Road Cycling Essentials

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Went out on the Hybrid Comp last night for the first time to get used to it, fettle the setup etc etc. What an absolute delight to ride. I was definitely a bit wobbly, been a good few years since I was on a bike, but I really enjoyed myself.

Found myself feeling quite heavy on my arms, slight discomfort in my wrists (not pain though) - shall I see how it goes given that it's "new" to my body, or should I treat this as a definite sign to adjust my riding style (which is what I've read it indicates if you're a regular cyclist and you get these signs).
 
Makhaira said:
Went out on the Hybrid Comp last night for the first time to get used to it, fettle the setup etc etc. What an absolute delight to ride. I was definitely a bit wobbly, been a good few years since I was on a bike, but I really enjoyed myself.

Found myself feeling quite heavy on my arms, slight discomfort in my wrists (not pain though) - shall I see how it goes given that it's "new" to my body, or should I treat this as a definite sign to adjust my riding style (which is what I've read it indicates if you're a regular cyclist and you get these signs).
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you probably need to get used to it :) i had pain in my palms, wrist etc for the first 2-3 weeks :)

and at the start of every season with my bmx my wrists kill me.
 
Jonny ///M said:
Nice chainset :)

My boss has the K Force Light which looks pretty much the same. Hope you have an easy ride with fitting it as it can be a bit of a pain to get the right amount of shims sometimes.

Decided to go the long way home tonight and went over "the 'rig" and realised just how much I hate that climb. Got to spin my balls off all the way home though AND I beat tedmaul up by a few seconds which is all that matters :P

http://app.strava.com/activities/62790852
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Nice one! Tbh, i'm quite happy to be anywhere near the top 50 given this time last year i'd never sat on a road bike, and this time two years ago i was still smoking 20 fags a day! :D

I've been over that hill countless times as it's one of the closest to me if i'm doing hill repeats, and it never gets any easier. One of those climbs that if you look at it on Strava really shouldn't be as tough as it is, but it's a stinker. I think it's the constant gradient changes, you can never really get into a rhythm.
 
Force shifters as well, and you could probably upgrade the mechs for not much more than £30 if you sold the Rival ones. I'd probably look to upgrade the brakes and chainset first, but that's a real bargain anyway.
 
So much want and so little money!

Friend just dropped off these barely used Planet X wheels for me. Going to do a deal with mine once I've got the bearings sorted.



Might need to sort this lot out soon. Tandem should be gone within the week, once I've fitted the new tyre.

 
Are you looking at a new bike?

Dont be put off too much by the small chainrings. A 46 chainring with an 11tooth cassette has a longer ratio that a 50tooth compact chainring on a 12 tooth cassette.
 
touch said:
Dont be put off too much by the small chainrings. A 46 chainring with an 11tooth cassette has a longer ratio that a 50tooth compact chainring on a 12 tooth cassette.
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And given that some of us would struggle to push even 50-12 if the bike was going over a cliff at the time, I wouldn't worry about it.

For what it's worth, Damien rides a fair bit on a cyclocross with a 46-36 chainset and he spanks it all over the place.
 
tedmaul said:
Nice one! Tbh, i'm quite happy to be anywhere near the top 50 given this time last year i'd never sat on a road bike, and this time two years ago i was still smoking 20 fags a day! :D

I've been over that hill countless times as it's one of the closest to me if i'm doing hill repeats, and it never gets any easier. One of those climbs that if you look at it on Strava really shouldn't be as tough as it is, but it's a stinker. I think it's the constant gradient changes, you can never really get into a rhythm.
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Aye it's a *******, you get up to the bit at the farm and think you're ok then it ramps up again, harder I think, to the top. Road surface doesn't help either.

The descent is ruined further down by the potholes but from the crossroads to strathaven I was spinning on the drops thinking I was in the TDF.

I don't cycle constantly and I'm happy enough how I get on when I go out but I want a new bike. Carbon ideally with nice wheels as the feeling when your know your brakes touch your wheel when giving it the message is terrible. Forza cirrus clinchers lying in a box in work too......would be a waste on my caad8 I think.

The small hill before brown soil heading from Strathaven road to Muttonhole road is good for doing repeats on, not that I do it often though.

Edit: I just spent the last hour trying to setup two silverfox £90 bikes in my mates wee sisters house. They had been serviced at Halfords but her handlebars came loose in the stem, front mech was no were near in line or low enough, rear mech limits hadn't been touched, front shifter rotated if you pulled the shifter too hard and the brakes were all forms of wrong.

His bike the front wheel nuts were backwards with the safety washers jammed between the fork legs rather than under the nuts. Headset was loose and cables routed ridiculous ways. That was the main things too!

Sorry to rant but I just find it funny people can actually get away with saying a bike is safe to ride when it really isn't. If they can't be arsed not doing it properly don't do it. No point lying about stuff.
 
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Yeah that does seem good value

mine was 2500 (I paid 1800 though) and mine is Ultegra all round (except the calipers they are 105)
so in comparison, that plant X is brilliant
 
Just had a minor off, courtesy of a small van failing to indicate left, for the first time in 6+ years of all weather commuting. The red mist came down and was too busy swearing and gesticulating to think about getting his number.

So, mulling over a helmet cam...any reasonable one's around?
 
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