General: Bike Shops?

ummm. orange20?

You can find directions here

melrose and heliotrope (sp?)
jim and kyle are the shit!
whenever i'm in la i always make sure to stop by.

I've been to LA Brakeless a few times. Really nice guys, good selection.

just don't go to LAB to get mechanics done. they put my friend's cranks on at a 150 degree angle.
IMO, go to a shop that knows how to fix bikes; not a shop that knows how to fix fixed gears.

Posted By: cal09ohh so the bike shop in my neighborhood would do?

out of all the "urban" shops in la that i've been to, orange 20 is by far the best. they have everything and anything you'd ever need or want. clothing, bags, racks, parts, helmets, etc. they have everything and are very knowledgable.

plus, you can go next door and get some vegan food. across the street and get ice cream, and then go to the bicycle kitchen.

How about some nice juicy corn-fed beef or an Iowa chop?

Just jerkin' your chain Rabbi.. sorta

Thanks for helping to steer him right.. Too many times it happens that those that don't know, get taken advantage of; end up spending way too much for stuff that isn''t needed.. His Bridgestone is in pretty good condition all in all, it's just been neglected for a long time.

haha shittt aint old enough to leaglly drink but ill get a bum to buy me one
and dont worry man even if its the best part i aint paying more than 50 dollars for anything i dont care wat teh part is i aint planning on racing just riding it for fun and school thanks Ruffinit for all ur advice so far and u to rabbi thanks for the shops
yea its been neglected i found it in my friends garage.

Im planning on just fixing it up and make it look good and be able to ride it around la know wat i mean? :)

ok i just bought some white VITTORIA RANDONNEUR tires but i need help putting them on do they charge alot to put some wheels on my bike?

awww dude really? fuck if only i knew :( wait if they are 28c they wont fit?

Posted By: the rabbi28 is the width.
you need 27" x 1 1/4" (by the looks of it)
but check the tires that are on there.

wat do u mean by check the tires? my tires?
casue on some pots one guy was saying he did that and teh only difference is that its harder to brake

Cal, dude.. Listen, the tires are the rubber part, wheels are the hub (axle), spokes, rims all together. The wheels are 27", the tires have to be the same size as the wheels. When you look at the tires presently on your bike, they will have the size on the sidewall which may be difficult to find. The tire should say 27x1 1/4. These tires and wheels are sized in normal SAE (inches). The Vittorias that you bought are for 700c wheels only. 27" wheels are slightly larger than 700c wheels.
The guy that was talking about the braking was talking about changing out both the tires and wheels and because of the difference in size the brakes may not always contact the rim properly. So in order to make this change and keep the white tires, you would also have to change out both wheels, tubes and possibly brakesets. Think $$$

so all that would come out to more than 100?

okie thanks alot guys now i know not to pay for them lol
thanks again and if any has tires in my size tell em thanks!

Posted By: iron jaidenI don't know how to fish.

You're going to need a pole, some fishling line, some bait...

anglerspace.org coming soon!

Posted By: cal09haha this guy a pocket full of cash ur to funny but yea ill check in with them by the end of the week Its just i didnt know that older bikes and newer ones have different tire models

Not just old vs. new; there are at least five different sizes of wheels on currently manufactured adult bikes (20" BMX, 26" mountain, 650b euro-touring, 650c triathlon/TT, 700c road/29" mountain), and a wide variety of rim widths in each of those sizes. Each wheel size uses its own tubes/tires. There are two different air valves: Presta and Schrader, each with rims drilled to accept the differently sized valves. And that doesn't even scratch the surface of all the wheel/tire sizes that are no longer widely used.

27" was the common size for English road wheels until about 1980. Since big English manufacturers like Raleigh sent tons of bikes to the US, it was also the common size in the States. During the 60s/70s, a lot of European brands put 27" wheels on the bikes they sent to America, although the ones that stayed in Europe used 700c wheels. This is most common among the French bikes (Gitane, Motobecane, Peugeot are the biggies); it's much less common among Italian manufacturers. Because there are still a lot of '70s bikes/27" wheels around in America, you can still get tires/tubes for them (a lot less variety than 700c; you take what you can get). But someday, those will go away.

It's a deep subject. The late great Sheldon Brown has a great explanation of the different wheel/tire sizes, what they're used on, and how to figure out which one you need. As Hillel said: The rest is commentary; go and read it.

Posted By: cal09almost nooooo tires that size pop up and peopel tell they dont really make them mowadays

Well, people may not make them; but tire companies make them. Two tires that absolutely are made in 27" are:

• Continental Ultra Gatorskin (one of the best-loved fixie-skidster tires)


• Panaracer Pasela TG (gumwall, for the oldie look)

These tires are widely available in bike shops. It's a lot more common to find the Panaracers in 27" than in 700c. Don't go to a chain; go either to a store for fixie-hipsters (those old recycled fixie-ized road frames mostly use 27" wheels), or better yet, a shop run by an older guy. Older-guy shops tend to have more older-guy customers, who want to keep older-guy old bikes running. In the US, that means '70s English and French frames with 27" wheels.

Just because the young guy at the shop tells you it doesn't exist, doesn't mean he's right.

I very much doubt that anyone makes custom tires, now that Dugast has retired.

Who you callin' "Older-guy"?

lol to funny u old people u nah i respect yall old guys whos nuts havent busted from riding them
and yea but wat im trying ti find are some gosh darn colored wheels i dont really like that black and gum color ut if no other color is avaliable then black it is :( THANKS guys for ur help!

Lol ehh i want something nright casue u know in la cars run over u and say ohh no i didnt see him
but yea thanks for the info Ruff and eaglerock for those links to the tires :)

Posted By: the rabbiget lights.

lol ill think into that

Posted By: cal09

Posted By: the rabbiget lights.

lol ill think into that

don't think. you should never ride your bike at night without lights. a cop pulls you over and it's a big ticket.

Posted By: the rabbi

Posted By: cal09

Posted By: the rabbiget lights.

lol ill think into that

don't think. you should never ride your bike at night without lights. a cop pulls you over and it's a big ticket.

Posted By: cal09yup ur right i cant afford parts let alone a ticket thanks!

It's funny. I was writing a post about how you should have a light because the California Vehicle Code says you gotta (and it does); and then the rabbi says basically the same thing, and you agree.

Now I have to say: It's not just the law and so punishable by fines-for-failure; it's also a good idea. If you don't have a light, cars can't see you. If they can't see you, they can squish you by accident.

Consider this experience...

I was recently walking around in the Crate and Barrel Outlet about a mile from my house. I was wearing my normal late afternoon/early evening helmet - a Pro-Tec skateboard helmet with a caver's headlamp strapped to it. One of the cashiers walked up to me - a woman about 50 years old. She asks:

Woman: "Are you a cyclist?"
eaglerock: "Yes...."
Woman: "I just wanted to thank you for wearing that light, and I wanted to ask why more cyclists don't do that. I often can't see cyclists at night until I almost hit them, and it upsets me."
eaglerock: "They're supposed to do something like this; the vehicle code requires them to have some kind of headlight after dark."
Woman: "Really? I had no idea. Why don't they do that?"
eaglerock: "I have no idea. I think it's a good idea, but I'm in no position to speak for every cyclist, just as you're in no position to speak for every driver. Just keep your eyes open, and try not to hit anybody."

A number of us indulge in rather resentful fantasies (All drivers are trying to kill us! They all hate us and seek our destruction!), just as a number of motorists indulge in resentful fantasies (All cyclists are scofflaws! They ride with contempt for the law, and for the safe progress of traffic!). In both cases, I suspect that those so indulging are a small but vocal minority; most cyclists and most motorists are just trying to get where they're going, with as little drama as possible. Most of us aren't trying to inconvenience others; mostly neither cyclists nor motorists notice each other, until it's too late. Take sensible precautions.