Road Cycling

[Lethal`]

Wish I'd spotted the gruppetto windstoppers! Have grupetto jerseys & shorts and they're some of my best/favourite!

The Wiggle/DHB one is a tough call, I imagine it's similar to the Bloc Roubaix I have and the Momentum Roubaix I had (which got wrecked when I got knocked off). They're good winter tops but not really thick enough for rain or bitter cold wind protection, I tend to wear it more in the autumn or in the easier winter days with a windproof gilet. Like the thin Windslam jerseys they're really let down by the arms in colder/windier weather and need some protection on them.

I have a DHB Windslam Blade. It's easily one of the best garments I own. It's not that thick roubaix fleecy back stuff so you don't tend to overheat in it, yet the fabric is thick with enough windproofing for winter days. I've been looking for another second hand one on fleabay for the last year. There's a couple of smalls on there now, but never a Large! The ASV Windslam Roubaix is seen as a replacement and in my experience it's only suitable as a winter jersey when you need the wind protection. It's just too thick (without any vents) for anything else, there's just no regulating the temperature with it and it's barely breathable. Still, finding mine perfect for commuting as I wear it in place of a full jacket (which I only tend to use for heavy rain now).

Wore the Gruppetto this morning in 0 to -4 degrees. Worked perfectly with a thin long sleeve baselayer on below. A little tight around the beer belly but in theory that can be fixed...
Quite similar to my dhb blok micro softshell I'd say.

Less impressed my lobster aldi gloves. They just felt odd with the finger position and the right hand one was constricting my fingers somehow.. something up with the divider in the middle I guess. Took them off after 20 mins. I doubled up with merino knee warmers and leg warmers this morning too and a merino skull cap - probably helped a lot!

 

[Shamrock]

How much for those gloves, I was looking at some motorcycle heated gloves, which I think are going to be the way to go if you really need to ride and suffer like some of us do. Battery pack can be mounted in the jacket I think or they run off 12v so you could plug into something on the frame if necessary

I'll have a look later but I think I chucked mine in anger!

This is the brand: https://www.blazewear.com/heated-gloves.html

 

[Roady]

First ride on Vortex Smart last night. Set it up, rode for 5 minutes (playing with adding resistance on their app) and then calibrated. Calibration noted as 'too tight' (I'd fitted and tightened it to tyre with around the same fitting as used for my Road Machine). Slackened things off (twice) and performed around 5-6 calibrations to be sure. Tyre quite a bit looser on trainer than I'd used before as I experienced so much tyre slip. The Vortex seems less prone to slip, although I've not done intervals on it yet, maybe due to less flywheel mass? Although probably meaning I've been doing my tension levers too tight the last 3 years...!

Proceeded to mess around for the next 20 minutes, found my 10-15s sprints hitting around 500W without too much effort so enjoyed myself testing wattages and sprinting for landmarks. Was going to stop after that but noticed several ZZRC groups/rides around me doing a sub 3 w/kg group ride so dropped in and out of a couple of them until I found 3-4 guys in a group doing turns so rolled a couple with them. I was finding 230W a fairly good output for this and jumps up to 250W a little too easy to hold. I really need another FTP test with this setup as I'm sure I can go harder for 20 mins. Did spot Chris riding on the Zwift app with the ZRCC guys, tried the 'rider/follow' view and couldn't figure out where he was to go annoy him! Maybe next time!

Will jump onto more of this kind of group ride as it's the kind of base training I'm after and a good way to clock up the miles. Did 30 minutes aftrerwards of 'just spinning' a low wattage while watching some catchup TV to finish for an hour on the turbo.

Damn cold in my garage though, I was cooling down too much at 60-70rpm needing a higher cadence and my HR over 120bpm to be 'warm' watching TV!

As I looked right I saw that he was right on my shoulder. I expressed my surprise through the medium of random vocalisation

Bet he made you jump! I really don't have a problem with people jumping on my wheel when commuting, providing they let me know they're there & are skilled enough riders not to run into me. Don't really have much of it anymore as 99% of cyclists I see turn off at the SAS camp (I live one side of it and work the other side) and tend to be much slower riders.

Because the idiots have them on full in the dark. Mine is only set to full when I ride TTs with it in the summer. There are 3 brightness levels and unless I'm in the middle of nowhere mine is always on the lowest. Great Lights!

More than bright enough pulse on the lowest of those 3 settings, I have ours set to low for the battery life. 15+ hours burntime!

Roit gud Naaarfolk street name is that boi

Should be a QOM not a KOM with that name!

Cutting down a bolt is easier said than done. I do have a dremel but I don't have anything secure enough to hold it whilst I cut it down.

I've held bolt heads in the 'cutter' part of my long noses before when cutting them down with a junior hacksaw. S/Steel is generally soft enough to do this with but alu is usually too hard (depending on your finger strength & saw blades!). I remember wearing out 3 of my dremel saw blades on 1 alu bolt! Hacksaws all the way!

I bought a pair of these:

Bicycle Bike 3 LED 4 Modes Head Front Rear Tail Light Lamp USB Rechargeable

They look like complete ripoff/copies of the Lezyne Zecto drive!

 

[BennyC]

Damn cold in my garage though, I was cooling down too much at 60-70rpm needing a higher cadence and my HR over 120bpm to be 'warm' watching TV!

I'm not surprised, 60-70rpm is a slow cadence and 120bpm is not really a huge elevation in heart rate for most. With a fan on it'll be easy to catch a chill.

 

[Roady]

I got my headset parts/ top cap through today from Canyon as well. Still have a small plastic piece missing, but least I have 2 back on the bikes.

Canloln.

http://45nrth.com/products/gloves/sturmfist-5

"SUGGESTED TEMPERATURE RANGE 15°F (-9°C) to 35°F (2°C)"

Why choose the 5 when it's for 'For late fall and early spring riding conditions'? The 3 is lower temp range (-18°C to -9°C) and 300g insulation not 100g...? If it were me I'd be getting the best I could for the lowest temperatures I could!

Currently riding a cough Trek MTB cough on holiday and it has Tektro hydraulic disc brakes and am not impressed at all. Braking power isn't all that and modulation is meh but I guess Tektro is pretty crap.

Air in the lines probably, also it's a hire bike with probably worn pads and cheap oil.

well that was chilly

Wasn't as bad here as I was expecting! Forecast said -2 but only some bits of frost with no ice. Don't think it was actually below zero (dogs water not frozen outside) so it was all windchill.

Wore the Gruppetto this morning in 0 to -4 degrees. Worked perfectly with a thin long sleeve baselayer on below. A little tight around the beer belly but in theory that can be fixed...
Quite similar to my dhb blok micro softshell I'd say.

Less impressed my lobster aldi gloves. They just felt odd with the finger position and the right hand one was constricting my fingers somehow.. something up with the divider in the middle I guess. Took them off after 20 mins. I doubled up with merino knee warmers and leg warmers this morning too and a merino skull cap - probably helped a lot!

Good to hear the Gruppetto was good, may try to source one (not that I need more winter wear lol). I may need to 'adapt' my Galibier Barrier II's I've been recommending, thumbs were numb this morning and I wouldn't consider it as cold a morning as the real winter ones... Shouldn't have thrown my ripped overshoes away as I could've used some of the thin neoprene to make some extra 'thumb covers' to wear inside the glove... Doh!

I'm not surprised, 60-70rpm is a slow cadence and 120bpm is not really a huge elevation in heart rate for most. With a fan on it'll be easy to catch a chill.

No fan, switched it off and put my fleece jacket back on once I'd cooled from real efforts, probably a combination of sweat and the cooldown to be honest. Quite enjoyed the 'effort' ride/session followed by what was effectively a really long cooldown/lactate recovery session so will probably do similar again but switch out my jersey between them (I've got a lot of 'The Walking Dead' to catch up on!)

 

[lordrobs]

Has anyone else completely bypassed a section of their cycling wardrobe this year? Out of 4 autumn (long sleeve slightly thicker) jerseys only one got an outing then it was back to summer jerseys before jumping straight up to fleece lined jackets / softshells. Stupid weather is doing nothing to help my justification for owning more cycling tops than non cycling ones

 

[topgun06]

I'm kind of looking forward to getting out in the cold with full winter jackets etc. Very satisfying as long as you can stay warm.

 

[BennyC]

I'm kind of looking forward to getting out in the cold with full winter jackets etc. Very satisfying as long as you can stay warm.

Found this too. Having now accumulated some proper gear and experience it made riding on Saturday much more enjoyable than I'd previously envisaged.

Determined to keep my volume & intensity on par throughout the winter and come out swinging in to 2017

 

[randomshenans]

So Endura have offered me 50% off anything I order to wear on my charity ride in exchange for a promo. Might have to get some more SLs, they're comfy as anything! Not a bad deal though!

 

[Vonhelmet]

I'm kind of looking forward to getting out in the cold with full winter jackets etc. Very satisfying as long as you can stay warm.

I actually enjoyed riding to and from work yesterday. 4-5 degrees and properly clothed it was just about the right temperature for me to not be sweating like mad when I arrived.

 

[Jono]

So Endura have offered me 50% off anything I order to wear on my charity ride in exchange for a promo. Might have to get some more SLs, they're comfy as anything! Not a bad deal though!

Think you should buy me a MT500 II Jacket.

 

[Shamrock]

Canloln.

Why choose the 5 when it's for 'For late fall and early spring riding conditions'? The 3 is lower temp range (-18°C to -9°C) and 300g insulation not 100g...? If it were me I'd be getting the best I could for the lowest temperatures I could!

The 5 finger one looks a bit more dextrous than the lobster-like one.

Anyway, I'll be sure to report back when I'm disappointed by them!

 

[Lethal`]

Think you should buy me a MT500 II Jacket.

Yup organise a group buy. I quite like their MTB stuff... Magnetic pockets are awesome.

 

[UTmaniac]

Think you should buy me a MT500 II Jacket.

+1 if their reputation is to be believed.

 

[randomshenans]

I am a massive endura fan, I love the quality. Would be 90 quid as well, bargain.

I might wear a lot of stuff and mention them a lot

 

[SoliD]

Endura are ok, but the custom kit we had made did not last well at all. This was FS260 level too, so not exactly cheap.

 

[Roady]

You know those roundabouts on a normal main road. The ones with bollards to guide numpty drivers the correct way. The ones which don't actually split into 2 lanes but have enough space, with the left lane for left turning and straight over traffic. The ones where you take primary as you're going straight over. The ones where SOME DUCKHEED in a Mini overtakes on the right within the bollards, then cuts across your path turning left without any indication when you're doing 20mph+. Yeah THOSE. He's lucky I'm paranoid of drivers doing it there as I went over it at 25mph yesterday when another idiot had struggled to overtake me before it (and then went left again).

Car drivers are utter numpties at times. If only there was a way to report them using my video footage and not utterly wasting my time.

Has anyone else completely bypassed a section of their cycling wardrobe this year?

Yup, it's utterly crazy! My wet weather autumn gear has been totally neglected! I moved house late August/September and I only recall 3-4 wet days since then (I cycle nearly every day).

Think we've just gone late summer -> clock change -> winter. Totally missing out autumn!

Couple of the production divisions are struggling at my work, 'bareroot season' started this month (when the trees drop their leaves & go dormant) yet the ground is so dry and hard they're struggling to dig them up (I work in wholesale horticulture).

So Endura have offered me 50% off anything I order to wear on my charity ride in exchange for a promo. Might have to get some more SLs, they're comfy as anything! Not a bad deal though!

That's awesome, kudos to them showing you some support!

Weird one - but are you planning to stop at all? Meals/toilet? Just thinking a change of shorts every few hours (6?) might be welcome to aid with sores & comfort. You might even welcome some shorts with a different shaped pad (which you're still comfortable in) for some relief/change if nothing else. Some numbing creme might be a good investment to get you though...

I actually enjoyed riding to and from work yesterday. 4-5 degrees and properly clothed it was just about the right temperature for me to not be sweating like mad when I arrived.

4-5 degrees is enjoyable. Just not with the current 0 degrees windchill! I'm quite looking forward to the rain (forecast this afternoon, nothing yet) and snow, as at least then the wind isn't as cold with the temperatures generally 4-5 degree minimum.

 

[randomshenans]

That's awesome, kudos to them showing you some support!

Weird one - but are you planning to stop at all? Meals/toilet? Just thinking a change of shorts every few hours (6?) might be welcome to aid with sores & comfort. You might even welcome some shorts with a different shaped pad (which you're still comfortable in) for some relief/change if nothing else. Some numbing creme might be a good investment to get you though...

I have some assos chamois cream which I'll use, but also think I will change up every say 4-5 hours. If they get sweaty etc. would be nice to have a new fresh ass. I'll stop for a pee, hopefully bypass a poo stop, but if the body needs it... but hoping to go as much through as I can. The trouble with any prolonged period of stopping is seizing and cramping when I stop. It's easier to keep pedaling, even at low watts.

I'm also talking to Canyon at the moment, their Chief Brand Officer asked what I had in mind. I put it out there that they could donate a bike to be given at random to someone (randomized name generator) who donated to the campaign at the end. I'll see what they say about that... any support would be nice.
I've just emailed the GM of Tacx, Mr Peter Tacx himself, to explain my trainer issue and hope he can rush something. Days off is nice for my legs, but want to keep up some KMs too.

Oh, unrelated, but who's this low wattage plum?

 

[Jono]

Just put the footage on youtube/facebook and let social media justice do the rest

 

[randomshenans]

I'm going to be live streaming it via youtube as well. Or whatever people use today. I must remember it's on mind...