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Road Cycling Essentials

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Utter rubbish advice, guys. Not everyone likes riding drop bars and a hybrid is basically a road bike with flat bars and a bit more space for bigger tyres. Off road or not.

I'd probably recommend one with conventional brakes over discs, either cantis or caliper brakes, purely from a simplicity and cheap servicing perspective.
 
Tonight ill start the cyclocross campaign, see where it goes , ideally she would get a road bike so we can go out at the weeks and on a hybrid ill be waiting up forever. Cyclocross i reckon i could sell the dream but as you say it does depend on the drops
 
^^ That's actually sensible. (J69) - why not take her to a few shops for some demo rides and see what she likes best?
 
Kimi said:
Tonight ill start the cyclocross campaign, see where it goes , ideally she would get a road bike so we can go out at the weeks and on a hybrid ill be waiting up forever. Cyclocross i reckon i could sell the dream but as you say it does depend on the drops
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Some cyclocross bikes offer both drop and horizontal brake levers on the handles. Could potentially be a good choice, allows her to use the horizontals at first to get used to riding the bike and she can gradually migrate to the drops, it's how i learnt how to use drops now i spend 90% of my commute with my head down.

It took me a long time to adapt to drops, i started cycling in October last year and it's only now that i feel totally comfortable with my hands right down at the bottom. Now that i feel comfortable like that I really dislike having to sit in a more upright position, especially when there's headwind!
 
Jonny69 said:
Utter rubbish advice, guys. Not everyone likes riding drop bars and a hybrid is basically a road bike with flat bars and a bit more space for bigger tyres. Off road or not.

I'd probably recommend one with conventional brakes over discs, either cantis or caliper brakes, purely from a simplicity and cheap servicing perspective.
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Ehh, hybrids are generally mtb frames with slick tyres and CX bikes are road frames with flat bars. Hyprids based on mtb frames are pointless as has been said as its the worst of both worlds.

In other news my bryton 40 arrived an did have a HRM so bargain!
 
If she's looking for something cheaper and lighter than the Boardman, the Specialized Vita Elite would seem to fit the bill. It's not much heavier than an Allez, which is a very popular road bike. The carbon fork would suggest that the Specialized would potentially be more comfortable, too, but I doubt there's much in it. I guess it depends on whether or not she wants disc brakes - the Avid BB5s on the Boardman are good, but can be tricky to adjust, from what I've read.

Edit: If it were me, I'd look at raising the budget a bit and getting a Cyclocross bike. I guess she may have her reasons for wanting a hybrid, though; if she gets one with a triple it'll have mountain bike gearing, so she'll be able to climb walls with it. In fact, that Vita Elite has a low gear of 21.7 inches!
 
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Shimmyhill said:
Ehh, hybrids are generally mtb frames with slick tyres and CX bikes are road frames with flat bars. Hyprids based on mtb frames are pointless as has been said as its the worst of both worlds.
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That used to be the case many years ago, but not anymore. Modern hybrids are, as Jonny said, much better and probably better for road use than a CX bike.
Also, CX bikes are not road frames. CX tyres and brakes dont fit on road frames (they also usually have drop bars).
 
I have a road bike and a hybrid for winter. I like both. My hybrid doesn't feel like a mountain bike with slicks, it feels more like a road bike with flat bars and thicker tyres.
 
I've done a couple of rides with my bryton Rider 40 now.

The unit itself is great - loads of customisation and the navigation works well too.

I transferred both rides to Strava - one though comes out totally different on strava! I it was a real slow pootle. Average 14.8 but on strava its knocked off over 20 minutes from the riding time, and average is 20.5 and it gave me two KOMs that I didn't get.

I'm really not sure why, I've used the direct method and export/import and it comes out the same each time.

Anyone else had similar?
 
Is one riding time and one trip time or something?


Could anyone who have bought some DHB Vaeon Roubaix Leg Warmers offer me some advice on sizing please? The website states -

Sizing is as below when laid flat:

Length x Upper cuff x Lower cuff
Small = 570x180x90
Medium = 590x190x100
Large = 600x200x110

So length is fine, they look like the finish sort of mid-shin?

Upper cuff, should I measure right up at the top of my leg? Or at the widest part?

Lower cuff, I guess I should measure where the leg warmer will end?

If someone could give me the size they got any their measurements I'd be grateful...you'd have thought seeing as wiggle make DHB stuff they'd have a proper sized guide...hmmm.


Also, Strava is addictive, I want to beat everybody!!
 
Those bib shorts I bought are too small. GF can have them though as they fit her.
Anyone know of any awesome and cheap bib shorts?
 
ShiWarrior said:
arrg dont try and change my mind!

the bike i want is currently out of stock! :(
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Looks better than the Boardman, rides better than the Boardman, you don't have to go to Halfords... the benefits are endless.

I can vouch for Planet X's customer service as well, we spent ages browsing bikes there before my wife bought her new bike. Lots of friendly advice, free coffee and zero sales pressure - perfect!
 
Jono said:
Those bib shorts I bought are too small. GF can have them though as they fit her.
Anyone know of any awesome and cheap bib shorts?
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I've got these - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-aeron-race-cycling-bib-short/ Did a c2c in them, they're very good.

I'm going to become a walking DHB advertisement at this rate, damn their high quality and low prices!:mad:


edit - Just seen above, £15?! Blimey, I'd get a pair if I wasn't so damn poor at the moment.
 
godinman said:
Is one riding time and one trip time or something?
/QUOTE]

That's the thing, the time strava shows is neither. Trip time was about 15 minutes longer than riding as I had a bit of a sit down, but strava lists a ride time that's over 20 minutes short and I can't find the reason why.

You use strava with a Bryton, right? Any problems?
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Not any problems so far, although strava did change my 19.3mph average to 19.2mph, but I assume that's something to do with the 'hide your home' features.

I'll have a look at a couple of rides and see if there are any glaring differences...
 
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