Road Cycling

[Roady]

House insurance up for renewal. AXA. Last year £340 with 3 bikes, this year they want £360 without the bikes covered! They won't do the Tarmac (although we added it on in April for '£45 for 12 months or until renewal) and even the other 3 they've covered for several years (valued at £2500+550+500) they won't go below £450. Literally +105 at renewal and less covered. But how is this for crazy - they've said that even if I cover the Tarmac with a different insurer, as it'll be in the garage they insure they won't cover the garage+contents with it these. It's too high risk due to the value of the bike even if someone else insures the bike itself they say they're still liable for it if someone breaks/forces the garage to get to it.

Shopped around, looks like LV offering £465 with all 3 bikes (£304 without) including things like home emergency and accidental damage. 50k contents cover and less excess than AXA. 20k garage cover, not including the bike value.

Anyone wanna buy a set of R470 DB disc brake wheels? Have the originals (new+unused) with tubes and Specialized Turbo 26x700 tyres. Will have another set soon when the new bike arrives. They seem to sell used £100-200 and unused £200-300 but ebay is pretty full of them (lots of off the shelf bikes come with them and get replaced when new). Got 1 club guy interested in a set but think he's after more of an upgrade over his Giant ones.

My goal was to get an Imperial Century in by the end of July. Debated getting it done tomorrow so went to use Strava to create a route. Set distance to 100m and Elevation to "flat"

Not a single route under 2000m of ascent. The "easiest" one had an 800m climb around 30 miles in! Might need to spend some time myself!

Certainly the reasons you're doing it for - do some loops as boring as that may be - as you're 'crossing it off' on the way to building towards longer hilly-mountain sportive type etape challenges. So to get the ride done, the distance under your belt, do some loops but make them interesting. Either roads you know well and ride them regularly still enjoying them (just be aware it might ruin them!), or something with a 'target' along the way. A nice cafe stop ~30-40 miles away (and stop there twice) or similar. Or figure out a place you can ride to, then catch a train/bus easily back from which you can take your bike on...

I've got some Zwift friends who ride from Stourbridge to Aberystwyth (just over 100 miles) once a year then catch the train back. It's turned into an epic summer ride for their group of friends (to have fish&chips on the seaside) and a few times they've stayed over, doing a night on the town then very hungover caught the train back the next morning

Anyone got any recomendations for HR monitors that isnt a Wahoo Tickr as i have just RMA'd my 5th Tickr v2 they only seem to last me 6-12 months? I am guessing that Wahoo will stop replacing it eventually. I did see GP Lamas video on the new rechargable one and he looks like he dosn't much luck with them and showed a lot of failed ones.

Try bicep/wrist mounting it? No idea how accurate it might be...

Good to hear Wahoo covering RMA even after the 5th - they still replacing them after your original over 2 years old? Fairly sure they have 2 year warranty (was quite surprised to see over 12 months). My v1 lasted 5-6 years, the v2 was 18 months old before it had some ingress and refused to wake up. The RMA replacement is 10 months ago and still going...

Not sure i'm going to get the sympathy i'm after here, but it's now starting to get so warm that even the pool is up to 29C and so not refreshing to jump into after a ride anymore

I'm in Cyprus next week. The way the weather has been here feel it's the only summer I think I'll actually see... 12 degrees and raining here again.

Was a nice weekend though, only a couple of rain showers and did take my jumper off for a few hours both days!

I’m using a cheap Amazon HR monitor ~£25. It has been faultless so far in 3 months. My previous tickR lasted 2.5 years. I think my sweating makes HR monitors a consumable item so I trying to go cheap and replace than pay massive amounts.

Best way is to consider them as a consumable!

Still consider the TICKR v1 for £41 and then the v2 for £39.99 and I had 9 years & 10 months out of them... What's that, around 70p a month, 15-16p a week. Maybe an extra couple of pence as the CR2032 last for 6-8 months. Consumable!

Amazing news about the insurance!!!
7k can get a really nice new bike those days

Won't be spending 7k on a bike... 'Only' spent 3.5 on the one which was trashed (excluding upgrades & wheels). Putting me back to the same position (I'm getting same again - with new wheels) will bring it up to 4.5k. Considering the personal injury is going to be years/months to sort and them only paying out up to 3k for it (as reading the small print total combined claim can't be above 10k) I'm considering some of that 7k as personal injury.

Lucky I wasn't more injured from a financial perspective (while also still being able to work), it sounds much harder to claim over 10k total from a driver with most insurers, without lots more legal advice & having a solicitor to do it for you.

Completely missed this what happened to the old one? Also depending on how you get the money you may not wish to spend it all!

Got hit by a driver - cut across in front of me, rode into his wing @20-25mph in front of a military police unit. Somehow escaped with lots of scrapes, bruises and a fractured fingertip! Frame/forks/bars/front wheel/shifters all complete write offs but no problems with liability, just the hassle of sorting everything out with claim & wearing a plastic splint on my finger (which I hopefully get to take off tomorrow as 3 week checkup!)

Been getting a bit of discomfort and conscious it’s the start of a rash/saddle sores. Would make sense given some hotter longer rides recently.

Ordered some Muc Off chamois cream from Amazon. Cried a little that it was €25 for a 250ml pot. However they’ve ballsed up and send me a box of 8 tube

Result!

Don't bother with the chamois butter 'euro style'. I tried it as an alternative to my usual Assos and in the hot weather it caused rashes & itching. Was ok in the cold. Back on Assos and probably won't change again, used it for many years & can easily recommend it - https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Assos/Chamois-Cream-200ml/B6

 

[Shoeyuk]

@Roady Almost at 3 years since purchase, i guess i will keep requesting RMA's till they tell me to go and buy a new one as i've not had one last me a year yet. I must be a wahoo product killer as im on my 3rd kick core, the only products ive not broken yet were the cadence/speed sensors and the element bolt v2 which ive had a couple of years now. Although i have had a fair few RMA's of various products they have always replaced them no questions asked.

 

[Martynt74]

Yeah, i was initially after the Assos stuff, but Amazon didn't do it and the postage from anywhere else was ~€10 for a €20 item.

Think this one does have some "cooling" (i assume this is the Eurostyle thing?) so will see how it goes. I definitely made things worse on Sunday as today was pretty painful so think i need a few days off to try and get any sores to heal. Sunday was a crap ride all in. Had really low energy and got 2 punctures, and then the second tyre didn't seat right so i set off and had that weird "bump" feeling on each rotation so had to pull over again and try re-seating it and ramping up the PSI which seemed to sort it.
Then i had a decision of taking the original route which i knew was on lovely fresh switchback style tarmac, or take a short route up some back lanes and save ~10 miles. I went with the shorter route as i was conscious of time/drink and it was miserable, just potholes all over the place. Probably didn't end up being any quicker!

 

[manic111]

House insurance up for renewal. AXA. Last year £340 with 3 bikes, this year they want £360 without the bikes covered! They won't do the Tarmac (although we added it on in April for '£45 for 12 months or until renewal) and even the other 3 they've covered for several years (valued at £2500+550+500) they won't go below £450. Literally +105 at renewal and less covered. But how is this for crazy - they've said that even if I cover the Tarmac with a different insurer, as it'll be in the garage they insure they won't cover the garage+contents with it these. It's too high risk due to the value of the bike even if someone else insures the bike itself they say they're still liable for it if someone breaks/forces the garage to get to it.

Shopped around, looks like LV offering £465 with all 3 bikes (£304 without) including things like home emergency and accidental damage. 50k contents cover and less excess than AXA. 20k garage cover, not including the bike value.

Anyone wanna buy a set of R470 DB disc brake wheels? Have the originals (new+unused) with tubes and Specialized Turbo 26x700 tyres. Will have another set soon when the new bike arrives. They seem to sell used £100-200 and unused £200-300 but ebay is pretty full of them (lots of off the shelf bikes come with them and get replaced when new). Got 1 club guy interested in a set but think he's after more of an upgrade over his Giant ones.

Weirdly my AXA insurance went up hugely this year as well. Switched to Nationwide, which gave me bike cover plus the usual contents insurance (up to £30k) for about £100 less than AXA quoted.

Incidentally, do you know whether home insurers' bike policies usually cover things like damage from crashes? I'd assume so, as crashes are accidental, and not in the list of policy exclusions, but it's not at all clear.

Finally, any idea how much your wheels weigh? Finally got my new Supersix (pics later this week!) with some pretty chonky wheels and considering an upgrade

 

[fez]

Insurance on cars and everything has suddenly shot up and I'm not sure why. Ours went up a fair chunk as well.

 

[Martynt74]

Heard a thudding from the washing machine earlier but just ignored it. Came to put the washing out and my Edge 1030 is sat in the washing basket. Still turned on and working fine. Hoping it continues to work fine!

 

[Trifid]

Insurance on cars and everything has suddenly shot up and I'm not sure why. Ours went up a fair chunk as well.

It's easy to see for cars.
1) Supply chain has been ruined since covid so cars are sitting broken for a long time.
2) radar and other electronics pushing prices up for small bumps
3) electric car batteries with minor damage, writing off the whole car.

Houses is a lot more difficult to justify. Materials and labour are more expensive but as much as that?

 

[fez]

It's easy to see for cars.
1) Supply chain has been ruined since covid so cars are sitting broken for a long time.
2) radar and other electronics pushing prices up for small bumps
3) electric car batteries with minor damage, writing off the whole car.

Houses is a lot more difficult to justify. Materials and labour are more expensive but as much as that?

Even with cars though, that hasn't suddenly changed. Its only this past year or so that everything insurance wise has shot up. Cars have been expensive to repair etc for years now.

 

[SoliD]

Ouch @Roady heal up quick. Still awaiting my settlement for mine. Had a call from the police today to say they had a match on dna and went out to arrest the guy. I'm sort of hoping they don't find my bikes now though.

 

[Drollic]

Been getting a bit of discomfort and conscious it’s the start of a rash/saddle sores. Would make sense given some hotter longer rides recently.

Ordered some Muc Off chamois cream from Amazon. Cried a little that it was €25 for a 250ml pot. However they’ve ballsed up and send me a box of 8 tube

What is the discomfort exactly? Have you taken a look by using a handheld mirror?

If you don't already do this with a mirror, I can suggest doing it (looking) after every single ride you ever do. It costs nothing and it's quick. The earlier you catch them the better. If on a weight bearing pressure area, don't ride on it.

 

[Martynt74]

What is the discomfort exactly? Have you taken a look by using a handheld mirror?

If you don't already do this with a mirror, I can suggest doing it (looking) after every single ride you ever do. It costs nothing and it's quick. The earlier you catch them the better. If on a weight bearing pressure area, don't ride on it.

Seems a bit rashy/bumpy. I gave my wife the pleasure of taking a look and she agreed it looked red/sore. Tried riding yesterday which was ok until near the end, but decided i'm just going to take a while off.

 

[One More Solo]

A lot of the reviews are from cyclists. I might go for this next then. It's actually not great that it's such a big tub though as I often travel with my cream...

I’ve used it for years and it’s just as good as normal chamois cream.

 

[Roady]

@Roady Almost at 3 years since purchase, i guess i will keep requesting RMA's till they tell me to go and buy a new one as i've not had one last me a year yet. I must be a wahoo product killer as im on my 3rd kick core, the only products ive not broken yet were the cadence/speed sensors and the element bolt v2 which ive had a couple of years now. Although i have had a fair few RMA's of various products they have always replaced them no questions asked.

Oh that's pretty good, I'd have thought once 24 months over the initial purchase if you'd claimed a couple of times they wouldn't cover it. But guess that's benefit of dealing with an American company known for good support. Even outside the US, their image and customer satisfaction is quite important to them.

HR strap, 3 years of 2 Garmin units & 3-4 straps. Awkward & slow support. Did eventually get a refund from Wiggle. Replaced with Wahoo. As before - had several years with the v1, less luck with v2 but still happy.
Tacx (before Garmin bought them) Direct Drive Trainers x2 (Flux v1 & Neo OG). Bad support - literally zero out of warranty. Did some aftermarket repairs on both to get them operational. Flux 3 years old was dead. Neo 5-6 years old but I wasn't original owner. It still works. Replaced with a Wahoo KICKR v5 at start of 2022. Zero reason to call support (yet!), still working well.
Garmin head unit, Edge 500, 800 & 810. None of them lasted 2 years. Lots of support & 2 of those replacements for faulty units. Gave up, bought Wahoo ELEMNT in 2016 - did 5.5 years, couple of issues solved with support. Replaced due to poor battery life drop off with age - Support admitted nothing they could do, offered me a discount on a Bolt which I bought.

Wahooligan convert through poor Garmin devices. Faults: Straps of the HR. Parts/design quality of Trainers. Software of the head units.

My best Garmin device is the VIRB v1 (the only Garmin device I have left). It's 11 years old and works as well as day 1. GoPro beater. Hardware is solid, never needed firmware upgrades or fixes. Software was good, but wasn't necessary for use. Funnily enough they ditched the product within 2-3 years and left the action camera market within 5-6.

Yeah, i was initially after the Assos stuff, but Amazon didn't do it and the postage from anywhere else was ~€10 for a €20 item.

Most online bike places seem to sell it, I've found it easily from most places and just tack it onto an order when doing other things.

A tub lasts me ages. 6-8 months. I'm using it 5-10 times a week as still use a small amount when commuting. Just habit!

Weirdly my AXA insurance went up hugely this year as well. Switched to Nationwide, which gave me bike cover plus the usual contents insurance (up to £30k) for about £100 less than AXA quoted.

Incidentally, do you know whether home insurers' bike policies usually cover things like damage from crashes? I'd assume so, as crashes are accidental, and not in the list of policy exclusions, but it's not at all clear.

Finally, any idea how much your wheels weigh? Finally got my new Supersix (pics later this week!) with some pretty chonky wheels and considering an upgrade

Oh nice to hear, we didn't look at Nationwide. Will suggest to other half we do next year - used to have Mortgage and a credit card with them and they where always good to deal with.

Ok so AXA would cover the bike 'at home and when out' - but maximum they do for any bike (on the policy we had) was £2500. They cannot insure anything higher. Fairly sure when we last did it, they didn't need to know the values of the others below it, just the number of bikes. I insured the Diverge at the maximum of £2500 (as I'd bought it for less, done a bunch of upgrades so it was probably worth more - but would've been happy with a 2500 payout). Even if the bike was insured elsewhere - with the other lower value ones covered by them, the whole garage part of the policy and the other bikes wouldn't be valid as the 'risk' of that bike was too high.

Can't recall, but 'something Direct' had a very good quote - think they where on GoCompare, but my other half digging into it was able to tell the Policy was only value if the bike was home. Something like the bike value was ok, but when away from home the maximum value they'd pay out, which combined the bike value along with anything else, was actually lower than the value of the bike. Not sure the figures but something like £2000 away from home 'personal belongings' the £4500 bike would be included in that, so wouldn't get full payout if something happened and had to claim.

LV the 'garage contents' of 20k value, don't include the bikes as they're 'extras' so have almost their own insurance. Each of them is name & model along with it's own value. They're covered away from home - providing not being used in competition or left 'unsecured'. Requirements for them at home is 'behind a locked door' - no requirement to be locked to anything else, or lock ratings etc.

Heard a thudding from the washing machine earlier but just ignored it. Came to put the washing out and my Edge 1030 is sat in the washing basket. Still turned on and working fine. Hoping it continues to work fine!

Make sure it's fully dried - it's worth doing the 'rice in a bag' trick (like a smartphone) for any moisture still inside the unit. Else you might find when out riding in the sun (in your temperatures) you'll get condensation/rust inside it.

Ouch @Roady heal up quick. Still awaiting my settlement for mine. Had a call from the police today to say they had a match on dna and went out to arrest the guy. I'm sort of hoping they don't find my bikes now though.

All good mate - final check with fracture clinic today and been given the 'all clear'. Can take this plastic finger protector off (just meant to use it to protect the finger for a few weeks when doing anything physical) & more importantly am now able to drive! Also had the insurance payout land in my bank today - nice double whammy before holiday!

Good to hear Police actually progressing case and got evidence like that to follow it it up! Fingers crossed not much longer for your settlement - all figures agreed and just waiting - or do they need to wait for the Police investigation to 'finish' first to be sure the bikes are not going to appear?

What is the discomfort exactly? Have you taken a look by using a handheld mirror?

If you don't already do this with a mirror, I can suggest doing it (looking) after every single ride you ever do. It costs nothing and it's quick. The earlier you catch them the better. If on a weight bearing pressure area, don't ride on it.

That sounds a bit unnecessary once you've 'learnt' what works for you, but is good to help you get to that point. Speaking from personal experience I can 'tell' that I'm going to get one generally while I'm riding - can feel an area getting a bit more chafe-y than other bits. Like there's more abrasion there, or like a fold of skin or ridge in my shorts. It's usually a little too late to do much about it, but reshuffling shorts pad, or having a 'rummage' to move things around a bit can be enough to alleviate or stop it getting much worse.

The ones I get can generally feel where they are, in the shower afterwards tend to make sure I clean extra that area and using fingers just judge where it is. Depending on location, I'll then put extra chamois cream there before next ride or my usual 'trick' is to wear a different brand of shorts with a totally different pad so any seams are in a different place and things sit a bit differently. I've not very often stopped riding to clear them, as usually after a big ride/long day which cause them I'll have extra days of recovery planned in afterwards anyway.

I’ve used it for years and it’s just as good as normal chamois cream.

That one specifically?

 

[One More Solo]

That one specifically?

Yeah, they sell it at my local farm wholesaler so I just buy a tub when I'm in buying chicken feed if I run out. I am looking at getting some milking goats but I'd be buying them a separate tub.

 

[Drollic]

@Roady

It's more a question of why wouldn't you do it given it takes seconds and is free as opposed to why would you.

Anything that can be done to prevent them and catch them early on high pressure points should be taken advantage of.

It can be the difference between needing 24-48 hours off the bike compared to a week, perhaps more.

Sores are really useful to understand as they are often unilateral and an early warning sign of imbalance. The sooner a cyclist fixes this, the better. Even the most minor of skin irritation you see will also often be unilateral. Increase the volume and intensity and that same area will likely get a sore.

 

[Trifid]

Repeat after me, I do not need the Canyon Aeroad in ruby red. But damn, that bike looks nice. It's been a long time since they have done a nice paint job on a bike below top tier.

 

[Junglist]

Oh you need it, that looks lovely!

 

[Trifid]

Oh you need it, that looks lovely!

My bank account is starting to not like you!


Pinging @Roady as you do need a new bike... https://www.canyon.com/en-gb/road-b.../3965.html?dwvar_3965_pv_rahmenfarbe=R107_P03

 

[Junglist]

Hey, if I can't get a bike the least I can do is live vicariously through you guys and then get sad I still can't get mine

 

[Martynt74]

Screw you guys. You've got me looking at this because an ebike would fit into my garage quite nicely for easy rides to pubs!

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