Bicycle thread!!

Receive frame kit for my next bicycle build:

 

Time trialer or triathlete? Campy or Shimano?

 

Put together nicely enough.. test ride around the neighborhood just before the rain.
Still deciding whether to trim the housings further.

 

Very aero. Not my cup of tea, but should cut through the air nicely.

 

That looks very fast, what brand?

 

No name, no brand, just an eBay purchase direct from Chinese factory.
Toray 800 carbon Frame kit came with fork, headset, stem, bottom bracket and misc frame specific hardware.
Most components & wheels are just spares in my basement, complete bike cost less than $600 to put together, still need to figure out the finishing touches tough.

 

You're a braver man than I am. I don't think I'd rely on a cheap Chinese carbon fiber frame/stem/forks not to put me down
on the road over some severe bumps that couldn't be avoided. Hitting the road with just spandex really hurts. And yes,
spandex is ATGATT.

 

That frame looks pretty beefy even though its Chinese.

 

Just because something is made in China, does not mean it is poor quality. If a business wants to produce their product for a low price, they go to the Chinese and ask them to produce the item for that low price, which the Chinese do, but to poorer specifications. You want the Chinese to build you a quality product, to high standards and specs, they will do that too. But your are going to pay more for it.
.

 

Very true.

 

I prefer this style of bike - mainly because gravity gets you down the mountain... & I'm lazy....

MTB-175 by Pete Smith, on Flickr

MTB-168 by Pete Smith, on Flickr

 

I'm not saying all Chinese products are poor quality, or even most of them, but carbon fiber is something that
will bite you on the ass if it's not done perfectly. As was mentioned it was a no-name frame at a cheap price.
Those two specs would steer me away from a Chinese product. Especially one that can put you in the hospital
if something fails at 40 mph. JMO.

Shoot, I've had name brand aluminum stems break while riding, so it can happen. I was barely moving so the
damage was minimal but sure was scary. Down a twisty road at 45-50 mph is not anyplace to be on anything but
a top notch frame set.

Shoot, it looks good, and will probably be fine for time trials and triathlons. My prejudices are all mine.

 

BTW, no carbon frame is ever done perfectly, NONE.
After working in the bicycle industry for nearly 30 years, I think I've got a pretty good insight on what's safe and unsafe for the type of riding I do on bicycles.
Big name brands (Specialized, TREK, Cervelo, Pinarello, etc..) have carbon frames, carbon components made in China, Taiwan, Malaysia are common practice now. Manufacturer that I buy from are the same factory, same materials, same processes and same tolerance in QC, just without the name brand stickers.
The frame that I just built up is my 3rd Chinese carbon frame in the less than 2 years, previous ones I've sold to fellow riders who have been more than happy with their purchase from me and have reported zero problem. For the price of these frame kits, I make decent profit and customers think they've gotten a steal.

I don't know how often you manage to do 45-50 mph on a bike, smells like BS to me.
I'm riding between 40-60 miles a week on my road bikes alone, rarely get above 30 mph, sustained 22-23 mph maybe for less than an hour in a week.
Just a bike looks aerodynamic, doesn't mean that it's limited to time trials or triathlons; aero road bikes are the new norm these day, aerodynamic benefits is not just for time trials & triathlons anymore.

DH MTB, been there done that; too risky to get big air on downhill runs these days, much prefer riding right from my driveway instead of loading up the bike, drive 15 miles away to a ski slope, ride up the lift, then ride my bicycle down.

 

I live in Missouri and we have some short steep hills and I've seen 40 mph lots of times on several hills around here. And have motorpaced
at 53.5 mph on level ground behind a van...once. And ridden in Colorado and hit 40-45 mph in a couple places coming down Mt. Evans,
although it was much slower going up. All of this when I was about 20 years younger.

And we used to ride with a tandem and regularly rolled at 25-28 mph behind them. We used to get out during the week for after work rides
and get in 35-45 miles in an evening, and 60-70 miles on Saturday/Sunday mornings. Yeah, we rode a lot during the summer, and I did a bit of racing,
just not very good at it.

It sounds like you've done your due diligence and not buying a pig in a poke. I guess the "cheap" and "Chinese" just set off sometimes
unwarranted alarm bells. I guess I'm just a metal type of guy, and not that crazy about the "aero" looks, I still like my bicycles and motorcycles
to be smooth and flowing, not all edges and angles. Just an old school type. But it's your bike and you're the only one who has to like it after all.

I've not worked in a bicycle ship, but have been around top notch bikes since the late 80's. I still own my 1992 Merlin titanium, with
Campy gruppo, but it's the older 8-speed cassette.

 

My filthy steed

 

Them's some big ol' tahrs on there. 700 x 28? Good lookin'.

 

I gave up the road and only ride my old Canondale mountain bike. No down hill just mountain bike trails, though some have some steep built up hills. I know 4 people in the last couple of years that have been hit by cars and 1 is still seriously messed up. Had a bunch of surgeries and still needs more. To many texting distracted ass hats down here. And old retired people that should not be driving.

 

If you're referring to my bike, no they're just the stock 23mm tires. After a few thousand km they're starting to get pretty squared off and once they're through I'll replace with 25mm tires. I don't think 28mm would fit in this frame, it's a 2013 model, before wider tires were in vogue.

 

All these examples with speed records doesn't seem like you are riding at speeds that high on regular basis.
I've done my fair share of road racing on bicycles: crits, road races, stage races; cyclocross, XC, DH MTB, even participated in national level Pro/1/2 racing.
I'm no stranger to go fast on 2-wheel, but I know better that I'm not doing that type of bicycle riding now, not with these Chinese carbon bikes.
I don't expect to ride at 30-40 mph for extended amount of time traveling downhill at distances over miles.
I don't expect to draft a van at 50+ mph, because that's just stupid on public roads when majority of drivers are on cell phones and not paying attention to where they are going.
If anything that's how you get yourself killed instead of a Chinese bike failing on you.

I have had more than 3 titanium road bikes, even a late 90's Merlin Extralight Compact; my current 2001 Litespeed ultimate has over 70k miles on it; owned since 2004, wore out multiple sets of wheels and component groups. I know what's solid over the ages and I keep up with what's upcoming in the bike industry, that's why I like putting together these Chinese carbon bikes: to learn about new stuff.

 

Some good advice on here, but I'm gonna get serious here for a second.

At this stage of the game, my friend, with that cholesterol number, you need to be focused on getting some exeercise, ANY exercise, majorly changing your diet, and getting on a statin right away. Sounds like you used to be quite the cyclist - channel that and get back on a bike, and you'll be good to go if u just stick with it. But make no mistake, with that cholesterol number (I assume it's your total), u need to be on medication.

As far as bicycle advice? What's your budget? Personally, I have shaved it all down to one bike - a cross bike set up for commuting, i.e. 23mm road wheels, with a second set of wheels with 28mm knobbies for the odd occasion where I need to go on trails. If you can afford it, I'd suggest maybe a Surly frame with a shimano 105 group? That's probably the best balance of quality and cost, still not gonna be cheap though.