Road Cycling Essentials

[touch]

Anyone else watching the Redbull Rampage? Was live from 8pm. Not road bikes but very awesome:

Try this one if you want road bikes

 

[Berger]

Done not very much this week.

Got my GP4000s in the post so fitted those to my Giant last night and adjusted the front derailleur on the Cervelo. 3/4 turn on the high limit has it shifting nicely into the big ring. Will test it on the rollers when I have time. Weighed the 4000s. 200g for a 23mm tyre so will save 150g over the Maxxis tyres.

Only two rides on the rollers as done 10-14 hours a day every day at work and working today too. No overtime unless its a weekend Town was full of smoke last night from the bushfires, made my eyes water and stuck in your throat so wouldn't have ridden last night anyway.

Good job racings switched to Sunday mornings now we are on summer time. Not expecting to go so well but will see.

The Morvelo bibs I ordered seen quite good, the pad looks like the cytec one used in Assos and endura bibs but a little smaller and better shaped (IMO). I may wear them tomorrow or tonight if I'm back in time to get some time in on the rollers.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Try this one if you want road bikes

That tarmac looks like silk compared to the rubbish round our way!

 

[oli collett]

That's crazy fast! There's an 8.6% DECLINE around near me (0.5 miles) that over 1000 people have done and only ~60 people have clocked over 40mph. You're either insanely fast or everyone down this way is insanely slow!

Best strava segment I've clocked is 26.1 average over 0.5 miles of flat. Haven't ridden that segment for a long while though. I reckon I could up that by 1-2mph after this summer.

Err, at a 9% decline you could chuck anyone down at that pace. Go and look at gearing speeds - if you needed a 9% decline for that you wouldn't bother with anything other than a compact

 

[Russinating]

As above, 40mph at anything over 5% really would be very, very easy so long as you know the road. On my last ride I clocked 46mph on a 6% and that was in a foreign country on the wrong side of a road I'd never been on before.

 

[Vonhelmet]

As above, 40mph at anything over 5% really would be very, very easy so long as you know the road. On my last ride I clocked 46mph on a 6% and that was in a foreign country on the wrong side of a road I'd never been on before.

This segment is 0.6 miles long and has an average gradient of -3.6%, and about -8% at it's steepest. I've hit 45mph going down there. My mate has the KOM on there with an average speed of 42mph over the segment.

 

[oli collett]

This segment is 0.6 miles long and has an average gradient of -3.6%, and about -8% at it's steepest. I've hit 45mph going down there. My mate has the KOM on there with an average speed of 42mph over the segment.

-3.6% ain't -8.6%. Just pointing stuff out. If it really is a 8.6% decline, you could go into that at max speed and fly down in an aero position and for 0.5 miles you'd look at hitting near 50mph.

The more realistic thing is that gradient might be a it out for some folk...

 

[Vonhelmet]

-3.6% ain't -8.6%. Just pointing stuff out. If it really is a 8.6% decline, you could go into that at max speed and fly down in an aero position and for 0.5 miles you'd look at hitting near 50mph.

The more realistic thing is that gradient might be a it out for some folk...

That's my point. I'm not a great cyclist, but I can hit 45mph on a -3.6% gradient without too much bother. If I went full tilt on a -8.6% descent I'd be too busy pooping my pants to check the speedo.

 

[Thomas. PLease.]

According to veloviewer, I can't even get close to 30mph unless I'm on a fairly decent downhill slope, which is not a big surprise. There's segments where I've averaged high 20s for half a mile or so, but even then it's often with some downhill to it.

I've just cleaned my gear cables and re-indexed my gears. Hopefully the shifting will be a bit more pleasant tomorrow than it has been of late... Something still isn't right, as no matter how much I try there are still times when it will jump two cogs or not at all. I don't know whether part of it isn't down to the spacing on the cassette, or the teeth of the sprockets or something, because it's often the same shifts that cause problems. Maybe the cassette needs replacing. I don't know how many miles it's got on it, but it's at least 4,000 and probably a fair bit more besides.

There's something screwy with the rear axle or freewheel or something as well. If I spin the rear wheel on it's own, it's moving off centre. You can see the cassette "orbiting" it, like the wheel is a bit off centre. I think when I get my new bike I'll take the wheels off it and put them on this bike.

Sounds like the bearings in the freehub itself have had it. I experienced the same a while ago and no matter of fiddling with the gears would sort it as the cassette is essentially moving all over the place. New freehub and it was sorted. Depends on your wheels tho as to whether it's worth just buying a whole new rear.

 

[Deus Ex]

-3.6% ain't -8.6%. Just pointing stuff out. If it really is a 8.6% decline, you could go into that at max speed and fly down in an aero position and for 0.5 miles you'd look at hitting near 50mph.

The more realistic thing is that gradient might be a it out for some folk...

Always fancied some brown lycra...
Seriously though, I've done 46mph once, and was ****ing petrified.

 

[Saytan]

My road bike starts to get a bit slappy around 45mph. 45mph on the road is nothing compared to 25mph with trees a few inches from each end of your bars tho.

 

[physichull]

today we got in the new 2014 Look 675 , what a bike in the flesh,

sry for the facebook link...pics on our page

https://www.facebook.com/PedalPowerScotland?ref=hl

Wow, that bike looks awesome.

 

[SoliD]

Always fancied some brown lycra...
Seriously though, I've done 46mph once, and was ****ing petrified.

http://www.probikekit.co.uk/sports-clothing/ag2r-la-mondiale-team-bib-shorts-2013/10763332.html

 

[SoliD]

HEADS UP

IF anyone wants a Polar Soft Strap head to http://www.bhipltd.co.uk/ who are closing down, enter the code BYEBYE for a further 50% off, they have Suunto usb sticks for people wanting to get into trainer road too for some bargain prices.

 

[uniQ]

Ride cut short due to a mechanical today after 20 miles. Riding up a hill, shifting down a gear and the double tap lever snapped clean off leaving me stuck in the 11th tooth

Serious grind coming back and the hill only a mile at around 8% probably the hardest grind I've ever done.

Now need to source a replacement asap

 

[Vonhelmet]

Only 34 miles this morning. I nearly had an off on a big descent. Coming round a corner I saw a cats eye and just had time to think "I'm going to hit that, and it won't be good" and then I went over it with my front wheel. My front end wobbled all over the show. I braked a bit, at which point my rear wheel lost traction completely and started coming round to my left. I regained traction but by this point I was pointing off the side of the road. I mounted the verge, got my left foot out and slowed up on the dirt footpath and managed to get my foot down and come to a stop.

It would have probably looked totally badass if I hadn't squealed like a girl while it was going on.

 

[Saundie]

HEADS UP

IF anyone wants a Polar Soft Strap head to http://www.bhipltd.co.uk/ who are closing down, enter the code BYEBYE for a further 50% off, they have Suunto usb sticks for people wanting to get into trainer road too for some bargain prices.

Thanks for that! I picked up a Suunto ANT+ stick for use with TrainerRoad; I already have a Garmin HRM so it wasn't a difficult purchase to make. I also got a foot pod to go with my FR210 as I've been wanting to get one for a while. Let us celebrate another victory for consumerist impulses!

 

[arknor]

Only 34 miles this morning. I nearly had an off on a big descent. Coming round a corner I saw a cats eye and just had time to think "I'm going to hit that, and it won't be good" and then I went over it with my front wheel. My front end wobbled all over the show. I braked a bit, at which point my rear wheel lost traction completely and started coming round to my left. I regained traction but by this point I was pointing off the side of the road. I mounted the verge, got my left foot out and slowed up on the dirt footpath and managed to get my foot down and come to a stop.

It would have probably looked totally badass if I hadn't squealed like a girl while it was going on.

lol must have been a real brown stain moment
my 2 off's at less than half that speed were bad enough.

need some gloves... I said it after the first time.... but never bought any...

Here's my left hand from when I slid off at the park at about 12-14mph.....

Spoiler

I didn't even realise I had hurt my hand until I pulled a leaf off that was stuck to it

I'm left handed as well so it's the part of my hand that rests on my desk when I use a mouse
It barely bled compared to my first off though which is where the scar in the top middle of the pic is from

 

[Vonhelmet]

Whoa, put that in spoiler tags!

 

[arknor]

Whoa, put that in spoiler tags!

sorry were you eating?
It looks worse than it is badly bruised more than anything