Are Viking bikes good?

blackhead wrote:

Colin MacDonald last week suggested :

"EBC own-brand stuff is generally reasonable value, but you get what
you pay for. The Continental, for example, has pretty low-spec
components but that's why it is £350. If you're happy with that,
Chain Reaction are doing last year's BeOne Briza 2.0 (no, I'm not on
commission) for £250 and it has a more or less identical spec. For
£350 the Storm 3.0 has Sora kit rather than 2200 as well as carbon
forks."

So I'm swayed in two directions by the BeOne Briza 2.0 or the Storm
3.0. Are carbon forks and Sora kit worth an extra £100 over alloy
forks and shimano 2200 for someone that wants an enjoyable 10 mile
bike ride over the weekend and the odd 5 miles during the week?

How much do carbon forks reduce vibration by compared to alloy forks?

Very significantly. The hierarchy for forks is

* Carbon: least vibration but need to be replaced after a crash
* Steel: middling vibration and don't need to be replaced unless visibly
damaged
* Alloy: very harsh and need to be replaced after a crash

Can you really feel the difference or is it just a placebo effect? lol

You can really feel the difference - and after a hundred miles it can be the
difference between having palsy in both hands and not having palsy in both
hands. If you're going to go with alloy forks you either need to get 'grab
on' type foam handlebar covering or not ride long distances.

However, having said that, if you're planning on riding not more than ten
miles a weekend it probably isn't worth the extra.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

:: Wisdom is better than weapons of war ::
:: Ecclesiastes 9:18 ::

Walney wrote:

On 28 Mar, 20:13, (Roger Merriman) wrote:
Arthur Clune wrote:
PhilD wrote:

I have never heard ofViking.

They are more famous for selling 99 quid bike shaped
objects.

I agree with everyone else that this looks very
overpriced fro what it is.

Arthur

lots on ebay, when i was searching for a 2nd bike, allways had to sift
though a ton of them.

roger
--www.rogermerriman.com

No relation, then, to the well-respected Viking machines of the 60's?

very much dought it.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Simon Brooke wrote:

blackhead wrote:

Colin MacDonald last week suggested :

"EBC own-brand stuff is generally reasonable value, but you get what
you pay for. The Continental, for example, has pretty low-spec
components but that's why it is £350. If you're happy with that,
Chain Reaction are doing last year's BeOne Briza 2.0 (no, I'm not on
commission) for £250 and it has a more or less identical spec. For
£350 the Storm 3.0 has Sora kit rather than 2200 as well as carbon
forks."

So I'm swayed in two directions by the BeOne Briza 2.0 or the Storm
3.0. Are carbon forks and Sora kit worth an extra £100 over alloy
forks and shimano 2200 for someone that wants an enjoyable 10 mile
bike ride over the weekend and the odd 5 miles during the week?

How much do carbon forks reduce vibration by compared to alloy forks?

Very significantly. The hierarchy for forks is

* Carbon: least vibration but need to be replaced after a crash
* Steel: middling vibration and don't need to be replaced unless visibly
damaged
* Alloy: very harsh and need to be replaced after a crash

tit forks would be like steel i guess? i was quite suprised as to how
smooth the old steel road bike, that i've recently added to my fleet,
even with 20mm tires.

Can you really feel the difference or is it just a placebo effect? lol

You can really feel the difference - and after a hundred miles it can be the
difference between having palsy in both hands and not having palsy in both
hands. If you're going to go with alloy forks you either need to get 'grab
on' type foam handlebar covering or not ride long distances.

However, having said that, if you're planning on riding not more than ten
miles a weekend it probably isn't worth the extra.

how good is so called gel tape for drops? the old bike's tape is fairly
shafted, while it is fairly comftable to ride, i'd like a bit more
comfort on my hands, as the postion is fairly head down so more weight
is taken on my hands. i have gloves etc.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Roger Merriman wrote:

Simon Brooke wrote:

blackhead wrote:

Colin MacDonald last week suggested :

"EBC own-brand stuff is generally reasonable value, but you get what
you pay for. The Continental, for example, has pretty low-spec
components but that's why it is £350. If you're happy with that,
Chain Reaction are doing last year's BeOne Briza 2.0 (no, I'm not on
commission) for £250 and it has a more or less identical spec. For
£350 the Storm 3.0 has Sora kit rather than 2200 as well as carbon
forks."

So I'm swayed in two directions by the BeOne Briza 2.0 or the Storm
3.0. Are carbon forks and Sora kit worth an extra £100 over alloy
forks and shimano 2200 for someone that wants an enjoyable 10 mile
bike ride over the weekend and the odd 5 miles during the week?

How much do carbon forks reduce vibration by compared to alloy forks?

Very significantly. The hierarchy for forks is

* Carbon: least vibration but need to be replaced after a crash
* Steel: middling vibration and don't need to be replaced unless visibly
damaged
* Alloy: very harsh and need to be replaced after a crash

tit forks would be like steel i guess? i was quite suprised as to how
smooth the old steel road bike, that i've recently added to my fleet,
even with 20mm tires.

I've never ridden a Ti bike, so I wouldn't know. But yes, good steel forks
are remarkably good, and a whole lot better than aluminium.

You can really feel the difference - and after a hundred miles it can be
the difference between having palsy in both hands and not having palsy in
both hands. If you're going to go with alloy forks you either need to get
'grab on' type foam handlebar covering or not ride long distances.

However, having said that, if you're planning on riding not more than ten
miles a weekend it probably isn't worth the extra.

how good is so called gel tape for drops? the old bike's tape is fairly
shafted, while it is fairly comftable to ride, i'd like a bit more
comfort on my hands, as the postion is fairly head down so more weight
is taken on my hands. i have gloves etc.

In the days I rode steel bikes I mostly used 'grab on' brand foam covers

http://www.bonthronebikes.co.uk/140-...62add83fc68d91

These are effectively like sections of foam pipe lagging, which you slide up
the bars rather than wrap on. The 'grab on' brand are quite high density
foam and really work for reducing vibration - some of the cheaper
imitations are of lower density foam that doesn't work so well. They're
awkward to get on - you need shaving foam (or similar) and patience.

I personally haven't found gel tape works well for me. Some people use a
double wrapping of ordinary cork bar tape, and find that works well. With
carbon forks however, there simply isn't a problem, and that's the solution
I prefer these days.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

X-no-archive: No, I'm not *that* naive.

Simon Brooke wrote:
Roger Merriman wrote:
how good is so called gel tape for drops? the old bike's tape is
fairly shafted, while it is fairly comftable to ride, i'd like a bit
more comfort on my hands, as the postion is fairly head down so more
weight is taken on my hands. i have gloves etc.

In the days I rode steel bikes I mostly used 'grab on' brand foam
covers

http://www.bonthronebikes.co.uk/140-...62add83fc68d91

These are effectively like sections of foam pipe lagging, which you
slide up the bars rather than wrap on. The 'grab on' brand are quite
high density foam and really work for reducing vibration - some of
the cheaper imitations are of lower density foam that doesn't work so
well. They're awkward to get on - you need shaving foam (or similar)
and patience.

One only needs water to get Grab-on's on and off handlebars (the real
branded high-density ones). Every other lubricant I've tried is no better
than tap water ( I have tried soapy water, washing up liquid (neat and
diluted), WD-40).

To remove, poke a small item under the grab-on to allow the water to get
between the foam and the bars, gentle rotation will work the water in
slowly, and suddenly all will be loose and slidy.

My older tourer has 531 forks and Grab-on bar covering.


I personally haven't found gel tape works well for me. Some people
use a double wrapping of ordinary cork bar tape, and find that works
well. With carbon forks however, there simply isn't a problem, and
that's the solution I prefer these days.

My posh bike has carbon forks and Maras foam strips underneath cork bar
tape. The carbon forks are the biggest contribution to improved comfort.


- Nigel



--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Simon Brooke wrote:

Roger Merriman wrote:

Simon Brooke wrote:

blackhead wrote:

Colin MacDonald last week suggested :

"EBC own-brand stuff is generally reasonable value, but you get what
you pay for. The Continental, for example, has pretty low-spec
components but that's why it is £350. If you're happy with that,
Chain Reaction are doing last year's BeOne Briza 2.0 (no, I'm not on
commission) for £250 and it has a more or less identical spec. For
£350 the Storm 3.0 has Sora kit rather than 2200 as well as carbon
forks."

So I'm swayed in two directions by the BeOne Briza 2.0 or the Storm
3.0. Are carbon forks and Sora kit worth an extra £100 over alloy
forks and shimano 2200 for someone that wants an enjoyable 10 mile
bike ride over the weekend and the odd 5 miles during the week?

How much do carbon forks reduce vibration by compared to alloy forks?

Very significantly. The hierarchy for forks is

* Carbon: least vibration but need to be replaced after a crash
* Steel: middling vibration and don't need to be replaced unless visibly
damaged
* Alloy: very harsh and need to be replaced after a crash

tit forks would be like steel i guess? i was quite suprised as to how
smooth the old steel road bike, that i've recently added to my fleet,
even with 20mm tires.

I've never ridden a Ti bike, so I wouldn't know. But yes, good steel forks
are remarkably good, and a whole lot better than aluminium.

You can really feel the difference - and after a hundred miles it can be
the difference between having palsy in both hands and not having palsy in
both hands. If you're going to go with alloy forks you either need to get
'grab on' type foam handlebar covering or not ride long distances.

However, having said that, if you're planning on riding not more than ten
miles a weekend it probably isn't worth the extra.

how good is so called gel tape for drops? the old bike's tape is fairly
shafted, while it is fairly comftable to ride, i'd like a bit more
comfort on my hands, as the postion is fairly head down so more weight
is taken on my hands. i have gloves etc.

In the days I rode steel bikes I mostly used 'grab on' brand foam covers

http://www.bonthronebikes.co.uk/140-...62add83fc68d91

These are effectively like sections of foam pipe lagging, which you slide up
the bars rather than wrap on. The 'grab on' brand are quite high density
foam and really work for reducing vibration - some of the cheaper
imitations are of lower density foam that doesn't work so well. They're
awkward to get on - you need shaving foam (or similar) and patience.

I personally haven't found gel tape works well for me. Some people use a
double wrapping of ordinary cork bar tape, and find that works well. With
carbon forks however, there simply isn't a problem, and that's the solution
I prefer these days.

okay sounds intresting, it's not vibration but pressure as the drops
cause a higher loading on my hands than most of my other bikes.

think i'll roll up to the shop around the courner and see if they have
any i can look at.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

O
Don't touch the Viking - overpriced crap. That it is cheap and /still/
overpriced lets you know how crap it is.


I don't suppose you will now, but if you did get a viking I would
expect it to work ok. £360 does not seem much money and that and the
steel fork version for the money seem comparable to the opposition to
me.The trek Madone is probably a better bike, but we are looking here
at things that 10 years would have seemed okish and would have cost a
lot more then. We have a viking of the sort that you can get now for
about £260 from Parkers.I got it for very little from a serious racer
who had trained probably 20 000miles on it and I put some wheels on it
from the garage of many bits and it seems to be enjoyed by my son, who
is more used to riding a students bike.
If I had got it new for £260 I would be satisfied and look forward to
getting new , good tyres and saddle.Mudguards are desirable, though,
and maybe lower gears or a triple chainset unless you live in a flat
area.
TerryJ

On 31 Mar, 17:16, TerryJ wrote:
O

Don't touch the Viking - overpriced crap. That it is cheap and /still/
overpriced lets you know how crap it is.

I don't suppose you will now, but if you did get a viking I would
expect it to work ok. £360 does not seem much money and that and the
steel fork version for the money seem comparable to the opposition to
me.The trek Madone is probably a better bike, but we are looking here
at things that 10 years would have seemed okish and would have cost a
lot more then. We have a viking of the sort that you can get now for
about £260 from Parkers.I got it for very little from a serious racer
who had trained probably 20 000miles on it and I put some wheels on it
from the garage of many bits and it seems to be enjoyed by my son, who
is more used to riding a students bike.
If I had got it new for £260 I would be satisfied and look forward to
getting new , good tyres and saddle.Mudguards are desirable, though,
and maybe lower gears or a triple chainset unless you live in a flat
area.
TerryJ

PS the steel forks on it are amazingly robust and therefore heavy. At
least the carbon ones would be lighter.
TJ