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Thinking about a gravel bike

crosscountry

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Was thinking I wanted to have the option to wear street shoes if I was going to just take a casual ride with my family. After looking the past few days I’m not seeing a lot of options. Maybe just an SPD pedal with a bigger platform would work?
That's what I do. There're these "cage around the clip" type of pedals. I can ride with any shoes on those. At least to the corner store.

You can always just use a clip-in flat adapter with a regular SPD.
That might work better if you're doing an hour or more with your family.

But to be fair, why not just ride your good old mountain bike when you're riding with your family? You can lean it against anything, not watching it like a hawk...

Put flat pedals on it if you're not really going mountain biking anyway.
 

wooglin

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But to be fair, why not just ride your good old mountain bike when you're riding with your family? You can lean it against anything, not watching it like a hawk...

Put flat pedals on it if you're not really going mountain biking anyway.
No no no. He needs another bike. A dedicated family bike. A cruiser. With a rohloff hub. And belt drive.
 
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mikes781

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No no no. He needs another bike. A dedicated family bike. A cruiser. With a rohloff hub. And belt drive.
Let me at least get the new bike in my garage before we start talking about a quiver!
 
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mikes781

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He needs to fix or replace at least one wheel first
That correct the MTB needs some work. Haven’t decided what I’m going to do without yet although my wife will probably have something to say about that. ;) I may just list it on FB for $1000 and have an excuse of why I don’t sell it.
 

crosscountry

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That correct the MTB needs some work. Haven’t decided what I’m going to do without yet although my wife will probably have something to say about that. ;) I may just list it on FB for $1000 and have an excuse of why I don’t sell it.
What work?

Nothing is going to beat a good old bike that was once a mean machine! I have a Diamondback hardtail I got back in 1996 that I'm still using as a commute/casual bike. Every time one of my casual riding friends pick up that bike, they were like "Wow, that's light!"

Well, "light" compare to a Huffy! ;)

But, it's got wheels that are round (if not very true), both wheels and pedal spins freely, brakes that still stop the bike, and it even shifts (some, if not all, of the gears). And when I loan it to visiting guests, they said it's a "nice bike".

"Nice" compare to their Sears Special from the same vintage. ;)

Really, a decent old bike won't fetch much money. But it's a reliable transport/exercise machine/guest bike, without which you'll soon end up paying a thousand to replace.
 
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mikes781

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Wheel needs some work and the shock isn’t holding air. Shop guy said it might just be a stem. He offered to take a look at it and I’ll probably take it to them when I pick up my new bike. My wallet is going to need to recover fro this purchase before I do much with it. I honestly don’t see myself selling it for the $100 or $200 that someone would pay for it. It will be a future project and I like to tinker so it could keep me occupied down the road. ;)
 

scott43

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What work?

Nothing is going to beat a good old bike that was once a mean machine! I have a Diamondback hardtail I got back in 1996 that I'm still using as a commute/casual bike. Every time one of my casual riding friends pick up that bike, they were like "Wow, that's light!"

Well, "light" compare to a Huffy! ;)

But, it's got wheels that are round (if not very true), both wheels and pedal spins freely, brakes that still stop the bike, and it even shifts (some, if not all, of the gears). And when I loan it to visiting guests, they said it's a "nice bike".

"Nice" compare to their Sears Special from the same vintage. ;)

Really, a decent old bike won't fetch much money. But it's a reliable transport/exercise machine/guest bike, without which you'll soon end up paying a thousand to replace.
I have a Rossin as my crapper bike...
 
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mikes781

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New bike day! Hope to get a ride in this weekend. Thanks again for all the advice.

7779AED7-14C5-4FCA-A4D2-6F50744A6E52.jpeg
 

firebanex

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Ew, reflectors. Need a drive side picture tho! I gotta creep on the drivetrain without having to look it up. The matte silver paint looks good tho!
 
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mikes781

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Lol I asked the shop guy about the reflectors and was told the lawyers made them put them on. They came off as soon as I got it in the garage. Will probably put lights on it if I start riding roads.
 
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mikes781

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Ha I didn’t know that thing had a name. Cut it off?
 
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mikes781

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Guess I need to take a trip to the bike store to get some tools to dedork my bike. Chain whip and lock ring tool right?
 

scott43

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I actually don't mind the spoke protector. Keep in mind I've been working on bikes for years. It's like cheap insurance. It actually has a purpose. When it begins to yellow and look like crap then I'd remove it.
 

firebanex

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I like the idea of reflectors and they do work well, but they are so unsightly on a nice bike. I got a pack of cylindrical reflectors that clip onto spokes for my wifes bike. Those look sweet and are super low profile. I run lights on front and rear along with reflective bits on my clothing instead of on the bike.

I also take the disc off of my personal bikes but leave them on anyone elses I end up working on. Since I keep tabs on my own derailleur adjustment, I'll take on my own risk of the chain coming off into the spokes.
 

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