Road Cycling Essentials

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I just ordered some bib shorts and a short sleeve jersey for my commuting. It's been damned warm in east lancs this past week! It'll start snowing when they arrive I'm sure, but I'm wearing them whatever the weather does! ;)
 
I'm all set for my 100 mile Sportive on Sunday.

- New Wheels : Fulcrum Racing 5's
- New Tyres : Schwalbe Ultremo ZX
- New Saddle : Specialized Romin Elite

Allez-Elite-March-11.jpg
 
What sort of clothes do most people wear on their commute? I've recently started cycling to work and i've done two weeks using a back pack, I wear a t shirt base layer and tracksuit bottoms at the moment. Not really ideal.

I'm moving to using a rack as of monday so shouldn't have such a sweaty back! What things do most of you wear? anybody got any decent links for buying some gear?

Thanks.
 
For my commute it varies between:

short sleeve jersey
long sleeve wicking top
long sleeve wicking top with gilet
long sleeve wicking top with lightweight goretex jacket

When I get to work I work for 10 minutes at my desk before changing into work shirt so I can lose the sweaty back.

This morning was about -3C so I was in the top with gilet.
 
Thomas. PLease. said:
What sort of clothes do most people wear on their commute?
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Depending on weather and mood:

Jersey + Padded Shorts/Bib shorts
Jersey + Windproof Jacket + Padded Shorts/Bib Shorts
Long sleeve base layer + Jersey + Padded Shorts/Bib shorts
Long sleeve base layer + Jersey + Windproof Jacket + Padded Shorts/Bib Shorts
Long sleeve base layer + Jersey + Windproof Jacket + Padded Shorts/Bib Shorts + Tights
 
6thElement said:
*Failure on the photo too. Have I taught you people nothing!! :D

Static bike photo should be big ring up front and middle of the cassette :p
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And he should remove the caps on his valves and the nuts, and they should be perfectly at the bottom and the magnet should be directly opposite from the valve! And your qick release skewers are in completely the wrong direction.
Apart from that its a very nice bike, you don't see many in full red!

Today I did my 4 mile commute in a t-shirt and shorts.

*On a more serious note, how do you find the pedals compare to others? They seem to have a very small surface area for support compared to others.
Also, your speed/cadence sensor has the arm 'up' I'm not sure of the normal position but I put mine down so that if a spoke hits it it will just rub past and not break it off.
 
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Thanks for the tweaks advice - i'll get those done :)

The pedals work just as well as any pedals. The carbon soles on my shoes are stiff so I don't need a large contact area.
 
Thomas. PLease. said:
What sort of clothes do most people wear on their commute?
Click to expand...

Padded shorts, jersey and base layer if needed. Through the winter I also had a ski thermal in between my base layer and jersey when it was especially cold. Carry a backpack with my work clothes in and I have a permanent pair of shoes left at the office so I don't have the weight of them every day.

The padded shorts are almost a necessity because I get really bad coccyx pain without them, so even if I just cycle to the park in shorts and a tshirt then I wear them underneath.
 
For my commute i wear padded bib shorts, bib layer and jersey.

I have a pair of shoes at work all the time so don't have added weight to carry. I normally pop into work on a sunday and take 4 or 5 shirts, trousers and enough pants and socks for the week. Sorted!
 
Thinking about getting a Garmin Edge 705.
It's the full package for £260, (cadence, HRM, european maps)

Would people recommend this? Unfortunately can't afford the 800
 
They are very good for reviewing all your ride data, which is well worth it for racing, and the large screen is easy to see. I've not really used the maps feature as there is no real need, but I have tried the pre-set route once and it worked pretty well. Battery life is pretty good, mine lasts at least a week of riding at highest brightness if I forget to recharge, but if your doing long distance such as 16+ hours you might want to take a charger with you.
 
SDK^ said:
I'm all set for my 100 mile Sportive on Sunday.

- New Wheels : Fulcrum Racing 5's
- New Tyres : Schwalbe Ultremo ZX
- New Saddle : Specialized Romin Elite

Allez-Elite-March-11.jpg
Click to expand...

Just taken delivery of my allez elite :)
How are you finding the fulcrums compared to the mavics that come as standard?
 
I've just back home from my 100 mile Sportive - Wiggle Cheshire Cat.
Distance completed in 5hrs 46mins, average speed 17.5 mph.

Pretty chuffed :)


collisster said:
How are you finding the fulcrums compared to the mavics that come as standard?
Click to expand...
Having just completed 100 miles on them today - They accelerate faster and roll better with less drag (could also be the tyres). It's defo worth changing the wheels if you intend covering long distances.
 
k cheers, I'm going to ride it on the mavics for a little while, because I need a new helmet pedals and shoes. I've just got all MTB stuff at the moment :p
How are the stock specialized tyres? I had some on my MTB and they were widowmakers, so so bad!
Do you know the rough weight saving on the wheels?

Sorry for all the questions I'm itching to ride the thing when I get back from uni next week !

cheers
martin
 
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