Man of Honour
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- 16 May 2005
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- Manchester
Road Cycling
- Thread starter Zefan
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Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2009
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- 14,064
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- France, Alsace
I love my Bianchi, but I didn't pay anywhere near the advertised price, so that's OK 
You'll find any of those a world apart from the 29er. Coming from grips/triggers you probably wouldn't notice much difference between 105 and Ultegra so don't let that dictate your decision. They both have 11 gears and Tiagra has 10.
If it were me I'd decide between the Blue Advanced 3 (with 105 from the Advanced 2) for £1250 or the Red/White Advanced 1 (with Ultegra) for £1350. For you it is basically a colour choice although you do get a better groupset for the £100 difference. For the price difference I'd choose the Ultegra without a second thought, but then I'm also a fan of multiple coloured frames and white ones in general!
I'd argue that the HY/RDs are better, but they're half hydraulic I guess
That's why I asked ;D
I went through two sets of the old versions of these, both of which snapped across the plastic bit along the top of the lense. They are quite a weak design if you swap the lenses out regularly and/or take them on and off a fair bit whilst riding. Personally, i wouldn't recommend.
I've been using some BBB triple lense ones for a couple of years or so now and they are miles better.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/bbb-select-sport-sunglasses/
They also fit a bit better, as my head is so narrow i sometimes have to wear children's party hats.
http://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/shop/team-sky-classic-mitts/product/CLM02
They arrived and are amazing quality... Quite a tight fit which if they stretch a little will be perfect (and will keep them), if they don't then they'll be a pain in the a** getting on and off (and I'll change them for Large)! Anyone got any Rapha Classics gloves?
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Dec 2004
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- 17,073
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- Shepley
I've got a pair of the Grand Tour gloves, I picked them up in a sample sale 2 years ago but I would happily pay RRP for them again (which is crazy considering what they cost). They still look like new and the padding on them is PERFECT, no stupid lumps that create pressure points, just a nice even dense foam that doesn't compress over time.
The only downside being leather is they stretch, and they're now a smidge on the big side. Still perfectly good though. I reckon in the same time I could have gone through 2 or 3 normal pairs of gloves so it's a case of buy cheap, buy twice.
If yours are tight now they should be a perfect fit once their broken in - think of them like a pair of shoes.
The only downside being leather is they stretch, and they're now a smidge on the big side. Still perfectly good though. I reckon in the same time I could have gone through 2 or 3 normal pairs of gloves so it's a case of buy cheap, buy twice.
If yours are tight now they should be a perfect fit once their broken in - think of them like a pair of shoes.
Sounds good! Goat leather ftw!
Their £40 tag (reduced from £70 & I can live with the Sky branding) is almost double the price I would normally pay for gloves (~£20) but I went through 4 different pairs before I settled on my GripGrab SuperGel's so I'm aware I don't want to buy cheap again. I need padding as suffer from numb hands without any!
Now the GripGrabs have stretched a little the padding is in the wrong places and they move around slightly as they're now too large. They were the best I could find with padding on the base of the thumb area for riding on the hoods... I've heard Specialised (SL Comps?) do some as well so may try a pair of those if I can track them down!
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one set of tektro pads wore my rims more than two sets of kool stop salmons as well.
Quick question: Do cycle helmets really have a life of 2 years or is this just something shops and helmet manufacturers want to make believe so you buy new ones more often? My old Met which has been worn daily in all weathers for over 4 years is starting to look a bit scratty so I was thinking of getting a new one anyway, I just wondered if there was any truth in the limited life of them?
Cheers
Dave
Cheers
Dave
Soldato
- Joined
- 8 Dec 2002
- Posts
- 20,782
- Location
- North Yorkshire
Not that I'm aware off. Although I'm not 100% sure.
You'll find any of those a world apart from the 29er. Coming from grips/triggers you probably wouldn't notice much difference between 105 and Ultegra so don't let that dictate your decision. They both have 11 gears and Tiagra has 10.
If it were me I'd decide between the Blue Advanced 3 (with 105 from the Advanced 2) for £1250 or the Red/White Advanced 1 (with Ultegra) for £1350. For you it is basically a colour choice although you do get a better groupset for the £100 difference. For the price difference I'd choose the Ultegra without a second thought, but then I'm also a fan of multiple coloured frames and white ones in general!
Someone made the decision for me and bought the last medium Advanced 3, so I think the Advanced 1 with Ultegra is the sensible way forward now!
I swear I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of rides I've had this year when it's not been annoyingly windy. It has been a rubbish year so far. Here's hoping for a mild, dry, calm winter...
Thinking ahead to winter, I've managed to win an Elite Crono Fluid trainer on ebay. Wiggle have it for £180, I've got it for £87 plus whatever it costs to drive 40 miles each way to fetch it.
Thinking ahead to winter, I've managed to win an Elite Crono Fluid trainer on ebay. Wiggle have it for £180, I've got it for £87 plus whatever it costs to drive 40 miles each way to fetch it.
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Man of Honour
- Joined
- 16 May 2005
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- 31,297
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- Manchester
The wind has definitely been strong this year. I remember the winter not being so bad but perhaps it's just that I didn't push much due to being horrendously ill.
Nice one, I picked up a Cycleops Mag a while back which had been "hardly used" turned out the guy never even assembled it properly and by hardly he meant never
Not great to use on Zwift though as they have their software calibrated to level 3 (of 5) so I can max out my 50/11 quite easily on short sprints.It has been quite a windy one this year. One of the downsides to flat Norfolk is that if the wind is blowing you are in it for the whole ride! I was thinking about "the rules" the other day when riding and thought, I wouldn't have a clue how silent or not my bike is as I always have that wind rushing sound every ride!
I'm thinking even further ahead to next year (
) and a possible change to the fleet. Currently I have my main bike (Dolomite) and my hack/bad weather bike (Claud Butler Hybrid) which both get used plenty but then I have my MTB which has done about 60 miles since July... 2013! Thing is that I love riding off road but I just don't get the chance any more. I wonder if one of these new do it all bikes is the answer but then where does that leave my main bike? First world problems and all that
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think you're bang on! I have to say tho, it has got me pushing harder through wind tho, which is not bad but I would be nice to have something different once in a while
I think the 2yr lifespan is from a safety aspect. It's the same for hard hats on building sites. Although they will last longer the manufacturer won't guarantee them after two years.
Had my Bike Fit earlier, bit of a result! Went well and quite a few changes! Around 20mm extra height on my saddle and a slight tweak of the angle, shorter (-10mm) stem. My sit bones are 'fairly normal', does 23cm sound right? (can't remember what was said). So my saddle (Charge Spoon) is ok.
My numb right toes (on longer, harder rides) which I'd put down to cleat/shoes is only slightly related to them... The arches of my feet are quite high and the one on my left foot is collapsing as I pedal, this in turn is putting the pressure on my right foot and my right knee is moving laterally slightly each pedal stroke which is making me rock from side to side slightly as I pedal (would explain some of the extra soreness). They're ordering me some Specialized shoe inserts (one up from Blues which are 15mm and I tried) as they were out of stock, have fitted a shim to my left shoe as well to give my foot more stability. So I've gone from thinking it's a problem with my right cleat to it being a problem from my left arch and lack of left toe strength! The increased of saddle height has improved my pedalling efficiency and once I have the inserts I should see improvements of comfort.
Now for the 'result' part... I know most of the staff at this LBS and go on 'saturday social' road rides with them, so the guy doing the fit said 'no charge for regulars' when it came to pay! He said as I ride with them (and bought the bike from them) it was all part of the service!
I'm fully expecting to pay for the inserts when they come in, but I think I'll go back to them when it comes to changing shoes (+ cleats) next spring rather than doing it myself.
Did a quick 10 mile blast home afterwards to try it out - I feel faster and that I'm getting more from each pedal stroke already... Even with the brutal winds today! The bottom of the stroke I am still slightly stretching for but I think that's probably more the change than any real problem. Fully expecting it'll get better as my pedalling technique straightens once I get my inserts.
I've decided to send my Raphas back, they're just too tight and having Blue Sky branding is a bit meh - just none of my kit is really blue! Something I've struggled with for a while! I always end up with Black/Grey/Yellow/Red!
I'm probably going to try the Specialised SL Comps unless anyone else has a padded glove recommendation? Ideally I need padding on the thumb base 'pad' area for riding on the hoods.
Unless anyone wants some Rapha Sky Classics in Medium, at cost (£40)? (Rapha site is down but will link them when back up).
I'm going away to the gower for a few days but will be getting a ride in on Monday when we return (if I can!). Have a great long weekend everyone!
The hard hats on building sites age due to the UV 'wear' on them from a sunlight aspect, the same is true of chainsaw helmets. Once the plastic has been exposed to UV rays it loses it's flex and will shatter rather than absorbing an impact.
I guess the same is true of Cycling helmets, yet ours are made less and less of plastic and more of foam and padding (which won't age the same). I guess many builders/chainsaw helmets will have many knocks and bangs and are made to be durable, this is less of an aspect of cycling helmets as they're made to absorb one bigger impact regardless of if the helmet survives or not.
Great deal! Less than 100 all in then with fuel! Unless you're driving the same as SoliD...
Get a CX with guards and discs (winter hack & offroad in 1) then you can sell the MTB and hybrid!
My numb right toes (on longer, harder rides) which I'd put down to cleat/shoes is only slightly related to them... The arches of my feet are quite high and the one on my left foot is collapsing as I pedal, this in turn is putting the pressure on my right foot and my right knee is moving laterally slightly each pedal stroke which is making me rock from side to side slightly as I pedal (would explain some of the extra soreness). They're ordering me some Specialized shoe inserts (one up from Blues which are 15mm and I tried) as they were out of stock, have fitted a shim to my left shoe as well to give my foot more stability. So I've gone from thinking it's a problem with my right cleat to it being a problem from my left arch and lack of left toe strength! The increased of saddle height has improved my pedalling efficiency and once I have the inserts I should see improvements of comfort.
Now for the 'result' part... I know most of the staff at this LBS and go on 'saturday social' road rides with them, so the guy doing the fit said 'no charge for regulars' when it came to pay! He said as I ride with them (and bought the bike from them) it was all part of the service!
I'm fully expecting to pay for the inserts when they come in, but I think I'll go back to them when it comes to changing shoes (+ cleats) next spring rather than doing it myself.
Did a quick 10 mile blast home afterwards to try it out - I feel faster and that I'm getting more from each pedal stroke already... Even with the brutal winds today! The bottom of the stroke I am still slightly stretching for but I think that's probably more the change than any real problem. Fully expecting it'll get better as my pedalling technique straightens once I get my inserts.
I've decided to send my Raphas back, they're just too tight and having Blue Sky branding is a bit meh - just none of my kit is really blue! Something I've struggled with for a while! I always end up with Black/Grey/Yellow/Red!
I'm probably going to try the Specialised SL Comps unless anyone else has a padded glove recommendation? Ideally I need padding on the thumb base 'pad' area for riding on the hoods.
Unless anyone wants some Rapha Sky Classics in Medium, at cost (£40)? (Rapha site is down but will link them when back up).
I'm going away to the gower for a few days but will be getting a ride in on Monday when we return (if I can!). Have a great long weekend everyone!
The hard hats on building sites age due to the UV 'wear' on them from a sunlight aspect, the same is true of chainsaw helmets. Once the plastic has been exposed to UV rays it loses it's flex and will shatter rather than absorbing an impact.
I guess the same is true of Cycling helmets, yet ours are made less and less of plastic and more of foam and padding (which won't age the same). I guess many builders/chainsaw helmets will have many knocks and bangs and are made to be durable, this is less of an aspect of cycling helmets as they're made to absorb one bigger impact regardless of if the helmet survives or not.
Great deal! Less than 100 all in then with fuel! Unless you're driving the same as SoliD...
I'm thinking even further ahead to next year (
Get a CX with guards and discs (winter hack & offroad in 1) then you can sell the MTB and hybrid!
Associate
- Joined
- 23 Aug 2004
- Posts
- 1,493
Just made it to Norwich from London
http://www.strava.com/activities/379964871
I'm attempting to raise a bit of cash for a mental health charity, campaign against living miserably, which deals with clinical depression in men. Accepting any donation gratefully!
https://www.justgiving.com/London-Norwich-London/
http://www.strava.com/activities/379964871
I'm attempting to raise a bit of cash for a mental health charity, campaign against living miserably, which deals with clinical depression in men. Accepting any donation gratefully!
https://www.justgiving.com/London-Norwich-London/
How much does it cost for a proper bike fit? I think i might need one. I adjusted my seat this morning so that my leg is straight on the down pedal as i didn't realise just how low my seat was until this morning. I've just had an almost 11 mile ride home from work and i don't know whether it's fluke, or whether it's because of the changes i made, or just because i'm starting to get used to riding (too early?) but my average speed has jumped by 2mph compared to all my other rides so far. I didn't have a headwind either. I also noticed i don't feel as tired after this ride either. I'm going to break 20miles in the next couple of days anyway, i'll see what results i get then.
Or could it because my lycra turned up from China, and i wore it. Impressions... I like it, for the £21 it cost me, it's a bargain. That said, i'll have to see how it washes, and how the padding lasts. I bought a medium, and it's just about right, maybe i should have gone for large, like i say, i'll see how it washes. Anyway, go ahead, rip away
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