Road Cycling Essentials

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Z e e b R a a said:
Those security skewers are very tempting.

Also more aero too. ;)


And at least it wasn't your whole bike gone. Not a good feeling coming back to where you last saw your bike.. :(
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yeah, it was double u locked with 1 cable going through the rear and front wheels! i had a bike stolen and it was painful.. - i cried like a little girl but it was my love.. mind you i was 12! and that was my first proper bike :(

still really annoying! once someone took a 19mm nut of my front wheel(bmx) and i rode home with only 1 nut holding the wheel.. only noticed when i got home!
 
Vonhelmet said:
So, all being well I'll be picking up a new road frame this autumn, with a view to getting the bike built in time for the start of summer 2014. I'm eying the 7046 aluminium sportive frame from Ribble, as that fits with what I discussed with the chap when I had my bike fit.
?
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If you fancy carbon then the Ribble Evo Pro Carbon has very similar geometry and is in budget. I've been very happy with mine but I was riding a 80's 12 speed steel racer before so it was a massive improvement.
 
Sks chromoplastics are the best bet if you do have mount points. A bit outside budget and they take a bit of work to fit but they are rock solid once they're on.
 
InQ said:
Scott CR1 Pro is £500...ok above budget but an excellent price.

Gran Fondo
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/ro...ribble-gran-fondo-carb-road-frame/ribbfrar896
But need to add £88 for forks.

Will it not be better value to buy a complete bike and sell yours?
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I'll have an easier time buying parts piecemeal, and I'd like to build a bike myself anyway.

I'd also like to keep my TdF for winter and bad weather, and I doubt I'd get much for it anyway. It is, after all, crap.
 
Might be worth spending a little more on the frame, it is the base after all and you can upgrade other parts easier if you need to spend a little less on then to begin with.
 
Servicing my freehub last night and the outer bearing had disintegrated leaving the outer race stuck in the shell, absolute ballache of a job trying to get it out. Had no tools to get it out so rang round a load of local bike shops and machining firms to try and get help but no luck.

I was getting frustrated but eventually managed to wedge the knurled part of a cassette removing socket in what remained of the race and hammer it out. These jobs would be much less satisfying with proper tools. :D
 
Hi all,

I have had my road bike for about 4 weeks or so now. I have really started to use it seriously this week, and am doing about 25 miles per day backwards and forwards to work. It is really hard work as I live in a really hilly area, and I am so unfit and basically about 3 stone overweight. However, I am really enjoying it at the moment, so that's all good.

Today on my way to work I noticed a sort of notching/clonking feel when the left pedal reached it's down stroke. On the way home it was a bit more noticeable. Can't really heard any sound from it - tried to hear when I got home. I got the bike from GoOutdoors, so am going to give them a call tomorrow as I was told to bring it back in after 4-6 weeks anyway. But, was just wondering if anyone had any idea what it might be - long shot I guess.

And, lastly, I get an awful lot of pins and needles in my hands, particularly in the morning on my way to work. I do have gloves, but they are not very expensive. Is it just something that my hands/wrists will get used to, do I need better gloves (suggestions please), or is it just the vibration?

Cheers all.
 
Dave, that clonking sounds like a bottom bracket bearing, but it's unlikely if the bike is only 4 weeks old. It might be that the crank arm or the pedal is a bit loose which you might not realise until you put a spanner on it, or it could be the derailleur catching if it's a bit out of adjustment. Only speculation though.

Pins and needles in the hands is from too much pressure in one spot, usually the palm down near your wrist. You can help it a lot by buying some padded gloves (fingerless mitts are good) but it's also worth checking your bike fits you. If you're too stretched out or if your bars are very low then you'll be putting a lot of pressure on your hands. Try the gloves first, but you might need to try a shorter stem or raise the handlebars a bit. You can also get thick padded cork handlebar tape and that can really help soak up some of the vibrations.
 
davejh666 said:
Hi all,

I have had my road bike for about 4 weeks or so now. I have really started to use it seriously this week, and am doing about 25 miles per day backwards and forwards to work. It is really hard work as I live in a really hilly area, and I am so unfit and basically about 3 stone overweight. However, I am really enjoying it at the moment, so that's all good.

Today on my way to work I noticed a sort of notching/clonking feel when the left pedal reached it's down stroke. On the way home it was a bit more noticeable. Can't really heard any sound from it - tried to hear when I got home. I got the bike from GoOutdoors, so am going to give them a call tomorrow as I was told to bring it back in after 4-6 weeks anyway. But, was just wondering if anyone had any idea what it might be - long shot I guess.

And, lastly, I get an awful lot of pins and needles in my hands, particularly in the morning on my way to work. I do have gloves, but they are not very expensive. Is it just something that my hands/wrists will get used to, do I need better gloves (suggestions please), or is it just the vibration?

Cheers all.
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It's probably your bottom bracket, though they shouldn't start creaking etc so soon - but if it wasn't properly installed by their techs then it could be due a new one, or at least a strip down, clean and re-grease. I would push for a new BB to be installed though if they do offer to re-fit etc. Its probably not of the greatest quality at the price point (I assume it was cheap) from them.

As for the pins and needles, how are you riding? do you stay up on the hoods of the brake levers? Do you move your hands about depending on the terrain? Do you feel too stretched out? Basically your posture might not quite be right,
Gooutdoors may be able to help you out with that too.
 
Cheers for the replies.

I will get it booked in with them tomorrow to look at then. There is a good local bike shop near to me if I get no joy with GoOutdoors. The bike is a Viking Vuelta, so yeah, not expensive as road bikes go, but I wouldn't have thought something serious should have gone wrong with it after only about 140 miles, but will see what they have to say tomorrow.

I do tend to ride with my hands on the hoods of the brake levers almost all of the time. I find leaning over to the lower part of the handle bar (not sure what to call it) really uncomfortable. I do sometimes, and it is only after I have gone up a big incline or something, place them on top - as you would do a mountain bike.
 
Pins and needles in your fingers usually means you've got too much pressure on your hand and not enough on your bum.

There are a number of things you could do to help this:

- Saddle forward 5mm
- Shorter stem
- Flip stem to raise handlebars (depending on how it is set up now)

Adjusting a bike fit is about making one tiny change and seeing how it goes for a while. Too big a change or change more than one thing at once and you won't know whether you've missed the most comfortable position or what made the difference.
 
InQ said:
Might be worth spending a little more on the frame, it is the base after all and you can upgrade other parts easier if you need to spend a little less on then to begin with.
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I'm still erring towards aluminium at this stage, as with my budget constraints I think my money probably goes a bit further there. I'm also hesitant to move towards carbon just yet, in case I damage it, as again give financial constraints I'd struggle to replace it... I've only had one serious bump so far, but I don't want to chance buying a nice carbon bike and then bending it if my luck runs out again. Give it a couple of years and maybe I'll pick up a carbon something or other. We'll see.
 
ShiWarrior said:
crud racers MK2 for a roadie if you haven't got mudguard mounts
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not sure if they will fit with clearance.

Vonhelmet said:
Sks chromoplastics are the best bet if you do have mount points. A bit outside budget and they take a bit of work to fit but they are rock solid once they're on.
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not got any mounts.

This is the clearance on my bike between the back brake and tyre.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/60207672/20130703_211435.jpg

What can I get to fit a Giant Defy 5? or will the Crud racer Mk2 fit a 25mm tyre?
 
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I just realised, I beat my fastest 50 miles today, although it was a club ride I was 15 mins faster than my previous best!

I did 30 miles with the club (with a stop) and then spanked another 20 miles on my own, just to do some efforts, and I got a PR for 50 miles!!
 
Was out a pedal to watch a race up here tonight and wheeled about with the boss on the way home.

I now feel like death. Had to show how good I was at sprinting up climbs with a big rucksack on.

He can take off like I'm standing still though :(
 
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