Road Cycling

[Roady]

Super noob question... I'm thinking of changing the cassette on the winter bike from a 11-30 to a 11-28 as I don't like the big gaps you get on a 11-30 8 speed. I can only find a SRAM in those ratios, well... in shops that I have soon to expire credit notes anyway, so will that be ok as a direct replacement to the Shimano one? I'm 99% sure the answer is yes but after buying a cassette to replace a screw on freewheel in the past I don't put anything past me these days

Should be fine, I've seen many SRAM cassettes on 8/9 speed shimano Giant setups, including my other halfs Liv.

ooo wow! That's pretty close yeh! As at work I'm about 3 miles or so from that location.

Shame I no longer have a Boardman anymore

From the wording I think it's going to be more than just a 'Boardman' sales room, I'd like to think a 'cycling mecca' would cater to everyone and anyone, but we'll see!

How do you all get through chains so quickly?

You're obviously not putting out such huge power levels as we are...

It's probably just bad weather abuse, I know many of my low mileage chains were abused and probably changed before they should've been. I've never notably worn a cassette and the chainrings on my Defy have seen ~6000 miles, although they're showing quite worn now they are FSA soft-alloy and had quite a bit of abuse. Including, a 65 mile sportive with bad chainline/rubbing, cross-chaining commuting & at least one bad chain with a couple of links which gouged out lumps from them (encountered metal 'shavings' in my chain grime when cleaning!)

I expect the chain is going to take my cassette and maybe chain rings with it!

Expensive when it does!

I've never noticed wear on any of my cassettes, only chains and my FSA chainrings. My Praxis rings on the Diverge are showing no wear after 1700 miles (not that I'd expect to see any!) other than losing their black paint/coating on the teeth.

Zwift later, anyone else on?

 

[SoliD]

Probably up to £250. I should specify though, no band mounts. I'd prefer a detachable mount I can leave on my bars with a light that clicks into place.

Best Exposure light you can get with that sort of cash!

 

[platypus]

Another vote for Exposure.

Their customer service is also excellent.

 

[Lethal`]

They simply can't handle my Watts... or was it my poor maintenance. One of those two anyway

To be honest I do rely completely on my chain wear checker thingy so I could well be throwing away perfectly serviceable chains

I use a Park Tool chain checker on mine too.

You're obviously not putting out such huge power levels as we are...

Shame I don't have a power meter

I do wonder if cadence differences would affect chain wear though? I know mine is pretty high generally at 95-100.

 

[booyaka]

Pun intended - Going round in circles at the moment looking at carbon wheelset!!! lol

Lots of options and reviews etc

• Chinese carbon from aliexpress etc (can be hit or miss but positive reviews in here from people) - around £300
• UK based carbon wheels/chinese rebanded etc - Zuus/Bax etc - basically a UK reseller with UK based warranty etc - Around £450/£500
• Full custom build, proper set custom built - around £700/£800 from wheel builder etc.

If the cost is kept down I can get power meter as well!

Or a local guy I know who builds wheels suggested a full custom build but he suggested I pick the rims/spokes/hubs I want and he would build them for next to nothing so long as he could use finished pictures/wheels for showing on his website/facebook page. He normally doesn't do many carbon wheels but has a very good rep with alloy wheels etc.

Driving me nuts - someone just pick some for me please!

 

[hornetstinger]

Just short of 1400 miles on my KMC on the other bike so I don't normally trash them so quickly

Super noob question... I'm thinking of changing the cassette on the winter bike from a 11-30 to a 11-28 as I don't like the big gaps you get on a 11-30 8 speed. I can only find a SRAM in those ratios, well... in shops that I have soon to expire credit notes anyway, so will that be ok as a direct replacement to the Shimano one? I'm 99% sure the answer is yes but after buying a cassette to replace a screw on freewheel in the past I don't put anything past me these days

SRAM and Shimano cassettes are compatible.

btw you don't need to buy specifically Shimano/SRAM brand, plenty of others, BBB, Miche, etc.

 

[physichull]

Cycling home tonight and I was passed by a Sons of Anarchy wannabe (proper biker gang nutjob) who shouted something about number plates as he went by. Caught up with him a few moments later as he was queuing in traffic (about a mile of parked traffic before some lights). He obviously clocked me in his mirrors and just as I was about to overtake him (filtering past on the right) he decided to pull out in front of me, started ranting and swearing because I didn't have a number plate, didn't pay tax (classic cliché lines we see on all those youtube videos). He then started speeding up and braking erratically in front of me (still whilst we were both filtering) so I decided to drop back a few car lengths.

Then there came the funniest bit. There was oncoming traffic and he couldn't find a gap in the traffic so he ends up in the middle of the road blocking oncoming cars and swearing at the drivers.

I eventually catch him again at the lights where he is mouthing off at another completely bewildered cyclist. Again, ranting, swearing, road tax this, number plate that. The cyclist was bemused and turned to me saying "can you believe all this?". A few choice swear words were exchanged and we both went out separate ways.

I wasn't really fuming at him, more just glad that I could be angry at a motorist in the full knowledge of completely and solely being able to claim the moral high ground. Just a total maniac.


And yesterday I had a car pull out of a junction and nearly take me out.

More incidents these last two days than the whole of last year. So tempted by a helmet camera. If I had a compilation of all the incidents I've seen over the last few years....

 

[Shadowness]

When it was icy a couple of days ago, I made it pretty much all the way to work fine (past some frosty patches), when I was nearly taken out on a roundabout 200m from work! Some stupid bimbo never saw me going around the roundabout (albeit a little bit slowly due to conditions) and carried straight onto the roundabout without looking.
I was in full fluoro yellow gabby top too! Hardly inconspicuous!!

 

[Vonhelmet]

Doesn't matter what you're wearing if people aren't looking.

 

[jpaul]

Purchased some Radial Avert Pro Aluminum Mudguards Width: 30mm (20-25c) now having an unexpected installation problem;
there is too much clearance - 30mm all round tyre, and I am currently discussing with Radial if this is a manufacturing defect -
The guards have an inside radius of 366mm, I am installing them on a 25C michelin pro4 endurance tyre 25-622, which has an outside radius 336
(consistant with ) hence 30mm of free space.
what spacing would you have expected when fitting the max size tyre specified for the guard ?


Roady about the comment on schrader

A schrader valve is the more traditional found on cars & kids bikes & things like lawnmowers, and requires the middle of the pump tip to push the end of the valve in. A presta valve (road bike tyres) the valve tip itself has to unscrew first then this whole tip has to be pushed in by the pump, much further than a schrader valve. The 'default' end of that pump (in the picture) doesn't have enough 'length' between the screw fitting and the tip pushing down, so the valve is fully depressed before any closure over the valve, letting the air escape

I did not know the tip of the pump is meant to open the valve, and thought it was just the air pressure from using the pump that pushed the air in ?
I have always thought I have pushed the pump too far on, if the air 'fills' the end of the pump;
both the toppeak and zefal I use are also temperamental about having the pump square on the valve to avoid any air leak around edge of rubber 'washer'/insert in pump tip and I have considered whether these can/should be replaced to improve the seal ?

 

[merlin]

Doesn't matter what you're wearing if people aren't looking.

Thats the bottom line.

At road islands people pre-scan for car sized objects or bigger, they simply dont look for small road users, therefore Slick Rick the 800watt luminous roady is generally in peril more at r/bouts than anywhere else.

 

[jpaul]

cyclists are often a lot less conspicuous than they think, you need a friend to folllow you in a car and comment ; I often run on footpath of an unlit 60mph road and frequently call out to cyclists who pass on road - yes they have a flashing red light and either dark or dirty fluoro top, which is not visible in the car head lights until they are right on top of them.

 

[Lethal`]

Too many drivers look, see and don't care too...

I was close passed within inches by an ambulance last week... Thought the NHS were struggling enough without trying to create patients

 

[xdcx]

I nearly ran over a stupid bint on a bike yesterday.
She came along a pavement on her bike to a corner I was going around, looked at me, then just kept going straight down off the pavement right into my path and I had to slam on the brakes. I was in pure bewilderment.

Then I was sat behind her as she was properly in the middle of the road right up to the junction. To which, there is no left turn as signposted, but yeah, she turned left and was on her merry way.

 

[grudas]

so onto 4th rear gear cable on my 105 bike.

all 3 snapped at the same spot, right in the shifter probably 2cm from the end.

all seem to last around 1.5k miles too!?? WTF SHIMANO.

This time I got a low friction cable and dumped a lot of grease inside. Hopefully that'll make it last.

 

[Jono]

I hate riding in bad weather (that's cold AND wet) - don't mind any other combination... it's icy at the moment so that's out for most roads other than main ones and I try to avoid them...

Do I just MTFU and get sets of cold weather gear and keep going out, having a **** time over winter. Or get a new smart turbo trainer so I can at least keep my legs going...with zwift and even though it's not as fun as being outside on a nice day.... it's not as bad as staring at a wall.

 

[lordrobs]

I use a Park Tool chain checker on mine too.



Shame I don't have a power meter

I do wonder if cadence differences would affect chain wear though? I know mine is pretty high generally at 95-100.

I've got a basic Lifeline drop in one. As chains are actually more expensive than my cassette I'll just take it to 1% rather than 0.75% like I normally would.

Funny time of year on the roads. Poor visibility, poor grip yet everyone is driving like a donkey because they are depressed at having to go back to work after the anti-climax of Christmas which cost them 2 months salary for a few days!

 

[Jono]

so onto 4th rear gear cable on my 105 bike.

all 3 snapped at the same spot, right in the shifter probably 2cm from the end.

all seem to last around 1.5k miles too!?? WTF SHIMANO.

This time I got a low friction cable and dumped a lot of grease inside. Hopefully that'll make it last.

Have you looked to see if there's anything sharp snagging on it ?

 

[Shadowness]

I hate riding in bad weather (that's cold AND wet) - don't mind any other combination... it's icy at the moment so that's out for most roads other than main ones and I try to avoid them...

Do I just MTFU and get sets of cold weather gear and keep going out, having a **** time over winter. Or get a new smart turbo trainer so I can at least keep my legs going...with zwift and even though it's not as fun as being outside on a nice day.... it's not as bad as staring at a wall.

Just get out there!

Turbos are for wusses anyway

 

[jonneymendoza]

so onto 4th rear gear cable on my 105 bike.

all 3 snapped at the same spot, right in the shifter probably 2cm from the end.

all seem to last around 1.5k miles too!?? WTF SHIMANO.

This time I got a low friction cable and dumped a lot of grease inside. Hopefully that'll make it last.

What bike you have.?