pro gear thread

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Aug 4, 2011
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665e07d46026c2a25a36a82e0ab3663d.jpg
 
Re:

42x16ss said:
I've always enjoyed my Cannondales (I've had 4 - one team, 3 personal). Reasonable value, excellent all round race bikes. No gimmicks.

The only reason my main race bike isn't a Cannondale any more is because a friend has started his own brand.

Exactly. Just fine racing machines. Subtle beauties.
 
Re:

ray j willings said:
Talking about White Bikes. My friend who I ride with sometimes has a white Isaac.
Not as good as this one though
isaacimpulse-001.jpg

I have the same model except with the colors reversed. Bought the frameset 2 years ago with the intention of building it up. Life got in the way in the those 2 years but I've decided that I'm going to have it built by the start of the 2016 season. Have a crankset and saddle so far. I was shopping for a Super Six Hi Mod in the matte black at the time but none were available in my size so I "settled" for the Isaac. The build will definitely be without any Lightweights! Far beyond my income bracket!
 
Aug 4, 2011
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Re: Re:

Angliru said:
ray j willings said:
Talking about White Bikes. My friend who I ride with sometimes has a white Isaac.
Not as good as this one though
isaacimpulse-001.jpg

I have the same model except with the colors reversed. Bought the frameset 2 years ago with the intention of building it up. Life got in the way in the those 2 years but I've decided that I'm going to have it built by the start of the 2016 season. Have a crankset and saddle so far. I was shopping for a Super Six Hi Mod in the matte black at the time but none were available in my size so I "settled" for the Isaac. The build will definitely be without any Lightweights! Far beyond my income bracket!



My mate has stopped riding his custom Viner and rides his Isaac full time. He built it up with light far east inexpensive carbon parts and its worked out really good for him. He built his own wheels.
I have ridden it and its great. He loves it, We both had a slight fall on black ice last x mas out riding and the paint held up really well. Still no scratches and its done quite a few miles.
I would like a set of lightweights but you need good roads. I spend a lot of time riding in and around London.
I would find it quite stressful. You would forever be avoiding bad roads. If I was based where the roads where nice I would save up for a set or get a loan and then declare myself bankrupt :D

images
 
Aug 4, 2011
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Just a quick mention . I usually wear northwave shoes. A nice fit for me. I picked up a pair of Bonts a few weeks ago. Spent ages putting them in the oven to get a good fit. Finally went for a ride today wearing them. "Holy stiff carbon sole"
I thought the carbon sole on my northwave's was great but Bont's take it to a new level . They are incredible. Its almost like having a extra gear.
I don't think I can go back to my northwave's, Incredible. I picked them up for £40. What a shoe.

7448_2012_bont_a_two_road_shoes_white.jpg


No flex in the sole ,just awesome
BontVayporWhiteSideTwo640.jpg
 
Re: Re:

StryderHells said:
42x16ss said:
StryderHells said:
42x16ss said:
I've always enjoyed my Cannondales (I've had 4 - one team, 3 personal). Reasonable value, excellent all round race bikes. No gimmicks.

The only reason my main race bike isn't a Cannondale any more is because a friend has started his own brand.
What's the brand? I'm from Oz and love the boutique/different stuff around
Johnson Cycles. The owner is an ex pro from Noosa. Here's the website http://www.johnsonbikes.com
Sweet thank for that! Some great looking stuff there and the prices aren't to bad, do you know where they source the frames from? The Esquire? Looks a lot like one of those Hongfu FM066 frames, mind you those frames aren't exactly original in design
Oh and you're bike is gorgeous matey
Thanks!

The bikes are manufactured in China but everything - and I mean everything - is made to the brand owners specs. The carbon layup, geometry, wheel design, bar design, the lot.

The owner has raced for Cofidis, Agritubel, Slipstream and Drapac so he knows a great bike. He actually came second to Jack Anderson at Grafton to Inverell a couple of years ago on a bike identical to mine but with Super Record.

If you live on the east coast of Australia they're stocked at Noosa Bike Shop.
 
Jun 10, 2009
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Re:

ray j willings said:
Just a quick mention . I usually wear northwave shoes. A nice fit for me. I picked up a pair of Bonts a few weeks ago. Spent ages putting them in the oven to get a good fit. Finally went for a ride today wearing them. "Holy stiff carbon sole"
I thought the carbon sole on my northwave's was great but Bont's take it to a new level . They are incredible. Its almost like having a extra gear.
I don't think I can go back to my northwave's, Incredible. I picked them up for £40. What a shoe.


Care to share where you got them at that price?
 
Re: Re:

42x16ss said:
StryderHells said:
42x16ss said:
StryderHells said:
42x16ss said:
I've always enjoyed my Cannondales (I've had 4 - one team, 3 personal). Reasonable value, excellent all round race bikes. No gimmicks.

The only reason my main race bike isn't a Cannondale any more is because a friend has started his own brand.
What's the brand? I'm from Oz and love the boutique/different stuff around
Johnson Cycles. The owner is an ex pro from Noosa. Here's the website http://www.johnsonbikes.com
Sweet thank for that! Some great looking stuff there and the prices aren't to bad, do you know where they source the frames from? The Esquire? Looks a lot like one of those Hongfu FM066 frames, mind you those frames aren't exactly original in design
Oh and you're bike is gorgeous matey
Thanks!

The bikes are manufactured in China but everything - and I mean everything - is made to the brand owners specs. The carbon layup, geometry, wheel design, bar design, the lot.

The owner has raced for Cofidis, Agritubel, Slipstream and Drapac so he knows a great bike. He actually came second to Jack Anderson at Grafton to Inverell a couple of years ago on a bike identical to mine but with Super Record.

If you live on the east coast of Australia they're stocked at Noosa Bike Shop.
Cool! Down in Melbourne so maybe the next time I'm up that way I'll swing past the shop but looking at the site the guy has some nicely priced frames that I might be interested in.
Good to hear he is hands on when it comes to specs and when I referenced the FM066 wasn't a put down at all as its a nice frame design to use as a mould but still good to hear he's put some effort in beyond a good paintjob. Looking at the list of teams am I safe to assume the owner is Ben Johnson?
 
Aug 4, 2011
3,647
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Re: Re:

dsut4392 said:
ray j willings said:
Just a quick mention . I usually wear northwave shoes. A nice fit for me. I picked up a pair of Bonts a few weeks ago. Spent ages putting them in the oven to get a good fit. Finally went for a ride today wearing them. "Holy stiff carbon sole"
I thought the carbon sole on my northwave's was great but Bont's take it to a new level . They are incredible. Its almost like having a extra gear.
I don't think I can go back to my northwave's, Incredible. I picked them up for £40. What a shoe.


Care to share where you got them at that price?

No Problem . ebay. The chap bought them ,didn't fit him , never had cleats on or been near a bike.
Just had a £40 buy it now, so I did. Its always a risk buying shoes on line if your trying a new brand. if they don't fit I could get easily get my money back.
 
Re: Re:

StryderHells said:
42x16ss said:
StryderHells said:
42x16ss said:
StryderHells said:
[quote="
What's the brand? I'm from Oz and love the boutique/different stuff around
Johnson Cycles. The owner is an ex pro from Noosa. Here's the website http://www.johnsonbikes.com
Sweet thank for that! Some great looking stuff there and the prices aren't to bad, do you know where they source the frames from? The Esquire? Looks a lot like one of those Hongfu FM066 frames, mind you those frames aren't exactly original in design
Oh and you're bike is gorgeous matey
Thanks!

The bikes are manufactured in China but everything - and I mean everything - is made to the brand owners specs. The carbon layup, geometry, wheel design, bar design, the lot.

The owner has raced for Cofidis, Agritubel, Slipstream and Drapac so he knows a great bike. He actually came second to Jack Anderson at Grafton to Inverell a couple of years ago on a bike identical to mine but with Super Record.

If you live on the east coast of Australia they're stocked at Noosa Bike Shop.
Cool! Down in Melbourne so maybe the next time I'm up that way I'll swing past the shop but looking at the site the guy has some nicely priced frames that I might be interested in.
Good to hear he is hands on when it comes to specs and when I referenced the FM066 wasn't a put down at all as its a nice frame design to use as a mould but still good to hear he's put some effort in beyond a good paintjob. Looking at the list of teams am I safe to assume the owner is Ben Johnson?
Yep, sure is :)

I think he has a dealer down in Melbourne too, but I'm not sure who. If you are interested I can find out.
 
Re: Re:

ray j willings said:
dsut4392 said:
ray j willings said:
Just a quick mention . I usually wear northwave shoes. A nice fit for me. I picked up a pair of Bonts a few weeks ago. Spent ages putting them in the oven to get a good fit. Finally went for a ride today wearing them. "Holy stiff carbon sole"
I thought the carbon sole on my northwave's was great but Bont's take it to a new level . They are incredible. Its almost like having a extra gear.
I don't think I can go back to my northwave's, Incredible. I picked them up for £40. What a shoe.


Care to share where you got them at that price?

No Problem . ebay. The chap bought them ,didn't fit him , never had cleats on or been near a bike.
Just had a £40 buy it now, so I did. Its always a risk buying shoes on line if your trying a new brand. if they don't fit I could get easily get my money back.

I think I saw this deal you talk about. Left me gobsmacked.
 
So, I obviously have a thing for fixed/ss steel bikes, but also for steel bikes in general (classic and modern). There are loads of companies making them these days but I'd like to highlight Victoire Cycles - http://www.victoire-cycles.com/en/

They're not the flashiest bikes in the world (have a look at Field, Rusby, Donhou and Saffron if that floats your boat) but they have the classic lines while still making use of modern technology which fits in perfectly with my feelings about bikes. They do off the peg and custom frames, the prices are very reasonable and the look beautiful. A couple of highlights (not including the blue fixed cross bike and that fork up thread which are my favourites):

versus-disc800-5.jpg

This is possibly the "perfect" bike in my eyes, or at least what I think 90% of people who own road bikes should be riding. 1x for simplistic gears, rack mounts everywhere, disc brakes for year round power and robustness, the comfort of steel and the ability to take big tyres. The geometry also suits fast road riding in club groups. You wouldn't want to race it (unless you are racing cross) but other than that it does everything you could ever want! Lots of companies make bikes like this now, the "life bike", and honestly it's brilliant to see and I hope they inspire more people to be a bit more adventurous in their riding.

Victoire_bellevue_joly_800-1.jpg

This is simply beautiful.

2014-08-26_12.17.51.jpg

The bike that brought me to their website in the first place.
 
Re:

[quote
versus-disc800-5.jpg

This is possibly the "perfect" bike in my eyes, or at least what I think 90% of people who own road bikes should be riding. 1x for simplistic gears, rack mounts everywhere, disc brakes for year round power and robustness, the comfort of steel and the ability to take big tyres. The geometry also suits fast road riding in club groups. You wouldn't want to race it (unless you are racing cross) but other than that it does everything you could ever want! Lots of companies make bikes like this now, the "life bike", and honestly it's brilliant to see and I hope they inspire more people to be a bit more adventurous in their riding.

Victoire_bellevue_joly_800-1.jpg

This is simply beautiful.

2014-08-26_12.17.51.jpg

The bike that brought me to their website in the first place.[/quote]

I don't get the 1x for a road bike. It either goes uphill or down hill well, but not both PLUS giganto gaps in the cogset for that 11-42 or some such silliness. Maybe for a dirt bike but still, front ders have gotten SO good(except for spam), why not have that versatility that you seek?
 
Re: Re:

Bustedknuckle said:
I don't get the 1x for a road bike. It either goes uphill or down hill well, but not both PLUS giganto gaps in the cogset for that 11-42 or some such silliness. Maybe for a dirt bike but still, front ders have gotten SO good(except for spam), why not have that versatility that you seek?


I used to agree and I'd still need to ride it for myself, but I've read reviews from some very well respected guys who have been using it (one even for road racing I think) who have said they've had no problem with the jumps after a week or two of getting used to it.

Personally, I'd never use it for racing or even on a "proper" road bike, but I actually think it would be perfect for everything other than a race bike. I'm talking about the vast majority of people who have road bikes but just go out for fun. The gear spread covers a wider range than a compact with 11-28 out back I think and if you're not in a group the big jumps don't matter, although even in a group I'm sure they would be fine. If the gearing works then 1 less derailleur is always going to be beneficial, especially for the kind of riding I like.

I ride a fixed wheel pretty much everywhere and even out on club runs where everyone else is on race bikes. I can sit in the bottom 2 out of 4 club groups fine, the next group up ok but it's a struggle downhill and I can't ride with the race pace group. In the bottom two groups I'll beat pretty much everyone up the climbs on it too unless it gets really steep and I'm by no means one of the best climbers in the club, so I actually think 1x would work very in the vast majority of situations.


The main reason I won't use it though is because only Sram make it at the moment and I don't think Shimano will follow suit unless it really takes off as they hate large jumps in gear length.
 
Re: Re:

King Boonen said:
Bustedknuckle said:
I don't get the 1x for a road bike. It either goes uphill or down hill well, but not both PLUS giganto gaps in the cogset for that 11-42 or some such silliness. Maybe for a dirt bike but still, front ders have gotten SO good(except for spam), why not have that versatility that you seek?


I used to agree and I'd still need to ride it for myself, but I've read reviews from some very well respected guys who have been using it (one even for road racing I think) who have said they've had no problem with the jumps after a week or two of getting used to it.

Personally, I'd never use it for racing or even on a "proper" road bike, but I actually think it would be perfect for everything other than a race bike. I'm talking about the vast majority of people who have road bikes but just go out for fun. The gear spread covers a wider range than a compact with 11-28 out back I think and if you're not in a group the big jumps don't matter, although even in a group I'm sure they would be fine. If the gearing works then 1 less derailleur is always going to be beneficial, especially for the kind of riding I like.

I ride a fixed wheel pretty much everywhere and even out on club runs where everyone else is on race bikes. I can sit in the bottom 2 out of 4 club groups fine, the next group up ok but it's a struggle downhill and I can't ride with the race pace group. In the bottom two groups I'll beat pretty much everyone up the climbs on it too unless it gets really steep and I'm by no means one of the best climbers in the club, so I actually think 1x would work very in the vast majority of situations.


The main reason I won't use it though is because only Sram make it at the moment and I don't think Shimano will follow suit unless it really takes off as they hate large jumps in gear length.

I find that the narrow gear-gaps of regular 10spd and 11spd are really useful when riding with others. I have a narrow range of comfortable cadence, so the fine tuning allows me to always be at my preferred rpm regardless of group speed. For this reason, 1X doesn't appeal to me. Less an issue when riding alone, as I can adjust my speed a little to fine-tune cadence. The other reason is that I'd never let a Spam part touch any bike I owned.
 
May 26, 2010
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Re: Re:

Bustedknuckle said:
[quote


Victoire_bellevue_joly_800-1.jpg

This is simply beautiful.

This is the style of bike i prefer, not so much the gold colour but everything else about it for me defines bicycling.