Recent content by purpletezza

I ride a Focus Izalco and am very happy with it. In Australia Specialized and Giant are a "dime a dozen" on the road. I also have a 2005 Specialized E5 SWORKS and it actuallt garners more attention that the Focus.

Quite a lively forum topic, good to see. I ride: - Steel Dolan. - 2005 Specialized E5 SWORKS. (Alu) - 2010 Focus Izalco. They all have a different ride feel. None of the bikes are below average for their material type and have Ultegra or Dura-Ace along with good quality wheels and only...

I think a bit of spew just appeared in my mouth. Ugly.

Here is an example of how a "new" bike can have a positive outcome. My brother has a bottom of the range LeMond roadbike. It has a heavy steel frame, heavy wheels and mix-match low end groupset. He has had it for a maybe 5-6 years and never really had too many good experiences on it. He...

Given you have a 120mm stem and claim to need up to 35mm seatpost setback I would suggest the frame is too small for you and that the top tube needs to be longer. Deda 100 seatposts seem to have more than 25mm setback. There are plenty of brands on the market. Just go onto a cycle web-shop.

Sounds like your climate is similar to here in Melbourne. You are pretty light so pinch flats are not and issue for you! If you pinch flat you don't have enough air in the tyre and your a not looking where you are riding. I tried Gatorskins once but they were scary in the wet, too slippy...

Hey welcome to a challenge that is as easy or hard as you want it to be. I have built up many bikes for myself and love doing it. For me the two most complicated areas are the bottom bracket(if a non-threaded design like BB30) and the headset. Everything else needs just a handful of tools. In...

Where can I buy a replacement front derailleur hanger for my 2009 Colnago Dream HX? The derailleur hanger has cracked where the front derailleur mounts into it. The derailleur hanger is pop-riveted to the alloy frame.

Go for the alloy frame as it is lighter than steel. At the cheap end of the market you are not getting anything above basic in steel or alloy. Go for Shimano as they have proven durability(compared to SRAM), parts are compatable across their range, widely available and are cheaper to replace...

Seems I should have looked first in the ugly bikes thread..... http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=8357&page=22

Anyone know for sure?

Read this: http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/tech-feature-the-work-of-wheel-energy and this www.bikequarterly.com/images/TireDrop.pdf It may help.

There a few bike brands in the UK that will suit you for a commuter with mudguards: Ribble Thorn Dolan to name a few. I have Dolan(http://www.dolan-bikes.com) steel road frame with full length SKS fenders. Have done about 30,000kms on it commuting. Onto my third groupset now. Terry...

Yeah and like it is still around. Shimano may seem slower to but what they produce is superb quality and reliability. They were the first to really get an electronic groupset into mass production such that any joe schmo can get it and use it without having a team car tailing behind. There were...

$99 bikes from department stores are just the best. They weigh a tonne, have crap parts and if you are lucky actually have the forks installed the correct way around. Why would you want to buy anyting else? For the price of an Ultegra equipped carbon bike you could buy a department store bike...