Road Cycling Essentials

Status
Not open for further replies.
Fuelling is definitely key. When I first started cycling recreationally last Sept (only ever done 10-15 mile e/w commutes before that) I never bothered bringing water or food with me. That was fine for the 30 mile routes I did at first but on my first 60 mile attempt I started slowing significantly at the 40-45 mile mark.

Since then I've made a point of having a decent breakfast beforehand and especially on that windy, hilly 90 miler I did last weekend I was popping gel shots and raiding feed stations for cake and jelly babies at every opportunity. It without a doubt made all the difference. It's important to fuel up as soon as you feel your strength slacking a bit, if you get to the point of proper exhaustion you're as good as screwed.
 
Jonny ///M said:
I think it has bike aids.
Click to expand...

It's a carrera tdf. That's the top feature.

It had been sticking at the shifter for a time, so I'd push the shifter to move down and it would stay stuck across to the right and need to be pushed back.

If it is the shifter, is that remotely user serviceable, or am I looking at getting a new one?
 
Vonhelmet said:
It's a carrera tdf. That's the top feature.

It had been sticking at the shifter for a time, so I'd push the shifter to move down and it would stay stuck across to the right and need to be pushed back.

If it is the shifter, is that remotely user serviceable, or am I looking at getting a new one?
Click to expand...

That sounds just like a stuck cable to me, but if it's stuck to the right (so on the small cog) then if it wasn't moving that'd mean it was resisting the cable tension when it tightens to shift to a larger cog. Do you mean it's stuck on the left on the big cog and won't move right? I'm having trouble picturing it.

Edit: Never mind. Just realised you meant the shifter, not the rear derailleur. I've no idea on that one. I've never tried to disassemble one. I'm guessing a bit of lube inside wouldn't go amiss though.

Edit 2: Also, I've just picked up a pair of these. When I stripped my bike to clean it today I noticed a (slight, tiny) bit of friction in the bearings of my crappy DT Axis 1.0 stock wheels. That's the perfect excuse to relegate them to bad weather commute duty and get new ones. :D

Is there any better feeling than having a shiny clean drivetrain? Well, at least until you get a *******ing for using the sink that is...

tplzycf.png
dAnOMRm.png
 
Last edited:
Nice and shiny!

And if you're in trouble for wrecking the sink, think of Rob who we were out with today. After cleaning his bike parts he bakes them dry in the oven.
 
Edinho said:
Fuelling is the key difference between running and cycling. Anything over 2hr 30 min for me and i can feel my energy vapourising. You get used to it though eventually you will be able to knock out 50-60 miles without much fuss.

Also a big thing that inexperienced (and some experienced cyclists) do is ignore your equipment. In winter you can not afford to have mechanicals it is unpleasant and can be dangerous, a puncture in the dark at 0C in the freezing rain in the middle of nowhere I can assure you is both unpleasant and frightening. Get some tough wheels and those marathons on, and keep the chain well lubed.
Click to expand...

Fueling is something I need to look into more as my rides have all been sub 2hrs before hence not really an issue.

Despite being a very inexperienced cyclist I have the advantage of working with someone who is a very serious and experenced one. As i ride to work he has been teaching me the basics in bike care and maintenance.

I ride a Giant Defy 4 with stock wheels and 25mm tyres. They are heavy but are handling the potholes beter than my back is!
 
I had 105 levers the other day and the left hand shifter would stay stuck in place. I took the name plate cover off, loosened the nut that holds it all together then worked it back and forth whilst adding lube. It now feels new again.

Once you pull the cable through by shifting. It wouldn't stop the shifter going back into place.

I did have an older tiagra shifter where the cable end had got jammed between the shifter mechanism and the cover that encases it.

Pull the brake and look inside to see if the cable is where it should be. Do it whilst in the smaller cog.
 
How does the Castelli stuff come up size wise, few nice items on CRC at the minute in XL.

My XL Foska comes up a little large and my L Endura is a little small.
 
Berger said:
How does the Castelli stuff come up size wise, few nice items on CRC at the minute in XL.

My XL Foska comes up a little large and my L Endura is a little small.
Click to expand...

I've got the Gabba LS jersey and Expresso jacket.....both medium. I'm an easy medium and they fit me fine. So the whole 'go a size up' wasn't really applicable here. For bibs etc that might be a different story.

I did try on some bibs once and medium was comically small!
 
Berger said:
How does the Castelli stuff come up size wise, few nice items on CRC at the minute in XL.

My XL Foska comes up a little large and my L Endura is a little small.
Click to expand...

I'm 5"7' with a 32" waist and wear a some large castelli bib shorts and they are a sporty but comfortable fit.
 
Wrist hasn't got any better since my off. Just been chatting to a radiologist who described my symptoms perfectly, without prompting, and then told me it was a classic presentation of a fractured scaphoid.

I'm now sat in the NHS walk in centre.
 
last summer was bad for me, 2 broken bones and a lot of sprains - elbow/foot broken, both ankles sprained left 3 times right 4 times :o wrist/thumb sprained too(this was together with the elbow)

one hell of a summer!
 
If it is broken then its the first bone damage I've had in the 37 years I've been on the planet.

I blame cycling for lowering my bone density. Looks like I'll have to start pounding the pavement again.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;23685658 said:
If it is broken then its the first bone damage I've had in the 37 years I've been on the planet.

I blame cycling for lowering my bone density. Looks like I'll have to start pounding the pavement again.
Click to expand...

meh bones.. ;) drink some cod liver oil capsules and at least 1ltr of milk a day and that'll keep your bones going. - this is what my doc said after i broke two bones in 2 months - which was a shock to him even thought it was more the fact that i was really pushing my luck on my bmx.
 
Canyon folk - what are the frame sizes like? I'm coming out as a "S" on the 2013 frame sizing which seems a bit small - I'm 178cm high with 82cm inseam (5' 10"/32") so I thought I'd be more like a medium, but i've put all my measurements through the system and it's saying small?
 
I'm same height 31" inseam and my Canyon was a small (53). I also have a couple of 56cm frames but preferred the Canyon's fit.
 
I put all my details into the size guide and it told me i was just inside the XL size.
I ordered an XL, and put my details in the order again and got a note from them telling me that a L would suit me better.
I took his advice and went with the L and it fits perfect, i think an XL would have been too big for me.
Send them an email with your details and see what they say? It seems that the size calculator isnt always right.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom