Road Cycling

We're already there. Certainly on higher end road bikes 'Electronic only' frames are more common than standardised hangers!
Yea because people need to find value for money somewhere and a little servo and battery somehow accomplishes that.

I meant nothing physically prevents an electric frame from using mechanical. as they will always need a hanger.
Personally think its a fad until something better replaces it.

I'm curious how long before high end road bikes instead of electric gears have a light weight motor and gearbox.
It's only a matter of time until someone starts pushing it and most people riding those bikes aren't doing competitions
 
I need to be banned from Aliexpress
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I present the £3 aerosocks :cry: I needed some new cycling socks and it was worth a punt 3pairs for <£10
 
What’s the benefit of cycling socks?

I always just wear normal socks I’d use for running.

Probably no different to any active socks really. Bit more breathable on the toes and top of the feet to wick away moisture. I don’t like wearing the same socks I wear for badminton as I do cycling.

They say aero socks offer a decent saving but I’ve got hairy legs so they’ll make zero difference to me lol.
 
They say aero socks offer a decent saving but I’ve got hairy legs so they’ll make zero difference to me lol.
I don't think the shaving of legs helps aero, but someone correct me if wrong. I believe pro's shave legs incase they crash...

I always just wear normal socks I’d use for running.
Tbh, if you're not head to toe in top brand cycling gear... well... there's no hope.

:p

After last Friday's rather large ride, I did another 6,000 ft ride today. (I made it over 6k by missing the coffee stop I was to be meeting my family at, climbing a 10 minute climb before I realised, so had to do that climb twice!) So, I've been over 6k ft nine times and three of those have been in the last two weeks!
 
I don't think the shaving of legs helps aero, but someone correct me if wrong. I believe pro's shave legs incase they crash...

Nope! There is a fairly decent saving to be made my shaving your legs but yes, it is also easier to dress a wound when it isn't covered in hair


Road.cc said:
"So if you take the surface area and the frontal area of the downtube of the bike, and you multiply that up by six, seven times, or something, that's what your legs are.

"So yes, getting rid of the hair on your legs is worth more than just putting aero socks on. Probably not as much as a [aero] jersey for most people, but at 30kph you're saving not fractions of a watt, you're saving five, six watts or so. And then that gets increased the faster you go."

Source

Velo said:
The Globe and Mail reports that recent tests in Specialized’s California wind tunnel may contradict earlier findings about the aerodynamics of shaved legs

The tests showed that shaving the test subject’s legs reduced drag by about seven percent, saving 15 watts at the same speed. In theory, that translates to a 79-second advantage over a 40-kilometer time trial.

The Specialized employees in charge of the wind tunnel, Mark Cote and Chris Yu, were so surprised that they tested five more cyclists before they would let one of their professional triathletes publicly reveal the findings. The results were consistent: All of them saved between 50 and 82 seconds over 40 kilometers.

Source

Though I don't think I'll rush to shave my legs (yet) My partner would loose all respect for me and there isn't much remaining as it is! :cry:
Tbh, if you're not head to toe in top brand cycling gear... well... there's no hope.

:p

After last Friday's rather large ride, I did another 6,000 ft ride today. (I made it over 6k by missing the coffee stop I was to be meeting my family at, climbing a 10 minute climb before I realised, so had to do that climb twice!) So, I've been over 6k ft nine times and three of those have been in the last two weeks!

Looked like a mega ride that did.
 
I need to be banned from Aliexpress
s7l0768.jpg


I present the £3 aerosocks :cry: I needed some new cycling socks and it was worth a punt 3pairs for <£10
hope your new bike won't be from there...

BTW..have you picked your frame yet?

there is plenty people waiting for that one news only...
 
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hope your new bike won't be from there...
Ha, nope, I only get the things I don't mind replacing from there. Though I'm going to get some new parts for my fixie from there as I'll need something to be able to ride casually once I start taking my daughter out on the paths.

BTW..have you picked your frame yet?

there is plenty people waiting for that one news only...

Yes and no. I know, to 99.999% what it is I want and have all the bits picked out in an excel document (so it's super serious) but I keep flip flopping on a few parts. Still waiting on a few other of life's cogs to fall into place before I can pull the trigger so I am still hopeful I can get it all sorted this year.

Until then, I'm just enjoying my training plan so when I do eventually get it I'll feel pretty confident and fast on it!
 
Anyone ever used protection? I mean not all of us are fathers here...! But more specifically frame protection?! ;) :D

Looking at www.invisiframe.co.uk but it's £95 for a kit. Need to do it while frame is 'box fresh' rather than some filth/road grime etc on it. The LBS wants £195 (inc kit) to install, so I'll be doing it myself. Got some samples from Invisiframe, seems fairly fiddly and a little time consuming but got a good result. Just not totally taken with the finish, as makes my matt ('Satin Obsidian') frame a little more glossy (although it's not that bad, one of the reasons I chose this colour option was to not have a glossy frame).

My HRV has been slowly increasing. It was 55 last night. Not sure why though as I was up a few times! Not putting too much stock into it just yet. I'm still on the fence with whoop. I quite like the data it has been showing and it's something new to obsess over but I'm not sure if it's wasted on me. My friends comment when he say it yesterday was "well, yeah, but you're not an athlete" and I suppose he isn't wrong. I'm just a recreational rider with a few fitness goals. Will whoop help me reach them faster along with TrainerRoad? I'm not sure either way yet. :confused:

Last nights sleep was 5:14. with REM accounting for 25% and SWS just 14%. I am building up a nice chunk of sleep debt though. 2:05. Lovely!
Haha yeah my sleep debt is fairly consistent (1.5 - 2 hours average for last 6 months). Whoop is pretty 'good' about learning some things, others (like sleep debt or need) it seems to keep racking up big numbers and not learn that most of us can't sleep for 10-12 hours every night. I mean it'd be nice to wouldn't it?! If I slept 12 hours a night I'd only have a couple of hours for everything else. Impossible! Hell, for me even 9 hours would be hard to 'fit in' every day.

Pfft Sleep noobs, all hail my lack of kids sleeping :D
Haha yeah damn kids, I mean mine sleeps well. 7.30 or 8pm ish until 6-6.30 every night. But it's all the 'other' stuff around that (as we don't really do most house chores until he's gone to bed) that take the time. Usually not sitting down to chill & watch TV until 9.30 / 10pm. Then the morning work alarm goes off at 6.15!

Yea because people need to find value for money somewhere and a little servo and battery somehow accomplishes that.

I meant nothing physically prevents an electric frame from using mechanical. as they will always need a hanger.
Personally think its a fad until something better replaces it.

I'm curious how long before high end road bikes instead of electric gears have a light weight motor and gearbox.
It's only a matter of time until someone starts pushing it and most people riding those bikes aren't doing competitions
The whole industry (or certainly the road side) marketing is driving for Riders to always want to ride what the Pro's are riding - so just fairly natural along side that riders want electronic shifting. So in the same vein, until the UCI are pushing /allowing ebikes in Pro road racing people will not want to replace their 'race' bikes with ebikes (lets be honest here the UCI are never going to - sport is about physical activity). You may as well be arguing about the legitimacy of the 'assisted games' or whatever the drug allowed racing thing is called...! ;)

Lots of physical reasons how and why frames are electronic only, all about routing. If a frame doesn't have cable stops and the manufacture of the frame headset, downtube & chainstays means that internal cables can't be used, then how would you cable it? I mean you could strap them to the outside with toe clips but really what's the point on doing that with a frame which costs 3 times a complete bike. Why buy a ferrari, then try to fit a 1.6 diesel engine into it? There are masses of frames designed to be cross purpose and mass market which will be compatible and compromise far less (as even di2 and brakes need some routing), but the quite specific frames - which are high in value and low in number you'll find more of them are 'electronic only frames' (Canyon, Specialized, Giant & Cannondale all have 'electronic only' labelled frames, will be others). Manufacturers then can save on production/design/weight etc doing it as they determine someone spending £4000 on a frame is going to be prepared to spend more on a groupset. They don't feel they need to cater and support someone putting an 8 speed Tiagra mechnical on it. As mentioned it's clearly obvious many places - if you look for it. There's no point disagreeing with the industry with your opinion on something here when several of us have already corrected you, it's beginning to make you look like a troll. :eek:

Not trying to argue, just stating the facts as we all have. The debate about 'do we really need electronic shifting' is a totally different thing. To be fair I'm probably in the ballpark that they shouldn't make 'electronic only' frames, as feel compatibility should be retained. Maybe not at the compromise of design, but to push development of compatibility within the groupset manufacturers themselves as they really seem to try to avoid it when it suits them. But that could be said of the whole bike industry! They seem to drive 'standards' rather than standardisation. :rolleyes:
 
I don't think the shaving of legs helps aero, but someone correct me if wrong. I believe pro's shave legs incase they crash...
Yeah skin heals better/quicker without hair, while being easier to dress bandages for road rash without hair there. Also tugs less when being massaged - think that is the main one for Pro's as they focus so much on recovery. But there are some aero benefits to shaved legs - although very marginal for most of us as we don't ride fast enough & far enough for big benefits like the Pros.

I've only ever done it a couple of times, was tricky and certainly my upper legs was hard as my skin above the knee is quite bumpy. The hassle/time of doing it every couple of days was not for me. My calves are quite smooth skin/low on hair volume naturally anyway. Even my shins, they look like I half shave them without a razor being near them for 5-6 years! I do shave/trim other parts to reduce saddle/sit bone friction every week or two. Hair growth seems to have migrated as I've got older from my legs & head to more central parts of my body! :cry: :rolleyes:
 
Anyone ever used protection? I mean not all of us are fathers here...! But more specifically frame protection?! ;) :D

Looking at www.invisiframe.co.uk but it's £95 for a kit. Need to do it while frame is 'box fresh' rather than some filth/road grime etc on it. The LBS wants £195 (inc kit) to install, so I'll be doing it myself. Got some samples from Invisiframe, seems fairly fiddly and a little time consuming but got a good result. Just not totally taken with the finish, as makes my matt ('Satin Obsidian') frame a little more glossy (although it's not that bad, one of the reasons I chose this colour option was to not have a glossy frame).

Similar to you, i considered Invisiframe. Was quite surprised they do a pre cut version for my Ican bike as it's hardly well known!

Didn't bother in the end. I'm generally not precious, and whilst i do look at a few small scratches with sadness, i live with it because i'm cheap! Guess if spending £4k on a frame it's another matter!
 
Haha yeah my sleep debt is fairly consistent (1.5 - 2 hours average for last 6 months). Whoop is pretty 'good' about learning some things, others (like sleep debt or need) it seems to keep racking up big numbers and not learn that most of us can't sleep for 10-12 hours every night. I mean it'd be nice to wouldn't it?! If I slept 12 hours a night I'd only have a couple of hours for everything else. Impossible! Hell, for me even 9 hours would be hard to 'fit in' every day.

I actually had a good score today. I did my intervals in the morning and then tried to keep my strain low. Went to bed 30-45 minutes after my 'prescribed' time but woke up with a 93% Recovery and 63 HRV. Sleep performance of 80%, reduced my sleep debt by 45 minutes as well

Hopefully I can keep that recovery high as tomorrow I have a threshold workout at 6am
 
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