Road Cycling Essentials

Status
Not open for further replies.
New Giro Aeon helmet arrived today. £75 from Koo Bikes. Slightly bigger than my Atmos, lighter and more comfortable. Can't say I really notice the weight once I clamp a joystick and red-eye to the top; the lights probably weigh more than both helmets.

Atmos needed replacing after my mate's dog took a bite out of the inside the day before the Ride London 100.

Oh, and it's matte black instead of gloss black.
 
SoliD said:
I will be doing the Essex 100 with my brother at the weekend, my first Sportive will be wearing AG2R jersey if you see me say hello, I'll be aiming for 6 hours, but depends on the speed of my brother.
Click to expand...

Cool! I'll look out for you - ill be in a red castelli one. Aiming for a similar time but no idea what the route is like - I'm assuming its pretty flat!
 
Ti build finished and I'm pretty pleased with the result, it looks very nice.

However, I need to get out and try it out tomorrow, hopefully there won't be any issues as I took my time building it.
 
R0B75 said:
Ti build finished and I'm pretty pleased with the result, it looks very nice.

However, I need to get out and try it out tomorrow, hopefully there won't be any issues as I took my time building it.
Click to expand...

There's always going to be issues, I'm still fettling the bike I built over 3 months ago! :D Always room for improvement.
 
VeNT said:
tbh I've been looking at getting something waterproof, while I didn't mind beind wet during my 3 mile commute, riding 10+ is not as appealing tbh.
Click to expand...

[DOD]Asprilla;24857861 said:
If you get something waterproof then you'll just get wet from the humidity on the inside.
Click to expand...
This is the reason why I abandoned my quest for a waterproof jacket, and went for a softshell instead. Staying warm is more important than staying dry. I like to wear as few layers as possible, so a merino base layer and a softshell works better for me than a base layer, jersey, arm warmers and a waterproof. I guess it's down to personal taste and body shape - if you have a bit of a belly like I do, then clothes tend to bunch up around the midsection, and more layers only exacerbate the problem.

uniQ said:
Thinking about ditching overshoes this winter and getting some winter specific shoes instead. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...
I have a pair of Northwave Celsius Artics which I found to be very comfortable. They kept my feet sufficiently warm during my commute, and while they're more convenient than overshoes, I'm not sure they're worth £125. There is a road equivalent called the Fahrenheit for 3-bolt cleat systems.
 
Just LOL'ed at the man with the R5 w/ Dura Ace 9000 baulking at a pair of shoes :D

Not that they aren't v. v. expensive mind. Just the thought amused me :)
 
Just done 30km this morning. I planned on using Strava, which I did for the first half of my ride. I then stopped recording, reviewed it, then tried to start recording again but Strava kept force closing on me! Grrrr! Re-installed it when I got home and it works again, but quite annoying.

I can already feel the improvements in my body, how I feel and commitment to head winds/slopes, etc.

Had once minor embarrassing incident where I failed to clip out properly and practically fell into the road, need to keep practising that! But overall, I am feeling good. Another similar ride tomorrow morning then I'm away with for 3 days due to work so can't get another ride in till Thursday which is annoying!
 
physichull said:
Had once minor embarrassing incident where I failed to clip out properly and practically fell into the road, need to keep practising that! But overall, I am feeling good. Another similar ride tomorrow morning then I'm away with for 3 days due to work so can't get another ride in till Thursday which is annoying!
Click to expand...

You're not the only one. I've done it a couple of times, once at a junction in front of a Reliant Robin. My pride waved good bye to me.

Well done on the rides and don't worry about Strava; perhaps try getting another app e.g. Runtastic? I run Runtastic and Cyclometer (Strava 3rd Party of WP8), if one fails, I have a backup running. Unless the GPS fails, then both apps will record crazy stats like that one occasion
http://app.strava.com/activities/71785477
I apparently averaged 68mph! No segments picked up, so I left it just for my mileage.
 
oli collett said:
Cool! I'll look out for you - ill be in a red castelli one. Aiming for a similar time but no idea what the route is like - I'm assuming its pretty flat!
Click to expand...

I'll keep an eye out, guessing Castelli will be a bit harder to spot though :D

It is a flat route, something like 3000ft of climbing over the 100 miles so should be quite pacey. Think we're looking to get there around 7.20 and get off by 7.45.
 
Just retaped my handlebars again. Suffice to say I'm crap at it.

Doesn't help that the Fizik tape doesn't seem super sticky, but I just can't get it to look neat.
 
platypus said:
Just retaped my handlebars again. Suffice to say I'm crap at it.

Doesn't help that the Fizik tape doesn't seem super sticky, but I just can't get it to look neat.
Click to expand...

I did mine a few weeks back after shredding mine from a fall. I found it just about right, though the end tape isn't quite as sticky as I expected.

Are you following any instructions? I found this youtube vid easy to follow
 
grudas said:
Hi and well done for not asking for advice in this thread.. That bike is quite massive POS even as a first bike ;( for 70 ish more you could have got a triban 3 which is superior in every possible way.. IMO return it AMD get triban 3 seriously the best advice I can give :)


Edit!

Wait! Its 370@go outdoors! WAT return it ASAP and get triban 3! Please? :o
Click to expand...

Vonhelmet said:
Excellent attitude, grudas. Keep it up - we'll rival the lifters yet.

The bike is 6061 aluminium with a carbon fork, and it's got Shimano's bottom of the range gears. So the red Triban 3, assuming you can find one in stock anywhere near you, has what over it? Better gears? A bit lighter? Yeah, that's about it. If you want to get that fussy about it, nothing at this price range is great, not even the much vaunted Triban 3.

At least he didn't buy the Carrera TDF.
Click to expand...

grudas said:
Didn't mean to be rude! IMO for the price that bike is pos compared to other offerings :) I'd expect to have shimano groupo for that price! Low end shifters + random chain set is really not good for nearly 400 quid! I'd expect to at least get a 2300 group set for that price. Just sharing my opinion on that purchase and recommending the guy to get a different bike simples!
Click to expand...

Oh the irony; went for a short ride to tesco yesterday. missus'(incapable of holding her own drink while on my mountain bike) drink caught on front brake and the instead of being attached to front of my bike the whole front brake is now dangling.

Taking back to go outdoors on monday for refund, so, advice please as look at what happened when I didn't ask, eh? £380 max as at first I said £300 was my max
 
grudas said:
Hi and well done for not asking for advice in this thread.. That bike is quite massive POS even as a first bike ;( for 70 ish more you could have got a triban 3 which is superior in every possible way.. IMO return it AMD get triban 3 seriously the best advice I can give :)


Edit!

Wait! Its 370@go outdoors! WAT return it ASAP and get triban 3! Please? :o
Click to expand...

Vonhelmet said:
Excellent attitude, grudas. Keep it up - we'll rival the lifters yet.

The bike is 6061 aluminium with a carbon fork, and it's got Shimano's bottom of the range gears. So the red Triban 3, assuming you can find one in stock anywhere near you, has what over it? Better gears? A bit lighter? Yeah, that's about it. If you want to get that fussy about it, nothing at this price range is great, not even the much vaunted Triban 3.

At least he didn't buy the Carrera TDF.
Click to expand...

grudas said:
Didn't mean to be rude! IMO for the price that bike is pos compared to other offerings :) I'd expect to have shimano groupo for that price! Low end shifters + random chain set is really not good for nearly 400 quid! I'd expect to at least get a 2300 group set for that price. Just sharing my opinion on that purchase and recommending the guy to get a different bike simples!
Click to expand...

Oh the irony; went for a short ride to tesco yesterday. missus'(incapable of holding her own drink while on my mountain bike) drink caught on front brake and the instead of being attached to front of my bike the whole front brake is now dangling. Not sure if it was merely bad luck or brakes weren't attached properly in first place when it arrived as theres now nothing for the bolt to screw into so thats obviously missing now

Taking back to go outdoors on monday for refund, so, advice please as look at what happened when I didn't ask, eh? £380 max as at first I said £300 was my max

EDIT: and not Triban's; don't like how they look
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom