Cycling Survival 3 - How to set up your bike - Bicycle Maintenance

[getplaning]

My motivational phrase is, "Jessica Biel."

[dangernba]

Motivational Phrase was really funny! But the video is great, thanks.

[goofydude99]

Check out the douche in Jeans with his hands in his pockets.. "You got my bike ready Bitch?"

[TimpBizkit]

I have a 52 42 30 setup on my front chainrings and an 11-32 cassette on the back. I think it is pushing the limit of size though cause you can hear the derailleur and chain making a brururururu sound on the lowest gears.

The chain doesn't jam or experience high resistance though so it's fine. It's nice to have everything from a 52/11 for powering down a hill to a 30/32 for all but the steepest bits without dropping the cadence.

The 12-25 was worn and also caused leg ache on long steep climbs.

[SskaiKnight]

@lazurm I don't wear headphones because I cannot hear the draft stream. There is a sweet spot you can hear while drafting when you are in perfect draft position. This is especially important in group echelon riding. I think headphones are ok on closed courses or riding on farm roads in the early hours in the morning when there is little to no traffic. never in city traffic. Great points

[samstterhamstteer]

''sams cheat sheet' motivational phrase: stop acting like a bitch

[fragster1234]

OMG noobs...pull and push is the best for mountain climbing

[fragster1234]

OMG noobs...

[londonlad80s]

Cheers, great vids

[TimpBizkit]

I have a 22 tooth inner chain ring on my mountain bike. It would still be more fun in the mountains if the bike didn't weigh 35 lbs though.

[d25myaofg]

What kind of packing box is this? I'm looking for something a bit more compact than my Trico.

[MichaelSammler]

@d25myaofg

I want to know the same thing. I use a bike bag on the trains, but that box looks great!

[cyclefilm]

@pav777tube you will find that most airlines dont allow you to put a bike rack on top of their planes when you travel by air :>

[troyboy408]

@cyclefilm lolol

[straatman12345]

@pav777tube u didnt think that through well did u :L

[gweglez]

as a cyclist you should have spatial awareness anyways, checking behind you so you know what is around and behind you at all times anyways, music is not a fact in this instance and if anything it can help you ride faster if you got songs that get you going :)

[Bhousm76]

@gweglez

totally agree with you. GOTTA have tunes keepin me motivated.

[MTOTOwaNYAYO]

triples are for soaps and geezers

[jclaine]

I'm very happy you suggested a triple crankest. Often the biking community ostracizes people who ride with triples. At the end of the day it's all just personal preference.

[introp5]

@jclaine Agreed: triples have a bit more mechanical complexity and weight, but work great if you keep them in shape. I find that the growing availability of compact cranksets and widely-geared cassettes is making a triple less useful to me (save for touring). An SRAM 50/34 + 11-32 is virtually identical to my old Campy 52/42/30 + 14-28!

[sunman79films]

on every video they have missed a factor MUSIC all ways bring your ipod it helps more than you think :)

[lazurm]

Yea, music (via ear pads) helps you to not be able to hear the traffic or a cyclist coming up from behind, etc. It's also illegal in most places...for good reason. What's wrong with the sounds of nature?

[Bhousm76]

@lazurm

when i listen to music, and it reaches peaks and climaxes, it really gives me a good little motivational push. jump out of the saddle and haul it a little harder.

[shh90]

@lazurm how about if you only keep one earplug instead of both ears? would that be considered acceptable?

[lazurm]

@shh90 I think it's legal to use one earplug in most municipalities. It's an individual choice as to whether it's better to listen to something playing or not but, yes, it's acceptable otherwise. I've observed that, once you start listening to music, it becomes a habit and, usually, one needs it to enhance the riding experience. I chose to avoid this quandry and, rather, enjoy the sights and sounds of the actual ride.

[pdunklau]

@shh90 no cause with the music blasting it will still have an affect on hearing plus i tried and one headphone got caught in my back whell lol

[MichaelSammler]

@lazurm

Just because someone listens to music does not mean they do not like the sounds of nature.

When I listen to headphones, I can still hear bikes, cars, and if I need to oil my chain. I personally don't know anywhere it is illegal. Pretty similar to cars being soundproof with huge stereos, IMO.

[TimpBizkit]

@lazurm when i want music on a bike, i tend to use the neckband on ear type set at low volume so I can hear the traffic but even the wind hitting the headphones can drown traffic noise and you only hear cars close up so I tend to avoid headphone use unless on a really quiet route

[philateliceun]

@lazurm really? Is it illegal in some countries? I like to listen music when I ride my bike but I am always very careful on my bike, since most cars and other cyclist often don't realize how fast I am going. I don't need to hear the traffic because I am always looking out for it, i consider myself another car since I am going faster then nearly anything other then a car. The wind often dims out the sound of traffic anyway, better trust your eyes then your ears.

[lazurm]

@philateliceun Yes, it is illegal,at least in my neck of the woods and in other states here in the U.S. I'll admit that it's possible to use your eyes to compensate for lack of hearing and this is especially important in highly populated cities but your eyes can not see 360 degrees at all times where your hearing has that potential, even if not especially vigilant. So, for the majority, for whom the laws are designed, it adds significant safety margins. You can hear what you can't see,note that.

[feces9999]

@sunman79films thats not a good idea u need to hear whats going on around u. though music is good for power and motivation, all the hype in the world isnt gonna save u from gettin rammed by another rider or worse, a car

[dahgutone]

2 inner tubes, tire levers, chain splitter, multi tool and 2 Co2 canisters...You minus well bring it in a duffel bag because the inner tubes is already gonna kill all you space in your saddle bag. =)

And I doubt Mike will carry all that in his saddle bag.

[dahgutone]

Synapse =)

[Ballacks101]

Great vid, thanks. I've started my training with some friends for the L'Etape 2009.  Its 15 months away but we've got a long way to go to be ready.

[jcbet5321]

Hi there, where exactly is this L'Etape? and how far is it in Km?

[Ballacks101]

Its different every year. The organisers choose one mountain stage from the tour. It usually has one of the famous mountains in it like LAlpe-dHuez or Col de Tourmalet. The announcement is on Oct 22nd but rumour is its going to be Mont Ventoux which is in Provance near Avignon.

[Ballacks101]

Oh and its around 170 kms.

[aadoza]

Etape is not far off! Do you feel prepared for it? I'm also thinking about preparing now for next years Etape. It's going to be an amazing experience! :D

[Ballacks101]

Yeah, its going to be good. I did the Fred Whitton last week as part of my preparation. It was a 112 mile ride in the Lake District. It was very hard but I did ok and I now feel a lot more confident about the Etape. I could do with shedding another stone in weight but other than that, its looking good.