Road Cycling Essentials

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DIABLO said:
Hmm wearing a second hand bib would almost feel like wearing 2nd hand pants..
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Got to agree!



Just got back from a ride. Disappointed with myself :( no energy up the hills, less than normal energy levels in general. And got soaked for good measure :p

Guess it was just one of those days!
 
Ging3r said:
Pedals can be nasty things.

Someone once borrowed my roadie and went to put his own pedals on, they had been on for a while although they had been greased. He slipped with the allen key and the base of his thumb went straight into the big chain ring and sliced right down to the bone. Had to have surgery to repair tendons and was in a cast for 6 weeks. So be careful!
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Or you can do what I did and take your cranks off before you take your pedals off, then try and unscrew the pedals and crush your thumb between the crank arm and the wrench. Ouch.
 
Russinating said:
I really want a 2010 HTC team jersey as I have the bib shorts that I bought when I went and watched the TdF last year. Can't find one in small anywhere though :(

I prefer the design of the 2011 kit which is readily available, and it'll match, but people will know I should have black shorts instead of the 2010 white ones!
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Ask and ye shall receive! :)

I've used these guys before myself, so personally vouch for them.

Argh! Just realised they have no small...foiled! :(

Loads here, but you may have to pay P&P from Ireland.
 
Ging3r said:
To buy new wheels or to not buy new wheels?

Currently running Fulcrum 7's and been looking at RS80's but wondering whether they're worth the moniesss! I've also been toying with the idea of getting some deeper rimmed carbon clinchers from china, but don't think it's worth the risk.

Has anyone previously upgraded and found a worthwhile difference?
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250g lighter and deep rims for £300? What was the question again?

My concerns with them would be the thin walls (which wear away with breaking) and the low spoke count if you are using them every day.
 
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First and foremost, do i bother upgrading at all? Will upgrading to a circa £300 wheelset make a noticeable difference.

If the answer to that is yes, then do i want deep section or not? I can see the benefit and drawbacks for both sorts of wheel.

As far as I'm concerned if i want new wheels my options would be:

RS80 C24's for £300
Planet X 50mm £400
Fulcrum 3's £350
Ksyrium Elites £370
Chinese either 38 or 50 depth £350ish
Any other suggestions?

I'm a light rider at about 70kg, ride on my own quite a bit of the time, looking to start club runs and join in a few local TT's

@Asprilla - bit confused by what you're saying? Probably just me being stupid!


Any help to make me decide on what to do would be appreciated!
 
Ging3r said:
I'm a light rider at about 70kg, ride on my own quite a bit of the time, looking to start club runs and join in a few local TT's
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Personally, I would go for the PlanetX 50s.
Lighter than the rs80s and with a deeper rim make it worth the extra cash IMO.

The deeper section will give you more aerodynamic advantage for TTs. It can take a bit of getting used to tho. Even a 50mm rim can give you a bit of a fight in a crosswind, you soon get used to it tho.

The unbranded chinese carbon wheels are also an option. They are more expensive these days, but i got a set of 38s last year for about £270. I decided that for that price, it was worth the risk of no returns/guarantee/unknown quality/etc, and they performed well so far (only used them a few times tho - they are used for racing only)
 
Sorry, I wasn't clear.

Lighter and more aero is always better but it's not always as much as you want.

Weight will always be noticeable, but it's location is important as well. Lighter wheels are better for climbing and less rotating weight is better for accelerating. There is a saying that a pound off the wheels is worth two off the bike so shaving 250g off your wheels is like taking 500g off your frame. That's a hefty amount.

Aero is probably less noticeable, much less noticeable. Aero wheels certainly aren't really effective below 20mph and even then I'd suggest that you need to be looking at around 40mm rim depth before anything starts to happen.

My issue with the RS80s is that the aeroness adds unneccessary weight and I don't really see the point of adding an alloy break track either since that adds a lot of weight too. I can see the point of the track actually since wet breaking on carbon rims is interesting at best, but the point is that you'd probably be better served with a much lighter non-aero wheel.

Also, Shimano make a great virtue of making the walls very thin, but that would just worry me every time I hit a pothole.
 
The rs80 wheels that are in the price range he's looking at are the RS80-C24 which are 24mm rims, not the more expensive 50mm deep section version.

Deeper rims will always be heavier, but give better aerodynamics. You need to find something that suits what you're riding. If you're doing a flat TT, the aerodynamics are more important and you'd be better of with a disc wheel on the back and a big rim on the front. If you're going to be doing a lot of climbing, the weight is more important. Most people will want to find something in the middle (especially us fatties who are over the weight limit for most lightweight 20mm rims :( )

RS80 wheels have an alloy brake track because they are clinchers.
 
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touch said:
The rs80 wheels that are in the price range he's looking at are the RS80-C24 which are 24mm rims, not the more expensive 50mm deep section version.

Deeper rims will always be heavier, but give better aerodynamics. You need to find something that suits what you're riding. If you're doing a flat TT, the aerodynamics are more important and you'd be better of with a disc wheel on the back and a big rim on the front. If you're going to be doing a lot of climbing, the weight is more important. Most people will want to find something in the middle (especially us fatties who are over the weight limit for most lightweight 20mm rims :( )

RS80 wheels have an alloy brake track because they are clinchers.
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My point is that I don't think deeps rims add anything but weight if they are less than 40mm.

Also my Assaults are clinchers and don't have an alloy break track. Admittedly an alloy track helps dissipate heat as well but that's only an issue on massive descents over long periods.
 
George Hincapie said:
Indeed. Reducing %BF is the cheapest performance upgrade ;)
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Unfortunately being about 70kg and 6'2 i dont really think it would be healthy to loose any more weight.

George Hincapie said:
Where are you buying Kysrium Elites from for that price? I've just ordered some from the shop I bought my Cervelo from. They've price matched Ribble, but they are still £427.
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I might have got confused, they're £409 on Merlin but then i thought if you registered you got 10% VIP discount, or atleast that's what people on BR said, but looking now I can't see how to get the extra!


On another note, I'm sure Planet X did the 50mm clinchers about a week ago at the cheaper £400. Must've sold out of those ones :(
 
Garry, Stevie Begen came in the shop today with his new Giant Trinity he got from you guys the other day. Got himself a wee bargain there.

Not sure if he's called but he's looking for another spacer for his seat mast. You got any or will he best be ordering it from a Giant dealer near us?
 
Jonny ///M said:
Garry, Stevie Begen came in the shop today with his new Giant Trinity he got from you guys the other day. Got himself a wee bargain there.

Not sure if he's called but he's looking for another spacer for his seat mast. You got any or will he best be ordering it from a Giant dealer near us?
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i dont think we have any so if he s local to you guys then best just ordering one for him,

was a pretty good price huh!


@Hincapie and Touch, yesterday i ordered the rs80 24mms for the TCR as im a skinny chap weight is more important to me and shimano hubs spin forever.

Will post up pics inc scale weights once the wheels arrive, we are at the SECC bike show all weekend however so i wont be in the shop till sat.
 
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