Nerd Dollars

Best purchase-to-credit system ever! The more you buy, the more freebies you can get! In my honest opinion, the best way of going about it is when you buy those big ticket items, use the NerdDollars to make the smaller purchases. For example: when I bought my Tomasso, I used the money from that sale to then get pedals at no extra cost. It's perfect, because after you make a purchase, the last thing you want to do is spend more to get the things to complete what you got. This way, you can get everything quicker and spend more time enjoying it. Just like getting a percentage back from your savings account at the bank, but the interest rate you collect on it much higher!

Added 05.13.11

Steel Vs. Aluminum

well, on my road bike, it's aluminum, and i love it. light, but still feels lively. before i bought it i tried some all carbon bikes at some local shops, and i just hated how mushy they all felt to me. then again, i come from a BMX background, and almost all the parts and frames are made using 4130 cro-mo, and you can upgrade some parts to aluminum or titanium. but if you rode street and park like i do, those other metals actually were too light for the abuse and break constantly. as for steel, they felt great, but for those longer treks and uphills the weight might get to you a little bit. but i guess if you ride flats and like to steer hard through the S-turns, steel will flex out less.

Added 08.12.10

Build kit?

whatever parts work:i'm not partial o any brand or product line. after being a BMX'er (and still am) for so many years, i have this rat-fink attitude of "if it runs, use it, when it breaks, fix it."

Added 07.09.10

details of "Tour de Nerd" road bike sale???

it's a Facebook benefit if you join the GN Facebook page. go to their wall everyday and see which bikes are on sale for that day, and they are one day only deals. it's only an extra 5% you get off, but every little bit helps, right?

Added 07.09.10

What is the better deal?   All depends on what you want, and can afford. Getting it with the carbon fork is not a bad choice at all, because that's one upgrade almost everyone makes, and you are getting it as a price included deal. Add the benefits all the other nerds have said! But then you get people like me: come from a street BMX background from Detroit where the roads are always horrible, and I throw myself off, on, and at things. Because I don't mind the vibes, I have the regular ol' metal fork. But, if you want a butter-smooth ride, I'd probably go carbon.

Posted 05.13.11

tire size   it could depend on the size frame you get. on their web site, all the frames will say they have 700x23c tires. but, some people who have gotten the larger frame sizes have 70x25c tires. this is probably because Tommaso listens to their customers needs to create nice out of the box bikes, hence why some of the models of their road bikes say they come with the Forza seat, but instead come now with a Tommaso seat with more padding (like i got on my Imola). if you got a FaceBook account, hit up their page and ask them. they are pretty speedy about responding to people, and you can get the exact info from them that way. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/Tommasobikes

Posted 07.14.10

[(price x low) + comfort] - bad = Sugoi bibs

I actually picked this up at a local shop at the start of this season, and after lots of bib short research. Why did I settle on the Sugoi bibs? Well, I guess refer to the equation. Price: Sugoi is one of the lower cost brands out on the market, but this does not mean they skimp on quality. They come with one of the better designed chamois that is on the market, with great material and stitching to hold it all together. That really helps if you don't want to spend a ton on a great bib, but keep you comfortable in the long haul. Comfort: Just great materials. The chamois sits in the sweet spot on these bibs, meaning unlike some other bibs in this price range, you will actually be comfortable. And i just can't get enough of the stretch in these bad boys. I have large legs; always have do to the varying sports I like to play, so having something that can actually fit is a necessity. I tried some other bibs at local shops too, but they just didn't want to cooperate. But for $50 less than the competing brand of the same comfort level, Sugoi delivers. Bad: Haven't found one yet. :) Do yourself a favor. if you are looking for a set of reliable bibs, but want to save the money for that set of carbon clinchers to put on your bike, get some Sugoi. Besides, Sugoi in Japanese means "amazing," "great," and "wonderful" depending on the context it is used in :D

Posted 05.12.11

Even with my hippie hair...

... this helmet keeps it cool. Bell really knocked it out of the park with this one. I know a lot of people like the Giro Atmos and Ionos helmets (which are great helmets by all means), but for the price you pay on them, you can get the Bell equivalent and a lower cost. Granted, the Giro helmets are just a smidgen lighter, but not by much. Plus, the detachable visor is such a huge bonus on the Sweep! With my old helmet, if I knew it was going to rain, I would have to fit my cycling cap under and try to play with the visor just to keep the rain out of my eyes. But, the visor on the Bell Sweep pops in and out with ease, and being made form a nice flexible plastic compound, you are not going to shatter and crack this thing trying to pop it in or out. The Tag-Fit system... oooooooo... it's like having a custom fit each time you put this helmet on. I personally like to loosen the brace through the Tag-Fit via the little dial on the back each time I take it off just to keep it easy to put back on. Why? have you ever tried putting your helmet on, when the fitting brace is already adjusted to your head, but folds, bends, and twists between the inner part of the helmet and your scalp? NOT FUN! Once the helmet is back on and buckled in, just roll those finger over the dial till the helmet fits snug. Avoid using the brace as a cheese grater on your noggin! Oh, and the air passes through pretty well too. Easy and breezy. If you are going to drop coin on a higher end helmet, make it easier on your wallet and get the Bell Sweep.

Posted 04.27.11

Phenomenal!

These pedals are actually excellent for the price you pay on them. Being my first set of clipless pedals, I was a little afraid of being able to clip in and out on these bad boys. To my surprise, it's not as hard as it sounds or looks. Entry and exit were a breeze, and after a couple minuets of getting the feel for clipping in I was already flying down the street on them. I was slightly intimidated about exiting the pedals, because, well... I didn't want to get stuck and tip over. That didn't happen. The spring tension was set pretty low on them right out of the box, so getting out was pretty easy. The weight f these pedals felt great, and for a light weight pedal, these feel nice and ridged. The body of these just feel great, and the axles are pretty good size, so you can defiantly crank on these and get moving. The cleats are the ARC-1 (or Look style cleats). These are the red nylon cleats with 9-degrees of float to them. Despite being new to clipless, and a lot of people have told me that I want the most float I can get as a starter, I personally felt that the 9-degrees was a little too much play for me. I feel like i would have been happier with a 4.5-degree cleat, but that's something I'll look into later I guess. If you do feel like me about the float on them, it couldn't hurt to drop some extra cash on some tighter feeling cleats and hold onto the red ones as back up in case you wear them out or happen to snap the toe or back end off of them. Overall, I am highly impressed with these pedals. I really do recommend these if you are looking for a great light weight pedal that won't break the bank.

Posted 08.19.10

You CANNOT go wrong with this bike!

What can we say about the Imola? The frame and fork combo is solid, the shift levers are crisp and clean, the seat has good padding, bars and tape felt like butter... and because of how clean this bike is, you will turn heads, and probably get that one girl pass by everyday's number ;P From other bikes i have demoed at local shops of much higher price range, the Imola stands and delivers like Adam Ant. The compact geometry makes the bike much lighter and livelier. It still has some weight to it, but once you get rolling on it, you almost don't notice it. The shifters may be great, but the derailers I had a little issue with during the build. The rear functioned perfectly out of the box, but the front had some slight rubbing, even when the chain was in perfect alignment with the front and rear gears. Luckily, that problem was solved with a quick adjustment on the cable using the barrel adjusters that are threaded into the frame on the routing points. After a couple quick trips up and down the street and putting some more tension on the cable, the problem was solved and the derailer worked perfectly. The wheels felt wonderful, but i had some slight twisting of the front after it was mounted. I went around the wheel with a spoke wrench doing quarter turns on all the nipples which stopped the creaking from the wheel flexing. It was straight as an arrow, so no tuning was needed. After doing some minor barrel adjustments to the rear brakes, the whole thing stood solid and stopped on a dime. Those minor fixes are expected with any new bike, so over all, the bike is amazing, fun to ride, responsive, and for other beginners like me to road biking, serves as a great platform to start with. As an added bonus, Tommaso gave you the option to mount a water bottle to the seat post or down tube of the frame! some bikes only offer one or the other, so if you like to do those long hauls and need the H2O, you can mount both and have even more water. You know they were thinking when they did that for you at no extra cost :D

Posted 07.14.10

Road Bikes

Started Topic TIRES! What's your favorite?

Topic Started 08.21.10

Joined Snowboard Goggles

Joined 07.09.10

Ryan Stein

need more chamois butter... nao!

Posted 05.05.12

Ryan Stein

i tell ya... riding in this humid weather during the heatwave is a killer. felt like i was drinking the air instead of breathing it.

Posted 07.25.11

Ryan Stein

Giant Nerd... stop spoiling me! you're not my grandmother! ;P

Posted 06.01.11

Ryan Stein

excited for the rest of the parts for a MTB i'm rebuilding to arrive this week! i shall have the tri-fecta : road, mountain, and BMX.

Posted 05.23.11

Ryan Stein

planning that weekend ride. how many miles do i want to do? do i want tech hill climbing? do i want flat out speed? what to do!?!??! ALL!!!!

Posted 05.12.11

Ryan Stein

can't wait for the new order to get here! woot!

Posted 05.01.11

Ryan Stein

still looking for a helmet, and i really want to get the Giro Atmos in this new color pattern they have.

Posted 09.20.10

Ryan Stein

worst idea ever: listening to Slayer while out on a ride. you just burn out way to fast!

Posted 09.12.10

Ryan Stein

i want to get one more really good ride in on the Imola before classes start up for me on wednesday

Posted 08.29.10

Ryan Stein

ever get those times when you think you are hungry, but when you go to eat, food just doesn't look good?

Posted 08.23.10

Ryan Stein

pedals are on the bike! ride feels great now!

Posted 08.19.10

Ryan Stein

haha... pedals are in route in Belleville were i have friends. wounder if they can intercept my parcel and get it to me faster... >:)

Posted 08.17.10

Ryan Stein

ordered some pedals! VP-R72's. nobody had any real world tests to look up, so i will post a review after a couple rides to let others know.

Posted 08.12.10

Ryan Stein

after i get my new address situated, i am ordering some pedals for my Tommaso. i'm thinking the VP72.

Posted 08.11.10

Ryan Stein

got some Sidi shoes the other day, and probably going to get some pedals/cleats this week. score!

Posted 08.08.10

Ryan Stein

pedals, shoes, and cleats. so many options!

Posted 08.05.10

Ryan Stein

been looking up training programs for the road. guy at work mentioned Centurion... might be worth a shot?

Posted 07.25.10

Ryan Stein

got a new water bottle and cage for the Imola, longer rides means more water intake! less beer? no... :P

Posted 07.22.10

Ryan Stein

NERDing out over my new Tommaso Imola! a couple small tweaks needed for the front derailer, and it'll be perfect. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

Posted 07.14.10

Ryan Stein

need more chamois butter... nao!

Posted 05.05.12

Ryan Stein

i tell ya... riding in this humid weather during the heatwave is a killer. felt like i was drinking the air instead of breathing it.

Posted 07.25.11

Ryan Stein

Giant Nerd... stop spoiling me! you're not my grandmother! ;P

Posted 06.01.11

Ryan Stein

excited for the rest of the parts for a MTB i'm rebuilding to arrive this week! i shall have the tri-fecta : road, mountain, and BMX.

Posted 05.23.11

What is the better deal?   All depends on what you want, and can afford. Getting it with the carbon fork is not a bad choice at all, because that's one upgrade almost everyone makes, and you are getting it as a price included deal. Add the benefits all the other nerds have said! But then you get people like me: come from a street BMX background from Detroit where the roads are always horrible, and I throw myself off, on, and at things. Because I don't mind the vibes, I have the regular ol' metal fork. But, if you want a butter-smooth ride, I'd probably go carbon.

Posted 05.13.11

Ryan Stein

planning that weekend ride. how many miles do i want to do? do i want tech hill climbing? do i want flat out speed? what to do!?!??! ALL!!!!

Posted 05.12.11

Ryan Stein

can't wait for the new order to get here! woot!

Posted 05.01.11

Even with my hippie hair...

... this helmet keeps it cool. Bell really knocked it out of the park with this one. I know a lot of people like the Giro Atmos and Ionos helmets (which are great helmets by all means), but for the price you pay on them, you can get the Bell equivalent and a lower cost. Granted, the Giro helmets are just a smidgen lighter, but not by much. Plus, the detachable visor is such a huge bonus on the Sweep! With my old helmet, if I knew it was going to rain, I would have to fit my cycling cap under and try to play with the visor just to keep the rain out of my eyes. But, the visor on the Bell Sweep pops in and out with ease, and being made form a nice flexible plastic compound, you are not going to shatter and crack this thing trying to pop it in or out. The Tag-Fit system... oooooooo... it's like having a custom fit each time you put this helmet on. I personally like to loosen the brace through the Tag-Fit via the little dial on the back each time I take it off just to keep it easy to put back on. Why? have you ever tried putting your helmet on, when the fitting brace is already adjusted to your head, but folds, bends, and twists between the inner part of the helmet and your scalp? NOT FUN! Once the helmet is back on and buckled in, just roll those finger over the dial till the helmet fits snug. Avoid using the brace as a cheese grater on your noggin! Oh, and the air passes through pretty well too. Easy and breezy. If you are going to drop coin on a higher end helmet, make it easier on your wallet and get the Bell Sweep.

Posted 04.27.11

Ryan Stein

still looking for a helmet, and i really want to get the Giro Atmos in this new color pattern they have.

Posted 09.20.10

Ryan Stein

worst idea ever: listening to Slayer while out on a ride. you just burn out way to fast!

Posted 09.12.10

Ryan Stein

i want to get one more really good ride in on the Imola before classes start up for me on wednesday

Posted 08.29.10

Ryan Stein

ever get those times when you think you are hungry, but when you go to eat, food just doesn't look good?

Posted 08.23.10

Road Bikes

Started Topic TIRES! What's your favorite?

Topic Started 08.21.10

Phenomenal!

These pedals are actually excellent for the price you pay on them. Being my first set of clipless pedals, I was a little afraid of being able to clip in and out on these bad boys. To my surprise, it's not as hard as it sounds or looks. Entry and exit were a breeze, and after a couple minuets of getting the feel for clipping in I was already flying down the street on them. I was slightly intimidated about exiting the pedals, because, well... I didn't want to get stuck and tip over. That didn't happen. The spring tension was set pretty low on them right out of the box, so getting out was pretty easy. The weight f these pedals felt great, and for a light weight pedal, these feel nice and ridged. The body of these just feel great, and the axles are pretty good size, so you can defiantly crank on these and get moving. The cleats are the ARC-1 (or Look style cleats). These are the red nylon cleats with 9-degrees of float to them. Despite being new to clipless, and a lot of people have told me that I want the most float I can get as a starter, I personally felt that the 9-degrees was a little too much play for me. I feel like i would have been happier with a 4.5-degree cleat, but that's something I'll look into later I guess. If you do feel like me about the float on them, it couldn't hurt to drop some extra cash on some tighter feeling cleats and hold onto the red ones as back up in case you wear them out or happen to snap the toe or back end off of them. Overall, I am highly impressed with these pedals. I really do recommend these if you are looking for a great light weight pedal that won't break the bank.

Posted 08.19.10

Ryan Stein

haha... pedals are in route in Belleville were i have friends. wounder if they can intercept my parcel and get it to me faster... >:)

Posted 08.17.10

Ryan Stein

ordered some pedals! VP-R72's. nobody had any real world tests to look up, so i will post a review after a couple rides to let others know.

Posted 08.12.10

Ryan Stein

after i get my new address situated, i am ordering some pedals for my Tommaso. i'm thinking the VP72.

Posted 08.11.10

Ryan Stein

got some Sidi shoes the other day, and probably going to get some pedals/cleats this week. score!

Posted 08.08.10

Ryan Stein

pedals, shoes, and cleats. so many options!

Posted 08.05.10

Ryan Stein

been looking up training programs for the road. guy at work mentioned Centurion... might be worth a shot?

Posted 07.25.10

Ryan Stein

got a new water bottle and cage for the Imola, longer rides means more water intake! less beer? no... :P

Posted 07.22.10

tire size   it could depend on the size frame you get. on their web site, all the frames will say they have 700x23c tires. but, some people who have gotten the larger frame sizes have 70x25c tires. this is probably because Tommaso listens to their customers needs to create nice out of the box bikes, hence why some of the models of their road bikes say they come with the Forza seat, but instead come now with a Tommaso seat with more padding (like i got on my Imola). if you got a FaceBook account, hit up their page and ask them. they are pretty speedy about responding to people, and you can get the exact info from them that way. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/Tommasobikes

Posted 07.14.10

Ryan Stein

NERDing out over my new Tommaso Imola! a couple small tweaks needed for the front derailer, and it'll be perfect. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

Posted 07.14.10

Build kit?

whatever parts work:i'm not partial o any brand or product line. after being a BMX'er (and still am) for so many years, i have this rat-fink attitude of "if it runs, use it, when it breaks, fix it."

Added 07.09.10

Old school or new school?

you really don't need one unless you want to track the number of miles you are riding, figure your speed and what not. and as for wireless or one wit a cable, i'd chalk that up to preference and how much coin you want to drop. i installed a wireless one on my dad's mountain bike awhile back, and it was basically attaching a sensor to a spoke, a receiver to the fork on the inside of the leg so it can receive transmissions better, and just route the cable up and to the screen/control pad on the fork. it's simple enough and can be done with a screwdriver if needed. all computers come with basic step by step instructions, so it'll cut out the confusion. and lots of people like wireless, because you don't have to worry about routing the cable up to your bars, but at the same time, wireless does cost a little bit more and you'll have to replace batteries at some point.

Added 07.09.10

Joined Road Bikes

Joined 07.09.10