Road Cycling

I'm told enve's don't build as well with 240s as they end up being less stiff. Not sure if there's any truth in that. The other issue is that 4.5s are 48 and 56mm rims, and so over the 50mm threshold I mentioned.
 
DT rear hubs have the non-drive flange relatively close to the centre line. It's a good thing from a tension balance perspective, but on a less-stiff rim the above is certainly possible

note: this applies to 130mm rim brake hubs, i'm not sure what the case is with 135m disc brake hubs although they're generally better in all regards on the factors above due to the extra width

and if you want a primo hub that isn't either a DT or a King, the white industries T11 (Rim) or CLD (disc) is great and comes apart with normal tools
 
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The Triban 500 seems to get mentioned on here a lot, with the general opinion that it's probably the best I can buy for under £500.

The Triban bikes are really good value for money and always get decent reviews. They'd probably be my choice unless you're confident enough to go second hand. Or does your employer offer a Cycle2Work scheme? Could use that to get a nicer bike in your budget. Also this time of year is when you can pick up some bargain 2018 bikes as most brands are bringing out the 2019 ranges.
 
protein drinks - fill you up nicely and (generally) taste good - it's kept me away from the biscuit jar quite nicely so far.
Yup they do that well, for me the hunger pangs tend to come an hour or 2 later unless that's coincided with a mealtime (quite regularly). Although I do find if I snack on nuts/dried fruit rather than something sugary I 'crash' less. Can even get a second wind a couple of hours later - useful if riding in the morning with a bunch of chores to do afterwards! ;)

Good weight loss but I wouldn't stress too much if it tails off a little this time of year - our bodies tend to hold more water/fat during these colder months which can cause weight to fluctuate more/increase.

no new toys until I feel faster.
Extra rest day or two = feel faster = more new toys? :D

Going all xdcx here but what the hell is the trash he is talking about next to it. Gravel Racing....Sounds like a poor mans CX.
Haha, to be fair I quite wish we had more of the trails around they seem to ride in abundance. There's parts of mid-wales where you could get away with it but much of it being forestry is private/commercial/military or a complete mud-fest from all the 4x4 nutters.

The Gan looks great in that guise, the colouring looks superb, contrasts well with the matt black. For a Pinerallo though, not sure what's up with that steerer/fork. It doesn't look aftermarket (not Enve, which you imagine it would be if not Pinarello), but the lower part of the steerer junction just looks 'bad'. Totally non aero and a lip there to catch mud/water throwing it straight into the bearings. Rotor groupset looks great though! I ended up on it from looking at the SES 4.5AR *drool*

Wow. Ok that's my lunchtime reading sorted for the next week xD

<snip>Also this time of year is when you can pick up some bargain 2018 bikes as most brands are bringing out the 2019 ranges.
The 2019 ranges should all be released, almost all are always around Interbike/Eurobike (both back in September), but think some where released even earlier this year? Not heard of any left to come...
 
Does the Jamis fit you and how much does the seller want for it? A quick Google doesn't turn up much but one results it might be a CX bike. That should be fine at home on tarmac, you might need to put some full slick tyres on it if it has some semi-slick or knobbly CX/gravel tyres at present.

I saw a Triban RC500 in Decathlon the other week when I popped in - for ~£500 it looked pretty decent.

Are you anywhere near Merlin (Preston)? This is a 10 speed Tiagra drivetrain, so a good component spec for £525.

https://www.merlincycles.com/sensa-romagna-tiagra-road-bike-2018-106187.html

No idea if it fits and I'm waiting on a price. Realistically I can't see it being more than a couple of hundred as it's second hand/not wanted. The seller isn't an enthusiast so it'll probably be based on a rough eBay estimate minus a bit for being a colleague. I'll post here when I find out more.

I'm in Manchester so can always head over to Preston if need be. Are Sensa a reputable brand?

Most of us here I'm sure would recommend the Triban, the range from B'Twin have a good solid reputation - as does much of the Boardman range. You probably couldn't go wrong with any of the ones you mentioned - all quality 'known' brands, so should be no issues. There's a host of other brands with similar prices and specs of course. Obviously Halfords/Evans'/Decathlon are the way to go for most of them at this price point but hunt down vouchers, deals and maybe even a cycle2work scheme to make things even more affordable. If one is available through your employer you could pickup a bike in the 700-800 range and the vast majority of the accessories you needed within the grand total - helmet, lock, shoes, GPS etc which would work out well with your initial 'budget' covering half of it (but spread over a year, so easier to stomach the cost).

I can get the following discounts via work, including Cycle2Work:

Cycle Republic: 10%
ProBikeKit: 6%
Merlin Cycles: 5% (clothes etc) 2% (bikes)
Halfords: 10%
Evans: 8%
Wiggle: 2%
CycleSurgery: 5% (excludes bikes)
Bikmo: 10% plus £10 CycleSurgery voucher
Go Outdoors: 7.5%
InSync: 5%

I originally considered the Cycle2Work scheme but I had concerns over the fact that I wouldn't actually be using it to commute to work and also it's basically a loan/hire purchase of sorts right? In the next 12 months I'm buying a house, so would rather not have any additional credit agreements etc. Unless I'm misinterpreting it?

My 'to buy' list consists of a helmet, bike nook/stand, bottle + cage, front/rear lights, multitool and a phone mount at the moment. Any recommendations on brands etc for the big ticket items like helmet, shoes?

Regarding the type of riding you mention - general road riding, distance and possible rough surfaces (think the Trans Pennine is scetchy in places - think canal towpaths), then a relaxed fit 'endurance' bike, possibly a Gravel type of bike would suit you best. Maybe even a CX bike (like the Jamis!). Of course the type of riding you do (and end up enjoying) isn't known yet! :)

Should I disregard any of the bikes I mentioned or are they all suitable in one way or another?

The Triban bikes are really good value for money and always get decent reviews. They'd probably be my choice unless you're confident enough to go second hand. Or does your employer offer a Cycle2Work scheme? Could use that to get a nicer bike in your budget. Also this time of year is when you can pick up some bargain 2018 bikes as most brands are bringing out the 2019 ranges.

See above :)
 
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Haha, to be fair I quite wish we had more of the trails around they seem to ride in abundance. There's parts of mid-wales where you could get away with it but much of it being forestry is private/commercial/military or a complete mud-fest from all the 4x4 nutters.

For a Pinerallo though, not sure what's up with that steerer/fork...

Yeah same, fire trails and the like are in abundance over there and generally maintained as they are classed as a road. Remember in Florida had to drive about 4 miles down a sand road which was just shown as a road on the TomTom. Lovely and smooth though. Over here they're just mud/Rocky mess bridleways. I've got some good local old railway lines and some pieces I tie together but it's always interspersed by something I wince at!

It's the design read about it a few weeks ago but it looks like a dogs dinner.
 
That Hambini aero test has been causing controversy and chaos on Weight Weenies, Slow twitch and Bike Radar.

Howcome?

I am liking that a FFWD F6R is as aero as a Zipp 808. Makes things cheaper for my plans next year possibly :p

I remain perched on this shakey fence.
 

People are dubious of the author's expertise, credentials and testing method. He also called out Hunt and Flo for not being able to design aero wheels, accused Flo of paying for shills with free wheelsets and Flo may or may not have brought a defamation case against him.

I am liking that a FFWD F6R is as aero as a Zipp 808.

The F6R is nearly as aero as the F9R and 808 in the low speed test. If you can TT at 50kph the difference is more pronounced.

The upshot of it all is basically... deeper is more aero, tyres should not be too wide relative to rim, brand is largely irrelevant compared to depth, rear disc is most aero and that Hunt/Flo suck.:D
 
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That Hambini aero test has been causing controversy and chaos on Weight Weenies, Slow twitch and Bike Radar.
https://www.hambini.com/blog/post/aero-bike-wheel-test...-the-fallout/
The ultimate result was I ended up getting banned from weightweenies for a week for calling Tom Anhalt of bike blather a spec of ***** on the anus of humanity and a letter went from Flo Cycling to my HR department to ask for me to get the sack.
:D:D:D

EDIT: Is it me, but much of the posts on his blog are intended to shock consumers?

Prime example: https://www.hambini.com/blog/post/ceramic-bearings-vs-steel-bearings...-an-engineering-opinion/

TLDR; Ceramic bearings are far less smooth (giving far larger losses) than a premium steel bearing once ridden over 1000km, the further you go the worse they get! :o
 
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Yay, smashed my Garmin 1000 last night after it jumped out of my mount and into the road, going to attempt to repair it with a new screen!

But on the plus side Canyon have finally agreed to replace my handlebars under warranty. Guy on the phone said, well it looks like they've had an impact but I can't see any evidence of it so I couldn't really deny the claim. Well that is because there was no impact!
 
Yay, smashed my Garmin 1000 last night after it jumped out of my mount and into the road, going to attempt to repair it with a new screen!

But on the plus side Canyon have finally agreed to replace my handlebars under warranty. Guy on the phone said, well it looks like they've had an impact but I can't see any evidence of it so I couldn't really deny the claim. Well that is because there was no impact!
Damn, fairly sure they can be changed straight forward enough. Remember seeing a 'tear down' of someone changing a battery on an 800 and I'm sure I looked at my 810 and although I didn't take it apart it looked straight forward enough. Worn puck/mount? Have to say my ELEMNT has started to work slightly loose in my K-EDGE. I think it's just a bit of grit/muck gets in there and adds additional friction between the plastics. Has just lead to a slight rattle on really bumpy ground. I bought the puck as an insert (£8?) but probably need to check it on the original Wahoo outfront to confirm it's the puck that's worn and not the mount on the unit. Rambling. Sorry. Basically - Mantel sell pucks/inserts for various mounts if that's whats worn on yours.

Good news on your bars, try not to headbutt them again yeah? lol :D
 
Video looks fairly straight forward so will see how it goes. Hopefully it didn't get run over between it being dropped and me retrieving it.

The garmin is less than 6 months old so it shouldn't be worn! Just the mount is chuff.
 
https://www.hambini.com/blog/post/aero-bike-wheel-test...-the-fallout/
:D:D:D

EDIT: Is it me, but much of the posts on his blog are intended to shock consumers?

Prime example: https://www.hambini.com/blog/post/ceramic-bearings-vs-steel-bearings...-an-engineering-opinion/

TLDR; Ceramic bearings are far less smooth (giving far larger losses) than a premium steel bearing once ridden over 1000km, the further you go the worse they get! :o

Gotta say I don’t buy into the ceramic bearings.

Just buy good brand Japanese steel from a proper bearing place, NTN, SKF never done me wrong.

Headset. Cane creek or Chris King.
 
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