Road Cycling

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Raptor said:
So the new bike is all good, I'm not liking the 23c tyres though.

Anyone have opinions on either 25c or 28c and tyres to go for, I used to use Gatorskins, but fancy something different this time.

Trek said 28 will fit the Emonda.
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Gatorskins are ok, couple of guys I ride with have them... Equally I wouldn't due to others experiences here of them in the wet. Skaterskins, amirite? :D

25mm only here, but my tire choice would stay the same brand regardless of size.

I used to like my Mitchelin Pro 4 Endurance V1, many here used them but after some price hikes and problems with availability I never did get a set of V2's. Probably will try some of the newer 'Power' range in future instead though.

I moved to Continental GP 4 Seasons for winter and they are superb, so much so I went for GP4000S ii's for the summer. They're lasting well and grip is superb, I've not had any problems even in the wet with them and wear seems ok so far. I did find the GP4S wore quite quickly (rear only lasted one winter, front will do a couple), but my miles were loads higher than previous winters. My only gripe with Continental would be the tightness over the rim, noticeably more so than Mitchelin, you simply can't get them back on after puncture repair without a lever.
madindehead said:
I think you just want whey isolate. I've been using the Protein Works Whey Protein 80 Concentrate (http://www.theproteinworks.com/whey-protein-80-concentrate). It's cheap, it works well.
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Thanks for whey info, hadn't spotted that one before! 31p a serving (ordering 2kg of Chocolate-Banana-Custard) and with Benny's referral (giving me a free 500g of Apple Cinnamon) bringing that price even lower means I should be sorted for a while! :D

I've had no 'problems' as such with my 5800 calipers, I am aware of them when descending 15% (or more) gradients but the stopping power is enough for me in dry weathers. Certainly enough to lock both wheels and that me coming close to going over the bars has happened more than them badly fading. The times when I find them 'lacking' are usually in wet weather riding in a group on unfamiliar roads with a sudden junction/brake, or when riding in traffic and some numpty car infront does something unexpected.

I do only use good pads though, my current favourites (for any weather) are Shimanos (R55 rings a bell for the compound?). http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-br9000-r55c4-cartridge-inserts-pair/

Although I did find Koolstop Salmon's great in the wet, although they wore quickly once 'road gravy'/grime got involved.
Lethal` said:
I quite like my Continental GP4000 SIIs 25c. You can get them for about £60 for a pair.
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That's a good price for a pair, you won't find them much cheaper now (unless the GBP:EUR exchange rate changes).
 
FFS - All that work yesterday to spruce up the bike and out today, hit a huge pothole and snapped one spoke and 2 others very loose!

Wheel needs trueing and spokes replacing.......:rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Roady said:
That's a good price for a pair, you won't find them much cheaper now (unless the GBP:EUR exchange rate changes).
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Best I got was £45 from Sportpursuit when using one of their codes once. They're currently £55 on Sportpursuit too but also pretty much £5 delivery and generally a longer delivery time.
 
Lethal` said:
Pretty much - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GESGpwNLuTQ
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Good link, really should adjust mine slightly... Although I find them perfect on the hoods, bringing them in on the drops might make the hood use a little less tactile?! Ho-hum.
booyaka said:
FFS - All that work yesterday to spruce up the bike and out today, hit a huge pothole and snapped one spoke and 2 others very loose!

Wheel needs trueing and spokes replacing.......:rolleyes::rolleyes:
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Rubbish luck! That's a job for the weekend sorted! ;)
 
Any thoughts on getting a 'saddle fitting'. I feel genuinely comfortable on my bike since having a fit earlier in the year except for on my sit bones.

After a few hours in the saddle I start feeling pretty uncomfortable and the day after my sit bones feel somewhat bruised. I have decent comfy shorts and slap on the chamois cream, there's a place near me that offers a Selle fitting service for 25 quid that I can put towards a new saddle. Any thoughts/anyone had this done in the past?
 
Sit on a piece of tin foil on a cushioned chair or your stairs if they're carpeted. Measure the distance between the indents left by your sit bones. Then you add like 10mm and buy a saddle of that width.
 
Roady said:
Protein stuff.
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How much protein do you actually eat now? Unless you're vegan or something you're probably getting enough and don't need whey. Even if you're not eating much you could enjoy yourself more by just eating the protein in the form of real food.

I don't think you really need to be going crazy with all this recovery stuff.
 
PermaBanned said:
I'm pescetarian, definitely felt I was improving faster when I was having a protein shake after each ride/run. Read into that what you will.
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It's really down to how much protein you consume (and also the forms of protein, especially as a non-meat eater). There are some tiny tiny benefits to consuming it shortly after exercise but if you're just commuting with the odd longer ride it really doesn't matter.

Getting some carbs in matters a whole lot more and again you can do that without buying expensive exercise/cycling-branded "recovery" food.
 
FrenchTart said:
How much protein do you actually eat now? Unless you're vegan or something you're probably getting enough and don't need whey. Even if you're not eating much you could enjoy yourself more by just eating the protein in the form of real food.

I don't think you really need to be going crazy with all this recovery stuff.
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Obviously not speaking for Roady (or anyone else) here, but I like to have a shake because I'm restricting my diet a bit (pushing the final weight loss stint, and got a long way to go). It keeps me full until lunch, and gets me that extra protein I need :) It's low far, and allows me to have a nice chocolate milkshake that's got some nutrition to it :p

I'm using MyFitnessPal to track my intake, and I'm finding protein hard to get. I'm not vegetarian, but I don't eat a huge amount of meat. I'm probably going to increase my chicken/turkey intake in the evening :)
 
madindehead said:
Obviously not speaking for Roady (or anyone else) here, but I like to have a shake because I'm restricting my diet a bit (pushing the final weight loss stint, and got a long way to go). It keeps me full until lunch, and gets me that extra protein I need :) It's low far, and allows me to have a nice chocolate milkshake that's got some nutrition to it :p

I'm using MyFitnessPal to track my intake, and I'm finding protein hard to get. I'm not vegetarian, but I don't eat a huge amount of meat. I'm probably going to increase my chicken/turkey intake in the evening :)
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If you're restricting your food intake then a shake makes a lot more sense as it's a low kcal way to get your protein intake up :)

How many grams of protein are you aiming for?
 
FrenchTart said:
If you're restricting your food intake then a shake makes a lot more sense as it's a low kcal way to get your protein intake up :)

How many grams of protein are you aiming for?
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I'm currently on 1650 calories, with a 60% carb/25% protein and 15% fat split. Still trying to balance it though. It works out at 103g of protein a day (248g carbs and 28g fat). Just to add: Those calories are roughly a 25% deficit on my TDEE. That's when calculating 5 hour long intense workouts a week. When it comes to the long weekend rides, I need to adjust my calories up on those days, as I burn a lot then.

I might tweak the calories up slightly, as I start to increase the turbo workouts again: I don't want to absolutely starve.
 
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That sounds like quite a low amount of kcal unless you're a very small person :) I'd definitely consider tweaking it up. Are you monitoring your weight loss to make sure that it isn't too fast?
 
Wow, I'm tired. Seven days of cycling in a row coming to a total of 176 miles. Hauling my panniers home this evening was hard work. I think I'll have a rest tomorrow.
 
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Does anyone have any bike fit recommendations for Manchester or nearby? A friend that is new to cycling has had a knee injury that she is keen to avoid exacerbating. She'll need the full works with cleat/heel support setup potentially.

The place in the Velodrome is either booked up or simply being unresponsive atm.
 
FrenchTart said:
That sounds like quite a low amount of kcal unless you're a very small person :) I'd definitely consider tweaking it up. Are you monitoring your weight loss to make sure that it isn't too fast?
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Probably mentioned it before, but I'm 5 foot 4 (163 cm to be exact). Currently 68.5kg, going down to sub 60 if possible. Might tweak it up to 1750, but I have a decent amount of bodyfat still to get rid of!

Vonhelmet said:
Wow, I'm tired. Seven days of cycling in a row coming to a total of 176 miles. Hauling my panniers home this evening was hard work. I think I'll have a rest tomorrow.
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Impressive! I think you deserve a rest!
 
FrenchTart said:
It's really down to how much protein you consume (and also the forms of protein, especially as a non-meat eater). There are some tiny tiny benefits to consuming it shortly after exercise but if you're just commuting with the odd longer ride it really doesn't matter.

Getting some carbs in matters a whole lot more and again you can do that without buying expensive exercise/cycling-branded "recovery" food.
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I don't know if the benefits are "tiny" exactly, post-exercise your metabolism is quite active so you can absorb a lot more than usual, and it's a good time to get a boost of protein to help your muscles rebuild after the training stress you put on them. I don't think anyone's arguing that there's something "special" about protein shakes, but they're cheap, simple and easy to throw together when you're still panting from a ride and might not be able to stomach a whole chicken ;)
 
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