Road Cycling Essentials

Status
Not open for further replies.
FrenchTart said:
I'm going to have to try what Roady did and record with both IpBike and Strava sometime.
Click to expand...

Did my commute home with IpBike with my Garmin GSC10 (uploaded to Strava) and the Strava app.

IpBike (consider this the most accurate?): http://www.strava.com/activities/204877382

Strava (via Phone GPS): http://www.strava.com/activities/204878619

Distance is different. Average speed is different. Moving time is different (I stopped/started apps within seconds of each other).

Only slightly, but on my 4.4mile short commute it shouldn't be that different? I guess Strava calculates speed differently and distance travelled via GPS which might not be that accurate?
 
Derek W said:
Cheers for that. Thought it would be easier to just change the whole wheel rather than break everything down and switch it everytime i wanted to use the turbo.
Click to expand...

Looking at the price of trainer wheels (and the price of my mitch pro 4 endurance) I'm personally not gonna worry about swapping tyres/wheels as I'll probably be in and out of the trainer as I cycle my work commute... But each to their own! :)

I've saved some old tyres for spares/trainer anyway!
 
Hello everyone :D

I'm hoping to start doing some road cycling :D

Managed to do a bit when I was out in OZ visiting family and been nagging myself to make a start in the cold British weather :p

They all seem to recommend the Merlin PR7 as an entry level bike, are we in agreement?
 
Roady said:
Looking at the price of trainer wheels (and the price of my mitch pro 4 endurance) I'm personally not gonna worry about swapping tyres/wheels as I'll probably be in and out of the trainer as I cycle my work commute... But each to their own! :)

I've saved some old tyres for spares/trainer anyway!
Click to expand...

If you use a turbo and normal tyre your tyre will wear at an incredible rate and you'll be needing to change them probably once a month, and still be getting quite a few punctures, the extra heat of a turbo kills tyres.

Pick up a wheel from ebay, and get a turbo tyre and cassette and away you go.
 
SoliD said:
Interesting taunt by Tinkov, would be good if it happened, but can't see all 4 doing all 3 races next year, especially as Quintana is focused on TdF.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/29543397
Click to expand...

That'd be quite something! I'd already read about the possibility of a tour/giro double based on the giro route, which would be pretty impressive. The idea of the big names trying all 3 is quite exciting. There were a couple of riders in la Vuelta where the commentators were saying "Ooh, it's his 9th grand tour in a row" or whatever, but it's always the support riders, not the actual GC contenders. And if someone were to go for all 3 in one year... That'd be about the first big achievement in road cycling where you could actually say "Merckx never did that". I can't see it happening, but who knows... Could Contador be the one?
 
Maxeh said:
Hello everyone :D

I'm hoping to start doing some road cycling :D

Managed to do a bit when I was out in OZ visiting family and been nagging myself to make a start in the cold British weather :p

They all seem to recommend the Merlin PR7 as an entry level bike, are we in agreement?
Click to expand...

£300 for that bike - you can't go wrong. Claris is very close to bottom end, but I have the shifters on my second bike and they do the job just fine. If I was starting out with that sort of budget that'd definitely be the bike I'd get.
 
SoliD said:
If you use a turbo and normal tyre your tyre will wear at an incredible rate and you'll be needing to change them probably once a month, and still be getting quite a few punctures, the extra heat of a turbo kills tyres.

Pick up a wheel from ebay, and get a turbo tyre and cassette and away you go.
Click to expand...

Even if I was only doing an hour or two on the trainer per week? I'd probably only work on some endurance riding as I struggle to do any real riding around here except my commute :(
 
Vonhelmet said:
£300 for that bike - you can't go wrong. Claris is very close to bottom end, but I have the shifters on my second bike and they do the job just fine. If I was starting out with that sort of budget that'd definitely be the bike I'd get.
Click to expand...

Or the Felt F95 ? How does it compare to the PR7?
 
Roady said:
Or the Felt F95 ? How does it compare to the PR7?
Click to expand...

Can it be had for £300? The felt has better gears. I can't believe either frame is going to be spectacular, though at that price either will do the job, and maybe there's differences in the wheels... Neither is a bad bike at all, so it comes down to budget really.
 
The Felt is about £100 more but I'd definitely say it's worth it. Better frame design, and sora group set that supposedly feels a lot more high end than Clark's.
 
Roady said:
Looking at the price of trainer wheels (and the price of my mitch pro 4 endurance) I'm personally not gonna worry about swapping tyres/wheels as I'll probably be in and out of the trainer as I cycle my work commute... But each to their own! :)

I've saved some old tyres for spares/trainer anyway!
Click to expand...

My morning commute is a ten minute walk so using the bike will be reduced greatly when the clocks change so will probably just put the bike in the hall and connect it to the trainer when i get in from work.
 
Roady said:
Even if I was only doing an hour or two on the trainer per week? I'd probably only work on some endurance riding as I struggle to do any real riding around here except my commute :(
Click to expand...

Yep, my first few months with the turbo were hell and used it probably once a fortnight. I didn't realise what they done to tyres. You may get away with a Kurt machine, but pretty much every other turbo will kill your tyre in no time.
 
I can tell from the small amount of turbo training I've done on a fresh (albeit cheap) tyre would mean that it would be completely unusable very quickly outside.
 
Got myself a roadie! My first one! I bought a cheap mtb last year (dual sus, urgh) and barely rode it anywhere as after two weeks it broke. I got it fixed in April. Rode it for a month and then it broke again so I bought a decent bike, my Trek Marlin 6 29er, 2015 model. Done around 900kms on that now, got a lot of kit along the way and now I've just purchased my roadie, Giant Defy 3, again the 2015 model.

Genuinely very hard to get used to and because of that I'm reluctant to ride it in the rain, honestly If I feel damp air I won't even go near it. Only used it 3 times :( hoping to get on it for my commute to work tomorrow evening.. Anyone got any advice? I've been looking up the dos and donts as I don't wana come off again, came off the 29er at just under 30mph about 6-8 weeks ago and sustained a sprained shoulder so I really don't want to risk hurting myself again/more.

I'm going to contribute to this page a bit more I think, learnt quite a bit over the last two pages!

physichull said:
No, but I have been high
fived by somebody when signalling. Was quite funny.
Click to expand...

Haha I love this. I'm fairly new to cycling so this kind of thing is unheard of to me and amusing! Thanks for sharing! :D

FrenchTart said:
How different though? As I said, previously I've seen anything up to a 0.4mph difference (nearly always in the favour of the bike computer), which seems to match up with what I've heard previously. This is a much larger difference though.

I'll be keeping an eye on my rides over the next week or so to get some more comparisons.
Click to expand...

Pffft, on my 29er my Speedo is a good 3-5kmph out :(

Need to get the one set up on my roadie before I set off to work tomorrow evening so I can see my real speeds, it's a new bike so haven't had a play with the comp properly yet. That's if I even get to ride that bike to work. Had the bike 2 weeks and I've riden it 3 times. I choose my 29er over it as I'm scared to ride it in the rain :(
 
Last edited:
How many kms should I be doing on a 29er and on a Roadie before it has a proper service?

Done 887kms on my 29er, it's had its first little service to check cable and bolt tensions but I already think I'm going to need a new rear tyre before the bad weather hits as its under half the level of the first one, seems to be wearing really fast.. any reccomendations for a really decent rear tyre?
 
James07 said:
I've just purchased my roadie, Giant Defy 3, again the 2015 model.

Genuinely very hard to get used to and because of that I'm reluctant to ride it in the rain, honestly If I feel damp air I won't even go near it. Only used it 3 times :( hoping to get on it for my commute to work tomorrow evening.. Anyone got any advice? I've been looking up the dos and donts as I don't wana come off again, came off the 29er at just under 30mph about 6-8 weeks ago and sustained a sprained shoulder so I really don't want to risk hurting myself again/more.

Need to get the one set up on my roadie before I set off to work tomorrow evening so I can see my real speeds, it's a new bike so haven't had a play with the comp properly yet. That's if I even get to ride that bike to work. Had the bike 2 weeks and I've riden it 3 times. I choose my 29er over it as I'm scared to ride it in the rain :(
Click to expand...

Good choice of bike, it's on my shortlist for my 'shop' next year. Hate to say it but you'll only gain confidence from riding it, even in the wet! It's hard coming from a MTB/Hybrid to a roadie, the front end (for me) felt very skittish due to the thinner tyre. Once you get riding (and gaining confidence) you'll realise this is due to how light the frame and wheels are, it's actually responsiveness not skittishness! ;)

Can't comment on coming off, I've only had 2-3 off's on my roadie. 2 of them while stationary! Fell off my hybrid more when moving! But my riding style is probably a little 'reserved' compared to most as I don't trust anyone on the road but myself... I'm the same in a car as I've seen some horrific things on the roads. I'm not slow, just expect other vehicles to do stupid things (and proven right more often than I'd care to admit...).

James07 said:
How many kms should I be doing on a 29er and on a Roadie before it has a proper service?

Done 887kms on my 29er, it's had its first little service to check cable and bolt tensions but I already think I'm going to need a new rear tyre before the bad weather hits as its under half the level of the first one, seems to be wearing really fast.. any reccomendations for a really decent rear tyre?
Click to expand...

I always consider a service at ~500 miles, but then I'm doing less than 2k a year commuting so every 4/6 months. I'd probably have them less frequently if I had to pay for them (50% of current ones have been bundled with bike purchases)! But I do check my own bolts and tensions every few weeks...

Can't comment on MTB tyres but can recommend the Mitchelin Pro 4 Endurance for the road bike, 99% of them here will agree, they (and the SC) are an amazing tyre for grip, wear and price! :)

Thanks for following me on Strava, have done the same! ;)
 
SoliD said:
Interesting taunt by Tinkov, would be good if it happened, but can't see all 4 doing all 3 races next year, especially as Quintana is focused on TdF.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/29543397
Click to expand...

This is the man who promised Rafal Majka an Aston Martin if he won two tdf stages, then quickly back pedalled when it actually happened...

You would make more money by winning one of the GTs I'd imagine so would be better off just focusing on one!
 
a bike doesn't need "servicing" as such, it doesn't have engine oil to drain out etc.

just keep on top of tweaking the brakes, lubing the chain, checking the hubs are smooth and keep an eye out for anything that needs replacement, and you'll be reet.

Evans Bronze service

Gears and brakes adjusted - these either work or they don't - you'll be adjusting the brake cable as the pads wear anyway. Take it in if the gears stop shifting.

Chain check and lubricate - is there anyone on here who doesn't lube their own chain? a chain wear indicator costs bobbins

Wheels and tyres inspected for wear - again, you should be checking for this regularly

full safety check - as above

Frankly the idea of paying someone good money to do any of the above (gear adjustment is the only one that takes any skill at all) on a regular basis or after a set number of miles is madness. The rest of it is just stuff a responsible cyclist should be doing anywa
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom