Orient Express - Cheap Chinese Rims / Wheels / Forks / Frames / Cranks / Etc

I don't necessary mean a training bike. Something which I can use as a fair weather bike. Not for club rides during the winter.

One important difference between a best-bike and a training bike. Is maintainance. You want something you are willing to use despite the weather or lack of free maintainance time. Clinchers and alu braking surfaces fit this well.

IMHO etc.

I have to admit I'm very tempted to buy some carbon rims and a frame. Fit some SRAM and I've got myself a decent training bike.

Carbon rims are a bad choice for training. I can only think of a couple of riders I know who bring posh kit (including aero wheels) along on club rides and that's because they are being paid to test them!

I don't necessary mean a training bike. Something which I can use as a fair weather bike. Not for club rides during the winter.

So it's the opposite of a training bike then.

:D

^yeah ??!

What's your 'best' bike then? Ferrari Colnago?!

So it's the opposite of a training bike then.

:D

Ha sorry.

I've had my audax bike for around a year now. Would quite like a nice lightweight bike for when the weather is nice and the odd club run here and there.

That's fair enough.

I ride my carbon bike on club rides if I go with the A group. I find it helps!

But for most of the year I don't mind going in a slower group and riding a steel fixed bike, with mudguards and clip on beard.

I'm plannng to ponce aroud on my carbon wheels for quite some time. I dont have the funds for training wheels yet.

#allthegear-noidea

#no idea, no gear

Mink fur lined wheelbags FTW.

I'm buying training wheels for posh bike asap - recently learned the hard lessons of training on posh stuff and then having it break before an important event

I'm buying training wheels for posh bike asap - recently learned the hard lessons of training on posh stuff and then having it break before an important event

The trick is to buy posh stuf without entering any events. In fact just photo it, and talk about it on bike forums for virtual kudos.

^I am an expert at this. Well, I don't buy posh stuff, but I excel at taking bad photographs and posting them on here.

My friends bike with his ebay carbon forks.

so they finally arrived. Mine look better.

tell him to sort out that saddle angle

they came a while ago but he's been away, they do look good I must say. Even though they sent the wrong ones. I've commented before on that saddle angle, but he swears it's comfortable.

Anybody know where I can get my forks straighted? Or if that's just a no go.. Anyone have some steel raliegh forks?

This isn't really the right thread. If you read the title of the thread it will usually give a fairly good indication of what it's about.

It's also sometimes worth having a quick read of the first few posts, then you can decide if what you want to write is relevant.

Your question is probably better off in the any question thread is misc.

Mechanics and fixing.

Superted will be mentioned.
Any local framebuilder should be able to help.

Just got a pair of 38mm carbon clinchers (bought from hongfu bikes) built up. Only ridden them for a day but Im more than happy. I had them built up by Dan at Shifter bikes here in Melbourne and he couldnt find any fault with them (quite the opposite in fact), given that he regularly builds high end wheelsets (Enve etc) I reckon thats a pretty solid indication that they are more than good enough for the money.
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/2135/img0931yt.jpg
http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/8605/img0932x.jpg

They look good- did you contact Hongfu direct? What sort of price/weight/drilling?

Yeah, I bought directly from the hongfu webstore. I went for the "high quality" 38mm clinchers which came to $350 a set plus shipping. I opted for the standard drilling (20 front and 24 back), cant really give you an exact weight as I have nothing to weigh them on but they are by no means heavy.
The only gripe I have is that I wanted them in UD carbon but they insisted that 3k was "much nicer look finish" and Id have to wait 30 days if I still insisted on UD. Basically they will push whatever finish they currently have in stock.

So clinchers are another $100 over the tubs- be interested in what the maximum PSI is for the tyres?

So clinchers are another $100 over the tubs- be interested in what the maximum PSI is for the tyres?

This is what scared me into buying a 25mm rear. Brings the optimal PSI for my weight down somewhat.

Even with the kevlar reinforcement that yours have?