New bike on the way ...!

[winjim]

I would have nipped out and redirected them!

I was at work. I only found out because the "safe place" confirmation picture which they emailed was of somebody else's house! A phone call to customer services sorted it though and they sent the driver back to retrieve it.

 

[ColinJ]

I was at work. I only found out because the "safe place" confirmation picture which they emailed was of somebody else's house! A phone call to customer services sorted it though and they sent the driver back to retrieve it.

Yikes!

Still, it could have been worse ...

 

[zacklaws]

Good decision a cross bike Colin, Mine has become my workhorse for all my long distance Audax's and light touring. I never thought it would be any good as a winter bike as well for club rides as I suspected it may have been too slow with it having a 46 chain ring, but matched with a 11 sprocket gives it a better ratio than a 50 x 12 which a lot of riders have on their compacts and also with 25mm tyres it goes like a rocket. But the gear ratios on the larger sprockets can make it hard to find a cadence to match the speed of a club ride and with all the changing up and down, I can soon get riders grumbling behind me. Since last July, I have also been running it on 28mm Marathon Plus and once you get used to the weight of them. you can fly along with chances of a puncture slim.

Also I have seen sense and no longer have any desire to buy another expensive or a carbon framed bike as they are costly to maintain to keep to the same standard. The bike I am begining to ride the most now is my old 2007 Trek 1.2, traditional double, 8 speed which has sat in the shed and hardly see's the light of the day, but its such a joy to ride and no issues on club rides......apart for the gearing being a bit too high on the steeper hills.

But this weekend, its the 3 coasts, 600K from Mytholmoroyd on the CX bike, carradice saddlebag and Brooks B17 saddle fitted..

I presume it will be 5 times up Cragg Vale when it gets delivered.

 

[ColinJ]

I am clearly getting old because I have managed to contain the excitement about my new bike until today!

The disk brakes needed some attention so I have not ridden the bike yet. (I had my family here last week and it would have been a bit rude to ignore them to play with the bike!) I put it on the stand in my sunny back yard at lunch time and enlisted a mate to help me fettle the brakes.

The front disk rotor seemed to have been clouted slightly, either in transit to me or when the bike was ridden by the previous owner. We used a large adjustable spanner to straighten the rotor and it is not too bad now. I don't think we could get the brakes much better than they are, given that the design is fundamentally pretty basic - a static pad which the moving pad pushes the rotating disk rotor against.

Anyway ... time for the maiden ride! I am riding a few miles down the canal towpath to visit a friend for a cuppa, and will do some lightish hilly offroad on the way back to see what the bike can do and how I cope without my ultra-low climbing gears.

A report will appear below later!

 

[Cyclist33]

I am clearly getting old because I have managed to contain the excitement about my new bike until today!

The disk brakes needed some attention so I have not ridden the bike yet. (I had my family here last week and it would have been a bit rude to ignore them to play with the bike!) I put it on the stand in my sunny back yard at lunch time and enlisted a mate to help me fettle the brakes.

The front disk rotor seemed to have been clouted slightly, either in transit to me or when the bike was ridden by the previous owner. We used a large adjustable spanner to straighten the rotor and it is not too bad now. I don't think we could get the brakes much better than they are, given that the design is fundamentally pretty basic - a static pad which the moving pad pushes the rotating disk rotor against.

Anyway ... time for the maiden ride! I am riding a few miles down the canal towpath to visit a friend for a cuppa, and will do some lightish hilly offroad on the way back to see what the bike can do and how I cope without my ultra-low climbing gears.

A report will appear below later!

Pictures or it was all a dream.

 

[ColinJ]

Pictures or it was all a dream.

Ok, I took the bike out for a quick local loop on the kind of terrain that I bought it for - a mix of canal towpath, road, and moderately rough bridleway.

First, three photos. I took a few more but they didn't turn out well.

CAADX on Rochdale canal towpath

CAADX on bridleway from Turret Hall to Blackshaw Head

CAADX above Duke Street, below Great Rock

I'll list my observations and feelings about the bike as bullet points, including a list of things to fettle or replace ...

• Position on bike: Wow - the bike fits perfectly! I was expecting an uncomfortable bend down to the bars but the position is actually more upright than on my other bikes and I like it! I will try to replicate this on the other bikes if possible.
• The saddle: I seem to get on quite well with the Charge Spoon. It was only a short ride, but the saddle felt pretty good. I'll tweak its position and angle slightly but it was a promising start.
• I am one set of SPD pedals short. I nicked a pair from my road Cannondale so I need to buy a new pair for that.
• Oversize bars, steerer and headset: Nice and stiff. LIKE!
• Tiagra STI: I don't like the exposed gear cables but can live with them. As expected, after years of using Campag Ergopower, I kept get confused when changing gear. I think it will take another few hours of riding the bike to fully get the hang of this system. The back of the shifter/brake levers is uncomfortable on the fingers so I was changing my hand position on the drops to avoid contact.
• Hoods comfort - good.
• Braking from the hoods - feels odd compared to my usual Campag brakes. I suppose I will get used to these levers.
• Gear adjustment: Slightly out at the back. A gentle tweak should sort it.
• Gear range: Yes, I will be needing lower gears for some of the harder hills round here! I was using the 36/30 bottom gear on this ride and there are much tougher hills to climb than the ones I tackled this evening.
• Tyres: With the stiff frame and front end, I quickly got battered riding over cobbles and other rough stuff but then I realised that the bike had been delivered with its tyres pumped too hard. I stopped and let out some air, which greatly improved the ride quality, while still allowing the wheels to roll pretty well. The semislicks will probably be fine for what I want to do on the bike.
• Brakes: Oh dear! The rear brake was ok - I could lock the rear wheel without too much difficulty, which is all I need to be able to do. I can leave that brake alone. The front brake still needs some major seeing to - I tried an emergency stop from ~25 mph and it took me about 30 yards to come to rest. That is just not good enough. On top of that, the brake is still dragging which makes the bike feel sluggish and hard work to pedal. I will have another go at adjusting the brake over the next couple of days. If I can't get it good enough then I will replace it with something more effective.
• Wheels: They seem ok. There is a slight rumble coming from the back of the bike. It could be wheel bearings needing replacing. The free hub is almost silent! I am used to noisy freehubs and often freewheel when approaching people to use the noise to alert them. I was catching pedestrians out today because the bike was so quiet. I had to simulate the ticking sound by clicking my tongue against my back teeth ... Wheels slightly out of true. Not such a big issue with disk brakes, but I will get my mate to sort them. (He is better with a spoke key than me!)
• Bottle cage(s): I need a couple of nice new ones. The cheap old one I stuck on looks naff and hardly hangs on to the bottle.
• BB30 bottom bracket: No problems with it at the moment. Fingers crossed that I don't get the creaking problem because it would drive me nuts!

When I first set out on the test ride, I felt disappointed with the bike. It seemed like a cross between an uncomfortable mountain bike and a slow road bike! Lowering the tyre pressures fixed the comfort issue and I am sure that sorting the dragging brake out will deal with the sluggish performance. Once I have some lower gears and a more effective front brake, I will be really happy with the bike. It should be a lot of fun to ride. I will definitely fit a rack and will probably buy mudguards too, though I might not keep them on the bike at all times.

Oh, and to top it all, I got a £50 rebate from eBay because there was a 24 hour special discount promotion running on the day I bought the bike - yay!

 

[jowwy]

Ok, I took the bike out for a quick local loop on the kind of terrain that I bought it for - a mix of canal towpath, road, and moderately rough bridleway.

First, three photos. I took a few more but they didn't turn out well.

CAADX on Rochdale canal towpath
View attachment 94201

CAADX on bridleway from Turret Hall to Blackshaw Head
View attachment 94203

CAADX above Duke Street, below Great Rock
View attachment 94202

I'll list my observations and feelings about the bike as bullet points, including a list of things to fettle or replace ...

• Position on bike: Wow - the bike fits perfectly! I was expecting an uncomfortable bend down to the bars but the position is actually more upright than on my other bikes and I like it! I will try to replicate this on the other bikes if possible.
• The saddle: I seem to get on quite well with the Charge Spoon. It was only a short ride, but the saddle felt pretty good. I'll tweak its position and angle slightly but it was a promising start.
• I am one set of SPD pedals short. I nicked a pair from my road Cannondale so I need to buy a new pair for that.
• Oversize bars, steerer and headset: Nice and stiff. LIKE!
• Tiagra STI: I don't like the exposed gear cables but can live with them. As expected, after years of using Campag Ergopower, I kept get confused when changing gear. I think it will take another few hours of riding the bike to fully get the hang of this system. The back of the shifter/brake levers is uncomfortable on the fingers so I was changing my hand position on the drops to avoid contact.
• Hoods comfort - good.
• Braking from the hoods - feels odd compared to my usual Campag brakes. I suppose I will get used to these levers.
• Gear adjustment: Slightly out at the back. A gentle tweak should sort it.
• Gear range: Yes, I will be needing lower gears for some of the harder hills round here! I was using the 36/30 bottom gear on this ride and there are much tougher hills to climb than the ones I tackled this evening.
• Tyres: With the stiff frame and front end, I quickly got battered riding over cobbles and other rough stuff but then I realised that the bike had been delivered with its tyres pumped too hard. I stopped and let out some air, which greatly improved the ride quality, while still allowing the wheels to roll pretty well. The semislicks will probably be fine for what I want to do on the bike.
• Brakes: Oh dear! The rear brake was ok - I could lock the rear wheel without too much difficulty, which is all I need to be able to do. I can leave that brake alone. The front brake still needs some major seeing to - I tried an emergency stop from ~25 mph and it took me about 30 yards to come to rest. That is just not good enough. On top of that, the brake is still dragging which makes the bike feel sluggish and hard work to pedal. I will have another go at adjusting the brake over the next couple of days. If I can't get it good enough then I will replace it with something more effective.
• Wheels: They seem ok. There is a slight rumble coming from the back of the bike. It could be wheel bearings needing replacing. The free hub is almost silent! I am used to noisy freehubs and often freewheel when approaching people to use the noise to alert them. I was catching pedestrians out today because the bike was so quiet. I had to simulate the ticking sound by clicking my tongue against my back teeth ... Wheels slightly out of true. Not such a big issue with disk brakes, but I will get my mate to sort them. (He is better with a spoke key than me!)
• Bottle cage(s): I need a couple of nice new ones. The cheap old one I stuck on looks naff and hardly hangs on to the bottle.
• BB30 bottom bracket: No problems with it at the moment. Fingers crossed that I don't get the creaking problem because it would drive me nuts!

When I first set out on the test ride, I felt disappointed with the bike. It seemed like a cross between an uncomfortable mountain bike and a slow road bike! Lowering the tyre pressures fixed the comfort issue and I am sure that sorting the dragging brake out will deal with the sluggish performance. Once I have some lower gears and a more effective front brake, I will be really happy with the bike. It should be a lot of fun to ride. I will definitely fit a rack and will probably buy mudguards too, though I might not keep them on the bike at all times.

Oh, and to top it all, I got a £50 rebate from eBay because there was a 24 hour special discount promotion running on the day I bought the bike - yay!

Glad you like the bike colin - if the brakes are promax renders then get rid as they are useless and upgrade them to trp spyres, great disc caliper, plenty of modulation and dual piston too

 

[ColinJ]

Glad you like the bike colin - if the brakes are promax renders then get rid as they are useless and upgrade them to trp spyres, great disc caliper, plenty of modulation and dual piston too

Yes, I had read about the Promax brakes before buying the bike, but I got it at a good price so I can afford to change parts to suit me and still only have spent what a new bike would have cost. Choosing this path means that I end up with brakes and gears that I like.

My only other concern is that BB30 bottom bracket. I know some people get on fine with them, but the forums are full of posts complaining of creaking noises, and I have heard many annoying creaking bikes out on the road. If I get that problem and I cannot fix it any other way then I will try the Praxis BB30 to Hollowtech II converter that somebody on the forum mentioned a few months back.

 

[jowwy]

Yes, I had read about the Promax brakes before buying the bike, but I got it at a good price so I can afford to change parts to suit me and still only have spent what a new bike would have cost. Choosing this path means that I end up with brakes and gears that I like.

My only other concern is that BB30 bottom bracket. I know some people get on fine with them, but the forums are full of posts complaining of creaking noises, and I have heard many annoying creaking bikes out on the road. If I get that problem and I cannot fix it any other way then I will try the Praxis BB30 to Hollowtech II converter that somebody on the forum mentioned a few months back.

Its a good shout with the bb30, im going to run mine till it starts failing and then switch it out too. At the moment its all running creak free

 

[potsy]

Yes, I had read about the Promax brakes before buying the bike, but I got it at a good price so I can afford to change parts to suit me and still only have spent what a new bike would have cost. Choosing this path means that I end up with brakes and gears that I like.

My only other concern is that BB30 bottom bracket. I know some people get on fine with them, but the forums are full of posts complaining of creaking noises, and I have heard many annoying creaking bikes out on the road. If I get that problem and I cannot fix it any other way then I will try the Praxis BB30 to Hollowtech II converter that somebody on the forum mentioned a few months back.

Not had any issues with my BB30 either Colin, but it's on my Caad which doesn't go out much in the wet.

Nice bike, just needs a wheel upgrade

 

[Pale Rider]

I dunno about roadies, but Promax are known to be cheap and nasty on hybrid/mountain bikes.

Presumably, all you need to change is the front calliper to one of a decent make.

Two bolts - probably Torx - and a cable clamp.

Should be easy.

 

[ColinJ]

I dunno about roadies, but Promax are known to be cheap and nasty on hybrid/mountain bikes.

Presumably, all you need to change is the front calliper to one of a decent make.

Two bolts - probably Torx - and a cable clamp.

Should be easy.

The TRP Hy-Rd gets good reviews.- EXAMPLE. It is cable operated but hydraulic at the business end so it would be a simple replacement.

Not had any issues with my BB30 either Colin, but it's on my Caad which doesn't go out much in the wet.

Nice bike, just needs a wheel upgrade

Yes, perhaps we will not get into the wheel issue! I think these will do with a bit of TLC to true them and sort out the bearings.

Oops, there's the door - today's riding partners have arrived. Byeeee!

 

[Pale Rider]

The TRP Hy-Rd gets good reviews.- EXAMPLE. It is cable operated but hydraulic at the business end so it would be a simple replacement.

Good plan.

I've always thought a single moving piston pushing against the disc is a rubbish design.

By the way, I know you like your hills - and descents.

You may know, but a good technique for descending with a hydraulic brake - or probably any other - is to slow the bike down slower than you need, let go, then repeat as required.

That's better than constant light braking because there is less heat build up and less chance of fade, which can be disconcerting.

 

[ColinJ]

Good plan.

I've always thought a single moving piston pushing against the disc is a rubbish design.

By the way, I know you like your hills - and descents.

You may know, but a good technique for descending with a hydraulic brake - or probably any other - is to slow the bike down slower than you need, let go, then repeat as required.

That's better than constant light braking because there is less heat build up and less chance of fade, which can be disconcerting.

I agree - I was out on my Cannondale road bike yesterday and found that I was getting about 5 times the front braking power from its rim brakes for about one fifth of the effort, which clearly should not be the case!

The steep descent that had all but defeated the Promax front disk brake on the CX bike required care on the road bike to avoid over-braking.

Reviews say that the Hy-Rd is very resistant to overheating, but I think you are right about avoiding dragging brakes.

 

[Milkfloat]

It may be that your pads/discs are contaminated. If you fancy an experiment before you splash out - you could swap front to rear and see what happens.