cst68

Ouch. Lesson learned...always do a pre ride check.

Tried my hand last weekend at first road cycling race ....63 km mountain to mountain. Enjoyed the road race.

At the end of this month it will be a year ago since I started cycling at age 43. Started because my daughter aged 11 wanted a bicycle.Then wife also wanted one for fitness.I was also overweight and unfit and joined in .My eldest daughter aged 19 also wanted to join in soon afterwards. Within a week and 4 mountain bikes later we were regularly braving winter cold morning rides and weekends in the nature reserve outside our city. The pain and suffering of getting fit from zero fitness was hard. I enjoyed the adventure of riding difficult trails and seeing antelope at close range.Also my wife and kids did it with me and were loving it.The childlike enjoyment of riding a bicycle never leaves you even when you are way too old to be a child. What impressed me the most was that mountain bikes are super tough compared to the bikes around when I was a kid.Even entry level mountain bikes can take serious trails rather well.Also these things went anywhere...tar, mud ,sand,gravel,hills mountains....anything. Also tubeless with Stans sealant...what a pleasure...go anywhere no flat tyres etc...awesome....wish we had this stuff when I was a kid.....hated fixing punctures. Then came the results....started losing weight rapidly...started eating healthier . The competitive spirit is another aspect...doing races ...getting fitter...improving your skills and endurance...a constant challenge where the end of one is beginning of another. I don't do it to socialize as such ,however I enjoy the cycling crowds and cycling friends.Visiting the LBS.....need I say more? Cycling is very satisfying ....health wise ...general sense of well being....adventure and challenges etc etc etc. My wife kids an I love it.

I hear your advice and believe you are correct. I am really a mountain biker who is interested in trying some road cycling. So the Fuji was used on the 63km mountain to mountain road race today in Tzaneen, I have officially broken the ice and have done a road race.

Thanks for the replies. The bike is on loan to me and like I said I will try the bike on my first road race. Maybe I will like road racing...if so I may purchase the Fuji or a new 105 spec bike.

Thanks for the reply.The frame is fine. This bike has a Truvative rolleur carbon 2X10 crank, Gipiemme T-DUE 24S wheels and Ultegra brakes and derailleurs. I have never done a road race so I will swing it on a 63 km mountain road race and see what happens.

Do any hubbers out still ride this bike? Being of 2004 vintage is it a viable option as a race bike? What would the going purchase price be for a good condition bike like this be? I have read all the information(there is not a huge amount)concerning it on the internet and are inquisitive to know of anyone with first hand experience on them. I have never owned a road bike and are considering one to supplement my mountain bike for additional training purposes .

The 20" bmx tube trick is commonly known on the internet as the ghetto/gorilla tubeless conversion....and it can work well with tubeless tyres too. The really good thing about the ghetto tubeless trick is in particular it enables you to convert "tube only" tyres to tubeless. There is one limitation though...bmx 20" tubes come in Schrader type valves so if your rims have small holes for Presta valves the holes can be drilled out to Schrader size holes.

I agree.

Never

1.Main advantage is much better resistance to flat tyres caused by punctures....use Stans as sealant inside tyres. 2.Ghetto tubeless converts tubed tyres to tubeless...done it and it works fine but do not get silly and run extreme low pressures ie.accept 2 bar as a safe minimum(depending on your weight).As far as resistance to flat tyres it does the job.Alternatively 2bliss and UST tyres are the more expensive and arguably "better" option.That being said you say you are new to mtb so do the ghetto.Google ghetto tubeless...there is plenty info on the net.