Road Cycling Essentials

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Von, the brakes on my F95 are really average but even so they can really pull me up when I need to. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I really love braking on steep downhills, the bike feels completely alive when you really hammer the front brake and feather the rear, get it to step out ever so slightly as you hear and feel the rear locking slightly.... love it!

It's all about getting a feel for it :)
 
Dimple said:
:D
Old fool.

I strolled into Halfords with pump & tyre and said 'I'm either thick or it doesn't work'.
As soon as I handed the pump over the assistant immediately said I'd put the internals the wrong way round and it now works.

Now I've blown my tyres up I've realised that the pump is OK for emergency but I probably need something in the garage to do a weekly check and pump up.
I was looking at the Topeak Joe Blow or for my purposes would something like this do? - http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/...uctId_700388_langId_-1_categoryId_165661#tab1
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Doh! Glad you got it sorted. I've not actually tried the Halfords pumps that kieranv mentioned so I can't comment on the difference but he's obviously in a better position to compare as he works for Halfords! Knowing how much abuse it can take in a workshop, the Joe Blow will probably last you a lifetime of home use though.
 
Just watched the ToB Stage 6 highlights and I made 3 appearances lol :)

Re: pumps. The halfords track pumps are complete junk. I picked one up a while ago trying to cut costs, got home set the PSI to 100 and it crapped out at 60. Returned bought a Tow Peak Joe Blow II never looked back.

In fact I've been in 3 of the local Halfords and all of them use the Joe Blow II. So do Evans and a couple of my other LBS shops.
 
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Vonhelmet said:
I really don't think I trust the bike to not just slide out from under me, and when I'm going down some of those slopes I can have the brakes on full and they don't do a damn thing to stop me. I find it helps to pump the brakes a bit, like ABS on a car or something, but I don't know if that's the right thing to do or what. Maybe the brakes are rubbish, or maybe I just need to get used to brakes on bikes not being up to much full stop!
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Something's not right there - consider new pads, what are yours like? Road bike brakes are generally a bit crap imo but I reckon if I really hauled up on mine they'd lock the front and/or pitch me over the front.
 
Swapped over tyres this morning (gatorskins for GP4000s) after a lot of hassle - Campagnolo Neutrons must be the toughest wheels to mount on in the world, you need tyre levers just to get the tyre on intially! Got them on and then realised I had one the wrong way around - DOH! Being a fussy person I couldn't have that so had to take it off.

Also swapped pedals for road style cleats - I've found my recessed cleats/shoes a bit uncomfortable over long rides. I also deflated the tyres a bit down to 95PSI after reading about rolling resistance on rough roads.

Impressions? Despite feeling rather ill on the back of a cold and suffering from the effects of eating something that disagreed with me, I thought there was certainly a difference. PBs on 2 Strava segments, one of which I could have taken more time off had I not wound down so early. Average pace was up around 1km/h from doing the same route 2 weeks ago.

Also noticed my heart rate seemed higher than usual, could this be to do with giving blood a week ago (first time) or is it probably just from feeling ill?
 
Berger said:
You should be able to pull up pretty well even with standard brakes, just a matter of technique perhaps. You should be able to anchor on the front brake a lot as it will pitch your weight forward and increase the grip massively.

Perhaps try some pads recommended for wet weather riding?

What tyres are you using?
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The tyres are Specialized Armadillos. The tyres aren't losing grip when braking, because the brakes just don't stop the rims turning. I suppose that is what I'm afraid of when cornering, though, that they don't have much sideways traction.

Lopéz said:
Von, the brakes on my F95 are really average but even so they can really pull me up when I need to. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I really love braking on steep downhills, the bike feels completely alive when you really hammer the front brake and feather the rear, get it to step out ever so slightly as you hear and feel the rear locking slightly.... love it!

It's all about getting a feel for it :)
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Mine barely make a dent in my speed when I'm going downhill!

PardonTheWait said:
Something's not right there - consider new pads, what are yours like? Road bike brakes are generally a bit crap imo but I reckon if I really hauled up on mine they'd lock the front and/or pitch me over the front.
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I think it might be time for new or better pads - the rim just seems to slide past them without slowing down much at all.
 
Are you on the drops or the hoods? For me at least the difference in braking power I can put in between the two is quite different, so every descent I go on the drops not so much for aero but simply to get the best braking.

But I'm kinda large and the brakes are definitely better than what you're describing, locking the rear wheel is easy either on hoods or drops, and on the drops can slow down fairly rapidly even from 70+kph, hoods are fine upto about 35-40 kph but then I start thinking about my ability to stop :p
 
So I know a couple of you guys on here have Bryton GPS units.

How do you like them? Any issues?

I'd really like to get myself a GPS to save a bit of faff with my phone and so on. I don't want to spend loads so originally looked at the Edge 200 but I've come to the conclusion that with no HRM and Cadence capabilities available, it'd be a waste of my money and I'd end up regretting it.

However the Bryton 40E is currently £110, and I'm really tempted. It's ANT+ compatible so later on I can get myself a cadence/speed sensor and HRM strap.

From looking at specs and so on it seems great, and I understand they've improved the Strava uploading a lot lately through their software.

Worth a punt? It seems like a great price considering the Edge 500 is a full £60 more. I just don't have that sort of money but if the Brytons should be avoided, I'll save up.
 
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Does the 35 use the same breadcrumb routing? How well does that work? It seems to be the standard thing on bike GPS, I've started upping my distance and riding in an area I don't know so well and I'd like to be able to map out a route and then have the option of the breadcrumb trail to help me be sure I'm on track.
 
uniQ said:
Just watched the ToB Stage 6 highlights and I made 3 appearances lol :)

Re: pumps. The halfords track pumps are complete junk. I picked one up a while ago trying to cut costs, got home set the PSI to 100 and it crapped out at 60. Returned bought a Tow Peak Joe Blow II never looked back.

In fact I've been in 3 of the local Halfords and all of them use the Joe Blow II. So do Evans and a couple of my other LBS shops.
Click to expand...

Aye I liked the Joe Blow in my time there but the pins int he head for car valves wore quite quick.

I like the blackburn air towers or the air race series of pumps, the fully metal ones seem solid. Orange one not so much...

Syke take a look at the Felt F95 for 2013. I think it looks cracking in the darker colour and the new black sora sets it of nicely.
 
Im having a wee problem,

was trying to decide which seatpost i wanted to use as i have a few, put one in without any lube (ugh stupid i know) and now its just stuck halfway in,

its an alu frame, ive tried the twisty method but just cant twist it much at all
 
Has it got a saddle on it at the moment? Obviously that'd give you more leverage. If it really is stuck, you might try attaching something bigger than a saddle to the seat post to get even more leverage.
 
Doing the cycle part of a team relay Olympic triathlon tomorrow (26 miles).

Thinking about having my last meal of the day soon.......... Tesco meat feast pizza a bad idea? :o
 
Anyone got pics of their lightsetup at night - i am looking at getting some kind of torch as apposed to traditional bike light - have been recommended this in the LED torch thread http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180963061540&var=480189064181#ht_10699wt_1214

Interested to see what people have and how they look lit up at night as while its not an expensive setup its still £70 on some imported stuff that dent have many UK reviews once you buy the batteries and charger!

I need a light to light up a B road that is twisty, pitch black and 60mph so i want something that lights the road and alerts drivers - i intend to run another led light pulsing and 2 at the rear!
 
rogan said:
Im having a wee problem,

was trying to decide which seatpost i wanted to use as i have a few, put one in without any lube (ugh stupid i know) and now its just stuck halfway in,

its an alu frame, ive tried the twisty method but just cant twist it much at all
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WD-40 or GT-85, let it soak in. Apply liberally two or three times, then use leverage on the seat to twist it out, if you can, put a pole between the seat so you have even more leverage. Also try getting someone to sit on the top tube while you twist and pull.
 
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