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Road Cycling Essentials

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Dug my old road bike from about 1990 out of my dad's dehumidified shed (he keeps his motorbikes in there), it's had a clean since I took this picture earlier this afternoon bu thought I'd share some retroness :)

2012-09-16125232.jpg
 
I want to buy my GF a bike, £300 or less, would second hand be the way to go? Do women need special 'ladies' bikes or is that just for women from 1910?

The triban 3 could be an option, would this be suitable for a girl? I've been reading that they need narrow bars and stuff, is this true?

Going to try and average 20mph around our 30 mile route tomorrow...going to be tough!
 
godinman said:
I want to buy my GF a bike, £300 or less, would second hand be the way to go? Do women need special 'ladies' bikes or is that just for women from 1910?

The triban 3 could be an option, would this be suitable for a girl? I've been reading that they need narrow bars and stuff, is this true?

Going to try and average 20mph around our 30 mile route tomorrow...going to be tough!
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Kate tried a women's Specialized Dolce but actually preferred the Secteur which is unisex. Depends on her reach/leg length etc, I'd advise her to try both. The Dolce has narrower bars and so on but it's all about what she feels comfortable on.
 
Bri said:
Dug my old road bike from about 1990 out of my dad's dehumidified shed (he keeps his motorbikes in there), it's had a clean since I took this picture earlier this afternoon bu thought I'd share some retroness :)

2012-09-16125232.jpg
Click to expand...

Thats an absolutely lovely little bike, been looking for soemthing that good a condition to pick up for riding around town that i dont mind leaving places!

looks tiny is it like a 52?
 
godinman said:
I want to buy my GF a bike, £300 or less, would second hand be the way to go? Do women need special 'ladies' bikes or is that just for women from 1910?

The triban 3 could be an option, would this be suitable for a girl? I've been reading that they need narrow bars and stuff, is this true?

Going to try and average 20mph around our 30 mile route tomorrow...going to be tough!
Click to expand...

Tough to do that speed solo, as a group you should be able to do that though.
 
Apparently the male winner of the GNR ran 13.1 miles in 45 mins yesterday. My regular 10 mile loop, while more hilly, is completed in under 40 mins. I find it hard to believe that someone can run as fast as I can cycle :eek:
 
George Hincapie said:
Apparently the male winner of the GNR ran 13.1 miles in 45 mins yesterday. My regular 10 mile loop, while more hilly, is completed in under 40 mins. I find it hard to believe that someone can run as fast as I can cycle :eek:
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That cant be right; according to Wikipedia "the official IAAF world record for men is 58:23""!

Saundie said:
Do any of you have winter cycling shoes, such as the Northwave Celsius or the Shimano MW80/MW81s?
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In case anybody's interested, I ordered a pair of Northwave Celsius Arctic GTXs this morning, I expect that they'll arrive sometime this week. It'll be a couple of months before I'll know if they were the right choice, but from what I've read they should be a huge step up from normal shoes + overshoes. I will report back in due course :)
 
I've got Diadora Chilli Extremes. Cheap and cheerful, but I've got skinny ankles so the gaiter top works better for me than a Velcro closure for keeping the rain out.

Also, I highly recommend Endura Baa Baa socks. Toasty warm.
 
Jonny69 said:
Curious. What rim take have you used? Hard plastic, rubber or canvas? Is it a snug fit on both edges of the rim? Are you 100% sure you're not pinching the tube when you put the tyre on (i.e. inflate it slightly so it sits in the tyre when you lever the tyre over the rim)? You're not using a Presta valve in a Schrader valve-sized hole (Schrader valve holes are about 2mm bigger)? I think you need to run your finger round the entire inside edge of the rim looking for any sharp edges and take a double check around the tyre for anything stuck in it. The final thing I can think of is if it's an older non-beaded rim, because anything over about 60psi can have a habit of lifting the tyre bead away from the rim and you can get a tube go pop that way. It would have to be a wheel made earlier than the early 80's though.
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Its a 2012 Raleigh, nothing special, the previous tyres had wire bead, been replaced with continental ultra sport which are also wire bead, both were presta valves so no difference there.

rim tape on the bike previously were just cut up inner tubes, it's a cheap bike (£200) replaced that junk with http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=27996

It's a perfect fit, thats snug with the rim edges and covers the entire rim surface perfectly, the value hole is also covered edge to edge with exactly the right size hole for the valve to fit through.

I have since escalated my claim with paypal now and the company in question have until the 23rd to reply (as of yet they haven't). I doubt they will reply seeing as they have failed to do so the past 3 weeks. Means come the 23rd I should get a full refund.

I'll use that money to buy some decent rims, any suggestions <£100 :)
 
Berger is right, Josh Cassidy did it in a wheelchair in 43:18.

[DOD]Asprilla;22784178 said:
Also, I highly recommend Endura Baa Baa socks. Toasty warm.
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I assume you have the winter version, because the normal ones are definitely not toasty! I have 6 pairs of the normal ones, they're by far my favourite warm weather socks.
 
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