Road Cycling

AndyCr15 said:
So, the local shop up here didn't have a freehub, but they actually managed to put mine back together. I've ordered a new one to get fitted back in London, but had a lovely ride in the sun this afternoon. The guy mentioned someone had used rather thick grease on the freehub, which he changed for some kind of oil. I don't know if it was a factor, or just I am well rested and on form but I had one of my fastest solo 40 mile rides ever!

Also, I'm thinking of getting another bike and demoting my Canyon to be a winter hack. If I'm after carbon, disc, Di2, endurance type riding position, somewhere around £4k to £6k maybe, what do people suggest? The guy in the shop suggested a Giant Defy or a Specialised SL7.
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Lol an sl7 for endurance riding... Your canyon is pretty much what you've described, and as far as I'm aware doesn't have proper mudguard mounts so maybe get it tidied up and refrrshed and look at getting a cheaper hack for the winter?

If you did want to spend some money the boardman 9.4 with the etap would be a good winter bike as it actually has proper guard mounts!

I've ridden my gravel bike exclusively all winter with the fat tyres and I've realised that actually it keeps up just fine on the club run, it's a bit sluggish on the climbs but the extra clearance makes it a doddle to clean and when it is wet the fat tyres actually spray up far less.
 
Shoeyuk said:
I am looking at getting a rear light for the bike, however due to me being short and having a topeak saddle bag there isn't really any seatpost left for me to attach it to so im looking for a light that i could clip on the back of the saddle bag. Seen that there is a few topeak ones that would work by cliping on the front of the bad but the reviews seem to criticise there not very bright. Anyone got any suggestions of something that might be a bit brighter and could clip on the front of the bag?
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You've just reminded me I've got one of these... https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-daylight-visible-20-lumen-rear-bike-light
I think I was trying to bump an order over £20 or something last year :D

I did pull it out the packaging and it seemed decent enough. Hopefully I remember next time I bikepacking instead of using a 5+ year old Lidl light. It might be worth a punt for a tenner?
SoliD said:
Bag clipped ones are prone to falling off unfortunately.
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I have found this to be the case quite too though it's fairly easily solved with tape or elastic bands. Not the most elegant solution but when I've needed it I've been bikepacking.
 
SoliD said:
I've ridden my gravel bike exclusively all winter with the fat tyres and I've realised that actually it keeps up just fine on the club run, it's a bit sluggish on the climbs but the extra clearance makes it a doddle to clean and when it is wet the fat tyres actually spray up far less.
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Interesting. How fat is fat?

I've been keeping an eye out for 9.0 ADV but all I've seen is Halfords in-store and without CycleScheme it doesn't really make sense to buy it. A few popped up on Tredz briefly but no Small. I could get something else a fair whack more list price for the same net price.
 
Lethal` said:
Interesting. How fat is fat?

I've been keeping an eye out for 9.0 ADV but all I've seen is Halfords in-store and without CycleScheme it doesn't really make sense to buy it. A few popped up on Tredz briefly but no Small. I could get something else a fair whack more list price for the same net price.
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38s wtb nano.

Go for the 9.4 over the 9.0 the cable routing on the 9.0 isn't great so indexing is a pita. The 1x works nicely and rarely feel like I want that extra gear. Halfords were doing few hundred quid off recently which really made sense! But then I quite like my local halfords as they have semi competent people!
 
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Yeah, I get that I'm kinda doing it backwards as the Canyon makes a good summer bike and I should buy a winter bike, but I guess I don't want to buy a nice new shiny to then ride in the muck :( Also, the Canyon is a little battered now and I do fancy a new shiny for this summer...

I could just get a newer Endurace tbf.

It's kind of annoying everything has gone 12 speed now. I really wanted bikes I can just swap things between or have the same spares for. Swap wheels, spare chains, pads and cassettes etc.
 
SoliD said:
38s wtb nano.

Go for the 9.4 over the 9.0 the cable routing on the 9.0 isn't great so indexing is a pita. The 1x works nicely and rarely feel like I want that extra gear. Halfords were doing few hundred quid off recently which really made sense! But then I quite like my local halfords as they have semi competent people!
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I'd love to but I don't want electronic gearing for multi-day bikepacking trips - potentially a bit off-grid. It's just going to be a faff if there's any issues. Much rather be on mechanical.
 
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AndyCr15 said:
Also, I'm thinking of getting another bike and demoting my Canyon to be a winter hack. If I'm after carbon, disc, Di2, endurance type riding position, somewhere around £4k to £6k maybe, what do people suggest? The guy in the shop suggested a Giant Defy or a Specialised SL7.
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Think to echo others your canyon is probably the bike you are describing but, totally understand the want for something shiny.

I also think that at that price range you can probably pick up any bike you like the look of (Cervelo Caledonia, Giant Defy, Specialized Roubaix, etc) and get exactly the spec you are after.

Second option is to buy a specific winter bike and use the money saved to refresh the Canyon as stated. My only bike is a gravel bike and it really is comfortable compared to my old Defy (alloy, rim brake and therefore not comparable to the latest defy).

Think I’d be tempted by a titanium bike for winter/wet weather riding if I was in your position.
 
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Lethal` said:
I'd love to but I don't want electronic gearing for multi-day bikepacking trips - potentially a bit off-grid. It's just going to be a faff if there's any issues. Much rather be on mechanical.
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Fair enough! Apart from the routing it's a great bike!
 
Tour of Flanders... completed it :D

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Toughest, most brutal and epic ride I've ever done.

I cleaned every climb without stopping, even the Koppenberg which was stupidly greasy (ha - take that Pog!). I hate to think what the Paris - Roubaix sportive would be like, my shoulders were still sore on Monday afternoon.
 
What are people's thoughts on Ribble? I've just been playing with their bike customization and took an Endurance SL Disc from about £3.2k up to about £5k, but then I have the wheels, groupset, (custom) colour that I want. Seems like a good idea to me? Do any other manufacturers do this?

**EDIT** Oooooh and it looks like Ribble are happy to take just part payment from Cyle2Work, which would be ideal. (My company only goes up to about £2.5k for C2W)

**EDIT2** Thoughts on groupset configuration? It defaulted to 34/50 and a 30 cassette. I instinctively went to change it to 36/52 and a 34. I guess a 34 front with 30 on the back is similar to a 36 and 34, but would I miss out on top end with just a 50 and 11?
 
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AndyCr15 said:
What are people's thoughts on Ribble? I've just been playing with their bike customization and took an Endurance SL Disc from about £3.2k up to about £5k, but then I have the wheels, groupset, (custom) colour that I want. Seems like a good idea to me? Do any other manufacturers do this?

**EDIT** Oooooh and it looks like Ribble are happy to take just part payment from Cyle2Work, which would be ideal. (My company only goes up to about £2.5k for C2W)
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I think Ribble are a solid choice from what I have seen.

Surprised they allow (or publicise) part payment. Thought that was against the rules?
 
I know Tredz used to but don't now, as if maybe some rules got applied, but it clearly states on the Ribble site -

Can I top up the voucher?​

Yes, orders containing over the value of Cycle to Work scheme voucher can be paid for by Card, PayPal or with gift vouchers through the checkout process.
 
Maybe there is different rules for cyclescheme and cycle to work. Good to know!

What colours did you have your eye on?

When I’ve been on before I’ve made a green bike with pink letters. Not sure if I could pull that off though!
 
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AndyCr15 said:
Yeah, I get that I'm kinda doing it backwards as the Canyon makes a good summer bike and I should buy a winter bike, but I guess I don't want to buy a nice new shiny to then ride in the muck :( Also, the Canyon is a little battered now and I do fancy a new shiny for this summer...

I could just get a newer Endurace tbf.

It's kind of annoying everything has gone 12 speed now. I really wanted bikes I can just swap things between or have the same spares for. Swap wheels, spare chains, pads and cassettes etc.
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Could consider a new frame for yours then build up a cheaper 105 based bike for winter?
 
ANDARIAL said:
Just browsing and liked the pic.thought that it looked a bit dangerous to my eyes that the guy was cycling in the middle of the road
Old cyclist here myself and I always try to keep left on roads :)
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Thanks for responding and explaining. I wasn't trying to be difficult (or maybe I was slightly, but just to understand 'how'!). Kinda does show how we sometimes get 'visitors' from GD etc with some off comments. Not saying yours was - as sounds like a genuine concern for the riders safety rather than a dig at cyclists in general. Thanks!

AndyCr15 said:
I think I'm jinxed when I come to stay at my mum's. Drove 20 minutes out and started just a short 46 mile ride, but 6 miles out... my freehub broke... again! It broke back in June 2021 and I got a new one fitted. Can it be something I'm doing wrong? I'm just hoping I can get it fixed in time for the long easter weekend. How easy is it to change yourself? I've found a site that has them in stock...
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Good the LBS put it back together, but what was the issue?

As mentioned before understanding a Freehub, disassembling, maintenance and reassembly are good skills to learn. Or at least familiarise yourself with once you've had an issue or two. The components of a freehub are quite 'small' but the mechanism is quite robust and very 'engineer-y' so can be taken apart and reassembled with very little issue. Not to mention the performance benefits alongside the audio ones! ;)

Shoeyuk said:
I am looking at getting a rear light for the bike, however due to me being short and having a topeak saddle bag there isn't really any seatpost left for me to attach it to so im looking for a light that i could clip on the back of the saddle bag. Seen that there is a few topeak ones that would work by cliping on the front of the bad but the reviews seem to criticise there not very bright. Anyone got any suggestions of something that might be a bit brighter and could clip on the front of the bag?
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You can get some 'saddle rail' mounts for lights, so it in theory would be above your saddle bag which hangs below (may take some fiddling, but give you a mount independent of your saddle bag). As for a light - anything Cateye - one of the cheapest quality brands, alongside multiple 'mount' options, one of which is a 'clip' designed to clip onto clothing/backpacks but will also easily mount on most saddle bag mount straps. I've done this previously (also drilled a little hole in it so I could secure it with a cable tie as was paranoid about it 'bumping' off!)

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I love this little 'mini' from Cateye - great burn times and several modes. Relatively cheap and cheerful but very reliable. I have one mounted to the rear of my commuting helmet which I used as a rear for several years. It must be 6+ years old. I hardly ever use it (only tend to use in really foggy dark conditions or otherwise bad visibility). It's been sat on there probably 2 years and used less than a dozen times. Using it months apart, maybe even 8+ months over summer and it still has charge. They do a newer type, similar price, looks a bit bigger which might be more suited with some wider side visibility - https://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-viz-100-rear-light

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-aero-beam-50-lumen-rear-bike-light - This Lifeline light is a good one too. Cheap and cheerful but will admit after 3 years of use on the rear of kid trailer the batter/burn times did drop off. Still an amazing light for the money and cheap you could easily butcher it and use cable ties to mount it on a strap. The rubber band with it allows fitting for various post thicknesses, I used them on some 10mm thick frame bars on the kid trailer. Thinking you could fit to your seat stay(s)...
 
MM-Seat said:
What colours did you have your eye on?

When I’ve been on before I’ve made a green bike with pink letters. Not sure if I could pull that off though!
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I don't know. I played with a kind of blue through to purple. I forget what colours I did the highlights, but they were quite garish. Tbh, I quite like the 'standard' teal and might just go with that but at the same time, how often do you custom build a bike and have the opportunity to choose your own colours!

Roady said:
Good the LBS put it back together, but what was the issue?

As mentioned before understanding a Freehub, disassembling, maintenance and reassembly are good skills to learn.
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I think he said something like the end caps were loose. Basically all the pavels had fallen into the freehub body, so he would put them back in place.

I'm sure you're right and I should try and learn how it works... but I can't overstate how bad I am with mechanical things. In the past I have surprised people with how well I can mess something very simple up...
 
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