Road Cycling Essentials

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Hired a Borris on Saturday :D. Obviously the bikes aren't amazing but I was generally quite impressed with them and the whole system etc.

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Those things ride like tanks. They're a surefire way for vigorous exercise mind you, I can literally feel the energy being sucked out of me when I ride them!
 
Cycled round the islands coast today, far more hilly than a to b to a ride I did 2 weeks ago, therefore my average dropped to 16.2mph - but that's over 24.2 miles rather than 17.8 over 12.77.

Happy with the way I'm progressing and my weight is down to 17st 9lbs, looking forward to what I'll be able to do at 15st and higher fitness levels.
 
Still on the hunt for a road bike and a guy I go out riding with has offered me his Fondriest bike for £800. Apparently got £2.5k worth of gear on it (ultegra groupset, Mavic rims and hubs - £800 worth apparently, carbon fork and rear stays), I'm waiting for full spec but looks a nice bike.

Would you go for something higher spec but second hand or a new bike for similar money? It's been well looked after but would have done a fair few miles as he's an enthusiast.
 
Found a tasty second hand bike that I think im going to plump for.

2010 Giant Defy Alliance 1, new in April 2011, approximately 3000km use, stored indoors and looks immaculate.

Full Tiagra groupset, comes with spare wheels/tyres/cassette and a pair of CF bottle mounts.

Price wise when converted to GBP its about £400, a new Defy 1 (105 groupset) would be about £1000 here and a Defy 2 (Tiagra) is about £850-900.

Will be using it to cycle to work some days and general fitness. Can't afford to buy the kind of MTB I want, this will let me keep fit and prove useful even when my MTB turns up or I buy a better one.
 
Lead_Head said:
Still on the hunt for a road bike and a guy I go out riding with has offered me his Fondriest bike for £800. Apparently got £2.5k worth of gear on it (ultegra groupset, Mavic rims and hubs - £800 worth apparently, carbon fork and rear stays), I'm waiting for full spec but looks a nice bike.

Would you go for something higher spec but second hand or a new bike for similar money? It's been well looked after but would have done a fair few miles as he's an enthusiast.
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2nd hand can be good - depends what's on it. Ultegra is all you need TBH. What Mavic wheels are they?
 
Just looking at a Castelli SS jersey and a Giro Ionos helmet on Ribble...the prices are really good compared to Wiggle et al! Is that because it's a lottery as to whether or not they'll actually arrive :p or does that just apply to whole bikes?!
 
Robbie G said:
Just looking at a Castelli SS jersey and a Giro Ionos helmet on Ribble...the prices are really good compared to Wiggle et al! Is that because it's a lottery as to whether or not they'll actually arrive :p or does that just apply to whole bikes?!
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I seem to remember reading that Ribble bypass the normal distribution/wholesale channels so they can undercut the other suppliers.
They've always delivered promptly for me, although their returns/customer services were appalling.
 
Anyone using Michelin Pro 4 tyres?
Currently using Pro 3's & happy with them, but they are due to be replaced soon & am looking around at what's available.

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I'm 6ft 4, I'm pretty sure I selected the 44cm bars but can't have! That's the biggest the Ritchey bars go and I'm almost tempted to change them out to Deda bars which are 46cm as I'm a broad 6ft 4 too.
 
6thElement said:
How tall are you? For an XXL frame are you 6'4"+? If you are that tall, those bars are very narrow, you might be better off with 42 or 44cm bars.
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xxl is only 58cm, not really that big compared to 'xxl's from other manufacturers.
Agree with the bars being narrow though, your bars should be roughly the same width as your shoulders.

Also, i cant firgure out how you got that spec for that price? When i copy that it comes to about £1500. Good spec choices tho. When you change the groupset, it defaults to a double chainset (39-53 tooth rings). Most people would prefer a compact (34-50 tooth rings) to make climbing a little easier.
 
touch said:
xxl is only 58cm, not really that big compared to 'xxl's from other manufacturers.
Agree with the bars being narrow though, your bars should be roughly the same width as your shoulders.

Also, i cant firgure out how you got that spec for that price? When i copy that it comes to about £1500. Good spec choices tho. When you change the groupset, it defaults to a double chainset (39-53 tooth rings). Most people would prefer a compact (34-50 tooth rings) to make climbing a little easier.
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The price is that low because I don't pay VAT as I live in Guernsey, nice little perk :D

Thanks for letting me know about changing to the compact, it's the hills I struggle with anyway! Would you also change to the longer cranks (the 175's) as I've got long legs too?
 
I'm on a 55cm compact frame which is the equivilent of their XL and I'm 6'2". ETT is the better measurement once you know what size fits you.

Go for 175's, doesn't say what size cassette you're getting but a 12-25 is a good pairing.

XXL's are out of stock when I just checked the ribble website.
 
uvarvu said:
Those things ride like tanks. They're a surefire way for vigorous exercise mind you, I can literally feel the energy being sucked out of me when I ride them!
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Yeah, they're not the best! I was wondering if anyone's ever done a sportive on one.

Rusty_Noob said:
Holy ****, Ribble want to charge £160 to deliver the bike to Guernsey! My last bike cost me £25 delivery from the UK.
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What was that about your Guernsey perk? :p
 
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