Soldato
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Haha, yes, I was nearly 3kg lighter by the end despite eating and drinking so much I never wanted to see pastry or coke again.
Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
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Thanks for info
I was hoping for some where the actual black rubber itself was another colour
I was hoping for some where the actual black rubber itself was another colour
Stage 7 Tue: https://www.strava.com/activities/10526302299My main riding so far this year has been doing a Zwift stage race 'FRR' which a friend runs - https://www.flammerougeracing.com/
I've been at my limit but come up short the last 2 stages over the weekend. The Alpe was really too hard at 5 days in, with sunday being really close to not finishing it...
Stage 1 Tue: https://www.strava.com/activities/10479840530
Stage 2 Wed: https://www.strava.com/activities/10488377421
Stage 3 Thu: https://www.strava.com/activities/10494303705
Stage 4 Fri: https://www.strava.com/activities/10500894101
Stage 5 Sat: https://www.strava.com/activities/10507395592
Stage 6 Sun: https://www.strava.com/activities/10512933952
Rest day yesterday couldn't come soon enough... iTT tonight then final stage tomorrow. Looking forward to finishing it! Given me a massive block to start the year with, now focus on recovery and levelling thing out the next month or so, providing I can keep illnesses at bay with the freezing weather!
Stage 8 Wed:https://www.strava.com/activities/10533504488
Brutal, but complete. Actually amazed by my 2 iTT's as only 1W average difference a week apart with a lot of racing, intensity, strain and fatigue between them. I didn't feel like I'd recovered that well - but obviously had! Going to have an easy rest of the week
Haha really fuelled by them as easily sourced on route, or was that what was supplied? As Audax UK was created from it, I figured was self supported? My teeth get so furry with sugary drinks when I ride so I tend to avoid them. Hell I can get really 'meh' with eating most things after riding 5-6 hours, so to do ~3-4 days is really in WTF territory for me to fuel/feed. Cannot even comprehend!Haha, yes, I was nearly 3kg lighter by the end despite eating and drinking so much I never wanted to see pastry or coke again.
It's possible but not generally seen on performance road tyres. The tyres JV used on some stages in 2021 TDF were Vittoria Corsa's but they didn't become available to the rest of us (marketing gimmick). See it quite a bit in BMX and jump bikes, less so elsewhere.
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Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Dec 2004
- Posts
- 17,119
- Location
- Shepley
Mix of both - it's self sufficient on the road but there is food and drink (to purchase) at the control points every 80km or so. I know the French bag on British food a lot but this was not great, it's fair to say. Unbelievably bland and textureless, but I guess sometimes that's what you need. Being veggie, I ate a lot of plain rice and omelettes. They also make an amazing dessert called Flan in Brittany which is basically a custard tart with prunes. I ate a lot of slices of that.Haha really fuelled by them as easily sourced on route, or was that what was supplied? As Audax UK was created from it, I figured was self supported? My teeth get so furry with sugary drinks when I ride so I tend to avoid them. Hell I can get really 'meh' with eating most things after riding 5-6 hours, so to do ~3-4 days is really in WTF territory for me to fuel/feed. Cannot even comprehend!
The nutrition side was a challenge because even a 600km is just one night, whereas this was three. It's a lot more in terms of time even if it's "only" double the distance. I got plenty wrong but learnt a lot too. Generally speaking the hardest bits were the first two mornings after only 3 or 4 hours sleep. I was getting up around 4.30 and my body just did not want to digest food or ride at that time so it made me feel really sick getting up to eat and ride. Once the sun came up everything started to feel better but you can't really fight nature. It took me until the third night to realise that it was better to just have some coffee in the morning and take breakfast food to eat when I was hungry rather than forcing it down.
The days were so hot that solid food became a bit of a chore, so things like diluted coke and SiS Beta Fuel were really good ways of getting calories in fairly gently on the move, and stopping for solid food at the controls.
Kudos on the stage race, I couldn't do efforts like that on consecutive days!
@One More Solo - I find the long distance riding fascinating. For some reason I remember a quote from James Hayden about his exploits at Transcontinental - he said ultra long distance riding is basically an eating contest. Can you keep the fuel coming to keep riding?
Did you see the GCN+ documentary on PBP with Jack Thurston before it was shutdown? I thought that was a great watch and makes me think I'd love to have a go just to see if I could finish. Am I mentally tough enough to keep the pedals turning when everything hurts? The documentary & write ups I've read for London-Edinburgh-London have made me fancy a crack at that as well.
What qualifying rides did you do? Do you have a write up of what gear you used anywhere?
Did you see the GCN+ documentary on PBP with Jack Thurston before it was shutdown? I thought that was a great watch and makes me think I'd love to have a go just to see if I could finish. Am I mentally tough enough to keep the pedals turning when everything hurts? The documentary & write ups I've read for London-Edinburgh-London have made me fancy a crack at that as well.
What qualifying rides did you do? Do you have a write up of what gear you used anywhere?
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Dec 2004
- Posts
- 17,119
- Location
- Shepley
I’ll pull something together for you.
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Dec 2004
- Posts
- 17,119
- Location
- Shepley
Right, so gear wise I rode a Ribble R872 with 40mm Vision wheels, 32mm GP5000 tyres and a SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset. Gearing was 48/36 at the front with 11-36 at the back. PBP is “flat” but I wanted to be able to spin up anything. I used a Pro Stealth saddle, 38cm handlebars with aero bars fitted, a large saddle bag and a top tube bag (no drop bags on PBP).
In the bags I had the usual repair gear, medicine, toothbrush/toothpaste, contact lenses, battery pack, emergency food, clear lenses for my glasses, 2 spare pairs of shorts, a buff, 1 jersey, 2 gilets (including the mandatory PBP hi vis), leg warmers, arm warmers and long fingered gloves. I had Exposure lights front and rear plus a backup rear light.
Mechanical problems I had:
-Front light was threatening to die on the final night so I had to buy a massively overpriced spare on the road which I didn’t need in the end. I’ll pack a spare in future or at least bring a charge cable. Newb error.
-Rear brake gave up with about 500km to go due to a bleed issue. I couldn’t get it fixed anywhere so just advanced the pads as far forward as they would go and rode carefully. Luckily it was dry and there aren’t any steep descents.
-1 puncture and a slow leak. I used Tubolito tubes and my experience with them hasn’t been great. I would use latex next time and top up pressures at controls if needed.
I rode the following qualifiers:
Delightful Dales 200 - https://www.strava.com/activities/8742511984
Northallerton 300 - https://www.strava.com/activities/9022237831
Moors and Wolds 400 - https://www.strava.com/activities/9066989887
East and West Coast 600 - https://www.strava.com/activities/9289087893
The 400 was maybe the hardest. It was a 10am start which meant I finished in the middle of the night, 2 or 3am. The last four hours was very, very cold. IIRC it was meant to be a warm day but the morning fog didn’t really lift so it was single digits for that final stretch. I was underprepared for that. I ended up at the end sitting in my car with all my clothes on and the heating full blast to warm up a bit. The organiser showed up about 5am to sign my card to confirm completion. I drove home, had a couple of hours sleep then went out for 90 minutes very easy around here with my wife. I know that sounds mad but I figured it would get me used to getting going again after a long day, and it seemed to help.
The two weekends before PBP I did 6 hours both days, and one of those days each weekend was 3,500m of climbing. Again, I think that really helped priming me for the effort.
I‘d agree with James Hayden on the eating front although something like PBP is quick compared to Transcon. You’re always in deficit so if you get your intake wrong at any point, or struggle with sickness etc, it’s really exposed on a multi day ride. Doing LEL and PBP has given me even more respect for the true ultra distance riders. Physically I wasn’t too bad at the end but my hands were shot and I was pretty saddle sore. I could not have spent much longer on the bike, and it’s like a third of a Transcon. Even now I still have some residual numbness in my fingers. I think switching to a Brooks saddle can help the soreness but I’m not sure I can do much about my hands.
I‘d really like to do LEJOG this year or next, and I’m also keen to try a proper self supported ride like All Points North at some point. I’ve not done any bike packing so it would be a fun challenge to build up to. I’ve signed up to Pure Peak Grit later this year too. I’ve not broken that to my wife yet but it’s only a couple of days.
In the bags I had the usual repair gear, medicine, toothbrush/toothpaste, contact lenses, battery pack, emergency food, clear lenses for my glasses, 2 spare pairs of shorts, a buff, 1 jersey, 2 gilets (including the mandatory PBP hi vis), leg warmers, arm warmers and long fingered gloves. I had Exposure lights front and rear plus a backup rear light.
Mechanical problems I had:
-Front light was threatening to die on the final night so I had to buy a massively overpriced spare on the road which I didn’t need in the end. I’ll pack a spare in future or at least bring a charge cable. Newb error.
-Rear brake gave up with about 500km to go due to a bleed issue. I couldn’t get it fixed anywhere so just advanced the pads as far forward as they would go and rode carefully. Luckily it was dry and there aren’t any steep descents.
-1 puncture and a slow leak. I used Tubolito tubes and my experience with them hasn’t been great. I would use latex next time and top up pressures at controls if needed.
I rode the following qualifiers:
Delightful Dales 200 - https://www.strava.com/activities/8742511984
Northallerton 300 - https://www.strava.com/activities/9022237831
Moors and Wolds 400 - https://www.strava.com/activities/9066989887
East and West Coast 600 - https://www.strava.com/activities/9289087893
The 400 was maybe the hardest. It was a 10am start which meant I finished in the middle of the night, 2 or 3am. The last four hours was very, very cold. IIRC it was meant to be a warm day but the morning fog didn’t really lift so it was single digits for that final stretch. I was underprepared for that. I ended up at the end sitting in my car with all my clothes on and the heating full blast to warm up a bit. The organiser showed up about 5am to sign my card to confirm completion. I drove home, had a couple of hours sleep then went out for 90 minutes very easy around here with my wife. I know that sounds mad but I figured it would get me used to getting going again after a long day, and it seemed to help.
The two weekends before PBP I did 6 hours both days, and one of those days each weekend was 3,500m of climbing. Again, I think that really helped priming me for the effort.
I‘d agree with James Hayden on the eating front although something like PBP is quick compared to Transcon. You’re always in deficit so if you get your intake wrong at any point, or struggle with sickness etc, it’s really exposed on a multi day ride. Doing LEL and PBP has given me even more respect for the true ultra distance riders. Physically I wasn’t too bad at the end but my hands were shot and I was pretty saddle sore. I could not have spent much longer on the bike, and it’s like a third of a Transcon. Even now I still have some residual numbness in my fingers. I think switching to a Brooks saddle can help the soreness but I’m not sure I can do much about my hands.
I‘d really like to do LEJOG this year or next, and I’m also keen to try a proper self supported ride like All Points North at some point. I’ve not done any bike packing so it would be a fun challenge to build up to. I’ve signed up to Pure Peak Grit later this year too. I’ve not broken that to my wife yet but it’s only a couple of days.
Epic, winged you a follow request so i can stalk you properlyRight, so gear wise I rode a Ribble R872 with 40mm Vision wheels, 32mm GP5000 tyres and a SRAM Force eTap AXS groupset. Gearing was 48/36 at the front with 11-36 at the back. PBP is “flat” but I wanted to be able to spin up anything. I used a Pro Stealth saddle, 38cm handlebars with aero bars fitted, a large saddle bag and a top tube bag (no drop bags on PBP).
In the bags I had the usual repair gear, medicine, toothbrush/toothpaste, contact lenses, battery pack, emergency food, clear lenses for my glasses, 2 spare pairs of shorts, a buff, 1 jersey, 2 gilets (including the mandatory PBP hi vis), leg warmers, arm warmers and long fingered gloves. I had Exposure lights front and rear plus a backup rear light.
Mechanical problems I had:
-Front light was threatening to die on the final night so I had to buy a massively overpriced spare on the road which I didn’t need in the end. I’ll pack a spare in future or at least bring a charge cable. Newb error.
-Rear brake gave up with about 500km to go due to a bleed issue. I couldn’t get it fixed anywhere so just advanced the pads as far forward as they would go and rode carefully. Luckily it was dry and there aren’t any steep descents.
-1 puncture and a slow leak. I used Tubolito tubes and my experience with them hasn’t been great. I would use latex next time and top up pressures at controls if needed.
I rode the following qualifiers:
Delightful Dales 200 - https://www.strava.com/activities/8742511984
Northallerton 300 - https://www.strava.com/activities/9022237831
Moors and Wolds 400 - https://www.strava.com/activities/9066989887
East and West Coast 600 - https://www.strava.com/activities/9289087893
The 400 was maybe the hardest. It was a 10am start which meant I finished in the middle of the night, 2 or 3am. The last four hours was very, very cold. IIRC it was meant to be a warm day but the morning fog didn’t really lift so it was single digits for that final stretch. I was underprepared for that. I ended up at the end sitting in my car with all my clothes on and the heating full blast to warm up a bit. The organiser showed up about 5am to sign my card to confirm completion. I drove home, had a couple of hours sleep then went out for 90 minutes very easy around here with my wife. I know that sounds mad but I figured it would get me used to getting going again after a long day, and it seemed to help.
The two weekends before PBP I did 6 hours both days, and one of those days each weekend was 3,500m of climbing. Again, I think that really helped priming me for the effort.
I‘d agree with James Hayden on the eating front although something like PBP is quick compared to Transcon. You’re always in deficit so if you get your intake wrong at any point, or struggle with sickness etc, it’s really exposed on a multi day ride. Doing LEL and PBP has given me even more respect for the true ultra distance riders. Physically I wasn’t too bad at the end but my hands were shot and I was pretty saddle sore. I could not have spent much longer on the bike, and it’s like a third of a Transcon. Even now I still have some residual numbness in my fingers. I think switching to a Brooks saddle can help the soreness but I’m not sure I can do much about my hands.
I‘d really like to do LEJOG this year or next, and I’m also keen to try a proper self supported ride like All Points North at some point. I’ve not done any bike packing so it would be a fun challenge to build up to. I’ve signed up to Pure Peak Grit later this year too. I’ve not broken that to my wife yet but it’s only a couple of days.
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Sep 2006
- Posts
- 4,536
- Location
- Gloucestershire
Anyone using an Exposure Strada or anything similar for a front light?
I've just upgraded my mk1 Diablo to the latest Strada SB Aktiv.
First impressions this morning were very good! It's super bright, and has a much wider beam than the Diablo (which I used helmet mounted). I'm just a bit worried about blinding motorists! I think I have it very conservatively pointed at the moment (ie not up much at all). Not really used to bar mounted lights, so apart from people flashing you, not sure how high I can get away with. Hopefully the Aktiv technology (dims when detecting headlight) will help with that too.
I've just upgraded my mk1 Diablo to the latest Strada SB Aktiv.
First impressions this morning were very good! It's super bright, and has a much wider beam than the Diablo (which I used helmet mounted). I'm just a bit worried about blinding motorists! I think I have it very conservatively pointed at the moment (ie not up much at all). Not really used to bar mounted lights, so apart from people flashing you, not sure how high I can get away with. Hopefully the Aktiv technology (dims when detecting headlight) will help with that too.
Super - thanks for taking the time to write that @One More Solo
Yes, I have a Strada which is mounted under my Garmin on a Go-pro mount. Mine doesn't have Aktiv but if I know I'll be riding in the dark, I'll fit the Exposure push button so I can dip as traffic approaches. If I've been on full power and not got to the button quick enough to dip, I have been flashed by cars.
After FRR I had a bit of a cold starting so took it really easy. Shook it and did mean to ride (couple of hours endurance) on the weekend and never quite got to it! Was a clear, dry and not freezing cold weekend for us so did a bunch of house jobs. Wood cutting, ripping out a shrub etc and just got to evening meal both nights and thought "naaah too tired" rather than planning and fitting in an afternoon ride... With a race planned tonight didn't ride yesterday, so I've been 'off the bike' for 7 days! Eeeek! Didn't feel I needed that long to recover but there we go. Recovery week done - but have commuted so not totally flat. Planning Zwift club chase race tonight, iTT tomorrow with outdoor club on Zwift (only a 10) then usual Thursday TTT - helping drive a R3R resurgence with me leading lower riders in my team will mean some good long intervals.
Haha yeah being veggie and needing 'easy food' then bland and textureless is par for the course. My other half has been veggie for 25 years and although there's loads more choice these days still sometimes the only option is pasta! But really when you're in a several day fatigue hole like that must be super hungry every time you stop riding, just how much are you caring about taste and variation?
Fatigued post-ride I tend to crave coffee, sugar load it and make my crash worse. Every time. I'm quite good about not 'raiding cupboards' and can wait, but am then literally ravenous when it comes to a meal time. A couple of the later FRR stages I would have my recovery smoothie, shower, then a cupa-soup before a coffee. Think that really helped as didn't sink so low post-ride. Just something more (& warm) in the belly no matter how marginal made a big difference to me so will do that again. I tried to snack a bit while riding the longer stages (and will when doing longer group rides), but this being races the intensity made it hard.
We're affected by sunlight, darkness and mornings more than we think, that's also why doing any volume during these darker months is hard. Just getting on the bike regularly should often be enough!
But my Race on mode 3 has all the power/lumens I need (easily 1200 lumens max is 1800 in mode 1) for wet weather riding and on clear weather I don't even use the full beam. Dip beam must be around 700-800 lumens and gives me 8+ hours of use, very little degradation of it's battery through age so far... So with my short commute, easily getting several weeks of use between charges. I'll still use it as a daylight light for morning/evening commutes when the sun is low in the sky to be more visible (I'm running it alongside another front flashing light - TraceR) so really it's getting used October to March every year. The rear screen is quality, the 'puck' for easy mounting is solid and durable. I have mine underslung my bars (left) for easy button access to my left hand, but I do occasionally bang my knee on it. Housing is very robust and has dinks all over it, lense(s) are pristine and light pumped out is quality still. I've only needed to contact USE support twice in 8-9 years of using their products and both times out of warranty they were helpful. Once sending me parts FOC. Very easy to recommend Exposure devices, but they are expensive. I have 6 TraceR lights (fronts and rears), this Race for myself and an Axis for the other half. Only 1 TraceR has died in that time and was 4-5 years old at the time, their support determined a battery board fault. I've others older than 5 years now still going well (but their battery life does start to drop off after 3-4 years old).
The ActiV tech sounds amazing on the newer ones, they also now do 2 versions of the Strada I think? As well as having the non-Activ versions so 4 versions of the same light (stupidness!)
Mix of both - it's self sufficient on the road but there is food and drink (to purchase) at the control points every 80km or so. I know the French bag on British food a lot but this was not great, it's fair to say. Unbelievably bland and textureless, but I guess sometimes that's what you need. Being veggie, I ate a lot of plain rice and omelettes. They also make an amazing dessert called Flan in Brittany which is basically a custard tart with prunes. I ate a lot of slices of that.
The nutrition side was a challenge because even a 600km is just one night, whereas this was three. It's a lot more in terms of time even if it's "only" double the distance. I got plenty wrong but learnt a lot too. Generally speaking the hardest bits were the first two mornings after only 3 or 4 hours sleep. I was getting up around 4.30 and my body just did not want to digest food or ride at that time so it made me feel really sick getting up to eat and ride. Once the sun came up everything started to feel better but you can't really fight nature. It took me until the third night to realise that it was better to just have some coffee in the morning and take breakfast food to eat when I was hungry rather than forcing it down.
The days were so hot that solid food became a bit of a chore, so things like diluted coke and SiS Beta Fuel were really good ways of getting calories in fairly gently on the move, and stopping for solid food at the controls.
Kudos on the stage race, I couldn't do efforts like that on consecutive days!
Haha yeah being veggie and needing 'easy food' then bland and textureless is par for the course. My other half has been veggie for 25 years and although there's loads more choice these days still sometimes the only option is pasta! But really when you're in a several day fatigue hole like that must be super hungry every time you stop riding, just how much are you caring about taste and variation?
Fatigued post-ride I tend to crave coffee, sugar load it and make my crash worse. Every time. I'm quite good about not 'raiding cupboards' and can wait, but am then literally ravenous when it comes to a meal time. A couple of the later FRR stages I would have my recovery smoothie, shower, then a cupa-soup before a coffee. Think that really helped as didn't sink so low post-ride. Just something more (& warm) in the belly no matter how marginal made a big difference to me so will do that again. I tried to snack a bit while riding the longer stages (and will when doing longer group rides), but this being races the intensity made it hard.
We're affected by sunlight, darkness and mornings more than we think, that's also why doing any volume during these darker months is hard. Just getting on the bike regularly should often be enough!
Brilliant write up and info mate, thanks for sharing. Should put it all into it's own post so it doesn't get lost in here!I’ll pull something together for you.
I've got an Exposure 'Race' (mk 11), like the off road version of the Strada. It was quite a bit cheaper (165) and in stock on a deal when I needed a better light in 2017. Still going strong & I love it, but do regret not getting the Strada. A friend has one of a similar age to my Race and the beam pattern is noticeably different & better for road riding (more shaped), plus the remote would be very useful.
But my Race on mode 3 has all the power/lumens I need (easily 1200 lumens max is 1800 in mode 1) for wet weather riding and on clear weather I don't even use the full beam. Dip beam must be around 700-800 lumens and gives me 8+ hours of use, very little degradation of it's battery through age so far... So with my short commute, easily getting several weeks of use between charges. I'll still use it as a daylight light for morning/evening commutes when the sun is low in the sky to be more visible (I'm running it alongside another front flashing light - TraceR) so really it's getting used October to March every year. The rear screen is quality, the 'puck' for easy mounting is solid and durable. I have mine underslung my bars (left) for easy button access to my left hand, but I do occasionally bang my knee on it. Housing is very robust and has dinks all over it, lense(s) are pristine and light pumped out is quality still. I've only needed to contact USE support twice in 8-9 years of using their products and both times out of warranty they were helpful. Once sending me parts FOC. Very easy to recommend Exposure devices, but they are expensive. I have 6 TraceR lights (fronts and rears), this Race for myself and an Axis for the other half. Only 1 TraceR has died in that time and was 4-5 years old at the time, their support determined a battery board fault. I've others older than 5 years now still going well (but their battery life does start to drop off after 3-4 years old).
The ActiV tech sounds amazing on the newer ones, they also now do 2 versions of the Strada I think? As well as having the non-Activ versions so 4 versions of the same light (stupidness!)
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Sep 2006
- Posts
- 4,536
- Location
- Gloucestershire
I'm slowly tilting it up and up with each commute 
Oddly it seems to kick out quite a bit of light at the very extreme left and right, and that's the only time I can see it lighting up drivers directly.
I'm using it on the medium setting (about 6 hours with this), and it's bright enough to see everything, but good to know I can double it if needed.
The Aktiv is pretty neat, hard to notice it on busier roads where there's constant opposing traffic, but works well on country lanes where a single oncoming car passes you. You see the light noticeable dim, then fade back up to normal. It's even reacted to the tail lights of overtaking cars too sometimes.
The only other odd thing to get used to is as it kicks out such a wide beam, I have a shadow of the brake levers and my fingers on them. MIght look into setting up the combined Garmin./light mount later on.
Oddly it seems to kick out quite a bit of light at the very extreme left and right, and that's the only time I can see it lighting up drivers directly.I'm using it on the medium setting (about 6 hours with this), and it's bright enough to see everything, but good to know I can double it if needed.
The Aktiv is pretty neat, hard to notice it on busier roads where there's constant opposing traffic, but works well on country lanes where a single oncoming car passes you. You see the light noticeable dim, then fade back up to normal. It's even reacted to the tail lights of overtaking cars too sometimes.
The only other odd thing to get used to is as it kicks out such a wide beam, I have a shadow of the brake levers and my fingers on them. MIght look into setting up the combined Garmin./light mount later on.
I'm slowly tilting it up and up with each commute
I'm using it on the medium setting (about 6 hours with this), and it's bright enough to see everything, but good to know I can double it if needed.
The Aktiv is pretty neat, hard to notice it on busier roads where there's constant opposing traffic, but works well on country lanes where a single oncoming car passes you. You see the light noticeable dim, then fade back up to normal. It's even reacted to the tail lights of overtaking cars too sometimes.
The only other odd thing to get used to is as it kicks out such a wide beam, I have a shadow of the brake levers and my fingers on them. MIght look into setting up the combined Garmin./light mount later on.
Haha yeah one thing my Race does (in full beam) is throw a massive amount in the middle, there's far less 'bleed' sideways than the Strada so you see less peripheral, but makes sense as it's made as an off-road light. So also the orientation I have it points at the ground more than it would be on trails. So throwing a massive amount more lumens at a patch of road in front of me doesn't really give me much more distance/visibility and probably why I find the dipped one enough for 75% of my commute - even in rubbish weather. But if a car doesn't dip it's lights at me - it gets the full beam! They soon do then! I'll even flash some cyclists as some of them have horizontal blinding beams, will generally shout "point your light at the road not at me!"
Thinking about how I use my light I've realised I quite a good 'test' on my stupidly short commute - just lots of different scenarios for light use with a mixture of cars & pedestrians. First part shared use pavement which is unlighted, lots of walkers alongside a busy road and a high hedge. Bit further wider split use with scattered streetlights. Drop off cycle path, lots of streetlights past a school & houses with parked cars. Normal street to unlit and narrow overgrown cycle path, cross road and back to alongside a busy road (opposite side to before so next to oncoming) with scattered streetlights on a busy shared use segregated path (lots of runners and dog walkers), then back to the road for the reminder on a 40mph road, half unlit, half is streetlights and housing estates.
Most of my time I'm using my full beam to light up narrow sections of pathway (barely wide enough as a pavement nevermind being enough for shared use) so can see pedestrians in dark clothing rather than needing for myself. I'm next to the SAS camp so lots of runners regardless of the weather - if anything there's more of them in the bad weather in dark clothing than other times!
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Strada RS here
using daily on commute in London in strobe mode
beam is directed down in front of the bike, as strobe mode goes really wide, and i dont intend to blind everyone around me.
I can see it bounsing off signs etc in over 100m distance - it is really bright and wide LOL
defo best lights out there, and their CS is great as well.
using daily on commute in London in strobe mode
beam is directed down in front of the bike, as strobe mode goes really wide, and i dont intend to blind everyone around me.
I can see it bounsing off signs etc in over 100m distance - it is really bright and wide LOL
defo best lights out there, and their CS is great as well.
i've got those.
More of the finest carbon known to man courtesy of AliExpress
were cheap and are light 10-13grams ? from auction site years back.
still holding strong
Sounds about right! I saw them mentioned on TraceVelos youtube channel and he seemed to really rate them so it was worth a punt. £16 and delivered in a week or so. Not bad!
They're not actually advertised as branded bits but annoyingly they weren't available in a unbranded option. I went with this in particular because they've been reviewed well. Didn't want to chance something else. They feel pretty good, though I don't have carbon cages to compare them to.
If they're half as good as the saddle they'll be good enough. Just did a 1hr 45 ride on Zwift, mostly seated, and the saddle is holding up nicely.