Road Cycling Essentials

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Nexus said:
I'm well aware of that.

But as I was trying to explain, the premium straps suffer from spikes and drops which the hard strap doesn't. Even though I wet the strap and was obviously sweating in the heat on Monday, it lost a good few hours of heart rate monitoring. Even when I use it for short distances I'm seeing spikes and drops. I'd seen a suggestion to use ECG gel because it's one way you can ensure the pickups are properly connected, far better than water.
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I hope you get it sorted out.
 
Nexus said:
Which HRM are you using?
Garmin actually has three.


The Premium soft strap has a detachable monitor from the strap and connects across your body using a snap popper. There were loads of reports that this Premium version was having spikes.
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Premium that came with the Edge 800. lots of reports on the Grmin forums etc. Im going to contact Garmin... tbh having a HRM that doesnt quite work is so pointless. Waste of time.
 
Looking for advice on wheels.
Currently got a completely stock Trek 1.5 2009 which comes with Bontrager SSR wheels.

I was wondering if i were to upgrade to something like Fulrcrum Racing 5's how much and what sort of difference it would make!

Also on the garmin HRM, im using the strap that came with my 705, when i look at my rides, my HR spikes to something stupid ie. 250 when im going quicker, so I'm guessing its to do with my jersey flapping a bit. Which does render the whole idea of the hrm useless really.
Might pop Garmin an email aswell
 
janesssssy said:
Premium that came with the Edge 800. lots of reports on the Grmin forums etc. Im going to contact Garmin... tbh having a HRM that doesnt quite work is so pointless. Waste of time.
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For me the HR spikes have only started since the weather has got hot. It's been fine for the last year.


Ging3r said:
Looking for advice on wheels.
Currently got a completely stock Trek 1.5 2009 which comes with Bontrager SSR wheels.

I was wondering if i were to upgrade to something like Fulrcrum Racing 5's how much and what sort of difference it would make!
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I got some 5's for my Allez which came with Mavic CXP22 wheels as standard.

From testing it does make a difference, probably 1-2mph average over 30 miles.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;19001494 said:
Having a bike that fits correctly is a revelation.
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I'm getting quite nasty lower back pain on my rides, severe enough that I have to stop and stretch it out for a minute. It feels as though my lower back is going numb. I've sent the chap who fitted me an e-mail tonight to see what he's going to do.
 
Had a few parcels arrive today with some cycling goodies I ordered for my bike.

Cateye Strada Wireless - This took the best part of an hour to get working, the instructions didn't say that the sensor had to be pointing towards the magnet, rather than parallel to it... Surprised how small it is, but should come in handy for recording distances, speed etc.

Brooks B17 Saddle - This took over an hour to fit properly, because I have some stupid bracket on my saddle post designed for people with 3 hands. Finally got it on and level and took it for a quick ride around the neighbourhood, it seems quite comfy and definitely an improvement over the old one. I need to go on some longer rides though to break it in and see how my bum feels after a few hours on it.

Kryptonite New York 3000 - Bought this for security, but it weighs a ton. I need to combine it with something else to protect my front wheel (maybe that kryptonite flexi cable or whatever?) but it's good to know that my bike will be safe if I take it out and leave it somewhere. I also need the gold secure standard for my insurance (still need to take it out, but not sure who to go for) and it was only £43 or so on eBay compared to much more from most retailers.

Spesh Align helmet - Needed a new one. Comfy and looks good!

I've got a jersey, shorts and a saddlebag for my tools etc on the way, as well as a stand because I'm getting tired of lying it down or resting it against stuff.

Once payday/student loan/birthday comes round next month, I have my eyes on some Vaude rear panniers and a barbag to match. By that time, my light touring setup is pretty complete, and I'm going to forget about a front rack and panniers until I really need that extra space. I'm in the process of planning out a short tour to Devon for late July/August time.

I've also planned out a 20 mile (short I know, but I'm slowly building it up) route to the next major town, and I'm planning on doing that when I get some time free at the weekend or on one of the bank holidays. This is also part of the route I will take to Devon, so it makes sense to get an idea of what to expect. I'm going to try and expand it on a weekly basis by 5-10 miles and hopefully be ready for doing upwards of 70-80 miles per day on tour, although that is quite a big step!
 
Went out for a short ride earlier.

The Altura shorts are pretty comfy, as is the Brooks saddle. The jersey (I didn't ride with it) is a bit small, so I'm going to return it, and I've already ordered a larger size.

My Cateye Strada Wireless computer came off the mount twice earlier... once due to general vibration, the second time when I pushed it to change the display. I think I'm going to get a cable tie and put one of those around the mountain bracket so that it doesn't jump out. I wish it would secure itself a bit more firmly, but ah well.

Does anyone here have a Garmin eTrex Legend or Vista GPS? There's a decent price difference between them, but I'm not entirely sure why. Apparently the Vista has a barometric altimeter and a built in compass (don't really need either) but I can't seem to find out whether that is the only difference or not.
 
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