No it's a bit baffling. They turned up today and seem decent quality although i've not a lot to compare them to. My only complaint is the shoulder straps are quite narrow. As someone with man titties, they don't sit right and slide off to the sides. My danish endurance ones do the same.
Random one, but are you back in the UK at all? I've a pair or 2 Rapha shorts I should probably throw away. Starting to get 'thread bare' in some of the stretchy areas. You're welcome to them, maybe ok for Zwifting/sizing but wouldn't wear them out in public. Think one of them is Large, so with some age/stretch is probably closer to XL sizing now. Better you try for sizing than them going in the bin anyway!
He advised me that there’s not much stock in at the moment due to the 24/25 colours being released in a few weeks.
Probably explains the slashing of the SL7 pricing I took advantage of (which is a 2021/22 frameset with 22/23 colours) to make way for 'old' SL8 inventory.
It's not hoarding if it's bikes, it's just what we do.
I kept my Canyon and have ridden it through winter. Have just got back on the SL8 this week for Mallorca...
Beauty pic! Is yours the SL8 Pro?
Ever used frame protection?
Luckily a guy stopped and offered a spare but then proceeded to refit the new one badly and the tyre wasn’t seated evenly so I had 20km of rattling wheel! Still it got me home and I’m immensely thankful.
Probably the push to go tubeless. Was impressive how quick he changed a tube too. Usually takes me ages!
Really until you're confident easily changing a tube yourself at the roadside I personally cannot advise going Tubeless. Certainly not if you're doing it yourself! Setup can be a right faff, even with lots of experience. Other times it works well, quickly and easily. But have to consider that the ideal scenario rarely ever happens... So having the skills/experience of the faff involved aids you immensely when you'd otherwise be stuck at the roadside. Putting a tube into a tubeless tyre is not an easy pleasurable experience! Certainly not a 'clean' one! Very much an emergency procedure (I've only done it once in 5 years of riding tubeless).
I’ve actually just ordered a whoop on the 30 day trial. How do you find yours? I don’t know if I even need it really. Plus wearing both an Apple Watch and whoop I may look like I’m on tag
I like my Whoop but I didn't really get it for it's accuracy, nor to tell me things I needed to do and change my life to achieve. I know I don't sleep enough. I know I drink beer which impacts my riding. I know I do a lot of other stuff which impacts my performances which not captured by anything else... And that's why I got it.
It's a bit more than a 'random number generator' for me, but those times I wake up feeling tired when I should be rested, it's nice to see 'why'. But more regularly I'll wake up feeling good, then fade early in the afternoon and be able to see that I had multiple wake ups in the night I'd otherwise be unaware of. Or like Andy - know it's telling me I'm primed and in good form, when I'm actually feeling tired, so suck it up buttercup and Ride On!
I got the Whoop to 'tell me things I knew', but also to guide me to better sleeping habits. And it has. For that & continuing to guide me into doing so, for me it's worth the sub to continue - and I have, into my 2nd year now!
Having a bit of a rubbish evening and feeling fed up/down. When I decided to get into cycling a few of my friends gave it the ‘big I am’ before I bought my bike. I wanted to clarify with them that before I got it, they were gonna stick with it. They assured me yes. I mainly threw myself into cycling, in the deep end, to kick my smoking habit. Which it had worked for the most part anyway, blah blah blah
One thing cycling is for is good mental health, but totally get where you're coming from. Only got a couple of friends who ride, but although started out riding with them they both seem to have stopped. Got 2 'older' friends from way back who ride, both generally trails/downhill and although one of them now has a road bike (got during covid) have yet to drag him out on it. Must do sometime! Got another who's moved then got back into riding but an awkward distance away - not quite far enough to take the car, but also a bit far to ride to just to smash out a couple of hours then ride home... Although I'm close to suggesting that to him.
You're only in Bristol, really not a million miles from me. More than happy to meet up for a ride at some point if you wanted! Find a local event?! Got a couple of riders I know through Zwift around the Bristol/Bath area, can easily ask them for club recommendations for easy socials/new riders if you wanted. Even today one of my Zwift groups a guy talking of
doing an audax from south of Bath->Castle Coombe->7 Bridge/Chepstow->Monmouth & back on 6th April and asked if I was going. A 200km audax is probably not what you're after (also a bit too far for me, but told him I could meet him for a coffee at the turnaround if the weather is good!) so there's lots of small event things like that around.
I keep flirting with the idea of joining a club or a group but currently I can't easily be at place X at time Y with the little ones.
I have another mate who lives on my road who comes out with me most weekends but hes a much weaker rider and getting ever more so in comparison as I get fitter. So those rides are not massively long and I have to be a little careful with the pacing and they are basically Z1/2 rides at best.
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Question for all you guys. Do you tend to stop at a cafe on most rides or just blast them out?
Also, I am off to Crete with the family in May and wondered if any of you have any experience with cycling out there. Tempted to take my bike. My main concern is that one of the other guys going is an uber keen cyclist and will absolutely wreck me. Think 6-7 cycling holidays a year and probably cycling 6 days a week.
A local club which does 'social rides' are what you want. Some big clubs will have several routes and rides of different speeds/ability available (start in the slowest & shortest). But generally there should be no massive pressure over speed/average or doing hard efforts just to get around with the group. Generally you'll find the most friendly 'hobby' cyclists there (alongside a few better racing types who just want an easy ride). Take a look at some of mine - tends to be Saturday mornings 9am meet for 3-4 hours (40/50 miles), about the only real time I'll regularly/weekly ride with my club and then very sporadically at best during busy times and the winter/wet.
Join Haydn 'Roady' and get inspired for your next workout
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Join Haydn 'Roady' and get inspired for your next workout
www.strava.com
Join Haydn 'Roady' and get inspired for your next workout
www.strava.com
Join Haydn 'Roady' and get inspired for your next workout
www.strava.com
The group I'm with being a wide range of riders, I'm one of the younger ones (at 44!) but also one of the faster ones. Quite a few of them are retired so pace is very social - the majority keeping together on the flats and main roads, some natural stretching on drags and climbs. Significant climbs riders are welcome to do an efforts but the group will generally expect to wait at the top for everyone. Smaller drags or fast roads towards home then small group splits/stretching are allowed to happen, but generally good form to wait at junctions if the gaps are too large for those behind to see turns, but also some regrouping the closer to home everyone gets (unless you need to be back sooner). Also generally if you're a stronger rider then you spend just as much time at the back closing those gaps up as you do on front towing the group.
Not very often my club stops at a cafe on a saturday, but also has been known generally on the longer 50-60 mile rides when we're tackling a long/big climb so they're into the 4+ hours. They also ride Tuesday nights in the summer, 18.15 and generally back by 20.30/21 and that's to a local tap house for a beer (or several)! If I'm on my own I don't generally stop, if I'm out with friends will always suggest it, although hardly ever happens!
Cycling on Crete. No experience of it, but did look into it. I think it'd be an amazing place to ride - the roads I've seen look ok,
even travelling one side of Heraklion to the other the 'busy' roads didn't seem that bad in peak season (July). But it is a massive island. One of the Zwift guys I know has a holiday apartment near Chania, he said to get a Gravel bike as far better for exploring than a road bike so guess the roads are poor in other less popular areas. I didn't as ended up being there when there was the heat wave & forest fires on Rhodes last year and it was far too hot. Time before was mid-covid so where not allowed out of resort!
betterbybike.info
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I opened the door at lunchtime and just thought "nope". Not helped by the 60km/h gusts either!
