Road Cycling

Soldato
Joined
11 Sep 2009
Posts
13,994
Location
France, Alsace
Wheel decals are an easy thing, I know certainly for Zipp they're very easy to get hold of in loads of different (aftermarket) colours. Probably the same for Enve (Pogi's pink for example). I know @randomshenans (how you doing mate, long time since we saw you in here!) stuck some on his Zipps. No idea how well they last, I imagine there's different qualities depending where you get them from.
Mine are still on there lol years later!

Hey @Roady it's been a minute.
I'm still too heavy but have been trying to rectify that on zwift a lot this year. Plugging away anyway. Down 5kg, another 15-18kg to go! Feel so much fitter already. Covered 1728km this year so far, which is more than all of last year so you know :cry:

Actually going outside later to ride into Basel which will be nice. Weather has just been so shocking!

Hope everyone is keeping well?
 

fez

fez

Caporegime
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Posts
25,546
Location
Tunbridge Wells
There is something really nice about doing a ride first thing in the morning. I should've done an endurance ride this morning but last week has knocked me out of routine. Will try and do a nice endurance ride outdoors before work tomorrow.

Funny how having kids changes things. My friend who I ride with has 2. He used to ask if I wanted to go out for a ride at 8am and I used to feel offended when he'd ask that. Now if we can get out at 7/7:30am it feels like a massive bonus.

Yeah, I have been going out before 8 at the weekends so I am back around 10:30 and have the rest of the day to spend with the family. I would go out earlier but man its hard. I tried to get up at 6 a few weeks back and I was just groggy for about an hour and a bit and ended up heading out around 7:30 anyway :p
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2004
Posts
21,653
Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Mine are still on there lol years later!

Hey @Roady it's been a minute.
I'm still too heavy but have been trying to rectify that on zwift a lot this year. Plugging away anyway. Down 5kg, another 15-18kg to go! Feel so much fitter already. Covered 1728km this year so far, which is more than all of last year so you know :cry:

Actually going outside later to ride into Basel which will be nice. Weather has just been so shocking!

Hope everyone is keeping well?

Ride to Japan, then next video can be "Can i fit a bike on the roof of an RX7"

Least you'd have transport when it breaks down
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Feb 2006
Posts
9,617
Yeah, I have been going out before 8 at the weekends so I am back around 10:30 and have the rest of the day to spend with the family. I would go out earlier but man its hard. I tried to get up at 6 a few weeks back and I was just groggy for about an hour and a bit and ended up heading out around 7:30 anyway :p

I've got into the routine of going to bed earlier so I naturally wake at 5, out the house at 6, back at 730 for a 8am start at work. I'm much preferring the quieter roads. A couple of weekends back I was out at 5am and didn't hit double digit cars overtaking me for a 2 hours.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2004
Posts
21,653
Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
I've got into the routine of going to bed earlier so I naturally wake at 5, out the house at 6, back at 730 for a 8am start at work. I'm much preferring the quieter roads. A couple of weekends back I was out at 5am and didn't hit double digit cars overtaking me for a 2 hours.

That's the one issue with this place. I was out at 6:30 and only just was getting the sun rise, so can't go much earlier. Don't fancy trying to ride in the dark on these country roads. Barely any cars, but have to watch out for wild boar :eek:
 
Last edited:

fez

fez

Caporegime
Joined
22 Aug 2008
Posts
25,546
Location
Tunbridge Wells
I've got into the routine of going to bed earlier so I naturally wake at 5, out the house at 6, back at 730 for a 8am start at work. I'm much preferring the quieter roads. A couple of weekends back I was out at 5am and didn't hit double digit cars overtaking me for a 2 hours.

Yeah, quiet roads are lovely.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
8,468
Location
Hereford
Also, never knew that i could Broadcast the HR from my Fenix watch to my Edge.

Had ordered a Magene HR strap from Amazon as nowhere local stocks the Wahoo annoyingly without charging €10 for postage!. Now unsure whether to use that (i know a strap is usually more accurate and easy). However not having to mess around with something else does appeal
Convenience is good, but I certainly found a chest strap more accurate than my wrist Whoop when I tried it a few times. It doesn't 'peak' as high and seemed to drift around up/down rather than fairly quick movements. But think the Whoop is known as not being that accurate...!

Snip to avoid copying your whole reply. I understand that you need to keep on top of these things but I haven't had any other hubs/bearings suffer these issues. I have a set of DT swiss 240s on a set of MTB wheels that spin much more freely and haven't suffered from a few years of proper MTB abuse. Soaking wet, washing after every ride, ridden in awful conditions. I used the utter crap wheels that came with the TCR for months and they are fine as well.

There is light sealing and there is bad sealing and my Zipps almost certainly fall into the awful. I can't believe that everyone has this issue either as I am pretty fastidious with my bike maintenance which is why I was so shocked at how quickly these had failed. I assume that I have received a bit of a duff set because there is no way that this is normal or everyone would be complaining. The average rider barely looks at their bike until it starts screaming at them for some reason.

At any rate, they are going on a new specialized crux I have just ordered so they will be getting wetter than ever unfortunately. As you say, I will have to keep a real close eye on them to make sure they don't suffer the same fate again. :p
Oh yeah I totally agree with you that they could be better - think how some older QR wheels without changeable endcaps had plastic covers screwed over the ends to stop ingress. Mainly cup+cone but sure I saw them on cartridge too?! They encased the whole end of the axle and bearing in a cover which stopped a lot of dirt/water even getting near a bearing. The way these modern easily removed end-caps are just a 'gap' with a thin lip, then a recess above, they're almost a perfect 'dirty hole' (stop sniggering in the cheap seats) for water & ingress. Even some of the older ones which didn't screw in had a rubber seal around them and more of a cover. Freehubs across the board are the worst for it, but with the advent of a disc mount around the end of the hub there's more of a hollow the other side too...!

Put it down to just bad luck and the 'average' bearings supplied in the Zipp wheels. I've got a note of what bearings my 303 S take "Hub 6903ELHV, Freehub 6803LHV", my 30 Course hubs take the same, but seem to recall the freehub is different... The 6903 is easily found online. I prefer NTN. Obviously depending where you get it from has a massive difference on the price!

But always check for Enduro, especially if ordering some other stuff worth grabbing from Sigma or Tredz as Enduro bearings are always well priced from them: https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Enduro/ABEC3-6903-Wheel-Bearing-17x30x7-Single/5GDE

I nearly always use Enduro bearings for my bb's. Quality and well priced!

Was bloody cold though before the sun popped up from behind the mountains. Might need a base layer for next time. Nice to then get home and jump in the pool and generally walk around the pool stretching with a coffee in hand. I don't get time for that at lunch :D
I hate you as much as you hate Andy now ;)

Had a couple of cold mornings this week, I've been back into thermal jersey & shorts a couple of times. Commute Strava says 9 degrees, my Klimat.app plugin says '8 feels like 6', my head unit said 50-48F (10-8 C). Weather app and Klimat the most accurate to 'feel' as no way was it near 10. Long fingered gloves and normal cloth cap didn't feel thick enough!

Can't wait for Cyprus in 6 weeks time to actually be sure of some 'real' summer. Hiring a car this time and then a villa with pool in Polis... So of course I've already scouted out local bike hire and routes. The chance of me doing so actually higher now than ever before - family very happy with the pool & their own space in a villa means less pressure on me to spend every waking moment with them... I hope! :rolleyes: :cry:

Mine are still on there lol years later!

Hey @Roady it's been a minute.
I'm still too heavy but have been trying to rectify that on zwift a lot this year. Plugging away anyway. Down 5kg, another 15-18kg to go! Feel so much fitter already. Covered 1728km this year so far, which is more than all of last year so you know :cry:

Actually going outside later to ride into Basel which will be nice. Weather has just been so shocking!

Hope everyone is keeping well?
All good mate, still just doing my thing and rolling the miles & years away! Good to hear back from you! And even better to hear your decals are still going strong. One of my Zipp wheels is looking a bit tired so have considered changing them on there and always think about yours when I do! :D

Keep those km's ticking away, the weight loss is an easy consideration and way of doing it! I'm nicely ahead of target (4441/8000) for this time of year, but we're reaching the point where the weather is good so family things during school hols can wipe out both days of the weekend! Usually when it's ideal riding weather... :cry: :rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
21 Mar 2013
Posts
3,025
Location
Lincolnshire
Looking for some advice from the road-riders in here :D

I'm due to move with work soon and I have West London(Northolt, specifically) as a potential option of interest, but I am concerned about cycling around there. I've been there a few times but y'know, it's obviously busy roads which I don't mind too much, but I hate having to go through lots of junctions/Give Ways/traffic lights where I'd have to keep stopping.

So, how is it? Are there areas that are easy to get to to put in longer rides (let's say 50-60 miles), are there any clubs in the area and anything else that may be relevant.

After taking my first cycling holiday in March (To Majorca) being near Heathrow would make it way easier to get abroad, of course, which I'm interested in doing.

The other likely option would be somewhere around Fareham(just outside Portsmouth) where I have already cycled for 3-4 years. Busy roads around there again but I'd get the train to the New Forest National Park, or the ferry to the Isle Of Wight to go cycling (just to compare busy areas with potentially London)

Thanks!
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Jul 2007
Posts
20,830
Location
Various
Looking for some advice from the road-riders in here :D

I'm due to move with work soon and I have West London(Northolt, specifically) as a potential option of interest, but I am concerned about cycling around there. I've been there a few times but y'know, it's obviously busy roads which I don't mind too much, but I hate having to go through lots of junctions/Give Ways/traffic lights where I'd have to keep stopping.

So, how is it? Are there areas that are easy to get to to put in longer rides (let's say 50-60 miles), are there any clubs in the area and anything else that may be relevant.

After taking my first cycling holiday in March (To Majorca) being near Heathrow would make it way easier to get abroad, of course, which I'm interested in doing.

The other likely option would be somewhere around Fareham(just outside Portsmouth) where I have already cycled for 3-4 years. Busy roads around there again but I'd get the train to the New Forest National Park, or the ferry to the Isle Of Wight to go cycling (just to compare busy areas with potentially London)

Thanks!
I don't know the area that well. Cycling out of south west London is fantastic (well, as good as you'll get in a city the size of London), and Northolt isn't terrible for access to that, albeit it's a little out of the way.

I expect there are some decent routes out to Windsor from there as well, and I presume that it has decent access to the Chilterns.

What's the thinking behind Northolt in particular, if you don't mind me asking?
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
9 Nov 2005
Posts
8,775
Location
Southampton
Looking for some advice from the road-riders in here :D

The other likely option would be somewhere around Fareham(just outside Portsmouth) where I have already cycled for 3-4 years. Busy roads around there again but I'd get the train to the New Forest National Park, or the ferry to the Isle Of Wight to go cycling (just to compare busy areas with potentially London)

Thanks!
Head ~5 miles north from Fareham and you're smack bang in the middle of quiet South Downs lanes and hills.

@SoliD lives in that area and can possibly offer tips of quiet ways to get to around the Old Winchester Hill ridge that stretches to the Sustainability Centre.
I can't offer much advice as I head north east from SO18.
 
Soldato
Joined
25 Feb 2004
Posts
18,234
Location
Hampshire
Head ~5 miles north from Fareham and you're smack bang in the middle of quiet South Downs lanes and hills.

@SoliD lives in that area and can possibly offer tips of quiet ways to get to around the Old Winchester Hill ridge that stretches to the Sustainability Centre.
I can't offer much advice as I head north east from SO18.
I live near Waterlooville. I'm in the south downs within 5 minutes, used to live in fareham and as you say it is busy but once you're over Portsdown Hill you can get some quieter roads but think most places down this way are pretty busy compared to other parts of the country just due to the sheer number of people.

I moved to where I am now partly due to being closer to quiet roads. Having to ride out of Portsmouth every time got depressing!
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Feb 2006
Posts
9,617
Looking for some advice from the road-riders in here :D

I'm due to move with work soon and I have West London(Northolt, specifically) as a potential option of interest, but I am concerned about cycling around there. I've been there a few times but y'know, it's obviously busy roads which I don't mind too much, but I hate having to go through lots of junctions/Give Ways/traffic lights where I'd have to keep stopping.

So, how is it? Are there areas that are easy to get to to put in longer rides (let's say 50-60 miles), are there any clubs in the area and anything else that may be relevant.

After taking my first cycling holiday in March (To Majorca) being near Heathrow would make it way easier to get abroad, of course, which I'm interested in doing.

The other likely option would be somewhere around Fareham(just outside Portsmouth) where I have already cycled for 3-4 years. Busy roads around there again but I'd get the train to the New Forest National Park, or the ferry to the Isle Of Wight to go cycling (just to compare busy areas with potentially London)

Thanks!

Might be better to look for a good commuter town into London. What train station is nearest work and start exploring stops along this line.
 
Associate
Joined
21 Jun 2004
Posts
1,627
I cycled from the Chilterns to Chorleywood on Friday. Some good roads and no access issues. I didn’t cross the M25 but assume if you could get out that way you would find good roads to ride.
 
Soldato
Joined
20 Feb 2004
Posts
21,653
Location
Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
First ride out with someone today. Had been putting it off because I thought I’d be holding him up but was actually pulling away on some hills and felt I was braking on descents to keep level as we were chatting a bit.
Also annoyed me irrationally how much he cross chained instead of dropping to the lower chainring. For a while I thought he was on a 1x!

Ended up being a fairly nice easy ride and we’ve planned to meet up with a local group of 30-40 in a few weeks on the basis if they’re too fast we can just drop off together.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
Joined
21 Mar 2013
Posts
3,025
Location
Lincolnshire
Might be better to look for a good commuter town into London. What train station is nearest work and start exploring stops along this line.

Nope, accommodation at 'work'... so to speak is heavily discounted so that's certainly not a viable option.
I cycled from the Chilterns to Chorleywood on Friday. Some good roads and no access issues. I didn’t cross the M25 but assume if you could get out that way you would find good roads to ride.
I had been looking towards this sort of area; I think it would be 15 miles each way to get to the area so not too bad.
 
Back
Top Bottom