Bikes!!!! (MTB, Road, etc... just no motors)

silver04v said:
Anyone running carbon headset spacers? Mine came with them and I think they are a reason for my front end creak I've been getting. And after my tumble, it got a bit worse and they are definitely a little looser, so I'm going to try a good set of aluminum ones. Any recs?

I've seen some reviews of carbon ones, indeed causing some noise issues.
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They aren't that much lighter than aluminum ones. Try just loosening everything and recoating them and using carbon specific grease on the dynamic surfaces , the places where they touch, and see if that doesn't help.

EDIT: If the noise doesn't go away try a stack of aluminum spacers. Decent shops should let you switch and test in the parking lot for free. Depends on the store though.

EDIT X2: I had the same problem and switched to an AL stack. The grease ended up being the culprit. Some carbon "grease" is a fiber composite that grinds a lot. Until the fibers break down it makes noise. Just depends on what's been done or not done.
 
Nix said:
They aren't that much lighter than aluminum ones. Try just loosening everything and recoating them and using carbon specific grease on the dynamic surfaces , the places where they touch, and see if that doesn't help.

EDIT: If the noise doesn't go away try a stack of aluminum spacers. Decent shops should let you switch and test in the parking lot for free. Depends on the store though.

EDIT X2: I had the same problem and switched to an AL stack. The grease ended up being the culprit. Some carbon "grease" is a fiber composite that grinds a lot. Until the fibers break down it makes noise. Just depends on what's been done or not done.
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Yeah, there is nothing on the surface of them. No grease at all. I'll prolly just get new alum ones.
 
Looks really fun.

After my spill the other day my front end had a nasty creaking, clunk noise. It was slightly there before hand, but worse after.
So I tried adjusting the headset, no luck..maybe even worse. It was definitely coming from the headset though.
So I took it all apart, pulled my fork and found little bits of sand in there where the bearings seat. So I wiped the sealed bearing all off, all the surfaces got a slight film of good bike bearing grease, and reassembled.
No more noise. Went on a 6 mile run on a local trail before dark and it was smoother than ever. Relieved it just needed some minor maintenance. Surprised how sand found its way in there though. Its very tightly sealed.
 
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Little review...my yeti came with the new SRAM guide brakes. While they feel great, no issues on power, or anything, I wish SRAM sent them out with the proper rotors. They are suppose to run on centerline rotors, but SRAM has been out of stock forever now and they used their old avid ones. This created a nasty vibe at times.
My lbs talked to yeti and they are switching them out with shimano slx with ice tech pads and ice tech rotors which will be fantastic. I'm picking it up tomorrow and can't wait to see the difference. While i really liked the guides, the rotors sucked bad. And the combo just wasn't working for anything.
 
Nix said:
All shot with GoPro HD helmet cam in 960p setting.
Couple clips on my 2011 Demo 8.
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7ft. ish? I'm 5'8" and I can barely reach the bridge standing under it reaching up.


5ft. to steep landing with a second small drop after the road and a jump at the bottom.


Fun little jumpline. It really doesnt start until about 30 sec in.
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To me last one is best... but a dual camera-side profile would be awesome.

Are you using SuperView.... doesn't look like it, although YouTube doesn't replicate well after the downgrade in resolution.

Great riding though... You rock dude!
 
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Got maps covering the desk planning Moonshine II listening to "Nightmare - Avenged Sevenfold". But alas, that's too mild for the Nixster!
 
Yeah I've seen their stuff. It's generally spec'd out well with parts but the frames are iffy. Very cheap bikes though for what you get. I think they take factory seconds from major bike companies that don't pass QC and slap their own paint and stickers on them. I've seen a few in the repair lineup when I worked at a shop and you could see the frame designs and drillings for things like water bottle mounts in the same places as Giant, Fuji, Trek, and Iron Horse.

There are only a couple of major aluminum plants that make parts and frames for everyone in the bike industry so it's not surprising to see such similarities. However, the motobecanes had a variety of design and mounting variations leading me to believe that they get cast off frames. I saw one of their older full suspension bikes that had a bottom bracket that was welded on a couple degrees crooked. The guy constantly had chain issues but wouldn't believe that the frame wasn't straight since he had paid "OVER $500" for it. It was visibly crooked. Since it was aluminum there was no frame straightening option. If it was steel, we could have put it in the rack and bent it back to "good enough."

They may have changed in the last few years and are able to keep the prices low by selling directly to the customer and not to the traditional importer/distributor/bike shop routes. Similar to Tesla. It does make it hard to go test ride one though.

Just my thoughts on them. Thinking about getting a bike @bootyluvr ?
 
I was talking to a buddy (from my BF4 gaming community) who lives out in California that is over 60 years old and bikes quite a bit. He personally owns a Specialized Bike (I showed him all yours). He told me about a few bike websites (http://www.jensonusa.com/ and I believe the other was http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mountain_bikes.htm). The bikesdirect website was where he told me about Motobecane. It does look like it has good parts but I don't want to worry about the frame. Like you said they could have changed but the models I was looking at on Bikes Direct was a 2011 model and 2012 model I believe..

I've been thinking about getting a bike since that guy (@HFP-ME ) brought his damn Pivot mountain bike to the cabin! :mad: I've been out of mountain biking for a while (10 years or so). I'm not looking to spend a lot (I'm cheap) and also because I want to start slow and get back into it.

I previously owned a GT Outpost (maybe 2001? 2002? model). I'd say I don't want to spend over $2,000 (prefer $1,500 range).

@Nix
 
most companies will cover a frame if it cracks, i broke my old specialized frame and they replaced it with no questions asked
 
bootyluvr said:
I was talking to a buddy (from my BF4 gaming community) who lives out in California that is over 60 years old and bikes quite a bit. He personally owns a Specialized Bike (I showed him all yours). He told me about a few bike websites (http://www.jensonusa.com/ and I believe the other was http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mountain_bikes.htm). The bikesdirect website was where he told me about Motobecane. It does look like it has good parts but I don't want to worry about the frame. Like you said they could have changed but the models I was looking at on Bikes Direct was a 2011 model and 2012 model I believe..

I've been thinking about getting a bike since that guy (@HFP-ME ) brought his damn Pivot mountain bike to the cabin! :mad: I've been out of mountain biking for a while (10 years or so). I'm not looking to spend a lot (I'm cheap) and also because I want to start slow and get back into it.

I previously owned a GT Outpost (maybe 2001? 2002? model). I'd say I don't want to spend over $2,000 (prefer $1,500 range).

@Nix
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I was out of biking for 10 + years.. One day I walked in a local bike shop and bought a 15 year old bike for $150.. I rode that mongoose Alta for 3 years and had a blast. Since I stuck with biking I decided to upgrade to another used bike.2006 santacruz super light.. I purchased that for $700.. And two years later here I am buying the pivot.. I don't need such an expensive bike but I wanted it!!
So you don't have to throw a lot of money into the sport to get back into it.
I didn't at least.
 
Hit up your local shops and see what they have to offer. A test ride can reveal a lot about what fits you and what you like the feel of. There are a lot of great bikes in the $1000 to $2000 range.


Br3TT said:
most companies will cover a frame if it cracks, i broke my old specialized frame and they replaced it with no questions asked
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Indeed. However, they won't do anything if it's bent or welded wrong from the factory. Well, less reputable companies anyway. Not trying to say anything bad about motobecane but I think for the money you are willing to spend I bet you could find a better bike locally that you can actually put your butt on. Buying from a shop also means you have a place to go back to for help and warranty stuff if you need it.

I have Specialized because that's what my shop sold. I got great deals on their bikes so I rode them. They are great but if we had carried Trek, Giant, or GT I would have those bikes instead! It's really hard to pick a bad bike anymore.
 
I have to see what bike shops are around the Baltimore area. I will have to do some research on that. I've never "test rode" a bike before. My last GT was a birthday gift from my parents and they just bought it for me. I believe my dad went to the bike store and talked to a employee and he recommended it. It was blue and of course everyone knows I love blue but it was (still is) a great bike.

Maybe I could get it from my parents and take it to the shop and get it tuned up. (My dad still rides it occasionally around the neighborhood lol)
 
bootyluvr said:
I have to see what bike shops are around the Baltimore area. I will have to do some research on that. I've never "test rode" a bike before. My last GT was a birthday gift from my parents and they just bought it for me. I believe my dad went to the bike store and talked to a employee and he recommended it. It was blue and of course everyone knows I love blue but it was (still is) a great bike.

Maybe I could get it from my parents and take it to the shop and get it tuned up. (My dad still rides it occasionally around the neighborhood lol)
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Where exactly do you live? I'm 1 hour 30 minuted from Baltimore.
 
Nix said:
Hit up your local shops and see what they have to offer. A test ride can reveal a lot about what fits you and what you like the feel of. There are a lot of great bikes in the $1000 to $2000 range.




Indeed. However, they won't do anything if it's bent or welded wrong from the factory. Well, less reputable companies anyway. Not trying to say anything bad about motobecane but I think for the money you are willing to spend I bet you could find a better bike locally that you can actually put your butt on. Buying from a shop also means you have a place to go back to for help and warranty stuff if you need it.

I have Specialized because that's what my shop sold. I got great deals on their bikes so I rode them. They are great but if we had carried Trek, Giant, or GT I would have those bikes instead! It's really hard to pick a bad bike anymore.
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Unfortunately I do. It was a Trek.
 
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