Road Cycling

[BennyC]

Which one? This sgs engineering one was noticeably cheaper than the Halfords equivalent and comes highly recommended. 90 quid delivered.

I went for a move able chest for the fact I can out all my car stuff in and wheel it onto the drive when required.

Yeah, I definitely want portability as often I fettle in the kitchen utility rather than the garage.

What's the construction/sturdiness like on the SGS you've got?

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...drawer-ball-bearing-tool-cabinet-chest-bundle

Which seems on par with:

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...drawer-ball-bearing-tool-cabinet-chest-bundle

Neither particularly cheap though but I want something that can take some abuse, is tank like and will last a lifetime.

10% BC discount makes the Halfords one £20 more which for the sake of convenience I'm prepared to pay but that SGS one is a bit of a bargain... hmmmm.

Edit:

Tool Cart Trolley & Workstation
&
Mechanics 8 Drawer Tool Box Chest & Roller Cabinet

/impulsive

 

[Roady]

That's one hell of a bundle saving considering the individual prices. Then again... Halfrauds.

 

[Jonny69]

I have this: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tool-5-to-11-spd-and-singlespeed-chain-tool/

Quality bit of kit.

I've had cheaper ones in the past and they have either broken, bent or failed at inserting joining pins into new chains. This one has been flawless.

I've got the cheaper version and carry it with me in my larger saddlebag - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/park-tool-chain-brute-chain-tool/

Have only used it a handful of times and worked perfectly. My cheapy PX one (came as part of a kit) was more trouble than it was worth, just not strong enough so flexed loads and the pin got bent.

I have the 'portable' one with a peening anvil I picked up for a fiver when the NFTO shop closed. Not used it yet, it folds down nicely but is probably twice the weight of the other!

All three of those look the business - cheers.

 

[SoliD]

Yeah, I definitely want portability as often I fettle in the kitchen utility rather than the garage.

What's the construction/sturdiness like on the SGS you've got?

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...drawer-ball-bearing-tool-cabinet-chest-bundle

Which seems on par with:

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-to...drawer-ball-bearing-tool-cabinet-chest-bundle

Neither particularly cheap though but I want something that can take some abuse, is tank like and will last a lifetime.

10% BC discount makes the Halfords one £20 more which for the sake of convenience I'm prepared to pay but that SGS one is a bit of a bargain... hmmmm.

Edit:

Tool Cart Trolley & Workstation
&
Mechanics 8 Drawer Tool Box Chest & Roller Cabinet

/impulsive

Same link, but just popped into Halfords to have a look and saw that bundle. The industrials are nice units with semi lock drawers.


Sgs seems fine. It's a bit thinner metal but for the price think that's expected. I think I'm gonna get the 5 drawer for 125 to supplement it and use as a mobile bench.

 

[BennyC]

Same link, but just popped into Halfords to have a look and saw that bundle. The industrials are nice units with semi lock drawers.


Sgs seems fine. It's a bit thinner metal but for the price think that's expected. I think I'm gonna get the 5 drawer for 125 to supplement it and use as a mobile bench.

Derp:

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/professional-14-drawer-roll-away-tool-chest-cabinet

Those two items are about £60 cheaper and would give me more storage options. Not sure what warranty the Halfords ranges come with and the SGS 60 day return is attractive.

 

[Jonny69]

Have a look at the blue Industrial range in Machine Mart. They're about the same price as Halfords roll cabs but a LOT more sturdy and will take a lot more abuse. The drawers are better and the steel is thicker. ONLY buy that Halfords Pro range if it's on offer or it's not worth the money in my opinion, because they're only really as good as the basic Clarke cabs.

 

[SoliD]

Have a look at the blue Industrial range in Machine Mart. They're about the same price as Halfords roll cabs but a LOT more sturdy and will take a lot more abuse. The drawers are better and the steel is thicker. ONLY buy that Halfords Pro range if it's on offer or it's not worth the money in my opinion, because they're only really as good as the basic Clarke cabs.

Currently half price. But will check out the equivalent before purchasing.

 

[BennyC]

Have a look at the blue Industrial range in Machine Mart. They're about the same price as Halfords roll cabs but a LOT more sturdy and will take a lot more abuse. The drawers are better and the steel is thicker. ONLY buy that Halfords Pro range if it's on offer or it's not worth the money in my opinion, because they're only really as good as the basic Clarke cabs.

I worked at Halfords in my teens and the standard red cabinets felt (& were) quite poor quality & construction. The pro and industrial ranges were much better.

Went for the SGS options I posted in the end, neighbours kindly taking delivery tomorrow, so will have a little project to do this weekend.

Also the rain forecast for this afternoon has been pushed back until mid evening with a 10% chance of rain, 26 degrees and sunny. So I don't have to spend 2 hours in the sauna on the turbo. But do now have a 10m TT effort with a 45 minute leg to & from on the agenda and legs that are already feeling rather heavy Excited to take the TT bike out now it's finished. Excuse the gum-walls from the Emonda not changing them over to the red Schwalbe One's for one ride when they have the same stats I'm sure the tape is a faux-pas

Will wear the same clothing as usual, bottles in cages etc and see how much time I can knock off (if any, legs willing) today. Wind is a little lower than previous attempts too

 

[Roady]

Derp:

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/professional-14-drawer-roll-away-tool-chest-cabinet

Liking the look of these 2... can't really commit to purchasing one until I've sorted my garage/pain cave really though... How regularly do they have a sale on?

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/gara...ts/stc500b-mobile-heavy-suty-3-piece-tool-box

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/gara...cc500-mechanics-tool-cart-trolley-workstation

Spoiler

Will wear the same clothing as usual, bottles in cages etc and see how much time I can knock off (if any, legs willing) today. Wind is a little lower than previous attempts too

Goodluck & enjoy. From my understanding of it you possibly won't find huge gains until you've adapted to the TT position as many roadie's find they 'lose' power when switching over, so don't see huge gains (but equally don't lose speed for the reduction in power). Bike is looking superb, although I've (personally) always hated how the Bontrager logo/decals look!

 

[BennyC]

Liking the look of these 2... can't really commit to purchasing one until I've sorted my garage/pain cave really though... How regularly do they have a sale on?

Not sure but I'm sure it won't be the last time. Will report on that mechanics stand as I've ordered one.

Goodluck & enjoy. From my understanding of it you possibly won't find huge gains until you've adapted to the TT position as many roadie's find they 'lose' power when switching over, so don't see huge gains (but equally don't lose speed for the reduction in power). Bike is looking superb, although I've (personally) always hated how the Bontrager logo/decals look!

Interestingly, using VP from my Vortex Smart which is pretty accurate compared to my P1's, power in the TT position seemed markedly higher during the quick 30 min spin/tweaking I did recently.

I found the position to be pretty comfy to my surprise though flexibility & mobility I have plenty of. I'm sure it's not the most optimal position but until I get a TT specific saddle I can't come much further forward. Though I have swapped the saddle to the Emonda stock which is flat rather than profiled like the Selle Italia used in the video below. Seat post flipped 5 degrees too.

Excuse the toplessness

Spoiler

I definitely need to get a TT specific saddle as currently it's as far forward as possible (including +5% on the seatpost) and due to being slightly contoured means perching forward on it isn't comfortable.

I'm thinking once I can get further forward on the saddle I'll find my knees don't knock on my ribs when my backs flattened. and I can probably get the gap between knees and elbows trimmed down a bit too.

Generally though this felt quite comfortable for the 30 minutes of tinkering/spinning.

Flattened/rounded my back in a few places and shifted about on the saddle throughout to give an idea

It felt a little quad dominant but this could be due to either setup or just being an unfamiliar position.

Didn't have my PM pedals fitted so just used VP from the turbo (Tacx Vortex Smart) but it seemed to be a more powerful position too though I've yet to record the variance between real & VP.

 

[lordrobs]

I worked at Halfords in my teens and the standard red cabinets felt (& were) quite poor quality & construction. The pro and industrial ranges were much better.

This is what I found as well but I picked up a basic cabinet and chest combo for a bargain price a few years back and it is still going strong.

As for hex keys etc. I tend to go cheap on those as I find I only resort to them if my socket set can't access the screw which is very rare with the use of an extension bar.

 

[SoliD]

Typical, that Halfords half price has ended! Doh! Will wait until the next one I think

 

[lordrobs]

Typical, that Halfords half price has ended! Doh! Will wait until the next one I think

They come along fairly regularly so I wouldn't worry!

 

[BennyC]

TT went well yesterday considering the legs felt heavy, about 1.5m from the end I was in two minds about checking progress but I glanced down at the live segment which was telling me 1:30m behind though I later realised this was off my goal rather than PR

Course Profile:

Knocked 29s off to bring my time down from 28:39 to 28:10 Had to scrub speed twice to save going in to the back of two cars but no temporary lights this time at least. Slightly more favourable wind condition and the TT position but same kit/clothing and wheels/tyres as all my other attempts.

Stopped twice on the ride over to boost my saddle by 5mm. Getting power on the upstroke felt a little tricky and engaging the hamstrings needed a conscious effort so it can probably come up again. Overall though almost 2 hours on the extensions and I was very comfortable no aches or niggles.

Unfortunately my PM wasn't playing ball before I set off so I had to gauge this one on HR which if anything I actually think is a better approach as looking down and seeing sub threshold output normally means I push harder and never fully recover from prior efforts.

My right pedal was alive and well but left was dead. With the P1's only the left pairs to the GPS. The right functions as a slave and is paired to the left which then feeds both sets of data to the display. Checked the P1 troubleshooting guide which wasn't much good suggesting either dead battery (new 3 weeks ago and fine), water ingress (dry as a bone inside and no corrosion) or damaged electronics Worked perfectly fine 2 days before swapping them from my other bike.

I took the battery out to dissipate any residual charge to no avail, left still dead. New battery, still dead. Then I noticed that the inside of one of the caps looked slightly corroded so swapped them between pedals and Voila left pedal works fine! and oddly so does the right :/ but not for long. Cleaned it up (poorly) and both working fine again now. Turns out PowerTap superseded the caps I have in December for this very reason, so will be requesting warranty replacements.

Spoiler

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=109305&p=1514574

Think I do actually have the newer style looking at them

Just to redeem them! Been meaning to post this since July when I still had a Garmin and before I'd built the Emonda

Setup:
Incredibly easy, paired first time before actually being fitted. Probably the more logical approach to save installing a dead set. No codes or anything required.

Batteries:
AAA batteries pop in to their pods easily as you'd expect. They do feel a little weighty but a 200g addition over standard clipless pedals, isn't that significant.

The spindle 'neck' being quite thick made me think they sat further out from the crank than my Ultegra pedals but on over-laying them they're an identical width.

60 hour, 2-3 months, life for most cyclists. The stock batteries are just blue and unbranded so perhaps more premium batteries could extend this. Edit: Got almost exactly 60 hours/2 months life out of the stock batteries. 2 minute job to it new ones.

Cleats:
The cleat float does feel HUGE, coming from an equal 6 degree Shimano SPD-SL. For the first 5 minutes or so I really disliked it but after that passed it felt like I'd ridden in them for ages. I'd be keen to try cleats with less float. I suppose short stints on the turbo would be the best way to implement them.

Calibration:
Calibration prompt upon sensing/waking (same as when other ANT+ devices are turned on and sensed by your unit, 5 seconds later, good to go. The first calibration did fail with a 'code 6' or some similar message but I was fiddling at the time which perhaps caused it. Second attempt worked like a charm and no issues since.

The prompt to calibrate saves having to navigated through multiple menus but is attributable to the head unit/gps rather than pedals themselves.

That was it, after that I just spun away merrily for 30 minutes, tweaking cleat positioning and pedal tension and doing a few quick sprints but nothing too tough as I rode Sunday, will be lifting tomorrow and FTP testing on Wednesday Only a short 30 minute spin but no funny business with readings.

https://www.strava.com/activities/630196066

Haven't had any issues with them since July more often than not they will zero-offset (calibrate) with the first attempt, never requiring more than 2 or 3.

 

[merlin]

First cycle to work for me, only 8 miles but through city traffic so it required some concentration. Also only my 2nd time using SPDSL so I was super nervous about doing the traffic light tumble.

No drama. All of my vital organs are still on the inside and no blood has been spilt.

YAY!

 

[Roady]

I found the position to be pretty comfy to my surprise though flexibility & mobility I have plenty of. I'm sure it's not the most optimal position but until I get a TT specific saddle I can't come much further forward.<snip>

Excuse the toplessness

Spoiler

Looking good! Errr, I obviously mean your positioning/technique/pedal form!

Good to hear you've found a comfortable position so easily, even with the saddle height tweaks/changes. TT'ing could be your thing!

First cycle to work for me, only 8 miles but through city traffic so it required some concentration. Also only my 2nd time using SPDSL so I was super nervous about doing the traffic light tumble.

Well done & welcome to commuting! Many people use SPD's rather than SPD-SL's due to the doublesided nature of the pedals alongside the easier clip in/out. I switched to SPD-SL around 18 months ago. I think the preference comes down to the number of times you have to stop/start - my old commute (4.4 miles) was usually 6-10 unclips and there were days when I hated the more awkward and time consuming use of SPD-SL over SPD.

Although I did enjoy the firmer and more solid feel of SPD-SL, the days when I would do mini intervals and efforts when commuting I enjoyed them much more than SPD, I was also using the same bike for commuting and leisure so the power benefits of a firm attachment became more important to me.

Although I never was fully 'happy' with clipping in-out of SPD-SL, my pedal 'flip' was probably an 80% success rate which did lead to some leg-egg's. I switched to Look Keo recently and I've found them loads better clipping in-out, probably a 95% success rate and the 'flip' is easier. Also the reverse of the pedal has a flatter surface than the SPD-SL's I was using so pedalling unclipped is much easier. I think I've only had 1 leg-egg in around 3 months! The surface contact is so good that I can even stand on pedals unclipped with confidence putting power down on uphills, occasionally pedalling away for 30s before traffic clears and I have more time to clip in (no need to rush like SPD-SL).

Note: I've also moved house around the same time and my new 2.4 mile commute only has 3-4 unclips on it so I'm slightly biased!

My right pedal was alive and well but left was dead. With the P1's only the left pairs to the GPS. The right functions as a slave and is paired to the left which then feeds both sets of data to the display. Checked the P1 troubleshooting guide which wasn't much good suggesting either dead battery (new 3 weeks ago and fine), water ingress (dry as a bone inside and no corrosion) or damaged electronics Worked perfectly fine 2 days before swapping them from my other bike.

I took the battery out to dissipate any residual charge to no avail, left still dead. New battery, still dead. Then I noticed that the inside of one of the caps looked slightly corroded so swapped them between pedals and Voila left pedal works fine! and oddly so does the right :/ but not for long. Cleaned it up (poorly) and both working fine again now. Turns out PowerTap superseded the caps I have in December for this very reason, so will be requesting warranty replacements.

That's rubbish luck with the p1's, especially as it looks like an issue they are aware of!? Yours do look like the new type but it certainly looks like corrosion the same as other guys on forums with the early caps.

Had seen mentions of this before as P1's are probably the route I'm going for...

Will be interesting to see how PowerTap rectify things as the original issue is obviously still there to some degree even with the second caps. Maybe the seals around the caps are not good enough for our UK winter weather conditions!

 

[BennyC]

Looking good! Errr, I obviously mean your positioning/technique/pedal form!

Good to hear you've found a comfortable position so easily, even with the saddle height tweaks/changes. TT'ing could be your thing!

Ta. Definitely enjoyed the 3 - 4 runs I've done though the 24 mile round trip on top is probably zapping a bit out of my time Definitely a good go-to workout with less light in the evenings.

Had seen mentions of this before as P1's are probably the route I'm going for...

Will be interesting to see how PowerTap rectify things as the original issue is obviously still there to some degree even with the second caps. Maybe the seals around the caps are not good enough for our UK winter weather conditions!

I'll keep you posted. I called a UK PowerTap Service centre who referred me back to the retailer as they have a slightly different supply chain. Though the were very helpful and suggested they (either the left or both) in their entirety are replaced as despite both waking and pairing fine (yet to check readings) the fact there has been enough moisture to cause corrosion means a failure is more likely in the future.

I've only ridden with them in the rain once for about an hour and wash the bike weekly (no pressure washer) so they get a misting and wipe down. No problems after either of those but transferring them between bikes seemed to do the trick...

I'd buy another set again without hesitating, weirdly

In other news Trek/Bontrager sent me a replacement seat post angle bolt pretty promptly too

 

[Jono]

https://www.strava.com/activities/713531665

Getting faster, a bit. But omg didn't drink enough on the way round. I do like riding in a group, though...

 

[Roady]

Ta. Definitely enjoyed the 3 - 4 runs I've done though the 24 mile round trip on top is probably zapping a bit out of my time Definitely a good go-to workout with less light in the evenings.

Yeah I have to admit, the guys I know who regularly TT don't ride out to start points, one even lives less than 3 miles to one and he still drives out & warms up on rollers!

I'll keep you posted. I called a UK PowerTap Service centre who referred me back to the retailer as they have a slightly different supply chain. Though the were very helpful and suggested they (either the left or both) in their entirety are replaced as despite both waking and pairing fine (yet to check readings) the fact there has been enough moisture to cause corrosion means a failure is more likely in the future.

I've only ridden with them in the rain once for about an hour and wash the bike weekly (no pressure washer) so they get a misting and wipe down. No problems after either of those but transferring them between bikes seemed to do the trick...

I'd buy another set again without hesitating, weirdly

Strange you mention that, everything I've read about people having problems the majority have still had great experiences with PowerTap support, replacements and new covers. Very few people seem put off them, even with problems, which does speak volumes for their ongoing support & recommendations.

Ideally I'm looking at them as I have two bikes, I don't regularly switch between them but I think over winter the Giant will become a dedicated turbo bike so I would then be switching more. With me then looking at a summer replacement/frame/build next year (rather than using the Giant) for 3 bikes... To be honest the Giants drivechain is quite worn, it's had a hard life commuting all weathers and has more than earnt it's initial outlay (£865) in the 18 months I commuted with it (over 5600 miles work & play).

https://www.strava.com/activities/713531665

Getting faster, a bit. But omg didn't drink enough on the way round. I do like riding in a group, though...

Good ride mate! Utterly utterly jealous of such a flat route, I'd love to ride something like that!

Had a block headwind on my way home at lunch, legs felt like ****e and totally told myself I'm not recovered enough for a club ride tomorrow. Rode back in to work with a bit of a tailwind, LEGS FEEL FANTASTIC! Smashed a sprint segment @ 28mph and probably my first ~20mph avg commute! Luls.

Spoiler

SHUT UP LEGS.

Bambi all afternoon now...

 

[SoliD]

Yeah I have to admit, the guys I know who regularly TT don't ride out to start points, one even lives less than 3 miles to one and he still drives out & warms up on rollers! :

If I had a local club one that close I'd definitely ride. But roller warm up for Opens and the likes is a must for some structure and to fit with your start time.