Soldato
http://bikes.merlincycles.com/search#w=Craft Baselayer sale?
Price match works fine did it last year on some extendo bib shorts
Road Cycling
- Thread starter Zefan
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http://bikes.merlincycles.com/search#w=Craft Baselayer sale?
Price match works fine did it last year on some extendo bib shorts
Caporegime
That minus sign at the front doesn't count as an extra figure y'know
I'd settle for single figure temps if we could have single figure wind as well!!
Soldato
You've got it tough up north, I've been wearing knee warmers and shorts the last week or two. Set to get up to 15 degrees this week.
Soldato
It's random here! One day it's like 10.. Next is 4-6.. Then -1 in the morning.. ! Still in base layer and shorts but had a couple of days with T-shirt only already! Can't wait for proper warm weather!
Associate
Blizzard here today. No signs of winter being over in the near future either. Temp rising towards the end of the week, but cue the gale force winds and torrential rain to go with them.
In other news, quite tough TR workout tonight - 4*10mins at 100% threshold:
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/1779478-Lamarck
It's just horrible the way the hurt slowly builds over the course of each interval.
Tbh i can't work out where i'm at fitness wise at the moment. Was going ok until a few weeks back, then had some teeth out, got ill and hurt my back. Came back to riding again at the w/end there but got totally pumped in our saturday bunch ride. Off the back before we got a third of the way round. But then tonight i couldn't be much more bang on the money with my efforts in that workout.
God knows if i'm actually in a better place than i was this time last year.
In other news, quite tough TR workout tonight - 4*10mins at 100% threshold:
http://www.trainerroad.com/cycling/rides/1779478-Lamarck
It's just horrible the way the hurt slowly builds over the course of each interval.
Tbh i can't work out where i'm at fitness wise at the moment. Was going ok until a few weeks back, then had some teeth out, got ill and hurt my back. Came back to riding again at the w/end there but got totally pumped in our saturday bunch ride. Off the back before we got a third of the way round. But then tonight i couldn't be much more bang on the money with my efforts in that workout.
God knows if i'm actually in a better place than i was this time last year.
Soldato
Yeah, I currently have a CycleOps Jet Fluid Pro. It's a really nice turbo. I love it really. But I wanted to be able to set the power, and just get on with the workout. I know it sounds lame, but I find focusing on the power very tiresome (I run TrainerRoad in virtual power mode) so keeping the set gear and cadence to maintain the power becomes draining. I know I'd ride like that on the road, but on the turbo I want to turn off and and focus on grinding out the watts. If that makes sense.
Man of Honour
No arguments there. The wind has been insane for the last few days
I'm planning to move to shorts and such towards the end of this week. I'm *really* hoping that the move towards almost double-digit temperatures means I can get away with it without too much pain. I've done a few rides in fingerless gloves recently too so that's something else I want to move to for all rides.
That's quite an interesting and tough looking workout. I might have to try it once my legs are a bit more recovered.
Associate
Tough, yes. Interesting, absolutely not. No variety to it, just the mental war of attrition to keep your legs going til the end of each interval. Short recovery periods are killer too.
Man of Honour
Caporegime
OK, still trying to find a route into Manchester that is both safe and not 29 million miles longer than I want for a commute.
I tried NCN 55 this evening. What a joke. A national embarrassment. If that's at all representative of our National Cycling Network, then we are screwed. The route I'd come up with would involve about 4 miles on road, 3 miles on the NCN off-road bit, and then just under 6 miles back on the road going into central Manchester. Well, those 3 miles would be miserable on 38mm tyres, let alone on a bike you'd actually want to use for the remaining 10 miles of the journey. The surface is atrocious; there's unruly trees either side, and occasionally growing right out of the middle of the path, which is lovely; there's slopes with dodgy steps which are not good going down and would be impassable going up short of getting off the bike; it's unlit of course, so you can't see any of these delights until it's too late unless you're going at 3mph... I got partway along and found it was closed, so had to trek back to the road and find out where I was. In principle it was looking OK, in terms of getting me to the right place, so I figured I'd go to the other end of the bit I need to use and see what it was like. I picked it up in Monton for the return leg. It's been resurfaced, albeit with quite a coarse surface, so not ideal, but it'd do, particularly if I cut it down to just the mile or so I need to do on it to avoid the really ropey motorway junction bit. I was glad I had my lights because a tree had fallen across the path at one point and without lights I'd have ridden into it which would have been very entertaining, I'm sure. I came to the other end of the closure, around about the point that the decent surface ran out, so I'm presuming they're doing something to improve the surface, but I'm not holding my breath. Still, by that point I was back at a road I could find my way home from. A bit out of the way, so not ideal for commuting, but hey ho. The bit where I stopped was in a weird little dip, with little walls either side of the cycle path. I've realised now that it's the remnants of a railway station - the cycle path must follow the old railway line from Leigh to Manchester.
So, not really a huge success, but I may yet be able to work something out.
Still, I have properly got the fury about the state of the NCN. This needs to be our motorway network - something we can use to travel long distances away from major roads, and then just use the surface roads to get to our local destinations. As it is, it's a nightmare. Useless.
I tried NCN 55 this evening. What a joke. A national embarrassment. If that's at all representative of our National Cycling Network, then we are screwed. The route I'd come up with would involve about 4 miles on road, 3 miles on the NCN off-road bit, and then just under 6 miles back on the road going into central Manchester. Well, those 3 miles would be miserable on 38mm tyres, let alone on a bike you'd actually want to use for the remaining 10 miles of the journey. The surface is atrocious; there's unruly trees either side, and occasionally growing right out of the middle of the path, which is lovely; there's slopes with dodgy steps which are not good going down and would be impassable going up short of getting off the bike; it's unlit of course, so you can't see any of these delights until it's too late unless you're going at 3mph... I got partway along and found it was closed, so had to trek back to the road and find out where I was. In principle it was looking OK, in terms of getting me to the right place, so I figured I'd go to the other end of the bit I need to use and see what it was like. I picked it up in Monton for the return leg. It's been resurfaced, albeit with quite a coarse surface, so not ideal, but it'd do, particularly if I cut it down to just the mile or so I need to do on it to avoid the really ropey motorway junction bit. I was glad I had my lights because a tree had fallen across the path at one point and without lights I'd have ridden into it which would have been very entertaining, I'm sure. I came to the other end of the closure, around about the point that the decent surface ran out, so I'm presuming they're doing something to improve the surface, but I'm not holding my breath. Still, by that point I was back at a road I could find my way home from. A bit out of the way, so not ideal for commuting, but hey ho. The bit where I stopped was in a weird little dip, with little walls either side of the cycle path. I've realised now that it's the remnants of a railway station - the cycle path must follow the old railway line from Leigh to Manchester.
So, not really a huge success, but I may yet be able to work something out.
Still, I have properly got the fury about the state of the NCN. This needs to be our motorway network - something we can use to travel long distances away from major roads, and then just use the surface roads to get to our local destinations. As it is, it's a nightmare. Useless.
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Hardier than me. Still busting full leg warmers and can't see that changing soon. Altho only had long sleeve compression and gabba on on Sunday. Was comfy once I warmed up.
Very chilly tonight (2c) needed overshoes feet were frozen by time I got home. Finally rode the pinnacle properly, it is a very good bike, rolls very well and is pretty comfy over the rough roads. Chucked it off a few kerbs no problem.
The 5800 really us fantastic, altho disappointingly I need
to adjust the limit screw on front derailleur. Will be sending Evans an email for feedback. Shouldn't be leaving the workshop with such simple issues.
Soldato
I've decided that I want to cycle to work, the west midland buses are frustrating me & I'm bored of those yellow taxis in Derby!!
I'm stuck figuring out what bike I would need, and which route is best for me to take, I can either do 4 miles of canal into Birmingham & 1 mile of road or 5 miles of dual carriage way and a bypass which includes 2 roundabouts which morons are attracted to.
Figuring the canal would be better, what bike do I want to be buying? The paths aren't exactly great, mostly dirt/half slabbed but should it rain then I'd probably not even attempt it, for all other weathers what can handle that type of terrain and be half decent on the roads?
I'm stuck figuring out what bike I would need, and which route is best for me to take, I can either do 4 miles of canal into Birmingham & 1 mile of road or 5 miles of dual carriage way and a bypass which includes 2 roundabouts which morons are attracted to.
Figuring the canal would be better, what bike do I want to be buying? The paths aren't exactly great, mostly dirt/half slabbed but should it rain then I'd probably not even attempt it, for all other weathers what can handle that type of terrain and be half decent on the roads?
Caporegime
If you're going by canal I'd buy a canoe.
Srsly, it sounds like you want a cross bike with clearance for big fat tyres.
Are you happy with drop bars or do you want flat bars?
Srsly, it sounds like you want a cross bike with clearance for big fat tyres.
Are you happy with drop bars or do you want flat bars?
Soldato
Flat bars probably, but could get used to drop bars over a few cycle sessions.
Although I'm no Halford fan, this seems like too good of a deal, but the specs seem OK?
http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bik...-crixus-limited-edition-cyclocross-bike-2015?
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Caporegime
What's your budget? It's not a great bike, but it's certainly not terrible.
I do wish they'd get their details right... The specs say it has v-brakes, the description refers to dual pivot brakes, and the image shows cantis!
I do wish they'd get their details right... The specs say it has v-brakes, the description refers to dual pivot brakes, and the image shows cantis!
I have these rollers.... can't do the tricks though!
http://road.cc/content/news/144643-video-bored-winter-training-spice-it-road-bike-rollers-party
http://road.cc/content/news/144643-video-bored-winter-training-spice-it-road-bike-rollers-party
Soldato
Anybody had any issue when placing a first order with Planet X? I ordered up a toolkit yesterday morning but got an email saying the card registration and my address didn't match and required me to send them a utility bill with my address along with my phone number (put my mobile in during registration 
).
My billing address is my home address but i wanted it delivered to my work so i would receive it rather than have to pick it up from the sorting office.
).My billing address is my home address but i wanted it delivered to my work so i would receive it rather than have to pick it up from the sorting office.
Anybody had any issue when placing a first order with Planet X? I ordered up a toolkit yesterday morning but got an email saying the card registration and my address didn't match and required me to send them a utility bill with my address along with my phone number (put my mobile in during registration
My billing address is my home address but i wanted it delivered to my work so i would receive it rather than have to pick it up from the sorting office.
No problems here. My first order was a bike, and I got that delivered to work without any problems.
Man of Honour
As Von said, it's not great. If you can let us know your budget we can make suggestions.
Can you get any kind of bike2work scheme? That can help up the budget and pay towards helmet and other bits you'll need.
If you post a rough start and end point some of us may be able to suggest routes too
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