Road Cycling Essentials

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Edinho said:
Got into the Fred Whitton this year. Yeah baby!!!! :D
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Not sure if i should be giving congratulations or commiserations.

Have you ridden Hardknott before?

A lot of people who i did it with changed to MTB shoes/pedals in anticipation of walking up the hills :p
 
touch said:
Not sure if i should be giving congratulations or commiserations.

Have you ridden Hardknott before?

A lot of people who i did it with changed to MTB shoes/pedals in anticipation of walking up the hills :p
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I live in The Dales so hills aren't that much of a problem. Still need to really get some miles in but have been doing 60 miles over winter. Will probably go over to the lakes in April and recce the route over 2 days. Been over Hardknott in the car even that struggled lol :D
 
Edinho said:
I live in The Dales so hills aren't that much of a problem.
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I live in the Scottish Highlands and i didnt think hills were much of a problem for me either! Hardknott would be tough enough alone to cycle up, but after 100 miles and 8(?) significant climbs, it really isnt easy.

It's something that i have thought about doing again at some point, as i am a lot fitter now than i was a few years ago when i did it. Bub then, i did manage to get myself round, so it's not really a 'challenge' anymore.
 
Has anybody here done mont ventoux? I know its a bit cliche, but its something I'd really rather like to do.

Toying with the idea of getting eurostar there late summer, and doing mont ventoux and a few days cycling around the area before coming back. So a three maybe four day trip. Trying to keep costs down I'd probably just get a cheap hotel.

Any advice from anyone whose done the same?
 
Has anybody here built their own bike before? How difficult is it?

I still want to replace my commuter, but since there isn't really anything wrong with it (it does the job) I'm considering delaying the process by buying parts over the next 12 months and then building a single-speed bike at the end once I've got everything.

I imagine this would be quite rewarding and satisfying, however, what worries me is my lack of required equipment and lack of space to actually construct it. I don't want to end up spending over the odds for tools I need.

So, is it worth the hassle or should I just go for an LBS build?
 
Shamrock said:
Has anybody here built their own bike before? How difficult is it?
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a lot of people on this thread give their LBS far too much money for basic maintenance. It's easy and fun, and the best bit is, you know what to do if something goes wrong mid ride

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

pretty much the only areas you'll need specialist tools are the crank/BB and the headset. 99% of your bike will come apart with a 4, 5 and 6mm allen key
 
Shamrock said:
Has anybody here built their own bike before? How difficult is it?

I still want to replace my commuter, but since there isn't really anything wrong with it (it does the job) I'm considering delaying the process by buying parts over the next 12 months and then building a single-speed bike at the end once I've got everything.

I imagine this would be quite rewarding and satisfying, however, what worries me is my lack of required equipment and lack of space to actually construct it. I don't want to end up spending over the odds for tools I need.

So, is it worth the hassle or should I just go for an LBS build?
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I've built 3 from scratch, cummuter, nice bike, mtb with no prior experience.

Plus I constantly upgrade parts off ebay for my nice bike, parts off that then go on my commuter, parts off that then get sold on or go on the missus bike. And I've never even walked in a LBS.

Its easy once you get the right tools.

I use this tool kit: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=40997

You just need a good set of screwdrivers, hacksaw (for fork cutting) and cable cutter.

And I use this bike stand which is excellent: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Home-mech..._Cycling_Tools_RepairKits&hash=item2320015e96
 
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Shamrock said:
I don't really have the space for a bike stand. Also, how do you go about cutting the steerer?
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What do you mean you don't have the space? It totally folds up to nothing, its unfold it when you need it, put it on your patio, in your dining room, whatever, fold it away when your done.

Once your happy with your stem height mark the tube, then I use an old metal stem I don't use anymore, I stick that on the fork at the point I want to cut. Then just use a hacksaw and the old crappy stem as a guide to cut against. It's easy, it can't go wrong as the stem stops you cuttng anything you didnt want to, also just as easy for alu or carbon.
 
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Haha, you don't realise how small my flat is!

Anyway, I've decided I will do it as it'll be good to have a project to slowly work on that I can spec out exactly as I want it.

Now I just need a full list of required parts for a fixie/singlespeed!
 
Have created a league for the tour down under on road.cc

It's setup for purist teams only (no transfers) if you want to join then the code is 76394, I'll have to approve you to stop random people joining.

You can win some shiny wheels if your team does well apparently so worth a try!
 
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