Road Cycling

[topgun06]

Popped out for a flat metric earlier. Weather was pretty grim right up until 10 minutes before I got home... which I guess I shouldn't be surprised by

Feeling the effects of the stag weekend I think (and to be fair, my lack of activity lately). HR was a bit high for the power output and it felt like harder work than it should do. First metric of the year though so I'm happy on that front

https://www.strava.com/activities/907521568

Crap effort FT. You should be ashamed...

Just take a look at what I've been up to recently, that will make you feel better.

 

[FrenchTart]

Lol, thanks. It's more about how hard work 200w felt rather than the speed

 

[SDK^]

I feel exactly the same, my milage this year is shockingly low. I've bummed a lift into work with the wife so much this year even when the weather has been ok.
Really need some motivation to get out on the bike, but it's just not there.

You need a goal or event to aim for to motivate yourself to keep riding/training, otherwise it just becomes a pointless slog for nothing.
Do you fancy doing LEJOG in September ?

 

[Berger]

Gabba short or long sleeve?

Need something for English showery weather!

 

[FrenchTart]

Gabba short or long sleeve?

Need something for English showery weather!

This time of year - short sleeve. I rode with a long sleeve today and even when taking it steady I was edging towards overheating.

If you're the type to get cold easily though perhaps take this with a pinch of salt. I'm more the overheating type.

 

[Berger]

Body fat % increased substantially recently!

I'd wear long sleeves until it was 12-15c and sunny though!

Have £40 to spend on wiggle so gotta wait for the price to be right!

 

[FrenchTart]

Worth checking if anywhere else has it at a decent price - Wiggle are quite good with price matching

 

[Roady]

These ones. Seem to roll well on the road and after a route plotting fail last week I can confirm that they do ok on mud too!

Did you mean the Roubaix Pro's? I took the Mitchelin Pro4's off and even though the Roubaix's are heavier I think they roll better! They have substantially more grip over rough terrain and in the wet (not that the Pro4's are bad) so I'm not even sure if I'm going to remove them to put the Pro4's back on. I can see me never buying Conti 4 Seasons again, they're twice the money for the same features and seem to wear out faster.

Really need some motivation to get out on the bike, but it's just not there.

Are being able to eat all the cakes, drink all the beers and not worrying about your waistline not motivation enough?

I guess once I get used to the new workplace etc I'll jump on the bike a couple of times a week in nice sunny mornings as that is a pleasure to cycle.

That's probably the best option, at least until you're settled more (job & location). As time goes on it can be great to use cycling as an 'escape'!

Gabba short or long sleeve?

Need something for English showery weather!

Short sleeve every time! It's an expensive jersey to buy 1 SS and 1 LS, so providing you've a decent pair(s) of arm warmers the SS should make more sense as will get worn more. Although I've never bought one I have a couple of Sportful NoRain jerseys & jackets (all long sleeve lol).

My arms must run warm, or maybe they just don't feel the cold like the rest of me! I've generally found the only times I consider any LS jersey is for mid-layering in the winter. I find if it's cool enough for sleeves then it's generally cool enough for a windslam/thermal jersey, if it's not that cool then it's generally warm enough for short sleeve, warmers & gilet. I try to cover all bases this time of year and am either wearing all of that (in the morning) or at least carrying most of it with me for lunchtime/later. ~10 minute commute.

The Castelli Fawesome gilet I picked up last autumn (£35!) has been one of my best recent investments, finding myself wearing it almost every ride at the moment, the fit & features are superb!

Worth checking if anywhere else has it at a decent price - Wiggle are quite good with price matching

They're good, recently refunded me £20 on a light.

Spoiler: TL;DR

Day 1: price on Wiggle £166, price on Rutland £146
Day 2: request price match
Day 3: out of stock on Rutland, no pricematch, order light with 6% topcashback voucher due to expire
Day 4: back in stock on Rutland, request price match
Day 5: Wiggle pricematch (7 day retrospective price match service) and refund £20
Day 6: Profit.

 

[lordrobs]

Did you mean the Roubaix Pro's? I took the Mitchelin Pro4's off and even though the Roubaix's are heavier I think they roll better! They have substantially more grip over rough terrain and in the wet (not that the Pro4's are bad) so I'm not even sure if I'm going to remove them to put the Pro4's back on. I can see me never buying Conti 4 Seasons again, they're twice the money for the same features and seem to wear out faster.

Nope it was these ones that I forgot to put the link for - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/schwalbe-cx-comp-cyclocross-bike-tyre/rp-prod24615

 

[UTmaniac]

Lovely blue sky here in Southampton! Metcheck and BBC once again disagree on how warm it will be today, the former reckons it ill feel like 6C tops while the latter thinks 10C, I'm more inclined to believe BBC recently (maybe Metcheck are playing with a new model combo, I found them pretty good all winter until recently). Far nicer than yesterday's miserable windy and semi-wet day, definitely heading out, just need to decide which bike and where I'm going for an hour or so.

Rode along Riverside on Sunday as part of my ride, ~2 miles of being right alongside the Itchen, including the boardwalk section towards Northam Bridge. Nice and scenic, especially when combined with the Marhill Copse trail, but I quite quite frustrated by...
The path being split down the middle, with the section closest the grass (where kids and dogs want to play) being the cycle lane! Would make far more sense for the section closest the water to be the bike lane, reducing kids and dogs coming across the bike lane without noticing a bike heading towards them
Adults, kids and dogs spread across all sections of the path, often not moving over to the pedestrian side even when they see bikes coming

Now I'm only pootling through Riverside, cycling with due care and attention considering all the wandering kids and dogs, but I can't help but think I'd love to go down there and enjoy the views at speed and without worry of a collision! I probably should have gone straight down there this morning at ~0630, given the glorious weather, to see how busy/quiet it is around sunrise. I might be wrong, but I more than half expect to find quite a few dog owners down there even at ~0630, taking their hounds for a walk before the owners join the rat race for the day.

 

[SDK^]

I've posted some new photos of my bike in the gallery thread : https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/t...-gallery-thread.18659257/page-2#post-30626032

Cables and valves sorted

 

[Roady]

Nope it was these ones that I forgot to put the link for - http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/schwalbe-cx-comp-cyclocross-bike-tyre/rp-prod24615

Haha, good shout though, as they really look like some affordable offroad 700C tyres available in a volume I'd been half looking for (which may fit under my guards @30mm). Thanks! Very much appreciated as hadn't spotted them, most of the other grippy tyres I was looking at seem to carry a 'CX' price premium, many of them costing £30+ each! A bit too steep to 'try and see'!

Lovely blue sky here in Southampton! Metcheck and BBC once again disagree on how warm it will be today

I'd been let down so many times by Met & BBC weather previously that I stumbled across 'Underground Weather'. It seems much much much more accurate locally as it displays data from so many small local weather stations as well as the large ones. Does mean the forecast can change almost every time you look at it though...!

Cables and valves sorted

Superb! Let us know how you find Stages, not many people here have them!

 

[Vonhelmet]

First day of spring and it was 4 degrees with major headwind and windchill going on. Rubbish.

 

[SDK^]

Superb! Let us know how you find Stages, not many people here have them!

I've had the Stages PM just over 2 years now.
I had some issues last Feb with the battery cover breaking due to the number of times I had opened/closed it to change the battery but the unit was replaced under warranty and since then I've not had a single issue with it.

Obs single sided isn't ideal - I was looking to go dual but there isn't an option which doesn't have a major a flaw yet.

 

[Lethal`]

Lovely blue sky here in Southampton! Metcheck and BBC once again disagree on how warm it will be today, the former reckons it ill feel like 6C tops while the latter thinks 10C, I'm more inclined to believe BBC recently (maybe Metcheck are playing with a new model combo, I found them pretty good all winter until recently). Far nicer than yesterday's miserable windy and semi-wet day, definitely heading out, just need to decide which bike and where I'm going for an hour or so.

It was ~6C in West London this morning with some fairly killer wind chill. Doing laps of Richmond Park and I certainly noticed the wind picking up back to the last few days standard as every lap went by

 

[Calpol]

I've just got a set of these wheels - you had any issues with them at all? Just waiting for their first outing.

Sorry for late reply.
No issues for me with these wheels. I like them. The brake extremely well, I'd say better than my friends Reynolds wheels. I haven't noticed any issues in crosswinds either other than the odd tug as you go past a gap in a hedge. Don't expect any free speed though. I don't think they give that much aero benefit but at 40mm depth then maybe you wouldn't expect it anyway. For me they are a good comprise between looks, feel, weight and cost. I paid under £800 a year ago and I still think they represent good value.

 

[lordrobs]

Haha, good shout though, as they really look like some affordable offroad 700C tyres available in a volume I'd been half looking for (which may fit under my guards @30mm). Thanks! Very much appreciated as hadn't spotted them, most of the other grippy tyres I was looking at seem to carry a 'CX' price premium, many of them costing £30+ each! A bit too steep to 'try and see'!

It was the 35C that came on my winter bike. I think I'll try them at a slightly lower pressure. I keep forgetting that I'm 20 pounds lighter now so I need to adjust my tyre pressures to suit! The tread is a bit less aggressive than it appears on the photo and thankfully doesn't feel like a treaded tyre on smooth tarmac.

 

[booyaka]

Sorry for late reply.
No issues for me with these wheels. I like them. The brake extremely well, I'd say better than my friends Reynolds wheels. I haven't noticed any issues in crosswinds either other than the odd tug as you go past a gap in a hedge. Don't expect any free speed though. I don't think they give that much aero benefit but at 40mm depth then maybe you wouldn't expect it anyway. For me they are a good comprise between looks, feel, weight and cost. I paid under £800 a year ago and I still think they represent good value.

cheers - got a set with only 100 miles on them from a local shimano/madison rep. He's destickered them so they are just sleek black - look good - itching to get them on the bike but the snow has arrived today so don't think it's time for them yet!!

 

[Maxeh]

Now I have a new bike (BennyC's old Propel Advanced 1) I'm looking at potentially upgrading the wheels to something a bit better.

The standards are the 30mm Giant P-A2 Aero's and ~1770g I believe.

I don't have a big budget and looking for something potentially a bit more aero, possibly lighter, and something that looks better.

I've come across the Vision Team 35s and the review's seem to be decent...

http://road.cc/content/review/192701-vision-team-35-wheelset

Love the look of them but the weigh more, is this a major concern or will the aero advantage count for more?

Not looked into wheels a huge amount so any help would be great

 

[Lethal`]

Campag Scirocco 35s probably quite similar to those. Might be worth a look.

A mate got the Visions on his Planet X. Seem nice enough though the carbon 'effect' braking surface does wear and start to look a bit tacky.