Bike maintenance for the home mechanic, plus other cycling related topics including product reviews, how-to tutorials, emerging trends in the bike industry, bike travel, training and nutrition. I cover a variety of topics, but always do my research and try to make all my content heavy on facts and information.
I am a long time cyclist with a passion for all forms of cycling including commuting, road, mountain and fat biking. I am a self-taught bicycle mechanic with a particular interest in wheel building. My home is in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and I frequently travel within and outside the country for cycling vacations.
I want to connect with viewers and share my knowledge of cycling with others! Please share your comments to my videos, join my Community discussions, or reach out to me by email at BikesbyMike.yt@gmail.com.
I'd like to try 30mm version of GPs as my next tire and I wonder what is the inner width of your rims? Some of my tubeless experiences on Elitewheels Drive D50s with 21 mm inner width: Schwalbe Pro One 30 mm - impossible to inflate, even by the bike shop - until I triple taped the rim. Now they're a breeze, but quite heavy 330/340g instead of advertised 300g. Schwalbe One 28 mm - when inflated to 65 psi absolutely massive 32mm width!!! Vittoria Corsa Control and N.EXT 30 mm - supple but not very durable, tread peels off. Easy to mount though.
Mike: I can't find that Garmin data field, the one with the 3 battery icons. I see the one named "Di2 Battery," but that is just a numerical value. (Using the Edge 1030 Plus.) Do you know how I can find this?
You got me. Provided you're running any of the past few Garmin firmware updates, both the "Di2 Battery Level" and "Gear Battery" data fields in the "Gear" sub-menu option now display battery icons showing the remaining battery life for the main Di2 battery as well as the left and right shifters. I'm pretty sure the % remaining numerical value data field was drop a couple years back. Maybe there is a glitch with your firmware updates. Maybe contact Shimano and see what they say. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Supply is horrible. I can't find a single 58cm bike in my price range $1500. The only thing LBS have are XS and XXL bikes typically in the 5 figure range. Basically, the bikes that have low demand are left over in LBS. Perhaps I should just build a bike? Inventory has disappeared.
Yeah, the situation has changed a lot in the last six months. Old inventory is reduced, companies are cutting production, and retailers are only ordering bikes they have already sold or know will sell. The days of excess inventory are gone as nobody wants to get burdened again. The fact that a major brand like Trek announced a major 40% cut in production, is a good indication of where the industry is headed.
7/15/24. After installing update 13.75 on my 1030 it was rendered useless. I called Garmin today and they’re replacing it with a 1040. Thanks Garmin. I really appreciate it.
I started having battery and connectivity issues after the previous update a month ago. After 13.75 it quit. I don’t know what the cause was but updating didn’t help matters. Since they’re out of 1030’s they’re sending a 1040. Great service.
Thanks for the review, Mike. Personally, I would only use the headphones indoors, but I was really interested in your over the ear model you highlighted. I am not sure I'd be someone who listens to some music while riding... mainly because my favourite kind of music is "loud". 😀📢
Actually, the only type of riding I really like to use with headphones, are long climbs, which we don’t have near us. That’s when I can hear the music well (without wind noise) and also stuff going on around me. Very Zen, as well 🧘
I just recently purchased my Cannondale Topstone Carbon 3L. I was looking to purchase a Topstone Alloy 1. Because the Carbon was on sale at almost the price as the alloy I couldn't pass it up. So I totally agree with you. Buying the previous year model can save you $
Awesome video thank you. I'm looking at purchasing one of the V2 versions. Can you please tell me how long the belt should last and if its easily available, please. I havent been able to find it online or a part number. Not sure if its the same as the kickr18 etc? Thank you.
Good question. I was wondering the same thing. I have emailed my distributor contact in Canada for an answer and will post it here once received. Thanks for watching! As for life expectancy of the drive belt, it seems highly variable and likely very much dependent on the amount of torque applied to the belt. I've got about 5,000 km on mine and it's still working fine. Others say you should get 10,000 km +
Yes, you can. Both QR and Thru Axles use the same mount attached to the bottom of the box. For QR, you simply need to purchase their “QR axle kit (no Thru Axle Pins)” which you fit to your bike before mounting it in the bike box.
A road frame, with 32mm tires can be a lot of fun on most gravel, and with a good skill set, can be workable on single track as well. If you are calling out the industry for marketing something that isn't actually "new" then, I mostly agree with you. There have been some changes that have made road-style frames more suitable though, namely making room for the wider tires. My old rim-brake bike only fits the 40mm tires if I deflate them slightly before putting the wheels on. ;) And moreover, using high end cross-country races to dump on 'gravel' as a riding style is sort of missing the point. What do people ride on the Paris Roubaix? For shorter day rides, or road+gravel sportifs, what do people ride? In those instances riders want something that can work gravel without sacrificing too much performance on road sections. I doubt you'd see people with more than 40mm tires (1.6"). The competitive scene isn't the whole story, I think.
I'm dumping a bit on the gravel bike, and a bit on gravel riding in general ;) That said, all your points are legit and I really can't disagree. You make a good case for gravel riding, for sure. I still don't buy into the argument you hear all so often that the gravel bike is the only bike you need, because it's good and fun over any terrain. Nothing is good at everything. No bike is fun over all terrain. Such is life. But if there was a perfect all-rounder bike, it's probably the mountain bike. I'm old enough to remember when every bike messenger in Toronto rode a mountain bike. Yes, you can take a gravel bike on non-technical and flowy moutain bike trails just fine. But a mildly experienced XC mountain biker will want to tackle more challenging and interesting terrain that nobody on a gravel bike will be able to handle. If you gave an enduro mountain biker a choice between a mountain bike and a gravel bike, I'm pretty sure I know which one they would always choose. Same applies with a road bike, though. When I go for a road ride and come across an unexpected section of gravel road, I can, and do, ride my road bike over gravel just fine. But do I find it fun? No. And I'm sure it would be a bit more enjoyable on a gravel bike or mountain bike. I like hearing differing opinions, so thanks for commenting.
Uncomfortable bikes all I can say about them. As low as a road bike and as slow as a commuter bike. Would always go for a hybrid with a higher profile and wider handlebars.
Gravel biking is superb. Its like bushwalking without the difficulties of carrying a pack. Its very quiet & relaxing. Gravel bikes are very good at everything. Superb commuter, good on road &fantastic on gravel. Gravel is the best thing to happen to cycling
I think there is still plenty of room for this segment to grow. And if anything gravel bikes are probably the perfect bike for most recreational cyclists. Sadly this segment got stuck with a name that really doesn’t suit it.
I agree. It is a good option for recreational riders. Although, most beginners would feel more comfortable on flat bars. A flat bar road bike will also suit a lot of recreational riders.
For most of us, the very marginal gains of this years bikes are exactly that, marginal and most regular cyclists will not see any improvement in riding speed, handling etc. What you can do is buy the older model but fit high end tyres, which do make a significant improvement. Also to consider are riding position to get more aero, clothing again for more aero and comfort and training to improve fitness.
My gripe with ALL cycle computers is - why is it taking SOOoo long to reduce the bezel around the screen? It's such a waste of potential space, and it's not like the tech is not there, it is, and I would be happy to pay more for a bigger screen, it baffles me to the max.
Yes. And bezel gets even larger when solar is added. You won’t be happy with the look of the new 1050. But finally! A new, higher resolution, bright LCD display.
@Mike, just bought 2024 giant defy advanced pro 1 two days back and connected with shimano's e tube app to update the firmware. By default, the app automatically shows the cassette as 11-34 whereas there is a11-36 cassette mounted on the bike. How do I fix this issue ? Do I have to take the bike to the Giant dealer to fix this glitch ? please advise . thanks
Yes. You can definitely change the gearing selection within the E-Tube app. Here’s how you do it: - Open the E-Tube app on your smartphone. - Place the Di2 in pairing mode by holding the Di2 Function Button on the rear derailleur for between 0.5 and 2 seconds. It will display “Connecting” on the app screen. - Once connected, you will see all your various components listed on the main screen. At the top will be your shift settings with one of them displaying your current gearing. Select this option. - You should now see a screen that displays your front chainring options and rear cassette options with your current selections highlighted with blue dots. Choose the proper front chainring and rear gearing that corresponds to your bike. For you, that’s selecting an 11-36 rear cassette. Hit “Update”. - Choose “Disconnect” to stop Di2 pairing and save your new selections. - Your Di2 should now recognize your 11-36 rear cassette.
Thank you for responding to my question. For the piece of mind, I asked Giant shop to fix this issue having the correct cassette in the app and also double the indexing and shifting according to 11-36 cassette on the bike! . Hope this approach was fine!
Interesting thank you. From this video I took a trial and tested it. In terms of on screen graphics and the performance it's excellent. However I was totally let down by the realism - which is the selling point. I did my first ride on the Frankfurt IM course as I live there and know it well. The gradients were all over the place and completely wrong. -2.7% riding flat by the river, the first 6% climb is 1.5% on Rouvy - here I smashed the pros. It ruined it for me. The platform is great but it needs to have correct gradients, otherwise what's the point? I'm trying Fulgaz tomorrow, same course. We'll see :) thanks for your time to do this!
Thanks for sharing that. Interesting. Given the route is so far off the mark, you may want to reach out to the Rouvy folks and ask them why. I thought they verified elevation data before publishing all new routes (even in the past when user-created routes were permitted). I've tried a lot of routes that I've ridden both virtually and in real life and they were bang on in terms of gradients. Anyways, your experience is certainly disappointing. Please share your experience with Fulgaz when you've had time to test it out. I do like Fulgaz for the realism, but don't like the lack of races and group riding options.
@@bikesbymike Hi! So I rode the Fulgaz version today. The app itself is nowhere near as good as Rouvy - it's buggy, the interface is missing basics (like the buttons changing colour when you press them), the search often broke and I got annoyed quickly. Nevertheless, the ride itself was good (second time, first time it crashed). You can even select a section of a route, which is really cool. The section I rode was the same as I rode on Rouvy and similar watts to my IM in real life - the Fulgaz speed was almost the same as real life and the gradients pretty much spot on. Rouvy I was 6kmh faster - due to the off gradients. I'm like you in that I need something different to Zwift. I'm going to try Tacx as well. Again, thanks for your video.
I just recently bought a 1040 solar and I have to say you’re spot on with your criticism of the screen resolution. You don’t have much time to look down and try to figure out what the screen is telling you and with low resolution, trying to understand what a map is trying to tell you with big fat arrows and roads that just look like a mess on the screen, it is extremely disappointing for the cost of the unit.
I think you a wrong. In a trade-off between a brighter, higher res display and being certain the battery will endure from sunrise to sunset, most users would pick the longer battery life.
True. And if they can't produce an AMOLED cycle computer with a reasonable run-time, then I'd go with a low res display as well. But Garmin's 51mm Epic Pro with an AMOLED display, for example, gets 30 hrs. of battery life even with full dual-band navigation. If they can get that kind of life on a smartwatch, they should certainly be able to get all-day battery life on a cycle computer.
Mike - a very helpful video. Have you ever remove the PPF from a frame - how difficult was it and what method did you use? Any damage to the finish? Tx
I’ve never removed the PPF off an entire bike. Only small sections. How easily it comes off depends on how old and worn it is. I’ve never tried removing film over five years old, so I don’t know how well that goes. Newer film will generally release quite easily simply by pulling the film off the frame with your hands. If it’s difficult to remove, you can use a heat gun or hair dryer to heat up the PPF first, but just warm it up, don’t get it so hot that you risk damaging the paint. Newer PPF usually won’t leave behind adhesive residue, but if it does, there are adhesive removers on the market. I use Goo Gone as it’s readily available and I usually have it on hand. I’ve only once had issues removing a piece of PPF from a bike frame. The PPF had only been on for a day or two when I decided to pull it off. It came off the regular painted surface just fine, but when I pulled it off a painted decal, part of the decal paint came off with the PPF. They say that PPF can be safely removed off “properly cured painted surfaces.” In my case, I attribute the failure to the decal being poorly applied, not to the PPF. As long as your frame has a good quality painted surface, removal should be fine. Hope this helps. Cheers!
Strangely, I've been using my Edge 1030 for over 5 years in various weather/temp conditions and road surface conditions. I recently added another Cannondale bike to my collection that came with a different version bike mount on a Vision Metro one-piece handlebar. The Garmin unit had more raddle, due to an un-snug fit in the locked position, and within a half dozen rides the polymer mount broke (one of the tabs) on the Edge unit. Very disappointing because but still wondering if it was due to possible small vibrations due to a less than snug fit when locked into the mount? But glad to see the Garmin Edge 1040 units come with metal mounts for full confidence in durability! And BTW, great review!
Thanks for those comments. It sounds like we had identical experiences. I didn’t mention it in my video (because you just reminded me of it), but my mount wasn’t holding my Garmin 1030 as tightly as it had previously leading up to the incident. I guess I could have prevented the quarter-turn mount from breaking if I just replaced the stem mount as a preventative measure. But with Garmin now going with an aluminum mount on the 1040, it’s a total non-issue. Thanks for watching!
@@anthonyg-can Nice to hear! BTW, I sent you some routes via Strava messaging. Just want to make sure you got them. You can also respond by email to BikesbyMike.yt@gmail.com
@@bikesbymike you mention to push the 2 shifters on the right side of the bike but I don't see any lights light up any where. Where are they visible? i know about the light on the rear derailleur
I've picked up two of these recently ... the side loaders. Very nice looking cages and grip the bottles very securely ... and yes, they aren't cheap. But having bought one, tried it, I immediately ordered another. I wanted them because they sit low on the bike and the side loader appears to me to be more aero and minimalist than other designs, just less material in the wind ... the water bottle is removed and stashed before I sprint !
@@BarryJHoffman Sorry about that. I just switched from Rogers to Bell as my internet provider, so this backup email was automatically deleted. Use this email... BikesbyMike.yt@gmail.com
The rear brake bleed is not quite similar (may require angling the bike differently and even removing the calliper) that’s why so many RU-vidrs ONLY show the front being bled. I strongly suggest that the brake pistons be cleaned thoroughly with alcohol before inserting the pads - brake fluid can seep out the side of the pistons during the bleed.
Thanks. Good advice. And I agree with your point about the rear calliper being a more difficult bleed. You caught me being lazy, as that's exactly why I didn't include it in my video. I wasn't up for the extra work involved and extra camera shots ;) I sometimes remove the rear calliper to place it in a more vertical line to the brake lever, but not always. It can trap air, but not always. I'll do it only if I mess up the original bleed. Plus, I've found the most significant limiting factor in getting non-squishy brakes at the rear is the length of the brake cable line, which can't be changed.
@@bikesbymike interesting point about rear brake squishiness relationship to cable length. Never thought of that but makes sense bc I’ve noticed that the rear brake lever can be more squishy than the right.
