Road Cycling Essentials

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physichull said:
Just after the first shallow bit seconds before you come round the corner to see the wall of tarmac stretching up to 14%!!

Are you going to the cafe in Kings Moss? If so, its good there, had a really nice cold lemonade from there on a ride during the summer. I'm sure they'd do a good cuppa for you too!
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We're going to the cafe at cedar farm galleries in mawdesley. We usually go to the cafe at the marina in rufford, which is good and does massive cakes, but we're gonna try something now. On the return leg I think we'll probably come back up Parbold hill, then over to haigh via red rock hill and back from there. It should be a ride of many cat 4s!

And yeah, I did wonder about the leaves factor as it's quite well wooded up there. Mind you, it's that or you go up super exposed windy climbs. You can't win at this time of year!
 
Going to Cali said:
Having just finished 'The Race to Truth' by Emma O'Reilly, I would thoroughly recommend it, read cover to cover over this weekend. In a funny way, David Walsh comes across in a poorer light than Armstrong. Certainly worth reading, as are racing through the dark and the secret race, which are referred to at times.

Think I'm a bit doped out now, however, can anyone recommend a decent cycling book that isn't an autobiography or about LA / drugs?
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It's an autobiography and it's about drugs, but Paul Kimmage's book - Rough Ride - about his experience of riding in the 80s is well worth a read. Lots of stuff about his struggles with everyone around him doping.
 
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Going to Cali said:
Having just finished 'The Race to Truth' by Emma O'Reilly, I would thoroughly recommend it, read cover to cover over this weekend. In a funny way, David Walsh comes across in a poorer light than Armstrong. Certainly worth reading, as are racing through the dark and the secret race, which are referred to at times.

Think I'm a bit doped out now, however, can anyone recommend a decent cycling book that isn't an autobiography or about LA / drugs?
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Domestique by Charly Wegelius, without a doubt. Probably the best cycling book i've read. Much more about the realities of being a pro cyclist than a standard 'i won this, and then i won this one next blah blah' type account.

Enjoyed both of Ned Boultings books - worth checking out for a slightly more humorous look at cycling. On the Roadbike and How I Won the Yellow Jumper.

And I also really rate Michael Hutchinson's books - The Hour and Faster.
 
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So remember last week my Garmin ate my ride? This afternoon's 20 miler has got a start time of last Sunday and an elapsed time of like 170 hours... Still, at least it logged it this time.
 
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Urgh! Forgot to zip up my hoodie pocket and my phone fell out! Knowing my luck it obviously went right under my back wheel, which then kicked it up again into the middle of the road! Surprised that the screen is still in one piece! Bar a butt load of scratches on the front and rear its OK.
 
So, my turbo trainer bike tyre randomly blew out whilst just sat around last night. Haven't had a chance to look at it yet aside from a very quick glance but I can't see a likely cause. I suspected the cracked rim for a bit but I couldn't see anything poking through the rim tape. Sigh.
 
That is weird.

My OH once fixed a flat on her on commute but didn't seat the tyre properly and it blew off the rim during the day. Wouldn't have been a problem except she kept her bike in the office and the BANG nearly gave her manager a heart attack. :p
 
Tyres get pretty hot on the turbo (not sure what proper turbo tyres are like?) so maybe the heating and cooling can cause problems.
I find that changing a tube that has been used on a turbo it's often stuck to the inside of the tyre, like it has melted slightly.
 
One More Solo said:
That is weird.

My OH once fixed a flat on her on commute but didn't seat the tyre properly and it blew off the rim during the day. Wouldn't have been a problem except she kept her bike in the office and the BANG nearly gave her manager a heart attack. :p
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It was kind of similar with this tyre - though I was watching a bad film at the time so for a minute I was trying to process why there was a really loud gunshot/explosion sound but no reaction from anyone on the screen :p

touch said:
Tyres get pretty hot on the turbo (not sure what proper turbo tyres are like?) so maybe the heating and cooling can cause problems.
I find that changing a tube that has been used on a turbo it's often stuck to the inside of the tyre, like it has melted slightly.
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I did notice something like that when I had to switch the tyres/wheels over this weekend actually. It's not a proper turbo tyre, just a spare extremely cheap one I had sitting around. I might have to switch to something more suitable at some point.
 
Vonhelmet said:
So remember last week my Garmin ate my ride? This afternoon's 20 miler has got a start time of last Sunday and an elapsed time of like 170 hours... Still, at least it logged it this time.
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Lol! At least you can crop the ride in Strava, unsure if you can split it into 2 rides though?

I tried to crop my trainer session from yesterday as I had a period where I had to refit one of my mudguards and change my shorts... But the 'bar' within Strava to crop the ride just gives me an option to select by elevation (didn't change) or distance (also didn't move)... :rolleyes:

grudas said:
Urgh! Forgot to zip up my hoodie pocket and my phone fell out! Knowing my luck it obviously went right under my back wheel, which then kicked it up again into the middle of the road! Surprised that the screen is still in one piece! Bar a butt load of scratches on the front and rear its OK.
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At least you got it back! Bit late to suggest a phone case? ;)

I've got a rear 'shell' style case for mine and a screen protector fitted as I regularly put it in my pocket with a set of keys... Or in my bag next to other things (keys/watch). My biggest fear is losing my mobile... It's worth more than my bike! :eek::p

FrenchTart said:
So, my turbo trainer bike tyre randomly blew out whilst just sat around last night. Haven't had a chance to look at it yet aside from a very quick glance but I can't see a likely cause. I suspected the cracked rim for a bit but I couldn't see anything poking through the rim tape. Sigh.
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Weird! Can you see where it's faulted in relation to the rim/tyre?

With you blowing your rim and me violating my shorts this thread is getting very NSFW! :p

There are several odd things about my turbo session I've noticed:
  1. I know I stopped for part of it (paused ride in IpBike) due to mudguard rubbing (small of burning plastic really had me worried!) and shorts change. Unable to select the section in Strava so can't crop it...
  2. The average speed is a bit high as the resistance was screwed up with my trainer (ie it was very low!), from that my speed and distance are much higher than they should be...
  3. The temperature reading is screwy (guessing that's a sensor on my S5 as I get the same reading for any rides recorded!)
  4. Not sure about this one... 29 miles in 1hr 30... Average of 18.8mph...Top speed of 4mph... ERM?! I'm guessing the top speed is still measured on my GPS distance travelled (in my pocket walking up stairs to change shorts!) rather than from my speed sensor ('stationary' on my bike):confused::eek::o

I'm not going to count it as a proper ride, just going to consider it a ~20 mile training ride. Still the furthest and longest time I've spent on the trainer though! :)

My commute to work this morning was hard work, but I felt strong and even sprinted away from some temporary lights to see if I could catch a guy from work (driving) :p:D
 
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Roady said:
At least you got it back! Bit late to suggest a phone case? ;)

I've got a rear 'shell' style case for mine and a screen protector fitted as I regularly put it in my pocket with a set of keys... Or in my bag next to other things (keys/watch). My biggest fear is losing my mobile... It's worth more than my bike! :eek::p
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haha, removed my case like 2 weeks ago :o just love the way it feels naked(uhhh)

nexus 5 is not meant to be a strong phone but I can tell you that running over it with a bike will not kill it
 
Going to Cali said:
Having just finished 'The Race to Truth' by Emma O'Reilly, I would thoroughly recommend it, read cover to cover over this weekend. In a funny way, David Walsh comes across in a poorer light than Armstrong. Certainly worth reading, as are racing through the dark and the secret race, which are referred to at times.

Think I'm a bit doped out now, however, can anyone recommend a decent cycling book that isn't an autobiography or about LA / drugs?
Click to expand...

"The Hour" by Michael Hutchinson is really good as is Eddy Merckx - the Cannibal, by Daniel Friebe.
 
tedmaul said:
Domestique by Charly Wegelius, without a doubt. Probably the best cycling book i've read. Much more about the realities of being a pro cyclist than a standard 'i won this, and then i won this one next blah blah' type account.

Enjoyed both of Ned Boultings books - worth checking out for a slightly more humorous look at cycling. On the Roadbike and How I Won the Yellow Jumper.

And I also really rate Michael Hutchinson's books - The Hour and Faster.
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Thanks for the recommendations i've been and got a couple of these from the library today
 
touch said:
Tyres get pretty hot on the turbo (not sure what proper turbo tyres are like?)
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FrenchTart said:
I did notice something like that when I had to switch the tyres/wheels over this weekend actually. It's not a proper turbo tyre, just a spare extremely cheap one I had sitting around. I might have to switch to something more suitable at some point.
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I've just picked up a Vittoria Zaffiro Pro home trainer tyre from Decathlon for £15. Going to fit it tonight and have a bash, so I'll let you know what I make of it. If you've not got a Decathlon near you and don't want to pay their ludicrous shipping prices, Wiggle have the same tyre for £16, but none in stock last time I checked. Planet X do a turbo trainer tyre for £10 plus shipping.

The Zaffiro pro I've got has ridges on it, running round the whole tyre, so it'll have a smaller contact area than a regular tyre. I guess it only needs traction in one direction, as there's minimal lateral motion on a turbo. It'd be useless on the road, though, you'd die. It should also help to dissipate the heat, given the big grooves in it. I'll be interested to see how it works on the turbo.
 
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Vonhelmet said:
I've just picked up a Vittoria Zaffiro Pro home trainer tyre from Decathlon for £15. Going to fit it tonight and have a bash, so I'll let you know what I make of it. If you've not got a Decathlon near you and don't want to pay their ludicrous shipping prices, Wiggle have the same tyre for £16, but none in stock last time I checked. Planet X do a turbo trainer tyre for £10 plus shipping.

The Zaffiro pro I've got has ridges on it, running round the whole tyre, so it'll have a smaller contact area than a regular tyre. I guess it only needs traction in one direction, as there's minimal lateral motion on a turbo. It'd be useless on the road, though, you'd die. It should also help to dissipate the heat, given the big grooves in it. I'll be interested to see how it works on the turbo.
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Hmm.. Cheers for the suggestion. There's a Decathlon in Stockport that's only a couple of miles away. I might pop down and grab a tyre after work today. I may have to go there anyway to get a new inner tube, now I think about it.

Roady said:
Weird! Can you see where it's faulted in relation to the rim/tyre?

With you blowing your rim and me violating my shorts this thread is getting very NSFW! :p

There are several odd things about my turbo session I've noticed:
  1. I know I stopped for part of it (paused ride in IpBike) due to mudguard rubbing (small of burning plastic really had me worried!) and shorts change. Unable to select the section in Strava so can't crop it...
  2. The average speed is a bit high as the resistance was screwed up with my trainer (ie it was very low!), from that my speed and distance are much higher than they should be...
  3. The temperature reading is screwy (guessing that's a sensor on my S5 as I get the same reading for any rides recorded!)
  4. Not sure about this one... 29 miles in 1hr 30... Average of 18.8mph...Top speed of 4mph... ERM?! I'm guessing the top speed is still measured on my GPS distance travelled (in my pocket walking up stairs to change shorts!) rather than from my speed sensor ('stationary' on my bike):confused::eek::o

I'm not going to count it as a proper ride, just going to consider it a ~20 mile training ride. Still the furthest and longest time I've spent on the trainer though! :)

My commute to work this morning was hard work, but I felt strong and even sprinted away from some temporary lights to see if I could catch a guy from work (driving) :p:D
Click to expand...

You could probably manually delete the dodgy entries from the .gpx file but you might find that screws things up even more.

What turbo is it you have again? Is it the Road Machine? Do you tighten it enough? When I first started I didn't pay attention to how tight the roller was and I got some strange results. One More Solo suggested to me to use the proper technique - i.e. tighten it until it's just touching the wheel and then turn it fully three times. Do the same each time you set it up. Also make sure your tyre PSI is the same every time.
 
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So, registration has closed for work's big cycling event next May. There's something like 700 people signed up for the regional rides, which are the big 100 mile or so rides between the offices, which is incredible. I'm hoping I'll be able to ride the Liverpool to Sheffield leg, going via Manchester. Going from Manchester to Sheffield probably means taking the Snake Pass from Glossop which looks like a good climb - average of about 6% for nearly 4 miles according to Strava.

I'll need to have bike and public liability insurance to take part in the event. My bike is covered by my home insurance. Is British Cycling the best bet for public liability insurance?
 
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