Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
- Start date
I've been in Mallorca for the last week and the weather was fantastic, windy on Thursday but other than that clear skies and no rain.
Manchester knows how to welcome you back from a holiday
Understandably cold when I arrived last night (11.00pm) and it's fairly mild today. Commuting to work tomorrow is not going to be fun at all compared to the last week.
I know a few here have been to Mallorca but for those that havn't I thought the place was amazing for cycling, drivers are very patient, loads of other cyclists about, the climbs were really good with nothing stupidly long and no gradients above 7% on average. Me and the group I went with are thinking of going back in October.
The 312 was on yesterday but we didn't plan to ride that and came back on an evening flight. It passed our villa early morning and we're thinking of doing it next year or at least the 167/225 instead.
Was riding Sun-Fri so yesterday and today are rest days. Will spend this afternoon putting my bike back together.
Manchester knows how to welcome you back from a holiday
Understandably cold when I arrived last night (11.00pm) and it's fairly mild today. Commuting to work tomorrow is not going to be fun at all compared to the last week.I know a few here have been to Mallorca but for those that havn't I thought the place was amazing for cycling, drivers are very patient, loads of other cyclists about, the climbs were really good with nothing stupidly long and no gradients above 7% on average. Me and the group I went with are thinking of going back in October.
The 312 was on yesterday but we didn't plan to ride that and came back on an evening flight. It passed our villa early morning and we're thinking of doing it next year or at least the 167/225 instead.
Was riding Sun-Fri so yesterday and today are rest days. Will spend this afternoon putting my bike back together.
Full winter clobber here.
Still had cold toes anyway and descent after short cafe break... brrr!
Bizarrely, my left foot was fine but my right toes were freezing yesterday morning. Still, very enjoyable 75km to successfully road test the full outer + cable-tie fix for the brake cable. All good, so thanks again to the couple of people who suggested that as it's saved a panic buy.
Visited the LBS nearest to home on Saturday morning. End result is I've got demo of a Giant Defy Advanced Pro 1 booked for the last bank holiday weekend in May, so three days with a good excuse to go riding!
Went to the Cannondale LBS in the afternoon, but they only had a 105 spec' Synapse Disc in. Didn't like the size/shape of the hoods on the non-105 shifters (obviously the new 105 sorts this but would be a 2019 model bike), so that's Ultegra justified
Offered 10% off the list price for the Ultegra model. Guy in the shop was honest and said the standard Mavic wheels were cheap but they will source / fit Hunt wheels as an upgrade. Would work out at £3300 with the Hunt 30mm carbons.Lend it to me for a week and I'll confirm!
It was that writeup which reminded me about it and the pricing.
Shame the Wilier CENTO10AIR DISC is out of your price bracket as it's beautiful. *drool*
Oh no he didn't!
Good point about the handlebars though, it's something that's bugged me for a while - the such small number of aftermarket integrated aero bars around.
Some great shots in there!
Really rate my padless dhb's. Slightly thicker so warmer and than Castelli and a little more windproof!
Because nobody can catch you?I regularly get other riders shouting ‘car Up’ when I’m coming up behind them
<snip>
I’ve never looked back
'Car Up' when approached from the rear? That's 'Car Back' around here... 'Car Up' is oncoming.
Have to admit my experience of CO2 valves is very mixed. Admittedly I've only used it once in the rain! But of the 3-4 inflations I've done out on the road only 1 of them has been perfect and not needed any topping up by my hand pump. Guess it could be because I'm running 28's...
A weekend of low miles for me, chickened out of the club ride saturday morning due to rain but should've gone as the roads where drying up by 9.30ish. Grr! Still got a long overdue FTP test done up Alpe du Zwift and then continued onwards to bear my PR up there by around 6 minutes. FTP test came out better than expected too, hinting that whatever power I've 'lost' due to low fitness/illness a couple of months ago (and changing to the Flux) is pretty much gone/negated.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1536236039 - FTP 276w & 56.19 Alpe.
3 degrees here and freezing cold winds from the east this morning. Back in winter gloves and warm Sportful R&D Wind jersey! (still one of my favourite bits of kit, own 3 of them lol)
It was that writeup which reminded me about it and the pricing.
Shame the Wilier CENTO10AIR DISC is out of your price bracket as it's beautiful. *drool*
I think the Cento10NDR looks stunning too but that also, realistically, means selling a kidney (even if 2 years 0% from Tredz works out at only £180/month).
Caporegime
- Joined
- 7 Apr 2008
- Posts
- 26,502
- Location
- Lorville - Hurston
Hi i did the cycle from reading to oxford and it was challenging!
So much hill climbs and it diddnt help that my backpack was heavy with a chain type bike lock plus extra clothes as i stayed overnight there!
Mid-way on my cycle i got a puncture and it took me a while to fix it. The little pump i had was bloody useless and almost had to give up the cycle until a nearby neighbour let me borrow his pump.
When going downhill i had to go really slow because it was quite steep and the ground was wet with lots of debris from trees etc on the road. I had to grip the breaks quite hard as well and wondering if its because of having rim breaks vs disk breaks and because it was raining? I had thin road tyres on so that diddnt help either!
Going up hills was slow and painful but managed to tackle them all though and a slow pace!
Do you guys bring a largish pump with you as the tiny small ones are useless??
How do you deal with going downhill in wet conditions and do you also have to press the breaks hard when going downhill?
I have ultega groupset and breaks so not no entry level stuff!
Do i need to tightnen the breaks more?
Get better breaking pads?
Do any of you guys carry a lock bike chain when you go on long cycles and doesnt the weight of it affect your cycling? I have seen some cyclist who dont carry anything and wonder how they lock there bikes or even fix a puncture with no decent pump i can see them having?
How do you manage weight of a backpack if cycling and staying overnight somewhere? Do you just go directly to your chosen destination/accomodation first by train and then leave your stuff there, jump back on the train to the starting point and then cycle back?
overall it was a nice cycle with some breathtaking scenary!
So much hill climbs and it diddnt help that my backpack was heavy with a chain type bike lock plus extra clothes as i stayed overnight there!
Mid-way on my cycle i got a puncture and it took me a while to fix it. The little pump i had was bloody useless and almost had to give up the cycle until a nearby neighbour let me borrow his pump.
When going downhill i had to go really slow because it was quite steep and the ground was wet with lots of debris from trees etc on the road. I had to grip the breaks quite hard as well and wondering if its because of having rim breaks vs disk breaks and because it was raining? I had thin road tyres on so that diddnt help either!
Going up hills was slow and painful but managed to tackle them all though and a slow pace!
Do you guys bring a largish pump with you as the tiny small ones are useless??
How do you deal with going downhill in wet conditions and do you also have to press the breaks hard when going downhill?
I have ultega groupset and breaks so not no entry level stuff!
Do i need to tightnen the breaks more?
Get better breaking pads?
Do any of you guys carry a lock bike chain when you go on long cycles and doesnt the weight of it affect your cycling? I have seen some cyclist who dont carry anything and wonder how they lock there bikes or even fix a puncture with no decent pump i can see them having?
How do you manage weight of a backpack if cycling and staying overnight somewhere? Do you just go directly to your chosen destination/accomodation first by train and then leave your stuff there, jump back on the train to the starting point and then cycle back?
overall it was a nice cycle with some breathtaking scenary!
Soldato
- Joined
- 9 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 9,951
- Location
- Southampton, hopefully not too hot, or too cold
A winter season making use of a turbo, instead of facing the elements like last year (over albeit distances under 20 miles back then), made me feel like a right wally heading out late yesterday afternoon...
Long johns under DHB thermal bib tights
Merino long sleeve top under Lusso short sleeve jerset under Altura Peleton Transformer (wearing the sleeves, bit unzipped from jacket, for a bit of extra ventilation)
Dafeet e-touch full finger gloves under Specialized gel mitts
Thin pair of normal socks under DHB Flashlight Thermolites
Horrid head/cross-wind up the cat4s, even scarier around Old Winchester Hill plateau on the homeward leg, trying to maintain ~20mph with a gusty wind that wanted to push me left into the verge/hedge on my side of the road. Feet absolutely frozen when I got home after 2.5 hours.
Hill times were pretty poor, but my power was decent up them, all down to that north to north easterly wind... About the only comfort was, even though you never really know how much other riders are trying, I had the best segment times up them for the day.
Long johns under DHB thermal bib tights
Merino long sleeve top under Lusso short sleeve jerset under Altura Peleton Transformer (wearing the sleeves, bit unzipped from jacket, for a bit of extra ventilation)
Dafeet e-touch full finger gloves under Specialized gel mitts
Thin pair of normal socks under DHB Flashlight Thermolites
Horrid head/cross-wind up the cat4s, even scarier around Old Winchester Hill plateau on the homeward leg, trying to maintain ~20mph with a gusty wind that wanted to push me left into the verge/hedge on my side of the road. Feet absolutely frozen when I got home after 2.5 hours.
Hill times were pretty poor, but my power was decent up them, all down to that north to north easterly wind... About the only comfort was, even though you never really know how much other riders are trying, I had the best segment times up them for the day.
Or just some hot chocolate in one of the flasks which fits in a cage!
Have to admit I've got a touch of it, don't find it when riding but whenever I stop after any really efforts I'll have to clear my throat and nose. Regardless of the weather (but it is worse in cool/cold air).
Has been so many people on my Strava and Facebook groups there the last few weeks. Busy time of year! Maybe some time I'll be allowed... But doubtful it'd be for a full 'training camp' style as we'd go as a family so I'd only get a couple of days.
Aprilla used to have a racing Brompton but he doesn't post here any more, don't recall anyone else with one. A few here have dedicated commuters, even a few flat bar, but don't think any with foldables.
Good to hear! Toes could be damp sock/air getting into that area of the shoe, if not a pinch point (which would normally follow with numbness).
The 105 disc shifters are horrible to hold. Their shape is a little too narrow and far too high. I'd struggle with them and I ride the earlier non-series 685's. Unsure how they measure up with the Ultegra, probably similar? Worth looking for if you spot them on an older bike which there might be deals on, rather than dismissing!
What pump do you have? I've got a very small pump which lives in my saddle bag. It's no track pump but will get a tube up to decent pressure to get me riding again.
I'm certainly not the worlds best descender, especially if the road surface is poor. Do you have drop handlebars? I presume so if you have Ultegra level kit, so are you descending on the drops? If not, you're missing out on the leverage benefits.
There's plenty of videos and articles on improving your descending:
https://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/how-to-descend-safely-video-44676/
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/k...ives--Ridesmart--How-to-descend---Ridesmart-0
Difficult to say if your brakes needs adjustment - are the pads new? If not, have you adjusted the position as they've worn? The performance of rim brakes will suffer when it's wet and there is rubbish on the road.
Caporegime
- Joined
- 7 Apr 2008
- Posts
- 26,502
- Location
- Lorville - Hurston
Forgot what pump it is but got it from halford a while ago.
Yea i have drop handlebars and i guess if i use that and grip on the breaks from that position i will get more grip on them
Nice goinghttps://www.strava.com/activities/1536236039 - FTP 276w & 56.19 Alpe.
I also did Alpe Du Zwift again at the weekend and averaged 271w up the climb for a time of 54:28 [https://www.strava.com/activities/1538258455]
Still not here.
Got a call Tuesday saying the bike was damaged on arrive from GT... 20 minutes later another call saying they have a replacement and it'll still be delivered on Wednesday.
Yesterday come 12pm the tracking only just changed to in transit. Contact TNT who say it went to the incorrect depot and won't be with me until today.
Change the delivery address to work as I was working from home yesterday. 2:30pm today and it's still showing as 'out for delivery', contact TNT to see if they have an estimated time and they says the parcel has been damaged and returned to the hub!!
FFS!Spoke to Cyclesolutions and they've requested it be sent back to them and they'll inspect and go from there.
The only reason I ordered it direct was because i thought it would be quicker than getting a voucher etc. If the delivery of the replacement isn't acceptable, presumably they'll need to order a new one from GT, II migh just sack it off and get a voucher to use in a LBS.
Finally have a bike.
Now it's a Giant Contend SL 1 Disc, because they couldn't get the GT in my size. Looking at the reviews of the 2017 model it looks very competant.
Physics...... ahem.
67mph is some going... kmph more likely? Either way an aero bike frame doesn’t add 20 to either, 2-5kmph max down a very steep long hill.
Seen cycling weekly posting up about issues with the Vector 3s.
Battery life, water ingress, power reporting very high spikes.
Nope - none of those, The Allez just would not go above 47(ish) mph
Nobody told Axeon or Axel Merckx it was that bad....
https://cyclingtips.com/2018/03/specialized-allez-sprint-hagens-berman-axeon-and-aluminums-revival/
Nice going
I also did Alpe Du Zwift again at the weekend and averaged 271w up the climb for a time of 54:28 [https://www.strava.com/activities/1538258455]
I thought you were stronger than this for some reason! Still good power!
Aldi copy Rapha base layer. Fair play to Rapha for not really bothering and actually rewarding/praising them, very magnanimous of them!
Good work! How many times have you been up? I've 2 helmets and 2 sets of gloves!Nice going
I also did Alpe Du Zwift again at the weekend and averaged 271w up the climb for a time of 54:28 [https://www.strava.com/activities/1538258455]
Good outcome, the Contend is basically the same as the Defy from a few years back. The Defy now is a little more relaxed and disc only, the Contend is slightly more racey but a good entry level bike. Only thing I'd keep an eye on is the tyres, the Giant P-R2 which came on my Defy 1 2015 where utter gash - sidewalls cut easily and they had sod all grip in the wet!Finally have a bike.
Now it's a Giant Contend SL 1 Disc, because they couldn't get the GT in my size. Looking at the reviews of the 2017 model it looks very competant.
Ooooh interesting, hadn't heard any of this yet. Normally comments on DCR's product page is a good sample of the general problems people have for most power related items.
He is, that's just his recovery ride - which is 2 minutes faster than my PR!
Yeah that's the review I read. I seen they make the tyres themselves! Which is well interesting. I'll see how they go but I might order some others in aprehension.
https://roadcyclinguk.com/news/boardman-performance-centre-unveiled/
Interesting, finally open and their 'basic' package includes 30 minutes in the wind tunnel as part of a performance analysis taking around an hour or so.
Interesting, finally open and their 'basic' package includes 30 minutes in the wind tunnel as part of a performance analysis taking around an hour or so.