AlexD's modest array of bikes

Finally took the giant for its first outing, albeit a very short one - to pick my daughter And friend up from school, then wheeled it back with them. I couldn’t tell if the bars were too short or the stem was too long! Or maybe I just need to get used to the feel of it a bit more. Either way, it’s very fun. Surprisingly quick and feels like it could be quite chuckable. Gears need some tweaking as it was dropping cogs a bit, but that’s to be expected with my rather approximate indexing skills.

I think the stem/bars thing is going to be a little bit of a compromise whatever I do, as I kind of want it to be a dadbike/errandwagon/functional thing but also something I can have fun in the woods with. What I have currently is probably going to be the best for both of those things, but the urge to tinker is strong!

@alexd I couldn't be bothered looking a 1 1/8 quill that worked for me so fitted one of these.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BBB-BHP-20-Extender-Steerer/dp/B00BXIWC4U

You know what - I don’t actually know if my steerer is 1” or 1 1/8”. I was assuming it was 1” but as I got the stem And frame from @bs7 who had been using them together, Id never needEd to check which. Should probably get the callipers out.

Hi whats the zero setback seatpost, please?

Lovely bikes!

Cheers!

On the Giant? It’s just a Brand X one.

Thanks!

Always in search of non-Thomson zero setbacks. got the brand x on my wife‘s caad

I activated dad-mode just now. Handles nicely with a bulky 2.5yo on the back (human, not canid).

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looking awesome dude

Cheers! It’s got mainly stuff from you on it so probably not looking massively different to when you had it :-D

So after a few rides on the Giant, I’ve decided I need a bit more of a chilled out position. The stems fairly long for me and the straight risers just weren’t comfy enough.

Rather than faff around with trying to find quill stems in the right length/rise and then wrestle bars through them, I decided to go 'modern'. Got myself a quill adaptor and some On One OG v2 bars which seem like they’ll be pretty comfy.

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Long overdue update on the Giant. It’s had the new cockpit on it for a while but I’ve not had the chance to take it on a proper ride.
Finally got it out in the mud this morning - a fun blast around the Ashton court and Leigh woods trails.

Really digging the bars - much comfier wrist angle. I was surprised at how un-shit the braking was too, although I didn’t really do any proper descents. It’s a fun bike to ride!

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@AlexD looks ace! Are you still running the stock wheels and is that just a generic quill to ahead adapter from ebay? Think I need a 1" one for my GT

this is excellent

Not sure if the wheels were original to the frame - @bs7 ?
The ad on the previous page suggests they were lx, which is what these hubs are.

Quill adapter is a PZ Racing one off eBay , which seems to work pretty well. I’d tried a more generic cheapo one previously and it was crap. It’s 1” but obvs make sure your GT isn’t a pesky 1 1/8”!

Cheers! It’s really fun to sling around

@AlexD cheers :)

No probs - let’s get take the old shit heaps round Ashton court at some point!

sounds good - maybe next weekend or the one after. Will message you :)

Minor upgrade today, courtesy of @charliesimpson - changed my chainring from 40t to 38t, with a 36t in reserve in case I need it!

This isn’t a bike I go particularly fast with, and when I do its usually gravity doing the work, so I reckoned I was wasting some range. I’ve run out of gears a few times, especially when it’s muddy and standing up isn’t ideal.

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Decided I’d had enough of deathgrip descents and sore hands, so have taken the plunge on upgrading to hydro brakes. Just waiting for callipers to arrive then I’ll be attempting to set them up, never having done anything hydro before. In the meantime, possibly the single most important upgrade this bike has received - purple top cap.

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Got my eldest out on a quick 10k spin up the bike path and back. Soooo nice to feel some sun on our faces! The Giant continues to be a fun bike to razz around on and Leila is getting on well with her mini gravel beast :-)

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Another bike that has needed a bit of attention is my eldest’s Charge. It’s a great little bike: not quite as light as an Islabike but then it’s got massive chunky tyres and disk brakes. She’s loved being able to razz around the woods on it as well as riding on the cycle path. She’s always struggled with the grip shifter though - finds it hard to change down (pulling against the spring I guess).

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Just now, I swapped the shifter over to a really cheapo tourney one I had in my box of crap. It’s so badly made - I really hate it! I’ll see how she finds it while I look for something better - I’m thinking the more standard mtb style Altus one?

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I actually have some spare Spyres - tempted to whack them on this bike just because :-)

Could you put a thumbie and an indexed bar end shifter on it?