 15 miles home.

The good old cable stretches and you need to index your gear from time to time. Shifting, particularly the front mech, requires effort and can lead to mis-shifts. None of that happens with Di2 - once set it's set and shifting is almost subconscious and perfect every time. You can also shift easily under full load. Shifting is also faster. Finally, the latest Capag system will actually be lighter than their top-end mechanical system. It's really a no-brainer - except for the cost.

Convincing arguments there MRS
I suspect the sales pitch may just be exaggerating cable maintenance a bit of a lot.
My Ridley TT bike hasn't had any of its cables adjusted even once since new (2004) using Dura-Ace cables.
However, I will revisit electronic shifting as gear-changing under full-load is merit-worthy with seconds to gain in my sport.

The thing I think it would fix for me is that issue where you've picked up a bit of grit on a wet road, and the rear mech is now crunching and you go to adjust the cable thinking it has stretched (making it worse), or when it doesn't drop down through the gears accurately. Nicer to have a machine to get it perfect all the time.

I don't think I know anyone that's tried it that doesn't like it. A twitch of the finger and you've changed front ring - it's fabulous

I wouldn't take my best out in the wet and grit though ..

It's a bike made of mechanical bits designed to go in the wet and grit and get replaced when they wear out

I won't race in heavy rain/spray as even with an exposure flare, you're invisible in the muck and gloom on a DC when timetrialling on your best bike.
Just my own personal risk assessment of course.

http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/...emlmqlu6r3n1u8f
My baby.
40 miles off road is the norm.

For sure - a DC is no place for a bike in those conditions

Talking of wet/grit/rain/spray...



...in need of a good wash!

Does anyone have some good suggestions for what to do with my front light battery pack, currently velco-wrapped around the top tube? Is there something like a cup holder that can attach from the top of the head tube or stem somehow?

Quick cold water hoze nozzle on the winter trainer and nice 'n' sparkly again thanks to undercoats of nice sniffy GT85.

Loving the carbon RobShed, and that sidecar looks awesome MrT!

I decided to ride into a bollard this morning, so my bike doesn't look quite as good as it did yesterday unfortunately. Rear wheel is wonky, bars are bent and the saddle is broken. All my fault, but you would have imagined that the middle of a cycle path isn't the best place for a bollard...

Use ArmorAll Shield and, chances are, you won't need to rinse it at all

2011 Spec Willier Izoard XP in Petacchi livery







I also have a Dawes Audax touring bike that I use in the winter. But as it's not as pretty as the Willier, I won't put up a picture

The Willier looks fantastic. I wouldn't describe it as "pretty" but more something from The Terminator - great bike though.

That's the hassle with cycle paths - they're usually something else that's got an uneven surface, dropped kerbs, etc. to get the cyclists off the road, but nice of the council to paint a picture of a bicycle on it... gives me a lift every time I go past one.

Loving the look of the BeOne Raw and the Williers.

Sound like the council should foot the bill for sorting your bike out.

Maybe, but as I said it was pretty much my fault having already cycled past a few and failed to anticipate another one. If I wasn't following my brother so closely I would have seen it.

I'll just use the road next time.

Wow. Some nice bikes on display! Here's my two, right at the budget end of the scale!



2011 Voodoo Hoodoo. Paid £276 for it off ebay and it was a new bike, apart from a scratch on the frame due to bad packaging. So I complained and got £50 back through paypal Paid for all the accesories.



B'Twin Triban 3. You'd have to have been living under a rock not to have heard about the Triban 3 if you frequent the forum. I love this bike!

Well you've got to respect those people whose sheds/garages have carpet and painted walls, even skirting boards, sheesh! Maybe if I just got rid of a few of my 5 bikes in the shed I'd have room to unroll some carpet and get painting...

Storing bikes and drying clothes: It's what dining rooms are for!


I used Paraffin for the first time this week to clean the oily bits. WOW! The grime and oil just drips off leaving the chainset looking brand new

Don't be gay then, show us your kit (5 bikes I mean)

I love the antique horn on this one. Do you get to use it much? And are those CRUDS on there? How did you keep them in one piece?

fitting some crud roadracer mk2's tonight so please let me know of any tips, if any, to keep them from falling off or breaking straight away

I coated the knureld nuts with nail polish once they were done up. Otherwise the rear tail nut especially seems to unwind with alarming ease all on its own.

Otherwise I have found them to be very good, just get a spare pack of crews and nuts and be careful not to strip the plastic nuts!

The horn is cool, but the Triban comes with a little bell that goes 'ting' of which I'm rather fond...

I'd make sure you have all the parts in the box, they can fall out quite easily. A friend assembled his without the super sticky pads and had to do it all again. I recommend following the fixing guide on Crud's website, very helpful:

http://www.crudproducts.com/products/roadracer/roadracer___

As for the French horn, it's probably the best thing I've ever fitted to a bike. Previously I had a traditional dinky one that Neil is fond of. It sounded very pretty but was about as useful as t*ts on a bull. Everyone gets the hell out of the way within a 50 Meter radius now

In chronological order:

Early 1980's vintage Barry Hoban racer

Early 90's Ridgeback 520c (used for carrying kids around on the same seat that MrT had on his sidecar (but attached rather more conventionally)

And a trio of cyclocross bikes, first the Giant TCX1 which is the lightest, but with a surprisingly narrow range of gears

Then the Boardman CX Team upgraded to Avid BB7's

Finally the Specialized TriCross comp


So, which to keep? Which to sell?

Too late for me.
I thought they'd broken off, but they were gone off both the front and the back after only 40 miles.

Use some weak threadlock - They'll never come off.

Sadly they've already come off, they are gone, and so is the love.

Bad times!

Interesting collection of CX bikes. I was struck by the low saddles and the nose-up adjustment of the saddles - any particular reason?

Don't think I have pictures available of my other bikes

Focus Variado Compact 105
Focus Cayo 105
Cube Reaction Race XC bike

I had a Boardman CX Team too but sold that

Yes, at 5'7" tall I seem to have long arms and I find that on a small/medium bike the top tube feels too short, so I have tended to go for larger frames, hence the low saddle. For a long time I thought my old Barry Hoban was too small for me, the saddle on that was adjusted for my son to try. On the Specialized I got a new narrower saddle but after experimentation, found the nose up position was more comfortable, and I had previously listed to bocker's advice in the old Which road bike for £500? thread. Having said that, it's possible that if I went for a proper fitting, I might have to get rid of all of them...

Ah, why not...

Heres my current three, all right at the budget end of the scale, but i love them anyway;




My approx 3 year old GT mtb, got it through the Cycle2Work scheme, it's been battered and abused in almost unforgivable fashion over the last three years and it just keeps going, i've yet to replace a single component. Note the use of insulation tape to hold the front light on.



The Carrera Virtuoso i got a few months ago, once again through the Cycle2Work scheme, to replace the GT. Only to discover that i like it too much to sully its beauty with these filthy country roads.



And last but definitely not least, the Raleigh Western Classic i saved from a trip to the dump when a friend decided they didn't like it. It's worthless, but i adore its retro style and it looks amazing on the rack on the back of my dayvan. Just need to find some new handlebars for it and it's officially completely saved.

Followed the guide and has worked well, so thanks. Only issue is I think I've fitted the nylon pieces a bit high up in the guard as whenever the wheel rotates you can hear them rubbing. Easy to fit and look great! Will try some nail varnish on the nuts to secure them before riding

Mine rubbed at first, don't worry. As the guy says in the video, it will settle down after you've gone for a good ride

You guys you'd be much better off with a jockstrap

One more from the Skinflint collection. They say you can't polish a turd, but I've dropped half a kilo off this 18.5 kg bloater just by changing the front tyre.
This is the famous £50 ASDA "britain's cheapest bike " that was photographed with the forks the wrong way round.
I'm in for a 30 mile mudfest Sportive in January on it.


There must be lighter car tyres...
This tyre/ tube combo weighs 1.2 kg!


Merry Christmas Everyone!

It saddens me as I've just sold it, it was a great bike but I need a bike that I can take on the train now!

Now, that sounds like my type of bike ride out

I think I'd feel lust for that bike even if it wasn't written in huge letters above it

bad pic of my bike
http://s53.photobucket.com/albums/g45/cowboykarl/?action=view&current=mybike.jpg
stock pic
http://s53.photobucket.com/albums/g45/cowboykarl/?action=view&current=bike.jpg

Looks nice / good spec. Is it a Talon?

yes, talon 2,got it from santa.

Here's mine. Claud Butler san remo. I'm a newbie to the world of cycling. Still playing around with the seat and handlebar angles as I ride mainly using the hoods and my arms are taking most of my weight

Please tell me that came out of the shed and not the engine compartment of your coupe?

Here are mine...

Summer bike: Giant Defy 1


Commuter/winter hack: Ancient aluminium frame, old 9-speed Ultegra groupset, Shimano 501 wheels



Ice/snow bike: old Carrera hybrid with Nokian spiked tyres



The spikey-tyred hybrid was fantastic in some recent icy conditions and nowhere near as slow / hard work as I was expecting.

Jim

I use Ice Spiker Pros on my MTB when it's icy up here (rather more often than I'd like). They are utterly superb even on melting sheet ice (worst possible conditions) and there's often miles of the stuff on my commute. They are quite hard work relative to a road bike but so good that I really don't mind. I know when I've done 120 miles in a week on them though