Road Cycling Essentials
- Thread starter Matutu
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Dont know why but ended up looking at disc road/cross bikes today for wet weather/winter use, only those with mudguard mounts though.
Narrowed it down to;
Rose Pro DX 4400 with SRAM Force 22;
http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/bike/ros...-Sj01-Sj02-Sj05-leW2-leW3-qzlj-qzlk-qzll-qzlm
Cannondale Synapse Disc 3 with Ultegra 6800;
http://www.evanscycles.com/products...sc-3-ultegra-2014-road-bike-ec054415#features
Pm ed
Rose is about 1kg lighter and the spec can be tailored quite a lot! Both are £1400.
Some 27mm wide chinese carbon clinchers with GP4000S II 28c and all would be sweet.
neh.. might just need to tighten up the headset
when ever I had new headsets on bmx, road bikes etc they seem to need re-tightening after a few hundred miles.. don't know why 
Soldato
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Mine had exactly the same happen to it when I got my new bike (3 weeks after taking ownership). It just needed to top cap tightening up. It was causing creaking that sounded like it was coming from the BB but it was to do with a loose cap.
I just found a competitor finally worthy of racing grudas
Good grief. My knees feel funny if I get much above 100.
new frame time if you leave your headset loose and it ovals your frame
on mine I can't really feel the play or it's always there
the bike rocks back and forward with the front brake on anyway from the tyre flex, I just tightened mine until I could hear the bearings and then backed it off slightly until it was perfectly smooth turning before securing the handlebar again.
BTW that headset screw is pretty sensitive so tiny turns
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I just found a competitor finally worthy of racing grudas
he's a bit slow isn't he..
wonder what cadence he was going at haha
Soldato
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- 10 Nov 2003
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- Surrey, by the river
Headset on the Burls is loose. Opened the topcap and the star-nut is corroded to flip. New star nut time.
I also stripped the pedal threads out of the drive side crank on Thursday. New crank time.
Sigh.
I also stripped the pedal threads out of the drive side crank on Thursday. New crank time.
Sigh.
Soldato
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- 29 Dec 2004
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Quick post to say Castelli Gabba is the best bit of kit I've ever bought. Fred Whitton ride report to follow.
Triathlon travel planning is coming together. My wife and kids, mother in law and possibly my parents are all travelling to London to watch me 
I need to get on and book my tickets for my train journey down, as I'll need to get a bike spot booked on the train.
My wife and kids are going down the day before me, so I'll have a day free here. It's probably bad form in the days before a race, but I'm wondering about taking advantage of no one being around and doing a long ride out to Southport. It's about 60 miles there and back. I've found a nice looking bike cafe out there as well. I could have lunch there and then head back.
I need to get on and book my tickets for my train journey down, as I'll need to get a bike spot booked on the train.My wife and kids are going down the day before me, so I'll have a day free here. It's probably bad form in the days before a race, but I'm wondering about taking advantage of no one being around and doing a long ride out to Southport. It's about 60 miles there and back. I've found a nice looking bike cafe out there as well. I could have lunch there and then head back.
Looking forward to the report.
I still consider the Fred Whitton the worst day i'v ever had on a bike!
Etape 2014
http://www.strava.com/activities/140242995
Great day - very enjoyable, weather was kind. First sportive ever.
Got to be careful at the start that you don't get pulled along at daft pace with the various waves' going off every 2 mins. 5000 plus people on the roads (closed) but you need to be super careful around you all the time.
All good - had a little struggle getting back into a pedaling rhythm after the long downhill. Climb was a few short sharp climbs (granny ring stuff).
But seemed to come back to me around 60 miles and felt fine for the last 20. Slowish time as my mate struggled from around 55 miles all the way. Was having to stop and slow right down the drag him along with us. Could have been a good 30 mins quick I think.
All in - excellent day, super well organised, great route and would definitely do it again!
http://www.strava.com/activities/140242995
Great day - very enjoyable, weather was kind. First sportive ever.
Got to be careful at the start that you don't get pulled along at daft pace with the various waves' going off every 2 mins. 5000 plus people on the roads (closed) but you need to be super careful around you all the time.
All good - had a little struggle getting back into a pedaling rhythm after the long downhill. Climb was a few short sharp climbs (granny ring stuff).
But seemed to come back to me around 60 miles and felt fine for the last 20. Slowish time as my mate struggled from around 55 miles all the way. Was having to stop and slow right down the drag him along with us. Could have been a good 30 mins quick I think.
All in - excellent day, super well organised, great route and would definitely do it again!
Soldato
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- 29 Dec 2004
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Black - I was worried the fluoro would look grubby after a few rainy rides.
Did it rain? Wonder if you beat my solo time of 7hr 47?
I checked his Strava to make sure he was still alive after i heard a couple of guys got airlifted from it
It's going to be very close, looks like somewhere between 7:43-7:50 (but the 2014 route is a couple of miles longer than previous years)
Soldato
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- 29 Dec 2004
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- Shepley
I managed 7hrs51mins45secs. I thought at one point I was on track for 7hrs30 but massively underestimated the scale of Hardknott/Wrynose, along with the fact you pick up very little time on the descents as they were pretty treacherous.
Report for the day:
I stayed over in the Ambleside YHA which is amazingly located right on Lake Windermere. I treated myself to a pre-ride ale and an early night that was somewhat spoiled by the inevitable bloke with sleep apnoea that ensures no-one else gets a wink of sleep. The alarm was set for 5:15 but I was out of bed at half 4 and over to Grasmere to register and get going. The heavens opened just before 6 but luckily the rain subsided briefly to allow us to start in the dry, at least. From there it was a relatively quick start to the first notable lump up Holbeck Lane and then Kirkstone Pass soon after. This was a lovely climb with plenty of support at the top and a technical but relatively fast descent. The relatively steady gradient boosted my confidence for the rest of the ride but I knew it wouldn't be that straightforward. It was on to Matterdale, another steady grade that didn't pose too many problems, before what I knew was a quick section to the foot of Honister. I caught a guy on the descent down the A66 and we shared a bit of the wind while another bloke sat on the back and kindly did nothing. It was clear a 2 man peloton was going to do very little in the conditions so I tried to bridge up to a bigger group but couldn't quite catch them and ended up riding solo to Honnister. It's fair to say at 46 miles is where the ride really starts - and you get the first road sign warning of a steep pass up ahead along with a 25% gradient warning. My approach on the climbs was to try and keep my heart rate down as much as possible and grind my way up to try and keep something in the tank for the later climbs. Even with a 32t cog I was out of the saddle in places until the climb eventually opened up and levelled out before another tricky descent which wasn't made easier by the unpredictability of other riders (why would you ride on the wrong side of the road?!). They say the ride is a challenge because of the descents as well as the climbs and that definitely holds true.
Nearing the Honister ascent:
I'd brought plenty of food and had 2 full bottles from the start so I decided I could push on past the first feed with what I had to keep me going. I knew Newlands was just after the stop so there was no point eating so soon before the climb. I hit the bottom of this and had my one and only embarrassing fall when my front mech refused to shift down and I keeled over after running out of gas. Luckily no damage done! The final stretch of the climb was another steep one and I saw two blokes go down with cramp already. From there it was on to Whinlatter Pass which was a really nice sub 10% climb that you could actually spin up and save your legs. There were loads of people up on the summit cheering on the riders which was a real boost. It was probably only at this point (about 65 miles in) that I felt really past halfway but I still knew there was Cold Fell, Hardknott and Wrynose to come. I'm sure the Strava segment between Whinlatter and Cold Fell was called "The **** bit" and I can see why, it's a real lumpy drag culminating in the rise up Cold Fell which is really exposed on the top. It was on the tougher ramps here that I first felt my hamstrings threatening to cramp but I pressed on and made sure to grab a banana and more fluids at the feed station (along with a jam sandwich and some extra flapjack to get me up Hardknott).
After that it was a fairly gentle ride through the valley to Eskdale with a nice following wind. I was tiring badly at this point and the faster lads that started later came flying past as I was soft pedalling trying to save something for the two final climbs. Finally, you make the turn and see the phone box on the left handside and another scary sign warning of the ascent ahead. Worse still, you can see cyclists a couple of miles in the distance grinding out the final sections of the climb. I really thought at this point that I wasn't going to make it up without walking, but two things kept me going:
a) I've just bought new shoes and didn't want to trash them!
b) If I walked, I'd be so disappointed I would HAVE to do it again, and at that point it was the last thing I wanted to do.
All that kept me going were the people on the roadside offering words of encouragement and someone who was flying the Flandrian flag near the summit which made it feel like a proper one day classic! There was a brief flat section in the middle where I composed myself, stretched out my cramping hamstrings and attacked (at between 4-6km/h) the final ramps. I have never been in so much pain in my life and I was overcome at the top by a massive endorphin rush and a wave of relief to have made it up. I took it very steady down the descent and spun through the valley to the final climb. Wrynose seemed pretty inconsequential at this point, and though it was another big, painful grind, it was nothing compared to Hardknott. I made the top as my Garmin ticked past 3,500m of ascent and did my best to finish strongly on the flatter final section though again was passed by plenty of faster lads in the final valley. Finally, the finish line appeared and they get you to ride between barriers with everyone's friends and family cheering you on either side which was a great end to the ride. The atmosphere was like no other sportive I've done with all the support along the way and marshalls guiding traffic at most junctions almost gave you closed roads. Would I do it again? Definitely, though maybe not next year!
Strava:
http://www.strava.com/activities/139962750
Random observations:
-An amazing number of people were riding with the PX carbon clinchers or similar wheels - no idea why you'd want to haul a near 2kg wheelset around a course that was also in a headwind and crosswind for 75% of it.
-Saw only two blokes with carbon tubs, I didn't have the nerve to use mine on the wet descents.
-A few optimistic chaps had aero style helmets.
-Never seen so many Gabbas in my life!
Report for the day:
I stayed over in the Ambleside YHA which is amazingly located right on Lake Windermere. I treated myself to a pre-ride ale and an early night that was somewhat spoiled by the inevitable bloke with sleep apnoea that ensures no-one else gets a wink of sleep. The alarm was set for 5:15 but I was out of bed at half 4 and over to Grasmere to register and get going. The heavens opened just before 6 but luckily the rain subsided briefly to allow us to start in the dry, at least. From there it was a relatively quick start to the first notable lump up Holbeck Lane and then Kirkstone Pass soon after. This was a lovely climb with plenty of support at the top and a technical but relatively fast descent. The relatively steady gradient boosted my confidence for the rest of the ride but I knew it wouldn't be that straightforward. It was on to Matterdale, another steady grade that didn't pose too many problems, before what I knew was a quick section to the foot of Honister. I caught a guy on the descent down the A66 and we shared a bit of the wind while another bloke sat on the back and kindly did nothing. It was clear a 2 man peloton was going to do very little in the conditions so I tried to bridge up to a bigger group but couldn't quite catch them and ended up riding solo to Honnister. It's fair to say at 46 miles is where the ride really starts - and you get the first road sign warning of a steep pass up ahead along with a 25% gradient warning. My approach on the climbs was to try and keep my heart rate down as much as possible and grind my way up to try and keep something in the tank for the later climbs. Even with a 32t cog I was out of the saddle in places until the climb eventually opened up and levelled out before another tricky descent which wasn't made easier by the unpredictability of other riders (why would you ride on the wrong side of the road?!). They say the ride is a challenge because of the descents as well as the climbs and that definitely holds true.
Nearing the Honister ascent:
I'd brought plenty of food and had 2 full bottles from the start so I decided I could push on past the first feed with what I had to keep me going. I knew Newlands was just after the stop so there was no point eating so soon before the climb. I hit the bottom of this and had my one and only embarrassing fall when my front mech refused to shift down and I keeled over after running out of gas. Luckily no damage done! The final stretch of the climb was another steep one and I saw two blokes go down with cramp already. From there it was on to Whinlatter Pass which was a really nice sub 10% climb that you could actually spin up and save your legs. There were loads of people up on the summit cheering on the riders which was a real boost. It was probably only at this point (about 65 miles in) that I felt really past halfway but I still knew there was Cold Fell, Hardknott and Wrynose to come. I'm sure the Strava segment between Whinlatter and Cold Fell was called "The **** bit" and I can see why, it's a real lumpy drag culminating in the rise up Cold Fell which is really exposed on the top. It was on the tougher ramps here that I first felt my hamstrings threatening to cramp but I pressed on and made sure to grab a banana and more fluids at the feed station (along with a jam sandwich and some extra flapjack to get me up Hardknott).
After that it was a fairly gentle ride through the valley to Eskdale with a nice following wind. I was tiring badly at this point and the faster lads that started later came flying past as I was soft pedalling trying to save something for the two final climbs. Finally, you make the turn and see the phone box on the left handside and another scary sign warning of the ascent ahead. Worse still, you can see cyclists a couple of miles in the distance grinding out the final sections of the climb. I really thought at this point that I wasn't going to make it up without walking, but two things kept me going:
a) I've just bought new shoes and didn't want to trash them!
b) If I walked, I'd be so disappointed I would HAVE to do it again, and at that point it was the last thing I wanted to do.
All that kept me going were the people on the roadside offering words of encouragement and someone who was flying the Flandrian flag near the summit which made it feel like a proper one day classic! There was a brief flat section in the middle where I composed myself, stretched out my cramping hamstrings and attacked (at between 4-6km/h) the final ramps. I have never been in so much pain in my life and I was overcome at the top by a massive endorphin rush and a wave of relief to have made it up. I took it very steady down the descent and spun through the valley to the final climb. Wrynose seemed pretty inconsequential at this point, and though it was another big, painful grind, it was nothing compared to Hardknott. I made the top as my Garmin ticked past 3,500m of ascent and did my best to finish strongly on the flatter final section though again was passed by plenty of faster lads in the final valley. Finally, the finish line appeared and they get you to ride between barriers with everyone's friends and family cheering you on either side which was a great end to the ride. The atmosphere was like no other sportive I've done with all the support along the way and marshalls guiding traffic at most junctions almost gave you closed roads. Would I do it again? Definitely, though maybe not next year!
Strava:
http://www.strava.com/activities/139962750
Random observations:
-An amazing number of people were riding with the PX carbon clinchers or similar wheels - no idea why you'd want to haul a near 2kg wheelset around a course that was also in a headwind and crosswind for 75% of it.
-Saw only two blokes with carbon tubs, I didn't have the nerve to use mine on the wet descents.
-A few optimistic chaps had aero style helmets.
-Never seen so many Gabbas in my life!
Last edited:
Soldato
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- 29 Dec 2004
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- 17,126
- Location
- Shepley
Normally 1500m of climbing is a nice hilly ride for me- can't imagine doing anything like the Fred off my own back!
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