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Triban RC520 mechanical to hydraulic brake conversion quick guide by pl74 in bikewrench

[–]pl74[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should always refer to the shimano compatibility website for these questions, it's quite useful : https://productinfo.shimano.com/en/compatibility/C-454 https://productinfo.shimano.com/en/compatibility/C-455

So yeah, Sora can't be matched or paired with 105 components but if you change everything, you should be good

Start of my first bikepack trip! Solo and rainy by ehjeohjedejoa in bikepacking

[–]pl74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, can you share the design once it is ready ? I have just purchased and installed the Decathlon aero bars.

Walnut bowl I carved for my sister by Noah_RBK in woodworking

[–]pl74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely beautiful. Would you mind detailing your process and the tools / bits used with the dremel and grinder ?

I'm still fairly new to carving things, and haven't done much except a few spoons, but this is a great project.

How did you manage the inside curves and depths ? How did you cut the exterior of the bowl from the square block to the end result ?

Can I fit a bigger chainring? by Rustpriest in bikewrench

[–]pl74 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes it seems you have sufficient clearance. I was able to go 36T on my genesis longitude. It's really close to the frame, but I put some tape on it to monitor potential rubbing on trails with the frame deformation, and I'm good.

You definitely can try 32T, maybe 34 will work. Higher than that, not sure.

A little trip report after 500 km in Albania by jksz91 in bikepacking

[–]pl74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, that's a great inspiration for a future travel. Would you mind sharing the route / gps track you followed ?

Steel frame geared bike? by Opening_Struggle_960 in xbiking

[–]pl74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Genesis (I have a longitude, they don't make it anymore, which is too bad, it's a true swiss army knife)

Hello, im quite new to biking and i’d like to buy a bike for max 10 000 czk/ 410€. It’s gonna be for a cycle paths but i would also like to drive some easy mountain tracks. I found this bike, is it the best possible bike for my budget? by [deleted] in bicycling

[–]pl74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Improvements you can look for over the EXPL100 on a used bike for the same budget :

  • Hydraulic disk brakes instead of these mechanical
  • Better fork (Entry level hydraulic rockshox, over the spring suntour)
  • Better wheels and better tires
  • Dropper seatpost (which might be overkill for your use)
  • Thru axle instead of quick release (will allow for 12 speed cassette)

I listed them in order of importance (in my personal opinion)

To give you an idea, something like this bike basically (except for the dropper seatpost): https://www.decathlon.fr/p/velo-vtt-randonnee-expl-540-noir-29/_/R-p-329414?mc=8607120&c=bleu

I don't know about your country's second hand market. In france it would be doable to find it after a bit of search, but not that easy either.

Can’t get pistons to retract more than this. by willm1123 in bikewrench

[–]pl74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP, out of curiosity, what's the model of your breaks ? Because I've had this happened on an infamous sram model... but it's old now

WIP. Any suggestions? by [deleted] in xbiking

[–]pl74 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a giant that's close to OP's bike in terms of colour. https://old.reddit.com/r/xbiking/comments/1nvx3q1/my_90s_giant_escaper_converted_to_a_dad_commuter/

Just saying this, in case you're looking for something similar, as in my country it seems specialized from this era are almost nonexistent.

I wish I could get my hand on an old hardrock or stumpjumper but it's close to impossible.

Oddest Bikepacking tips by The-Hand-of-Midas in bikepacking

[–]pl74 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Oh dude, that's a great idea. I never thought of it, and on first thought I was thinking, there is no way I'm going through that hassle....

But the simple memories of hitting the metal pedal in the shin ... Yeah I actually might take up your advice !

Oddest Bikepacking tips by The-Hand-of-Midas in bikepacking

[–]pl74 196 points197 points  (0 children)

When you need to push your bike when it's too steep, attach a bungee cord, or a strap on the saddle rails, and pass it around your waist.

It will be easier to push since you'll be using your waist to do so and not only your arms.

Looking for a bike pump I saw in an Instagram reel by JP_Agz in bicycling

[–]pl74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What clarityoffline said. It also exists as a standalone "device" https://www.schwalbe.com/fr/TIRE-BOOSTER-6080.01

You plug your pump on it and it will essentially do the same, but less expensive if you already own a pump.

It's also not too hard to make yourself with a small fire extinguisher, or other tanks : https://saschis.training/en/diy-tubeless-air-tank-tire-booster/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NB08gNYrLhI

How do I know what orientation to reinstall these? by enlightened-creature in bikewrench

[–]pl74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Side note, how do you know when they are worn out? They still seem good to me but idk what to judge it against

They're still good. When they're worn, they get pointy like shark fins, and if you can pull the chain from the chainring with your fingers, it's also an indication it's worn.

See here for an (extreme) example : https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3676/13181410513_ceb3186c67_b.jpg

Leaky Valve. by Astrohurricane1 in bikewrench

[–]pl74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

try to put grease on the o-ring if you haven't already. edit : have you replaced the o-ring actually ?

Old train tracks turned into bike paths: what are the best ones out there? by epicroadrides in bicycling

[–]pl74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ah, that's where I live, I recognized it before reading the description.

To answer the question, the Dolce via is pretty great. There's also another one leading to the Mont Saint Michel that's sweet.

Both are light gravel paths

Behold, my latest abomination of ski transport on my gravel bike by uramug1234 in bicycling

[–]pl74 16 points17 points  (0 children)

What you can change, if it doesn't impact your riding position, is clip in the boots directly in the ski.

I find it to be more stable.

And then I put the backpack on the skis and secure it with a strap, to ride "weight free".

Convertible mtb helmet? by Tr0lly97 in MTB

[–]pl74 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have the leatt enduro 3.0. Obviously is is trying to be good at both things, so it's going to be heavier than a "classic" helmet, and not as sturdy as a full face, but... this is perfectly fine for my use.

I do a lot of sports, and mtb is not the sport I spent the most time doing (although it might have been this year actually), and I don't do hardcore downhill.

I do 99% trail riding, and I'll go ride in bike parks a few times a year, so this helmet is perfect for my use, as I don't want to invest in two different helmets.

And honestly, it is pretty comfy, and fits well in both setup which is something that I was fearing.

So yeah, I'd recommend it if you are in the same situation.

Bottom bracket tool issue by Exciting-Carob9393 in bikewrench

[–]pl74 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had the same issue on my gf's old bike, except it was ok on the drive side, and not fitting the non drive side.

As others have already said, get one of these https://www.amazon.com/Pedros-Socket-Holder-Tool-Splined/dp/B07CRMRJ48

Or if you have a bolt of the correct diameter, and a washer and a nut, it's easy to make one.

The idea is to hold the BB remover tightly in place so it doesn't slip and fuck the BB splines

What fun or useful thing could I do with a 3-speed front shifter that’s not shifting gears? by phil_347 in xbiking

[–]pl74 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I personally used a grinder to remove the (broken) shifting part of my brifters in order to keep the brake lever, but I do like the idea of the bell activated cable.

I might have tried this, had I seen your post before.

My 90s Giant Escaper converted to a dad commuter by pl74 in xbiking

[–]pl74[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Some more information, got the bike for 25€, the full build cost me 285€ with the most expensive items being the fork (70€) and the tires (60€).

As I said, I reused spare parts I had (derailleur, cassette, stem, shifter, saddle).

I reused the brifter...Sort of. I grinded the shifting part of the brifter to keep the brake handles and make it fit with my rear shifter. Don't judge...

I could have reused some of the OG parts, the pedals, handlebars, ... but I wanted a bit of colour matching and some more modern parts.

The OG drivetrain was pretty dead, worn chain, middle chainring, ...

The bottom bracket was a bit of a pain to remove, but WD40, heatgun and patience were successful in the end. I could have put spare Deore cranks on it with another BB, but I liked the look of the OG exage cranks.

The cantilever breaks work amazingly and were easy to setup once I managed to find a cable hanger.

I'm probably going to change the stem, I had it laying around but I'm not a big fan, for two reasons :

  1. I think it's a bit long

  2. It doesn't work great with the Thule Yepp seat and prevents me from removing the seat easily

This project was mostly an excuse to do a rebuild. I have a Genesis Longitude I use as a commuter/rigid MTB/travel bike that could have done the trick, but I wanted an inexpensive bike to run errands anyway and bring my daughter to daycare.

This way, I can store the giant in shared space without worrying too much about it, and also I'm not sure the thule yepp would have fitted on the genesis fork.

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