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    How fast? *Ridiculously* fast.

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    • Rusty Vandura
      Rusty Vandura last edited by

      As in, I am totally astonished. The GravelKing tires I already had, but with innertubes. And the rims I had were I-don't-know-what-kind, but Shimano hubs and whatever, but the spokes were pulling through the rear rim. So my guru found me what he said was a good price on these Fulcrum 5 wheels and we mounted the tires without tubes and DANG! I rode this morning for the first time in two weeks and set two segment PRs on Strava. Like two sprockets faster. Wow. I just can't believe it.

      PXL_20201203_160153715.jpg

      PXL_20201203_160144327.jpg

      Master Chief Dingus

      The entropy of my garage is always increasing.

      Highlander LooseonExit SilentbutnotreallyDeadly ST80MND 4 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 7
      • trivet
        trivet last edited by trivet

        A good set of wheels is the best upgrade you can make on a bike.

        Better a mediocre bike with good wheels - than a good bike with mediocre wheels any day.

        Current stable: 2015 WRX Limited, 1987 Fiero GT,
        Past cars: 1990 Eagle Talon TSi, 1990 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo, 1982 Pontiac J2000 (my first) and many others I don't want to talk about.......

        Rusty Vandura W 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 3
        • Rusty Vandura
          Rusty Vandura @trivet last edited by

          @trivet It would seem. I am no kind of expert rider, but I am good with tools and mechanisms and machines and I have been riding this bike long enough on the same 10-mile morning route that I can really feel the difference. It's amazing. I think that removing the mass and material of the tubes also helps a lot. It's the only riding I do, my morning route several times per week and occasionally, I put on the 28-inch rims and some fatter tires for a cruise with Mrs. Vandura. No real desire to ride anywhere else. But I am pretty serious about that morning ride.

          Master Chief Dingus

          The entropy of my garage is always increasing.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
          • Highlander
            Highlander @Rusty Vandura last edited by

            @rusty-vandura Those Fulcrums are actually nicer than what I have on my fancy BMC road bike, or at least equivalent.

            And you may ask yourself, "Where does that highway go to?"

            Rusty Vandura 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • spacekraken
              spacekraken last edited by

              @Rusty-Vandura awesome!
              goes back to looking at light 700c wheelsets for mine

              Ben | observer of rocks | VW Alltrack and many bikes

              Rusty Vandura 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
              • Rusty Vandura
                Rusty Vandura @Highlander last edited by

                @highlander That's nice to know. I think they were about $350 the pair.

                Master Chief Dingus

                The entropy of my garage is always increasing.

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                • Rusty Vandura
                  Rusty Vandura @spacekraken last edited by

                  @spacekraken I can forward you the link to where I bought those if you want me to.

                  Master Chief Dingus

                  The entropy of my garage is always increasing.

                  spacekraken 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • ITA97
                    ITA97 last edited by

                    Rotating mass matters. It is probably the biggest single improvement you can make to a bike.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                    • VincentMalamute
                      VincentMalamute last edited by VincentMalamute

                      Those look nice.

                      I'll keep the option of buying a new mtb bike open but I'm leaning towards getting a carbon 29" wheelset for my Scott in place of the 27.5 Plus wheels. The Scott's geometry is so close to the new bikes I'm curious if light wheels will make it feel like them.

                      ...meh...

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                      • W
                        Wrong Wheel Drive @trivet last edited by

                        @trivet said in How fast? *Ridiculously* fast.:

                        A good set of wheels is the best upgrade you can make on a bike.

                        Better a mediocre bike with good wheels - than a good bike with mediocre wheels any day.

                        This is good to know. I have thought about getting an extra set of wheels for my MTB and putting road tires on them. Rather than getting a really cheap road bike, this seems like a better solution since I have no intent on taking road biking seriously. But just going on a 20 mile ride every once in a while would be nice and is a terrible idea on my Maxxis Minions.

                        '01 Mazda Miata, '06 Subaru STi, '22 Salsa Timberjack, '17 Schwinn Fastback

                        BicycleBuck 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                        • spacekraken
                          spacekraken @Rusty Vandura last edited by

                          @rusty-vandura sure! Thanks.

                          Ben | observer of rocks | VW Alltrack and many bikes

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • BicycleBuck
                            BicycleBuck @Wrong Wheel Drive last edited by

                            @wrong-wheel-drive said in How fast? *Ridiculously* fast.:

                            @trivet said in How fast? *Ridiculously* fast.:

                            A good set of wheels is the best upgrade you can make on a bike.

                            Better a mediocre bike with good wheels - than a good bike with mediocre wheels any day.

                            This is good to know. I have thought about getting an extra set of wheels for my MTB and putting road tires on them. Rather than getting a really cheap road bike, this seems like a better solution since I have no intent on taking road biking seriously. But just going on a 20 mile ride every once in a while would be nice and is a terrible idea on my Maxxis Minions.

                            DO IT!!!

                            Seriously. When I was in college, I only had space for one bike and it had to function as both my daily commuter and my weekend trail bomber. I bought a second set of wheels for the dirt and mounted slicks on the old set for commuting. It's a lot easier to swap wheels than swap tires.

                            Never discount the possibility that you might live through it.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • LooseonExit
                              LooseonExit @Rusty Vandura last edited by

                              @rusty-vandura

                              Good wheels look good, make you feel fast, and actually make you fast. No downsides except to the wallet, which gets lighter and also makes you faster. So again, you win!

                              5e9689d4-c7df-4837-a827-b9b259dd7324-image.png

                              Rusty Vandura 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                              • SilentbutnotreallyDeadly
                                SilentbutnotreallyDeadly @Rusty Vandura last edited by

                                @rusty-vandura the Fulcrum 5 is a decent wheelset for the money. However, given how often you ride, pay regular attention to the wheel bearings in them and (for the first little while) the spoke tensions.

                                I had a set of Fulcrum road/CX wheels once and found the bearings in the rear hub (especially in the freewheel) expired very quickly due to them being cheap on the grease. I replaced them with good quality Enduro branded bearings and never had another issue. I ended up selling them on with the bike.

                                Approaching hedges arse first...for quite some time

                                spacekraken 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                • spacekraken
                                  spacekraken @SilentbutnotreallyDeadly last edited by

                                  @silentbutnotreallydeadly What does a failing bearing sound like? My bike picked up a very soft intermittent scraping sound-my first thought was brakes but checked them thoroughly and they make a very different sound as well. Happens pedaling and coasting, so drivetrain isn't it.

                                  Ben | observer of rocks | VW Alltrack and many bikes

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • SilentbutnotreallyDeadly
                                    SilentbutnotreallyDeadly last edited by

                                    Must be quite a noise to hear it pedalling so it's unlikely to be bearings. Mostly it's just a mild grinding rumbling noise...

                                    Approaching hedges arse first...for quite some time

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • VincentMalamute
                                      VincentMalamute last edited by

                                      And maybe looseness in the wheel if you try to move the rim side to side? Like a bad car wheel bearing.

                                      ...meh...

                                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • Rusty Vandura
                                        Rusty Vandura @LooseonExit last edited by

                                        @looseonexit I don't carry my wallet when I ride, so it wouldn't help.

                                        Master Chief Dingus

                                        The entropy of my garage is always increasing.

                                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • ST80MND
                                          ST80MND @Rusty Vandura last edited by

                                          @rusty-vandura I'm really appreciating the big ring. What is that, 38, 42 teeth?

                                          89' E30, 82' E21, Thrustmaster t300rs. Slow in, fast out.

                                          Rusty Vandura 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • Rusty Vandura
                                            Rusty Vandura @ST80MND last edited by

                                            @st80mnd The big ring?

                                            Master Chief Dingus

                                            The entropy of my garage is always increasing.

                                            BicycleBuck 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • BicycleBuck
                                              BicycleBuck @Rusty Vandura last edited by

                                              @rusty-vandura said in How fast? *Ridiculously* fast.:

                                              @st80mnd The big ring?

                                              The sprockets on the crank are typically called chain rings. He's asking how many teeth are on the largest chain ring.

                                              Never discount the possibility that you might live through it.

                                              Rusty Vandura 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                              • Rusty Vandura
                                                Rusty Vandura @BicycleBuck last edited by

                                                @bicyclebuck Woah. I'm supposed to know that? People should be asking me about my custom fabricated pant guard. I'll count and get back to him.

                                                Master Chief Dingus

                                                The entropy of my garage is always increasing.

                                                BicycleBuck 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                                • BicycleBuck
                                                  BicycleBuck @Rusty Vandura last edited by

                                                  @rusty-vandura said in How fast? *Ridiculously* fast.:

                                                  @bicyclebuck Woah. I'm supposed to know that? People should be asking me about my custom fabricated pant guard. I'll count and get back to him.

                                                  For future reference:

                                                  alt text

                                                  This isn't the cleanest layout, but it's the most comprehensive one I can find on short notice. There are lots of additional details left out and this doesn't necessarily apply to mountain bikes and older road bikes. For example, the cassette on an old road bike is really a freewheel. The gears that you see hide the mechanisms underneath that make one a cassette and the other a freewheel. The "levers" in this diagram are more commonly called "brifters" - a conflation of brake levers and shifters. There are at least six different mechanical shifters, depending on application: downtube shifters, stem shifters, thumb shifters (two types), barcons, gripshifts, and brifters. There are several more, including electronic and automatic shifters, but you aren't likely to come across them. There's a whole collection of crazy handlebar designs from drops to straight and everything in-between. You've already seen several pedal designs.

                                                  We could set up a whole topic just talking about the various parts of a bike and how they've changed over time.

                                                  Never discount the possibility that you might live through it.

                                                  Rusty Vandura 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                                  • Rusty Vandura
                                                    Rusty Vandura @BicycleBuck last edited by

                                                    @bicyclebuck Hi Buck, I have this funny relationship with bicycling where I just want to get on and crank the pedals and only learn anything when I am forced to. This is problematic since there is so much to know about a bicycle.

                                                    Master Chief Dingus

                                                    The entropy of my garage is always increasing.

                                                    BicycleBuck 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                                    • BicycleBuck
                                                      BicycleBuck @Rusty Vandura last edited by

                                                      @rusty-vandura said in How fast? *Ridiculously* fast.:

                                                      @bicyclebuck Hi Buck, I have this funny relationship with bicycling where I just want to get on and crank the pedals and only learn anything when I am forced to. This is problematic since there is so much to know about a bicycle.

                                                      I have the opposite problem. When I find a new hobby or point of interest, I spend ridiculous amounts of time learning everything I can about it. Well, at least enough to be conversant.

                                                      Never discount the possibility that you might live through it.

                                                      Rusty Vandura 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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