Friday, May 23, 2014

[VIDEO] 2014 Trek FX 7.2 - The All Purpose Commuter Bike

Trek FX Available at Bumstead's Bicycles in Ontario CA

FX is Trek's most popular bike, with good reason

It offers a best-of-both-worlds combination of road bike speed and city bike comfort. It's a perfect fitness bike, and so much more.

Upgrades from 7.1 FX

  • Bontrager Hard-Case Lite tires
  • Shimano M131 crank
  • Shimano Altus/Alivio 24-speed drivetrain
  • Bontrager alloy handlebar

Lloyd of Bumstead's Bicycles gives his version of the benefits of Trek's most popular bike.



Monday, May 19, 2014

Use The Correct Road/Off-Road Tire Pressure

How much tire pressure should you run?

A great place to get an idea would be from the manufacturer’s recommended pressure (Sometimes this is found on the sidewall of the tire, other times it may be molded to the casing - so look closely). The manufacturer may also have a range of recommended pressure (i.e. 40-60 psi) which is why it is only a starting point. Experiment with pressures in the range to find the one that works best for you.



Pump Road Rubber More


Sure, road tires are pumped up to high pressures, but because they are skinny tires, there’s hardly any air inside. That means that when even a little air leaks out (and it will since tires are porous and naturally seep air), the pressure and volume are greatly reduced. To prevent this, check your tire pressure before every ride.


Off-Road Tires

Conversely, off-road tires are much wider and can fit considerably more air inside. For this reason, off-road tires are inflated to much lower pressures than road tires. Fat tires don’t seep as much air (and definitely not as quickly). By all means, if you’re riding fat tires on pavement and smooth roads, inflate them to your hearts content! But — don’t inflate to a higher psi than the manufacturer recommends.



However, if you are riding off-road, you should really consider lowering your tire pressure to a range of about 35 to 45 psi. If you’ve been riding off-road on 50 to 60 psi, you will be amazed at how much your comfort and control, traction and handling will increase on the trail.

Just Don’t Go Too Low


Road and off-road tires alike - running too low of a pressure will increase the risk of both puncture and pinch flats. Softer tires will pick up more debris, which may go through the rubber and pop your tube. Second, any potholes, ruts, or rocks that you hit could deform the soft tire to the point that the rim hits the ground or rock so hard that it pinches the tube. Not only might you have the dreaded “snakebite” puncture flat, you could damage your rim, which can be expensive and is always a nuisance.



Check the Chart

Rider weight is another important factor to deciding what pressure to use, so we’ve included this chart for you to help guide your decision.

Come to Bumstead's Bicycles for all your cycling needs.
We are located at 1038 W. 4th St in Ontario, CA.
You can reach us by phone at (909) 984-9067

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

26? 27.5? 29er? What Wheel Size Is Best For You?

Not So Long Ago There Were Only 26" Wheels For Mountain Bikes. Now There Are So Many Options. How Should You Choose?

29" wheels aren't great for everything, but now that the threshold has been crossed, other bike innovators revived the intermediate 650b (27.5") wheel size that would hopefully be the "perfect mix."

Many bike manufacturing companies have now all but replaced their traditional 26" bikes for the better handling, fitting, and looks of the 650b style bike.

As a mountain biker, how do you choose which tire size would best suit you? Check out this guide to discover the benefits of each.




26"

The original wheel size might have been an accidental standard based on beach cruisers, but it still has a lot going for it.

For a start, smaller diameter rims and shorter spokes mean 26" wheels can be made lighter and more responsive than other sizes. That means a more agile feeling, faster accelerating bike on smooth surfaces.

They can also be made stiffer and stronger too, which is why most top downhill riders are still sticking with 26" wheels.

Spares are much easier to find than 29" and far far more common than 650b replacements. That makes it much easier to get going again if you puncture a tube, tear a tire or crumple a wheel far from home. That's obviously another bonus for downhillers and jump bike riders, who are the most likely to destroy their gear.

Because they hit stuff at a steeper angle and drop into holes easier, they clatter and lose speed more rapidly than bigger wheels in the rough though. They're not as stable steering or as grippy as 650b or 29er formats of the same tires either.


650B/ 27.5"

29ers certainly made it easier for the MTB industry to introduce a third wheel size, but we're still shocked how fast 650B has been accepted.

The first thing to realize is that the wheels aren't actually 27.5" but closer to 27". As a result they're significantly faster to accelerate and easier to flick around than a bigger 29er wheel.

There's less steering inertia and flex in the handling too, so handling feels more responsive and balanced. The wheels are still small enough to work with long travel suspension frames and forks without them feeling or looking weird.

650B tires still roll over rough ground more smoothly and grip noticeably better than 26" equivalents, although not as well as 29" wheels.

Because the new wheel size has been introduced so suddenly, most manufacturers are struggling to make enough bits for complete bikes, let alone extras for shop stocks. That means spares are alot harder to find in a hurry so stocking up in advance is wise. Most manufacturers are still concentrating their 650B efforts on trail and enduro bikes too, so specialist cross-country and downhill machines are thin on the ground.


29"

The wheel that broke the strangehold of 26" produces a very different feel. Because 29ers are larger, they're generally heavier and harder to get moving.

Their size and stability also means it's taken a while for bike designers to make big wheeled bikes handle in a fun way. They're still harder to hustle on really tight twisty or jump and pump trails compared to smaller wheels. It's also more difficult to make big wheels and small frames or long travel suspension fit together too. Crucially, because they're not as quick to get going and their smoothness dulls the sensation of speed they often feel much slower than they actually are. Add sometimes awkward looks and it's easy to see why 29ers took a while to catch on.

Once rolling though, 29ers hit rocks and roots at a shallower angle and with more momentum so they roll over the top easier. The longer contact patch means any given tire grips better or you can run slicker, speedier rubber without slipping. Add their natural extra stability and they're perfect for powering straight through trouble at high speed.

There's a full range of different styles of 29er bikes to choose from now too, although most are still focused on the cross-country and trail categories.

Final Tips

— The smallest wheel size is still the strongest where strength matters most.

— Just starting out? A 29er will help if you aren't so confident on the trail. — Then again, cross country riders that want to finish first should also consider 29ers, as they are faster on less technical, high speed race courses and open trail



Come to Bumstead's Bicycles for all your cycling needs.
We are located at 1038 W. 4th St in Ontario, CA.
You can reach us by phone at (909) 984-9067

Monday, May 12, 2014

All-New Womens Bike From Trek: Slique (Endurance)

2014 Brings An All New Women's Bike With Re-designed Women's Specific Geometry


Borrowing the IsoSpeed decoupler and other vibration reducing technology from the Domane, the Silque uses size-specific carbon layups to provide an equally smooth ride across all frame sizes. Since they weren't borrowing an existing frame and slapping WSD components on it, the clean slate allowed them to design the geometry from the ground up for women wanting both performance and comfort. A sloping top tube and shorter seat tube provide good standover (and a lower center of gravity), while increased stack height puts them in a slightly more upright position.

Trek are offering four models: Silque, Silque SL, Silque SLX, and Silque SSL (Project One). Each are made from OCLV carbon fiber with size specific carbon fiber layups. Sizes 44-56cm.

Each model shares familiar Trek features such as the E2 tapered head tube, BB90 pressfit bottom bracket, internal cable routing compatible with electronic groupsets, Duotrap compatibility and on the two cheaper models: hidden mudguard mounts. All have the 3S integrated chain guard mounted just above the bottom bracket to prevent dropped chains.


The Silque offers a Shimano Tiagra 10-speed built bike with Bontrager tubeless ready wheels and 25mm tires and Bontrager race bars and stem and Affinity 1 WSD Saddle.


The Silque SLX features an Ultegra 11-speed groupset with Bontrager Race wheels, 23mm tires and Bontrager Race X Lite finishing kit. And you can customize your own bike through Trek's Project One bike builder.

For the handling, they put it smack in between the racy Madone and the all-day Domane. The chainstay length splits the difference, so it's more stable at speed or on gravel than the Madone, but a little snappier than the Domane. It shares the Madone's BB drop, which keeps everything a bit lower to the ground for quicker turning response.

Come to Bumstead's Bicycles for all your cycling needs.
We are located at 1038 W. 4th St in Ontario, CA.
You can reach us by phone at (909) 984-9067