Road Cycling Essentials

[InQ]

Ah not cool on your Scott's maiden voyage!

I had problems with my Conti Force and had to replace it with a GP4000s. Still running the Attack on the front. It has put me off them a bit as the Force & Attacks do seem a bit delicate for the sake of a few g's. That said, I'm not sure many tyres would have survived whatever made that hole!

Yep not cool, although it was a productive 3.5 miles from a Strava perspective!

Yep i think most tyres would have had a puncture at least.
Not had a problem with the tyres (~1000 miles on them), was thinking of getting a 25mm GP4000S for the rear but think i'll just get another set of Force/Attack and keep the Attack as a spare, Probikekit sell the Force on its own if needed (i want a tyre ASAP though so will collect a set from Merlin this afternoon).

 

[Saundie]

I had my bike fit this morning. It was certainly an interesting experience, especially the Retül motion caption part. We found that my saddle was too high, resulting in me having to point my toes down a fair amount. We also discovered that my left leg is ~1cm shorter than the right, and that I was pointing that foot down even more to compensate. I was also a bit too stretched out, which meant I was locking out my elbows.

To remedy these issues, we lowered my saddle by 5mm and fitted a 20mm shorter stem. It doesn't sound like much, but I could feel that it made a difference even from my brief ride home. Whether it'll make a positive difference is something that only time will tell, but the process we went through seemed logical enough that I feel confident that it'll help. I should be able to keep my feet flatter, especially at the bottom of the stroke, and I'm not so rigid in the upper body thanks to the shorter stem.

I'll be going back next week to try out a shim for my left cleat to see if we can alienate the issue with my left leg, and the guy who did my fit has shown me some exercises to stretch out the muscles in my left leg. Hopefully I'll be able to get the muscles balanced between my legs, and that'll resolve the difference in length. I'm actually feeling quite hopeful that I'll be able to get things nicely squared away now

 

[Nexus]

Where was that done Saundie?

 

[arknor]

deleting every post I ever made in this thread

 

[oddjob62]

Right... rucksack full of Haribo, wine gums and jelly babies... All ready for the Dun Run.

 

[arknor]

deleting every post I ever made in this thread

 

[ramdrive]

Does anyone know any good bike shops in Shropshire? I am looking at getting my first serious road bike and want to get the best bike fit as possible.

Thanks in advance.

 

[King85]

It sounds like the depth of the new stem maybe slightly shallower meaning the actual steerer is probably just poking over the top of the stem/spacer which mean the top cap is resting on the steerer tube and not the stem/spacer.

The steerer must end inside the stem or spacer so there is space between it and the top cap meaning it can pull tension when you tighten it. To fix that issue you either get another very small spacer or chop some of your steerer.

Better yet post a picture so we can confirm. Also make sure you are tigthing the top cap BEFORE you tighten the stem.

Thanks you were bang on, I nipped down to the lbs and they gave me a spacer and a new top cap for free so thank you to the people at Bike Pro in Kings Heath!

 

[ShiWarrior]

I had my bike fit this morning. It was certainly an interesting experience, especially the Retül motion caption part. We found that my saddle was too high, resulting in me having to point my toes down a fair amount. We also discovered that my left leg is ~1cm shorter than the right, and that I was pointing that foot down even more to compensate. I was also a bit too stretched out, which meant I was locking out my elbows.

To remedy these issues, we lowered my saddle by 5mm and fitted a 20mm shorter stem. It doesn't sound like much, but I could feel that it made a difference even from my brief ride home. Whether it'll make a positive difference is something that only time will tell, but the process we went through seemed logical enough that I feel confident that it'll help. I should be able to keep my feet flatter, especially at the bottom of the stroke, and I'm not so rigid in the upper body thanks to the shorter stem.

I'll be going back next week to try out a shim for my left cleat to see if we can alienate the issue with my left leg, and the guy who did my fit has shown me some exercises to stretch out the muscles in my left leg. Hopefully I'll be able to get the muscles balanced between my legs, and that'll resolve the difference in length. I'm actually feeling quite hopeful that I'll be able to get things nicely squared away now

I am glad it was worth the money, sounds like you got it sorted now

I need to get a fit too

are they all "specialized body fit" or are there different types?

nope all different Body fit is another one, Retual is another, and there's another one too, but cant think of the name right now
I think Retual one is what the pros use

 

[Shamrock]

What are the essential tools you guys have to do most maintenance?

So far I have:

- chain wear tool
- chain tool
- hex keys of various sizes
- pedal spanner
- 5Nm torque key
- tyre levers
- tube of grease

I'm a bit of a noob so I wanted to start learning by cleaning and re-greasing the BB on my cheapo Charge as it is making crunching noises when pedaling. It was then I realised I don't actually have the correct tools for the job!

I think I need:

- tool for cranks and BB
- chain whip for cassette
- cable cutters
- good scissors
- wrenches
- torx keys
- master link/KMC missing link pliers
- good screwdriver

 

[King85]

Anyone want a 2012 Team Sky jersey in xl before I put it on ebay? It's genuine from evans but I've out grown it.

 

[ShiWarrior]

shame I think that's too big for me

 

[King85]

shame I think that's too big for me

I'm 6ft at 12.5 stone if that helps.

 

[ShiWarrior]

all my stuff is in Large, although I tried a medium TORM and i changed it to a large

and im 6'2 11s

thanks anyway, ill give it a miss, someone else would have better use for it

 

[King85]

all my stuff is in Large, although I tried a medium TORM and i changed it to a large

and im 6'2 11s

thanks anyway, ill give it a miss, someone else would have better use for it

It would probably look like a crop top on you at 6'2" lol so I think you're right

 

[Mr Jones]

edit: halfords offered me a "12 care plan" I guess he meant a 12month care plan which on premium bikes is worth £60

Ultimately, it depends if you see value in it. Will you let them service it regularly or will you DIY? Especially with how they put you bike together... Do you really want them to?

It's a freebie for them to chuck you that, ask for money off purchases, I would anyway. I'm assuming this is because you complained about their recent price drop on your new bike.

 

[Nexus]

I think I need:

- tool for cranks and BB
- chain whip for cassette
- cable cutters
- good scissors
- wrenches
- torx keys
- master link/KMC missing link pliers
- good screwdriver

Entirely depends on how much you need some of those though.

For example, tools for cranks and cassettes, you don't really need those unless you intend to actually be removing them.

A master link for your chain is certainly something worth carrying with you on every ride. It can make the difference between fixing your chain and getting back on the bike, or not at all.

 

[Jonny69]

Well I got a last minute cancellation for the Dunwich Dynamo, but today has just gone from bad to worse. I was rebuilding my front wheel last night because it was way out of true from the potholes, but most of the spoke nipples had seized from the salt over the winter so I couldn't true it. I got talked out of finishing it last night by [her[/i] and I would have had plenty of time to deal with it this morning, except my dad rang to come round for a few hours, still ok but only just, then the supermarket had NONE of the provisions I wanted, then my other friend dropped out, plus my wheel was still in bits and I could have done with at least riding it round the block to bed the spokes in before doing a long ride, so I decided to pull out. Save risking a disaster. Absolutely ****ing gutted.

 

[Shamrock]

Entirely depends on how much you need some of those though.

For example, tools for cranks and cassettes, you don't really need those unless you intend to actually be removing them.

A master link for your chain is certainly something worth carrying with you on every ride. It can make the difference between fixing your chain and getting back on the bike, or not at all.

I'd like to try and treat my crunchy sounding single-speed bike and I assume the BB needs a clean and re-grease.

I expect to have to replace a cassette at some point during my road bike's life too. I don't want to have to pay a shop to do it when a Chorus cassette is £90 to buy.

 

[touch]

4th today in a very windy and wet C grade 36km.

Well done! Sounds like you're doing pretty well.
Do you go out with a club or anything? Our club does a fast chaingang on thursday evenings which is a great way to improve speed.
You can practice riding up hills on your own but to get some training for riding in a fast group you obviously need a fast group.

Two of us took turns quite well, the only problem being I'm 189cm and they are more like 150! Nowhere to hide from the wind

Haha, i have this problem a lot also. I'm 6ft and 12.5 stone, it takes a lot to shelter me from the wind. It's a nightmare to get stuck behind a short, skinny guy.