Road Cycling Essentials
- Thread starter Matutu
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My smartphone tracks better through trees than my Garmin etrex does. It's the polling frequency on the smartphone Strava apps that lets it down. Sony stuff supports Ant + too if you want cadence / hrm. However I'm still tempted to pick up a Garmin as the whole package is better plus it's easily bar mounted whereas my phone has to live in a jersey pocket and I have to stop to check a map.
Yay. Finally discovered what the clicking noise was that sounded like it was coming from my BB 
Noticed it only happened in the small ring and when the non crank side was almost 90deg down stroke. Turns out it was the crank side pedal arm clipping the cable that comes out of the top of the front mech. I was --> <-- close to having the BB stripped and regreased too!
Noticed it only happened in the small ring and when the non crank side was almost 90deg down stroke. Turns out it was the crank side pedal arm clipping the cable that comes out of the top of the front mech. I was --> <-- close to having the BB stripped and regreased too!
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Soldato
- Joined
- 5 Jul 2007
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- London
Having a smartphone if you are serious about cycling is a poor idea imo. It just doesn't cut it, I train to heart rate and always want to be on the correct cadence which I can largely get by feel, but I want to be able to look back at the data and look at areas of improvement, and what happens over long distances.
Fair enough if you can't justify the price, but you really can't compare a device which displays all these metrics at once, along with training zones, programmable alarms, alerts, navigation and accurate gps to a phone with some bits added on. Not to mention like you say the battery life, I can't see a phone lasting a century ride.
Fair enough if you can't justify the price, but you really can't compare a device which displays all these metrics at once, along with training zones, programmable alarms, alerts, navigation and accurate gps to a phone with some bits added on. Not to mention like you say the battery life, I can't see a phone lasting a century ride.
I use my phone for anything up to 50 miles. Longer and I use a little USB GPS thing which has a worse signal but better battery life. I'll get a garmin when I can afford it. First things first, though - I need a decent bike.
Having done a metric century on my phone, and loosing 25% battery in 5 hours (with wcdma off, but data on) it's not an issue on an even half decent phone.
Is anyone on here planning on doing the London to Cambridge ride next weekend? Starts from Lee Valley Leisure Centre just round the corner from Ponders End train station and finishes on Midsummer Common in Cambridge. Only found out about it last week but already got my entry sorted 
Going to be heading down on the train from Cambridge, looks like they've put a couple of extra early services on.
http://bike-events.com/Ride.aspx?id=365
This seems to be the route: http://app.strava.com/segments/1804078
Going to be heading down on the train from Cambridge, looks like they've put a couple of extra early services on.http://bike-events.com/Ride.aspx?id=365
This seems to be the route: http://app.strava.com/segments/1804078
Associate
- Joined
- 5 Jun 2013
- Posts
- 1,531
Was in at decathlon having a look today for the black Triban 5, thinking about buying my first road bike.
They had a 54cm frame to try, and we agreed the 57cm would be a good fit (which I was expecting from reading online, being just under 6ft) - just waiting for them to get stock in, hopefully in the next week or so.
They had a 54cm frame to try, and we agreed the 57cm would be a good fit (which I was expecting from reading online, being just under 6ft) - just waiting for them to get stock in, hopefully in the next week or so.
[DOD]Asprilla;24635340 said:
Did the old scales with/without bike and it came out at 7kg exactly (scales are to the nearest 100g).
Comparable to the Canyon CF SLX as that is 6.6kg without pedals and i have the heavy (325g) 105 SPD-SL's on (for now, will upgrade when funds allow).
4th today in a very windy and wet C grade 36km.
Went in a break with the two junior riders who are back from country racing last weekend, both came in the top 10 I think. We got 30 seconds or so on the CAT4 half way through, I could have gone up harder but need someone to work with. Two of us took turns quite well, the only problem being I'm 189cm and they are more like 150! Nowhere to hide from the wind so I ended up taking bigger turns as I'm a bit stronger and they could sit behind me.
We had about 250m gap at the turn 7km or so from the end which we held until about 2km to go, it was down to about 50m then, I'd been giving it all to try and keep away so shouted for them to go as hard as they could and I dropped back to the chase group of 5.
The group started to sit up a bit and watch each other as they were going into the wind, most guys looked pretty tired. The rider who hadn't done as much work from our break got the jump on his mate and rode away to win.
We started to wind up for a sprint, I started to go early but realised we would probably catch the guy in 2nd. So I sat up for a little bit not wanting to take his place, a big guy went so I got on his wheel, pulled out at just the right time, but got beaten in a photo finish on the line.
Pretty happy with how it went, but I need to improve my speed on the flats. I am as quick as the B grade guys up hills, but need to get faster on flats and in groups. I could probably make the jump to B but would have to miss turns or get dropped from the bunch.
Looking at Strava I probably could have given B grade a go, only 3 minutes faster than I went today, that time can be accounted for by slower start off and being in a break instead of a quick bunch. Depends who turns up on the day too how fast it's going to be!
Went in a break with the two junior riders who are back from country racing last weekend, both came in the top 10 I think. We got 30 seconds or so on the CAT4 half way through, I could have gone up harder but need someone to work with. Two of us took turns quite well, the only problem being I'm 189cm and they are more like 150! Nowhere to hide from the wind so I ended up taking bigger turns as I'm a bit stronger and they could sit behind me.
We had about 250m gap at the turn 7km or so from the end which we held until about 2km to go, it was down to about 50m then, I'd been giving it all to try and keep away so shouted for them to go as hard as they could and I dropped back to the chase group of 5.
The group started to sit up a bit and watch each other as they were going into the wind, most guys looked pretty tired. The rider who hadn't done as much work from our break got the jump on his mate and rode away to win.
We started to wind up for a sprint, I started to go early but realised we would probably catch the guy in 2nd. So I sat up for a little bit not wanting to take his place, a big guy went so I got on his wheel, pulled out at just the right time, but got beaten in a photo finish on the line.
Pretty happy with how it went, but I need to improve my speed on the flats. I am as quick as the B grade guys up hills, but need to get faster on flats and in groups. I could probably make the jump to B but would have to miss turns or get dropped from the bunch.
Looking at Strava I probably could have given B grade a go, only 3 minutes faster than I went today, that time can be accounted for by slower start off and being in a break instead of a quick bunch. Depends who turns up on the day too how fast it's going to be!
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Well that ride didnt last long, 3.5 miles to be exact. 
http://app.strava.com/activities/68386507
Tyre got holed (Conti GP Force) by something in the road, pretty instant deflation....had to call in the support car! (aka wife) as i didnt want to risk a ride back with a new tube poking through!
5mm allen key to show hole size;
http://app.strava.com/activities/68386507
Tyre got holed (Conti GP Force) by something in the road, pretty instant deflation....had to call in the support car! (aka wife) as i didnt want to risk a ride back with a new tube poking through!
5mm allen key to show hole size;
2 hours, 29 miles, 2,000 feet. We'll have that.
Help!
I've switched my stem from my stock 110mm Specialized one to an 80mm Deda from wiggle but I'm not getting some play in the steering.
The old specialised top cap is bigger than the new stem and sits on top rather than inside, would this be the cause and I need to get the relevant Deda one?
I've switched my stem from my stock 110mm Specialized one to an 80mm Deda from wiggle but I'm not getting some play in the steering.
The old specialised top cap is bigger than the new stem and sits on top rather than inside, would this be the cause and I need to get the relevant Deda one?
Well that ride didnt last long, 3.5 miles to be exact.
Tyre got holed (Conti GP Force) by something in the road, pretty instant deflation....had to call in the support car! (aka wife) as i didnt want to risk a ride back with a new tube poking through!
Ah not cool on your Scott's maiden voyage!
I had problems with my Conti Force and had to replace it with a GP4000s. Still running the Attack on the front. It has put me off them a bit as the Force & Attacks do seem a bit delicate for the sake of a few g's. That said, I'm not sure many tyres would have survived whatever made that hole!
It sounds like the depth of the new stem maybe slightly shallower meaning the actual steerer is probably just poking over the top of the stem/spacer which mean the top cap is resting on the steerer tube and not the stem/spacer.
The steerer must end inside the stem or spacer so there is space between it and the top cap meaning it can pull tension when you tighten it. To fix that issue you either get another very small spacer or chop some of your steerer.
Better yet post a picture so we can confirm. Also make sure you are tigthing the top cap BEFORE you tighten the stem.
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this
but yeah pics needed to confirm before you go chopping the steerer.. which i wouldn't do lol, id get a spacer.. much easier/quicker to fix- Status