[katz]

Well, here it is in all its' glory!

2013 Motobecane Elite Adventure 29er
(700x40C Tires)​

After many adjustments (still not quite perfect-getting there), I took it out for about 15 mi. this evening.

I love the feel of a 29er. Hard to explain, but I feel more in control of the bike. I like the suspension fork for bumpy country roads. Bike weighs in at around 30 lb.

Wish it were a wee bit lighter, but I suppose that is typical Hybrid weight. I have an under-seat dual water bottle holder coming, will update with pics when it arrives. Note the Sigma BC 2209 Computer. :thumbsup:

Disc brakes are slowly seating in, index shifting works fairly well; Front derailleur needs some tuning, can't get it quite right yet.

I need to measure the handlebars, they seem narrower than what I have on my comfort bike. May need to get used to them or upgrade to wider ones.

Rode on paved trails/roads this evening, can't wait to take it on the hard pack bike paths & see how it feels.

All in all, I'm a happy camper. I would recommend a BD bike if you are mechanically inclined and don't mind doing a lot of the set-up/fine tuning yourself, or conversely, take it to the LBS.

I will buy from them again - I'm looking at road bikes now, but I believe I had better wait a short while or else I will be in the doghouse.

 

[Industry_Hack]

Nice! A 29er is really a nice combination of speed and utility.

 

[kneedrachen]

Yeah but if you're in the doghouse you don't have to listen to the complaining.

 

[katz]

Yeah but if you're in the doghouse you don't have to listen to the complaining.

I can still hear it - her voice carries...

 

[Possumpoint]

I can still hear it - her voice carries...

Funny how the ones dearest carry the sharpest needles.

 

[katz]

Funny how the ones dearest carry the sharpest needles.

'tis true, and will never change. ...that's the way life goes...

 

[katz]

I have a minor gripe about the index shifters; this is my first time using them, I've had twist shifters on pretty much everything else I've ridden.

I like to position the brake levers at approx. 45° downward. When I do this, it forces the shifters to move to a position that I'm unable to see the indicator windows.

How do you guys deal with this? If I move the brake levers to where I am able to see the windows, my wrists are then in an unnatural position with the brake levers being almost parallel to the road. Uncomfortable...

Here are a couple of views I found of the Trek D.S 8.4, similar to my bike. It appears that you aren't able to see the indicators on it either. I don't remember how it was set up when I saw the Trek at the LBS.

I'm going to have to look at this the next time I am there.

...Kinda hard to judge from the second pic; it actually appears that you would be able to see the indicator just fine in that view, I can't tell for sure.

 

[rola643]

I'm certainly not trying to be antagonistic, but do you ride by what you see in that window or do you ride by how you feel as in cadence etc. I can't see mine either and it never occurred to me to look since I just ride what my legs and lungs tell me to do or am I missing your point? (I'm not trying to be an arse as I feel that is how this may come across but it honestly never occurred to me to worry about that)

 

[kneedrachen]

I can still hear it - her voice carries...

Time to trade her in on a new model. . . . .

 

[kneedrachen]

Katz-

The indicators are fickle, believe me this.

I have SRAM SX4 on my hybrid and the indicators broke about 170 miles in on the right grip.

As Rola said, use your gears by "feel" rather than display. If your cadence drops, downshift, etc.

I think you'll find you're making more improvements by shifting by feel rather than by what the display "says" you are doing.

That being said, if you REALLY want to have your cake and eat it too, you can always get a separate clamp for your brake levers. Might look a bit "busy" on the handlebar, but we ride for ourselves, not for others, right?

 

[Industry_Hack]

Time to trade her in on a new model. . . . .

My wife has been mistaken for my ex-wife's daughter.

 

[kneedrachen]

All I can say is:

 

[newleaf150]

I have a minor gripe about the index shifters; this is my first time using them, I've had twist shifters on pretty much everything else I've ridden.

I like to position the brake levers at approx. 45° downward. When I do this, it forces the shifters to move to a position that I'm unable to see the indicator windows.

How do you guys deal with this? If I move the brake levers to where I am able to see the windows, my wrists are then in an unnatural position with the brake levers being almost parallel to the road. Uncomfortable...

Here are a couple of views I found of the Trek D.S 8.4, similar to my bike. It appears that you aren't able to see the indicators on it either. I don't remember how it was set up when I saw the Trek at the LBS.

I'm going to have to look at this the next time I am there.

...Kinda hard to judge from the second pic; it actually appears that you would be able to see the indicator just fine in that view, I can't tell for sure.

Katz,

Pull the grips and shifters/brake levers. Reverse the shifter/brake levers' current vertical orientation such that the shifter cables/protrusions are above the brake levers' rather than below. This should allow you to push the levers down low the way you want without interfering with the shifters' position on the bar. Be careful to keep the cables untangled/kinked and such. May not work - I can't see the details of your pics well enough to say.

Ultimately, I recommend cycling and shifting by 'feel' as others have suggested. I've had good luck myself just glancing at the chain to see where it is on the cogs/front sprockets. The right answer, though, is whatever works for you. Good luck, and pls keep us updated!

 

[katz]

I'm certainly not trying to be antagonistic, but do you ride by what you see in that window or do you ride by how you feel as in cadence etc. I can't see mine either and it never occurred to me to look since I just ride what my legs and lungs tell me to do or am I missing your point? (I'm not trying to be an arse as I feel that is how this may come across but it honestly never occurred to me to worry about that)

I'm probably OCD about things like this. I feel like - "well, if I paid for it, I want to be able to use it to its' full capacity". You should have heard me rant when widescreen dvd's & TV shows first came out and they didn't display correctly on my old "square" TV!

Pull the grips and shifters/brake levers. Reverse the shifter/brake levers' current vertical orientation such that the shifter cables/protrusions are above the brake levers' rather than below. This should allow you to push the levers down low the way you want without interfering with the shifters' position on the bar. Be careful to keep the cables untangled/kinked and such. May not work - I can't see the details of your pics well enough to say.

I just now checked on this. Unfortunately, this won't work because of the way the shifters are designed. The brake lever goes between the up/down shift levers and there is no other way. Good idea, though.


I changed the position of the handlebars & rotated them a little more upright. Give me a bit more view, but not much. Guess I'll live with it.

Seems like quite a design flaw in the engineering department to me...