Cycling

I said earlier, I think I did anyway that I was going to repair my bike, but I think it would be best to buy a new and improved bike. Whats the point of repairing it, it struggles to climb up those hills when I cycled to college last year.

It may sound lazy of me, these last few weeks I'm less active than Homer Simpson, but thats due to the weather, plus I want to relax, as I have been working non stop in college the last few months. Anyways I getting off topic, I need to buy a bike, soon enough and a taller bike than my last one, not too tall, as I'm only 5 foot 7.

Plus, this may sound stupid, but has anyone invented an object that can prevent the tyres of your bike being punctured, while cycling

^ My racer has what they call puncture resistant tyres,but in truth there's no such thing.Unless someone knows different.

Nope, sadly not!

The anti puncture tyres are good, but still not immune. You can get tyres, inner tubes, but there is never a guarantee.

The only suggestion is to stop riding through broken glass

I recall many years ago they came up with a solid tyre, using a filling with lots of bubbles to try to retain the feeling of an air filled tube. Obviously it never took off


If you are looking for reasonably priced kit, may I suggest a look at http://www.mountainwarehouse.com/

I just bought a small backpack from there (Walkabout 12 Day Pack). I had to dump my rear rack as it was too knackered to be worth trying to fix, so I was using my old pannier bag which unzips to become a ruck sack. I normally avoid back packs on the bike, but this had a chest strap and belly strap, which made it extremely comfortable to carry. I decided to get a smaller one as this was way too big for my current needs, but it was a real effort to find a small one with chest and belly straps at a sensible price. Finally found one on that site for less than 20 bucks which does for me

I mentioned the buff neck scarf before, and they had a version of that in the 'buy one get one free' section, so two for a tenner (plus postage). Some good stuff in the clearance section as well, not specifically bike stuff, but could be used for it.

Postage is a bit steep at 4-50, unless you spend 50 bucks and it's free, but I found a code for a 15% discount. The code is rather amusingly SCAT12, which actually stands for 'summer catalogue 2012' and is supposedly valid until end of July. They also sell stuff through Amazon, and postage is cheaper on there so may be worth looking there.

I decided to just change my brake pads in the end but dont know what ones i need? i cant get down to my halfords at the moment so i need to buy online this is my bike http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/store...yId_165534 does any one know what ones i need to buy??

(19-06-2012 22:12 )LODOS Wrote:  I decided to just change my brake pads in the end but dont know what ones i need? i cant get down to my halfords at the moment so i need to buy online this is my bike http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/store...yId_165534 does any one know what ones i need to buy??

I think you will need these bad boys mate

Shimano XTR M70R2 V-Brake Pads

EDIT : Maybe not, the ones mentioned above actually... Hold that thought. Count the blocks or ridges/grooves on each pad, for example the ones I've posted have 5 blocks or ridges/grooves in the pad.
I would assume yours might have 4, therefore you might in fact require

Shimano STX-RC M70T2 V-Brake Pads

EDIT : I've been looking at the spec but it doesn't mention pads, so presumably the Shimino pads are replaceable with the Clarks pads as Halfords seem to stock largely those. So I'm guessing as long as you get yourself some V-Brake replacement pads then they will be compatible with your bike. As I say, look at the pads currently on your bike and count the groves and go for that size.

So, judging by the ones on Halfords you've got two options

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/store...yId_165608

OR

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/store...65608#tab3

There's 2 different things, 'blocks' and 'pads'.
The terms are confusing as they aren't standard, blocks are also called pads, and pads are often called inserts.

Blocks are the complete assembly, the pad and the stem that bolts it to the brake caliper.

Pads are just the pad, used in a block that has replaceable pads, it is inserted into the block, hence also called inserts.

I may be wrong, but I'd guess you need the block, it's unusual to have a replaceable pad unit fitted.
With blocks there are again 2 main types, those with a threaded stem with bolt and washers/spacers to bolt to the caliper, and an unthreaded stem which fits a special caliper, where the caliper fixes to the stem rather than the stem to the caliper. Almost certainly you'd need the threaded type, the unthreaded is usually for high-end bikes.

So, assuming you need a block with threaded stem, it's pretty much take your choice from what they have, the differences are mainly in the size of the pad and the type of rubber used, giving slightly different performance, but you probably won't notice much difference in everyday circumstances.

So, I'd guess the Clarks CP520, or the slightly cheaper 510 that Money_Shot linked to will do just fine.
Alternatively, you could buy the 513 replaceable pad unit, which includes a spare set of pads. These are what I'll be using on my Subway when I need to replace them, I have an old set from my previous bike ready and waiting.

Perfect Thanks money & munch i now know what im looking for

Had a steady 4.5 mile 20
minute circuit tonight.That should ensure I get a good kip.Failing that,a few cans,bottle of whisky & a babeshow wank usually does the trick.

Did you feel the burn boomer? (in the leg's I mean?)