Road Cycling

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FrenchTart said:
I'm a bit suspicious of the mudguard clearance/eyelets on that.

Also, it's a triple on the front. Whilst not terrible it's generally worth just getting a compact if you can.
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Was thinking the same and doesn't seem to be in stock in any shops, just warehouse stock so can't see it in the flesh to tell.

And forgot who asked but my laptop is a standard 15.6", not too heavy, cycling with it wont be too bad if a rack is going to be a drawback on performance.
 
ThaReaperGuy said:
Was thinking the same and doesn't seem to be in stock in any shops, just warehouse stock so can't see it in the flesh to tell.

And forgot who asked but my laptop is a standard 15.6", not too heavy, cycling with it wont be too bad if a rack is going to be a drawback on performance.
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It was me that asked actually :) For a smallish laptop like that I'd definitely get a decent laptop rucksack and use that. You will sweat a little in the summer but it's really not that bad.

It's a diversive topic though. Some people utterly hate cycling with rucksacks. I personally think it's far less annoying that having a few extra KG on the back of your bike and having to use pannier bags with all the accompanying annoyances.
 
FrenchTart said:
It was me that asked actually :) For a smallish laptop like that I'd definitely get a decent laptop rucksack and use that. You will sweat a little in the summer but it's really not that bad.

It's a diversive topic though. Some people utterly hate cycling with rucksacks. I personally think it's far less annoying that having a few extra KG on the back of your bike and having to use pannier bags with all the accompanying annoyances.
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Sorry, lots of people with lots of advice!

I currently have a decent backpack to carry my laptop at the moment, so no harm in trying it first and seeing how I get on, has never troubled me in the past, plus we have showers at work if it really was that bad! :p

Whats the difference with the chainsets, you mentioned the other being a triple, what does a compact do differently?
 
ThaReaperGuy said:
Whats the difference with the chainsets, you mentioned the other being a triple, what does a compact do differently?
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A triple has three chainrings on the front and doubles and compacts have two. A double is generally 53 teeth and 39 teeth whilst a compact is 50 and 34. It will become a bit of a moot point in the next few years as fewer people make triples (they are only really needed for touring with heavy loads) and manufacturers are now producing cranks that can fit all the various ring sizes available on a single fitting.

For example I now run 52/36 on my winter bike and I can see this becoming a new standard.
 
Its more messing around to take care of and something that offers no advantages. As I said, it shouldn't be a deal breaker but there's certainly a reason to avoid them if you can.
 
Asprilla said:
That's easily solved.

Your favourite team is Molteni and your favourite rider is Eddy Merckx as everyone since then has been doping.

(And he might have been too).

I don't have a favourite team or rider either, it's all about the race and what happens on the day (although I do have a soft spot for Tommy Voeckler because he gurns hard and he clearly likes to suffer).
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Asprilla said:
La Vie Claire won the TdF In 1984 with Bernard Hinault and in 1985 with Greg LeMond.

The story of those two races, two of the best ever, can be found in Slaying The Badger by Richard Moore. It's one of the best cycling books I've ever read.
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See I know and have heard of Mercx and LeMond (mostly through watching youtube videos of Mercx & their battles!) so think I've seen footage of LeMonds '85 TdF win!

Reading cycling books would be a little beyond me. I don't have enough/any time to read at the moment (except on holidays!) so actually stopped my Procycling sub... I used to love a good book but now it's just easier to watch a film :(

FrenchTart said:
It was me that asked actually :) For a smallish laptop like that I'd definitely get a decent laptop rucksack and use that. You will sweat a little in the summer but it's really not that bad.

It's a diversive topic though. Some people utterly hate cycling with rucksacks. I personally think it's far less annoying that having a few extra KG on the back of your bike and having to use pannier bags with all the accompanying annoyances.
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I cycle with a rucksack and can't imagine using panniers - I like my bike to feel fast and me to be the slow part of the pairing! ;)

I got a 20L cycling specific one (Deuter Bike One), but anything with some kind of waist/chest strap would work well (helps hold it in place). You can get specific notebook capable carrying ones but if you then want to use it for other things (clothing/lunch/spares) you'll want at least 15L storage in addition to the capacity of the laptop. I half wish I'd got a 25L+ for the occasions I have to carry shoes... Mine has a 'helmet' carrier which doubles up to carry shoes (and has never carried a helmet in it's life!). There are many 'bag covers' for additional waterproofing - my Deuter came with a high-viz one which is excellent for the darker mornings/evenings! :)
 
Asprilla said:
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.
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my four are a winter road bike, a summer road bike, a mountain bike and a bike for leaving outside the pub.
 
FrenchTart said:
Indexing the gears on a triple can be massively more annoying than doing so on a double/compact/etc.
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Can honestly say, after doing over 11,000 miles on my old Trek, that I did not notice that.

Then again I think I ride more and worry about gears/clothing/whatever less than some of the people on here and I probably wouldn't have noticed anyway.
 
daveski said:
Can honestly say, after doing over 11,000 miles on my old Trek, that I did not notice that.

Then again I think I ride more and worry about gears/clothing/whatever less than some of the people on here and I probably wouldn't have noticed anyway.
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Perhaps people's points come across as being more forceful than they need to be but as this is an online forum that isn't too shocking I guess.

On the whole, triples definitely require a little more work to get right than doubles/compacts. In practice this may not be a big deal, especially for people that either get things done by the LBS or are handy with tools/are patient. Even so, I don't think it's wrong to offer a new cyclist advice on things to avoid to make their lives easier when it comes to looking after their bike.

I don't think many people on here really worry about clothing/gear that much aside from getting good value for money and/or making their lives easier. This is a far cry from a blingy bike forum.
 
Team kit is cool imo, if you want to wear it then i would wear it. Some people dont like it and thats also cool but for me, i would wear what ever you want to. Ive got some Team Sky kit, the bright pink T Mobile for my commute, a Argos Shimano kit i won, various pieces. Also have some plain Aldi kit, Rapha, Castelli but i always prefer to wear team jerseys:)

For me i like the team kit because its well made stuff and also stands out more when riding, strangely, considering its black, the Team Sky stuff with the blue line stands out really well.

I bought one of the blue Rapha Sky training tops for this year and im looking forward to wearing it because its well made, fits great and also shows a bit of love to Team Sky ;)

I can fully understand people when they say that team kit should only be worn by team riders, but most people will never get there. World Champions i can understand but team kit, i dont understand. I hear it compared to football kits on many occasions but this is accepted that if you wear a kit you are a supporter. Cyclists are different because you can have a favourite team, fav rider, even fav sponsor i guess.

I see it as being a fan of cycling, not one team.

Saying that, if you wear say a Team Sky top and Astana shorts you deserve a slap:D
 
FrenchTart said:
On the whole, triples definitely require a little more work to get right than doubles/compacts. In practice this may not be a big deal, especially for people that either get things done by the LBS or are handy with tools/are patient. Even so, I don't think it's wrong to offer a new cyclist advice on things to avoid to make their lives easier when it comes to looking after their bike.
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Campag don't index the front, you get a free range of movement between the limit screws, which is quite frankly, superb.

and I speak as someone who's indexed triples for MTBs hundreds of times.
 
Saytan said:
Campag don't index the front, you get a free range of movement between the limit screws, which is quite frankly, superb.

and I speak as someone who's indexed triples for MTBs hundreds of times.
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I can't imagine that TheReaperGuy is likely to get Campag on his ~£500 road bike :)
 
Kimi said:
Team kit is cool imo, if you want to wear it then i would wear it. Some people dont like it and thats also cool but for me, i would wear what ever you want to. Ive got some Team Sky kit, the bright pink T Mobile for my commute, a Argos Shimano kit i won, various pieces. Also have some plain Aldi kit, Rapha, Castelli but i always prefer to wear team jerseys:)
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Thanks for that Kimi, really reassured me...!

I currently don't have a group of cycling friends... I have 'people I kindof know who kindof cycle'. I'm hoping to change that by getting on some of the local social rides.

I don't generally care what people 'think' of me - as I've generally always been quite independant, I was just after some unbiased opinions so I don't look like a complete dick to strangers who cycle! :D

Also it goes back to me trying to get 'more for my money' - if I can wear last year/last decades kit (doesn't bother me) and save money. I would hopefully get a good quality jersey within my budget which I otherwise wouldn't be able to afford... Which has also made me think twice about that site - they're just too cheap & don't mention a clothing brand!

Understand that many teams wear kit made by Ralpha, many pro's I see wearing Castelli/Santini etc so cheap unbranded 'team kit' really isn't 'official' (and therefore good quality) kit. :rolleyes:
 
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