Road Cycling Essentials

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apeZ said:
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.
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Did you push it all the way until it clicks? You'll know because it then requires significant force (while pulling up at the front slightly) to remove. I've got the Strada wireless and as of yesterday I'm 0.3 miles short of having done 1000 miles with it (and not a single problem, aside from the first battery dying after ~700 miles).

Wait, mountain bracket? What's that?
 
Mr. Brightside said:
Did you push it all the way until it clicks? You'll know because it then requires significant force (while pulling up at the front slightly) to remove. I've got the Strada wireless and as of yesterday I'm 0.3 miles short of having done 1000 miles with it (and not a single problem, aside from the first battery dying after ~700 miles).

Wait, mountain bracket? What's that?
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I'll give it another try later, I thought I had it pushed all the way. Granted, it only came off twice in quick succession and then I had no problems after I reattached it.

[DOD]Asprilla;19020608 said:
I think he means 'mounting'. My iPhone gives me weird spelling corrections all the time.
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Yup! However, I don't have an iPhone excuse to hide behind, I think I was just tired :o

Saundie said:
apeZ, how are you finding the new bike?
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I'm quite enjoying it and I've taken it out for a few short rides. It handles quite well and once I get into a rhythm, it is incredibly smooth on roads and footpaths and it is not too bad off-road.

I like it because it just 'works'. It's reliable, gears change smoothly, brakes are good, wheels and tyres are incredibly strong and it oozes quality. I can definitely feel the difference between this and a cheap Raleigh that I have used as a commuter for a few years, so I'm sure it will pay itself off in time! I would be happy to take it on a few tours, although I just need to plan them out and get going - once I've had a few day trips and longer tours, then I can talk more confidently about it, but so far, so good!

The main problem with my area is that I only know of a few short cycle routes, and they aren't that well signposted tbh - if I want to go further than 20-30 miles out, I need a map or GPS handy to make sure that I don't stray onto main roads and that I know where I'm going. I'm in the middle of a work placement at the moment and I get home late, so I only have my weekends free - I'm using that time to just familiarise myself with the bike and take it out for a few rides. Once this is over, the countdown to the 'summer tour' starts :D
 
apeZ said:
I'm quite enjoying it and I've taken it out for a few short rides. It handles quite well and once I get into a rhythm, it is incredibly smooth on roads and footpaths and it is not too bad off-road.

I like it because it just 'works'. It's reliable, gears change smoothly, brakes are good, wheels and tyres are incredibly strong and it oozes quality
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That's really great to hear; having a bike that you like certainly encourages you to ride more. I do like the look of your bike, though having never heard of VSR I'd obviously never considered one of their bikes. I think the lack of drops would put me off (I don't really get on with flat bars), but apparently they do a sportier bike called the T Randonneur.

I'm still debating whether or not I should go titanium for my next bike. Looking at decent steel fast tourers/audax bikes, they seem to come in around £1250, whereas the Van Nicholas Yukon is coming in at about £2k when I spec it up. I suppose the best thing to do would be to test out the Yukon or something similar to it. Oh, the agony of choice :)
 
Saundie said:
I'm still debating whether or not I should go titanium for my next bike. Looking at decent steel fast tourers/audax bikes, they seem to come in around £1250, whereas the Van Nicholas Yukon is coming in at about £2k when I spec it up. I suppose the best thing to do would be to test out the Yukon or something similar to it. Oh, the agony of choice :)
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Saundie, have a look at Sabbath mate, they make some cracking Ti frames. The model I'd suggest you look closely at is the Silk Road Alp, apparently it's amazing for climbing and very comfortable for Sportives.
 
Advice Needed!!

I'm currently running Fulcrum Racing 7's and am after an upgrade. Any suggestions I'm thinking of RS80's? Any opinions? I ride a wide variety of distances and am looking to increase my average speed.

Thanks!
 
[DOD]Asprilla;19031896 said:
That was hard work.

95.5 miles in in 5 hrs 42. Was bleedin' windy.

Gold standard though, so happy.
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Well done! :)

I got a text from Sean earlier to say he'd had to pull out after 70 miles with a sore knee. He managed that in 4 hours so feels disappointed because he thinks he'd have achieved a good time.

How well attended was it from your perspective?
 
Awesome 20 mile ride with family today. Pace was a bit slow (average 8mph lol...) but it was a nice leisurely jaunt along some country roads with a few climbs every now and again.

Also, I managed to get an eTrex Legend GPS off the Bay. I didn't expect to win it, but at £87 I think I've snagged a bargain (compared to £140 at Amazon) and I'm definitely going to put it through its paces next weekend :D

Good luck finding a nice Titanium frame Saundie - I had a look at a few before, but out of my price range. There are some really nice ones though... I know there are a few bike manufacturers in the UK that deal with Titanium, so if any of them come back into my mind, I'll let you know!
 
As far as I could tell it was rammed. When I got there at 8.20 the car park was full and it was quite a big car park.

Saundie, if I was looking for a Ti frame I'd contact Jason Burls (www.burls.co.uk) who will do you a custom frame for around £999.
 
Finally got around to writing up the final 2 days of last years tour and the full route details for this years tour from coast to coast and back again. Day 4 should be interesting with a pint mid-day at Tan Hill ;)

http://www.malia.info

Since we are going on the holiday a week on Tuesday, I'll put up a post covering the kit list we take. It may be of some use to those who fancy a bit of touring.
 
TreeTops said:
Finally got around to writing up the final 2 days of last years tour and the full route details for this years tour from coast to coast and back again. Day 4 should be interesting with a pint mid-day at Tan Hill ;)

http://www.malia.info

Since we are going on the holiday a week on Tuesday, I'll put up a post covering the kit list we take. It may be of some use to those who fancy a bit of touring.
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Cheers, I'll take a look through those!

Please do post a kit list, will be very useful when I start packing for the summer tours!

Edit: I like the look of your 2011 tour, good luck with it! Out of interest, what sort of speed/mileage do you average? I'm hoping to put in 70-80 miles daily on my tour, but I'm worried that is a bit too ambitious... it's more of a question of endurance I think. Long summer days will mean that I can cycle until 9 or 10pm if I wanted to and it would still be light.
 
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