Road Cycling Essentials

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Thanks for the advice so far folks. The end-of-lunch firewall is about to close in so I'll have a read and digest in about 5 minutes but won't be able to reply again until later... :D

#Chri5# said:
IMHO, if you are going into a shop to try a product out for size / comfort (eg running or cycling shoes) and make use of their facilities / stock holding / goodwill, then you should pay the price premium (if there is one) and purchase the item from them.
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I do actually agree with you. I generally feel bad about using their goodwill and then buying elsewhere just to save €1.08
 
Jonny69 said:
I've stayed the same weight but lost some size from my legs. I was on a deliberate no-exercise drive over the Christmas break to make sure I fully recovered from last year's exercise excesses.

Cleats.

2013 is year of the cleat for me - it's time to make the change. What am I looking for, MTB cleats and shoes with recessed cleat plates? I'd considered all-out road cleats but I'd rather have a shoe I can walk in for those occasions when I can't carry extra shoes. What's the best plan of action, try them out in Evans and then buy online or is Evans ok, pricewise?
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get Road cleats as they are wider so you can get more power down, just by a commuting shoe, Specialised do one where you can walk in them and use it for cycling
 
I'm currently using Crank Bros Candy pedals (egg beaters with a platform around) for commuting. Four sided clip in us brilliant. Going to get some more for the cyclocross.
 
I want to remove the Planet x stickers from my wheels but it looks like it might be a PITA as the sticker glue is left stuck to the wheel.

Anyone got any bright ideas how to get them off easily?
 
[DOD]Asprilla;23468686 said:
That's not true. I throw them over something random in the garage and then throw them out when I give the garage it's bi-annual sweep.

Tbh I think I had three punctures in 2012 across three frames some I'm not being that extravagant.
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Me and my big flipping mouth. 200m before work and the back tyre goes. Walk the last bit and at lunch time I picked out enough glass to reglaze York Minster. Couple of dodgy skid patches as well.

New tyre fitted at lunch, which is disappointing as I've already got four spares at home.

Also the inside of my guards were so bad they were rubbing the tyre and my drive train is filthier that that girl Sarah I knew at Uni. I'm disappointed in myself.
 
Canyon w/ Zonda wheelset was paid for and collected today. I'm back on a Trek 1.1. Picked up a chain & casette at lunch which will hopefully sort out the slipping gears.

Ordered new wheelset yesterday which was dispatched this morning apparently :o with a bit of luck they'll arrive tomorrow :)
 
Still on the subject of cleats, what (if anything) gives your foot lateral support? In a toeclip on a flat pedal, the flat top of the pedal supports your foot on each side and stops it rolling. I can't work out how your foot is supported on, say, an M520 pedal. Or have I got this wrong and is your foot completely floating with an SPD cleat? Same goes for eggbeaters I guess, what supports your foot? The reason I ask is I used a pair of early 90's aero pedals and I found my foot was prone to rolling out the side of them and supporting my foot seemed to sap effort away from actually pedalling.
 
The soles of the shoes are rigid; proper road shoes tend to have a solid carbon sole which has very little give. MTB ones tend to be a little more flexible, but not to the point where you'd be able to roll your ankle or anything that serious.
 
Ah ok, I was trying to work out if they gripped up to the pedal or not, but couldn't see if the SPD option did that or not.
 
Jonny69 said:
Still on the subject of cleats, what (if anything) gives your foot lateral support? In a toeclip on a flat pedal, the flat top of the pedal supports your foot on each side and stops it rolling. I can't work out how your foot is supported on, say, an M520 pedal. Or have I got this wrong and is your foot completely floating with an SPD cleat? Same goes for eggbeaters I guess, what supports your foot? The reason I ask is I used a pair of early 90's aero pedals and I found my foot was prone to rolling out the side of them and supporting my foot seemed to sap effort away from actually pedalling.
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This is EXACTLY the problem I had with M520's they have a very small cleat and it was only adjustable in a vertical (along the foot) direction, the outside of my feet were getting very dumb and painful.

I switched to Look keo cleats and a decent air of of supportive shoes, the cleats as well as having a far bigger base can be adjusted across and along the foot, took me a couple of rides to adjust perfectly but I now have no issues.

Also about the double sided thing, before I had clipless I was a bit scared so doubled sided would be best... thing is I find (well least with my look pedals) that as you set off the slight friction in the pedle bearings make the side your not clipped into naturally come to your foot the right side up. I do a city commute every day and I can't remember the last time I missed a clip in, tbh its virtually impossible to find yourself trying to clip into the wrong side.

One last thing, if anyone is looking for some very lightweight bargain pedels check these: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Exustar-E...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item53edba87c6

They're look keo cleat compatible, very cheap, very sturdy, VERY light, lighter than pedels 3-4 times their price. I have them on my two bikes, cannot fault them.
 
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