Road Cycling Essentials

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Today was hard. 77.7mi @ 19.3. Picked up 7 top 10's w/ a 5th place on one of the hardest hills in the SW :)
 
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Disco Boy said:
Really nice day for riding today. I went for my second club outing. I had planned on going with their "medium-slow" and then set off with their "medium" because I missed the m-s setting off. Anyway, the mediums were on the back of the m-f for quite a while, then the group split and I wasn't switched on enough not to end up with the m-f.

Anyway this resulted in me being gassed after 30 miles @19avg. Taking a turn in the wind was jut a bad idea! So, I stopped at a nice pond in Thame and had a can of coke before cycling the 20 miles back to the cafe solo.

With the group (+4 miles solo)
http://www.strava.com/activities/80677044
Solo
http://www.strava.com/activities/80677022
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19mph average... I can't imagine ever being good enough for club riding.
 
Vonhelmet said:
19mph average... I can't imagine ever being good enough for club riding.
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Well I wasn't good enough for that ride! And it was pretty flat.

There were, I think, 4 groups slower than mine too.

If you want to try group cycling, and prefer a more "touring" pace, then you can always try the CTC (they say it stands for cyclist touring club, but really it stands for cafe to cafe!) but they can be really really slow some times!
 
Vonhelmet said:
Cycling infrastructure in this county is a disgrace. Such a half arsed afterthought. You're best to just stick to the roads :(
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to much traffic lights in newcastle lol..

I went though the city centre and ended up stuck for about 10 minutes even though it was just a short stretch.

living in the city centre + cycling sucks must be nice for the folk who live in awesome rural areas
 
Where about on your route was that underwater bit arknor?

Yeah don't think I'd fancy cycling through the town centre. Though with Newcastle if you know what roads to take you can get around it with little traffic/traffic lights :)
 
what do you think of this bike Guys (CX) ?
DSC_0104_zps0d3f2392.jpg

DSC_0106_zps88267cba.jpg

DSC_0111_zpsa75eb624.jpg


They are the "main" photos (I have more)

advert reads :

Specialized Tri-cross comp. Road / cross bike, XL frame (58cm, i am 6ft tall) Very capable bike both on road or trail.
Upgraded wheels to Campagnolo CX cross with Armadillo 700x25c tyres.




•Specialized E5 frame, fully manipulated E5 SLX tubing, semi-compact Freeroad design, FACT carbon seatstays w/ Zertz inserts
•Specialized E5, fully manipulated E5 SLX tubing, semi-compact Freeroad design, FACT carbon seatstays w/ Zertz inserts
•Specialized FACT carbon Tricross fork, carbon legs, aluminum steerer, SpeedZertz inserts, full rack and fender mounts
•Avid Shorty 4, cantilever brake w/ cartridge pads
•Specialized Comp-Set stem and Specialized Zertz Comp
•Shimano Ultegra, 10-speed rear derailleur
•Shimano Ultegra, short cage
•Roval Classique Pavé
•Shimano 105, 10-speed STI, flight deck compatible
•SRAM OG-1070, 10-speed 11-28t
•Specialized Borough CX Pro tires
•48x34t
•Roval Classique Pavé, alloy double wall rim, machined sidewalls
•Roval Classique Pavé, 20 hole, Roval QR
•Roval Classique Pavé, 24 hole, Roval QR




Bike Radar review - http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/categ...w-specialized-bicycles-tricross-comp-08-29161







This bike is in superb condition, has been used mainly for a road commute to work and has never let me down, the Shimano 105 groupset shifts perfectly and the frame is plenty light enough to generate rapid acceleration and speed, with a triple set at the front, making those tough hills much easier to climb. Recently serviced and well looked after, this bike is almost in new condition. Overall a very versatile and comfortable bike. The sale also includes a set of clip on race blade mud guards and permanent mud guards (may need a couple of M5 bolts for fixing, readily available from most bike shops) Clipless pedals are also included in the sale.




Selling due to planned upgrade as i wish to purchase a carbon fibre framed bike to endure faster rides and much longer distances. Original cost of this bike was £1500 so there is a real bargain to be had.




Collection from DY5/B64 or possible local delivery. Cash on collection preferred. Happy to answer any questions.



its a 2011 bike (so ignore the review its the wrong one)

little confused front and rear mech say 105, advert says Ultegra
 
Thanks UniQ and all

No idea how to build a bike, not going down that route
I have a spesh so ive been trying to get a Tricross of ebay for ages now
last one I bid on, went for £415 that was with Tiagra groupset, Deore rear mech
so Im expecting it to go for more (£1200 new)
 
Phantom Shadow said:
Where about on your route was that underwater bit arknor?

Yeah don't think I'd fancy cycling through the town centre. Though with Newcastle if you know what roads to take you can get around it with little traffic/traffic lights :)
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It's probably fine most of the time but it did rain the whole of yesterday and probably again over night so the water didn't get chance to drain off I guess

it was a "cycling path" behind scotswood road
7gLyMrv.jpg

a huge section of it was just coated in about an inch of water.
the other bit is obvious since I linked it from google maps and the address is in the corner :P

I think for scotswood road there's a cycling path going the whole way along the road anyway so you can avoid that crappy path.
it's usually a dusty gravel path but I guess it turns to like clay when it's been raining.

TBH I've already started adjusting my route to avoid parts going along the side of the river on the gateshead side as they are really poor until you get to the new housing estate near the metro centre

newcastle city centre is easy to navigate because the cars are limited to 20 mph anyway it's just annoying if you get caught at the traffic lights near the rear of M&S but it's the only way I know to get onto the cycling path that heads from the haymarket metro centre stop all the way up the north road and it's an easy loop for me around the newcastle moor to add a few miles onto the end of my ride if I want to.


Next time I go for a ride I think I'll just head towards Tynemouth beach down the side of the river and see if the paths/roads are any better in that direction
 
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uniQ said:
Or I believe Canyon's new CX bike will be around 1k for the base model w/ 105 & mud guard mounts.
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That's actually a good price, I don't want to spend as much as that though , only after a winter hack, and I have a spesh, so id like another one, I did test ride a tricross, seemed good
 
Does anyone know of a tool for strava that will show me new attempts made at a segment? I rode briefly with a guy today who was heading up to one of the big hills near me, and I'd be curious to see how he got on, assuming he even uses strava. Something that would list changes to the leaderboard on a day by day basis or something. I've got his first name, so that should be enough if he's on there.

PS oh noes stalking!
 
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