Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
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Soldato
When i have my house i will happily host OCUK cycling holidays to try and win back favor. How about that?
There will be a few more nice days still to go. I have my Trainerroad subscription ready to go but really need it to be a little colder before I swap inside completely.
Caporegime
My aim for this winter is to get wet on my bike more often.
Soldato
Drink 3l of water and then ride with no toilet breaks?
Soldato
I've got some a Mavic Askium disc wheelset gathering dust in the garage roof. They were OE on my Cannondale but got swapped off once my fancy wheels arrived, so only did a couple of hundred KM. I will have a look if they are 6 bolt or CL if they might be of interest?
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Soldato
Caporegime
I already have to take one after an hour usually!
Have you tried a Zwift race yet?
Yeah could be interested! Let me know what you find!
Yeah man, they’re great fun! I did quite a few last winter. The last race I did was good fun, I finished in the top 10 on zPower. It was on that route in Scotland where you go up a climb and one side is gravel the other is tarmac. I took a gravel bike and other than the horrible start it was quite an interesting tactic.
The circuits are always good fun I thought i was on for a win once until I blew a gasket trying to solo the win. Got reeled in on the last lap and dropped lol
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Soldato
Nice little story here on breaking a (very famous) Strava segment and the strategy behind it.
www.cyclingweekly.com
You have a local segment you are desperate to beat? This one is mine, round the corner and usually try and hit it on the way home. Haven't checked it for ages, I was sitting 2nd for years but seems I have been expunged from the records. No idea why when some of those efforts are 10 years old.
Shaved arms, special tyres, and an 11-page plan: How one rider masterminded his way to Strava's most popular KOM
Dom Jackson's Box Hill coup was a team effort, fuelled by rice and sweets
www.cyclingweekly.com
You have a local segment you are desperate to beat? This one is mine, round the corner and usually try and hit it on the way home. Haven't checked it for ages, I was sitting 2nd for years but seems I have been expunged from the records. No idea why when some of those efforts are 10 years old.
Soldato
Nice little story here on breaking a (very famous) Strava segment and the strategy behind it.
Shaved arms, special tyres, and an 11-page plan: How one rider masterminded his way to Strava's most popular KOM
Dom Jackson's Box Hill coup was a team effort, fuelled by rice and sweets
I think the Wild Ones had a similar discussion on a podcast earlier in the year. It's a shame in a way that it's become a Team challenge rather than just an individual one.
Not that i will ever be leading any of them! I'm happy enough to be the local legend on some!
Caporegime
Yeah, having a leadout is straight up cheating IMO. I guess the argument is that no one is every actually competing on an equal footing so it doesn't matter. Weather, wind, tyres, bike weight, conditions all make a huge difference to what time your w/kg gets you.
Soldato
There's an obscure road near me I think I could get a KOM on a good day but other than that I'll just settle for having a better finish amongst my friends
create a segment from your own driveway and you're good
this prompted me to check my KOM's, used to have a lot more back in the day(2014-2017ish) when I commuted and actually could pedal.
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1244795/segments/leader still a few left! surprising.
https://www.strava.com/athletes/1244795/segments/leader?top_tens=true so many top 10s too! sheesh.. wish I had the legs.
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Goodluck and really house stuffs (& the money involved) is massively more important - but you can make some fairly easy financial decisions during it to 'free up' some funds. If emptying your savings completely allows you a better mortgage term or percentage of mortgage then worth doing (as you'll easily build savings back up). But equally if your deposit being 20,000 rather than 25,000 makes zero difference, you can easily 'free up' 5 grand and do other things with it (not just bikes!)
We actually did it when we moved (didn't hit our savings at all) - so transferred our mortgage within fixed term, to avoid any fees, but it also meant we 'couldn't' put down a big deposit from all our savings on the new place. I stressed about this quite a lot, but it worked out really well in the end for us.
So in 2016 we moved with 12(?) years left of fixed. Monthly stayed similar (actually went down) to a place double the value (mortgage % decreased as we'd paid so much off of the first), we then 'overpaid' our monthly for a couple of years (think we could overpay £400-450 a month without fees). Stopped for a couple of years when Harry came along & other half changed jobs, then started again during Covid times and kept it up until last year then we paid mortgage off completely. Within a couple of years of the end of term the early payment fee was 3% I think, so we took the hit. Having our savings sitting in our accounts over that time worked really well for us, good financial security knowing we had that 'lump' of money if needed, but also being pretty frugal with our savings when the time came to pay it all off... We even had savings left - that's why the New Bike finally happened! My savings even now are still 'healthy'. Just as well really as the flat roof needs changing! Also had money to have the bathroom done/move a door/convert the utility during that time. Next thing will be changing the car so money already being put away... Financial 'flexibility' but also the security of having money fairly easily accessible (I did put some into a 5 year ISA but it was hardly worth it)
Looks great mate & well done! Keep getting back out... When (if) the weather allows lolSo the argon18 is here and I’ve ridden it twice - been away.
Small size seems to be better for me for sure, neck is a bit beat up after riding but I’m putting this down to just not used to it.
Weirdo.
I've just got back from Brecon for a family trip. I had a few rides planned, to tick off a few more of the Top 100 Climbs. Day 1 went a little wonky with a road closure, but luckily I was able to find it before I set off (it would have been about 45 miles into a 48 mile ride with 5,000 ft already done) and adjusted my ride to still take in 2 of the climbs (#96 Bryn Du & #98 Rhigos), but lost the opportunity to optionally add a third. (#91 Bwlch Y Groes)
Had a couple of days rest and then went for a rather random 'Komoot has given me this ride, ohh Komoot is highlighting a climb I could do hear, go on then' and it turns out the climb I added was another of the Top 100 (#94 Llangynidr Mountain). I didn't realise until I was looking at the segments afterwards. It didn't surprise me though, at 1,250ft and just beautiful, I was wondering why it wasn't on the list, but it turns out it was!
Then today, a short drive on the way home, stopped off for a 30 mile ride and ticked off another, (#97 The Tumble).
Not too bad for a five day trip, another 4 completed. I'm now at 18 of 100... so still plenty to go!
Amazing trip and well done mate - much of that 'my neck of the woods' and my local 'big climbs' (I'm 22 miles from The Tumble). I've still never done Llangynidr though. I always loved the way Llangynidr village sits on the hillside there, with the classic bridge from the main road - feels like you're turning away from the modern world! Great pics & videos, you had a fantastic day for Rhigos too.
Your Tumble ride on Strava has some typos in it - but worth noting, the first loop part you did was towards the bottom of Gospel Pass. Can't recall if you've done that?! Holla if you're back for it at some point!
Good time up The Tumble - 28.07 only around 4 minutes behind my PR (shots fired
). I've had a 24 minute Goal on it set since 2020 and I've done 24.19 - 24.13 & 24.01 since (grr!) https://www.strava.com/activities/9238507927Bronllys is to the North-West and that photo is taken facing South-West. It's 'behind' the edge/end of the Black Mountains (with Gospel Pass kinda between it and Abergavenny), when The Tumble is really the end/edge of the Brecon Beacons. But they do kinda meet at Abergavenny with the river Usk
I've got wheels (DT Swiss DB470) but they're thru axle and don't think they've got QR ends with them (came off a 2023 Tarmac SL7). £150 wouldn't be enough money for them including tyres and postage (they're new and unused with Specialized Turbo 26mm tyres on), but if you wanted to meet/collect then could arrange something...
BUT. These are £300-400 wheels when buying new, then as they come on so many Tarmac and Cannondale bikes (+others) where people replace them with fancy carbon, you can get some amazing deals on them online (fb marketplace/ebay). I've seen barely used ones selling for £100-150 and read around reviews - they're some of the best cheaper end alloy wheels you can get and well recommended. As I've got 2 other damaged/buckled sets of alloy wheels considering binning those and keeping these I have for winter (had 2 sets and sold 1 to a clubmate)...
DT Swiss R470 Disc Wheelset 2021, Sram XDR Freehub
A great sturdy wheelset to use for winter or training. These are reliable and serviceable with DT Swiss parts through out.
www.cycleexchange.co.uk
DT Swiss R470 DB Road Wheelset - 12mm Tru Axle - Centre Lock
The jack-of-all trades of road wheels: light, wide and with an ideal price/performance ratio. The R 470 DB works perfectly with wide tires and will deliver many unforgettable rides on the road thanks to its reliability.
www.cycle-revolution.net
DT Swiss R470 Tubeless Disc Brake Wheelset with Turbo Pro Tyres
The DT Swiss R470 Tubeless Disc Brake Wheelset with Turbo Pro Tyres are a lightweight training wheelset with centrelock DT Swiss Champion hubs.
www.99bikes.co.uk
DT Swiss R470 db Disc Brake Road Wheelset 700c2 | eBay
<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">Details and photos to follow </p>
www.ebay.co.uk
I'm up for it! I've said I'll do it for many years and never got around to it...How come? I'm going to have to give the dragon ride a go sometime. My partners brother keeps asking me to join him. Reckon if I do a good winter on the turbo I can gain some dangerous over confidence and give it a go. Can I twist any OCUKers into it too?
I'm in thermals already. It's actually 'warmer than it looks' today but really feel its the first day the last couple weeks which has been (and they've all looked cool & changeable!)
Interesting article and some good lunchtime reading - thanks!You have a local segment you are desperate to beat? This one is mine, round the corner and usually try and hit it on the way home. Haven't checked it for ages, I was sitting 2nd for years but seems I have been expunged from the records. No idea why when some of those efforts are 10 years old.
I've always liked to put good times in then judge my fitness against them other years slowly pushing my PR's lower and lower, but also as used to have a Pro-continental level team around here (NFTO) and the level of local riders has always been high most of the popular stuff is well out of my reach so never really tried. I'd need to be <70kg and pushing 350W+ over 5 minutes for most things. Andrew Feather is about the only person who's taken any of the popular KOM's recently (as I'm also in a fairly popular area for climbing so people travel/train here).
Hereford & Dist. Wheelers - Weobley Sporting 19 - RC19/22W - 42.37 - CR! | Strava
: Tony Wood from Buxton MTT | Strava
www.strava.com
I've either had to go further afield I know areas are less well travelled, quite often where I used to live, ride a climb/road nobody really uses so is unknown and then create the segment myself lol
My favourite is one where a GPS burp on my commute gave me a nice jump and trimmed 3-4s off my time and nobody has flagged it! Or come up with something obscure from a ride/loop I liked, then create a segment to see how quick others have been. Really don't do that enough as is a good way!
Not really convinced I've done enough training for the 200km audax weekend after next - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46433726
But with a £8.50 entry fee I'm going to see what I'm feeling like day before, then see what the weather is going to do. I don't mind getting wet, but getting rained on for 10+ hours is an easy 'No way'!
Maybe tomorrow, club ride (again weather depending) and extend it or something...
But with a £8.50 entry fee I'm going to see what I'm feeling like day before, then see what the weather is going to do. I don't mind getting wet, but getting rained on for 10+ hours is an easy 'No way'!
Maybe tomorrow, club ride (again weather depending) and extend it or something...
Soldato
Not really convinced I've done enough training for the 200km audax weekend after next - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46433726
But with a £8.50 entry fee I'm going to see what I'm feeling like day before, then see what the weather is going to do. I don't mind getting wet, but getting rained on for 10+ hours is an easy 'No way'!
Maybe tomorrow, club ride (again weather depending) and extend it or something...
Sounds like you're using my training method of don't do enough then bail on the event
I'm aiming to go out tomorrow and just try and see how i am on a nice easy flat 30-40 minute ride. I walked a couple miles at dinner which waiting for the dog groomer and that wasn't *too* bad. Luckily temps are dropping to around 22c around 10am which makes things more bearable.
Might even use the MTB which has stupidly easy gearing to ensure i don't push myself.
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