Road Cycling Essentials

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Finished my charity ride today. 445 miles over 5 days with 24000 feet of climbing. Knackered but really enjoyed it.

Averaged 15.2 mph across the 5 days (cobbled together from a number of people's devices as my Garmin decided to play up on most of the rides).
 
What's the general opinion of Schwalbe Ultremos? Got the London to Brighton coming up and I might as well take the opportunity to replace my shredded Pro 3's. Can't decide to stick with them or try something else? Been quite impressed with their puncture resistance until the roadworks destroyed them. Now they are full of holes they need replacing.

Robbie G said:
Guys I want to buy a second hand road bike. What's the best place in general to look for second hand bikes please? I'm looking to spend ~£500 but could go higher. I'm basically a bit bored of my hybrid as my commute is entirely tarmac, so I only ever need my hybrid on trails etc and I want to go faster / further. What brands / models should I be looking at? Do any stores do good deals on prior year models?

Also, what frame size should I be looking at? I'm 5'11'' and 78Kg.

Thanks!
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I don't think you need to spend that much. You can get pretty good new road bikes for £400-£430. Something around a 22" to 22.5" frame will be ideal for you :)

Saundie said:
Speaking of which, how difficult is it to convert a bike to SS/fixie? The internal gear hub on my commuter is playing up, which got me thinking about converting it.
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On yours it'll be easy peasy Japanesy. You need a wheel with a either a singlespeed or flip flop hub the same width as what's on there. Simply take the gear selector off the front, take the cable and any other gubbins off and put the new wheel in its place. Gearing-wise; I use 52-18 because I need to get a bit of a move on, but the fixie boys tend to use something much less for use round London. Oh, and when your running it fixed gear for the first time don't use your tow clips :D

You're welcome to have a go on mine first to see if you like it.
 
Jonny69 said:
What's the general opinion of Schwalbe Ultremos? Got the London to Brighton coming up and I might as well take the opportunity to replace my shredded Pro 3's. Can't decide to stick with them or try something else? Been quite impressed with their puncture resistance until the roadworks destroyed them. Now they are full of holes they need replacing.
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The Ultermos are supposedly a very good tyre from what I've read. I had the model down, the Lugano, on my Super Six and they were fine. I understand the Ultremos are more sticky and supple though, so very like the Conti GP4000S if you've ever tried them.
 
Jonny69 said:
What's the general opinion of Schwalbe Ultremos? Got the London to Brighton coming up and I might as well take the opportunity to replace my shredded Pro 3's.
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Which version of the Ultremo? The ZLX has no puncture protection, so I'd probably give those a miss. I don't think there's a lot in it, otherwise. They're pretty well regarded as far as tyres go, so I doubt you'll have any problems other than the fact that they don't come in sizes below 700x23c (I know you'll be wanting 700x20c ;))

Jonny69 said:
On yours it'll be easy peasy Japanesy. You need a wheel with a either a singlespeed or flip flop hub the same width as what's on there. Simply take the gear selector off the front, take the cable and any other gubbins off and put the new wheel in its place. Gearing-wise; I use 52-18 because I need to get a bit of a move on, but the fixie boys tend to use something much less for use round London. Oh, and when your running it fixed gear for the first time don't use your tow clips :D

You're welcome to have a go on mine first to see if you like it.
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I'm not all that keen on going fixed, it's the simplicity of the single speed that appeals to me. I believe that the existing hub is 135mm, so I'm not sure what to look for in a replacement - I don't know how to work out what the chainline will be, and if there are any other considerations. The biggest potential issue is that it has roller brakes, so I'd have to find a replacement for the rear brake. I'm starting to wonder if it'd be cheaper to just buy a single speed bike rather than trying to convert this one.
 
Saundie said:
Which version of the Ultremo? The ZLX has no puncture protection, so I'd probably give those a miss. I don't think there's a lot in it, otherwise. They're pretty well regarded as far as tyres go, so I doubt you'll have any problems other than the fact that they don't come in sizes below 700x23c (I know you'll be wanting 700x20c ;))
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Good to know about the puncture protection. Lol, will be sticking with 700x23 since there wasn't any difference with a 20. And they're for on the daily driver :D

Couldn't work out the model numbers, but that explains the range of different prices. It's tempting to stick with what I know, especially since I quite like the Pro 3.

Saundie said:
I'm not all that keen on going fixed, it's the simplicity of the single speed that appeals to me. I believe that the existing hub is 135mm, so I'm not sure what to look for in a replacement - I don't know how to work out what the chainline will be, and if there are any other considerations. The biggest potential issue is that it has roller brakes, so I'd have to find a replacement for the rear brake. I'm starting to wonder if it'd be cheaper to just buy a single speed bike rather than trying to convert this one.
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Forgot about your special brakes. It'll definitely be a lot less bother on another bike with conventional brakes, that's for sure. Charge have got some really nicely turned out, simple, singlespeed bikes for around £350 if you're looking to buy new.
 
We need to talk about my helmet.

I've got a Giro Monza in red and white and it makes me look like this:

super-mario-mushroom-o.jpg


It's not helped by the fact that my head is massive and yet my face is quite long.

I need recommendations for a helmet with a lower profile and it must, like a Model T, come in black. White is also possible, as it black and white. Bits of grey are allowed as well.
 
I've got a Specialized Echelon which is the slimmest looking one they did in Evans under £100. It still makes my head look like that though.
 
Theres obviously some decent cyclists in here but I'm just after a bit of fun really. As a beginner or just as a leisurely thing, are there many events which I can enter without it being a competition? For example as a runner, I can enter lots of half marathons, 10km's etc just for a bit of fun. Can the same be done on a bike?

Someone I know mentioned they were doing the Liverpool > Chester bike ride and he said it was more of a fun thing than a proper competition. That kind of thing will probably pursuade me to get a road bike.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;19279658 said:
I looked at one. The ride didn't do it for me (too out of touch with the road) and so I couldn't justify the cash. Got my CR1 instead.
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Can you qualify that comment? I'm trying to arrange a test ride at the minute so I'll find out. I'm trying to arrange a test of a Bianchi Infinito and a Cervelo R3 SL as well.

The winner gets bought and built.

I am getting very frustrated trying to find shops with stock of the bikes in the sizes I want willing to allow test rides. I've never known an industry like it - they expect you to spend well over £1000 on a bike they won't let you try. Insane! :(
 
The Roubaix is designed to smooth out the road and give them impression of a 'magic carpet ride' where you are floating on air.

The R3SL, the CLX 2.0, Madone 5.x and 6.x and all the other high end audax bikes are supposed to. However, I'm not a massive fan of it as I like to feel a bit more 'connected' to the road surface and know what it's doing underneath me.

If you want to feel as if you are floating on air then you are in for a treat, but if you want to feel the road without it battering the hell out of you then you might want to look for something less compliant.

The most common complaint you will hear about the Madones is that they are boring and there is no sense of excitement or urgency in them.
 
Can pick up the Carrera TDF "Limited Edition" Road Bike from Halfords for around £245 at the minute with some discount codes (down from £450 and cheaper than the bike below it in the range currently).

I reckon thats a pretty good deal for the money, but can anyone think of anything better for the cash? Just looking for something to help fitness levels with some rides through the summer.

https://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs...F+Limited+Edition+Road+Bike+-+Large&width=800
 
[DOD]Asprilla;19279985 said:
The Roubaix is designed to smooth out the road and give them impression of a 'magic carpet ride' where you are floating on air.

The R3SL, the CLX 2.0, Madone 5.x and 6.x and all the other high end audax bikes are supposed to. However, I'm not a massive fan of it as I like to feel a bit more 'connected' to the road surface and know what it's doing underneath me.

If you want to feel as if you are floating on air then you are in for a treat, but if you want to feel the road without it battering the hell out of you then you might want to look for something less compliant.

The most common complaint you will hear about the Madones is that they are boring and there is no sense of excitement or urgency in them.
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Thanks for taking the time to type all that out. I understand the difference in ride between compliant frames and race frames - compliance is only part of the reason for the purchase. I'd like a slightly less aggressive position than my Super Six for longer rides. A taller HT and shorter TT are key. It doesn't have to be silly either - it's amazing what difference a centimetre can make! ;)

I hadn't considered the Madone - I'll have a look at the geo and some reviews.
 
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