Road Cycling Essentials

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Garmin recommendations?

I need to be able to use strava and I also want speed and cadence. Maps would be an advantage but not a must have. Am I looking at a 500? Or can I spend less?I'm currently using my phone for strava.

I have a 500 and I didn't realise until after I had bought it you can send courses to it. It's not as good as maps, but if you have planned something on the Garmin website, it will at least give you enough to know where you have to turn etc and when you go off the course.
 
I have a 500 and I didn't realise until after I had bought it you can send courses to it. It's not as good as maps, but if you have planned something on the Garmin website, it will at least give you enough to know where you have to turn etc and when you go off the course.

Do you ever find that your route line disappears for a period of time? 10, 20 seconds?
 
Do you ever find that your route line disappears for a period of time? 10, 20 seconds?

Yes. I don't find that function particularly reliable. Its ok for a general whereabouts but not that accurate in terms of a sat nav. However as a bike computer its great. Essential almost.
 
A few drops of rain and all the moron drivers come out. I got clipped on the way in to work this morning.

I was passing (on the inside) a queue of cars stuck behind a car turning right. There was plenty of room (for me) so I thought nothing of it. As soon as I'm nearly at the front some clown got impatient and decided to veer to the left to undertake, nudging me into the kerb and folding back their wing mirror using my hand.

Here's the junction the lead car was turning right at. The road is way too narrow to have a car undertake so I've no idea what they were playing at.

Anyway, no major damage done bar a scraped & bleeding knuckle so I stopped my bike to have a word expecting them to do the same. Surprise, they drove off.

I need to stick my helmet cam back on when I get home...
 
Bad news Damien, least you're ok though.

Weather was shocking here this morning so I had some extra time in bed and drove in. Going to have to get out tonight though if I'm to finish the 'take on the tour' challenge
 
[Damien];24651096 said:
A few drops of rain and all the moron drivers come out. I got clipped on the way in to work this morning.

I was passing (on the inside) a queue of cars stuck behind a car turning right. There was plenty of room (for me) so I thought nothing of it. As soon as I'm nearly at the front some clown got impatient and decided to veer to the left to undertake, nudging me into the kerb and folding back their wing mirror using my hand.

Here's the junction the lead car was turning right at. The road is way too narrow to have a car undertake so I've no idea what they were playing at.

Anyway, no major damage done bar a scraped & bleeding knuckle so I stopped my bike to have a word expecting them to do the same. Surprise, they drove off.

I need to stick my helmet cam back on when I get home...

i know them feels man.. at least you're ok :) some noob of a driver cut me off on purpose twice to annoy me once it was SO close i nearly jumped of my bike and kicked his mirror off.

scum like that drives me mad..

how the heck do these strava segments work.. MAX speed in segment 36mph.. avarage 42?! wut.?!
 
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Two laps round the mount after work tonight. The slowest I've ever gone, but at least the two laps were consistent with each other!

Wet, windy and cold, triple whammy, into a 25kmh wind going up the hill, over a minute lost on the climb alone, 90 seconds down over a full lap.

My legs just felt like lead and my BB started to creak. Hope I'm not coming down with something and it was just an off day and bad weather!
 
Its all training, can't set PB's all the time.

Today a 38t chainring and chain came from Wiggle/CRC, not bad considering they were both ordered yesterday.

I've never changed a chain/chainring before, anyone have any advice? Also how do I calculate how long I need to chain to be? 38x16 gearing on a SS MTB with a chain tensioner.
 
[Damien];24651096 said:
A few drops of rain and all the moron drivers come out. I got clipped on the way in to work this morning.

I was passing (on the inside) a queue of cars stuck behind a car turning right. There was plenty of room (for me) so I thought nothing of it. As soon as I'm nearly at the front some clown got impatient and decided to veer to the left to undertake, nudging me into the kerb and folding back their wing mirror using my hand.

Here's the junction the lead car was turning right at. The road is way too narrow to have a car undertake so I've no idea what they were playing at.

Anyway, no major damage done bar a scraped & bleeding knuckle so I stopped my bike to have a word expecting them to do the same. Surprise, they drove off.

I need to stick my helmet cam back on when I get home...

Get the licence plate number?
Given that they actually hit you and didn't stop, I'm pretty sure that is an offence.

Of course you weren't too hurt, but given that you drew a little blood, probably could report it at a local police station and just maybe they might at least go have a word with the driver.

I got run off the road on Sunday by a Coach Driver.
Thought I'd catch up with him to remonstrate, but he got through a set of lights that went red. I was so fixated on catching up that I didn't get the number.
 
Two laps round the mount after work tonight. The slowest I've ever gone, but at least the two laps were consistent with each other!

Wet, windy and cold, triple whammy, into a 25kmh wind going up the hill, over a minute lost on the climb alone, 90 seconds down over a full lap.

My legs just felt like lead and my BB started to creak. Hope I'm not coming down with something and it was just an off day and bad weather!

Maybe a bit much after your weekend?
i was racing this weekend as well and my week will go something like this:

Monday: beginner/recovery club ride (easy pace - 25 miles, avg 14mph)
Tuesday: wont be more than 20 miles on my own at a gentle pace
Wednesday: 20ish miles with a couple of harder efforts on the climb, not maximum efforts though.
Thursday: club chaingang. first hard ride since the weekend and the only hard ride of the week.
Friday: another gentle ride ready for race/club run at the weekend.

If you're racing most weekends, recovery time is more important through the week than hard training sessions. (I'm no expert though. this is just an example of my week and you can probably find a better training schedule online).
 
talking of scum drivers some tard has parked on the solid line bike lane on the other side of a 4 way intersection meaning I had to stay in the centre of the road blocking all the cars behind me because they would have had no room to overtake me safely until after that car... and I had no way to join the bike lane safely like I was supposed to be driving in the middle of the road for the first few metres and then pulling over to the left side ready for the bike lane so cars can overtake me safely.


Can't believe the cops did nothing whilst some guy blocked the bike lane at a 4 way intersection.....

Yellow arrow is where a cop car waiting at the lights for about 15 seconds...
h9mgzfR.jpg.png
black square is where some tard had parked and was talking to his teenage friends sitting on the fence and yes he was outside of his car with the engine turned off.

what we need is this guy http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14380367

Police don't give a monkey's about motor vehicles crossing solid white lines and they don't enforce parking offences, that's the council's job.

I've had the same issue with people parking in the restricted bike lane between Hampton Court and Kingston. Police don't care and the traffic wardens can't be bothered to walk there because it's away from the town centre and so not a 'target rich environment'.
 
Maybe a bit much after your weekend?
i was racing this weekend as well and my week will go something like this:

Monday: beginner/recovery club ride (easy pace - 25 miles, avg 14mph)
Tuesday: wont be more than 20 miles on my own at a gentle pace
Wednesday: 20ish miles with a couple of harder efforts on the climb, not maximum efforts though.
Thursday: club chaingang. first hard ride since the weekend and the only hard ride of the week.
Friday: another gentle ride ready for race/club run at the weekend.

If you're racing most weekends, recovery time is more important through the week than hard training sessions. (I'm no expert though. this is just an example of my week and you can probably find a better training schedule online).

Not sure, I normally take Sunday off and aim to ride Monday, Wed and Fri depending on work. Doing perhaps 40km a time pretty hard.

Just did 30 minutes rollers last night then the two hill reps tonight as I was able to fit it in. Not sure if ill be ok to ride tomorrow or Thursday but will aim for a 40-50k with a CAT3 in there. Then either short rollers or Friday off.

60km handicap Saturday which will be HARD plus 25km return ride there/back.

Got my entry into the 90km handicap a week on Saturday so working towards that, bit late to make any difference now but want to keep my form. Have a week holiday after that in the sun!
 
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