Road Cycling

Berger · 6 Mar 2015 at 07:43

Bday presents, plenty of cycling gear!

Couple of nice jerseys, couple of books, few dollars and a rapha gift voucher! Will need some more bibs to go with the massive number of jerseys I have now!

platypus · 6 Mar 2015 at 07:55

First long ride of the year since my accident planned this weekend. Looking forward to it, the weather is brilliant at the moment!

Vonhelmet · 6 Mar 2015 at 07:58

Saytan said:
I'm going to step up in defence of hybrids.

For normal people who just want to get around town, go to the shops etc, they're great.

Every bicycle is a compromise, it's just a matter of choosing the right compromise for you. Or owning four.

Only four?

Saytan · 6 Mar 2015 at 08:03

Vonhelmet said:
Only four?

at the moment aye. four is usually a good number and it has a high clarity-of-purpose level.

SDK^ · 6 Mar 2015 at 08:25

Nice lights

arknor · 6 Mar 2015 at 08:36

200 quid to look like a plonker, no thanks

FrenchTart · 6 Mar 2015 at 08:42

Calpol said:
Goodbye Gatorskins
After Saturdays off I have binned the Gatorskins. In fairness they have been reliable albeit heavy and a little sketchy at time but I have stopped being a tight arse and fitted 25mm Michelin Pro 4 Endurances.

Tonight I was pushed for time so opted for a shorter turbo session

http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/1792299-Vandever

I won't lie - I failed to make the end of the last interval and the 3rd one was tough too. Haven't done much VO2 max stuff and it showed!!

Nice work. I've failed two turbo sessions in a row. I think my main issue beyond anything else is pain tolerance. Cardio-wise I was breathing heavily but I wasn't dying or anything. I need to just HTFU or see if there's anything to do that can help (I'm guessing the answer to that is "more vo2max work") :/

ThaReaperGuy said:
So I have taken a look at the cycle2work scheme and now is the perfect time for me to opt into the scheme as my flex renewal is open now for the next few weeks. Looking at the calculators and what not it's impressive what savings you can make and am now highly interested.

My route consists of 5 miles into Birmingham, hop onto a train & then 3 miles from Derby station to Sinfin Lane, think the idea of using the canal into Birmingham might not be the best unless I get a really good cyclocross that can take the paths & then the roads.

Lets say I was to opt for £700, at roughly £40 a month, would this be a more reasonable budget for a bike + whatever else I need? I carry my work laptop with me every other week to cover on-call so would have that with me, so would need to factor in carrying a laptop, and such.

I've cancelled my bus pass, so have 30 days to get up and running otherwise I'm walking to Derby, determined to get up and cycling.

It sounds like you've already got some answers but I'll just add my two pennies too...

As already said, you don't need a CX bike for that kind of route. However, a disc brake-equipped bike that can take 25mm tyres and mudguards shouldn't be ruled out as disc brakes are awesome in the wet. That said, often disc-equipped bikes will be slightly heavier and/or lower spec in other ways. I personally think it's a worthwhile trade-off but others don't.

The Pinnacle Pyrolite and Dolomite 4 suggested look good to me (bearing in mind my love of disc brakes). The Dolomite 4 can only take 25mm tyres if you plan to fit mudguards but that really isn't an issue as 25mm is plenty unless you start riding on really sketchy terrain.

How big is the laptop you need to carry? I personally would be tempted to consider a decent rucksack for it rather than racks + rear bags. I utterly despise racks and having all that extra weight on your bike will slow you down, make it awkward to navigate turnstyles/etc and make getting on and off your train every day much more of a pain in the arse.

FrenchTart · 6 Mar 2015 at 08:43

James07 said:
AWE® AeroLite Men's Bicycle Helmet - Black/Green, Size 56-58

Have a Google for that helmet, the first two I bought were cheap and poor, this one cost a little more but is fantastic, genuinely noticed a huge difference with this. The fit, the weight, the air vents. Can't talk this up enough. It looks very nice too! The light that comes with it comes off easy if you don't want it on but is bright and has done me atleasts 50 hours so far without needing a new battery.

I've been cycling about a year and I had a 30mph crash downhill last year and landed head first on the road the day I got this thing and it scratched it.. Scratched.. no dents cracks or anything!

I hope you replaced the helmet after your crash?

Asprilla · 6 Mar 2015 at 08:53

Saytan said:
at the moment aye. four is usually a good number and it has a high clarity-of-purpose level.

I'll accept five but no lower.

Road bike
Winter Road / CX bike
Single Speed
Brompton
Hybrid / Shopper / Station Bike / Family bike

That covers me at the moment. If I had to come down to four then it would be the road bike that went as the Winter Road bike is proving to be excellent.

FrenchTart · 6 Mar 2015 at 08:55

You'd keep the Hybrid / Station Wagon? Ugh

Asprilla · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:00

FrenchTart said:
You'd keep the Hybrid / Station Wagon? Ugh

I use it for riding with the kids. There is no way I'm putting a rack, child seat and tag-along on any of the others so the hybrid has to stay.

Besides, it's a thing of beauty.

FrenchTart · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:01

To be fair, I've seen worse-looking hybrids.

I guess having kids changes your priorities too.

Vonhelmet · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:07

Dat headtube angle.

Asprilla · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:07

It's actually the bike I've had the longest. I think I bought it for £50 about 10 years ago as a station beater. Of course, back then it had crap wheels, canti brakes and gears.

It's also the only bike I would lock up in a public location and even then I'd think twice about it.

Dunks · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:10

One More Solo said:
Once you've crashed it you should replace it, even if there's no visible damage.

Yup, that energy from the 30 mph impact just didn't just magically disappear

FrenchTart · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:15

Dunks said:
Yup, that energy from the 30 mph impact just didn't just magically disappear

It's okay. His skull absorbed the impact so the helmet wasn't damaged.

Asprilla said:
It's actually the bike I've had the longest. I think I bought it for £50 about 10 years ago as a station beater. Of course, back then it had crap wheels, canti brakes and gears.

It's also the only bike I would lock up in a public location and even then I'd think twice about it.

Where do you live? Even in Manchester I've been okay with my silver secure lock. Tempted to move to gold for the new bike, though that would probably negate all the weight savings of the upgrade :/

Asprilla · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:16

I think we need a gallery thread so that people can see what bikes everyone has, just for reference. Brb, off to create a new thread.....

FrenchTart · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:19

Asprilla said:
I think we need a gallery thread so that people can see what bikes everyone has, just for reference. Brb, off to create a new thread.....

Only as long as we all pull sexy poses in our lycra whilst stood in front of them (soaping down the bike at the same time optional).

SoliD · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:20

Saytan said:
Every bicycle is a compromise, it's just a matter of choosing the right compromise for you. Or owning four.

Asprilla said:
I'll accept five but no lower.

Four is too low.

In order of value

TT Bike
Posh Road Bike (I need one of these)
Full Sus Mountain Bike (I need one of these)
CX Bike
Winter Road Bike
Hardtail Mountain Bike
Every day junk bike (I need one of these)

Asprilla said:
I think we need a gallery thread so that people can see what bikes everyone has, just for reference. Brb, off to create a new thread.....

Or just a sub forum to allow a thread like this to have a home.... (cmon Zefan)

James07 · 6 Mar 2015 at 09:33

One More Solo said:
Once you've crashed it you should replace it, even if there's no visible damage.

It was only a day old when I did it so I was reluctant to do it but I'll be changing it soon.