justthisbloke Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I'm fed up with neck strain and back ache riding a drop bar bike for my commute. Am considering a sit up and beg Parabike. Under 10 miles each way so no need for Speed really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erat_forte Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I have a vintage Raleigh roadster, probably 1950s, single speed, rod brakes. On the flat it goes like a dream. In the wet it is a little terrifying though, not much stopping power with the chrome rims! Needs almost zero maintenance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juvenal Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 Heavy and hard work anywhere except the flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted January 8, 2015 Share Posted January 8, 2015 I love drop bars. Particularly when the geometry is forgiving of my paunch. Maybe your bike is just not a good fit for your physique? Anyway, if your existing bike is half-decent and not totally unsuitable, maybe you could just try different bars on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
long time lurking Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I'm fed up with neck strain and back ache riding a drop bar bike for my commute. Am considering a sit up and beg Parabike. Under 10 miles each way so no need for Speed really. Nope but i know a few that swear by these for cost / durability/ quality http://www.on-one.co.uk/c/q/bikes/urban-bikes There chrome moly frames wil llast forever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 My dad bought a Pashley in the 90s, I guess thinking it would be cool. It was stupidly heavy, the rod brakes were so useless you were better off sticking a foot out- and it wasn't even reliable, he kept breaking spokes. After 6 months he took it back to the shop he'd bought it from and traded it in (at a 50% loss) for a Raleigh Roadster, which was about 130 quid IIRC, and a much better bike- same 3-speed Sturmey Archer, but 700c alloy rims and caliper brakes. I used to enjoy riding it to the shops as a teenager. He stopped riding it while I was at uni, and divorced my mum a couple of years later. I found it in the garage last year and put it up on freecycle. It turned out that the reason he'd stopped riding it was that the rear rim had a massive flat spot, presumably from hitting a pothole. I'd still recommend it over a Pashley though! And edit to say- if you can't get on with drop bars, just fit a flat one; ~50 quid for the bar, shifters and brake levers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StainlessSteelCat Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 OP - as per other's advice. Consider fitting a shorter (if possible) stem with an rise angle (rather than flat) and either a set of riser or flat handle bars. That will put you in a more upright position on the your existing bike. The most extreme version of this is what I did with a 90s mountain bike. These were originally closer to racing bike positions i.e. ass in the air higher than the handle bars, long stem with flat handlebars. Fun at the time - but not nice for middle aged backs. It was also perhaps a little too small - I used to ride 18 inch the 90s, but now ride 19/20 inch frames (and most had shorter top tubes in the 90s too). I simply replaced the stem/handlebars with BMX ones. The bike does look and ride like a giant BMX now - but at the riding position is much kinder. I had a old rod-braked roadster for a while when I Iived in London. Frankly terrifying in the rain as virtually no ability to stop and you can imagine what the traffic was like at rush hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Knimbies who say No Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Edit2, before you do anything, have you checked your current bike fits you properly? I used to get neck/back strain and it was because I was stretching too far on the drops. Here is a good video about health for cycling with some tips for bike fitting. I changed my stem for a shorter one and got narrower handlebars and the difference was marked If that doesn't work, maybe if you match up the diameters, you could put BMX bars on a road bike? Not heard of it being done but there are plenty of options that should allow you to keep the bike and change the bars. Mountain bike with BMX bars: Edit, plus, how cool would that be? Reckon you would need BMX stem, bars, and new brakes and (mtb?) shifters. Check it all fits! Also if your bike has a 1" steerer you might want to get a quill adapter to swap to a more modern 1 1/8" as you may find stems hard to come by with the correct handlebar diameter (these have general increased in modern times, dunno about BMX specifically but certainly for road bikes.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Aye - the Mary Poppins bike seems a bit extreme. Far easier ways to sort your problem out. As above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justthisbloke Posted January 9, 2015 Author Share Posted January 9, 2015 Mrs JTB thinks I'm just talking myself into buying a new bike. There may be some truth in that! But I've decided I just don't get on with drop bars. I've had this bike for about a decade and done thousands of miles - but have never really clicked with it. I fitted the shortest stem possible years ago and have fiddled with every setting that you can imagine - but I'm still not loving it. I've always used bikes as my day-to-day transport and a couple of bikes (variously nicked, or written off in crashes with cars ) have fitted like the proverbial glove; an extension of the body as much as a tool or a machine. Those bikes were flat barred and had bar-ends. I don't even use the drop bars - I'm always on the tops. I could change the bars - but that's pretty major surgery. Hence me thinking of a new bike. Or, rather, *two* new bikes. A potterer for commuting, shopping, and the beach - and a distance bike for when I want to do more than 25 miles in a day. Both will be flat-barred (maybe with some backsweep even) and more upright in riding position. I like to able to see the view - and, when traffic-jamming on the commute, look over cars). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 If you're prepared to pay for a Pashley, get one of these instead: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ridgeback/flight-04-2015-hybrid-bike-ec101096 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Masked Tulip Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I think you are on the turn personally Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougless Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 I never got around to buying one of these but they are one of the most comfortable bikes I have ever ridden. I have a Pashley built Moulton and that is a comfortable bike but, like all Pashleys it would seem, a little heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 Well, I`ve been inspired by videos on youtube to build myself a bike. Who am I kidding, I`ve just dug an old bike out of the shed and I`ll put new shimano wheels and shlalbe tyres and tubes on it. (Btw it`s a 1985 Raleigh sports bike....made of old girders) It`s cost me 97 quid so far and I`ll probably cost me 20 quid for a new `charge` seat and I`ll finish off with a German made steel basket.. (15 quid)(with milk bottle design) Will look awful but I don`t care.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justthisbloke Posted January 10, 2015 Author Share Posted January 10, 2015 If I ever find myself with time on my hands (ie "unemployed", retired, or unexpectedly wealthy), building bikes is going to be high on the to-do list. I quite fancy turning an old steel 80s/90s MTB into a touring/commuting/utility bike. It would be fun to learn the skills needed to turn a rust bucket into a shiny road machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Knimbies who say No Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Building bikes seems to be as much about storing a massive matrix detailing various compatibility issues between different shifters, drivetrains, bottom brackets etc. A massive pain in the ass, in my limited experience. However, assembling bikes from pieces is easy once you have the correct pieces, and myriad proprietary tools/sockets to do the job. More modern bikes are generally better on this front. The biggest problems are sourcing reasonably priced parts for older bikes with indexed shifting. For my money, take a 90s MTB and stick a very good modern groupset on it, like: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-xt-m780-triple-transmission-groupset/rp-prod114930 You'll have a decent machine. You could spend a good fraction of this amount scrabbling for old bits and pieces. You can lose yourself for days on end in this site, Mr Brown has passed on but the site remains. http://sheldonbrown.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Well, all I need is a gizmo to change (remove) a cassette and I`ll be away. This will cost about 4 quid (amazon) Any information you need is a available on youtube? An 18 speed Raleigh .....well what you see is what you get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandad Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 A few years ago, I thought of converting my Raleigh Esquire 'sit up and beg' muscle maker bike to electric. In the end I bought a Giant electric bike which, without the battery, weighed about the same as the Raleigh. The Giant is one of the best buys I have ever made, a real pleasure to ride. I still have the Raleigh though as it looks so good that I don't feel like parting with it, it still has the original whitewall tyres. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Building bikes seems to be as much about storing a massive matrix detailing various compatibility issues between different shifters, drivetrains, bottom brackets etc. A massive pain in the ass, in my limited experience. Yes, total nightmare. That's why the groupset was invented. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheBlueCat Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 A few years ago, I thought of converting my Raleigh Esquire 'sit up and beg' muscle maker bike to electric. In the end I bought a Giant electric bike which, without the battery, weighed about the same as the Raleigh. The Giant is one of the best buys I have ever made, a real pleasure to ride. I still have the Raleigh though as it looks so good that I don't feel like parting with it, it still has the original whitewall tyres. Assuming you are a mature gentlement (based on your username) can I ask you how you found the transition to electric? I'm not there yet, but I basically plan to jkeep riding bikes until I'm no longer able to climb onto one and I'm wondering what it's going to be like riding one with a bit of motor assistance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Ah yes, shimano has a sale on at the moment. Btw, I`m unemployed (off sick actually), takes me ages to do the 7 miles to Aldi.......calling in a wethspoons and waitrose (for free coffee) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Knimbies who say No Posted January 10, 2015 Share Posted January 10, 2015 Yes, total nightmare. That's why the groupset was invented. Indeed, but few bikes are/were sold with a complete groupset, and even if they were the mists of time make obtaining replacement parts a bit of a lottery at times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rave Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Building / modyfying bikes is a piece of piss as long as (as already mentioned) you have the tools for the job. Or not even- when my brother got a great deal on a complete 105 groupset we installed the Hollowtech bottom bracket using a plumber's wrench and a bit of rag. Scratched it ever so slightly but it works fine. I still have an old chain whip that I made myself out of a bit of steel bar and a worn out old chain. To work on a Shimano equipped bike you'll need, IIRC: Allen Keys / spanners Cassette tool and chain whip BB tool and crank puller OR Hollowtech tool Chain tool I built my old Zaskar up from scratch aged 19 or 20- literally the only thing I didn't do myself was the wheels, because IMO life's too short to get good at wheel building if you're not going to do it for a living. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
council dweller Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Yeah, 2 700 shimano wheels for 68 quid! I was going to build them up from twigs but then thought better of it...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccc Posted January 11, 2015 Share Posted January 11, 2015 Just need a chain whip, wrench and the correct cassette attatchenent to chabe your chsinset. It can be hard work though !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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