Road Cycling Essentials

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Rain can actually be quite refreshing - it much rather be cycling in a drizzle than in 30c dry heat.

I stored my bike outside during work all over last winter and didn't have any problems, but then I have no other choice either.

Lights can be had for ~£20 from most highstreet cycle shops (Evans, Specialized etc). I picked up my 8-function fairly-basic computer from Halfords for £9.99. Does all I need it to.

Lidl's are also having a winter bike-gear sale this Thursday if you can get to one.
 
If you are leaving the bike outside then you should make sure that you clean and lube your drive train on a regular basis. A rusty chain is loud and saps speed / energy.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;17364235 said:
If you are leaving the bike outside then you should make sure that you clean and lube your drive train on a regular basis. A rusty chain is loud and saps speed / energy.
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This, and considering a new chain doesn't cost the earth anyway it's worth just replacing it if things get too rusty and you're lazy like me :p.
 
I have plenty of GT85 and chain lube to keep things tickety boo and keep the rust away.

Ordered some bib tights, gloves, buff, base layer and a warm jersey last night along with some lights. Pay day I will get some shoes and pedals and some over shoes. Gonna get some ribbing for the new look but hey ho. I feel much better for it already and its only my 4th ride on the bike.

Gotta say I'm impressed with the fellow road users so far giving me enough space and holding back when necessary and letting me cross into turn right lanes. My amrs had a work out thanking people :D It's a shame the roads a terrible. Even the carbon forks can't soak up the groin shattering bumps and there's also eleventy billion massive slippy man holes in awkward places. For my first road bike though it seems very planted in these wet slippy conditions.
 
Tend to wear an Ice Breaker t-shirt under either long sleeve top or my 3/4 sleeve mountain bike top.
Nice thing about the recumbent is you stay pretty warm, just lower legs get the cold. Hence buying some 3/4 bib shorts from Decathlon(if the order system has worked!!)
I used to have the Yellow Shimano cleats on the road bike along with 5610 pedals, great on my knees.
Now using Time Atak freeride on the recumbent/mountain bike. Solid clip in and again good for knees.

Less than 2 weeks till my 50mile sponsored ride for the MS society and it dont help the MS is giving me grief. Gonna suffer after wards but its in aid of a good cause.
 
Oh wow, 50 miles. You must be fit! If I hadn't just spent everything I had left on my gear you'd have a donation from me. Sorry mate, hope you're fit enough on the day. I don't know much about MS but I get the feeling it isn't something that will go away :(

I notice it's Lancashire area. I'm in east lancs. Do you know of any cycling clubs or events? I would love to do something for charity next year.
 
Dup said:
Oh wow, 50 miles. You must be fit!
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You'd be surprised how far you can go; many times a year thousands of folks ride from London to Brighton (54 miles) for charity on all manner of bikes, many of which haven't been out of the shed / garage for years.

When I took-up cycling again my commute was 24.5 miles each way (although i could only manage three days a week).
 
Dup said:
Gotta say I'm impressed with the fellow road users so far giving me enough space and holding back when necessary and letting me cross into turn right lanes. My amrs had a work out thanking people :D It's a shame the roads a terrible. Even the carbon forks can't soak up the groin shattering bumps and there's also eleventy billion massive slippy man holes in awkward places. For my first road bike though it seems very planted in these wet slippy conditions.
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To be honest I find pedestrians MUCH worse than other road users - never had a problem with cars. I can't count the amount of times someone has just stepped right out in front of me/into the cycle lane without even looking - or sometimes they do look and are just so oblivious or think I'm going slower than I actually am. Almost came off the other day because some school girl stepped out 5m in front of me.

And yes, manholes are a pain. There's one on a right-angle corner on my route back from work that you have to go over if there's a car next to you, always lose the back wheel. Thick road paint (ie double yellows or zebra-crossing markers) always do my back in as well.


Dup said:
Oh wow, 50 miles. You must be fit!
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Depends on the route :p. Bristol to Bath is 50 miles round trip but you won't even break a sweat. 100 miles every day for a few days is when it starts getting tough.
 
I'm lucky to live in a more ruralish area and don't have to navigate any towns on my way to work so it's only traffic I have to worry about. Down side is that there are long gradual hills anywhere you go within a 10 mile radius and you tend to be going up no matter where you want to go and the same on the way back. That's the Ribble Valley for you!

To say I did 7 miles on my first ride without stopping I was impressed. Used to do the same thing daily on my mountain bike last year and had to stop once or twice. So much easier on a road bike to keep a steady pace. It's getting harder now my body is still adjusting but I hope to be doing 50 mile runs on a weekend and enjoying it. I'm just pushing past that barrier of not riding or really exercising for over a year bar weekend walks with the dogs. Certainly feels great after my body has cooled down after my few short rides to work (5 miles each way).

Not seeing many others on the roads like I normally do, must be scared of the weather! While my stuff comes I'm riding in trackies and a t-shirt in the rain lol, feels great!
 
I was fit 2 years ago. Followed a training program from a coach. Did a 10mile TT in 29m 29s after 2 1/2 months of training. Then all he'll broke loose regards the MS. big time fatigue and pain right arm that made me give up the road bike.

Done a few rides of 16 miles over similar terrain in about an hour on the "bent". My legs seem to remember what to do after about 10 miles so it's a matter of pacing my self. Biggest problem will be my right foot. On the "bent" your feet are higher which makes them go numb after a while. My right foot is partly numb now & painful, this elevated position aggravates it but hey ho. Hopefully got my sister and brother in law riding for company. 50mile for the bro/law is a warm up ride.

Dup - there are quite a few clubs in east lancs. Quite a few take part in TT's our club runs.
 
How fast do you guys ride? I do 6K each direction and I'm pretty hot and sweaty at the end of it and get out of breath on the way. I was kind of hoping that after months of doing this I'd not be breaking a sweat any more...

I am cycling the route faster than when I started and I can hammer up the hills easier though. Oh and I can do it every day now which I couldn't do at first.
 
I average 15mph on a flat straight and can last a good while. Couldn't really say the rest of the time as it totally depends on the gradient and what's come before.

Used to have to stop on my route back from work, but don't even think about stopping now. It's not a long route but uphill the whole way.
 
This mornings average over 27km was 32.2kph travelling from Surrey to Shepherd's Bush, but I did leave at 6.30 and only unclipped for the first time after 18km.

Coming home this evening in the traffic and this filthy weather was 25kph average.
 
Jonny69 said:
How fast do you guys ride? I do 6K each direction and I'm pretty hot and sweaty at the end of it and get out of breath on the way. I was kind of hoping that after months of doing this I'd not be breaking a sweat any more...

I am cycling the route faster than when I started and I can hammer up the hills easier though. Oh and I can do it every day now which I couldn't do at first.
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My ride to work is also about 6km each way. The first time I did it back in June, it took 25 minutes and I felt awful once I got to the office. Now I do it in just over 15 minutes (traffic permitting), and feel as though I've not done anything. I still get just as hot and sweaty as in the begining. As touch (and many others have) said; cycling never gets any easier; you just get faster. I find the easiest way to get over it is to blame it all on the bike :)
 
Just placed my order for a 2010 Specilized Allez Comp. Hoping it will help me shave a few minutes off my 16.7mile commute time of 54minutes (kona hoss mtb with 1.5 slicks) !
 
Ok, I see what my problem is. I'm doing just over 16mph on the way in which is a slight incline all the way, then about 17-18mph on the way back up to about 22-23mph on the straight flat bit. Maybe I just need to slow down a bit :p

My journey sounds about the same as yours Saundie and I've been doing it about the same time as you. With the 3 traffic light stops it takes me about the same time as you.

[DOD], that's a good pace. I'm impressed :D
 
Yeah, might need to slow down there. I haven't been able to go for it yet, I ache as soon as a set off but I am riding non-stop every day, 5 miles or so each way. Only takes me 10/15 mins though and feels good. I'll probably end up doing sceneic routes on dryer days once it gets a bit 'easier'.

I'm also interested in your bike build Jonny. I would love to get some ebay bits and build a nice spare bike so my other half or family can use it. Has it been much effort? Do most components old/new fit? I'd probably use an old frame but with newer second hand components if I could. Plus I'd have loads of fun giving it a funky paint scheme.

I was gonna peel the stickers off my boardman, think it would look awesome in all black. Sadly they're laquered in! A sign of quality I suppose, but at least they aint too bad :)

My mankini etc should arrive today. The rain this morning is making me wish I bought some shoes too, I will just have to wait a couple of weeks as I want pedals/cleats to go with. My trainers have no water repelant properties whatsoever.
 
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