Road Cycling Essentials

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sHo0sH said:
Changed from starting work at 10 and not having to worry about ironed clothes and suits, to starting work at 8am and having to look smart in an ironed shirt/suit each day.
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Yeah. I can see the lack of time having an impact :( My work doesn't have any facilities currently at this site. Its only 9mi from home so easily commutable. I just don't want to be feeling dirty sat at the office all day.

Something has just occurred to me. How you get ironed crease-free shirts into work???


sHo0sH said:
Something like this...

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/listings.php
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That looks spot on! :cool:
 
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That's awesome. Understandable that it doesn't list prices but for my use right now I'd like to have prices in there.

Maybe I'll see if I can write something to scrape the site and allow me to add price data.
 
Shamrock said:
You crash more, hit pedestrians more, break components more and ride outside of central London less. :p
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you're sorta right, I do go through more but that doesn't help the argument, because my bike actually goes through more crap ha!

sHo0sH said:
Yeah, also moved house. I'd have to leave earlier to get to work on the bike than I do on the train, which is actually a rarity in London.

I doubt i'll be beating that time any time soon with my current level of fitness.
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oh just get on the bike fatty :D
 
I would ride my best bike in crap conditions. I've ridden my P3 in the rain a couple of times. Granted I'd clean it well, but its there to be ridden. I wouldn't use best wheels either. Will be buying an S3 shortly, and I'll be riding that in all but the very worst.

For me its a quick wipe after most rides, then a full on cassette, crank, jockey wheel and chain off clean every couple of weeks. Keeps everything in tip top condition. Just have to watch out for grime getting in the headset and bottom bracket. But the bearings are cheap and easy to replace there anyway.
 
topgun06 said:
Yeah. I can see the lack of time having an impact :( My work doesn't have any facilities currently at this site. Its only 9mi from home so easily commutable. I just don't want to be feeling dirty sat at the office all day.

Something has just occurred to me. How you get ironed crease-free shirts into work???
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I don't have facilities at work (nothing more than a toilet cubicle and a sink) and wear general office wear - shirt, tie, trousers. Then again I don't work in a particularly 'tidy' environment and business (wholesale horticulture production, trading & sales). I'm still one of the best dressed here and could wear jeans & t-shirt if I wanted, I'm just 'used' to wearing a shirt when at work! :rolleyes:

I bring 2-3 shirts in and a pair of trousers on a monday, then the same later in the week. Clean shirt & underwear daily and usually 1 pair of trousers a week. I don't have a problem carrying properly folded shirts and trousers in my commuting bag (Deuter Bike One 20L). This time of year I'm also generally wearing a base layer and additional layer of socks (heating here is rubbish and no insulation, glorified 'business unit' dating from the 1970's). :eek:

I'm lucky though - my feet don't tend to sweat/smell, my diet is generally good so when I do sweat it's generally odorless and from my head/back rather than underarm/crotch. So just a wipe over & deodorant and I'm good to go! Lots of people here stink worse than I would if I hadn't washed for a week! :rolleyes::p

FrenchTart said:
Yup, pretty much.

I actually started to create one and then had a "oh, maybe this has already been made" moment. I'm currently sitting around not in work and not being able to cycle so I've got a fair bit of free time. I'll get some initial data into it and then post it up on here as an editable link.
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Something like PC Partpicker would be amazing, no idea what it runs on, would be good if there was something similar open source.

janp said:
Last night's commute
https://www.strava.com/activities/253947816

Regarding the cadence, it goes overboard if I don't keep an eye on it. I didn't have room on my handlebars for the Garmin, so stuck it in my back pocket. Having said that; sticking to 100rpm and rising to 115-120rpm on inclines, feels natural to me. I think I do it to compensate a lack of strength, when I started cycling almost 2 years ago I was stupidly under weight, around 53kg.
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Most tend to find their cadence drops rather than climbs? I'm the same though, mine is all over the place depending on how I'm feeling/mood/fatigue/environment. Quite often (40% or higher) during commuting I'll spin rather than grind to save my legs (for later in the week/weekends). :cool:

grudas said:
I use "wonder wipes" -; http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Everbuild...791?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item259a7d0df7

those rip through grease like nothing else!
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These are amazing, guy who built our conservatory used them and left some. I've still got some I use to get oil off after working on cars, never thought to use them to clean my bike! Thanks :D
 
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Well first ride (outdoors) of the season and it was all going beautifully.

Ok rollering 3 times/week does not make for great hill climbing training, but my rhythym and technique felt great, and I was ticking over at ~90rpm without even having to think about it. Just a short nice little 25km loop from home with 3 good hills in it, and on the final descent ~5km from home, hit a patch of diesel(?) whilst braking and slid a good 40-50m. Not sure of the total cost yet but one (left) shoe of my Sidi's destroyed, one rapha long sleeved top destroyed, one pair of rapha shorts destroyed (past the capabilities of the repair service I feel), a bloody mess for an elbow and a bruise and cuts the entire length of my thigh from my hip. And I haven't even examined the bike yet as I limped her home - still I fortunately slid derailleur up, so I don't think there will be much damage to any components or the frame.

Still, it could have been much worse: nothing broken.

Nothing like some gory pictures!
feewcy.jpg

mifp54.jpg
 
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Hello all! I've signed up to cycle to work and can have up to £1000 at Halfords to spend. I want a road bike and currently there is a 15% discount on Boardman bikes. Has anyone got any opinions on these bikes? I'm looking at the Boardman road team which will leave some money for shoes, pedals and other bits.

Thanks!
 
tom_nieto said:
Hello all! I've signed up to cycle to work and can have up to £1000 at Halfords to spend. I want a road bike and currently there is a 15% discount on Boardman bikes. Has anyone got any opinions on these bikes? I'm looking at the Boardman road team which will leave some money for shoes, pedals and other bits.

Thanks!
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Halfords maybe aren't the best, but if that's your only option then the Boardman Road Team Carbon with Tiagra/Apex looks alright. They only seem to have 2014 models with limited sizes available on their website so make sure you test ride one and get fitted first.
 
Sadly I think halfords is my only option. For £850 (after the current 15% discount) it looks like a decent option, especially considering the bike will come in at just under £500 taking into account the scheme savings. Went to try some out today, the service is limited, but I've found the correct size frame at least (Large - I'm 188cm). Once all the cash is spent I should have a good setup I think.

The question really is, is there a significantly better option to pursue here?
 
If you're stuck getting something from Halfords then that's probably the best option to be honest.

Roady said:
Something like PC Partpicker would be amazing, no idea what it runs on, would be good if there was something similar open source.
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Yes, that's the kind of thing I'd like :)
 
It really depends what you want it for. They have a few of the new Raleigh bikes, not carbon within that budget but might be worth a try anyway given the quality of cheap carbon vs high end aluminium. Their "13" brand looks interesting too, dropped seat stays are becoming more popular. Other than that it's mainly cross bikes and steel touring bikes, which could also be worth a look depending on what sort of riding you'd be doing on it.
 
The Boardman frames at that price point are good. You can upgrade the wheels at some point, and buy a new groupset when it wears out. Given your actual layout is going to turn out to be like £6-700 spread over the year, you aren't going to get a better carbon framed bike for that.
 
Boardman bikes are good at the price point. If you are worried about staff get it boxed and get someone else to build it. I've never had issues though.

There isn't a new boardman range till October so the models available are current. They have a 2 year life cycle
 
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