Losing love for my bike

jman0war

It's true.
I've had this bike only about 4 years now but i must admit i'm loosing my love for it. Sounds dramatic but it's true. I bought her brand new (which is rare for me). It was always going to be (and still is) my Commuter Bike.
This is what she looked like:


Sora groupset.
But i had no intention of cycling around such a brand spanking new, shiny yoke like that.
Doubtless it would get stolen.


So, i immediately doctored her to look used.



Sanded down the clearcoat on the frame and mucked her up with some black paint. Painted "rust" on the rims, brake levers and plastic mudguards. Replaced the streamlined saddle with an old one and replaced the bar grips.
My artistic abilities have paid off, this bike has not been stolen.
Now in fairness i also have a f**k-off lock, but nobody really gives her a 2nd look.
Afterall, she looks just like a "sh**ty rust bucket", when infact she's a shiny, light, streamlined, hybrid underneath that can keep up with the best commuter racers out there.

So why the lose of love?
Bone Rattle: i've getz it bad.
Finicky Gears: i hate them
Brake issues: (the brake arms are actually too short for the rim, which results in brake-pad rubbing against sidewall of tyre = not good. So i have to pear off half the pad to insure it wont touch my tyres)

Lately i've been mulling over emigrating and possibly bringing my bike with me. Why buy a bike over yonder when i already have one?
If i can take her with me, i intend to.

But they get Winters over there, and if i'm going to use my bike, she'll need to be able to take a more robust tyre.
I don't know what options exist for this hybrid, but they are probably limited.

Also, Gearing.
I've been mulling getting a Fixed Gear, but am simply not going to spend 500+€ on one.
After hiring a 3-speed "Electra Townie" while on holidays, i must admit it felt good, damn good.
Is it crazy to try and downgrade my cassette and groupset to something more rudimentary like 3 gears?
My frame is not fixie-compatible.

I imagine my options for the other issues: Braking and general Bone Rattle are a bit limited to.
At the end of the day, i'm guess i'm looking for a wider rim to take a wider tyre. But i'm probably limited there as well?

BostonB

Wow good job.

You could easily upgrade a few things. Might rekindle some interest. Though its easy to spend too much on upgrades, instead of just buying a new bike.

snubbleste

Did you tell her how you feel.. that you think she's given you her best years and want a younger model?

Moflojo

snubbleste wrote: »

Did you tell her how you feel.. that you think she's given you her best years and want a younger model?

He's essentially the cycling equivalent of a wife-beater, isn't he? Systematically undermining her and lowering her self-image, out of a deep-set fear that someone will take her away from him.
Shame on you sir. She deserves better than you.

jman0war

snubbleste wrote: »

Did you tell her how you feel.. that you think she's given you her best years and want a younger model?

Well that's one way of looking at it.

jman0war

Moflojo wrote: »

He's essentially the cycling equivalent of a wife-beater, isn't he? Systematically undermining her and lowering her self-image, out of a deep-set fear that someone will take her away from him.
Shame on you sir. She deserves better than you.

Sure i paid good money for her.
She was mine to break.
And besides, i didn't bring her off-road. Not once.

Moflojo

jman0war wrote: »

Sure i paid good money for her.
She was mine to break.
And besides, i didn't bring her off-road. Not once.

"You treat objects like women, man" -The Dude.

markcroninbsc

you big ****in eejit!

jman0war wrote: »

Sanded down the clearcoat on the frame and mucked her up with some black paint. Painted "rust" on the rims, brake levers and plastic mudguards. Replaced the streamlined saddle with an old one and replaced the bar grips.

Hail 2 Da Thief

Why did you buy a new bike & turn it into something which looks like a piece of sh*t? Why didn't you just buy a good 2nd hand bike & save a bit of cash?
Just curious, not having a go or anything!

Harrybelafonte

Hail 2 Da Thief wrote: »

Why did you buy a new bike & turn it into something which looks like a piece of sh*t? Why didn't you just buy a good 2nd hand bike & save a bit of cash?
Just curious, not having a go or anything!

Or just buy a good lock?

jman0war

Hail 2 Da Thief wrote: »

Why did you buy a new bike & turn it into something which looks like a piece of sh*t? Why didn't you just buy a good 2nd hand bike & save a bit of cash?
Just curious, not having a go or anything!

Because, you can't beat the feel of a new bike.

Lumen

jman0war wrote: »

Because, you can't beat the feel of a new bike.

...with a knackered old saddle and grips.

jman0war

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

Or just buy a good lock?

I did, one of those Kryponite New York locks or whatever they're called.
You do realise that there is no lock that is going to secure your bike 100%.

jman0war

Lumen wrote: »

...with a knackered old saddle and grips.

In fairness there is nothing wrong with the saddle or grips.
Other than they are "old".
The saddle i discarded was more of a racer-type saddle providing zero comfort.

DirkVoodoo

jman0war wrote: »

I did, one of those Kryponite New York locks or whatever they're called.
You do realise that there is no lock that is going to secure your bike 100%.

That's not the point of a good lock. You simply want to make your bike less attractive to steal to whatever pond scum decides to wriggle out of their cesspool looking for a quick buck. Look at some of the bikes that get stolen and you will see there is no easy pattern to link them. Mostly it is opportunity. If someone REALLY wants your bike, they will take it and will have the tools to do so.

It's part of the reason why I think making your bike look trashy only ruins it for you, I don't think it makes it less likely to be taken. Obviously certain things like suspension and disc brakes seem to trigger something in the brains of these thugs, but most bikes reported stolen were either locked with dental floss or left at a Luas station for a few weeks.

(Touch wood) But I've had my bike safely locked in town and UCD (notorious bike theft hotspot) for 2 years and I put most of that down to a good lock, locking it properly and not leaving it anywhere dodgy. Could be a total fluke, but I think 2 years is a decent time span to state otherwise.

heffsarmy

You must be some paranoid gobsh*t to do that too a new bike

Lumen

heffsarmy wrote: »

You must be some paranoid gobsh*t to do that too a new bike

uglification project. not exactly going according to plan...

DirkVoodoo

Lumen wrote: »

uglification project. not exactly going according to plan...

Ironically he made it look more appealing.

blorg

heffsarmy wrote: »

You must be some paranoid gobsh*t to do that too a new bike

You may not have had a bike stolen.

I do think this sort of thing, combined with a good lock, reduces your chances of having it stolen. The bike will still ride just as good; the modifications are merely cosmetic.

Harrybelafonte

blorg wrote: »

You may not have had a bike stolen.

I do think this sort of thing, combined with a good lock, reduces your chances of having it stolen. The bike will still ride just as good; the modifications are merely cosmetic.

I think the issue is more that it was a new bike. If there are only 2 concerns:

1. That it works properly
2. That it not attract the attention of thieves

then surely buying second-hand then uglifying it makes more financial and cosmetic/athesthetic sense?

Lumen

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

then surely buying second-hand then uglifying it makes more financial and cosmetic/athesthetic sense?

Sloppy seconds just don't hold the same appeal.

Harrybelafonte

Lumen wrote: »

Sloppy seconds just don't hold the same appeal.

Speak for yourself!

jman0war

What i find ironic, is that most of ye are entirely ignoring the point of the thread and are instead, getting your knickers in a twist over cosmetics.

You remind me of those guys and yummy mummy's driving a 10 reg luxury car, more concerned with the silly paintwork and looking good then anything else.

The bike is not "ruined", it's been made less attractive to theives.
Which was the whole point.
I didn't buy the bike to sell it on, i bought it to cycle commute.

Next time you or your friend's shiny trinklet bicycle gets robbed from the back garden, here's me offering you a nice big cuppa I TOLD YOU SO.

Moflojo

jman0war wrote: »

You remind me of those guys and yummy mummy's driving a 10 reg luxury car, more concerned with the silly paintwork and looking good then anything else.

The bike is not "ruined", it's been made less attractive to theives.

I can't agree with you there jman, aesthetics and practicality are not mutually exclusive, despite what Oscar Wilde might say on the subject.
For me, there is a balance to be struck between the two and this is most obvious in car, bicycle and building design.

Also, the bike is not less attractive to thieves, it's less attractive to EVERYBODY!

Harrybelafonte

jman0war wrote: »

What i find ironic, is that most of ye are entirely ignoring the point of the thread and are instead, getting your knickers in a twist over cosmetics.

You remind me of those guys and yummy mummy's driving a 10 reg luxury car, more concerned with the silly paintwork and looking good then anything else.

The bike is not "ruined", it's been made less attractive to theives.
Which was the whole point.
I didn't buy the bike to sell it on, i bought it to cycle commute.

Next time you or your friend's shiny trinklet bicycle gets robbed from the back garden, here's me offering you a nice big cuppa I TOLD YOU SO.

Well if someone took that 10 reg luxury car and took a brillo pad to it so no-one would steal I'd also think he was a moron and told him he was as well to buy a secondhand car if he just wanted something to drive around in.

If you bought a house would you rub faeces all over the walls so no-one would break in? That may be a bit over the top, but it might take an extreme analogy to get the point across. Note I never mentioned Hitler or Nazis

To answer one of your original questions, you don't need 500 to buy a fixie, unless you want to buy a new one and then throw nitromors all over it, you can easily enough build one for less than 300, maybe even 200. I have 2 56cm frames that would suit a build, you can have one for some Montecristo No.4

jman0war

I got some news you.
I enjoyed my work and have every intention of doing the same to my next bike.

I'd actually like to go further and create a mockup of a saddle with the cover gone, you know like when you see the foam exposed and you just know you'd get a wet arse if you sat on it?
Well, i'd like to replicate that appearance, but use a durable waterproof material.

I reckon that feature alone may deter both a chancer thief and a professional one.
But obviously the rest of the bike can't be this shiny new looking yoke.

tomasrojo

jman0war wrote: »

I'd actually like to go further and create a mockup of a saddle with the cover gone, you know like when you see the foam exposed and you just know you'd get a wet arse if you sat on it?
Well, i'd like to replicate that appearance, but use a durable waterproof material.

Your strategy has illustrious predecessors in Nature.

Batesian mimicry is a form of mimicry typified by a situation where a harmless species has evolved to imitate the warning signals of a harmful species directed at a common predator. It is named after the English naturalist Henry Walter Bates, after his work in the rainforests of Brazil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batesian_mimicry

Just take out "harmless" and "harmful" and substitute "great" and "crappy".

Peetrik

I think you were dead right, shiney new looking bikes will buy more heroin

You can always clean it up for resale

jman0war

I have to laugh at these posers.

The estate that i live has this communal "secure bike shed". In fairness it has a combination lock on the door, unfortunately the door is not the only way into the bloody shed.

Bikes of course, get robbed.
It always seems to be these newer looking, over-priced yokes with lots shiny chrome.
Cheap locks too of course, but some of the rust bucket bikes don't even have a lock.
Maybe they get robbed too and i don't notice or never find out but it seems like if it's got Chrome, it's gone.

monkeyslayer

http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/95/63515895.html

Suppose it could be worse Could you imagine the ridicule being a young fella cycling this around the estate?

I'm liking the idea of this paint stripper lark, I've a nice city runaround I always thought would look good in orange.

heffsarmy

blorg wrote: »

You may not have had a bike stolen.

QUOTE]

jman0war wrote: »

Next time you or your friend's shiny trinklet bicycle gets robbed from the back garden, here's me offering you a nice big cuppa I TOLD YOU SO.

I've had a bike stolen from me and my wife got her bike robbed out off our garden last christmas. I would'nt be asking you what type of sand paper or black paint you used. I can understand why you did it, but can't beleive you did it. You could have just bought a rust bucket, to commute around on. Anyways your losing the love for your bike, I would'nt blame you

jman0war

heffsarmy wrote: »

I've had a bike stolen from me and my wife got her bike robbed out off our garden last christmas. I would'nt be asking you what type of sand paper or black paint you used. I can understand why you did it, but can't beleive you did it. You could have just bought a rust bucket, to commute around on. Anyways your losing the love for your bike, I would'nt blame you

It is not such rubbish, pointless BLING such as "glossy clear-coat" that i love about bikes. :rolleyes:

jman0war

I take pride in my work, which is why my painted-on "rust" looks so convincing.

I started this thread hoping to get advice and ideas on what i can do to renew the pleasure of actually cycling my bike. Obviously i'm not refering to ridiculous crap like petty costmetics.

Interestingly, what i have found out about many posters on these forums, is that they cannot see the wood from the trees, they can't manage to respond to the actual intent of the post.

And that my fellow "cyclists" are actually a rather prat-ish bunch of spoilt D4 brats that are more concerned appearances, fickle crap like cosmetic bling and are apparently rather threatened when someone has a radically pragmatic approach to their own matieral possessions.

-Chris-

Well I'm not sure why you brought the issue of aesthetics into the thread in the first place. IMHO your first post should have read something like this:

jman0war wrote: »

So why the lose of love?
Bone Rattle: i've getz it bad.
Finicky Gears: i hate them
Brake issues: (the brake arms are actually too short for the rim, which results in brake-pad rubbing against sidewall of tyre = not good. So i have to pear off half the pad to insure it wont touch my tyres)

Also, Gearing.
I've been mulling getting a Fixed Gear, but am simply not going to spend 500+€ on one.
After hiring a 3-speed "Electra Townie" while on holidays, i must admit it felt good, damn good.
Is it crazy to try and downgrade my cassette and groupset to something more rudimentary like 3 gears?
My frame is not fixie-compatible.

I imagine my options for the other issues: Braking and general Bone Rattle are a bit limited to.
At the end of the day, i'm guess i'm looking for a wider rim to take a wider tyre. But i'm probably limited there as well?

Whether you decided to damage your paint or how accurate your artistic interpretation of rust is, is a side issue that you yourself introduced.

I'd also ask why there's an issue with the brakes. It looks like a pretty stock bike, what was done to impact the effectiveness of the brakes?

jman0war

-Chris- wrote: »

I'd also ask why there's an issue with the brakes. It looks like a pretty stock bike, what was done to impact the effectiveness of the brakes?

Nothing.
The brake arms are too short for the rims.
Stock parts.

Oh i also forgot to mention that there's also a stuck pedal.
LBS couldn't budge it either.
I'm keeping it functioning by liberally applying oil near the ballbearings, or where the pedal meets the crankarm.

-Chris-

jman0war wrote: »

Nothing.
The brake arms are too short for the rims.
Stock parts.

Where did you buy it. That's criminal that a bike shop sold you a bike with defective brakes. I can't believe you've been riding this for 4 years without an accident.

You must go through tyres at an enormous rate. They're not designed to be part of the braking system.

jman0war

-Chris- wrote: »

Whether you decided to damage your paint or how accurate your artistic interpretation of rust is, is a side issue that you yourself introduced.

Yeah i've an idea for a business.

Professional "Uglification".

But i'm also considering the reverse: taking existing RustBuckets, liberally applying rubbish shiny cosmetics, and re-selling to idiots that care more about glossly clear-coat "asethetics" than performance.
I imagine it'd be just like dangling a shiny lure in front of a school of fish.

jman0war

-Chris- wrote: »

Where did you buy it. That's criminal that a bike shop sold you a bike with defective brakes. I can't believe you've been riding this for 4 years without an accident.

You must go through tyres at an enormous rate. They're not designed to be part of the braking system.

No, i''ve the very same tyres on the bike.
Like i stated in my post i simply pear off a part of the brake pad that would rub against the tyre.
You have to get your hands dirty.

-Chris-

jman0war wrote: »

No, i''ve the very same tyres on the bike.
Like i stated in my post i simply pear off a part of the brake pad that would rub against the tyre.
You have to get your hands dirty.

You shouldn't have to pear off parts of your brake pads in order to get your brakes to work, you should be supplied with a working bike.

You've been supplied with a faulty bike.

Why didn't you take it back to the bike shop and point this out?

jman0war

Well that wasn't possible.
I was not near the bike shop i got it from.

And i guess i didnt find it a huge problem.
The brakes function fine, my stopping power is fine.
It's minor gripe, if you will.

-Chris-

jman0war wrote: »

Well that wasn't possible.
I was not near the bike shop i got it from.

And i guess i didnt find it a huge problem.
The brakes function fine, my stopping power is fine.
It's minor gripe, if you will.

OK, so the brakes aren't a major issue.

jman0war wrote: »

.
Finicky Gears: i hate them

What's wrong with the gears? I'm not sure what you mean by "finicky". Are they properly adjusted?

-Chris-

jman0war wrote: »

Yeah i've an idea for a business.

Professional "Uglification".

I'm not sure if there are many who would pay for this service...

jman0war wrote: »

But i'm also considering the reverse: taking existing RustBuckets, liberally applying rubbish shiny cosmetics, and re-selling to idiots that care more about glossly clear-coat "asethetics" than performance.
I imagine it'd be just like dangling a shiny lure in front of a school of fish.

...and there are already businesses that that sell shiny cosmetics for existing rustbuckets. They're called bikeshops.

jman0war

-Chris- wrote: »

...and there are already businesses that that sell shiny cosmetics for existing rustbuckets. They're called bikeshops.

I didn't say i wanted to sell shiny cosmetics.
I said i'd apply them to a rustbucket and sell the rustbucket.
Basically disguise the rustbucket with meaningless cosmetics.

jman0war

-Chris- wrote: »

What's wrong with the gears? I'm not sure what you mean by "finicky". Are they properly adjusted?

No they are not. They don't seem to stay in adjustment.
It's a constant problem and makes me realise that all the gears are infact, unnecessary. I can suffice with far fewer, or possibly even just one.

-Chris-

jman0war wrote: »

No they are not. They don't seem to stay in adjustment.
It's a constant problem and makes me realise that all the gears are infact, unnecessary. I can suffice with far fewer, or possibly even just one.

Why not get them adjusted properly?

Or just pick a gear you're happy with and then adjust the gears so that one really works perfectly.

jman0war

-Chris- wrote: »

Why not get them adjusted properly?

Or just pick a gear you're happy with and then adjust the gears so that one really works perfectly.

They don't stay more than a week or 2.

Do you happen to know of this frame can accept a wider rim?
This way i could take a more robust tyre, which may go some way toward making my ride more comfortable and I could also look at getting a suitable tyre for snow/sluggy conditions.
I suppose that may mean i'd have replace the brakes, but we already know they are problematic.

-Chris-

jman0war wrote: »

They don't stay more than a week or 2.

Is the cable slipping? Do you know why the gears keep losing adjustment? Have you taken it to a bike shop?

jman0war wrote: »

Do you happen to know of this frame can accept a wider rim?
This way i could take a more robust tyre, which may go some way toward making my ride more comfortable and I could also look at getting a suitable tyre for snow/sluggy conditions.

I'm not sure, I can't make out the make/model, but I'd certainly think you can put on larger profile tyres. You may need to adjust the mudguards. I wouldn't bother changing the rims.

Why do you need snow/sudgy conditions tyres? How often do you encounter these conditions?

jman0war

-Chris- wrote: »

Is the cable slipping? Do you know why the gears keep losing adjustment? Have you taken it to a bike shop?

I have of course, more than once.
They charged me 15€ each time.
I insisted they replace the cables.
The adjustment lasted about a week.

-Chris- wrote: »

Why do you need snow/sudgy conditions tyres? How often do you encounter these conditions?

You've answered your first question by yourself. In the near future i will encounter such conditions regularly during winter.

-Chris-

jman0war wrote: »

I have of course, more than once.
They charged me 15€ each time.
I insisted they replace the cables.
The adjustment lasted about a week.

This is just like the brake that doesn't work. Why are you putting up with these issues?
A bike is very simple mechanically. Cables shouldn't slip (especially derailleur cables, they're hardly under massive tension) if they're properly adjusted.
You've paid €30 at least to have these issues fixed and it's still happening. You need to bring the bike back to the bikeshop and tell them that they're mis-diagnosing the problem.

jman0war wrote: »

You've answered your first question by yourself. In the near future i will encounter such conditions regularly during winter.

Get larger tyres now for today's weather to increase your comfort, and then coming closer to winter you can go for condition-specific tyres.

Gavin

New cables stretch, so when you go each time and insist on getting new cables, a week later the cables just stretch. You should return it to the bike shop at this point, ask them to adjust it and your gears will be perfect for a long time.

It is also trivial to adjust this yourself with a barrel adjuster either at the derailleur or at the shifter. Google around, there are lots of videos to describe it. Probably one on bicycle tutor.com

Have you tried to move the brake pad down in the brake arms ? If it's down all the way, you can buy long reach callipers which will work.

You don't need wider rims for wider tyres. The only issue that you might have is the tyres could be too fat for the frame. Best bet is to bring your bike into a bike shop and have a look at their tyres there and check to see if they will fit in.

jman0war

Gavin wrote: »

New cables stretch, so when you go each time and insist on getting new cables, a week later the cables just stretch. You should return it to the bike shop at this point, ask them to adjust it and your

The reason one should insist on cable replacement is because it is not uncommon for a bike shop to claim that it's the derailluer that needs replacing, or your brake levers as the case may be.
When infact, it's the cable that is simply old or the housing is dirty.

A LBS in Rathmines tried that one on me, as they tried to get me to fork out somethin like 60 or 80e for new gear levers.
Nice try, replacing a single cable solved the problem.

Waiting 4 years to replace cables imo, is too long.

You seem to be under the impression that i've gone often to the bike shop and each time demand new cables; FYI i have done so a total of 2 times.