Road Cycling Essentials

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Club champs A grade.

I abandoned after 20km due to bad weather!

Was a cloudy 14c at the start with 20-30kmh winds. Set off, pace wasn't too bad, kept up over the CAT3 climb that normally cracks me, 500m from the top the heavens open, big style and the temperature dropped to 6c.

I only have a winter jersey and normal bibs on, no foot warmers and just thin gloves, so I'm soaking up water pretty quickly.

Semi neutral descent for safety, then the wind picks right up, it's pelting down with rain stupidly hard, I can barely see the road and can't take my glasses off as I need my hands on the bars as I'm being blown all over, brakes are shocking as I'm using carbon rims. Ended up in the other traffic lane from a big gust and get a load of horn from a car who chose that point to try and pass....

Threw the towel in at the turn point closest to home, I was frozen and didn't feel comfortable racing, especially as we had another 55km to do. Rode home and had a 20 minute hot shower to recover.

Zipp wheels were good at higher speed before it got windy, now I am worried about my glue job after getting them soaked.... :rolleyes:
 
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divaboy said:
Well that's my biking over with for a few months broken femur currently waiting pop to put a metal plate:(
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Ouch, hope you have a speedy recovery! Friend of mine broke his collarbone last week and it has ruined his summer! (although gives me a chance to catch him up!) :P
 
Berger said:
Club champs A grade.

I abandoned after 20km due to bad weather!

Was a cloudy 14c at the start with 20-30kmh winds. Set off, pace wasn't too bad, kept up over the CAT3 climb that normally cracks me, 500m from the top the heavens open, big style and the temperature dropped to 6c.

I only have a winter jersey and normal bibs on, no foot warmers and just thin gloves, so I'm soaking up water pretty quickly.

Semi neutral descent for safety, then the wind picks right up, it's pelting down with rain stupidly hard, I can barely see the road and can't take my glasses off as I need my hands on the bars as I'm being blown all over, brakes are shocking as I'm using carbon rims. Ended up in the other traffic lane from a big gust and get a load of horn from a car who chose that point to try and pass....

Threw the towel in at the turn point closest to home, I was frozen and didn't feel comfortable racing, especially as we had another 55km to do. Rode home and had a 20 minute hot shower to recover.

Zipp wheels were good at higher speed before it got windy, now I am worried about my glue job after getting them soaked.... :rolleyes:
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Sounds like one to forget berger. I done the club TT on thurs night in miserable weather, only for yesterday evening to be glorious sunshine.. :(
 
Thankfully I've not broken anything yet.. well, maybe a toe or something but not diagnosed. Probably just a fracture :p

My gears now seem to be okay though I've not test ridden the bike yet. Probably should put clothes on before I do that.
 
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Th0nt said:
Sounds like one to forget berger. I done the club TT on thurs night in miserable weather, only for yesterday evening to be glorious sunshine.. :(
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Only 2 of the 14 or so that started finished, everyone else abandoned!

Photos of people in blankets at the end with hypothermia and there was snow too on the hills... Crazy.
 
I didn't get out this morning, as one of my kids is ill, so I had to take t'other swimming. It's probably a good job I didn't get out as it bucketed down. I'm planning to go out tonight now, as the weather looks ok for the rest of the day.

My new saddle and helmet arrived in the post. The saddle is a charge scoop. That's as much an exercise in vanity as anything else, as I wanted a black saddle to match my black bike, rather than the white it came with. I am hoping it's more comfy, though. I've fitted it, so I'll see how it is tonight. The new helmet is just a newer version of my old one. It's a giro transfer and it cost like £25. I'd been using one that I'd picked up second hand, which is risky enough as it is, and it's about 8 years old now and they say you shouldn't keep them too long. I looked at all kinds of helmets and prices and reviews and in the end figured screw it, I'll stick to what I know. The old one looks decent enough, it's not super heavy, it fits me, just get a newer one. There's some vanity gone into that as well - I've got the new one in black, white and red, which matches my bike and most of my kit, whereas the old one was silver.
 
What bike stands do you guys use? Seen a couple from the 'bay but not sure which to look at?

Normally use Muc-Off on my MTB, anything specific you guys would/wouldn't use for a carbon bike? Looking at the Muc-Off sets with brushes etc as well.
 
syke said:
What bike stands do you guys use? Seen a couple from the 'bay but not sure which to look at?

Normally use Muc-Off on my MTB, anything specific you guys would/wouldn't use for a carbon bike? Looking at the Muc-Off sets with brushes etc as well.
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Get yourself down aldi tomorrow and get one for 30 quid! Cleaner wise they're all the same. I use fs 1 on both mtb and road.
 
I've been using car shampoo to clean my bike lately... Do the frame with that and then do the chain and cassette with degreaser or take them right off and scrub them with white spirit.
 
With the Halfords 3 for 2 on car cleaning products I'm well stocked with car shampoo (Meguiars Gold Class) so using a drop for washing the bike isn't a problem :)

Then usually do the oily bits /drivetrain with baby wipes or paper towels soaked in GT85 before finally giving the chain and mech pivot points a shot of the GT85.
 
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