Road Cycling Essentials

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olv said:
Ahh ignore me then. Is that just the MTB ones? My road pedals didn't.
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Not sure about this (MTB vs. road) but I can confirm they definitely come with cleats and the bolt set etc. The Wiggle Q&A section had loads of people confirming this.

I don't see why road pedals wouldn't come with cleats and MTB pedals would.

I also don't really see what makes SPD MTB as opposed to road but hey-ho! They are dual sided which helps on a commuter, but really, how much extra weight do SPD-SL etc. really save versus SPD? I know there's the increased mounting holes, but any 'hotspots' can apparently be solved with better inner soles. Hence the large number of casual roadies still using SPD :p.

On a long sportive or a high level race, I can understand wanting the lightest pedals possible, and once you're in you're not coming out...but for casual road use and definitely for commuting, it's got to be double-sided, especially since many SPD shoes can be easily walked in due to the recessed cleat (though not the shoes I actually bought above :p).
 
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Phil99 said:
Finished the Norwich 100 in 5hr51 riding time, 7hr26 total time :D. Really enjoyed it and was much easier than I expected (probably due to the extended rest times thanks to my riding partner - he decided that crawling up hills at 6mph was 'fine' using his high gears and then got cramp by the half way point where we spent 1hr20 for some unknown reason.)
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Hehe, were there any hills? :D

Enjoyable day, my riding partner Vicky and I had three punctures between us, got really irritating, especially since we've done about 500 miles over the past few months without a single incident, so why yesterday of all days?! I think our final time was something like 8:45, I'd love to say how much riding time but my iphone (running mapmyride) ran out of battery 2 hours before the end, damn!

Vicky was a legend, she's totally anti-gear and did it on her massive 7-speed girl's hybrid with 30mm tyres, sidestand, and her big cable lock wrapped round the headstock, very proud of her! Made me feel a bit of a wimp doing it on my road bike :)

Definitely want to do it at pace next year, legs felt brilliant afterwards (numb left hand and sore ar$e not so good...)
 
Why are fixed riders always made out to be some kind of martyr? It's totally pointless :p.

If you want it to be harder, you just ride in a higher gear. If you want to ride with a high cadence, you just select a lower gear. Riding fixed has become some kind of pointless cult phenomenon backed up by no kind of logic (unless the fixed rider is purely focused on cost and weight).

It's the theory about it being better for training I don't get, and the fact that it's often seen to be some reverential branch of hippy cycling methodology.

I am not 'hating', I just don't get it :D.

Edit: I 'get it' now, so disregard the above please :o :p.
 
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Robbie G said:
Why are fixed riders always made out to be some kind of martyr? It's totally pointless :p.

If you want it to be harder, you just ride in a higher gear. If you want to ride with a high cadence, you just select a lower gear. Riding fixed has become some kind of pointless cult phenomenon backed up by no kind of logic (unless the fixed rider is purely focused on cost and weight).

It's the theory about it being better for training I don't get, and the fact that it's often seen to be some reverential branch of hippy cycling methodology.

I am not 'hating', I just don't get it :D.
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I found two things riding fixed;

Firstly it takes a lot less maintenance. A 1/8 drivetrain can take a lot of punishment, dirt and grit before it grumbles. Nit to mention parts being cheap.

Secondly, it improves your pedalling style no end. You are forced to pedal smoothly and track your knees well if you want to go down hills quickly, not to mention even power distribution if you want to go up them.

I did it fir two winters and it was the best technique training I've done.
 
Something you said there made me realise I had a flawed understanding of what fixed was. I thought it meant you only had one gear, but what it actually means, is that you are always peddling at the same speed that the wheel is going round, no matter what?

If that's the case, then I retract all of the above!
 
Robbie G said:
Something you said there made me realise I had a flawed understanding of what fixed was. I thought it meant you only had one gear, but what it actually means, is that you are always peddling at the same speed that the wheel is going round, no matter what?

If that's the case, then I retract all of the above!
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Yes. 1 gear with freewheel is generally know as a single speed
1 gear with no freewheel is a fixed gear, or fixed wheel of (if you really must) fixie.

And yes... when i'm going downhill at 30something MPH my legs are doing 150something RPM.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;19311144 said:
I found two things riding fixed;

Firstly it takes a lot less maintenance. A 1/8 drivetrain can take a lot of punishment, dirt and grit before it grumbles. Nit to mention parts being cheap.

Secondly, it improves your pedalling style no end. You are forced to pedal smoothly and track your knees well if you want to go down hills quickly, not to mention even power distribution if you want to go up them.

I did it fir two winters and it was the best technique training I've done.
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I agree with this.
Not only has it improved my pedalling technique, it has also killed my dirty freewheeling habit :p
 
In terms of rainwear, what do you guys have? I'm not sure whether some of the more expensive stuff on bike websites is actually worth it.

I have a cheap waterproof (doubtful, more like windproof) jacket that packs up very small at the moment, and it's ok. I'm probably going to go on a little tour in a few weeks and I want to make sure that I have adequate gear to keep me dry and warm. Not sure if I'll need arm/leg warmers, but I'll probably need a jacket and overtrousers - should I be looking at 'cycling' gear or will it be cheaper elsewhere?
 
CGrieves said:
Hehe, were there any hills? :D

Enjoyable day, my riding partner Vicky and I had three punctures between us, got really irritating, especially since we've done about 500 miles over the past few months without a single incident, so why yesterday of all days?! I think our final time was something like 8:45, I'd love to say how much riding time but my iphone (running mapmyride) ran out of battery 2 hours before the end, damn!

Vicky was a legend, she's totally anti-gear and did it on her massive 7-speed girl's hybrid with 30mm tyres, sidestand, and her big cable lock wrapped round the headstock, very proud of her! Made me feel a bit of a wimp doing it on my road bike :)

Definitely want to do it at pace next year, legs felt brilliant afterwards (numb left hand and sore ar$e not so good...)
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Haha, true about the 'hills', which made it even more ridiculous the speed he was taking them at! :p My Garmin log reckons there was a total elevation gain of 2,953 ft which is maybe a little surprising for Norfolk :D

I think next year I'm going to push for closer to 18mph average (16.9 this year), I only really managed to go for it for the last 40 and still felt I had a fair few miles left in my legs at the end. Very enjoyable day though, never seen so many cyclists on the road, plus the weather held out :)

Punctures are sods law really, luckily I managed to make it through with no mechanical issues but I noticed plenty of people with punctures/broken spokes.
 
apeZ said:
In terms of rainwear, what do you guys have? I'm not sure whether some of the more expensive stuff on bike websites is actually worth it.
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I have a pair of dhb (wiggle's own brand) waterproof overtrousers. They don't breathe especially well but that doesn't seem to be a huge problem on the legs. I have a dhb Southsea jacket which is almost entirely waterproof, but also quite heavy and bulky. Far too bulky to carry as an emergency backup, in fact. It's very much a winter jacket; I wore it yesterday and was rather uncomfortable after a few minutes.

I spent quite a lot of time over the weekend looking into a lightweight, packable alternative to my winter waterproof. There's so much choice it's almost impossible to figure out which compromise to make. The fact that people's expectations and therefore opinions vary drastically on the same product doesn't help, either. In the end I settled for a Montane Velocity DT 2.0. I was considering an Altura Pocket Rocket as a much cheaper option, but I decided upon the Velocity as it should (in theory) be more breathable while still being almost as compact when folded. It also doesn't have too much of cycling orientated styling, so I will wear it off the bike as well. Whether or not it turns out to be any good remains to be seen, though I should get it by the end of the week and as there is rain forecast for the weekend, I should be able to test it soon.
 
apeZ said:
In terms of rainwear, what do you guys have? I'm not sure whether some of the more expensive stuff on bike websites is actually worth it.

I have a cheap waterproof (doubtful, more like windproof) jacket that packs up very small at the moment, and it's ok. I'm probably going to go on a little tour in a few weeks and I want to make sure that I have adequate gear to keep me dry and warm. Not sure if I'll need arm/leg warmers, but I'll probably need a jacket and overtrousers - should I be looking at 'cycling' gear or will it be cheaper elsewhere?
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I have a Montane Featherlite Velo, ~£40 from Wiggle. Expensive for what it is imo, it has no pockets for a start. However the blue one looks good and has kept me dry in some significant showers so far. Not sure I'd trust it in a prolonged downpour (my commute is only 15 mins so it's all I need) but on the other hand, it's fairly windproof, very light, and rolls up into nothing.

If you're touring you'll be grateful for buying some decent kit I'd imagine.
 
I've got a showerproof Altura jacket that I got free with a magazine subscription. It's ok for my commute in spring summer if I'm wearing it during a shower, but if I'm in it for more than 15 minutes the rain will either penetrate it, or sweat will start condensing on the inside. It's not very wind proof (it gets cold and sticks to your skin) so if temps are low I prefer a base layer or LS wicking jersey and a windstopper gillet.

For winter I've got an Endura Venturi 2 which is excellent. Well vented and supremely waterproof. I usually couple it with some water resistant (not waterproof) bib longs that I got from Prendas. If it's really bucketing down and I'm on my way to work then I've also got some goretex overtrousers (I don't mind cycling in wet kits, but I don't like putting it on to come home in.
 
Like [DOD]Asprilla, I don't really mind cycling in a wet jersey and bib shorts, but it's a pain if you get wet on the way to work and can't get the stuff dry in the office. I cannot stand getting my feet wet, however, as it tends to lead to all sorts of problems. I have a pair of Sealskinz waterproof socks and some neoprene overshoes that I carry with me on my commute. Even if the rain does penetrate the overshoes, my feet remain warm and dry.

Velo Rapide said:
I have a Rapha Rain Jacket. Very nice it is too! ;)
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Do you find the Rapha kit to be worth the seemingly outrageous premium over other brands? I had looked at the likes of Rapha and Assos before settling for the Montane, and while they're undoubtedly superior, I couldn't really justify the extra cost.
 
I've got a Montane featherlight smock. It's also windproof which helps no end in the winter.

On the subject of riding fixed, I love it. I've got it flipped over on the freewheel at the moment and I don't like it anywhere near as much. I think I'm going to stick two fixed cogs on it and lose the freewheel completely.
 
Had a fantastic bike experience yesterday. Our cycling club hired the Manchester Velodrome for 2 hours. You get a coach, a bike, shoes and exclusive use of the track for about £32 each (there was 13 of us).

It was pretty daunting at first - I hadn't been to a velodrome before and its amazing just how big and steep the banking is. Starts off with an introduction to riding fixed wheel and the various track safety stuff, then a few gentle laps within the red line, then taking it faster and higher. Then we did through and off exercises, where you cycle in close formation with each person taking a turn at the front the pulling off to the high banking and getting on the back again, plus some real high intensity 10 second on / off sprints. Then, with everyone feeling comfortable, it was single lap time trial from a standing start, with results at the end, finishing with a 20 lap scratch race.

It was immense fun and a real adreneline rush. The British Cycling coaches were excellent, and all round its got to be the best £30 or so I've spent on cycling!
 
Similar bikes to the one in your sig :) A few pics:

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