Road Cycling Essentials

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Jonny69 said:
I'm hoping I should be able to hold that sort of speed because the speed traps on my commute tell me I'm going through them at 24mph, 28mph if the wind is behind or if I'm pushing on and 22mph if the wind is towards me. It's a flat route so should be similar to how I ride my 10 mile commute except without the 15 sets of lights and traffic to slow me down and wear out my legs.
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I'll be happy if I can do it at 20mph. I've done flat routes of close to 30 miles at just shy of 18mph, so 20mph for 25 miles on closed roads after 9 months training should be do-able.

Jonny69 said:
I'm hoping there aren't any restrictions on the bike I can use - I'd prefer to use my commuter because I'm comfortable on it. No point taking gears if I don't need them :D
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The FAQs on the London Triathlon website say you should refer to the BTF website for what bikes are permitted. I can't find anything specific there. There is a FAQ on the London Triathlon page and the first bike related question is "Can I use a mountain bike" which rather concerns me, as it could be noddergeddon out there.

Ah, found the rulebook here.

Hmm, so it looks like clip on tri-bars could be a sketchy proposition, and there's definitely no drafting allowed.
 
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topgun06 said:
How do you keep your feet dry!? My feet are the first things to get wet. :(
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The cheapo overshoes in the bundle from planet-x kept my trainers dry on the 1hr ride home on Wednesday, pretty impressed since they cost peanuts and my entire journey was one giant river. I actually came off my bike (worn 23mm tyres and wet leaves don't mix) and stubbed my toe whilst landing, no damage to the overshoes at all :)
 
Mine last under an hour then I can feel it soaking in. It may be that my tights/leg warmers are soaking the water up and therefore seeping underneath the covers.
 
Vonhelmet said:
Ah, found the rulebook here.
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Brilliant - thanks for that.

h. there must be a brake on each wheel and each wheel must be classified as free wheels
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Bugger :mad:

Better also check sections 11.3 to 11.6 on page 17 on helmets. I don't know whether those standards listed are 'standard' on normal road helmets from the likes of Evans etc, so we'd better check that. Should be a sticker or marking inside the helmet I'm guessing?
 
Jonny69 said:
Better also check sections 11.3 to 11.6 on page 17 on helmets. I don't know whether those standards listed are 'standard' on normal road helmets from the likes of Evans etc, so we'd better check that. Should be a sticker or marking inside the helmet I'm guessing?
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I'm pretty sure all helmets manufactured since 1997 have to comply with EN 1078, so you should be fine. Yes, there should be a sticker inside.
 
memphisto said:
Not that I'm aware of for those three passes there are some great routes though from lowes up and over whin to Braithwaite across to newlands and then Buttermere, Honister mind if u havent been up hon before from the Buttermere side its a real killer! from there u can either go into Keswick and then round the back of bassenthwaite lake to say Embleton then cut backacross to lowes or if u are going hardcore descend hon then across to cat bells then up Whinlatter the.side u descended earlier and back to Loweswater. The second option is basicall. The team townend Route and should see u doing 45 to 50 miles the first around 60-70 wish my arm was Ok as I'd Offer to accompany u round!
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That's the route I'd planned out as from memory that'd be the easiest way to ride up Whinlatter and Newlands. I've ridden up the Borrowdale side of Honnister on my mtb whilst doing the Borrowdale Bash and that was bloody awful. I'm hoping the Buttermere side will be slightly easier, being on a 12 pound lighter bike with skinny tyres should help a bit.
 
uv said:
The cheapo overshoes in the bundle from planet-x kept my trainers dry on the 1hr ride home on Wednesday, pretty impressed since they cost peanuts and my entire journey was one giant river. I actually came off my bike (worn 23mm tyres and wet leaves don't mix) and stubbed my toe whilst landing, no damage to the overshoes at all :)
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topgun06 said:
Mine last under an hour then I can feel it soaking in. It may be that my tights/leg warmers are soaking the water up and therefore seeping underneath the covers.
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Really am not too impressed with the planet-x overshoes, granted they were dirt cheap in the bundle but they're simply not windproof, nor are they waterproof; resistant yes.

Topgun, it's quite possible that the ingress is from your leggings/tights yes. I've got a pair of endura overshoes that I use for the wet, and whilst they're essentially just a block of neoprene, the cuff at the top of the leg does a fantastic job of keeping water out.
 
Gribs said:
That's the route I'd planned out as from memory that'd be the easiest way to ride up Whinlatter and Newlands. I've ridden up the Borrowdale side of Honnister on my mtb whilst doing the Borrowdale Bash and that was bloody awful. I'm hoping the Buttermere side will be slightly easier, being on a 12 pound lighter bike with skinny tyres should help a bit.
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The Buttermere side of Honister compared to the borrowdale side overall I think it' 6 and 2 3s tbh the Buttermere side is probably steeper for longer than the Borrowdale side but the overall hard climbing is probably shorter good luck with it though if U manage the four passes in one ride that's good going as theres A few decent climbs on the way other than those as well! Scale hill on the Way Out of Loweswater for example as well as a couple i can remember on the way to newlands as well !
 
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topgun06 said:
How do you keep your feet dry!? My feet are the first things to get wet. :(
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I've got a pair of THESE.

Pro Tarmac H2O overshoes. Had them for a good few years and they are still good as new. They do exactly as that Bike Radar review says they do. And I find them fairly warm as well which is a bonus on cold mornings. One of the best bits of bike kit I've purchased. :cool:
 
topgun06 said:
How do you keep your feet dry!? My feet are the first things to get wet. :(
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I wear a pair of the below boots and don't have any issues with my feet getting wet or cold, no matter the weather.

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I think in the end your feet will end up wet and the overshoe is just keeping the wind off them. Coupled with merino wool socks you are damp but not cold in my experience.

My dilluvio ones are ****ed so I'll be taking some Shimano Tarmac npu+ ones when I decide I want to ride in the cold.
 
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