Posts by Walter Gomez16

Look, manufacturing errors can happen anytime. If a tube doesn't line up perfectly during welding—and honestly, that depends on whether they're using robotic grippers or manual jigs—there are a thousand little things that can go sideways. The whole point of mass production is cranking stuff out fast while keeping defects low, but even with strict QC checks, the occasional glitch slips through the cracks. So, yeah, I'll say it again: anything can happen. Just drop a few photos of the bike, ideally from different angles, so we can actually see what we're dealing with here..

Donna Wells74 said:Yeah, things are catastrophic around Mikleuška, but man, those woods are gorgeous. Honestly, the Midwest has amazing forests everywhere—I just hope they stay that way. And yeah, the roads are absolute trash, but honestly, that’s just the standard American reality at this point.
@Walter Gomez16/">@@Walter Gomez16 - where am I? Well, I'm not 😁 right now, but I'll be 😁 near San Diego or maybe around Šibenik in a couple of days 😁.
Anyway, I bet fadedcrane36 would be down to run the tour again in September, so we can all get together. 👋

So where are you actually? 🙂 You can hit me up in a DM if you don't want to say it here. Based on what you wrote, 😁 I figured you were already out at the coast.

I'm sure people will show up. I'm aiming for September since the timing works perfectly for everything. Plus, it might not be quite as hot. And if we nail down the dates, I'll probably grab my MTB too. Would love to rip through some trails with a good crew.😁

Nine months works for me—somewhere between the beginning and middle of the month. I can't swing anything earlier because of work. Let them head out whenever they want if they're itching to go, but they can always just catch up with us in nine months. By the way, whereabouts on the coast are you staying?

That sounds like a solid plan. Hop on a train, get off in NYC, and then we’re good to go 🙂 Let me know when you've made up your mind, Donna Wells74.

I ride both, honestly, but for the long hauls I stick to my "trekking roadie"—basically a drop bar setup with skinny slicks. That means I’m strictly sticking to super smooth gravel without any rocks, or I’m just staying off the dirt entirely. As for the hills... man, that depends. What kind of climbs are we even talking about?

A three-day camping trip, or whatever you were thinking? Honestly, I’d be down for something like that, provided we can actually round up a crew. And as long as we aren't hitting 62 miles stops per day. If we keep it at that pace, I think I could handle the driving. You got a route in mind?

Honestly, the Geax Evolution and the Author Silk Road are easily the two best wet-weather asphalt tires I’ve ever put on a bike. It really comes down to the tread design; they both feature those small blocks or slicker patterns that actually bite on hard surfaces. Most other setups out there? They just slide around like you're riding on ice instead of actually gripping the road.

Nice job on that. I’ve been running the Geax Evolution for over a year now and honestly, I’m stoked with them. As for people claiming the Evolution is an off-road tire—yeah, no kidding. It’s meant for pavement and stuff. Maybe some people should actually bother reading the manufacturer's site: http://www.geax.com/en/products/?cat=6&prod=25

Even for road riding, these things like a bit of extra pressure. You can see the specs here, but I usually bump mine up another 0.3 bar above whatever this table says. Then they’re perfect for the street—roll smooth and grip just fine: http://www.geax.com/en/technology/?cat=15&prod=79

And as for those folks riding knobby tires on asphalt and then complaining about zero grip... man, I really don't know what they're expecting. That's literally why they're called off-road tires. Like, it's a miracle they hold at all, if you ask me.

Heard some solid buzz about these: , and also these: , plus I'm gonna give these a shot next since they fit my Guimca mounts perfectly—should be killer too: http://www.keindl-sport.com/detalji.php?id=933

Honestly, you’re better off just dropping it off at a local bike shop. Let the pros take a look so they can give you the real rundown on the drivetrain. No worries at all, hope you get that ride back in action soon! 😁

If your drivetrain is still clicking along nicely and the teeth aren't looking like shark fins, there’s zero reason to swap it out. Same goes for the front derailleur. You're gonna need a new rear derailleur though, mostly because you're jumping from a 7-speed to an 8-speed cassette—and since you have to swap the cassette anyway to match that beefier, more reliable freehub body that won't give you headaches later, you might as well do it right. Oh, forgot to mention: if you're looking for decent tires that won't break the bank, check out CST, Author, Shimano, or Kenda. As for getting stuff fixed, I’ve had pretty good luck with a local bike shop in Washington, D.C. They aren't exactly the cheapest guys in town, but they actually do what they say they're going to do, and honestly, I'll take quality over a cheap price tag any day.

Don't let it freak you out, things haven't actually changed that much 😁It’s really not as big a deal as it looks. Even when your bike was brand new, it was sitting in a lower-tier category, and honestly, they don't even use those same parts much anymore. That snapped axle of yours? That’s just an old freewheel system—pretty weak design if you ask me, but I won't get into the weeds. You just need to swap it out for a modern setup and you'll be golden. Here’s your shopping list: one solid rear freehub (that's the heart of the wheel—bearings, axle, cassette mount), just make sure you check the spoke count on the hub (looks like that model had 36 holes), which is roughly $50 like an entry-level Acer level, a new 8-speed cassette, maybe around $50, a new rear derailleur, Acer again, maybe $50, an 8-speed right shifter for about $10, a new slick shifter cable, end caps, and housing—roughly $17. Toss in a decent chain, like a SRAM or a KMC X-series, for about $50. So, we're looking at maybe $233 for parts.

Then just factor in what a shop would charge to swap the hub and cassette onto your old rim. If you have them rebuild the wheel with the new hub and mount the cassette, it shouldn't run more than $27, if that. Everything else—the derailleur, cables, housing, shifter, chain—you can totally DIY with minimal tools and basic know-how. If you're lost: http://www.parktool.com/repair/

Obviously, after 9 years, you should probably grab some fresh tires and tubes, check the brakes, and look over all the little things. Grease everything, tighten stuff down, give it a once-over. Budget about $333 to do it right, and this bike will carry you forever without parts snapping—everything I listed is a massive step up from the cheap stuff you started with. If you go hunting for a new bike in the $333 range, you're mostly just going to find more budget components like the ones you already had; they won't last long. Personally, I think it makes way more sense to fix this thing if that's the only real issue. It won't be a beast for serious mountain biking, but for sand, gravel, or just cruising around town, it'll be killer and will easily clock thousands of miles once it's dialed in.

Sure, why take the easy route when you can do things the hard way? Honestly, you should be carrying a spare tube along with your sealant anyway, just in case you hit a gash that's too big for the liquid to handle. But hey, if it makes you feel better, go ahead and swap out tubes for every little puncture. You'll definitely get faster at it with practice. 😉Maybe one day you'll even beat the time it takes for latex to seal a small hole—which is about half a second. 👍

In my experience, this stuff works like a charm. Doesn't matter what caused the puncture, as long as you aren't hitting massive potholes. Honestly, sometimes I don't even realize how trashed my tire is until I go to swap out the outer casing. All in all, it's an awesome setup—way better than those clunky puncture protection strips or whatever else is out there. Haven't had a single issue with it yet.

It’s totally possible you’ve popped more than once and just haven't realized it, since that latex stuff basically seals everything up almost instantly 😁