Road Cycling Essentials

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My bike had its first outing since June!

My first proper bike, by proper I mean since I was a kid. Had a really hectic summer so didn't get much use out of it.

Did an 8 mile commute tonight. Will be nice to start seeing my times coming down. Hoping to take part in quite a few bike events next year, just for fun I might add.

Anyway seeing as this is my first real bike, what do you guys recommend for maintenance etc? I I've not done a thing to it since I had the bike, don't want it to start making noises etc or get knackered.

It's only a Halford carerra tdf so don't want to spend loads. I bought it mainly to make do for a year or two incase I decided cycling wasn't for me.

Edit: something else I noticed is that the Strava app doesn't stop when you aren't moving. For example by the time I start it, put my glove on, put the phone in my bag, put my bag on and then start riding I've lost 30 seconds. Then at traffic lights I'm guessing it doesn't stop either so time will surely be skewed depending on hitting traffic lights etc.

I'm tempted to go back to endomondo but that just doesn't have the fun with the segments...
 
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Strava counts total time riding and time actually moving. I'm not sure over which it calculates average speed. This came up a while ago.

Maintenance wise... Get some GT85 spray oil, some lube (dry or wet, I have no idea - I'm sure someone will turn up to argue about it shortly), some bike cleaner and a sponge. That should see you right.
 
Shadowness said:
That is the voltage output of the standard battery, so there's no difference at all.
Apart from the fact the battery should last longer (running time and life), you can't tell any difference.
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I think your magicshine may be different from mine then, as mine came with 2 unbranded 18650's wired in parallel, not in series.

Regardless my included battery pack didn't last long as the tabs were poorly soldered to the cells and broke off, but I've replaced the included batteries with some of my own also, but knowing that these magicshine clones may take a higher voltage is good to know as I may want to use a 11.1v battery pack in the future. :)
 
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platypus said:
Hmm where can I get packs of long valved (60mm) 700x25c inner tubes? Can't seem to find any anywhere.
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Copy this part 'long valved (60mm) 700x25c' of your post into google and look at the shopping results, or most of the main search results (evans etc).:p Where you're probably getting stuck is that most tubes are rated 23-28c, or something like that, rather than the specific size.
 
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Any recommendations for an insanely bright rear light (or pair)? I've currently got a MARS 3 on the bike and a Fibre Flare on my bag. I saw a guy riding with a pair of what I thought he said were Exposure rear lights which were painfully bright to be begind, but I can't remember exactly.

My bumpy route seems to knock out the MARS 3 for some reason. It's often switched itself off when I arrive at work or home so I need something a bit more reliable and much brighter is a bonus because of the roads I ride on. Obviously, a good sturdy mount is also a must.
 
Vonhelmet said:
Strava counts total time riding and time actually moving. I'm not sure over which it calculates average speed. This came up a while ago.

Maintenance wise... Get some GT85 spray oil, some lube (dry or wet, I have no idea - I'm sure someone will turn up to argue about it shortly), some bike cleaner and a sponge. That should see you right.
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Average speed on Strava is calculated over time moving and distance.

I have some Morgan Blue prodcuts, their chain cleaner and the Blue Syn lube for the chain is awesome, no drips and sticks like glue.
 
I have two fibre flares on my rear seat stays, and two small led flashers, one on the seatpost and one on my bag for commuting. Have to say that the small led ones are amazing, I bought them ages ago in a wiggle sale for a few quid each, I think they're cateye, bright as hell.
 
I've got a Hope District 3 that I swap between the main commuters and then an Exposure Flare that is used on the station / weekend bikes.

Both are bleedin' bright and a number of other riders have asked me at the lights what they were.

I've also got an Exposure Redeye on my helmet for when the weather gets bad.
 
Afternoon

Can anyone suggest a hybrid bike 22" - 24" frame?
carrera subway 22" lookin good, not sure how good that actually is

Anything cheaper would be even better. Money wise i mean, not quality :D

Also, slightly off topic. I've cycled on a 20" frame bike for over 9 months. I find it comfy, simply because i've no idea how comfy should feel. Guy at halfords told me that i need a much bigger frame. Is there a long term damage if you ride smaller frame bikes? I see people ride bmx's all the time and still live and well :D

2nd hand bike might be an option. if anyone knows a good forum or a site for those I'd really appreciate that. cheers
 
I've got to ask...what the hell do you guys do about having a sore arse?! Bloody hell mine wrecks. Used my bike for the last 2 days for the first time in months and I'm genuinely considering getting a lift home and leaving the bike here at work. Don't know if I can face sitting on that saddle again. Just got a bruised feeling on my bones. :o


Vonhelmet said:
Strava counts total time riding and time actually moving. I'm not sure over which it calculates average speed. This came up a while ago.

Maintenance wise... Get some GT85 spray oil, some lube (dry or wet, I have no idea - I'm sure someone will turn up to argue about it shortly), some bike cleaner and a sponge. That should see you right.
Click to expand...

Thanks I'll do some reading about maintenance.
 
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