Road Cycling Essentials

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Looking at getting the Whyte from UK Bikes Depot.

Which mud guards would work well with the bike?
Do I need a pannier, if so which should I go for?

Sorry for the dumb questions. Trying to get everything in one transaction.
 
You can go very overboard if you try to prepare for every eventuality. Just get the bike, a few essentials and actually go out and ride it. You'll soon figure out what you need.
 
Get -;

Mudguards
Lights (good no 1tiny led crap)
Mini pump
Puncture kit
Spare tubes
Good multitool
Good set of tyre levers
Good d lock
 
MilanoChris said:
Looking at getting the Whyte from UK Bikes Depot.

Which mud guards would work well with the bike?
Do I need a pannier, if so which should I go for?

Sorry for the dumb questions. Trying to get everything in one transaction.
Click to expand...

I went with Crud Road Racer mk2's for my mudguards as I knew although I do have mount points, there is not enough room for full mudguards, just 'blade' style. I know I couldn't fit 25mm tyres as they are so tight with my 23mm's. They're ok, Once I've got my moneys worth or when I change my bike I'll get some different ones as the Crud feel cheap and although very flexible (great) it makes them flimsy (not so great) as they regularly flex and rub my wheels when it's raining hard/splashing through puddles...

I'll probably go for SKS Chromoplasts or Bluemels next as they're firmer, have proper mount points and look more substantial than the rr's. If I'm 'shopping' I generally ask opinions on here, alongside reading the reviews on Wiggle - it's a popular site so there are hundreds of comments and ratings on most of the items. If something isn't popular or not had many ratings I tend to avoid it. Great prices too!

As for other kit, pretty much what grudas said above. Depending on your miles and roads you could go for a cheapy puncture repair kit that'll include basic tyre levers. I am still using an Aldi kit I got last year (£3 each, bought 3 of them) and only had one puncture (do ~35 miles a week commuting) in the 1200 miles I've done in the last 12 months. grudas punctures once a fortnight ;)

Aldi have a cycling special that started today, I picked up a 'Bicycle Tool Kit' (£20) that includes a basic puncture repair kit (with tyre levers) and all the tools I'll need in future (chain whip, BB tool, Chain rivet extractor, multitool, spoke key, crank arm remover etc).

I bought some other 'optional' things too... Heart rate monitor (£13), helmet covers (£5) and long sleeve tops... They're things I'd 'buy from china' anyway for around the same money - but with Aldi I'll happily return them & get a no quibbles refund if anything goes wrong without the added hassle! :)
 
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My friend that got the Whyte Suffolk got SKS Chromoplastics and they seem to fit extremely well (and have good coverage).

On other bikes I've used Bluemels and they're really decent too. However, as I've only ever seen Chromoplastics on (the one) Whyte Suffolk I've seen I'd go with those :)
 
Half an hour testing my turbo.

Observations:

1) I need a front wheel riser. My bifkin was sore by the end, and I'd managed to walk the bike from one end of the kitchen to the other.
2) I need a fan. I was dripping.
3) I need a sweat net/bike thong/whatever. I was dripping all over my bike.

After about 10 minutes I was seriously questioning my life choices, but I pushed on for a half hour. Did some sort of intervals - 30s a bit harder, then 90s softer - but I suck at that sort of thing. Had the turbo on a fairly low setting and only averaged 16.6mph, which seems a bit odd given I could go out and smash it for 30 minutes on the flat and get more like 18 or 19, but maybe I just need to get used to it. I was in quite a low gear, thinking about it, as my average cadence was 89, which is much higher than I usually manage, even accounting for the intervals at over 100.

I'm not sure how much I'll end up using it, but I'll try to give it a go once a week or so over the coming months and see how I get on...
 
I rode the Aquilo to work this morning, so of course it started to rain a few miles into the ride. As luck would have it, the rain stopped after about ten minutes. I wasn't any faster than on the Pinnacle, but it was definitely easier to ride - apart from getting up Anerley Hill, which was hard work with the 34/25 as the lowest ratio.
 
Fun ride in this morning. Someone jumped a red light so I obviously had to catch up and overtake them. I made sure I was freewheeling as I did it. For some reason this annoyed them and they caught me up a bit later on (I would guess after I stopped at another red light). As soon as I noticed them on my wheel I accelerated back from casual speed to something more reasonable. They kept pushing and I kept accelerating back until eventually they had to fall back. Incineration.

Hoping they show up on my Strava flyby :p

Not exactly a big race like others post on here but it was an awesome way to properly wake me up on the way to work :)
 
Vonhelmet said:
Half an hour testing my turbo.

Observations:

1) I need a front wheel riser. My bifkin was sore by the end, and I'd managed to walk the bike from one end of the kitchen to the other.
2) I need a fan. I was dripping.
3) I need a sweat net/bike thong/whatever. I was dripping all over my bike.

After about 10 minutes I was seriously questioning my life choices, but I pushed on for a half hour. Did some sort of intervals - 30s a bit harder, then 90s softer - but I suck at that sort of thing. Had the turbo on a fairly low setting and only averaged 16.6mph, which seems a bit odd given I could go out and smash it for 30 minutes on the flat and get more like 18 or 19, but maybe I just need to get used to it. I was in quite a low gear, thinking about it, as my average cadence was 89, which is much higher than I usually manage, even accounting for the intervals at over 100.

I'm not sure how much I'll end up using it, but I'll try to give it a go once a week or so over the coming months and see how I get on...
Click to expand...
What am I doing wrong on my rollers, how do you get the distance? Unless you're using some specific turbo computer for distance?
 
FrenchTart said:
Someone jumped a red light. Incineration.
Click to expand...

Good work! One thing I do (now) is observe lights, I used to cycle through them! But I consider myself a 'road user' more now than previously, also find you get more respect from cars if you're stopped at the lights with them! :)

Have been wearing my dhb Active Waterproof Hi-viz Jacket the last couple of mornings, it was superb on a wet one, but on a warmer one like this morning I melt under it (just wearing a normal jersey under it) as it's just a single layer. Any recommendations on a better option? Multi layer, waterproof but still light enough to wear in warmer conditions, without breaking the bank? (I might be asking the impossible!) ;)
 
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