Road Cycling Essentials

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SoliD said:
I've just got a couple of compression layers, fit perfectly, going out to try one now, for £13 can't complain whatsoever. Had a quick look at the bibs and the pad didn't seem very good, but would be fine for a short commute no doubt.
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What are the sizes like on the base layer?

I'm a 42" chest which is usually a Large... going to have a look if they have any left in the morning.
 
grudas said:
Dunno, commuting everyday with a duraace/ultergra setup would feel like a waste :) genuinely the 2300 does the job, it shift when I need it to shift and it stops when I need it to stop.. smoothness is not something I care about for a commuter and as long as it goes and stops it does the job! and tbh it's a fun bike IMO.. haven't ridden any of the top specced carbon bikes but I don't feel like I miss much with my triban :o
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You'd realise what you were missing if you did though, I remember the first time I rode my 1980s cro-mo Peugeot with 14 speed friction shifters and it felt like a rocket compared to my old MTB.

As a Triban owner I can tell you the ride quality is pretty grim, even the Ribble Audax I've replaced it with is measurably nicer.
 
K13LCC said:
What are the sizes like on the base layer?

I'm a 42" chest which is usually a Large... going to have a look if they have any left in the morning.
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Tight but stretchy I'm a medium in most stuff and the medium is just about big enough. Just buy a few sizes and return it you're worried.
 
On the whole, I think it's worth having a bike that may be a couple of kgs heavier and has guards/tough tyres for your commute. My kinesis is (to use a favourite of motoring journalists) faster in the real world over a short run than my "best" bike, because the 28s allow me to plough over road imperfections more easily, and are more confident sneaking in and out of lines of cars.
 
Phantom Shadow said:
Need some better gloves, fingers were numb, frozen and painful when I got home. Do I go for some neoprene gloves to keep them warm? Or go for some waterproof gloves to keep the water off. Not fussed if my hands get wet as long as they stay warm.
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Neoprene will soak the water up and be cold until the water has warmed up. You want Castelli Estremo gloves ;).
 
grudas said:
Dunno, commuting everyday with a duraace/ultergra setup would feel like a waste :) genuinely the 2300 does the job, it shift when I need it to shift and it stops when I need it to stop.. smoothness is not something I care about for a commuter and as long as it goes and stops it does the job! and tbh it's a fun bike IMO.. haven't ridden any of the top specced carbon bikes but I don't feel like I miss much with my triban :o
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I was being serious, I had 8sp 2300 on my Trek 1.1. Which compared to the MTB I had before was the best thing ever (apart from there awful thumb shifters).
 
Back on the track bike today. Bliss :)

(and out the car)

Also, as predicted, I see the anti-cyclist backlash is out in force on Facebook and the forums following all the recent deaths. I'm sort of surprised I've not had more abuse on the roads.
 
platypus said:
Neoprene will soak the water up and be cold until the water has warmed up. You want Castelli Estremo gloves ;).
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£60 for a pair of gloves is more than I'd like to spend :(

Don't generally have a problem with cold extremities so my thinking was it wouldn't take long to warm the water up as it makes its' way into the glove so would keep my hands warm. Even neoprene gloves seem to be £30+ though
 
I've got some neoprene gloves, Endura Nemo for around £28. They are good for rainy weather due to the way neoprene works but my poor fingers still suffer if it's rainy AND cold. I think I'm always going to have problems with finger warmth though.:(

You can just buy some neoprene diving gloves will do the same but cheaper as they aren't marketed as cycling gloves!
 
Urgh, set to be -1 at 8am tomorrow. Not sure I'll get out. If I do, I may just take the MTB and go offroad. At least then I can bundle up clothes wise and I won't feel quite as much at risk of slipping about.

I'm looking forward to Tuesday. It's going to hit an almighty high of 7 degrees. I'll definitely be getting some of that in the evening.
 
I've noticed an increase in people on hybrids that think they can stand & bang at the lights or go toe for toe on the hills. It's like swatting flies, fun for a while but soon gets boring. I need a real challenge :(
 
uniQ said:
I've noticed an increase in people on hybrids that think they can stand & bang at the lights or go toe for toe on the hills. It's like swatting flies, fun for a while but soon gets boring. I need a real challenge :(
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snob! I'd leave you for dead! after flattening your tyres whilst your steering at your garmin instead of the lights!

but in all fairness I am not fast as you guys know and most the people I see on road bikes are journeymen speeds apart from the odd commuter that does leave me for dead although I manage to hang on for awhile with some of them.

a few of them look at you like they are superior beings which is annoying it's like they don't think you should be on the roads with a hybrid and nearly always with a big fat cheesy grin on their faces every time they look where you are
 
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Shamrock said:
I've got some neoprene gloves, Endura Nemo for around £28. They are good for rainy weather due to the way neoprene works but my poor fingers still suffer if it's rainy AND cold. I think I'm always going to have problems with finger warmth though.:(

You can just buy some neoprene diving gloves will do the same but cheaper as they aren't marketed as cycling gloves!
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I have these gloves too. They've been pretty great for a couple of months but as you say - wet and cold combined does seem to overwhelm them. I might have to spend a bit more on some truly weatherproof gloves in a few weeks.
 
uniQ said:
I've noticed an increase in people on hybrids that think they can stand & bang at the lights or go toe for toe on the hills. It's like swatting flies, fun for a while but soon gets boring. I need a real challenge :(
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It's the tourers you want to watch out for. The other week some of us headed up the local cat 3 before going back to the cafe. We were doing OK, slogging up at maybe 7mph, when some dude on a bigass touring bike with loaded panniers hauls past us. Shameful.
 
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