Road Bike Accessories

YouTube. Like, a year ago. Um … rather late in life. That comes from doing very little cycling when I was a child (my parents live on a narrow windy busy road, and even now I consider it rather scary to ride), and then doing almost all of my cycling as an adult in Asia - and getting repairs done for near-free at bike shops.

So, yeah, YouTube lessons. And it’s a bit like cooking a new recipe. The first time you do it, it’ll take forever, but then it gets much faster after that.

Not that you should be taking any lessons from me. I changed my back tire a couple of weeks ago, and it’s great for rides, holds pressure and all that and is at the same pressure when I get home as when I left, but now for the second time it’s deflated to nothing at home over the next day or two. I pump it up, and it’s fine.

A while back I asked here if anyone was willing to teach me, and a couple of people provided very encouraging replies, but I never followed through on it. That may have been because it was summer and I try to avoid being outside after 9am.

lostinasia, to fix a flat is very simple, really. Some important things though:

  1. clean well the surface before applying the glue/patch
  2. look for whatever could be in the rubber that could make another puncture again
  3. make sure the inner tube is not clamped by the rim before inflating it, otherwise you will have another puncture (well, probably 2) and need to redo it again
  4. check if the spokes are ok
  5. nice tip: inflate a bit, only a bit, the tube before putting it back for avoiding number 3

Oh, I’ve mostly learned now - I was just telling Robotea that I did so through YouTube.

If it’s your first time, the front tire is significantly easier than the back. Heck you should probably just practice removing and reinstalling the wheels at home, when you’ve got air conditioning and a tidy space to work with. (Not that I’ve done that.)

And admittedly I’ve somehow screwed up the most recent fix. It did strike me as odd that the tire and tube went on far, far easier the most recent time.

(Actually my main concern about changing tires is my lifelong paranoia about brakes, and worrying if I’ve somehow messed them up. But as far as I can tell everything’s fine.)

Oh, I’ve mostly learned now - I was just telling Robotea that I did so through YouTube.

If it’s your first time, the front tire is significantly easier than the back. Heck you should probably just practice removing and reinstalling the wheels at home, when you’ve got air conditioning and a tidy space to work with. (Not that I’ve done that.)

And admittedly I’ve somehow screwed up the most recent fix. It did strike me as odd that the tire and tube went on far, far easier the most recent time.

(Actually my main concern about changing tires is my lifelong paranoia about brakes, and worrying if I’ve somehow messed them up. But as far as I can tell everything’s fine.)[/quote]
Uops! my mistake.

Re brakes… I think that all modern brake calipers have some sort of mechanism for releasing them before you pull off the wheel. Unless you are riding incredibly big tyres for your bike size, I don’t think you will have any issue when removing/adjusting the wheels.

This reminds me something weird that I noticed yesterday: my rear brake has a funny creak when clutching the lever… it sounds really bad, but it must be some dirt in some gap or near the spring… weird.

[quote=“jesus80”]lostinasia, to fix a flat is very simple, really. Some important things though:

  1. clean well the surface before applying the glue/patch
  2. look for whatever could be in the rubber that could make another puncture again
  3. make sure the inner tube is not clamped by the rim before inflating it, otherwise you will have another puncture (well, probably 2) and need to redo it again
  4. check if the spokes are ok
  5. nice tip: inflate a bit, only a bit, the tube before putting it back for avoiding number 3[/quote]
  1. This is if you’re using patches, Robotea. That’s a whole different story.

2-4. A good check list of things to check before actually replacing the inner tube.

Wiggle put on sale at 40+% many items that I was looking for. Looks like they’ll get some of my money next week, I really need new shorts, chain/cassette for my Defy and a few other small things.

Ibis, I have taken a look and yes, there are some deals that look good! They also offer “free delivery”, but I just found out that this option does not provide a tracking number… and I’m concerned about getting the goods lost on their way to my hands. Are you paying the extra 30 pounds for getting your stuff delivered safely and faster? or you go with the free delivery?

I’m considering to purchase a ultegra wheelset and a ultegra 10 speed cassette, and I don’t want to spend all that money for getting the package stolen or lost :S

I was very concerned about the lack of tracking as well, so in the beginning I always paid the extra $$$ for tracked courier delivery. Then I found out that even with standard shipping they offer a Trakpak number to follow the shipment. I’m not sure if it’s a standard thing or if I get it because of my loyalty discount, but so far I’ve never had anything lost in transit from the UK to Taiwan, even with free shipping. The most annoying thing was when I made an order with several items and the tires (Vittoria Randonneurs, non foldable) were shipped by themselves and arrived later -_-
Custom taxes are completely random, most of the times I don’t have to pay anything, it happened a couple of times that I had to pay a small custom fee of few hundreds dollars. Anyway, I noticed that if my basket is full of items at 30%+ discount then they’re much cheaper than local prices even if I do get the import duty. Especially shorts, holy cow here in Taiwan it’s so difficult to buy stuff at reasonable prices, on Wiggle I can get Altura or their own Dhb at great prices.
I often order spare components when they’re on sale but I never got a full set of wheels from them, I think you should contact them to make sure they can ship that kind of item to Taiwan (I had an order from Adorama cancelled because they couldn’t ship a large item toi Taiwan). Wiggle also has the Chinese website, maybe if the price is similar it could be easier to order from them? (just an idea though, I’ve never tried)

Well, other people got wheelsets from Europe before… and the site says “free delivery to Taiwan”. It should be OK :smiley:

Sport clothes, and many other things, are too expensive here. Well, also in Europe (las time I checked prices I was like WTF), but I really think that these things are totally overpriced… for what they are. Some bike components are cheaper than in Europe though.

I don’t really need a new wheelset, but I’m riding a bit again and the rear rim is out of true… again. And I want to know how a lighter bike feels like without renting or buying one :smiley:. Wiggle is based in the UK so to buy now right after the announcement of the Brexit (that probably won’t happen anyway) makes more sense than to buy in I don’t know… chainreaction or Wiggle China.

First it’s a light set of wheels, then it will be:“But what about aero rims…”…IT NEVER ENDS!!!

I need to get a mini pump to carry with me on my road bike, and right now I’m in Canada. So the main question is, should I try to buy one while I’m here in Canada (whether because they’ll be cheaper, or because I can get better quality), or is the selection in Taiwan good?

Second question: does anyone have suggestions for good mini pumps? (I get the impression that none of them are all that good anyway, and yes, I have a floor pump at home, but I really should start carrying a mini pump on rides again.)

Thanks!

I doubt there will be much quality difference, most of cycling accessories are made in China/Taiwan anyway. Sometimes they’re made here, then assembled somewhere else just so that the seller can claim:“Oh look, this was made in Italy/Germany/whatever! High quality! Give me more $$$!”.

For prices I have no idea because I don’t know Canadian prices, cycling accessories here tend to be reasonably priced, though I often order from Wiggle because of my loyalty discount.
I currently use this: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lezyne-pressure-drive-mini-abs-pump-small/?sku=5360458191

Best mini-pump I’ve ever used. The small hose is stored inside the pump and makes it very easy to lock on the wheel and pump air comfortably. It works both with presta and schraeder valve which is a huge bonus for me because I use presta but my wife’s bike has schraeder, so in case of emergency I’m good no matter what. Not much effort to pump air back to a “rideable” state.
In the past I used a Topeak but the part that clipped on the tube broke down, it was way too plasticky. Lezyne’s stuff feels much better.

Thanks for the reply Ibis. Yeah, I know the quality’s going to be about the same basically everywhere - I’m just not sure how many different kinds are actually available in Taiwan (mind you, Canada doesn’t seem to have much variety either).

Lezyne has come up a few times in my searches for good brands.

Lezyne and Topeak are the first two brands that come to my mind for pumps. For build quality I’d pick Lezyne, though, they feel much more durable.
As a floor pump I’m using a Giant pump that’s like a swiss army knife, the same head works on presta and schraeder and it has accessories to adapt to pump balls (my basketball is very happy about that) and inflatable matrasses/toys.

I used to carry with me 1 cannister of Co2 because it’s effortless and can pump in much more pressure than any mini pump, but here in Yilan I’ve had rust issues 8(
The Lezyne mini pump I’m using now is made of alloy, so no worries from that point of view.

Topeak micro rocket bought in TW. It is sooo light, i carry one rolled up in my spare tubular under the seat, or in the second bottle holder. pretty strong with all-carbon construction (well, probably not the piston).

It takes about 3-4 minutes to pump up tubulars to a point i would feel safe to ride a roadside replacement with not much glue for the rest of the day i.e., probably not 100PSI, maybe 80 or so.

http://topeak.com/products/Pumps/MicroRocketCB

Excellent - thank you.

Slightly off-topic: are there any cycling/bike shops in Taiwan for which I can search for stock online? Or if not see exactly what they have in stock at a specific store, at least see what the chain carries?

MOD EDIT. MOVED TOPIC


I would go with the model that @urodacus mentioned, it’s got the red dot award, that’s a sign of, it’s awesome. However, it will be expensive.

To answer your second question, yes and no. If you want to brave ruten and leave comments on their pages, yes, you can check availability. Most bike shops will not have an online shop that will show available stock.

Easy way around the aforementioned problem is, check the major brands (Topeak and Lezyne were mentioned). Make sure you are browsing their TW website and see if they have a list of stores that distribute their product. I know for a fact that Giant is a retailer for Topeak! Most things that you find on the Topeak website, will be available in the Giant store. If not, they can always order it for you.

I would not rule out Giant or even Merida branded pumps. They are most likely manufactured by the big brands and the two brands just slap their name on the product.

Also, one thing to keep in mind, the longer the pump, the easier to pump air into your tire. Downside is, the long pumps aren’t cooler/sleeker looking than the shorter ones.

my coolest pump is a frame mounted alloy jobbie that just fits under the top tube. but it’s old school to Helen back, and wont fit a modern frame. pumps pretty high too.

Zefal HP, a bit older than this. http://biketouringnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/hpx-classic.jpg

Yes, the micro pumps need 10 times as many strokes, and at the end only puff a tiny bit of air right at the very last mm of the stroke… but they are tiny indeed. of course they only really should be used for low-volume tires. if you have big tires, get a bigger pump.

Anyone have any good suggestions for bike cameras? I’ve been looking at the Gopro Session, but I wanted to see what else is out there. I’m looking for something to use with a road bike and preferably mounted to the bike and not to the helmet.

Also, for those that use them, do you recommend having them record the front or the rear? Thank you in advance.

Sweet name you got there @Taipei I’m surprised this name hasn’t been taken yet!

To answer your question, if you got money to drop, gopro session is the way to go. Small, light and more aerodynamic than the other Gopros units. If you want an alternative option, the SJ4000 models you can take a look at, not as expensive, but they do pack a good punch. Some people argue the higher end SJ4000 model is just as good as Gopro cameras in the Hero3+ range.

As for front or back. I would go with front. If you’re using it as a safety measure, you’re more likely to get hit from the front here in Taiwan from someone cutting you off or not checking their 6 before doing a u-turn.

As for the mount, the camera wil most likely come with a mount that you can clamp onto your handlebars, but if you have a cycling computer/GPS unit, you can buy a 2 in 1 mount, look at K-edge for those 2 in 1 mounts.

Do keep in mind that most cameras will only last about an hour if they are recording non-stop. So if you’re going out on day long excursions, you might want to buy extra batteries.

Hope that was helpful!