Associate
Road Cycling Essentials
- Thread starter Matutu
- Start date
- Status
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Jan 2006
- Posts
- 4,631
![[DOD]Asprilla](/styles/overclockers/avatars/8.png){kind=avatar}
Soldato
You're making it look easy! I so need to try a bent just to k ow what it's like. They look like great touring bikes and I actually see a couple of guys commuting on them in London; don't know if I would want to be that low in traffic.
Associate
[DOD]Asprilla;17470434 said:
Once you get the hang of it they're fun, but the big draw back is with your feet being raised, they go numb adter a while.
Height wise, your head is about same level as some one in car so you can eye-ball car drivers.
Cool coolThose look perfect, just ordered a set!
Thanks for the recommendation
If you do put toeclips on them they are REALLY easy to get your feet in.
Soldato
I dropped the commuter in for a service last night, so for the first time in ages I won't be cycling in to work. I'm not sure that I can be bothered to walk to the office, which means I have to use the loathsome tram. On the plus side, the Pompetamine should arrive soon, and for that I am both thankful and excited
Edit: as "luck" would have it, I wore the jacket on the way to work today, and lo and behold, it poured down. Although I was walking and therefore not leaning forward, I did not experience any water running down the back of the jacket or any other leakage. My upper body remained dry, while the rest of me was soaked. Admittedly the walk was only 15 minutes so I've yet to discover how it holds in sustained downpours, but so far so good.
I have a dhb Southsea waterproof jacket, which is just shy of £50. I've only used it a few times since getting it earlier in the year, and found that I got hot pretty quickly - I suspect that this would not be an issue from now until April, though. In terms of water resistance, it seems solid. The reviews for it are positive too, which is a good sign.Cheers guys. I just need a cheap ( under 50 notes) decent waterproof.
will have a ganders
Edit: as "luck" would have it, I wore the jacket on the way to work today, and lo and behold, it poured down. Although I was walking and therefore not leaning forward, I did not experience any water running down the back of the jacket or any other leakage. My upper body remained dry, while the rest of me was soaked. Admittedly the walk was only 15 minutes so I've yet to discover how it holds in sustained downpours, but so far so good.
Last edited:
Soldato
Picture of me from Sundays "Lancashire Loop".
Taken at the top of a gawd awful climb.
_CSP9866 by medequip4kids, on Flickr
Just looked that route up, it goes past my house
Did you do the full loop or just part of it? There's some tough hills round this area!I dropped the commuter in for a service last night, so for the first time in ages I won't be cycling in to work. I'm not sure that I can be bothered to walk to the office, which means I have to use the loathsome tram. On the plus side, the Pompetamine should arrive soon, and for that I am both thankful and excited
I have a dhb Southsea waterproof jacket, which is just shy of £50. I've only used it a few times since getting it earlier in the year, and found that I got hot pretty quickly - I suspect that this would not be an issue from now until April, though. In terms of water resistance, it seems solid. The reviews for it are positive too, which is a good sign.
Edit: as "luck" would have it, I wore the jacket on the way to work today, and lo and behold, it poured down. Although I was walking and therefore not leaning forward, I did not experience any water running down the back of the jacket or any other leakage. My upper body remained dry, while the rest of me was soaked. Admittedly the walk was only 15 minutes so I've yet to discover how it holds in sustained downpours, but so far so good.
Ta for that, looks like quite a nice jacket.
I have a Waterproof top from Decathlon that cost me €8. It has so far stood up to some torrential downpours, and kept me almost completely dry.Looks good although about £20 more than I can really afford
Last edited:
Man of Honour
Associate
Just looked that route up, it goes past my house
Wasnt the "true lancashire loop". We started in Cockerham, through Galgate, then over the edge of the Trough towards chipping. Then chipping to Nateby via Longridge, Garstang.
Final bit was Nateby to Pilling then back to Cockerham and that's 50miles.
The 100mile route went well into the Trough towards Slaidburn.
I'm getting itchy for a new bike, but I want to spend some time getting a good one.
Ideally, I'd like to build my own, but I wouldn't really know where to begin. I've never fitted a groupset, brake calipers etc, inline cables, headsets, shifters, etc. How difficult is it to do?
Ideally, I'd like to build my own, but I wouldn't really know where to begin. I've never fitted a groupset, brake calipers etc, inline cables, headsets, shifters, etc. How difficult is it to do?
Soldato
It's all relatively straight forward. It's doing it well and doing it quickly / getting it right first time that's hard.
Everything takes longer than you think and everything gets covered in copperslip.
I'm a complete chimp when it comes to spannering things, but the only thing I've not managed to do is fit a headset. Mind, I still get professionals to check it all over and service the bike every so often to get rid of those squeeks and rattles I can't locate.
It's easy peasy Platypoo. If you can wield a spanner at your car then you can do the same at a bike. It's quite satisfying sitting there setting it all up.
Soldato
Wore it again this evening, this time while cycling. Didn't get hot or sweaty on the commute home. I have to admit that the way it looks had a large influence on my purchase; I don't want to look like a cyclist
Soldato
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 10,648
Could probably do it mainly with a multitool and an external bottom bracket tool.
If you get a frame with an intergrated headset the bearings just sit in and the bearing races are often split so don't need totally hammered down.
Same with the groupset, if you get a shimano one you can fit it with allen keys and the external cup tool.
STI's are fitted using one 5mm allen key and there isn't much cutting involved if you buy a set of dura-ace cables.
Soldato
Jonny ///M,
As you're in the industry may i ask what your thoughts are on Cycle mechanic qualifications? I may be put on one soon and could have the choice of the Cycle Systems City&Guilds or Cytech through ATG, both of which are 10 day courses. I'm particularly interested in what may be the better choice when working on old crappy bikes as well as with the latest gear.
Thanks
As you're in the industry may i ask what your thoughts are on Cycle mechanic qualifications? I may be put on one soon and could have the choice of the Cycle Systems City&Guilds or Cytech through ATG, both of which are 10 day courses. I'm particularly interested in what may be the better choice when working on old crappy bikes as well as with the latest gear.
Thanks
Soldato
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2004
- Posts
- 10,648
Jonny ///M,
As you're in the industry may i ask what your thoughts are on Cycle mechanic qualifications? I may be put on one soon and could have the choice of the Cycle Systems City&Guilds or Cytech through ATG, both of which are 10 day courses. I'm particularly interested in what may be the better choice when working on old crappy bikes as well as with the latest gear.
Thanks
Can't really comment too much,all I know is that the guy who I replaced passed level 2 cytech just doing the assessment on the day. He said that was basically stripping and rebuilding a frame and noting any faults/defects and how to fix it with a wheel build at the end. He did that with 4 years experience in a small bike shop and is now the head mechanic in an alpine bikes. Fork servicing can be sent to mojo/TFtuned or whatnot so you don't need to go to that extreme.
Cytech is the most recognised if you wanted to get a job out of it but ideally you want to do level 2. Even then a lot of shops will go on experience over qualifications.
- Status