Road Cycling Gear Thread - what to buy, steal, borrow

Anyone recommend a cheap(ish) upgrade for my wheelset? Currently got these as they came with my Planet X. Looking at £300-350 or so.

Tough choice. A bit more info might help
What sort of riding do you do?
How heavy/light are you?

I really prefer my 23mm wide rims. I have Soul S3.0 for summer and Fulcrum 5 for winter. Fulcrum fives have been bombproof but they feel noticeably harsher and heavier.

I would recommend you look at a build using Pacenti SL23, H Plus Son Archetype or similar. 23mm rims seem smoother, corner better and can be run with lower pressure.

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/pacenti-sl23-volta-evo-wheelset.htm

http://www.superstarcomponents.com/en/pacenti-sl23-icon-ultra-11speed-wheelset.htm

Superstar get some bad press but these look decent value. No doubt someone will com along and recommend the ubiquitous Campagnolo Zonda. Fine wheels at this price point but 19mm wide. Personally I am sold on wider is better.
 
Anyone know of the best place to pick up some koolstop salmons?

Also recomendations for pads for use with carbon tubs?

I have been using Swisstop Yellow and they are good in the dry, not so good in the wet until the water clears off the rim (more the rims fault than the pads). Wear rate is pretty high and lots of yellow flakes and dust come off them.

Noisy on long (1/2 hour) descents where lots of braking!

Better than cork pads which just stink when people panic break and don't work at all in the wet. But thats all ive tried so not much of a sample size.
 
I have been using Swisstop Yellow and they are good in the dry, not so good in the wet until the water clears off the rim (more the rims fault than the pads). Wear rate is pretty high and lots of yellow flakes and dust come off them.

Noisy on long (1/2 hour) descents where lots of braking!

Better than cork pads which just stink when people panic break and don't work at all in the wet. But thats all ive tried so not much of a sample size.

I was going to try these on my Reynolds Strikes...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-performance-carbon-road-brake-inserts-pack-of-4/

Reynolds say you lose your warranty if you don't use their pads but they are £22 for 4!:rolleyes:

Anyone know of the best place to pick up some koolstop salmons?

Also recomendations for pads for use with carbon tubs?

I just ordered some Campagnolo ones to try on my soon to be delivered Farsports 50mm wheels. I'll report back as to their efficiency.
 
Vonhelmet, I only have one bike. Moving it between bikes not a concern right now really but on the reviews for the Garmin speed/cadence sensor all the guys on their who had GSC-10 are saying the new Garmin ones are much better and they prefer. So I think I am sold on the Garmin options even if they are a bit pricey.

As for price I got the pair for £46 , still only £44 here http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Bike...9&sr=8-1&keywords=garmin+speed+cadence+sensor

Why buy the old with a deal like that ?

GSC10 is ok, I got one for £29 - I wouldn't pay more for it. The new ones are much better although pricey! The GSC10 suffers from water ingress if used in all weathers - add extra sealing and screw the 'arm screw' in as tight as possible. The new sensors obviously avoid this.

A 'cheap' option (and IMO better quality than the GSC10) is the Decathlon S&C for £20. I was lazy and bought one so I don't need to swap sensors between bikes. Works very well!

Anyone know of the best place to pick up some koolstop salmons?

Von's link below.

You have cartridge brakes, so you need cartridge pads. People will recommend Kool Stop or Swissstop pads, or possibly some cheap shimano ones on ebay.

These will do: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/kool-stop-dura-aceultegra105-pair-of-cartridge-inserts/

I'm using them and they're brilliant, mine have started to fade slightly in the wet now but they have done approx 800 miles. They're far better wet weather braking than any others I've tried.
 
A 'cheap' option (and IMO better quality than the GSC10) is the Decathlon S&C for £20. I was lazy and bought one so I don't need to swap sensors between bikes. Works very well!

Out of stock at the moment, and has been for months, which suggests it's not coming back or is going to be replaced. It wouldn't surprise me if they replaced it with a combo Ant+/Bluetooth device.

I bought a Bontrager speed/cadence sensor which is designed to be moved from bike to bike, and a couple of spare speed and cadence magnets, so I just need to move the sensor depending on which bike I'm using.
 
I've had the new Garmin speed/cadence sensors fitted for 2 weeks now. First pairing went well then it couldn't see them the next day..... Bit of a faff to get them paired again but after that they have worked perfectly and trouble free since and I am very pleased with them.

£44 I am happy to have spent on them!
 
What wheels for $1000-2000... Being over $1000 I'm trying to find them in Australia as you pay import tax on items over $1000 but it's hard to beat wiggle etc

Have to be light, aero and cheap in that order...

The Fast Forward rims are cheap but I've heard they are an open mould so not really much above a Chinese copy for 1/4 of their price. <1300g for the 4R or <1400g for the 6r.

Or campagnolo boras can be had for $1600.. <1400g

Or DT Swiss rc55 are $1400 but the hubs seem to be lower spec, they aren't the Dt240 or 180s. 1350g.

These are all tubulars as they are much lighter. Looking at alternatives to a new Zipp 303 front wheel which is $1100+ for one wheel.

Or dura ace c24 or fulcrum racing 0 are $1000 and 1400g for clinchers which are more convenient. Not sure what there is to choose between them but I'd probably pick shimano.
 
Back
Top Bottom