Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

cameroncyc wrote:
I have been really surprised by this bike, out of the box it has been comfortable and really I am only changing it to suit personal preference, rather than any real issue with it.

Exactly what i found, welcome to the brotherhood

Mate and I were picking up my new mountain bike several years ago (F4) and he had to wait an extra 2 weeks. He wasn't happy about that and wanted to come out with me so he ran down to Big W and bout and off the shelf MTB for $69!... we took it out to the comm track at Lysterfield and guess whose bike broke first??? Yep, cannondale snapped a R/D hanger and old mates BIG W bike kept on going... Every now and then he takes it out and still smashes the trails, the rims are slightly out but the thing is still going strong after 7 years!!!!

There is not a day that goes by that my mate doesn't remind me of this.

misterhorsey wrote:ldr, I am in quiet awe of your appetite and skills for BigW bike improvement. Its awesome.

I guess you're supplying the quality that has been stripped out of the supply chain with cheap chinese manufacturing and silly Australian retail pricing.

Thanks, started out just as a silly experiment and now i'm the ambassador for cheap bikes haha.

And just for anyone looking at Lasco cranks, i was looking at my other single speed this evening (1986 Dawes Shadow) and realised the cranks on it are actually Lasco (although branded as Origin8). They've done about 1100k so far and no issues. And they're pretty blue .

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pauls51 wrote:Mate and I were picking up my new mountain bike several years ago (F4) and he had to wait an extra 2 weeks. He wasn't happy about that and wanted to come out with me so he ran down to Big W and bout and off the shelf MTB for $69!... we took it out to the comm track at Lysterfield and guess whose bike broke first??? Yep, cannondale snapped a R/D hanger and old mates BIG W bike kept on going... Every now and then he takes it out and still smashes the trails, the rims are slightly out but the thing is still going strong after 7 years!!!!

There is not a day that goes by that my mate doesn't remind me of this.

snapping a hanger when you're out on a mtb isn't usually because of what bike you're riding - it'll depend on what rock you hit, or what stick you decided to flick up into your drivetrain & destroy it all... a $10,000 S-Works will still snap a hanger just as quick as a $98 BigW bike!

So I am looking into what I will do to this bike at the moment for the minimum cost and I believe I may put a new set of wheels on it. Found that Reid have a set of flip-flops 700c for $40 at the moment, so I might go with them. I know that they are cheap and I get what I pay for, but I suppose this is my very first build and will see how they go. If they are ruined in a few months (weeks..) then it hasn't been a big cost and at least a foray into fixed gear, oh and pedals, must change the pedals....Any misgivings or advice on these wheels or their installation, I assume that it will be a pretty easy change over...

Will look at cranks and bars and all that jazz later down the line..

uglybob wrote:

pauls51 wrote:Mate and I were picking up my new mountain bike several years ago (F4) and he had to wait an extra 2 weeks. He wasn't happy about that and wanted to come out with me so he ran down to Big W and bout and off the shelf MTB for $69!... we took it out to the comm track at Lysterfield and guess whose bike broke first??? Yep, cannondale snapped a R/D hanger and old mates BIG W bike kept on going... Every now and then he takes it out and still smashes the trails, the rims are slightly out but the thing is still going strong after 7 years!!!!

There is not a day that goes by that my mate doesn't remind me of this.

snapping a hanger when you're out on a mtb isn't usually because of what bike you're riding - it'll depend on what rock you hit, or what stick you decided to flick up into your drivetrain & destroy it all... a $10,000 S-Works will still snap a hanger just as quick as a $98 BigW bike!

But you can't buy replacement hangers in W so yer frame is toast...

uglybob wrote: snapping a hanger when you're out on a mtb isn't usually because of what bike you're riding - it'll depend on what rock you hit, or what stick you decided to flick up into your drivetrain & destroy it all... a $10,000 S-Works will still snap a hanger just as quick as a $98 BigW bike!

True, except a big w bike will usually have either no hanger, or one that's part of the dropout and not replaceable .

Such an awesome story though.

Cameron, i haven't got any personal experience of those wheels from reid but i believe they are Quando hubs and Stars Circle rims. My Dawes has wheels with those bits, and i've used maybe half a dozen wheelsets for road and MTB with Stars rims and Quando hubs. As you said they are cheap and you do get what you pay for, they aren't very smooth but they do the job, and i've not had any issues with any of them.
I would go for it, if nothing else it is all experience. I learned to do mechanical work by stripping Huffys and Repcos i picked up at the tip.

So the process has begun...will buy the wheels tomorrow and fit them. I assume that there is nothing special that I need to know about fitting these types of wheels? Is the axle length standard, can post the link if need be. Not having any experience with them, I think I may scour the forums tonight. Cheers for the help everyone

They should just pop straight in, i'd be surprised if they are a different axle length.

So the process has begun...will buy the wheels tomorrow and fit them. I assume that there is nothing special that I need to know about fitting these types of wheels? Is the axle length standard, can post the link if need be. Not having any experience with them, I think I may scour the forums tonight. Cheers for the help everyone

I got the Reid wheels on my Big W bike. they are 120mm spaced.

I had to put a nut on the other side of the hub to get my chain line right on mine though.
Probably because I changed the bottom bracket and cranks out as well.

Have been using the Reid wheels since April pretty much everyday rain or shine and no problems so far.
I would get the sealed bearing ones for $60 if you don't plan on doing much maintenance though, but that is up to you.

Have fun with it & welcome to the brotherhood

Backdoorboss wrote:

So the process has begun...will buy the wheels tomorrow and fit them. I assume that there is nothing special that I need to know about fitting these types of wheels? Is the axle length standard, can post the link if need be. Not having any experience with them, I think I may scour the forums tonight. Cheers for the help everyone

I got the Reid wheels on my Big W bike. they are 120mm spaced.

I had to put a nut on the other side of the hub to get my chain line right on mine though.
Probably because I changed the bottom bracket and cranks out as well.

Have been using the Reid wheels since April pretty much everyday rain or shine and no problems so far.
I would get the sealed bearing ones for $60 if you don't plan on doing much maintenance though, but that is up to you.

Have fun with it & welcome to the brotherhood

Thanks for that, picked up a set of the unsealed ones today at the Brisbane store, happy to do the maintenance and get hands on. They were supposed to come with tubes, but they forgot to put them in, so I will have to get in contact with them as I don't have any tubes with the right valve here. Busy over the next few days, which is frustrating, eager to get it moving along.

What tires did you put on yours Backdoor?

cameroncyc wrote:What tires did you put on yours Backdoor?

The tires came with the wheels. 700x23c Kenda tires.
Looking at them now, I probably should be replace them. Get better ones if you can spare the coin.

Cheers,
CS

How have you found those Kendas? I have a set of wheels that came with those (haven't got all the parts together for the bike they're going on) and was wondering if they would be any good.

I'm a big fan of Maxxis Refuse in 23c, cheap online and no flats. Both my singlespeeds have 28c Michelin City tyres but i'm thinking of changing one to Refuse tyres, can be a bit of a hassle to get fatter tubes with long presta valves.

ldrcycles wrote:How have you found those Kendas?

They are not bad, I haven't had a flat yet so no real complaints.
Haven' had any real scares while cornering.
The tread on the rear tire is a little worn, perhaps a little prematurely.
For what I use it for I guess they are fine. I might swap the front one to the rear one tonight.

A guy from work uses the Maxxis Refuse, he has nothing but praise for them aswell.
I did just get a new set of tyres Vittoria Rubino's,they were cheap and had good reviews, will give them a go and compare once my next bike project is done.

Cheers
CS

I'm sure that I can find this info elsewhere, but where do you chaps shop for your tires?

In the meantime between now and when I can get a new set of tires, is there any way that I can get the 700x35 stock tire on the 700x15 rim, or is this just stretching it too far?

Thanks guys.

Hmm, it would be worth googling, could be done but as you say it might be stretching your luck a bit. I would mount one and see what it looks like, if it's really bulging out i wouldn't risk it, wouldn't be much fine to have a tire roll off the rim.

As for buying tyres, the local bike shop is the place to go when you need them in a hurry, but it's more expensive.
Case in point, the 4 shops in my area are around $40-45 for Maxxis Refuse, this ebay listing has them for $29.50 delivered. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MAXXIS-REFUS ... 35bba696eb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Will give it a crack and see how I go..

Either way I have got some Clinchers on order from Wiggle at the moment, free delivery being a major bonus! So it looks like for well under $200 I will have a fully functional fixed gear. All the other aesthetic stuff can come in time, just happy to have a fixed gear now.

Popped into Big W this arvo and while they didn't have a Preset on the floor (and they aren't listed on the website anymore ), Repco now have their own 29er MTB! And yep it's a pile of junk, rubbish V brakes, flimsy steel frame, even flimsier forks, plastic derailleur.

ldrcycles wrote:plastic derailleur.

I have to admit that I did approach the Preset tentatively...I bought a Huffy (one of those Y frame "Mountain Bikes..") when I was at Uni and on the first ride the pedal shore out of the crank and left me with some damage. I kept riding it, but it was the most uncomfortable thing and awkward to manoveur So buying another bike from a big retailer was a big step for me, and like I have said, very surprised by the build quality.

My understanding is that they sold out pretty quick where I am and then didn't restock, so they are all out there in the wilderness...

Now to my bike, have fitted the Reid wheels and the new Tires (Zaffiros). Still running both brakes, not willing to risk that just yet, but having ridden on it for a bit now, happy with the setup. Now for a new saddle, pedals (no retention yet, as a rookie, my thought is this is safer for when I think I can freewheel... ) and numerous other bits and pieces..

Seen on a recent trip to Canberra...

Preset on display at local Big W today (Mt Hutton), didn't check for boxes. Was in there looking for brake pads but none (LBS shut on Sundays). Other spares, but no brake pads? They obviously dont expect any of their bikes to be ridden for long enough to wear them out.

Edit: Just noticed why the pic of the preset above, crank in foreground.

bychosis wrote: Edit: Just noticed why the pic of the preset above, crank in foreground.

Same, to start with i thought 'hooray another one has been spotted in the wild! Oh hang on, oh'.

That crank pick really is terrifying, seeing as the rider was just on the stock flat pedals I can't imagine them being a huge powerhouse and they still managed to shear off the BB...