Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
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Soldato
- Joined
- 9 Nov 2005
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- Southampton, hopefully not too hot, or too cold
I bought a cyan/white/fluro Met Rivale earlier today from Wiggle for ~£55 (along with some £20 Endura* Hummvee shorts, £13 Endura* Pacajak and a £9 11-30 cassette). Not my favourite choice of colours, but at that price, it's a fair bargain!
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/met-rivale-road-helmet/
* Few good bargains on Endura there since last night, almost nearly bought a £13 gillet too.
Despite doing a new pb for the direct commute home from work on Tuesday (a good run of green lights helped), I've generally not felt too clever since the weekend, very achy and think I may have tweaked a left calf muscle on the way home Tuesday. Only done ~18 miles (direct commutes) so far this week instead of the what is becoming a normal ~70 by the end of Thursday, been debating whether to pop out for an hour or so most of the day, not helped by feeling mentally tired!
I once sent an entire bike in a box all dismantled. Just get a big box and a butt load of bubble wrap.
https://www.strava.com/activities/901631431
Forgot to mention I'd jumped on Zwift last night, no real 'races' so I was arsing around sorting mudguards on my Diverge and almost missed the start of a 'ZZRC sub 3.0 group ride' I'd set myself to join.
Badly organised and controlled ride, far too many individual riders ignoring the leader and it wasn't even a race. I span a little afterwards to round the mileage total for the evening up to 30. Good enough training but felt like lots of wasted effort, oh well! 
Forgot to mention I'd jumped on Zwift last night, no real 'races' so I was arsing around sorting mudguards on my Diverge and almost missed the start of a 'ZZRC sub 3.0 group ride' I'd set myself to join.
Literally sat on the turbo 5s pedalling and they were off! Cue most of them pushing 5 w/kg from the start for a good few miles and me dropped like a stone. I had to push hard to try and catch up (after a brief stop to grab my towel from the other side of the garage) and pushed 320W avg for 9 minutes. After sitting in the group for a bit I realised wearing knee warmers, arm warmers and toe covers was being totally overdressed. Guessing ambient was around 14-15 degrees and I was melting after the earlier effort!
Ziggy (leader) was trying to get the group together but they were strung over a huge range, ones in front 'holding 3' thinking the group behind would catch them (when it was hardly doing 3 w/kg). I'd passed around 20-30 riders well behind and a group of 8-10 forming at ~12s down was getting further behind. I figured I'd stop to take the knee warmers and toe covers off... It's surprising how much ground you can lose on a group just by easing up for ~16s (each leg)! I began to chase back on but I'd lost a good 40s at that point and the groups behind had fractured. I blew past lots of guys doing 2.5-3w/kg trying to catch up (myself doing 4-4.5w/kg) but I was pretty toasted at that point, barely making up 10s. I considered just quitting there and then (leader was very annoyed with most of the group as the front was not easing up) but decided to finish (was on the 2nd lap of 3). I came across a guy struggling to hold 2.5w/kg so rode most of the last lap with him practicing my 'towing'. It's really really tricky but we were getting the hang of it towards the end! I went for a long sprint, going out far too hard and almost blowing, eased up and was still able to sprint past a couple on the line.
Ziggy (leader) was trying to get the group together but they were strung over a huge range, ones in front 'holding 3' thinking the group behind would catch them (when it was hardly doing 3 w/kg). I'd passed around 20-30 riders well behind and a group of 8-10 forming at ~12s down was getting further behind. I figured I'd stop to take the knee warmers and toe covers off... It's surprising how much ground you can lose on a group just by easing up for ~16s (each leg)! I began to chase back on but I'd lost a good 40s at that point and the groups behind had fractured. I blew past lots of guys doing 2.5-3w/kg trying to catch up (myself doing 4-4.5w/kg) but I was pretty toasted at that point, barely making up 10s. I considered just quitting there and then (leader was very annoyed with most of the group as the front was not easing up) but decided to finish (was on the 2nd lap of 3). I came across a guy struggling to hold 2.5w/kg so rode most of the last lap with him practicing my 'towing'. It's really really tricky but we were getting the hang of it towards the end! I went for a long sprint, going out far too hard and almost blowing, eased up and was still able to sprint past a couple on the line.
Haha goodluck with that! Have a good chat with him if you can, he must have some amazing experiences of all the places he's ridden.I'll be racing against him this summer! It's a bit unnerving when your competitors have their own wikipedia pages
What brand? If its an off the shelf type (on your Trek?) then it might be about right. My experience with Giant (FSA) wasn't good, I only got 3k out of the one which came on my Defy. The replacement by the LBS has done around the same and is continuing ok, although it's only done 1 winter and around 1/3 of that mileage has been on the turbo.What's the life expectancy of a Bottom Bracket out of interest? Assuming this (above) is it on it's last legs it's done around 4,000 (mostly dry) miles which seems a bit on the low side. (BB86 PressFit).
Any excuse to buy new tooling
Try one on first! I've got an Infinity and although it's 'Large' the fit isn't great, it feels far too 'round' when mine (and most other!) heads are more 'oval'. My Specialized Echelon fits much better so I should've got an Evade...
How far? Not much point unless you're willing to wear cleat covers to save them. Also Look Keo are loads better (but I'd say they actually wear faster than SPD-SL lol)
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Soldato
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- 17 Aug 2012
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- Tamworth, UK
Might see if Evans has any in stock and try them on this evening if I get time on the way home.
EDIT: Evans don't stock KASK.
How far? Not much point unless you're willing to wear cleat covers to save them. Also Look Keo are loads better (but I'd say they actually wear faster than SPD-SL lol)
Aye, will probably go Look Keo as I use them on my summer bike anyway and have a pair sat at home in my drawer.
We're talking from dismount to platform... 200ft?
Then a short walk into my office building of say... 50ft?
Not horrific, but will be everyday.
Will just be the frame, and have a bike box it's coming back in, so easy enough, guessing just measure up and use one of the main services.
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Sep 2006
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- Gloucestershire
I'd always be wary of sending just a frame on it's own. Which is why I'm a little apprehensive about packing my road bike up for our holiday later this year. I bought a set of those QR spacers to go between each dropout. £13 for the pair.
Similar - I've got a small pull in my right calf, and also something similar right hand glute/hip. Not majorly painful but I'm constantly fidgeting around in the saddle trying to 'pedal around them' both. I'm not sure with these things whether it's best to work through it, work out the pain through stretching etc, or just back right off and don't ride or do anything for a week to let it heal. They might in fact just be tight, but I do a bit of yoga so they shouldn't be. Also I've had germs that my kids brought home from school - although just today I started to feel a whole lot better.
So if this slight arse and leg twinge would just **** off them I'll be good to go - soooo excited Spring is just around the corner - I'm like PUMPED
I've got an old hub I can chuck in the rear drop out, not that it matters as the frame is snapped at the seatstay anyway.
I work on the Hagley Road but I can cycle right up to my office front door - I can even take the bike into the office.
Do you commute far in to B'ham?
Soldato
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- Tamworth, UK
I commute from Tyseley to New Street (Stratford Road), then train to Derby.
So strictly walking within the station and then on the other side.
Hmm, my SPD's have lasted me since I went clipless.
Maybe I'll stick with SPD, only gripe is as they're MTB style shoes they chew through my overshoes.
Progress with your 'dale?
SPD's last loads longer as the cleat is much more protected, not to mention metal!Hmm, my SPD's have lasted me since I went clipless.
Maybe I'll stick with SPD, only gripe is as they're MTB style shoes they chew through my overshoes.
Hate to say it, but overshoes are cheaper as probably last longer than Keo/SPD-SL cleats...
Soldato
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- 30 May 2009
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Keo cleats get trashed pretty quickly sadly. But I do prefer them SPD-SL.
None, got to get it repaired, which is why I'm looking at sending away.
Sheeesh, sorry to hear about that mate, had high hopes they'd just replace it!
Pretty poor 'warranty' then, surprised to hear that from a brand like Cannondale.
EDIT: Surprised but Cannondale 'don't warranty their frames for crashes'. Loads of horror stories of people being short changed by their 'lifetime warranty'.
Pretty poor 'warranty' then, surprised to hear that from a brand like Cannondale.
EDIT: Surprised but Cannondale 'don't warranty their frames for crashes'. Loads of horror stories of people being short changed by their 'lifetime warranty'.
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Ah, you mean who to send it with? I crammed a bike into a box to meet hermes' size limits. And prayed.
Soldato
- Joined
- 9 Nov 2005
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- 9,169
- Location
- Southampton, hopefully not too hot, or too cold
Well if my Sony Smartwatch had recorded it properly, just got back from a ~7.5 mile loop, but watch GPS tracking was about as good as how I feel now! Calf muscle was fine, felt good up the first hill (Chessel Avenue), but part way up Upper Deacon I started to feel like I had been hammering it for the best part of an hour... Not ~15 minutes! Nothing left in the legs after the short steep bit of Taunton Avenue, gasping a bit a bit for breath, so a prompt warm down and called it a day.
Tomorrow is another day...
Tomorrow is another day...