The sound of the tubes when you tapped them really sounds like a musical instrument. I'm learning so much through your experience and knowledge of cycling and bike specs. I'm getting more serious about cycling and your channel is truly "Legend!" Thank you.
On my first of You videos and Subscribed right away, Your advice and knowledge is best on probably the whole web not just UA-cam. True, test retest or go custom build! Thanks a million!
Al, you are most welcome. I saw your comment as I was getting dressed for my Sunday ride and your words made me stop and reply immediately because I had to tell you that I was asked by a close friend to open this channel four months ago for the very reason you stated. Too much fluff on the web and no honest how to details. I am glad you found the channel, it's new but growing and we have a lot of supporters already. I don't know how UA-cam spreads the word but I have been asking all cyclists on here to tell other cyclists. This channel is here to help all cyclists avoid dead ends and mishaps. Go to the channel page as time permits and check out the other videos. Last winter I made a lot of informational and entertaining cycling story videos for the channel. Enjoy and please let me know if you have any questions.
Awesome video friend. I started cycling at 12 back in the 70s and there was no internet back then, if you wanted to learn you had to buy cycling magazines and they were expensive. Keep those videos coming.
Just watched the first of your videos that has appeared on my feed, the one about material choices-as a retired engineer I have to say you made the choices really clear so chapeaux. I have 3 bikes, a carbon Specialized Roubaix expert, a Ti hardtail 29er mountain bike, and a Ti gravel bike-the last 2 purchased in 2020. The Roubaix is my summer bike, the gravel bike I used all winter with either gravel or road tyres depending on where I was riding. Both of my Ti bikes were production builds but ride really well, the gravel bike although a lot heavier than the Roubaix just seems to roll really well. As someone who is 73 this year and weighs 140 lbs I may have to look at getting a custom Ti frame made for me as I honestly hadn’t thought about the fact that the frame would be made to support someone a lot heavier than me-which is obvious really when you think about it-so thanks for triggering that. One thing, I notice that all of your bikes have the same very specific saddle-what is it, and what are the reasons for the shape? Keep up the video presentations, you have another UK subscriber here.
Thanks for sharing John. Glad you found the video helpful. I use the SMP Dynamic saddle and as a professional bike fitter, once I find a saddle that suits me, I use the same model on all my bikes. I recommend the same to all my clients and I believe most bike fitters do. Since I did not have a local shop to try saddles, I chose the SMP Dynamic because it fits most people very well and it worked for me. It is my number one recommended saddle to all my clients. SMP has spent an enormous amount of research building saddles that work with the human anatomy really well. The shape of the front of the saddle eliminates any snagging of your shorts when moving back to the saddle after standing and the middle contour accommodates the shape of our lower hip bones that we sit on when riding. The split eliminates pressure points on your soft tissue. Keep in mind that the saddle must be positioned properly and at minimum set level to the ground.
These are all great points I haven't considered. But I certainly will now! Two things I truly love about your videos are your attention to detail and your passion for bikes. And its wonderfully infectious! Now I'm really excited to see just what kind of bike, etc. will fit me best. Thanks!
thormusique, glad you found this video. Many riders use these tips to really narrow down frame selection regardless of Material. See this video that talks about the sizing and the angles you need to make sure you get a frame that fits you: ua-cam.com/video/v1H7lyqXZlM/v-deo.html
You answered my question towards the end of the video when you said buying off of eBay is like a crap shot. Good video filled with lots of valuable information. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Good info on how to select a bike that fits you. I agree, purchasing a bike requires a lot of research. If anything ride it to have a feel of what you are getting great advice as usual.
I'm not sure if you've covered it already but would you be able to do a video on your gear set ups, I notice you use campagnolo? I've never used campag so could you show us around it? The shifters, campag over shimano/sram? Keep up the great work Eldred! Jake.
Interesting, I'm old school and way back before you were born racing bikes could only be purchased at authorized bike shops but with department stores and bike shops ordering wholesale I can see bikes being manufactured for the average person.
Hi, I wish I had watched this before I bought my titanium bike recently It's a great bike I enjoyed building it up and I'm enjoying it a lot more than my last carbon bike but next time I will do it differently might get a custom build l tried to find a bike builder in my local area but unfortunately no luck only halfway across the country thanks for the information l am slowly going through all your videos and really getting into what you have to say 👍😊
Hey. Very informative. Hopefully you’re still checking in on this old post. I’m already stretching the budget for a titanium frame set up from a bike company that does some fork and components fabrication, but has their frames made for them. I don’t think I can swing going custom frame. I think the geometry looks good for the type of riding I’ll do on this bike. Are there any questions I can ask about the frame build that will inform me whether this is a frame built for the 250 lbs rider you refer to? They already specific where the heavier ti is on the frame and the lighter ti is. I guess my main concern is that they are just buying low quality frames and just pitching a story about having them fabricated to their custom specs. Any way to know for sure? Man, that was long winded...sorry.
I managed to buy my first road bike. After months of saving. I chose a Giant Contend AR3. Is an aluminum road bike with Shimano Sora group set. Is not much. But it can take up to 40mm tyres. I use 32mm Is an endurance road bike. It has a grey color with red letters. I love it way too much and is comfortable and fast. My main goal is to manage to ride long distances fast and easy. I don't care much about racing. But i wanna participate in some for sure.
Mister Eldred sorry for asking. But Kish makes steel bikes too? Cause i wanna build a custom one but i prefer steel. Till now i have seen brands like Ritchey and Soma.
That's kind of how it works with "custom" vs "industrial". The custom is much better but takes a lot of time and money, not only for you, for the seller as well since he isn't selling 2 million bikes a year. Maybe 200 times $5000 each bike, making that 1 million at least. Now the thing is, if you got a big shop near you, you can test them out and also research it on the internet and actually get a good price to performance ratio since they get the frames cheaper thus selling for less.
Thanks for the video. The only thing I am concerned with when going with a custom build is that you don't get to test ride it before buying so how can you tell in advance that the bike is going to feel good when you ride on it. How do you justify investing in a custom build without first riding it?
Just research the builder carefully before deciding which one to go with. Most of them will either suggest you get a fit if you haven't had one in the past to ensure your numbers are good or have you send in your current measurements and those of your current bike.
All my bikes are built with Campagnolo Super Record. The blue and the Colnago have 53/39 and the Titanium has 52/36. Everything about my bikes are in here: ua-cam.com/video/Yc9MVuR_MPM/v-deo.html
Luka, I bought the blue Lighthouse and the Orange Kish from two custom builders. Lighthouse has stopped making frames but kish is still making titanium frames. Here is the link to his home page: www.kishbike.com/
Veloharmony thanks for your advice on a profit my professional bike fiiter dialed me in new lake shoes fitted to my cannondale supersix evo hi mod frameset, 2012 I needed a shorter stem thanks for your help and great advice
Do you have a video on how to do a proper test of bikes before you buy them? What to look out for? How to ride them in a way to really test the features of the bike (stiffness, comfort n etc)? How far should i ideally ride to get a proper feel of a bike? I did a test ride of a bike.. just a short 2 loop of maybe 100-200m and coming out of it with no conclusion. I wasn't sure if the test bike was better than my current bike (which is also a carbon bike). Might b a good information for those riders (not new riders) who r looking to upgrade/change bikes from good bikes to better bikes but not sure if the new bike they are testing is much better than the current bike. Those riders who just want a new bike n itching to upgrade but not sure if the new bike being tested is really an upgrade or not. You know bikes are not cheap.. :)
Daniel, I don't believe I have made one specifically addressing that since most of it is so subjective. I'll have to think about the best approach for this idea because the geometry of the frame is the biggest influence since a short test ride tells you very little. The biggest challenge for what you've suggested is that the bikes shops will not let you setup the bike to fit you, which gives a more direct feel once it's fitted for you and secondly they don't let you keep it long enough, so unless you have access to the bike to use for about say a few hours and can get it fitted for your body the ride in the parking lot or a loop near the shop is not enough. It's best to choose bikes that are built with geometry suited for the road with 'road geometry' and a seat tube that is set at the angle which will allow you setup your saddle without resorting to excessive setback seatposts. It is sad that we don't get these options since as you know, bikes are expensive and is another reason riders tend to stay with known manufacturers and custom builders they've researched extensively.
Veloharmony Yeah the fit is the challenging part, i guess that cant be helped until you get a proper bike fit which may mean u have bought the bike. But let's say you roughly know the size of the bike and you get to test it. With that little test window, how do you maximized it so that you can make the most of the test to help you decide if that bike is worth it. I see buying tips usually says test the bike but not tips on how to test it the bike.
Well in that case, ;you want to get on the bike and see how it responds for the kind of riding you like to do. If you like sprinting, see if the bike's bottom bracket is stiff, when you put it in a big gear and do a short acceleration. If you're more of a cruiser, put it a small gear (since you're not necessarily on the open road) and just see how it feels when moving. Either way, really you just want to ride it and see if you like how it feel for the short time you have it, there's really no specific sequence for testing. Just put it through the paces that mimic how you plan to use it.
The sound of the tubes when you tapped them really sounds like a musical instrument. I'm learning so much through your experience and knowledge of cycling and bike specs. I'm getting more serious about cycling and your channel is truly "Legend!" Thank you.
Glad to hear it!
Love the background music.... and of course, the content.
Thanks Danny, you have a keen ear. I checked out your videos and you have the talent. Keep it up.
On my first of You videos and Subscribed right away, Your advice and knowledge is best on probably the whole web not just UA-cam. True, test retest or go custom build!
Thanks a million!
Al, you are most welcome. I saw your comment as I was getting dressed for my Sunday ride and your words made me stop and reply immediately because I had to tell you that I was asked by a close friend to open this channel four months ago for the very reason you stated. Too much fluff on the web and no honest how to details. I am glad you found the channel, it's new but growing and we have a lot of supporters already. I don't know how UA-cam spreads the word but I have been asking all cyclists on here to tell other cyclists. This channel is here to help all cyclists avoid dead ends and mishaps. Go to the channel page as time permits and check out the other videos. Last winter I made a lot of informational and entertaining cycling story videos for the channel. Enjoy and please let me know if you have any questions.
Awesome video friend. I started cycling at 12 back in the 70s and there was no internet back then, if you wanted to learn you had to buy cycling magazines and they were expensive. Keep those videos coming.
Right on!
Just watched the first of your videos that has appeared on my feed, the one about material choices-as a retired engineer I have to say you made the choices really clear so chapeaux. I have 3 bikes, a carbon Specialized Roubaix expert, a Ti hardtail 29er mountain bike, and a Ti gravel bike-the last 2 purchased in 2020. The Roubaix is my summer bike, the gravel bike I used all winter with either gravel or road tyres depending on where I was riding. Both of my Ti bikes were production builds but ride really well, the gravel bike although a lot heavier than the Roubaix just seems to roll really well. As someone who is 73 this year and weighs 140 lbs I may have to look at getting a custom Ti frame made for me as I honestly hadn’t thought about the fact that the frame would be made to support someone a lot heavier than me-which is obvious really when you think about it-so thanks for triggering that. One thing, I notice that all of your bikes have the same very specific saddle-what is it, and what are the reasons for the shape? Keep up the video presentations, you have another UK subscriber here.
Thanks for sharing John. Glad you found the video helpful. I use the SMP Dynamic saddle and as a professional bike fitter, once I find a saddle that suits me, I use the same model on all my bikes. I recommend the same to all my clients and I believe most bike fitters do. Since I did not have a local shop to try saddles, I chose the SMP Dynamic because it fits most people very well and it worked for me. It is my number one recommended saddle to all my clients. SMP has spent an enormous amount of research building saddles that work with the human anatomy really well. The shape of the front of the saddle eliminates any snagging of your shorts when moving back to the saddle after standing and the middle contour accommodates the shape of our lower hip bones that we sit on when riding. The split eliminates pressure points on your soft tissue. Keep in mind that the saddle must be positioned properly and at minimum set level to the ground.
These are all great points I haven't considered. But I certainly will now! Two things I truly love about your videos are your attention to detail and your passion for bikes. And its wonderfully infectious! Now I'm really excited to see just what kind of bike, etc. will fit me best. Thanks!
thormusique, glad you found this video. Many riders use these tips to really narrow down frame selection regardless of Material. See this video that talks about the sizing and the angles you need to make sure you get a frame that fits you: ua-cam.com/video/v1H7lyqXZlM/v-deo.html
So beautiful and classy that blue steel bike. And yes, the difference in sounds from the tubes comes through the video.
Proper real world advice. Love your advice. Keep peddling from the uk.
You answered my question towards the end of the video when you said buying off of eBay is like a crap shot. Good video filled with lots of valuable information. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Good info on how to select a bike that fits you. I agree, purchasing a bike requires a lot of research. If anything ride it to have a feel of what you are getting great advice as usual.
Thank you for the in depth review of the subject. :-)
I'm not sure if you've covered it already but would you be able to do a video on your gear set ups, I notice you use campagnolo? I've never used campag so could you show us around it? The shifters, campag over shimano/sram?
Keep up the great work Eldred!
Jake.
Interesting, I'm old school and way back before you were born racing bikes could only be purchased at authorized bike shops but with department stores and bike shops ordering wholesale I can see bikes being manufactured for the average person.
Like your style, easy to follow your presentention, very fun and informative, long may you ride
Thanks for the feedback Cesare, welcome to the channel.
Great vlog & superb advice. 😊👍
Hi, I wish I had watched this before I bought my titanium bike recently It's a great bike I enjoyed building it up and I'm enjoying it a lot more than my last carbon bike but next time I will do it differently might get a custom build l tried to find a bike builder in my local area but unfortunately no luck only halfway across the country thanks for the information l am slowly going through all your videos and really getting into what you have to say 👍😊
Thanks David. It's great to have you here.
Hey. Very informative. Hopefully you’re still checking in on this old post. I’m already stretching the budget for a titanium frame set up from a bike company that does some fork and components fabrication, but has their frames made for them. I don’t think I can swing going custom frame. I think the geometry looks good for the type of riding I’ll do on this bike.
Are there any questions I can ask about the frame build that will inform me whether this is a frame built for the 250 lbs rider you refer to? They already specific where the heavier ti is on the frame and the lighter ti is.
I guess my main concern is that they are just buying low quality frames and just pitching a story about having them fabricated to their custom specs. Any way to know for sure?
Man, that was long winded...sorry.
19:00 to 19:20. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I managed to buy my first road bike. After months of saving. I chose a Giant Contend AR3. Is an aluminum road bike with Shimano Sora group set. Is not much. But it can take up to 40mm tyres. I use 32mm Is an endurance road bike. It has a grey color with red letters. I love it way too much and is comfortable and fast. My main goal is to manage to ride long distances fast and easy. I don't care much about racing. But i wanna participate in some for sure.
That's great. Keep us posted.
I see fellow SMP and Ti users. Cheers!
Cool. Welcome to the channel.
Okay Eldred good information, man I wish I knew that before I purchase my Specialized Roubaix.
Many riders are unaware of this when they purchase a Frame.
Mister Eldred sorry for asking. But Kish makes steel bikes too?
Cause i wanna build a custom one but i prefer steel. Till now i have seen brands like Ritchey and Soma.
At the time I had my bike built in 2016, Kish had stopped building steel bikes. He recommended another builder that I used to build my steel frame.
That's kind of how it works with "custom" vs "industrial".
The custom is much better but takes a lot of time and money, not only for you, for the seller as well since he isn't selling 2 million bikes a year. Maybe 200 times $5000 each bike, making that 1 million at least.
Now the thing is, if you got a big shop near you, you can test them out and also research it on the internet and actually get a good price to performance ratio since they get the frames cheaper thus selling for less.
Thanks for the video. The only thing I am concerned with when going with a custom build is that you don't get to test ride it before buying so how can you tell in advance that the bike is going to feel good when you ride on it. How do you justify investing in a custom build without first riding it?
Just research the builder carefully before deciding which one to go with. Most of them will either suggest you get a fit if you haven't had one in the past to ensure your numbers are good or have you send in your current measurements and those of your current bike.
I am actually on the market for either a ti or steel bike buy would love to hear your opinion on the two materials and the ride quality?
What wheels and Hubs are on your Ti/bike please ?!
Paul
Shimano C-35 Carbon&Aluminum brake track wheelset
Are you using aluminum seatpost on your titanium frame? If so, did you apply anti sieze or just normal grease?
Thanks
Veloharmony need help please. Thanks
The videos are free. Personal assistance is available here: www.veloharmony.com/product/cycling-consultation/
What group set is that Super Record 53/39 on your steel blue bike please?!
All my bikes are built with Campagnolo Super Record. The blue and the Colnago have 53/39 and the Titanium has 52/36. Everything about my bikes are in here: ua-cam.com/video/Yc9MVuR_MPM/v-deo.html
Smart man
Thanks James.
Why your all bikes are retro?
I prefer the traditional style bikes and frame materials..
Whats your bikes weight in kgs
This guy is more knowledgeable than Sheldon Brown🙄😊
That's quite a compliment Kerko. Sheldon Brown was a great teacher.
Hi, where have u bought youre frames???
Luka, I bought the blue Lighthouse and the Orange Kish from two custom builders. Lighthouse has stopped making frames but kish is still making titanium frames. Here is the link to his home page: www.kishbike.com/
Veloharmony thanks for your advice on a profit my professional bike fiiter dialed me in new lake shoes fitted to my cannondale supersix evo hi mod frameset, 2012 I needed a shorter stem thanks for your help and great advice
You're welcome Michael.
What you think to buy a almo road bike steel with modern ultra components to build from 1980s....thank you for your time.
That would be cool!
Do you have a video on how to do a proper test of bikes before you buy them? What to look out for? How to ride them in a way to really test the features of the bike (stiffness, comfort n etc)? How far should i ideally ride to get a proper feel of a bike? I did a test ride of a bike.. just a short 2 loop of maybe 100-200m and coming out of it with no conclusion. I wasn't sure if the test bike was better than my current bike (which is also a carbon bike). Might b a good information for those riders (not new riders) who r looking to upgrade/change bikes from good bikes to better bikes but not sure if the new bike they are testing is much better than the current bike. Those riders who just want a new bike n itching to upgrade but not sure if the new bike being tested is really an upgrade or not. You know bikes are not cheap.. :)
Daniel, I don't believe I have made one specifically addressing that since most of it is so subjective. I'll have to think about the best approach for this idea because the geometry of the frame is the biggest influence since a short test ride tells you very little.
The biggest challenge for what you've suggested is that the bikes shops will not let you setup the bike to fit you, which gives a more direct feel once it's fitted for you and secondly they don't let you keep it long enough, so unless you have access to the bike to use for about say a few hours and can get it fitted for your body the ride in the parking lot or a loop near the shop is not enough.
It's best to choose bikes that are built with geometry suited for the road with 'road geometry' and a seat tube that is set at the angle which will allow you setup your saddle without resorting to excessive setback seatposts.
It is sad that we don't get these options since as you know, bikes are expensive and is another reason riders tend to stay with known manufacturers and custom builders they've researched extensively.
Veloharmony Yeah the fit is the challenging part, i guess that cant be helped until you get a proper bike fit which may mean u have bought the bike.
But let's say you roughly know the size of the bike and you get to test it. With that little test window, how do you maximized it so that you can make the most of the test to help you decide if that bike is worth it. I see buying tips usually says test the bike but not tips on how to test it the bike.
Well in that case, ;you want to get on the bike and see how it responds for the kind of riding you like to do. If you like sprinting, see if the bike's bottom bracket is stiff, when you put it in a big gear and do a short acceleration. If you're more of a cruiser, put it a small gear (since you're not necessarily on the open road) and just see how it feels when moving. Either way, really you just want to ride it and see if you like how it feel for the short time you have it, there's really no specific sequence for testing. Just put it through the paces that mimic how you plan to use it.