Advise on buying a new road bike, Specialized Roubaix (1 Viewer)

[Nelson Au]

Thanks for explaining some more to clarify. Very inventive!

 

[Steve Berger]

A picture is truly worth a thousand words. I just couldn't find a picture of the bracket earlier.

Here's a low res image of the final product. (camera batteries were dead also)

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks for the picture Steve!

I imagined that was what you did. That's great your pump is short enough! How big is your frame? Maybe it's bigger then mine! A nice adaptation job!
Here's mine. It's a size 54. I've placed my Zepal in the water bottle cage to show how long the pump is compared to the frame. I don't think I can do what you did, mine extends from the bottom bracket to the head tube.

 

[Steve Berger]

Mine is a 58 (compact) and that's a long pump.
My previous bikes were 61 and 63.5.
Yours would extend 4-6 inches beyond the head tube in a similar setup.
I'm not sure how you would fit a full size on that small of a frame.
You may be stuck with CO2 and a mini backup.

http://www.amazon.com/Fish-Block-Holder-strap-block/dp/B001F307JK
Something like this might be adaptable.

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks for that link.

Yes, for now I have the CO2 and a tube in my tool bag. I think my best bet for a back-up pump is one from Specialized. I hate to look like a total Specialized guy, but this one looks clean and the price isn't too bad. And it appears to be a little bigger then a mini so it might actually be able to get me up to 100 pounds:

http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=46942&menuItemId=9306&eid=5134
At least my old Sidi shoes are still good!

 

[Jay H]

Your bikes are too new but if you had a pump peg, a frame pump would fit well...!

Jay

 

[Nelson Au]

I have another question for you cyclists about the quick release skewers. This new bike came equipped with the Mavic Ksyrium Equipe wheelset. In reading reviews, one guy felt this wheel set was the weak part of the bike and could do better with another wheel set to save some weight. For now, I'm fine with it.

I read on the Sheldon Brown site that the style of quick release skewer used on my bike are iffy. They are the exposed cam type. My old bikes had the cam inside the mechanism. The guy at Sheldon Brown's bike website writes exposed cam type of skewers don't clamp as strongly and being exposed can collect dirty and require more lubrication verse the older sealed type.

I assumed that since the wheelset is Mavic, the skewers are too, but I don't know what they are. They look cool!

Thanks! I know I'm being terribly anal about it! I'm sure this set-up is perfectly fine.

 

[Steve Berger]

In the "old days" with horizontal dropouts (rear) getting the quick release tight was very important. With the modern vertical dropouts it's not very important, except to lawyers. In fact those extra bits on the front dropouts are often referred to as "Lawyer Lips"

The suggestion is that the lever should start to encounter resistance at about the half way point, (straight out) and that the lever should leave an impression on your palm after lockdown. Too tight is more likely to break the QR shaft than affect the dropout itself. The lower pressure needed is why they can even use non-steel quills.

I think the most important thing is to make sure that the lever doesn't hit the frame when closed and you need to be able to release it without tools.

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Steve, I have the tension starting just a tad past halfway and it stops before it touches the fork. That's a good reference to go by.

That's funny about the lawyer tips, I read about that! My old bike had those too. From a design perspective, I always thought that was an excellent feature for the amateur rider. I imagine the pros file those off.

 

[Steve Berger]

I imagine the pros file those off.

I'm just waiting for the warranty to run out on the fork before I cut mine off.
In 40 years, I have only forgotten once to clamp the front quick release and have never had one come loose on it's own.

 

[Jay H]

Absolutely the pros file them off.

I have horizontal dropouts on my commuter bike (a '97 lemond Zurich). If you don't tighten the cams enough, under pedal pressure, the chain has a tendancy to pull the rear wheel forward, i..e. out of the horizontal dropouts and you'll notice that the wheel it rubbing against the chainstays or the BB shell. Obviously a problem!

I was always taught that the QR should just about leave an imprint on your hand when you close it. As Steve says, make sure you can open it, you shouldn't have to force it to close... Clean them off of oils and dirt occasionally...

Also, if you do more Mountian biking, try to leave the QR skewer pointing backwards or so, just less likely to catch on branches and stuff...

jay

 

[Nelson Au]

Well, what do you know! My 1989 steel Bianchi frame has horizontal rear drop-outs. But my 1994 Allez has vertical drop outs.

Thanks again Jay and Steve, I've always used a common sense approach to how tight to tighten things. On the skewers on my older, now wrecked bikes, I would tighten to how you both described it. And I always had the handle either align with the frame/fork or face rear ward for aesthetic reasons. The carbon fiber frame threw me a little and I was afraid to crack it or stress it.

 

[Jay H]

A very very valid concern. Be careful with carbon, it is unlike most other materials being a composite, so it does have special concerns WRT longevity. I'd even make sure not to store it long term in direct sunlight!!!

One may ask why have horizontal dropouts as it doesn't make any practical difference in things. The horizontal dropout allows for one to convert the bike into a fixed gear or single speed without going through hoops or trial-and-error.

Without a rear derailleur, you have no option to adjust the chain tension which is fixed w/o the rear der. A horizontal dropout allows one to move the rear wheel fore/aft a little bit, enough to "take up the slack" when running a chain w/o a der in the line. Might be good in a pinch, if your der. breaks and you need to bypass it. You can remove the links in a chain (you have a chaintool right???/ RIGHT?????)
and run the chain outside the der. and adjust the rear wheel to correct the tension. Voila, bike home, and hope you don't have a lot of hills..

Jay

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Jay! I'll have to look for a resource for carbon fiber care.

 

[Steve Berger]

The Specialized website http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/home.jsp has a number of tech (pdf) bulletins and manuals on the bike, frame, components that would be the place to start.

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks Steve. It occurred to me to look there too at about the same time your message came up!

I guess it's more cost effective to do this rather then give the owner an owner's manual when you buy the bike. But I wished they would include a manual!

 

[Steve Berger]

I was disappointed in the Owner's Manual also.
I was hoping for a basic care manual, maybe with add-in sheets for the various options, like stem, seat post, shifters, derailleurs, brakes, wheels, tires, etc. I'm guessing that they assume that the average customer shouldn't be touching any of the nuts, bolts or cables on modern bikes.

Some of the guys at the LBS just use "Pledge" as their cleaner/wax.

 

[Nelson Au]

I guess these new bikes are like modern cars. You shouldn't open the hood unless you know what you're doing. I'll be doing more research. At least I found a section in the manual on how to properly tension the quick release levers! And there was a description about seat post clamp tightening. But no torque spec about how tight, at least I have not seen it yet. I remember watching the LBS tech adjust the seat height when they were fitting me and he tightened the clamp without a torque wrench.

edit: Opps, I just noticed on the frame, a few yellow stickers and one with torque specs on the seat post. There's a few others too.

 

[Steve Berger]

I found the torque spec on the seat post clamp in the frame info although there was one on a "slippage" issue.
I think most of the Specialized seat collars are 55 in-lbs. My shop has a fixed T wrench at 50 in-lbs that they use when doing a "Fit" that requires multiple adjustments (on almost every brand).

Once you get a feel for the tools, I doubt that very many mechanics actually use a torque wrench.

 

[Nelson Au]

You're right! The sticker on my bike says 55 in-ibsf. I agree one would get the feel for how much torque to apply.