Road Cycling

[AndyCr15]

I'm a little confused by your question, or your logic I guess. I'm 100kg at the moment, was down at 93kg last year and heading that way again now, but I doubt I'll ever go below 90kg at 6'3 and more of a weight lifter build than cyclist! I have a carbon bike with carbon aero wheels. Why wouldn't I?

 

[Martynt74]

Yeah, plus Mark Lewis on Youtube has a ridiculous 10k carbon bike and weight around the 100kg mark. I didn't think carbon had a weight limit.

Obviously i would probably put the likes of Mark and @AndyCr15 as outliers and not your typical cyclist physique, but as long as it doesn't bother you then i wouldn't worry about it. I think the main place where it causes issues is hills and Zwift racing!



I'm also not including myself with the above because i'm fat and also a rubbish cyclist

 

[Liefrich]

I am 83kg and ride carbon wheels. There are plenty of pro cyclists who are tall and plus 80kg who ride 7kg bikes with carbon wheels. Rather an odd question!

 

[fez]

I'm sure there is some research out there about this. The aero drag of the bike is minimal compared to our own footprint isn't it anyway so you are probably only looking at a few percentage points less drag with deepish carbon rims but lets be fair, 99% of people have bikes that are not the limiting factor on their speed and would be slower than someone on an inferior bike who was just a bit fitter.

Buy what you want and use it to motivate you.

 

[Martynt74]

I'm sure there is some research out there about this. The aero drag of the bike is minimal compared to our own footprint isn't it anyway so you are probably only looking at a few percentage points less drag with deepish carbon rims but lets be fair, 99% of people have bikes that are not the limiting factor on their speed and would be slower than someone on an inferior bike who was just a bit fitter.

Buy what you want and use it to motivate you.

Yeah i imagine so. It's always funny seeing some fairly large people (in fat, not muscle) obsess over a few hundred grams between components and spend a fortune on carbon components when eating a piece of cake less a week would have a much bigger impact.
I think that's why i'm not too bothered on my bike at the moment. Especially being quite large, i act like a sail in the wind!

 

[SoliD]

Which cyclescheme can you get carbon wheels on? I thought stuff like that was no longer possible? Weather warming up this weekend, be my first long ride for almost a month!

 

[AndyCr15]

The aero drag of the bike is minimal compared to our own footprint isn't it anyway so you are probably only looking at a few percentage points less drag with deepish carbon rims

I don't disagree the biggest factor is the cyclist themselves, but at the same time, having gone through a variety of upgrades in my first year cycling, I could see some pretty big time/speed differences as I went from hybrid -> road bike -> new aero wheels -> carbon road bike with aero wheels. Tbf, even just the tyre you use seems to make ½ to 1½mph difference to me.

Weather warming up this weekend, be my first long ride for almost a month!

Yeah, looks to be 11-13°C tomorrow from 8am ish with a little bit of sun, so am considering getting my first 100km of the year in.

 

[fez]

I don't disagree the biggest factor is the cyclist themselves, but at the same time, having gone through a variety of upgrades in my first year cycling, I could see some pretty big time/speed differences as I went from hybrid -> road bike -> new aero wheels -> carbon road bike with aero wheels. Tbf, even just the tyre you use seems to make ½ to 1½mph difference to me.

Oh I agree but it depends on what you ride for. I've never understood the obsession with being a MPH faster over a ride or whatever else but I understand that I am perhaps in the minority and the road cycling world in general is a bit nuts for numbers.

 

[Junglist]

I guess my question came from reading a few reviews of the wheels I like the look of and they seemed to mention that they all best worked with a rider who was around 65kg with 25c tyres. I just didn't want to get some and break them on a pot hole or anything similar.

I don't think the wheels themselves are going to make me a better cyclist, I have a lot of hard work to do. But I do like how they look and whether thats a good or bad reason, I do think they look pretty cool. Like go faster stripes on a car!

You can get wheels on Cyclescheme.

Rule 3 - what can I get?
The cycle to work scheme is awesome as it enables you to get all manner of cycling gear at a significant discount (whilst also spreading the cost).

You can get any accessory that keeps your bike wheels turnings, for instance:

• Safety accessories - that help keep you and your bike safe; helmets, bike lights, reflectors, mirrors, bells, locks...
• Essential accessories - necessary to cycle commute; clothing and shoes, mudguards, panniers, backpacks, child safety seats…
• Components and parts - that keep your bike in great shape; pumps, puncture repair kits, cycle tool kits, tyre sealant, groupsets, wheels, cranksets, cassettes...

This isn't going to be until later in the year once I've hit my goal. I'm currently 10 miles behind on my target but going out for a 30 mile cycle today and a 40 mile cycle tomorrow. As long as I can keep within touching distance throughout these colder darker months I'll be in good stead come the spring and summer when I can go out on the evenings... assuming the baby on the way doesn't change things too much

Did my first 50 mile ride last weekend. Felt surprisingly good when we got back. I'm actually a bit annoyed I didn't just do an extra flat 10 miles as I would've done my first ever 100k ride.
Planning to go for one this month though.

edit: I'm basically doing what @fez said. Buy bits to motivate me. I feel like an utter fraud on my bike at times as it's something way ahead of what I deserve but because I spent so much money on it and my cycling gear, I feel obliged to get out and use it and try to get better and I really am loving it. If I could've told myself last year that on Saturdays I go out at 8am for bike rides, in the winter I'd have scoffed at the idea. Now I look forward to my rides be it weekend rides or ones during my lunch break. I even enjoy going out for cycles by myself whereas before it was fully a social thing.

I've a really addictive personality and I've swapped on bad habit for cycling and I don't know why I didn't do it sooner. Setting myself a goal for the year has given me something to work towards and if I hit that goal I wanted to treat myself to a nice bike present. I know I don't need carbon wheels but I'd really like some and I enjoy working towards the target

 

[One More Solo]

You can’t get them on Cyclescheme, obviously, but your money will go so much further with one of the Chinese sellers. I’ve just bought a set of Farsports wheels and they’re ace.

 

[Junglist]

You can’t get them on Cyclescheme, obviously, but your money will go so much further with one of the Chinese sellers. I’ve just bought a set of Farsports wheels and they’re ace.

did you mean you can? I've been looking at a few Chinese brands, seen a few that brands that Hambini seemed impressed with when it came to their frames and the comments section has a few commentators who had a lot of praise for them and their wheels. It's certainly a consideration as the price is significantly cheaper. Do you have much to compare them to?

it was supposed to be nice for a ride today but it just sounds really windy. Going to go have a bowl of porridge and espresso and try and get some miles down. I need to do 4km and I'll have achieved my 400km badge on Strava. Don't think I've ever cycled that much in a month before. Nice little achievement for January

 

[One More Solo]

did you mean you can? I've been looking at a few Chinese brands, seen a few that brands that Hambini seemed impressed with when it came to their frames and the comments section has a few commentators who had a lot of praise for them and their wheels. It's certainly a consideration as the price is significantly cheaper. Do you have much to compare them to?

it was supposed to be nice for a ride today but it just sounds really windy. Going to go have a bowl of porridge and espresso and try and get some miles down. I need to do 4km and I'll have achieved my 400km badge on Strava. Don't think I've ever cycled that much in a month before. Nice little achievement for January

I meant you can’t use Cyclescheme to buy Chinese wheels. Apologies if my post wasn’t clear.

I’ve found with wheels brand is no guarantee of quality or performance. Aero wise, they all perform similarly at typical speeds. I’ve had wheels from Planet X, Prime, HED, Zipp and a few others over the years. Quality has been variable to say the least. The freehub on the Planet X wheels failed mid ride, the HED carbon fairing separated from the brake track and had to be sent back for repair, and the Zipp needed a recall to have the front hub replaced.

 

[Junglist]

Oh no sorry now I've read it again it clearly makes sense! That was my dumbass reading it as soon as I woke up!

I'm not sure which brand of Chinese wheels that I saw but I know they let you choose which DT Swiss hub you'd like so I expect that alone would make a big difference.

I've got to do my target before I even think about ordering them but I know it's going to be a long year of checking out all of the options. I'm sure whatever I get will look nicer and perform a bit better than what I currently use

 

[AndyCr15]

it was supposed to be nice for a ride today but it just sounds really windy.

Well, yep. It was certainly nice but windy today!



Couple of times I was quite worried about the bike being blown out from under me! First 100km of the year ticked off though.

 

[Junglist]

Haha yeah there were a few gusts of winds that took me by surprise when I was playing with the computer.

i need to do my first ever 100k in February. Really looking forward to it though

 

[fez]

Just went out for the first ride on my bike with a friend who is much fitter than me. The ride was 38km over quite hilly terrain so I was quite pleased with that. Had a little cafe stop about 2/3rds of the way around. Absolutely perfect weather for it. 1 degree when we started but sunny and came up to about 6 degrees by mid morning.

Need to get out more on the road bike when the weather is like this. Utterly stunning views for 80% of the ride and not so many cars because we stuck to country roads and started relatively early. Only had one driver who had to whack on his emergency brakes because he was driving far too fast on pokey country lanes so small victories.

 

[roadie]

I've been out every Sunday of 2022 thus far and am on ~200km of riding as I hope to slowly increase my fitness until the light improves and I can get out more frequently without being in the dark for a whole ride.

I recently bought a new bike for use in good weather to complement my Kinesis, which is setup for bad weather and wears full mudguards. It's a Merida Scultura 400 Disc and was £1,200, which I think is decent value at the moment.

I need to get some pedals, bottle cages and a Garmin mount fitted to actually use it properly. Most of all I need to get setup in the right position. Geometry wise it is a 6mm shorter and 10mm lower than my Kinesis so should not be too much of an issue.

I spotted some very lightly used wheels with GP5000 tyres fitted that someone had taken off their Merida Reacto so will also fit those when they arrive. They will be slightly deeper and wider than the stock items so should work a little better and allow me to run larger volume tyres. I can't wait to get riding on it!

 

[fez]

Do people actually spend a small fortune on all the snacks and fuelling during long rides. Could cost you £5-10 per ride which is crazy.

 

[Junglist]

For my first 50 mile ride I took 2 gels and 2 carb drinks with me. I wasn't a believer but I ended the journey feeling fine and a bit annoyed I didn't go bit further to complete 100k. So I went from a sceptic to a believer.

Thinking out loud but is it possible to convert my R8000 Ultegra into Di2? Not looking to do it this year, maybe next. But wondering how difficult it will be to convert a non Di2 bike. Tried to find a few retrofit guides but there only seems to be one. He said it was straight forward enough but I don't think we had the same seat post and I can't find much about my seat post and placing the Di2 battery in there.

I love my bike but feel like in a year or so I'll want to start doing some changes to it. Will be getting Carbon wheels this year but thought changing to electronic shifting would make it feel even better again. I suppose if worst comes to worst I could change to SRAM as their one is completely wireless and the battery sits on the derailleurs but I expect that would be a more expensive job overall.

 

[Trifid]

Do people actually spend a small fortune on all the snacks and fuelling during long rides. Could cost you £5-10 per ride which is crazy.

Carb drinks are definitely worth it. Gels are useful. Cycling solid food not so much. I'd rather stop for some cake and coffee on a 100miler.