# Yay, finally got the bike I really wanted! Now what?



## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

A very happy man is writing this as I finally have the bike I have been wanting for years. It's sitting in my living room because my last bike (the one I bought because it was "sensible" and never really liked) was stolen, and I don't dare take any chances with this one.

If you're curious you can read about my decision making process here: http://forums.roadbikereview.com/bikes-frames-forks/help-me-choose-comfortable-road-bike-276458.html










Anyway, I have my Felt Z85, so now what?

Actually I need a few things. I need some kind of bag to carry the essentials with me, a perhaps another bigger bag to carry larger items on occasion. Suggestions?

Any other random suggestions that I may not be thinking of?


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## pmpski_1 (Oct 7, 2009)

Hah, I have the same bike sitting here in my living room, but mines a 2011. 

What's next? Ride it!


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## jmorgan (Apr 13, 2012)

Could be me or the photo but the front brake pad looks a little high almost like its touching the tire. 
Also time to remove the 10 warning stickers that come on Felt bikes. 
Specialized makes a good little bag, also transit, you should carry an extra tube (I carry an ultra light tube to save space) maybe some patches, boot, compressed air or a pump and tire levers, some hex wrenches (4mm, 5mm, 6mm to fix or change seat position or handlebar position). 

My tube popped after 20 miles, lucky I was at home when it blew, but the Kenda tubes have a problem with developing a hole near the steam which is hard to patch so make sure you have a tube, also if you have never done it, practice changing a tube at home, where you have youtube to refer to.

Ride it. 

Nice sandals.


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## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

i quite like my saddle bag ... i just put the pump on the top tube; comes with a clip-on; topeak as well ...

View attachment 256694


btw ... would help if you re-size your picture (horizontally) to less than 800 pixels to fit 'most' screens ... i think ... mine is already on 1280x1024 and it is still way over to the right to see your whole bike ... not meant to offend ... cheers


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## mmlee (Apr 15, 2012)

I have a Zimbale 2.3 liter seatpouch....(large enough to carry flat repair kit, extra tube, windbreaker, snacks, cell phone, etc)..... great quality and very reasonably priced.

Awesome bike, enjoy the ride.


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## brucew (Jun 3, 2006)

jtimar said:


> Anyway, I have my Felt Z85, so now what?
> 
> Any other random suggestions that I may not be thinking of?


Ride it.

Ride it a lot.

Then, ride it some more.


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## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n said:


> i quite like my saddle bag ... i just put the pump on the top tube; comes with a clip-on; topeak as well ...
> 
> View attachment 256694
> 
> ...


That one looks good. 

Yeah, sorry about the size of the pic, direct upload from my phone so no chance for a resize.


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## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

jmorgan said:


> Could be me or the photo but the front brake pad looks a little high almost like its touching the tire.
> Also time to remove the 10 warning stickers that come on Felt bikes.
> Specialized makes a good little bag, also transit, you should carry an extra tube (I carry an ultra light tube to save space) maybe some patches, boot, compressed air or a pump and tire levers, some hex wrenches (4mm, 5mm, 6mm to fix or change seat position or handlebar position).
> 
> ...


I don't know what it is about the bike shops near me but they have abysmal accessory selections. The only one that does have a good range of accessories has very rude staff and I don't like buying from them.

I fixed the brake, it was a little high, I'm surprised the shop didn't notice that one when they were setting the bike up, they were pretty thorough otherwise. 

The sandal aren't mine. Honest.


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## SFTifoso (Aug 17, 2011)

brucew said:


> Ride it.
> 
> Ride it a lot.
> 
> Then, ride it some more.


Then wipe it down, and ride it again.


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## milkbaby (Aug 14, 2009)

Ride it like you stole it! uhhh... unfortunate choice of words...  But, hope you enjoy it and have fun! :thumbsup:


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## Loogs (May 3, 2012)

sweet. that was my second choice bike. ride that thing.


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## Atwood13 (May 11, 2012)

sweet.


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## TDI Hoo (Apr 1, 2012)

Welcome to the Felt club! Ride it for two weeks and get comfortable. Then flip the stem over and get used to that. 
Learn to use the adjusters on the down tube. 

Beautiful bike!


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## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

TDI Hoo said:


> Welcome to the Felt club! Ride it for two weeks and get comfortable. Then flip the stem over and get used to that.
> Learn to use the adjusters on the down tube.
> 
> Beautiful bike!


sorry man, you'll have to speak newbie to me, I didn't really get that, nor do I know why I would want to....


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## theplumber (Apr 18, 2012)

TDI Hoo said:


> Welcome to the Felt club! Ride it for two weeks and get comfortable. Then flip the stem over and get used to that.
> Learn to use the adjusters on the down tube.
> 
> Beautiful bike!


I can do this.
Felt club cuz you have a felt. The stem is the thing that's holding your handlebars, Its slanted up now which is more comfortable, flipping it over would lower your bars and get you in a more aggressive position (racy) 
The adjusters i think is the cables you will have to adjust when you bars are in a different position


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

jtimar said:


> sorry man, you'll have to speak newbie to me,* I didn't really get that, nor do I know why I would want to*....


You don't want to. Not in two weeks. As you build saddle time your fit will evolve and the bars will likely drop, slowly. Let your body tell you when the time is right.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Holy smokes. What a bunch of hoopla here.

First, nice bike.
Second, dont let people who dont know what they are talking about give you fit advice.
Third, there is no "Felt Club" you are not missing out.
Last, just ride your bike and go from there.


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## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

PJ352 said:


> You don't want to. Not in two weeks. As you build saddle time your fit will evolve and the bars will likely drop, slowly. Let your body tell you when the time is right.


No, I really don't want to. I specifically went shopping for a relaxed geometry bike and had the bike shop set it up for maximum comfort. I'm riding for pleasure and fitness, not for all out speed.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

jtimar said:


> No, I really don't want to. I specifically went shopping for a relaxed geometry bike and had the bike shop set it up for maximum comfort. I'm riding for pleasure and fitness, not for all out speed.


You have it right and (ironically), maximum comfort equates to maximum performance.


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## theplumber (Apr 18, 2012)

tihsepa said:


> ..... there is no "Felt Club" you are not missing out.
> .


 “]�EƒTƒCƒg JAVA


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## pmpski_1 (Oct 7, 2009)

tihsepa said:


> there is no "Felt Club" you are not missing out.


First Rule of Felt Club is you do not talk about Felt Club


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## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

theplumber said:


> ... The adjusters i think is the cables you will have to adjust when you bars are in a different position


I thought these adjust the tension in your cables when you need to fine-tune your derailleurs? On my MTB shifters, the adjusters are just at the shifters rather than on the frame ...


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n said:


> *I thought these adjust the tension in your cables when you need to fine-tune your derailleurs?* On my MTB shifters, the adjusters are just at the shifters rather than on the frame ...


They are. Their specific location (frame down tube or inline) doesn't much matter.

_Inline barrel adjusters are small, plastic mechanisms that are installed between the shifter on your bike and the derailleur that it controls. The inline barrel adjusters allow the tension of your shift cable to be changed and adjusted while you are riding..._

Quoted from an ehow.com site.


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## afsf (May 13, 2012)

now its time to ride!


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## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

The more I ride this bike, the more I love it.

I do wish I had had the bike shop swap out the braked for somethin better, they do seem kind of, well, crappy. 

Also, not really happy with the pedals I got. The shop did not have a great selection, but these pedals I find are difficult to clip into, I am alwasy struggling to line of my feet in the right place, and the fact that you can only clip on from one side makes them very clumsy as they tend to always flip upside down... are all road bike pedals like this?


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

jtimar said:


> I do wish I had had the bike shop swap out the braked for somethin better, they do seem kind of, well, crappy.


Try different pads. It's a relatively cheap way to improve your brakes performance. There's all sorts of rubber compounds that may work much better than what you have. Crappy pads on great brakes still equal crappy stopping power.


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## Loogs (May 3, 2012)

jtimar said:


> Also, not really happy with the pedals I got. The shop did not have a great selection, but these pedals I find are difficult to clip into, I am alwasy struggling to line of my feet in the right place, and the fact that you can only clip on from one side makes them very clumsy as they tend to always flip upside down... are all road bike pedals like this?


I'm so glad I went with the SPD pedals. They may be a bit heavier but they're so easy to clip in and out of and you can do it on both sides. If you're having that kind of trouble, I would recommended switching to different pedals. It's only a losing proposition for you to keep them and god forbid something really bad happens to you. Good luck.


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## Erion929 (Jun 10, 2010)

jtimar said:


> Also, not really happy with the pedals I got. The shop did not have a great selection, but these pedals I find are difficult to clip into, I am alwasy struggling to line of my feet in the right place, and the fact that you can only clip on from one side makes them very clumsy as they tend to always flip upside down... are all road bike pedals like this?



The pedals should tip slight up naturally at rest, letting you engage the toe easier....but it takes practice to develop the feel sometimes. Don't give up, just practice and it almost gets second nature...

**


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## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

well mine, don't they tip backwards


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

Here's an easy (and cheap) fix for your brakes:
Amazon.com: Dura Type Road Brake Pads, Kool-Stop, Salmon, Wet: Sports & Outdoors

Judging from the pic of your bike, your pedals are LOOK's. All you need do is slide your toe forward till the front tip of the cleat catches the lip on the pedal, then press straight down. Take a look at you pedals/ cleats to better understand how the mechanism works. Once you get the knack, you'll be fine.

As far as ditching them for another pedal system, I'd advise holding that thought. There's a learning curve with any pedal system and buying based primarily on (perceived) ease of entry/ exit is (IMO) questionable criteria.


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## Erion929 (Jun 10, 2010)

jtimar said:


> well mine, don't they tip backwards


In your pic, it looks like the toe is pointing up, which is what you want....like PJ said, you just need to clip your cleat under the toe of the pedal and rotate your foot forward.


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## pmpski_1 (Oct 7, 2009)

I have Looks on mine as well. The first day out I almost caused people behind me to run into me many, many times. The second day it got better... I've got just over 250 miles on it now and it's starting to get easier. It's not second nature just yet, but I feel it won't be long. Stick with it.


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## SFTifoso (Aug 17, 2011)

Speedplay pedals and cleats seem to be the premier pedal/cleat choice. You can clip in on both sides, so it's just a smash your foot down and your in motion. There's many variations to speedplay pedals; materials/weight, colors, ease of clipping in and out, etc.

You can also try mountain bike pedals, like Egg Beaters and Shimano SPD pedals, but seeing how you already have Look/SPD-SL pedals, you probably already have road shoes, so simply getting speedplay might be a better option for you.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Count me in with "replacing the pedals would be premature." I like my Speedplays, but they're expensive and they have their detractors too - the mechanism is a bit finicky, and a lot of users don't like the float. I guess it's controllable with the newer systems, but with the X-pedals, there's a ton and you can't turn it off.

Mountain bike pedals take a bit of learning to. You have to catch the toe of the cleat in the front of the pedal. I don't know how they compare to LOOKs, that's not a pedal system I've used. But I don't think anything is foolproof. Even a BMX pedal takes a little figuring out to use really well.

If I didn't really, really like the float from my Speedplays, and the relatively narrow Q-factor despite a wide crank, I'd probably standardize all my bikes on MTB pedals. I do a lot of mountain biking and some 'cross, so the ability to walk, run, and clip in with muddy shoes is a real requirement on some of my bikes. That's something that road systems really don't do well at all.


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## GRhino (May 14, 2012)

Congrats on getting your new bike!


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## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

I think I will get used to the pedals. I did have a mountain bike in the past and i found the pedals much easier to clip into, so I do find myself wishing I had gone with MTB pedals. Not so much because I don't think I will get used to these, but because I will, but because haivng MTB pedeals means being able to use soft soled MTB shoes with recessed cleats, which would be nice since i don't ride for all out speed and do get off and walk around on occasion. Oh well, not really a huge deal.

I just adjusted my seat to tilt it down slighlty as I have been having significant perenium pain during and after my rides, hope it helps, a new seat is not in the budget right now.

QUESTION: My front derailler seems to need two clicks most of the time to make it move, and it does seems to be slightly mis aligned, can anyone reccoment a good guide to fixing this problem for the layman?


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

jtimar said:


> QUESTION: My front derailler seems to need two clicks most of the time to make it move, and it does seems to be slightly mis aligned, can anyone reccoment a good guide to fixing this problem for the layman?


Lots of good tutorials on youtube.

Also check out Parktool.com. They have very good instructionals on derailleur set up.


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## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

jtimar said:


> I think I will get used to the pedals. I did have a mountain bike in the past and i found the pedals much easier to clip into, so I do find myself wishing I had gone with MTB pedals. Not so much because I don't think I will get used to these, but because I will, but because *haivng MTB pedeals means being able to use soft soled MTB shoes with recessed cleats, which would be nice since i don't ride for all out speed and do get off and walk around on occasion.* Oh well, not really a huge deal.
> 
> I just adjusted my seat to tilt it down slighlty as I have been having significant perenium pain during and after my rides, hope it helps, a new seat is not in the budget right now.
> 
> QUESTION: My front derailler seems to need two clicks most of the time to make it move, and it does seems to be slightly mis aligned, can anyone reccoment a good guide to fixing this problem for the layman?


If walking is something you'll do on your rides, your logic for recessed cleats is sound, but believe me, you don't want soft soled shoes, no matter the pedal system used or speed of your rides. Stiff soles offer support along with helping disperse pressure.

As to your question, the two clicks are most likely a trim, then a shift. Refer to the tech doc below, but you might also want to visit your LBS to have them explain the STI's operation. 
http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/t...0A/SI-6TH0A-002-ENG_v1_m56577569830702880.pdf

Re: the derailleur 'misalignment', you don't offer any details on what's happening, so what makes you think there's a problem. If it's chain rub, that could be remedied by using the trim function, or you may be cross chaining.


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## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

Thanks for the link about the derailer thing, I didn't know about the "trim" function".  Guess my derailer is fine.

And I think I'll get used to the pedals too.

Wierd thing is happening, now that I have this shiny new bike, I find myself wanting to also own an old "fixer upper" or classic road bike.


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## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

N+1, baby!

Try to hold off at least until the Fall. Once you've got this bike really dialed, you've got a much better shot to get it right on sizing and evaluating condition on another one.

And you'll have an excuse. You'll need a rain bike. 

I'm at five...


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## jtimar (Sep 18, 2007)

AndrwSwitch said:


> N+1, baby!
> 
> Try to hold off at least until the Fall. Once you've got this bike really dialed, you've got a much better shot to get it right on sizing and evaluating condition on another one.
> 
> ...



Sigh. I already have the excuse, I need a commuter, don't care if I damage it, won't cry too much if it get's stolen bike. Too bad my last bike *was* stolen, because that's exactly the kind of bike it was. 

Ah who am I kidding, I cried a lot when it was stolen. And by cry I mean "searched the neightbourhood looking for the peice of **** who took it so I could kill him".

Never found it though.


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## dbrand5b (May 19, 2012)

Helmet?


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