Road Cycling Essentials

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Coldest ride yet!

Started off ok but after i rode my first hill i got cold very quickly!

my first hill climb today, cadence was about 60 in 1st gear!! :( i did not have the strength !

and my first downhill today, my god was scary!

http://app.strava.com/activities/26122469

oh and on this segment :
http://app.strava.com/segments/1081011

i had a massive headwind, so thats why i was almost last! :(
 
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Saytan said:
surely a proper winter frame cleared for guards makes more sense?
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I agree with this.
The worse your winter bike is, the better your summer bike feels come spring next year :)

I'm in the process of building up a winter bike just now. Should get most of it done this weekend. It's a terrible, heavy steel frame and it's going to have 3 gears :D I'll put some pics up when it's done.
 
Been on a ride during lunch at work. I managed to do just under 20mi and also to keep warm.

I had two jerseys on and I've brought the extra thick gloves out of retirement. Toasty :)
 
ShiWarrior said:
just reading you comments on a winter bike, is my carbon bike not suitable to ride over winter?
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It's not unsuitable, but a lot of people like to havea winter bike to keep the nice carbon bike clean.

There's a lot more rain/surface water around which makes metals corrode faster and makes dirt/grit stick and wears down moving parts faster.
Grit used on the roads contains salt which also speeds up corrosion and sand/other small particles which increases wear on drivetrain and braking surfaces.

None of this is really a problem if you look after your bike properly and wash it after every ride. Also, as Saytan said, make sure you use mudguards if you're riding with a group (but this isnt much of a problem anymore because there are decent guards that fit frames without mounts)
 
meh i rode my bmx for 3 years in winter, snow, heavy rain etc and tbh with proper maintenance and a good clean after a rainy/snowy ride it still goes! :)

i've had everything over those years! :) funny ways to lock my bike, loads of snow riding(trust me its fun specially down hill) rims that managed to blow up with a huge bang.. and you can see my bike changed a lot over the years too!

ill be riding my triban all year round too, well maybe if it gets snowy ill take my bmx - fat tyres = more control on snow.


here it is now

hocAIl.jpg


sitting in our spare room now :) will take it out during the summer!
 
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Single speed doesn't really require much maintenance to be fair! :P

I'm reluctant to use my "good" bike during winter as unnecessary wear and tear on the components due to the harsher conditions would just result in a massive bill sooner rather than later. A Chorus 11 cassette is £100 and a chain is £30!:(
 
agree! :) but then again i bought my bike to ride it to work and that is what im going to use it for, im not really the kinda person that buys something "Good" and tucks it away so it doesn't break! :D
 
My bike needs a proper clean this weekend and I need to get some mudguards if I'm going to carry on using it.

Thinking about what to do when the weather gets bad, might get a MTB and put some slicks on it so I have the option of using it.
 
touch said:
Maintenance wasnt that good then, eh? :p
Tbh, i'v done the same thing on an old MTB. Remember to check the wear indicators on your rims folks!
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had the rim for a couple of years :) and i guess the brakes have managed to wear the metal on the side, which meant that the sidewall was a lot weaker + 120 psi tyres and it went! :D and bmx rims don't have wear indicators so really nothing i could have done! :) it blew up right in front of petrol station with a loud bang!
 
[DOD]Asprilla;23037856 said:
Things to remember;

1) She knew you had a problem with buying bikes before she married you
2) It's a much harder emotional decision for her to leave a husband than it is a boyfriend
3) Forgiveness is easier to ask for than permission
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All three excellent points :D.

Shimmyhill said:
Marriage rule #1 Remember to ask for forgiveness is much easier than to ask for permission.
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Another excellent point :D.

Vonhelmet said:
I'll give you £20 and a bag of sweets for the Bianchi.
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Meh :p.
 
I ride carbon through winter, in fact there is pretty much no steel on my bike which makes it ideal for winter riding, all my bolts/screws/collars are now ti, alu or nylon, cables are all teflon coated, all non drive train parts are carbon, and I use a cheapish 105 steel cassette (which is identical to the ultegra version) that I can replace at a reasonable price and its only 50g heaver than the exotic ti ones.
 
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