Summer on the top, winter on the bottom?
Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
- Start date
Summer on the top, winter on the bottom?
Was this the one up Swains Lane? A friend did that on Saturday.
It was the one Francis Cade and GCN went to that inspired it, Struggle cycling hill climb. I suggested for us the Swains Lane one as it isn't too far. I suspect they are thinking it isn't going to be a fair fight weight wise.
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Associate
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- 21 Jun 2004
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- 1,716
My target with some more fitness and eventually a road bike is to complete the chiltern 100. It starts only 3 miles from my house so is the closest to me. I just worry the the hills will be incredibly punishing when riding that distance rather than my usual 30 mile routes. The London- Brighton also appeals, but the logistics of getting to and from the start make it a real headache.
It was complete **** last year, so not bothering again. I've done it twice, and the old route was much better
Soldato
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2004
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Got a free Elemnt Roam from a mate yesterday, proper upgrade from my Edge 510!
I was trying to arrange the screen on the unit until I realised it is on the app. I'm so old.
I was trying to arrange the screen on the unit until I realised it is on the app. I'm so old.
Got a Giant Content AR 1 under cycle to work, will either get it later today or on Tuesday. I was originally going to get the Contend 1 but it got sold before my voucher came through. This bike seems a lot better spec.
Got with it some cycling shorts (not sure how i feel about going commando underneath), saddle tool bag thing, some look branded pedals, some shoes, water bottle and cage.
I bought a long sleeve jersey from le col which should be here next week.
I have lights from mtb that i'll use.
Things still outstanding are:
a helmet, i have a mtb one so not sure if there's much difference here
lightweight lock as a slight deterrent if I'm out and about
some cycling gloves for the winter
cycling jacket
I'll be using my garmin forerunnr for tracking distance etc. Next year or at Xmas i'll get a cycling computer which can give me directions and record distance etc as i get lost really esily.
Suggestions on the above outstanding bits and is there anything i've missed?
Got with it some cycling shorts (not sure how i feel about going commando underneath), saddle tool bag thing, some look branded pedals, some shoes, water bottle and cage.
I bought a long sleeve jersey from le col which should be here next week.
I have lights from mtb that i'll use.
Things still outstanding are:
a helmet, i have a mtb one so not sure if there's much difference here
lightweight lock as a slight deterrent if I'm out and about
some cycling gloves for the winter
cycling jacket
I'll be using my garmin forerunnr for tracking distance etc. Next year or at Xmas i'll get a cycling computer which can give me directions and record distance etc as i get lost really esily.
Suggestions on the above outstanding bits and is there anything i've missed?
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Quick 30km late this morning. Weather was lovely but you could feel that its about to get a lot colder. When the sun went away or you were in the shade it was a little nippy. Luckily it was sunny 90% of the time.
I need to get some warmer weather gear so I can still get out over the winter. Which shoes do you guys use in the winter. I won't be going out when its super wet, just when its cold.
I need to get some warmer weather gear so I can still get out over the winter. Which shoes do you guys use in the winter. I won't be going out when its super wet, just when its cold.
Having seen the forecast looked good for today, I planned a nice 80 mile ride for this morning. Got out at 7:30am. The first puncture was 10 miles in.... second was 55 miles in... and then the third 65 miles in... and I only carry two tubes! Obviously, I carry repair kits, so patched up and it seems to have held fine. I guess this is the problem with heavy rain the night before, all the carp has washed into the road, especially with some of the country lanes I was heading down.
A couple of related questions. How many miles do you expect to get from tyres? These are a touch under 1,000, but after today I'm wondering about putting new ones on. The same thing happened with the last set, I would go months without a puncture, then I get a flurry and I assume the tyre has just gotten too worn/soft. Looking over these, there are loads of little cuts where bits of slate or whatever have clearly cut into them...
Secondly, I think the third puncture (front) might have been from the same gravel covered section of road that caused the 2nd (rear). I wonder if sometimes a bit of flint gets stuck in, but can take a few miles to get pushed far enough in to start on the inner tube? By the time the third happened, I was on quite main roads that seemed fairly clear on the whole.
A couple of related questions. How many miles do you expect to get from tyres? These are a touch under 1,000, but after today I'm wondering about putting new ones on. The same thing happened with the last set, I would go months without a puncture, then I get a flurry and I assume the tyre has just gotten too worn/soft. Looking over these, there are loads of little cuts where bits of slate or whatever have clearly cut into them...
Secondly, I think the third puncture (front) might have been from the same gravel covered section of road that caused the 2nd (rear). I wonder if sometimes a bit of flint gets stuck in, but can take a few miles to get pushed far enough in to start on the inner tube? By the time the third happened, I was on quite main roads that seemed fairly clear on the whole.
What was wrong with it?
From memory (although you could easily scroll back to May and read the discussion) aside the hour-long queue to start my main issue was for all that money the feed stations were terrible. I pay a quarter of that for a sportive and have better feed stations. The first, after 30+ miles was just water refills I think. That annoyed me. (In this thread we then went into a discussion about someone claiming them not to be needed
)I think others comment on the route just not being as good around Essex as it was around Sussex.
I didn't use them in 2019 in Surrey (not part goes into Sussex). A good proportion of the riders don't to be fair but no excuse for them being worse than previous events.(In this thread we then went into a discussion about someone claiming them not to be needed
Yeah, I have no issue with the proportion of people that treat these events like a race. I do similar on shorter sportives. As the event gets longer, the proportion that can do this gets smaller. There were so many casual cyclists doing this event, more than a normal sportive, they really should have had better fuelling stations.
(It turned out in the original discussion that the person making the comment did ultra's and HE didn't need them, which is of course very different to them not being needed)
(It turned out in the original discussion that the person making the comment did ultra's and HE didn't need them, which is of course very different to them not being needed)
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@AndyCr15 do you ever work for more than a few weeks without going on holiday and making us all jealous
I don't need to go on cycling holidays - I just look at Andy's pics!
Didn't even realise the Dragon Ride was a ballot?! How long has it been like that!?
Sounds like a good excuse to buy more kit!Currently in the middle of moving with most of my stuff in storage including the winter bike and all my winter cycling clothing.
I’ve been going out in short sleeve summer gear with a thermal underneath. I look like a proper noob
Plenty of local hill climbs around - ask any of your LBS or clubs. Many of the local ones will be a bit of fun to go along and 'have a go' possibly without needing to register/pay for an entry. You can certainly go along and spectate for free!
Bit like CX really, lots of local leagues and many of them have additional events on the same day for kids/have a go/etc. My weekend social club helped run one yesterday in the 'Welsh League round 1' and will do another in the spring for the 'West Midlands League'. 270 riders signed up for the main events yesterday, but with Burger van, kids events, cakes, tea coffee & bacon rolls etc. Even a beer for each of the marshalls - but the club is sponsored by a local brewery lol
Haha enjoying it? Takes a bit of getting used to, but just go as it says 'prioritise' your fields to the top you want and less important towards the bottom. Then when you 'zoom in' on the head unit you get what you want bigger, then less important (like L/R, or battery life, or distance heading) towards the bottom so you can 'zoom out' to get them when you want them. That's what I do anyway.
I have 1 primary field which I use for nearly everything, but also added a couple metrics to the other screens so I can sit in them when I want to focus and not switch around. So the 'climbing' one has more pacing stuff like current grade, cadence, HR, VAM, 3s and 20s power etc. The map screen has 20s power, cadence & HR
Oh and if you're in the app playing with your fields on your phone linked to your headset, you'll see them move 'live'. Can be handy to see what's left/right.
Shorts can take some getting used to, wear some baggies over the top if you prefer - part of my winter attire this year I'm considering waterproof MTB shorts over my road shorts in any soaking wet days. Waterproof trousers over top of usual road kit is something I've done for several years and it never really works well. Even buying 'cycling specific' £65 waterproofs that only last a year or two. I'm at the point now, got such good overshoes & jackets, only need something for the hips/thighs.
Going to assume you're talking of actual commuting over winter with it for work, but much of my advice will be cross purpose for social/fun riding too!
Most of your MTB kit transfers straight over so don't be too concerned. Watch for the MTB front light though, especially if you've got a big/good one, it'll easily blind motorists so do what you can to aim it more infront of you 'where your wheels are going' not 'where you're looking' like you would on trails. You'll bleed enough light infront to catch anything on the roads, generally not hundreds of trees in the path to avoid! But if motorists are flashing you, you'll soon realise how much brighter (& painful!) car lights can be if you annoy them...
You went Look Keo pedals & road shoes? There are lots of SPD option road shoes around, so could've used existing MTB pedals if you preferred (and had them). Still could while you get used to it I guess, especially if you wanted more walkable shoes or waterproof options. Else grab some overshoes for the road shoes. Maybe grab some innertubes for your size/width wheels if you're not tubeless (although they're Tubeless wheels & tyres may not come setup). If it's a new Giant Contend AR 1 it'll come with 'Giant Gavia' tyres. Looking on the Giant site the 2021 and 2022 models are Tubeless and 32mm, so should be ok to run quite low pressures, but see how they handle in the wet or mud. The original Gavia wasn't well known for wet weather grip...
I use the same as the spring/autumn, just with thicker socks and I'm pretty much in overshoes from this time of year all the way through till March/April. Well at the moment that's overshoes for the morning commute, maybe could get away with toe warmers rather than just on the way home. Different socks & overshoes depending what the weather is doing, with just the same shoes.
Flint shreds tyres and hear lots of horror stories about it. As you think, shards get stuck in your tyre and then generally work their way deeper before causing a puncture. Don't get much of it here so can't comment.
But you really should be getting far more than 1000 miles from a set of tyres. Even the softest tyres should be more than that! What are you running?
I've only ditched my winter tyres this year after 5 winters on them. No idea the mileage, Somewhere between 4-6,000 and they had more life in them but where looking like might start to cause me issues (rear squared off, lots of splits in the smooth tread, no carcass showing but probably would be soon). Still not causing punctures or extra loss of air (tubeless).
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If you wait a few days, there's often a YouTube video link on the Strava activity description too
Right now I have 'Panaracer Race C Evo 4' on there. Rode in the dry yesterday and had no problems. Having removed my pinch flats issues, but keeping pressures nice and high, I seem to get hit in a flurry, which is why I wonder if sometimes there is a delay. You ride over a bunch of nasty stuff, one bit might go right through and cause the flat. A few other bits embed themselves in and work their way in over the next 20 or 30 miles maybe?
Yeah, this is what I'm wondering about doing. Sticking some tough tyres on just for winter.
I'm even thinking bigger, using my Endurace this winter, then maybe... maybe treating myself in Feb/Mar to a new bike and the Endurace would then be my winter bike.
What's your Strava, @AndyCr15 - could do with getting jealous.
After my motorbike had been stolen last week I'm looking at some retail therapy to cheer myself up with but I don't know what. Maybe the radar light but not sure.
After my motorbike had been stolen last week I'm looking at some retail therapy to cheer myself up with but I don't know what. Maybe the radar light but not sure.
That sucks
I gave up the motorised two wheels when I started cycling a lot. I didn't realise initially, I could end up spending as much money on a non-motorised version which is even more 'stealable'! 
This should link to my Strava.
Nah i very much work from home and the office is only a 5 mins walk if i ever go in. Just got something to use at dinner time to get out of the house and give me legs a bit of rest from running.
Good point on the bike light it is very bright. If the shoes i've ordered don't fit when i get the bike i'll just chuck some flats on it from my mtb if they fit and use my mtb shoes.
Yeh they're sorting the tubeless out for me, they recommended getting a tube in the saddle bag on the off chance theres a bad puncture
Any suggestions for a clip on rear mudguard for Winter months and are they actually worthwhile? Trying to avoid the "i've just crapped my pants" look. Not too bothered for actual bike rides, more for if i head out with the wife to a pub.