Functional bikes. Not Porn not Anti

Altus is no longer in the Shimano website, only Alivio.

Oh... I believe they are still available from the distributor at the moment. There were a handful at a local jumble last month so I'll probably grab those if they're not bent.

(readers' wives) 5 day tour in Switzerland. Allez!

DSC04468 by oliverkirman, on Flickr

Ollie were you on this in London Bridge about 5:30 monday?

Anyone have a recommendations for cheap front racks?

Basil?

Rivendell did a good blog piece about the Altus too. While it looks a bit funny, the larger wheels and bargin price make a lot of sense.

Blog blog blog

Well I guess you'll need all the component savings you can get if you're buying a frame from them.

Oh... I believe they are still available from the distributor at the moment. There were a handful at a local jumble last month so I'll probably grab those if they're not bent.

I've check our distributor, it's no longer in Madison (B2B), I believe the Alivio replaced it designed for 7/8 speed.

They're £29.99 retail.

Update - this is the Altus marked as misc and not part of a groupset.

Oh! Well then I'll see what they have at the jumble, maybe eBay or go Claris if/when the Deore explodes.

Rivendell did a good blog piece about the Altus too.

It was known then and still is, that people look at the rear derailer and tend to judge the whole bike from it

I was guilty of this for a long time, but have learned to place chainset and wheelset further up the judgmental pecking order than the RD.

I asked Spencer to order ten of these. The profit on ten won’t pay for the time it took to type this

What is this, a violin for ants, etc.

Ollie were you on this in London Bridge about 5:30 monday?

I was indeed central, but I don't think I went past London bridge...

Shitty components are shitty, speed/what bike it's aimed doesn't have much to do with it.

Shimano 8 speed cassettes are cheap and reliable, most standard "9" and "10" speed mechs work set up for 8 speed, it's just a spring after all...

I can only comment on bar end and down tube shifters, both are mechanically simple and generally very reliable. The friction versions of either make set up and riding even easier.

Not sure why square taper matters. Cranks are just cranks, I'm running 9 or 10 speed rings and they work fine with an 8 speed chain.

My new Elephant 650b bike will have Claris derailleur, down tube shifter and Sora crankset (46/34 external bb), it's hard to tell any difference in performance with down tube/bar end shifter as Andy pointed out, I have the advantage that if something break, it's easy to replace with start that a LBS will definitely have without ordering it in.

The majority of new derailleur will happily go up to 32t so less need for an MTB derailleur.

My "best" bike, the Oak 650b, have Simplex down tube friction shifter, a modified Campagnolo Veloce derailleur (jockey wheel is spaced out for the wider chain), and a 13-26 8 speed cassette.

It's mechanically perfect, shift exactly when I want it, excellent feedback from the Simplex shifter and the range of the 13-26 is idea (how often do you use the 11t cog on a day-to-day basis?).

Thanks for the sound advice. One reason I want to go for 8 speed is I'm hoping fatter chain = longer life. Is there anything in this? I want my cogs and chain to last longer, basically, and be cheaper to replace when they do wear out. Also, smaller shifts on a 10 speed mech are harder to dial in, I want to be able to adjust my mech quickly on the road.

I was worried about quality because with road parts fewer speeds = cheaper, invariably. I have nothing against square taper cranks, in fact in my experience they last longer than modern external bbs.

I'm going to go with a combination of chainreaction and wiggle, where ther's some good deals to be had atm.

I really fucking love this bike:

But you'd hate riding it

Prettttty much :-)

Thanks for the sound advice. One reason I want to go for 8 speed is I'm hoping fatter chain = longer life. Is there anything in this? I want my cogs and chain to last longer, basically, and be cheaper to replace when they do wear out. Also, smaller shifts on a 10 speed mech are harder to dial in, I want to be able to adjust my mech quickly on the road.

I was worried about quality because with road parts fewer speeds = cheaper, invariably. I have nothing against square taper cranks, in fact in my experience they last longer than modern external bbs.

I'm going to go with a combination of chainreaction and wiggle, where ther's some good deals to be had atm.

Almost the exact reason I went to 8 speed. I don't know if 8 speed chains will last longer, I would assume so, but even a decent 'anti-rust' or plated or something chain for 8 speed only set me back a tenner.

I really fucking love this bike:

Getting the urge to get some huge slicks and move somewhere mudguards aren't required 365 days a year...

On a tyre related note, did you manage to get an order in with Compass in the end? Can't remember if I dropped you a message or not in the end :/

so rad. similar colour to eyebrows' too!

Shit, totally thought I PMd you and Ed, apparently not.

I spoke to Compass and because Bicycle Quarterly were in Japan, by the time I'd have been able to place an order it was too late. Sorry bro.

Regarding Joshua's bike up page, his Instagram is good - the bike looks so bright on the gram, not in a good way, but the photos Prolly took make it look even better.

Shit, totally thought I PMd you and Ed, apparently not.

I spoke to Compass and because Bicycle Quarterly were in Japan, by the time I'd have been able to place an order it was too late. Sorry bro.

No worries dude! I'd forgotten about it until just now and thought I might have left you out of pocket!

Got a friend in LA and hoping his parents will be able to bring some back over (or I'll wait until I go visit...), will reciprocate the offer when I have a better idea of then they're going

Thanks for the sound advice. One reason I want to go for 8 speed is I'm hoping fatter chain = longer life. Is there anything in this?

Yes, I would says stronger, but wear is still subjective as it's very much down to how you look after it.

You can make a 10 speed drivetrain last just as long, looking after it and replacing it before it start to wear out make a big difference, oh and don't cross-chain, that'll wear out the big cog/chainring easily.

I replace my chain at every 2,000 miles, it's cheap enough to not bother with cleaning them properly, especially since I get them on trade, I'm still on the original cassette and chainring*

*2nd one since I worn out the first one by cross chaining too much destroying the chain and cassette.

Also, smaller shifts on a 10 speed mech are harder to dial in, I want to be able to adjust my mech quickly on the road.

Nah, both are fine to adjust, I've build a lots of bicycle from 7 speed hybrid to 11 speed plastic.

The only thing difficult is friction with 10 speed, it can be done with a decent shifter such as the Simplex Retrofriction whose feedback allow you to fine-tune the shift, 8 speed and below have a satisfying clunk when you change gear, making it easier to do it by feel.

I was worried about quality because with road parts fewer speeds = cheaper.

Again, not necessary so, fewer speed doesn't equal cheaper, but certain components on a budget bicycle such as the cup and cone hubs are of lower quality that can be wear out quickly if not looked after properly.

Was just searching for some images of the *large size Lezyen road drive pumps came across this beauty:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/83311771@N04/13190667614/in/photostream/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/83311771@N04/13190845413/in/photostream/

(not sure how to embed from this stream)

• surprisingly hard to find
  

Here you go hugo

I think a feud between HHSB and FBNPNA would really work.

HHSB

FBNPNA