Road Cycling

[Roady]

You must spend half your day just getting changed!

Haha funny you mention that! I've got it down to 6 minutes... Takes me almost as long to get changed as it does to get home!

Generally find I'm leaving work at 1:10, home for 1:20, leave home at 1:40, back at my desk by 2! It's a bit frantic... Lucky most of my job isn't!

 

[Kimi]

Just back from Sa Calobra

Pool beers now!
https://www.relive.cc/view/737058372 little video of the Strava segment

 

[lordrobs]

Haha funny you mention that! I've got it down to 6 minutes... Takes me almost as long to get changed as it does to get home!

Generally find I'm leaving work at 1:10, home for 1:20, leave home at 1:40, back at my desk by 2! It's a bit frantic... Lucky most of my job isn't!

It would be much quicker to just wear your work stuff and ride slowly enough that you don't get a sweat on

Personally I'd rather have lots of "pretty good" bikes than one super duper bike. Although saying that I am considering getting a custom made 953 frame when I turn 40 and that won't be cheap.

I get where you are coming from. I really don't know what to do at the moment, I keep swapping between;

1) Keeping my current setup (Dolomite + hybrid for bad weather)
2) Ditching the hybrid, throwing guards on the Dolomite and running just that
3) Buying a super shiny machine for best, relegating the Dolomite to bad weather and ditch the hybrid
4) Buying a cheap road or CX bike for winter use and keeping the Dolomite for best
5) Buying a better hybrid, ditching the current one and keeping the Dolomite for best

I'll probably go option 1 for this year as I've missed the best of the sales now (in common frame sizes anyway). Option 2 makes the most sense but I hate the way the country lanes ruin a bike over the winter and want to have something 'nice' to jump on and do an epic ride when the sun is shining. Option 3 is, in reality, pointless as the Dolomite is all the road bike I actually need. Option 4 leaves me with a bike almost the same cost as my "best" bike to trash in the winter which seems pointless and option 5 has the potential to not really gain me much.

I thought n+1 was always the easy choice...

Just back from Sa Calobra

Pool beers now!
https://www.relive.cc/view/737058372 little video of the Strava segment

That is awesome!

 

[randomshenans]

^^ nice app/ site and great ride! Some climbing!

 

[merlin]

Just back from Sa Calobra

Pool beers now!
https://www.relive.cc/view/737058372 little video of the Strava segment

Awesome.

 

[merlin]

Just get the £3 Lifeline valve from Wiggle. Works perfectly. No need for anything fancier.

Ordered.

If it's pants I'm blaming you.

 

[SoliD]

I just remain in shorts until I can't feel my legs. Then it seems cold enough for longs

Not good for your knees!

 

[BennyC]

Ordered.

If it's pants I'm blaming you.

You can curse me from the side of the road in the soaking rain

Actually dropped mine out my tool kit when it fell and split open on a ride. Picked up everything, or so I though. Turns out I road for the following week with two CO2's but now way to actually use them...

 

[BennyC]

Not good for your knees!

Bare legs/knee warmers until it's cold enough that it starts to hamper performance (drawing blood away to preserve your organs). By that point I'm usually on the turbo anyway

 

[Roady]

It would be much quicker to just wear your work stuff and ride slowly enough that you don't get a sweat on
<snip>
I thought n+1 was always the easy choice...

Yeah but I don't do 'ride slowly'! Also easier to get into the routine now, so when the stinky weather is here it's automatic...

N+2 seems the logical choice!

To be honest with the Dolomite you're in a similar boat to how I'd got myself with my Defy, a 'do it all' bike that works well so is hard to justify 'replacing' even part of it's role. For me as the mudguards I had (SKS Raceblades) were a compromise fit and coverage wise then I could justify replacing the 'winter' use of the Defy and go for my Gravel bike with disc brakes (Diverge). I'd fitted lighter summer wheels (RS81) to the Defy so also 'downgrading' back to heavy winter wheels (Khamsin - which need new bearings) also helped to sway me. Which kinda leads on to the next problem I'm finding - my 'winter' bike is my favourite and my 'summer' bike is no lighter, and not any faster!

I can see me buying an aero road rim brake frame next year and doing a new build around the 3 rim wheelsets I have (I have a deeper set of Rovals I'm rebuilding). I fancy sticking some TT bars on it too and trying some TT'ing!

 

[lordrobs]

Yeah but I don't do 'ride slowly'! Also easier to get into the routine now, so when the stinky weather is here it's automatic...

N+2 seems the logical choice!

To be honest with the Dolomite you're in a similar boat to how I'd got myself with my Defy, a 'do it all' bike that works well so is hard to justify 'replacing' even part of it's role. For me as the mudguards I had (SKS Raceblades) were a compromise fit and coverage wise then I could justify replacing the 'winter' use of the Defy and go for my Gravel bike with disc brakes (Diverge). I'd fitted lighter summer wheels (RS81) to the Defy so also 'downgrading' back to heavy winter wheels (Khamsin - which need new bearings) also helped to sway me. Which kinda leads on to the next problem I'm finding - my 'winter' bike is my favourite and my 'summer' bike is no lighter, and not any faster!

I can see me buying an aero road rim brake frame next year and doing a new build around the 3 rim wheelsets I have (I have a deeper set of Rovals I'm rebuilding). I fancy sticking some TT bars on it too and trying some TT'ing!

I can see me at some point ending up with the rather backwards combo of a winter bike with rim brakes and a summer, dry use only bike on discs

 

[Roady]

Haha totally get where you're coming from... But the only way I could justify the expensive Diverge (best part of 2 grand!) was to say I'm going to ride it 'all winter'!

Have a good weekend all, Turbo for me once I sort my spare S&C sensor out!

 

[whyscotty]

Summer bike demoted to turbo duties for the Winter

Spoiler

 

[Indigo]

Yeah but I don't do 'ride slowly'! Also easier to get into the routine now, so when the stinky weather is here it's automatic...

N+2 seems the logical choice!

To be honest with the Dolomite you're in a similar boat to how I'd got myself with my Defy, a 'do it all' bike that works well so is hard to justify 'replacing' even part of it's role. For me as the mudguards I had (SKS Raceblades) were a compromise fit and coverage wise then I could justify replacing the 'winter' use of the Defy and go for my Gravel bike with disc brakes (Diverge). I'd fitted lighter summer wheels (RS81) to the Defy so also 'downgrading' back to heavy winter wheels (Khamsin - which need new bearings) also helped to sway me. Which kinda leads on to the next problem I'm finding - my 'winter' bike is my favourite and my 'summer' bike is no lighter, and not any faster!

I can see me buying an aero road rim brake frame next year and doing a new build around the 3 rim wheelsets I have (I have a deeper set of Rovals I'm rebuilding). I fancy sticking some TT bars on it too and trying some TT'ing!

Know what you mean about the Defy. Have a Defy 3 myself and whilst I keep getting the itch to buy a new bike it just treats me so well I just have no reason to upgrade at the moment at all. Upgraded the wheels to Khamsins and upgrading the groupset from Sora 9 speed to Tiagra 10. Should keep me going through winter and then decide on what bike I want for next summer. Been looking at the Giant TCR as wouldn't mind something a bit more racey.

 

[dod]

good day out today, did the Culloden Challenge Big Battle
https://www.strava.com/activities/738353689

 

[Calpol]

Those looking for one, Wiggle/Lifeline now do a trainer mat - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/lifeline-trainer-mat/

Amazing price, no idea on thickness & quality though. I picked up a %noname^brand% one from PX last autumn, cheapest I could find at £25!

I have it and its fine. Its a rubber mat and does the job. Its in my garage so hardly that important for it to be amazing quality. Much better value than anything else out there.

 

[merlin]

Bit chilly out tonight - Aldi leg warmers have left me with slightly cold knees. Hmm.

(they also probably cost me a first road bike KOM. No really. )

 

[lordrobs]

I think the last batch of Aldi buys may have finally cured me of buying their cycling gear.

"Premium" Bib tights - End up half way round my calves so more like 3/4 length
Long sleeve jersey - Weird cut that bunches around my stomach and sticks out in a baggy bulge
Mini rear light - O-ring mangled in the thread, circuit board not mounted properly so switch was jammed
Nebula copy light - Mount isn't very tight so the angle keeps dropping down mid ride, trim coming off

On the plus side the base layers seem ok.

 

[randomshenans]

@BennyC et al. Got my Endura long bibs today, they are utterly awesome in quality and material. Had them tried on today and can't wait for it to be colder now. They're amazing. They get the Ross stamp of approval.
I ate many cake yesterday so today felt I needed a zwift, so did Jons mix with the upped 296w FTP and think I might lower that lol 3 bursts of 890w nearly broke my tired muscles.

 

[physichull]

Which ones? My Gore short-fingers are great and I'll need some new winter gloves by the time I'm back on the bike.

Winter is coming, as some might say. Only means one thing. A stupid ride out to Southport in the worst weather imaginable and with inadequate equipment. I can tell you are looking forwards to it as much as me.