Road Cycling Essentials

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Vonhelmet said:
I've no hope of getting near a KoM, probably ever, but I like it for monitoring my own progress and logging my totals and so on.
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You've got one. Granted you're the only one on it but it still counts :p

I noticed a couple of new segments on my commute. I sprinted to get one today, only got second place but first place was some skinny whippet doing 30+ so I'm happy with 2nd.
 
I tried asking for some advice earlier, will try again if anyone can help give me some advise? Thanks

My work's Cycle to Work Scheme is back! YAY!

Here's my situation, used to commute to work on a hybrid Raleigh, cycled rain, sun and snow on a 6mile return journey (nearly completely flat, Hull).

Since the bike got knicked last year, I've been eyeing on a road bike as I've moved to Pontefract, nice Yorkshire hilly roads for cycling!

What should I look out for for looking to get a road bike? My cycle to work scheme allows me to go up to £1000 inc accessories BUT I want to work on a budget of £500-£600 bike only.

Any suggestions? Where I live, there's an Evans cycle shop - been looking around and these stands out...

1) Fuji Sportif 1.5 Compact 2013 £600
2) Specialized Allez Compact 2013 £550
3) Pinnacle Dolomite 2 2013 £550 (+ free £100 worth of accessories)
4) Pinnacle Dolomite 1 2013 £450 (+ free £50 worth of accessories)

Does Carbon fork REALLY make a difference? Bearing in mind, this is me coming from a heavy-ish hybrid with MTB tyres. I am looking for a bike to go fast. Commute on weekdays, go enjoy the roads on weekends.

Additional info if it makes a difference; I'm 174cm.
 
One More Solo said:
AFAIK you still need to load a ride even if you want to do your own thing, but there are free ride workouts with no targets built in so it just displays your data. Search "free ride" and load one of an appropriate length.
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Thanks for that , i just found an hour ride, thats perfect

Rusty_Noob said:
Rip them on your PC to an MP4 file, then you can drag & drop them into TrainerRoad so the video will auto start when you start pedalling and it will be synced up to the video perfectly :)
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Thats a really good idea Rusty, im going to do that at the weekend
 
I need to order some handle bars for a new frame ive got coming, am i correct in thinking that i take the measurements from shoulder to shoulder to get the right fit?
 
Mr Jones said:
I tried asking for some advice earlier, will try again if anyone can help give me some advise? Thanks

My work's Cycle to Work Scheme is back! YAY!

Here's my situation, used to commute to work on a hybrid Raleigh, cycled rain, sun and snow on a 6mile return journey (nearly completely flat, Hull).

Since the bike got knicked last year, I've been eyeing on a road bike as I've moved to Pontefract, nice Yorkshire hilly roads for cycling!

What should I look out for for looking to get a road bike? My cycle to work scheme allows me to go up to £1000 inc accessories BUT I want to work on a budget of £500-£600 bike only.

Any suggestions? Where I live, there's an Evans cycle shop - been looking around and these stands out...

1) Fuji Sportif 1.5 Compact 2013 £600
2) Specialized Allez Compact 2013 £550
3) Pinnacle Dolomite 2 2013 £550 (+ free £100 worth of accessories)
4) Pinnacle Dolomite 1 2013 £450 (+ free £50 worth of accessories)

Does Carbon fork REALLY make a difference? Bearing in mind, this is me coming from a heavy-ish hybrid with MTB tyres. I am looking for a bike to go fast. Commute on weekdays, go enjoy the roads on weekends.

Additional info if it makes a difference; I'm 174cm.
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this is the best bike you can get for ~600-700

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/r...uipped?part=SE13RIB7005WINTSHIM&sub=conf_SERW

but if you need to go evans i would be going with fuji tbh, all of the 500-600 bikes seem to have 2300 groupsets and carbon forks, even triban 3 has the same groupset + carbon forks.. the only difference is that the wheel set on 500-600 bike will be better(i guess)

tbh you should also take a lot at halfords and i think they can order from leisurelakecycles? which gives you more choice.

and yes carbon fork will be more comfortable, i do recommend getting a bike with mudguard clearance and good wheels if you really want to use it all year long.

dont forget the basics you will need (lights, gloves, helmet, pump, tubes, punture kit, tool kit)
 
What about that Boardman Halfords were going to stock? i think they have a £500 one coming out, or out now, not sure on groupset tho
 
grudas said:
this is the best bike you can get for ~600-700

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sed/r...uipped?part=SE13RIB7005WINTSHIM&sub=conf_SERW

but if you need to go evans i would be going with fuji tbh, all of the 500-600 bikes seem to have 2300 groupsets and carbon forks, even triban 3 has the same groupset + carbon forks.. the only difference is that the wheel set on 500-600 bike will be better(i guess)

tbh you should also take a lot at halfords and i think they can order from leisurelakecycles? which gives you more choice.

and yes carbon fork will be more comfortable, i do recommend getting a bike with mudguard clearance and good wheels if you really want to use it all year long.

dont forget the basics you will need (lights, gloves, helmet, pump, tubes, punture kit, tool kit)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input - I still have majority of my accessories, just tubes and new bike lock required so I'm buying that separately to the scheme (so as I own it rather than part to the scheme).

I forgot about mudguard clearance, so will look into that for my bikes.

Can someone explain the "2300 groupsets" please? I haved owned 3 bikes in my life time, all hybrids and stock component, so never looked into changing components. Does my suggested bikes allow me to upgrade as I continue cycling and get addicted to speed?

Thanks!
 
They'll all allow you to change components but some are better than others. For your first 'proper' road bike it doesn't make much difference. I've got Shimano Sora shifters/derailleurs and an FSA Omega crankset on mine which compared to others here are completely pants but they do the same job as the expensive stuff, just a bit heavier and a bit less advanced.

I've just fitted my new Charge Spoon saddle (replacing a Specialized Phenom Comp gel which is like it's made out of wood) so I'll see how it rides on the way home. Just from looking at it and squeezing it it's massively better padded than the Phenom. Even if it's not right, for £20 I can't argue. Only problem is the red logo on it spoils the black/white setup the bike's got. I'll just have to make sure I wear my black/white/red jersey to make up for it.
 
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You might as well max out your cyclescheme voucher, it's free money. £600 will be about £30 a month and £1000 about £50. Absolutely worth maxing it out.
 
Might sound like a stupid question but are all road bike pedals the same and can I use any road bike shoes?

I see some roadbike shoes are marked as SPD's aren't they MTB standard?

What do I need to look out for so they are compatible with my new road bike pedals
 
As long as your new pedals are SPD then any SPD shoe/cleat will work fine. I've got double sided SPD on mine and I use mountain bike shoes. The flat side on the pedal and the tread on the shoe help in stop-start commutes. If yours ae SPD-SL then you'll have to get cleats to match.
 
They are not all the same, there are a few different options. You won't be able to use any shoe. The shoe needs to allow fitment of a cleat compatible with your pedals.
 
Mr Jones said:
Thanks for the input - I still have majority of my accessories, just tubes and new bike lock required so I'm buying that separately to the scheme (so as I own it rather than part to the scheme).

I forgot about mudguard clearance, so will look into that for my bikes.

Can someone explain the "2300 groupsets" please? I haved owned 3 bikes in my life time, all hybrids and stock component, so never looked into changing components. Does my suggested bikes allow me to upgrade as I continue cycling and get addicted to speed?

Thanks!
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the only difference really is the weight + smoothness of shifting and noise.

my triban has 2300 all around and tbh i dont have any problems with it, shifts when i need it to and thats about it really :)

it could be lighter but then again the bike is ~10kg anyways so a few hundred grams wont make a difference.
 
The length from the screw that mounts on to the stem above the head tube to the middle of your handlebars (where it clamps on).

Stem length is quite important to get the correct posture on the bike.

Make sure you get the correct clamp diameter, most modern bikes are 31.8mm now.
 
The length from the screw that mounts the stem on to the headset above the head tube to the middle of your handlebars (where it clamps on).

Stem length is quite important to get the correct posture on the bike.

Make sure you get the correct clamp diameter, most modern bikes are 31.8mm now.
 
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