Acquired a bicycle, it needs some parts...

[Mr_Jon]

Now then.

Firstly, i need a rear mud-guard, to fit on here:



And maybe some new grips:



Also could do with some new brake pads (for v-brakes). The current grips are quite foamy (dunno if you can see it in the picture), I'd like some similar. Can you point me in the right direction? I'd rather not spend more than 30 quid for the three if it can be avoided...

[Barry]

Halfords, one stop shop

[scaryjim]

In Lancaster?

Probably Halfords. Sadly I didn't do much biking when I lived up there, so can't really recommend anywhere better Could ask some mates though, they might know a decent local/independent. There used to be a bike shop at the top of the one way system, just down the hill from Revolution...

[jimbouk]

I used Chain Reaction Cycles for bits when I had a bike. Looks like £30 for the lot shouldn't be hard to do

[Mr_Jon]

Thanks guys, I ended up raiding ebay.

Got two sets of foam grips for £4, a set of mudguards for £6, brake pads for £2.50, and an extra padded seat cover for £3. And I also got some sunglasses for two quid...when they're described as "top gun" and "cool", how could anyone resist. Ordered them all at the back end of last week, came today and yesterday.

scaryjim - I think that bike shop made way for (yet more) student flats, along with the music shop. I live just outside of town at the mo, but I nipped in recently for some "refreshments", and there was a combination of flats and a tesco's in that vicinity. There a good bike shop in the village I live in, but it was closed for a couple of weeks while the guy was on holiday.

[Rave]

For the record Decathlon are also good for this sort of stuff, albeit that they're thin on the ground.

And a seat cover will probably make the seat less comfy over any sort of distance!

[scaryjim]

scaryjim - I think that bike shop made way for (yet more) student flats, along with the music shop. I live just outside of town at the mo, but I nipped in recently for some "refreshments", and there was a combination of flats and a tesco's in that vicinity.

Last time I went by the bike shop had taken over Hobbs (good riddance, the old coot was a miserable bugger - as far as I could tell he only owned a music shop as a place to keep his own collection of vintage guitars and despised customers with a passion), but that was a few years ago. I actually used to live just round the corner, behind the Alex. Be sad if the bike place had shut down, they were a decent enough bunch.

[Mr_Jon]

Last time I went by the bike shop had taken over Hobbs (good riddance, the old coot was a miserable bugger - as far as I could tell he only owned a music shop as a place to keep his own collection of vintage guitars and despised customers with a passion), but that was a few years ago. I actually used to live just round the corner, behind the Alex. Be sad if the bike place had shut down, they were a decent enough bunch.

Ha, he certainly was. Always reminded me of the shop from the league of gentlemen, in that customers were not appreciated. He could get away with it, for ages that was the only music shop in town. Pretty sure that the bike shop is gone, as the tesco's there looked quite large...even though there is a bigger tesco's a hundred yards down the road where the old cinema was (or maybe one of them is a sainsbury's).

[Mr_Jon]

It looks like I'll be needing a new set of tyres too...they've split in places and perished from when it was stood dormant for years.

The current tyres are 26 x 2.10, which are a little thick for my liking (I don't do any off road stuff really). Am i right in thinking that I can just slip on a set with a narrower gauge?

[Tumble]

you might have to get thinner tubes if you go very much smaller. Something like Schwalbe's Big Apple would probably be ok - cut like a road tyre but still as big as an off-road boot. Double advantages of being fast rolling (good for road) and large volume for puncture resistance (you can run the pressures lower in a larger volume tyre). Plus they don't make your bike look daft

[Mr_Jon]

you might have to get thinner tubes if you go very much smaller. Something like Schwalbe's Big Apple would probably be ok - cut like a road tyre but still as big as an off-road boot. Double advantages of being fast rolling (good for road) and large volume for puncture resistance (you can run the pressures lower in a larger volume tyre). Plus they don't make your bike look daft

Ta. How much smaller would qualify for thinner tubes? I have an old bike that's currently in bits, and the tyres are 26 x 1.75 (dunno what state the tubes are in though). That thing was rapid. Would I get away with that size, as a stop-gap?

[Tumble]

there is some overlap I think - I can't remember off the top of my head what the sizes are. There's only really 2 for MTBs anyway (certainly of the 26" wheel variety). there's big ones, which will do for tyres going from 1.75" to 2.5" and the smaller ones

[Mr_Jon]

there is some overlap I think - I can't remember off the top of my head what the sizes are. There's only really 2 for MTBs anyway (certainly of the 26" wheel variety). there's big ones, which will do for tyres going from 1.75" to 2.5" and the smaller ones

Ta. I saw a tube for sale which was something like 1.5 to 2.1, so chances are they should be right. I'll keep my eyes peeled...I had no idea about all the variations in width until I started googling it.