Road Cycling Essentials

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I have a Garmin 705. At first I was a bit dissapointed with the mapping, but when you stop thinking of it as a car GPS and just follow the maps it makes much more sense.

Racing your best ghosts over the morning training route is especially motivating - you see the map on the screen with a triangle for your actual position and a triangle for your ghost from a previous ride.
 
Sagalout said:
I have a Garmin 705. At first I was a bit dissapointed with the mapping, but when you stop thinking of it as a car GPS and just follow the maps it makes much more sense.

Racing your best ghosts over the morning training route is especially motivating - you see the map on the screen with a triangle for your actual position and a triangle for your ghost from a previous ride.
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Same :) I too wasn't impressed at first, but now I love it! Will get the cadence sensor now, don't need it, but I would like it :)

I like the ability to follow direction from pre-programmed routes though, makes getting out into unknown places a bit less stressful.
 
I use a 310XT, but that's because I use it for running and swimming as well.

No mapping, but if you want to follow a course it will give you instructions on when to turn left / right, etc and a baring.

Given the distinct lack of other 'game' competitors in a morning, mot days I'm reduced to racing my ghost. I'm yet to work out if I can use my own previous performance as a ghost or if I'm restricted to using a constant speed setting.
 
got the arm warmers through from ShuttVR this morning - now that's service! The medium is a good size for me although I don't have the largest of arms... 7inchs at the wrist and 12 at the biceps... they seem very well made so all in all very chuffed for the money.

My sister and brother-in-law have the 705 and they love it - use it every ride to plan out a route and he's used it several times to navigate extended trips to Paris and Lordes with great success.
 
I ordered the small arm warmers (I can touch my thumb and little finger around my wrist) and the medium knee warmers, hopefully they will also be here today. Might order the leg warmers as well at the current price.

Have also ordered a pair of bibs from them since my current altura ones are beginning to show their age.

On a side note, I have also ordered some Crud Roadracer2s; the rain over the last few days has just been annoying.
 
Sooo, I have an oppertunity to get into road cycling via a cycle to work scheme however the only limiting factor is we must use a voucher only for Halfords.

This pretty much limits me to the Boardman range if I want something half decent and looking at reviews they aren't looking that bad. What guys would you reccomend. Should I go for just the basic comp sc or is it worth the extra for the next one along?

My ride will be about 4.5 miles each way daily and I have the luxuary of country lanes if I wish to use them however it isn't too flat.


With me cycling to work, I'll be needing some other grear. What do your guys do with regards to rain etc? Just thrown on some waterproofs over your normal clothes and take a spare pair of footwear or do you? I only need to dress casually for work so it's not a huge deal however there isn't a shower to use yet. Would it be best practise to take a spare set of clothes and wear something more suited to cycling? Reccomendations for stating out would be great. I don't want to look a tit!
 
Dup said:
Sooo, I have an oppertunity to get into road cycling via a cycle to work scheme however the only limiting factor is we must use a voucher only for Halfords.

This pretty much limits me to the Boardman range if I want something half decent and looking at reviews they aren't looking that bad. What guys would you reccomend. Should I go for just the basic comp sc or is it worth the extra for the next one along?
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Halfords can order you pretty much any bike you want from other suppliers. Off the top of my head only Ribble, Planet X and Wiggle don't supply them. You just tell them what you want and they should be able to lay their hands on it.

The Comp SC is singlespeed isn't it? No gears. That makes for an excellent commuting bike since the maintenence costs are much lower and they will put up with more punishment, but it is hard work when it comes to hills. Mate of mine has just bought the Team Carbon and it looks excellent. I should imagine that the inbetween model is exvellent value as well.

However, if I was interested in getting into road cycling and had up to £1000 to spend I'd be looking no further than a Cannondale CAAD9 with Tiagra groupset for £999.


Dup said:
My ride will be about 4.5 miles each way daily and I have the luxuary of country lanes if I wish to use them however it isn't too flat.

With me cycling to work, I'll be needing some other grear. What do your guys do with regards to rain etc? Just thrown on some waterproofs over your normal clothes and take a spare pair of footwear or do you? I only need to dress casually for work so it's not a huge deal however there isn't a shower to use yet. Would it be best practise to take a spare set of clothes and wear something more suited to cycling? Reccomendations for stating out would be great. I don't want to look a tit!
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To get to work I wear lycra. It's more comfortable and it's better suited to cycling. I shower and change at work.

Generally I take my week's clothes (casual dress) in on a Monday and then bring it home each day when it's been worn. Jeans and towel I change weekly.

If it rains then I get wet. Being wet isn't an issue, being cold is. I have base layers, thermal bib tights, a buff (invaluable), a wind proof jacket and gloves for the winter. At the moment it's not really cold or windy enough to bother with all that though.
 
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Ortlieb Velocity. Best rucksack I've found for the job

The back padding and straps are very comfortable and the inner back is lined with a hard sheet of plastic to stop things from poking you from the bag. It's capacious and completely and utterly impervious to water (I bought min from a sailing site).

I still try to avoid taking my laptop home if possible, but that's because it's an old Latitude D620 and it sucks.

On my single speed I use the matching panniers.
 
Thanks for the insight Asprilla.

I think for the BB7 area, a geared bike would be much of an advantage. I was hoping to aim for the middle of the road options of about £500-600 unless going for that extra couple more gets me much better quality. I never even considered maintenance (oops). What kind of maintenance would expect? I have a friend who runs a bike shop en-route so i'm well catered for in that respect but if it sways the buying decision a heads up would be cool.

Do you run any type of mudguard? I will more than likely ride through winter however I don't want to arrive with crap all over my face! I'm used to this from a mountain bike so dunno if a road bike will differ much.

There's so many bikes for up to 1k its hard to choose one really. Is there any standard features I should be buying into like a certain chainset etc? I'm not sure how successful this cycle to work venture will be. I used to do double the milage on my old mountain bike with tiny wheels and knobbly tires every summer which was hard work so I'm hoping a road bike will give me some more ethusiasm for it as opposed to resenting the uphill ride home to the point I gave up after a couple of months.
 
The Boardman Comp for £699 looks excellent and at the bottom end of what you are looking at I'd consider one of the Specialized Allez range; very good frames for the money and can be bought for £400, £500 or £600 depending upon the wheels, groupset and finishing kit. The Defy range from Giant and the Trek 1.1/1.2/1/3 are comparable and you can't really go wrong with any of them.

It's a pain, but you should really try all three and get the one that's the most comfortable (advice from a proper bike shop will help). If you decide to cycle more you will got further quicker on the bike that fits the best and you'll enjoy it more. Subtle differences in the frame geometry can make a massive difference to your comfort (getting a 90mm stem instead of a 100mm stem usually transforms a bike for me).

Road bikes are lighter and quicker on the roads, but they aren't miracle workers; a steep hill is still a steep hill. If you are worried then you want to make sure that you get a compact or a triple chainset as opposed to a double.

platypus said:
Well lah di dah. Matching panniers!




:p
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I'm not taking stick for being a bike tart from the bloke who asked about drying his hair in a triathlon transition! :p
 
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I see ShuttVR have a few items discounted (tops, bib shorts and arm/leg warmers). I've ordered some of the bibs after the good comments in here and a nice looking top.

I got a Sky Team top from Wiggle in XL - could barely breathe in it, so sent it back and got one in XXL from PBK. You still need a six pack to do it justice, so that's going back as well :rolleyes: ShuttVR said they use a more relaxed cut - I hope so or I'll be skint from sending tops back!
 
Had a flat fron this morning so I swapped the whole wheel for the Fulcum I've got sitting about since the rear was damaged.

About 10km in I noticed that braking was funny. Turns out I've damaged both rims, not just the rear.

Joy.

Have also just ordered some Schwalb Durano S tyres. I forgot what happens rains and all the pointy crap is washed back into the road.

4 puntures in 8 days is annoying.
 
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