Road Cycling

merlin · 24 Jan 2022 at 14:55

Trifid said:
Documenting for future reference but might be useful for others; Fitting Continental GP5000TL to Mavic Cosmic Pro UST carbon rims. Before discovering this method I took the wheels to the local bike shop and none of them could make it work.

Put the tyre in the oven for no more then 5 minutes on a low temperature (gas mark 1). Put a bit of lubricant around the centre of the rim.

Working quickly while tyre is hot
Put one side of the tyre into the centre channel all the way round, starting opposite from the valve
By hand put the other side into the centre of the rim until you get about 1/3 left
Using levers get the next bit in, working a bit each side by levering them over the edge of the rim, favouring one side.
At about 1/4 you'll have about 2" of tyre to still get over the centre and it will be super tight. It looks impossible.
At all times hold the tyre lever in on the side closest to the valve core, do not let this release
Now use the tyre bead seating tool to lift the lip of the tyre one inch away from the tyre lever and while the strongest friend you have pushes the tyre lever towards the valve core with all their strength.
Once on air leaked around the valve stopping inflation so just needed to press the tyre down by hand above the valve.

It is possible to fit in less then 5 minutes this way. Unless your name is Ganesha, you are not fitting this tyre solo. You are not fitting this tyre without a bead seating tool. I don't think I'll be a repeat customer and expect I'll be replacing once half worn to reduce puncture risk.

Now need to get a sealant injector as it will be impossible to fill it up while putting this wheel in with the amount of work needed to do the last bit. Got some air leaking out by the bead/rim edge on the front wheel which I expect will seal OK afterwards.

I've got a similar worry - GP5000 non TL on Roval carbon rims - insanely difficult to get on in the warmth of the house, god help me if I ever needed to fix a puncture out on the road in the cold/rain. They are the sole reason I now carry three tyre levers and two tubes as I'm banking on the certainty I will pinch a tube and snap a lever. At 50% they're coming off and going onto my kids bikes.

Lethal` · 24 Jan 2022 at 16:00

fez said:
Right, got myself a road bike because I need to do some more exercise and over the winter I don't tend to get out on the MTB much.

What budget indoor trainer setups are you guys all using?

Budget of lets say £400. Literally just have bike.

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/the-indoor-riding-zwift-trainerroad-etc-thread.18757601/

Best asking in here for the turbo hermit crowd.

UTmaniac · 24 Jan 2022 at 16:38

fez said:
Right, got myself a road bike because I need to do some more exercise and over the winter I don't tend to get out on the MTB much.

What budget indoor trainer setups are you guys all using?

Budget of lets say £400. Literally just have bike.

Slightly over that budget, but SALE10 makes https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/elite-direto-smart-turbo-trainer/rp-prod177808 ~£450.

I've had one since their release (Xmas '18?), generally good fun, response in ERG mode is so-so but fine for my needs. Newer turbos like the Saris H3 are much better for ERG at least, but you won't get one of them new for £450 anytime soon.

PikeyPriest · 24 Jan 2022 at 19:12

fez said:
Right, got myself a road bike because I need to do some more exercise and over the winter I don't tend to get out on the MTB much.

What budget indoor trainer setups are you guys all using?

Budget of lets say £400. Literally just have bike.

I’ve been happy with the KickR snap, think it is around £420 so slightly over budget. I’ve used it for 18 months with no issues. Great wheel on trainer. The direct drives are superior, but more expensive. If you can stretch your budget then the trainer above that Utmaniac linked would be a great purchase.

kidloco · 24 Jan 2022 at 19:30

One More Solo said:
A quick hose down as soon as you get back plus giving the chain a wipe and re-lube will save you loads of time vs dumping it in the shed and worrying about it in a few days. Most dirt will just rinse off while it's still damp and you'll avoid rust from road salt.

Been trying to do this, or at the very least a 5 min wash the day after. Spray of much off then a really quick wash. It’s the first time I’ve spent a decent wad of cash on a bike. Plus more money spent on upgrades. Would be miffed to see it trashed because of our bad weather.

A second road bike isn’t really an option. I’ve bought a hard tail for when the weather gets really cold and the roads are caked in crap. I’ve only used it once though since I bought it 3 weeks ago.

Would like to go out most nights but since my off, if the weather is sketchy I don’t risk it.

VeNT · 25 Jan 2022 at 00:01

I've done it.
I've ordered the bike I've been drooling over since I first saw it.
With any luck it'll be my "forever" bike.
Christ I'm going to have to lose some weight to make it worth it...

Planetx Tempest.
to say I'm excited is an understatement.
only 3 months to wait...

AndyCr15 · 25 Jan 2022 at 08:26

Nice! 3 months is perhaps perfect timing too, for the nice weather and the clocks will have changed and everything

Shouldn't it be in a gravel thread though

I watched that GCN video of Hank in the US in Fayetteville and wow, the gravel looked beautiful. I think if I lived over there I could really get into it, I've just not seen nice gravel over here? (Not in Herts anyway!)

SoliD · 25 Jan 2022 at 08:49

AndyCr15 said:
Nice! 3 months is perhaps perfect timing too, for the nice weather and the clocks will have changed and everything Shouldn't it be in a gravel thread though

I watched that GCN video of Hank in the US in Fayetteville and wow, the gravel looked beautiful. I think if I lived over there I could really get into it, I've just not seen nice gravel over here? (Not in Herts anyway!)

Doesn't exist over here like that as we don't have the miles and miles of fire track they do as it's obviously not such a concern over here, where we do it's great but it is few and far between unfortunately.

VeNT · 25 Jan 2022 at 12:44

Email today from planet X
Delivery date 17th!
Of Feb!

While we don't have "Gravel" like they do in 'Murica, have you ever ridden on Cornish Roads?
Gravel would be an improvement.

Martynt74 · 25 Jan 2022 at 13:05

fez said:
Right, got myself a road bike because I need to do some more exercise and over the winter I don't tend to get out on the MTB much.

What budget indoor trainer setups are you guys all using?

Budget of lets say £400. Literally just have bike.

Also worth looking on Facebook. There are lots of budget options on there if you just want some resistance for indoor cycling and a wheel on Turbo like the Tacx Flow or Kickr Snap would be fine and ~£150-£200 if you didn't want to get into Zwift.

fez · 25 Jan 2022 at 16:19

Thanks for all the replies guys. It sounds like most people need some sort of stimulus to actually put in the miles on an indoor trainer so I was thinking I would use something like Zwift. Do any of you just do it in front of the TV and not get distracted?

SoliD · 25 Jan 2022 at 16:38

@fez https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/the-indoor-riding-zwift-trainerroad-etc-thread.18757601/

fez · 25 Jan 2022 at 18:42

SoliD said:
@fez https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/the-indoor-riding-zwift-trainerroad-etc-thread.18757601/

Thats a long ol' thread!

Trifid · 25 Jan 2022 at 20:26

fez said:
Thanks for all the replies guys. It sounds like most people need some sort of stimulus to actually put in the miles on an indoor trainer so I was thinking I would use something like Zwift. Do any of you just do it in front of the TV and not get distracted?

Isn't being distracted the key to long zwift sessions? I pick out some Netflix etc to watch.

VeNT · 25 Jan 2022 at 20:43

Trifid said:
Isn't being distracted the key to long zwift sessions? I pick out some Netflix etc to watch.

I thought the key was to procrastinate until you don't have time anymore?

fez · 25 Jan 2022 at 21:06

Trifid said:
Isn't being distracted the key to long zwift sessions? I pick out some Netflix etc to watch.

I have just heard that some people get too distracted if they watch a show and don't actually do the exercise they intended to do.

AndyCr15 · 25 Jan 2022 at 21:48

Use ERG mode and that can't really happen. It adjusts the power you need to turn the pedals for you, so you just sit and watch whatever and pedal away...

SoliD · 26 Jan 2022 at 10:15

fez said:
Thats a long ol' thread!

Full of a wealth of information! Best to post in there for advise as you'll get more targeted responses, plus most searches should pull back what you're after.

fez · 26 Jan 2022 at 10:32

SoliD said:
Full of a wealth of information! Best to post in there for advise as you'll get more targeted responses, plus most searches should pull back what you're after.

Cheers, in there now!

Junglist · 27 Jan 2022 at 22:06

Been thinking about my yearly target I set and the ‘prize’ I had set myself. 3000 miles and I’m allowed to get myself either a carbon wheelset or power meter. Initially I was leaning towards to a power meter but now I’m going back towards a carbon wheelset. Purely from a vanity point of view I really like the look of Zipp 404s especially as I can get them on Cyclescheme but I need to do more research to see what my options are.

My issue is I’m starting to realise in the cycling world I’m probably carrying a bit too much timber at 86kg (there is no way I’d get down to 60s. I’d look emaciated even around the middle 70s) but am I just too large for carbon wheels? I’m sure if I keep up my current activity I’ll probably get down to 80 by the end of the year but what are the larger guys among you using? - assuming there are!