Road Cycling Essentials

touch · 2 Sep 2013 at 12:30

Shamrock said:
- Moving the saddle forward isn't an option as it causes knee pain.
- Stem is 90mm so I don't fancy making it 80mm as it'll probably be too twitchy.
- Not replacing the frame!

You cant change the reach without changing one of these things.
Lifting the bars higher will reduce the reach slightly, but not really a noticeable difference. You could try angling the bars up a little but that's not going to make a huge difference either.

touch · 2 Sep 2013 at 12:34

Thomas. PLease. said:
Anyone see Fernando Alonso has just bought the Euskaltel cycling team, and is set to build a new team.

No, i havnt but that's awesome news!

Alonso comes from northern spain, very close to the Basque Country, so i guess it will keep a lot of it's identity and crazy supporters

Shamrock · 2 Sep 2013 at 12:41

[DOD]Asprilla;24869999 said:
Unless your hoods are higher than the saddle then surely lowering the stem on the steerer is just going to move the bars further away.

Can you flip the stem? That should move the bars up and reduce the distance.

I'll take a picture later.

I'm probably wrong, but for some reason in my head I think lowering the stem will move the hoods further away vertically but slightly closer horizontally!

iguanoid · 2 Sep 2013 at 12:42

Vonhelmet said:
This is a 2012 model with an unconventional frame, but it's well equipped: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bmc/streetracer-sr01-105-triple-2012-road-bike-ec031072

I have a compact 2012 SR01 with 105 on it and its a great piece of kit. Love it to bits and would highly recommend trying one out to see if it fits you.

Certainly a better bike than the Fuji with tiagra on it.

InQ · 2 Sep 2013 at 12:53

[Damien];24293602 said:
Unfortunately most of the pics from tonight were taken with a potato. The GF used burst mode so there's loads of them but most are blurry.

Here's a couple of pics I've managed to find with my sexy self in.

I'll see if I can find a few more tomorrow and edit them in.

If anyone fancies going, just be prepared for the unbelievable dryness of the air in there. It gets very warm in there but that's not the worst thing. It's your throat feeling like sandpaper after a few mins of heavy effort that gets you.

Anymore info from when you went?
Did you have it booked for an hour, what did you do in the hour etc?

platypus · 2 Sep 2013 at 13:29

Thomas. PLease. said:
Anyone see Fernando Alonso has just bought the Euskaltel cycling team, and is set to build a new team.

!

Thomas. PLease. · 2 Sep 2013 at 13:51

Such random news, I knew he was a big cyclist but still. He announced a couple of days ago on twitter that he had big news coming, so everyone was speculating a red bull move or something silly, then he comes out with that! Team is supposedly going to be built around Sammy Sanchez for next year.

platypus · 2 Sep 2013 at 13:56

I'd buy a cycling team if I was paid $32m/year basic salary. Then I'd make them let me train with them

.

touch · 2 Sep 2013 at 14:06

Interesting. Reading some news sites, it seems that "his sponsor" has paid for the team.
Any ideas who the sponsor might be?

Personal sponsors on his website are listed as: Oakley, Europcar and Viceroy.
I think that Europcar's sponsorship of Team Europcar ends at the end of 2013. I'd be disappointed if they were the sponsor though. Nothing against Europcar - it just wouldnt feel like a new team.

I'd like to see an Oakley team.
Could be some other sponsor though? Ferrari?

[DOD]Asprilla · 2 Sep 2013 at 14:10

Could well be Europcar since they are a UCI ProContinental ranked team, not a ProTour team. Would be a step up in exposure for Europcar as a company.

Disco Boy · 2 Sep 2013 at 14:11

Shamrock said:
My ride on Saturday showed me my Rose doesn't quite have "all day comfort", at least not for 10 hours in the saddle.

I think my reach to the hoods is slightly too long by a tiny amount compared to my other bikes but I'm not sure how I can reduce it.

- Moving the saddle forward isn't an option as it causes knee pain.
- Stem is 90mm so I don't fancy making it 80mm as it'll probably be too twitchy.
- Bars are 40cm, I could fit 38cm to decrease reach but my bars are £180 to replace!
- Saddle is at optimum height so I don't want to lower it.
- Not replacing the frame!

My question is would lowering my stem by swapping out my final spacer for a shorter one effectively reduce my reach to the hoods? I know it'd increase my saddle to bar drop, but I think it would also bring the hoods a bit closer?

Try changing the stem. If you don't think you'll like the handling then just get a cheap one to try. For the small outlay, it's worth trying, Shirley?

Shamrock · 2 Sep 2013 at 14:33

Disco Boy said:
Try changing the stem. If you don't think you'll like the handling then just get a cheap one to try. For the small outlay, it's worth trying, Shirley?

Good idea. A shorter stem is cheaper than new bars or getting the LBS to slam the stem further.

On the other hand, I don't generally ride for 140mi with a rucksack on so perhaps I can live with how it is!

Phantom Shadow · 2 Sep 2013 at 14:40

arknor said:
here's a route I started doing
http://www.strava.com/activities/76699100
the newcastle side follows the hadrians cycle route paths.

...

There's this 40mile loop as well away from roads
http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3182192
But I've not tried that one yet either

Wow cheers for that, will have to go and ride those routes at some point.

Calpol · 2 Sep 2013 at 15:38

[DOD]Asprilla;24870815 said:
Could well be Europcar since they are a UCI ProContinental ranked team, not a ProTour team. Would be a step up in exposure for Europcar as a company.

I am pretty sure that Europcar have renewed with the current team so unlikely to be them.

uniQ · 2 Sep 2013 at 16:07

touch said:
Could be some other sponsor though? Ferrari?

My monies on Santander.

touch · 2 Sep 2013 at 16:15

uniQ said:
My monies on Santander.

That would be good. Banks seem to love cycling teams for some reason?

Santander also owns Banesto. Although, the famous Banesto team still exists as it became Caisse d'Epargne then Movistar.

helpimcrap · 2 Sep 2013 at 17:38

What helmet camera do people recommend?

We have some idiots in cars pushing people off bikes and breaking bones so thinking if i can get one with a decent image and battery it might be worth the effort. And price and waterproof too.

Russinating · 2 Sep 2013 at 17:42

Doesn't anyone have a route, preferably on Strava but doesn't really matter, for the Coll de Soller (to/from Puerto Pollenca or thereabouts)? I know someone here did it this year but can't remember who.

Vonhelmet · 2 Sep 2013 at 17:50

helpimcrap said:
What helmet camera do people recommend?

We have some idiots in cars pushing people off bikes and breaking bones so thinking if i can get one with a decent image and battery it might be worth the effort. And price and waterproof too.

Nice. Where do you live? Remind me never to visit.

helpimcrap · 2 Sep 2013 at 17:53

East midlands. Think its in the lanes around Leicester.

Its been on the news.