Road Cycling Essentials

[grudas]

I got a gopro hero for £69. Haven't had a chance to film any footage. What should I go for, handlebar mounted or helmet mounted?

mine's bar mounted with -;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181552047887?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

mount! seems to be stable enough and doesn't shake as much as I thought it would!

 

[olv]

As long as the top bolt is threaded onto the nut within your steerer tube you should be able to compress effectively. When you say 'new' do you mean brand new? 2nd hand and you've just bought it new??

Yeah, brand new from Wiggle.

It shouldnt matter as long as the top cap bolt goes into it without crossthreading.
It looks like it might have pulled out a bit as you've been tightening the top bolt though? That may be why you cant get it tight.

The bolt screws in no probs. I think you may be correct, it's effectively a push fit fixing isn't it so I can knock it gently back into place?

 

[topgun06]

Thank you, I've just had a closer look and the top part which the cap screws into isn't sitting flush with the steerer, is that relevant or does it not matter?

 

[whyscotty]

Wish I went for the Garmin Virb deal! Seems like a steal at that price.

Looks like it's still available

 

[grudas]

Looks like it's still available

yeah.. probikekit delivery took 8working days though funny thing, the free gift arrived next day while the actual item took a week longer.

 

[touch]

The bolt screws in no probs. I think you may be correct, it's effectively a push fit fixing isn't it so I can knock it gently back into place?

Should be an expanding bung.
Possibly tightens with a hex around the top of the thread for the top cap.

 

[Roady]

They have to actually look in order to see.
<snip>

Valid point, although the guy who hit me said he 'didn't see me' and I didn't see him close enough to judge if he looked or not!

I'm mostly bothered about the map part of things to be honest. It would be really helpful for planning routes in future

Recording footage of a route, to plan one? Dimebar?

I'm following someone on Strava with some kind of Tacx trainer where she can load a ride into it (from .gpx I imagine) and then ride it on the trainer? Imagine how awesome to watch footage of a ride AND ride it. Then again I guess that's what the Tacx VR trainers are but what I mean is... Watching footage and riding a route of your own again and again! (like a cycling holiday you can enjoy again and again with your memories of it!)

it is.. but I just found one feature that I forgot existed! the remote control

set it up so when I click "start" on my workout it automatically starts recording too... and when I stop(not pause) it saves the video recorded for that duration - all from garmin 800, literally no need to touch the camera!

That's a nice addition, sure hope something non-Garmin specific, although a mobile app to 'start' the camera within a second of starting software (IpBike) on the same device would be the next best thing

Thanks for the light/high-viz info.

I got a gopro hero for £69. Haven't had a chance to film any footage. What should I go for, handlebar mounted or helmet mounted?

Guess it depends what you're doing with the footage - for traffic/accident footage you'd want to be recording where you're looking (helmet) but for ride footage for watching back handlebar would be better (smoother, more of the road/route than looking around at stuff).

Wish I went for the Garmin Virb deal! Seems like a steal at that price.

It was a great deal, but with very limited footage I found online (that wasn't obviously uploaded by Garmin) it was a bit of a chance! Thankfully I found codes to get 30% off the already heavily discounted price, I'd happily 'risk' £70 on a Garmin branded camera! Some of you guys spend more on shorts

Well I did it, quiet morning at work while sat on hold... Worked though all my Strava rides and selected the bike I used for each, flagged the Commutes and Trainer sessions too! Bike mileage totals are interesting - I actually did quite a few more miles on my Hybrid (803) before getting my first road bike (733) which is now replaced with the Giant (22)

 

[Going to Cali]

Seems fairly cheap to pick up the mounts for handlebar, seatpost and helmet - so i'll get the full set. Decision now is whether to get two gopros for dual front and rear footage....really wish I'd had this when I went to the alps last year.

 

[Roady]

traffic and danger galore.

I'm in awe, although I only had the stomach to watch the first 11 mins... Fair play to you for riding in traffic like that!

4:07 - Boris bike!
9:20 - between the bus and taxi! Ouch! grudas-jam!
10:38 - speeding motorbike and car pulling out, could've been very useful footage!

I'm even more in awe as I know your average speeds for your rides commuting, if the majority include slow traffic like that then wow!

Was all of the recording on a single file/microSD, how large was the original recording and did you record in 1080p and then reduce down to 720p or record in 720p?

I'm trying to figure out how many hours of 720p footage I'll get when boarding on 16gb/32gb cards (to figure out how many I need while away & if I need to stop/start it lots to get the majority of footage while actually moving/boarding).

 

[FrenchTart]

Recording footage of a route, to plan one? Dimebar?

Well, one of my routes is about ~80 miles and it's mostly roads I don't ride very often. I've also done a few other new routes recently too.

A few days later I might try and plan a new route that uses part of the old one but goes somewhere different or at the very least want to jog my memory about which bits of the routes sucked and which didn't and then use that to plan something new.

 

[FrenchTart]

Winter Tyres...

I know everyone loves discussing tyres

I currently use 25mm Pro4 Endurance tyres and I can't really fault them. They have decent grip and puncture protection... I'd prefer it if they lasted longer but 1.5k-2k miles isn't that bad for the kind of tyre they are.

I've been looking at the new(ish) Pro4 Grip tyres. They sound pretty awesome - better grip and puncture protection, still quite light. The only issue is that they're 23mm only.

Am I mad for considering moving to 23mm? Do you think that the advantages in grip the tyres have would instantly be negated by the move to a thinner tyre?

 

[Roady]

I've got the Pro4 Endurance in 23mm on my Virtuoso and found them great, the Giant P-R3 25mm my Defy came with do have less grip... Considering we've had no really 'wet' weather since I got the bike (just some wet roads) I'm slightly concerned and thinking about swapping my 23mm Pro4's over if the weather gets any worse!

The Pro4 Grip look fantastic, although I'm betting they wear faster than the endurance/service course if used for extended road use, I imagine they're 'engineered' for a mixture of roads/tracks/trails rather than mostly road?

I have an Endura high vis jacket, and a high vis backpack. I've got two rear lights, a cheap one that I set to flash, and a Moon Comet that stays on constant.
On the front I have three lights:
Lumenator 2000 (mtbbatteries.co.uk) - I have this set to constant low, and switch to medium on unlit roads, it's awesome!
Moon Crescent - Set to flash
Bikehut Super Bright - Also set to flash, pretty useless at 7.5 lux (not sure how you can class that as 'super bright').
Finally I have a Cree T6 torch in my backpack, as a backup

To be honest I think you could be lit up like a Christmas tree, and still somebody will probably claim not to see you.

Sorry I missed your reply before mate!

I tried the Altura Nevis II in high-viz and was very disappointed for the money (~£50 - poor fit, lack of features), I returned it and switched to the DHB Commuter (<£30) and it is better in almost every way (amazing fit, more features, more waterproof, lighter, more breathable)... Except the fact it was only available in Black! I'm hoping DHB's 2015 range has them in high-viz and I'll be picking one up. I'm actually now wearing a high-viz vest over the top of my commuter jacket... Not ideal (extra layer on my back) but cheap (free from work!) and simple solution - I had considered wearing my greeny DHB Active over the top instead (but would overheat). My Deuter Bike One rucksack/ has a high-viz 'raincover' I wear in all weathers, it's visability from the front/sides I'm more concerned with.

I'm using a cheapy red LED rear I'm replacing along with the macro Duo I'm wearing on a helmet mount (2 rear lights), then a Volt100 and the macro Duo (2 front lights). I also have a Cree T6 I carry as a spare, on foggy/wet/poor visibility rides I mount that on the front too.

I don't have a problem with seeing - the Volt100 or macro Duo are more than bright enough, I'm more concerned with my visibility to drivers early morning when they're still half asleep!

 

[FrenchTart]

If you prefer the feel of the P4Es I'd definitely swap them over. No point in not enjoying your ride as much as possible

You may have a point about the P4Gs wearing quicker. I'll have to do a bit of googling...

 

[grudas]

I'm in awe, although I only had the stomach to watch the first 11 mins... Fair play to you for riding in traffic like that!

4:07 - Boris bike!
9:20 - between the bus and taxi! Ouch! grudas-jam!
10:38 - speeding motorbike and car pulling out, could've been very useful footage!

I'm even more in awe as I know your average speeds for your rides commuting, if the majority include slow traffic like that then wow!

Was all of the recording on a single file/microSD, how large was the original recording and did you record in 1080p and then reduce down to 720p or record in 720p?

I'm trying to figure out how many hours of 720p footage I'll get when boarding on 16gb/32gb cards (to figure out how many I need while away & if I need to stop/start it lots to get the majority of footage while actually moving/boarding).

yeah some hairy moments, I'm so used to them I don't even notice it! the one at 46:44 was the worst, the driver was indicating to turn into other direction when he randomly started driving straight into me - you can see the whole camera shake as I was trying to avoid getting hit! - I did swear, lots.. but the camera didn't pick up my swearing lol.

I did the original video in 1080@30fps, virb suggest that I can do 3hrs28mins of recording on a 32gb card with 720p@60fps it does nearly 4 hours.

it cuts the videos up into 24 minute segments, but there's a loop function that allows you to record 30 minute segments but deletes the old video - goo for dashboards I guess.

on "economy" - 720p@30fps it does 7hrs42mins on a 32 gb SD - which I guess is more than enough for your needs.

I'd say a 32gb is perfect for it the battery would do max 3hours so without a battery pack you won't go over 3 anyway.

as far as my averages go, yesterday was a slow day tbh.. 15.8 on strava, best I got over the above commute was 19.1mph! which was me just going balls out + racing with a guy I know! I keep it at around 20-22mph when cruising, the roads are scary these days with shinny surface and it just looks like black ice haha..

 

[Roady]

yeah some hairy moments, I'm so used to them I don't even notice it! the one at 46:44 was the worst, the driver was indicating to turn into other direction when he randomly started driving straight into me - you can see the whole camera shake as I was trying to avoid getting hit! - I did swear, lots.. but the camera didn't pick up my swearing lol.

Just watched it, christ it made me jump when it seemed like he stopped (like he saw you) then carried on after you'd committed to not stopping! I've had several similar - drivers react like they've seen you, yet their actions show otherwise!

There's an external mic you can get if you want to record your commentary in future!

I did the original video in 1080@30fps, virb suggest that I can do 3hrs28mins of recording on a 32gb card with 720p@60fps it does nearly 4 hours.

it cuts the videos up into 24 minute segments, but there's a loop function that allows you to record 30 minute segments but deletes the old video - goo for dashboards I guess.

on "economy" - 720p@30fps it does 7hrs42mins on a 32 gb SD - which I guess is more than enough for your needs.

I'd say a 32gb is perfect for it the battery would do max 3hours so without a battery pack you won't go over 3 anyway.

That's very useful thanks, 720p@30fps will probably be more than enough for me, I'm intending on getting another battery for it (when I can find them for under £20+!) but I'm guessing the 7hrs42 would be 3 days boarding footage for me providing I stop/start it (so 3 charges of the existing battery).

Did you go for Class10 cards or think there's no need? I've not played with mine yet (have a couple of class10 16gb's I'll be using but will prob pickup a 32 also)

the roads are scary these days with shinny surface and it just looks like black ice haha..

Like this?

 

[grudas]

Just watched it, christ it made me jump when it seemed like he stopped (like he saw you) then carried on after you'd committed to not stopping! I've had several similar - drivers react like they've seen you, yet their actions show otherwise!

There's an external mic you can get if you want to record your commentary in future!



That's very useful thanks, 720p@30fps will probably be more than enough for me, I'm intending on getting another battery for it (when I can find them for under £20+!) but I'm guessing the 7hrs42 would be 3 days boarding footage for me providing I stop/start it (so 3 charges of the existing battery).

Did you go for Class10 cards or think there's no need? I've not played with mine yet (have a couple of class10 16gb's I'll be using but will prob pickup a 32 also)



Like this?

I dunno what went through his head, he obviously head his high beams on so he must have seen me ages ago.. and then just randomly decided to drive straight into me?! strange.

no I've just got a base sd card, nothing special does the job tbh.. guess class 10 etc would be quicker when it comes to pulling the videos out of the SD.

haha yeah.. exactly that

 

[physichull]

Re: Tyres

(Kinda the opposite experience to Roady here):

I bought some Michelin Pro4 Service Course tyres to replace the stock ones on my Defy and I don't know whether its just in my head or the damp roads we have been having lately but they really don't feel very grippy. My old Giant tyres felt much better than these. Maybe the Pro4 Grip ones are better, but I won't be getting any of the Pro4 Service Course ones again.

 

[FrenchTart]

Re: Tyres

(Kinda the opposite experience to Roady here):

I bought some Michelin Pro4 Service Course tyres to replace the stock ones on my Defy and I don't know whether its just in my head or the damp roads we have been having lately but they really don't feel very grippy. My old Giant tyres felt much better than these. Maybe the Pro4 Grip ones are better, but I won't be getting any of the Pro4 Service Course ones again.

I've definitely noticed the difference with the colder and wetter weather lately. I'm comparing my P4Es (which are meant to be worse than P4SCs in regards to grip) with Gatorskins though, so they would be hard-pressed to be worse.

What are the tyres that came with your Giant btw?

 

[helpimcrap]

I'm cycling London to Paris for Scope next year, been invited to go cycling in Germany and hopefully cycling in the Pyrenees (been asked if I'm interested so 50/50!).

I borrowed my uncles bike bag but thinking I'll need to buy one. Can't afford hundreds of pounds, and it's only for a Defy 2.

What do people recommend?

 

[physichull]

I've definitely noticed the difference with the colder and wetter weather lately. I'm comparing my P4Es (which are meant to be worse than P4SCs in regards to grip) with Gatorskins though, so they would be hard-pressed to be worse.

What are the tyres that came with your Giant btw?

They were the Giant PR-2 stock tyres, but I actually thought they were very good. But, like I said, it could be all in my head, but I definitely don't have the confidence that I had with my old tyres at the moment.