Road Cycling

Status
Not open for further replies.
Roady said:
Side note: my flexibility is loads better now I've lost weight, I can nearly get my palms flat on the floor with straight legs. I previously struggled to grab my toes. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

This isn't necessarily an indicator of increased hip flexibility/mobility rather improved lumbar & thoracic + traps & rhombs. As hamstring range and hip angles don't have to change if the back is bending to compensate. If you were to keep your torso rigid and pivot from the hip you'll get a true account of hamstring & hip flexibility.

That said it is still better than being stiff as a board and all helps :) :p

These three will help loosen up tight hips/glutes pretty nicely
  • Couch Stretch (chair, sofa, wall etc)
  • Seated Piriformis Stretch ( a good one to do at work ;) )
  • Russian Baby Maker (not so good for work, you will get odd looks and probably escorted out :p)
 
madindehead said:
About your fizik saddle. Did you look at the whole "Spine Concept" stuff? Or just picked a saddle you thought would be comfy?

Applies to you too xdcx
Click to expand...

I had a look at it the whole spine concept thing and build of rider etc.
Since it was for racing and I am light and pretty flexible I just went straight for all the snake stuff for saddle and handlebars etc. I don't think the saddle so much is a big deal regards flexibility, but the bars definitely are because going from hoods to drops on the sname bars is pretty extreme, which suits me, but would not suit a lot of guys. I think vast majority of average type build cyclists would like the Arione, it's a very well rounded and comfy saddle, definitely not just for racing snakes like it hints at.
 
xdcx said:
I think vast majority of average type build cyclists would like the Arione, it's a very well rounded and comfy saddle, definitely not just for racing snakes like it hints at.
Click to expand...
Yeah I think the reviews I read around various Fizik saddles at the time steered me towards the Arione as I was after a firm flat saddle (supposed to help with sores/fatigue) which was also narrow. I would say I'm 'average build'. Although my shoulders and thighs are probably on the larger size for my height (and always have been).
BennyC said:
This isn't necessarily an indicator of increased hip flexibility/mobility rather improved lumbar & thoracic + traps & rhombs.
Click to expand...
Yeah those.

*tumbleweed & confused face*

They're the walking & cycling bits yeah? ;)

madindehead said:
I think someone is showing off about their flexibility :p I assume that's through yoga too right ;)
Click to expand...
Just time spent in FT's company ;)
I've got short legs too!
 
Haha yeah I figured lower back ('lumbar support' from seating). As I've increased my miles and power this year (with weight loss) my core has got loads better/stronger! :)
 
So.......the NFTO bibs. A few colleagues asked why and how I've gained a 'camel-toe'. I think someone else mentioned earlier in the thread. So buy with caution! I placed an order for another 3 before realising :D
 
My stock Ultegra 6800 chain appears to have a quick link already in it. In a couple of weeks it'll be taken off and refitted.

Forgive the novice in me but these are reusable right? Just I swear I saw some on Wiggle that suggested they weren't? Or do they have a limited lifespan?


Could do with a clean I know...

9mmo3qC.png

Also another question...I'm not suite sure if my bike (Giant Propel A1 2016) has sealed cables or not. The underside has this, which I thought was initially a cover but the cables do seem to run up and through in to the housings from what I can see inside the frame... I guess I could still feed un-sealed cables through this?...

jFcKeGx.png
 
Last edited:
Vonhelmet said:
I've got the day booked off work. I've got an imperial route planned that goes up the brickworks, Goyt valley, cat and fiddle (closed roads, y0, so no risk of speeding idiots if the timing fits) and then back to tatton. Now that the timings are out I can work out the practicalities of where to watch and whether it's possible, say, to catch it at one point and then make it to the finish line.

FT said he might be up for it as well.
Click to expand...

Quoting myself... The question will be whether it's possible to get from the top of the cat and fiddle to tatton park going via a short route before the pros can get there the long way round.

The answer is probably no, but I'll have to take a closer look at a map to be sure.

Edit: lol, not a chance. It's over 20 miles from the cat and fiddle inn to tatton park. Even descending like a maniac into Macclesfield you'd never make it in the 50 minutes to an hour that the pros will take going the long way round. Back to the drawing board.
 
Last edited:
KMC quick links can be reused, so shimano ones should be fine as well, given they're all made by KMC. SRAM ones apparently can't be reused, but some say you can manage it.

In other news, a guy I know has posted up a ride on strava from a crit he was in, complete with photos of his Rose Xeon with a broken drive side chainstay. Gutted. Too many wattz, clearly.
 
Argh. Had an off this morning - caught a drain cover as i was cornering - I was too busy looking out for pedestrians crossing on red to notice and there was a touch of drizzle which probably didn't help. Funny thing was there was an ambulance doing the rounds 50m away who patched me up!

I ended up heading into work but I realised I had a huge lump swollen out of my hip so realised it made sense to go to A & E. After lots of waiting around I got an x-ray and thankfully all was good - so good I might be back on the bike early next week!

Oh and thankfully the canyon is fine - scratched shifter and that's about it. Thankfully it went down on the left!
 
oli collett said:
Argh. Had an off this morning - caught a drain cover as i was cornering - I was too busy looking out for pedestrians crossing on red to notice and there was a touch of drizzle which probably didn't help. Funny thing was there was an ambulance doing the rounds 50m away who patched me up!

I ended up heading into work but I realised I had a huge lump swollen out of my hip so realised it made sense to go to A & E. After lots of waiting around I got an x-ray and thankfully all was good - so good I might be back on the bike early next week!

Oh and thankfully the canyon is fine - scratched shifter and that's about it. Thankfully it went down on the left!
Click to expand...

Glad to hear you (and the bike) are ok!

Regarding Sidi shoe sizing (looking at you here Roady): How did you find they size up to the size guide? Does the size of shoes you have match what the guide says you should be wearing?
 
Last edited:
madindehead said:
Regarding Sidi shoe sizing (looking at you here Roady): How did you find they size up to the size guide? Does the size of shoes you have match what the guide says you should be wearing?
Click to expand...

I'm a size 8 and ordered a size 43 of these: https://www.acycles.co.uk/sidi-genius-5-fit-carbon-cycling-shoes-5731.html#null

Fit nicely! :)

Bit of a shopping spree to cheer my day up a bit considering I've been working since a 6AM call out (Which pays for most of this :p):

NFTO Black Jersey
NFTO Black Bib-Shorts
DHB EQ2.5
2 x Stealth Elite Bottlecages
2 x Black Elite Bottles
2 x 80mm Innertubes
Race Fit Club Kit - http://www.beaconrcc.org.uk/index.html

Looking at some water resistant leg warmers and arm warmers as this rain is getting on my nerves. Might take a stab at the DHB Rain Defence as they're £44 for the pair.
 
Last edited:
oli collett said:
Argh. Had an off this morning - caught a drain cover as i was cornering - I was too busy looking out for pedestrians crossing on red to notice and there was a touch of drizzle which probably didn't help. Funny thing was there was an ambulance doing the rounds 50m away who patched me up!

I ended up heading into work but I realised I had a huge lump swollen out of my hip so realised it made sense to go to A & E. After lots of waiting around I got an x-ray and thankfully all was good - so good I might be back on the bike early next week!

Oh and thankfully the canyon is fine - scratched shifter and that's about it. Thankfully it went down on the left!
Click to expand...

Ouch. Good thing paramedics were nearby on hand.. hope it all heals quickly!

After I had a crash with a car in January I went to a walk-in thing two days later just in case I had fractured wrist as it was quite swollen. They were less than helpful, especially as "x-ray has closed already".

I made a mistake with a pothole and drain cover combo in Chertsey on Saturday. Went round the bend quite fast and swerved to avoid a pothole, then a drain cover and found myself heading towards the oncoming kerb. Some leaning and I just about avoided it by inches.. fortunately dry weather!


On road shoes... tempted to try some Sidis or something. Not seeing any particularly cheap Mavics in my size turn up and I'm still running Mavic MTB shoes... though the cleats still seem to be good 5000+ miles on :D
 
I tried taking taurine before bed last night....Wow I had the best night's sleep I've had in years. I usually wake up several times a night, but didn't at all last night.
As someone else previously mentioned, I did struggle a little to wake up this morning, but found the morning commute much less of a chore.
Mixed the stuff with a tiny bit of water, and couldn't really taste a thing (perhaps a very slight bitterness).

I've got a couple of weeks off after Friday, so I'll experiment a bit more. Interested to see how long I'll sleep without an alarm going off.
 
So I spent a good hour or so cleaning my bike yesterday, so I could ride it this morning, only to find it's now shifting up gears by itself randomly. Happens regardless of which gear it is in, and regardless of speed/cadence.

Any pointers (think idiot guide with pictures) as I am terrible at gear adjustment and don't want to make it worse :)
 
ThaReaperGuy said:
Which Sidi's are you going for?
Click to expand...

Carbon Wire or the Kaos.

janp said:
I tried taking taurine before bed last night....Wow I had the best night's sleep I've had in years. I usually wake up several times a night, but didn't at all last night.
As someone else previously mentioned, I did struggle a little to wake up this morning, but found the morning commute much less of a chore.
Mixed the stuff with a tiny bit of water, and couldn't really taste a thing (perhaps a very slight bitterness).

I've got a couple of weeks off after Friday, so I'll experiment a bit more. Interested to see how long I'll sleep without an alarm going off.
Click to expand...

How much did you take? 1g?

I use the Sleep as Android alarm which wakes me within a 30 min time window of the alarm time: So I'm intrigued to see how that works when taking taurine or ZMA. It tracks movement to ensure you wake up at the least intrusive part of the sleep cycle.
 
Last edited:
madindehead said:
How much did you take? 1g?

I use the Sleep as Android alarm which wakes me within a 30 min time window of the alarm time: So I'm intrigued to see how that works when taking taurine or ZMA. It tracks movement to ensure you wake up at the least intrusive part of the sleep cycle.
Click to expand...

I'm not really sure, I brought 250g via myprotein. The packet suggested 2.5 scoops (the scooper is tiny!) per serving. I took 2 scoops. I'll weigh it out tonight and see how much a scoop is (I'm guessing 1g).

I've used those sleep monitors/alarm apps before, and hated it. I usually get up at 6:30, but found the app always woke me up about 5:30, and it just made me angry knowing I could have had another hours sleep.

By the way, myprotein have taurine (and other aminos) currently on 50% offer (using code: AMINO). It ends at midnight, but if you want to try taurine 250g currently costs £3.24 + delivery.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom