Road Cycling Essentials

[grudas]

26+. Damn i cant remember the last time i saw temperatures that low You lot need to apply Rule Number 5

we're out riding so rule 5 is applied

the heat is very different in UK I used to live in eastern europe and 35+ was fine, hot but fine.. this is just sticky and awful to ride in.

 

[FrenchTart]

Yeah. I think we have a lot more humidity than some of the hotter countries.

I absolutely die in the slightest bit of heat. And also end up drinking my own body weight in water so I need a hydration pack fully filled for any kind of decent length ride.

 

[grudas]

Yeah. I think we have a lot more humidity than some of the hotter countries.

I absolutely die in the slightest bit of heat. And also end up drinking my own body weight in water so I need a hydration pack fully filled for any kind of decent length ride.

yeah I've been drinking loads too.. even my 11 mile commute needs 600ml of water lol.

then again I'm a lot better in the winter and ride with shorts thorough the year and short sleeves as soon as it gets above 8c

 

[NoNameNoNumber]

Despite the constant mockery, anything over 40 miles and I'll take 2x 1L bottles... Otherwise I'll die. A friend of mine can do 80+ with a swag of orange cordial and a sniff of a Mars bar

 

[iguanoid]

You are out riding indeed, so you can have your rule 5

 

[FrenchTart]

yeah I've been drinking loads too.. even my 11 mile commute needs 600ml of water lol.

then again I'm a lot better in the winter and ride with shorts thorough the year and short sleeves as soon as it gets above 8c

I'm the same really. I don't notice the cold much at all (though my hands aren't happy if it's cold and wet - which Manchester loves being). I'm about to go and try a cat 3 near me that I've not been up before and although it's cooler right now I'm still trying to debate how much water I should take... I'll easily drink as much as I can carry but do I really want to carry any more than I have to up the hill?

Despite the constant mockery, anything over 40 miles and I'll take 2x 1L bottles... Otherwise I'll die. A friend of mine can do 80+ with a swag of orange cordial and a sniff of a Mars bar

Food I'm not so bad on (plenty of blubber on me to power me through my rides ) but that sounds like my kind of hydration set up tbh.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Despite the constant mockery, anything over 40 miles and I'll take 2x 1L bottles... Otherwise I'll die. A friend of mine can do 80+ with a swag of orange cordial and a sniff of a Mars bar

Yeah, we have a guy who takes the tiniest bottle with him and barely touches it. I can get through a litre and a half of energy/electrolyte drink and a full pot of tea at the cafe on a standard Saturday morning 40 miler.

 

[Shamrock]

I regularly do imperial centuries with only the sweat of my top lip for hydration.

 

[grudas]

I regularly do imperial centuries with only the sweat of my top lip for hydration.

sounds like something I would say

 

[Kimi]

I regularly do imperial centuries with only the sweat of my top lip for hydration.

Got to start somewhere i suppose, i normally just absorb the humidity from the air.

 

[platypus]

Ok guys, one thing my ride last weekend taught me was I need better insulation for the altitude.

I have a sportful water/windproof gillet that packs into itself and fits nicely in a pocket, but it wasn't enough for last weekend when a lot of my climbing was in cloud, my core suffered and I felt rotten for a few days after it.

I'm after a gillet that is packable but is going to provide more warmth, water/windproof-ness is essential because of descending. I think I need the gillet to be packable because the temperature riding to some of these mountains can be 30 degrees, but this obviously drops quite quickly once I start to climb. Am I asking too much for a packable gillet?

 

[Shamrock]

I'm after a gillet that is packable but is going to provide more warmth, water/windproof-ness is essential because of descending. I think I need the gillet to be packable because the temperature riding to some of these mountains can be 30 degrees, but this obviously drops quite quickly once I start to climb. Am I asking too much for a packable gillet?

Castelli Fawesome. It's basically a sleeveless gabba. Not mega packable so it will take up one whole jersey pocket.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/castelli-fawesome-vest/

 

[#Chri5#]

Gore do a Primalot insulated Windstopper gillet that they class as packable - the Alp-X but it's not cheap.

Something more for general outdoors like the Montane Prism vest might be on option but it might not pack down enough. Bit cheaper though.

 

[platypus]

Ah now I think I've looked at the F(******?!)Awesome before but they've never had my size in stock. I'll be honest, after I felt last weekend I can happily sacrifice a pocket for a Gilet if it will work. Might be time to test Wiggles returns from another country! Loads of contradicting information about sizing, any ideas? I'd size up once usually in Castelli but people in the reviews say go up to sizes..

The Gore looks superb, but something at me balks at that for a Gilet (and I buy rapha!).

 

[Shamrock]

Ah now I think I've looked at the F(******?!)Awesome before but they've never had my size in stock. I'll be honest, after I felt last weekend I can happily sacrifice a pocket for a Gilet if it will work. Might be time to test Wiggles returns from another country! Loads of contradicting information about sizing, any ideas? I'd size up once usually in Castelli but people in the reviews say go up to sizes..

The Gore looks superb, but something at me balks at that for a Gilet (and I buy rapha!).

Don't you have a Gabba already? I just sized up the same for the Fawesome. It is made of the Windstopper X-Lite fabric which is windproof and extremely water resistant. The material itself isn't that insulating but due to it's thickness it is warmer than typical lightweight shell gilets. It won't be as warm as a soft-shell gilet or primaloft type gilet.

 

[platypus]

No I think I was one of the few people not to buy a Gabba.

I should have bought the Rapha SS gilet before it went out of production, but meh. I'm wondering if a Gilet is the actual answer anyway. I had a base layer on, my Rapha classic jersey which is windproof, windproof armwarmers and the sportful hotpack and still got really cold.

 

[FrenchTart]

Made it out to the cat 3 in Marple and managed to get most of the way up.. But...disaster...I thought I had reached the end of the segment and my legs were utterly dead so I stopped. Then checked and I still had more to do :/ I tried to finish it off but by that point my legs had given up and I just couldn't get going from stopped on that incline. Disappointing but at least I have an easy target to beat next time

 

[uv]

I thought I had reached the end of the segment and my legs were utterly dead so I stopped. Then checked and I still had more to do :/

Create a new segment

 

[Vonhelmet]

If anyone's looking for Michelin Pro 4 Service Course tyres in 25mm - as I have been for a while - Wiggle have them for £22 a go at the moment.

 

[FrenchTart]

Creating a new segment is tempting

UV, you should order some the above tyres...