Road Cycling Essentials

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So I've signed myself up to the cyclescheme at work and gone for the full whack of £1000 to get a road bike, and I'm looking at getting a Giant Defy 1.

It will be my first proper road bike and I'm looking forward to it as I enjoy cycling but riding on the road with a hardtail over anything more than 4/5 miles is a killer.

Initially I plan to cycle about 7miles each way to the train station to get to work, and work my way up towards the full 17.5miles each way to the office! (I'm pretty out of shape so 7miles seemed like a good enough place to start!)

Has anybody got any advice for just starting out? Or any opinions on the Giant Defy 1? Or even where's best to buy inexpensive cycling gear (shorts, jerseys, shoes etc.)?
 
I started cycling last winter, so i'm fairly new compared to the majority of people here.

First piece of advice is, there is no such thing as bad cycling weather, just bad kit. If you make sure you have clothes/equipment suited to the current climate you can cycle all year round without issue (apart from ice/snow!).

DHB clothing was the brand i started with, they offer good quality kit at generally cheap prices. After cycling for a few months i then invested in a few nicer products from higher end brands (Nalini bib shorts, Shimano shoes, Altura jacket and Vaude backpack) . Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles tend to be my go-to websites, but there are often cheaper ones out there if you search and it's largely down to preference. They are good websites to use to find products though as they're easy to navigate (Wiggle particularly).

Cycling gloves and padded shorts/bib shorts vastly increased my enjoyment of cycling, they just make it that little bit more comfortable and were a god send for my non-broken-in-buttocks and hands.
 
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Do you plan to go for flat or cleat type pedal? I hav'nt heard a bad thing about the Defy it is supposed to a awesome bike. If you plan on cleat type pedals i would reccomend SPD type pedals because the cleats on the shoes are recessed so are easy to walk on and the pedals are usually double sided so easy to get the cleat back in. If you do go for clipless pedals i would reccommend Shimano M520 pedals as they are only £20 and are bulet proof.
 
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I've been looking on Wiggle today at DHB clothing and it looks okay - definitely much cheaper than most other brands. What are the sizes like for DHB?

Gloves and padded shorts are definitely on the shopping list - I've always worn some form of glove whilst cycling since I came off my bike when I was a kid and ripped my palms to shreds :( never again

I'm looking at the SPD M520's, partly because they're the cheapest and also because I've never really used clipless before. I'm pretty confident on a bike so think I'd get used to them pretty quickly. Just a little apprehensive I guess! Can you recommend and shoes to use with those pedals?

I've been looking at some MTB shoes because of the tread they give, like these, compared to road shoes like these
 
SPD pedals are designed for mountain bikes, so those ones in the first link would fit fine, the 520's come with a set of cleats btw. I wear DHB shorts i am a 32" waist and a medium fits me fine.
 
I got M520's and they're lasting really well, no issues at all.

In terms of shoes i got something very similar to those but with laces. Said laces often annoy me on long rides as they come untucked sometimes and click on the frame. Look like a good pair to me.
 
K13LCC said:
I've been looking on Wiggle today at DHB clothing and it looks okay - definitely much cheaper than most other brands. What are the sizes like for DHB?
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Check reviews for each individual piece as their sizes vary. I got a DHB Core S jersey in XL as I wanted a casual/loose fit - it's meant to fit a 46" chest and I've got a 42" chest - but it's skin tight! I still wear it and I got it for a great price though.
 
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Dimple said:
But didn't you say you've got a 26 mile round commute or was that somebody else?
One things for sure, if you do that on a MTB at a decent speed you go like lightning on a road bike.
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That's me, but I'm not doing the commute yet. I've only been doing any serious cycling for about a month now. I can enrol in cycle2work in October, so my goal is to get in some decent practise between now and then and then pick up a decent bike and get stuck into commuting. It's going to mean lots of practise over the summer, I think.
 
Arsey said:
Does anybody hang a road bike on the inside of a flat/house? I'm not sure whether to go for one which hangs by the wheel or that hangs the frame?

Wheel mount
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/delta/leonardo-wall-mount-ec009787

Frame mount
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/minoura-bike-hanger-4-rack/
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I use that wheel mount in my shed to hang my road bike up, the rubbery thing protecting the metal hook wore out pretty quickly but it's not caused any issues and doesn't seem to have marked the rim.
 
Arsey said:
Does anybody hang a road bike on the inside of a flat/house? I'm not sure whether to go for one which hangs by the wheel or that hangs the frame?

Wheel mount
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/delta/leonardo-wall-mount-ec009787

Frame mount
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/minoura-bike-hanger-4-rack/
Click to expand...

There's also this thing but it looks too much like a bucket to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FDAJgWqwIc4#!

I also wouldn't like to be sitting under one with a bike on in an office!
 
Rusty_Noob said:
Check reviews for each individual piece as their sizes vary. I got a DHB Core S jersey in XL as I wanted a casual/loose fit - it's meant to fit a 46" chest and I've got a 42" chest - but it's skin tight! I still wear it and I got it for a great price though.
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I was looking at the same jersey today - I too am 42" chest, so thanks for that!

DIABLO said:
SPD pedals are designed for mountain bikes, so those ones in the first link would fit fine, the 520's come with a set of cleats btw. I wear DHB shorts i am a 32" waist and a medium fits me fine.
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Yer, I saw that the cleats were included, which is good - reduces the price even more!

32" waist - them were the days. 36" waist would be XL then :( might as well say FB! ha
 
If you want some cheap cycling gear for commuting then I highly recommend Decathlon - I think there's one in Stockport. Worth buying:

Basic jerseys
Bib shorts
Basic rain jacket
Arm warmers
Leg warmers
Knee warmers
Socks (summer & winter)
Base layer
Fleece

Supplement all that with some nicer gloves (I like Sealskinz), mitts (try some on in your local shop), a pair of decent winter bib tights (DHB?) and a softshell jacket (DHB?) and you will be set for all year round. :)
 
Yes, Decathlon are great. It's very easy to spend a few hours and fill your trolley in that place as they seem to do everything in every colour imaginable! I find the threads start to come apart in the cheap jerseys very quickly though. May be a good idea just to buy one of any item to start with and see how you get on.
 
One More Solo said:
If you want some cheap cycling gear for commuting then I highly recommend Decathlon - I think there's one in Stockport.
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There is a Decathlon in Stockport. Keep meaning to go in but in a bit of an odd location to get to as I don't drive!

Been having a look on their website and seems to be quite a range of gear in there. Is the BTWIN stuff any good?

The website is useless though - I think they've updated it recently and it's a nightmare to navigate and all the links take you back to the home page :S
 
Anyone else planning to pick up a bike when the end of season sales start? I have my heart on a Ti bike but also extremely tempted by the CAAD 10 Dura Ace.

Any Ti owners? Frame/Bike suggestions?
 
uniQ said:
Anyone else planning to pick up a bike when the end of season sales start? I have my heart on a Ti bike but also extremely tempted by the CAAD 10 Dura Ace.

Any Ti owners? Frame/Bike suggestions?
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What's your budget?

The usual suspects are Van Nicholas, Planet-X and Enigma at the lower end going up to Firefly and Crisp Ti for £3k and upwards for the frame passing though the likes of Lynsky, Moots and Litespeed.

I've got a custom Ti frame designed for me by Justin Burls. It's at the lower end costing £1050 for frame only but I love it.
 
Budget is up to 2.5k @ a push. Not a huge fan of Van Nicholas. At the moment I think Qoroz & then Enigma are top of my want list. Also liking some of the Sabbath and Spin Cycle Works frames.

Haven't seen Firefly/Crisp frames will have a google in a mo, cheers.

Any pics of your Ti bike?
 
Firefly: http://fireflybicycles.com/
Crisp: http://www.crisptitanium.com/

My Burls:

4d152044.jpg


It's now got a red / black saddle and I've ditched the Spin Ti seat post for a Thompson elite with 15mm lay back.

It's my commuter / winter bike rather than my weekender.
 
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