Road Cycling

Lethal` · 22 Mar 2017 at 16:36

xdcx said:
Yes, and the worst thing of it all is that it encourages utter morons with no bike handling or bunch riding ability to think they ARE racing.
It'll take something big time bad to happen before they clamp down on it under the health and safety/liability/insurance stuff but that will come.

I think that's what put me off doing the Velothon Wales again. It was mega busy on the climbs and people going all over the place. The flat run out at the start was obviously also full of massive trains of teams trying to steam past through small gaps and constantly shouting "ON YOUR RIGHT" pretty aggressively. I understand people should be keeping left but at the same time everyone's just trying to have a fun day out. A gentle reminder rather than screaming at the guy in front would be appropriate.

On The Tumble (~20-25min climb) I was trying to go up the right hand side and it was tough to find gaps but I sat patiently grinding my legs out at a cadence I hated. When I saw there was enough room for someone to move over I'd just politely let them know I'm coming by. Funnily enough The Tumble was where I had small chuckles at seeing the previous massive trains broken up as people probably expended themselves too much and got dropped...

madindehead · 22 Mar 2017 at 16:45

Ride London 100 isn't a race. But damn, people sure treat it like one. People racing is what caused us to be held up for an hour, because someone binned it in a tight corner on a country lane, and they had to clean the road. And get the air ambulance in.

Roady · 22 Mar 2017 at 17:04

Two things for xdcx to sink his teeth into today:
http://road.cc/content/tech-news/219636-team-sunweb-rolls-out-disc-brakes-cobbled-classics :cool:

Quite like the fact the 'whole team' will be on them rather than a few key riders! Hopefully Boonen will ride discs too and win it!

&

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/21...o-ranger-full-suspension-gravel-bike-unveiled

I quite like this idea but as more of an audax & gravel bike rather than being branded as a pure 'gravel' bike. Unfortunately 'gravel bike' over here in the UK tends to include CX bikes, some fast-road & trail disc bikes as well as those more gravel orientated.

SDK^ · 22 Mar 2017 at 17:15

Disc brakes on road bikes - that'll never catch on

Roady · 22 Mar 2017 at 17:18

What could possibly go wrong...

SoliD · 22 Mar 2017 at 19:41

What an evening. Summer bike rolled out. Put into perspective that my winter bike needs a good seeing to. Needs new cables and a good clean.

New Wheels rode very well. Pretty comfy at 25mm width and 25mm gp4000s on. Was damn chilly last half hour tho.

Berger · 22 Mar 2017 at 20:16

SDK^ said:
Berger (OcUK member) was on that ride too

I didn't realise there was a race on. I'd eaten dinner so racing wouldn't have been wise!

When I was riding I saw a few names pop up and messages.

Couple of loops of box hill for me was good

I did see some A guys fly past me first time up box hill doing 4.5-5wKg!

Close to when I stopped the front guys of the B race must have caught me, I probably would have just been able to hang with them in a bunch.

Vonhelmet · 22 Mar 2017 at 21:32

The only sportive I've ever done is Liverpool Chester Liverpool. The main event starts in Liverpool and immediately goes through the Birkenhead tunnel, which is closed to cars. That gives you 2 miles of 4 lane closed road goodness for all the nobheads to get out of everyone's way. The rest of it wasn't too much bother.

xdcx · 23 Mar 2017 at 08:37

Roady said:
Two things for xdcx to sink his teeth into today:
http://road.cc/content/tech-news/219636-team-sunweb-rolls-out-disc-brakes-cobbled-classics

Quite like the fact the 'whole team' will be on them rather than a few key riders! Hopefully Boonen will ride discs too and win it!

&

http://road.cc/content/tech-news/21...o-ranger-full-suspension-gravel-bike-unveiled

I quite like this idea but as more of an audax & gravel bike rather than being branded as a pure 'gravel' bike. Unfortunately 'gravel bike' over here in the UK tends to include CX bikes, some fast-road & trail disc bikes as well as those more gravel orientated.

Boonen will not win Paris Roubaix. You saw it here first. A disc brake bike will not win a monument this year. You saw it here first also

That's mostly because Mr P. Sagan actually HAS a custom disc brake Vias, but oh look and notice, he isn't racing on it.... Why? Hmmmm

Any bike not made for the road is a mountain bike. I don't care if they call it gravel or cyclomocross. They are simply inventing new pointless bikes now that muppets fall for and spend money on. That hideous thing you linked is basically a mountain bike with daft geo and road bike bars.

Roady · 23 Mar 2017 at 09:38

SoliD said:
What an evening. Summer bike rolled out. Put into perspective that my winter bike needs a good seeing to. Needs new cables and a good clean.

New Wheels rode very well. Pretty comfy at 25mm width and 25mm gp4000s on. Was damn chilly last half hour tho.

25mm internal? Super wide! Not considered 28's on there?

Anyone got a good source of jagwire outers? I can't recall where I got my last batch from and need to restock. Don't remember them being this expensive!

xdcx said:
Boonen will not win Paris Roubaix. You saw it here first. A disc brake bike will not win a monument this year. You saw it here first also That's mostly because Mr P. Sagan actually HAS a custom disc brake Vias, but oh look and notice, he isn't racing on it.... Why? Hmmmm

Because Sagan never needs to use his brakes?

Take it back! This is the year! C'mon Tommeke!

Saytan · 23 Mar 2017 at 10:18

xdcx said:
Any bike not made for the road is a mountain bike. I don't care if they call it gravel or cyclomocross. They are simply inventing new pointless bikes now that muppets fall for and spend money on. That hideous thing you linked is basically a mountain bike with daft geo and road bike bars.

But cyclocross was a thing long before mountain biking....

lordrobs · 23 Mar 2017 at 10:38

Roady said:
http://road.cc/content/tech-news/21...o-ranger-full-suspension-gravel-bike-unveiled

I quite like this idea but as more of an audax & gravel bike rather than being branded as a pure 'gravel' bike. Unfortunately 'gravel bike' over here in the UK tends to include CX bikes, some fast-road & trail disc bikes as well as those more gravel orientated.

I like it in concept at least. We don't have the graded gravel roads over here that they have in the states so I think that is why the term has been blurred so much. I own one purely as a winter hack. A better description would have been "road bike with slightly bigger clearances" but I guess that isn't quite such a snappy title.

For stringing together sections of road with rutted bridle ways or sandy fire roads I imagine that would be great fun.

xdcx · 23 Mar 2017 at 12:08

So Chain Reaction don't price match Wiggle even though they are the same company? Absolutely stupid.
The lady told me to purchase via CRC, then submit a thing under their Best Price Guarantee so that they would give me a CRC voucher to cover the difference. I just told her that was stupid and I will simply order it cheaper in the first place and save myself the hassle of claiming back a voucher which ties me to them yet again......

Thomas. PLease. · 23 Mar 2017 at 12:40

madindehead said:
Ride London 100 isn't a race. But damn, people sure treat it like one. People racing is what caused us to be held up for an hour, because someone binned it in a tight corner on a country lane, and they had to clean the road. And get the air ambulance in.

Morons attempting to race you mean. Anyone with an expected finish time of over 4:30 or so should know better and knock it back a bit imo

BennyC · 23 Mar 2017 at 12:49

xdcx said:
CRC voucher

Offers absolutely no incentive whatsoever. If the price was bettered via a voucher, perhaps.

xdcx · 23 Mar 2017 at 13:23

BennyC said:
Offers absolutely no incentive whatsoever. If the price was bettered via a voucher, perhaps.

SigmaSport offer an actual price match. So does Halfords FFS.
The bit annoying me is that CRC and Wiggle are the same people.
A voucher ties me to them for future purchase. They can do one. I will give up my BC 10% and get Sigma to price match Wiggle and do it all via them

SDK^ · 23 Mar 2017 at 14:11

xdcx said:
Boonen will not win Paris Roubaix. You saw it here first. A disc brake bike will not win a monument this year. You saw it here first also That's mostly because Mr P. Sagan actually HAS a custom disc brake Vias, but oh look and notice, he isn't racing on it.... Why? Hmmmm

Any bike not made for the road is a mountain bike. I don't care if they call it gravel or cyclomocross. They are simply inventing new pointless bikes now that muppets fall for and spend money on. That hideous thing you linked is basically a mountain bike with daft geo and road bike bars.

There is always one stubborn technophobe

Let me guess; you still use film cameras, post hand written letters and don't know what a mobile phone is

Shamrock · 23 Mar 2017 at 14:14

He's just grouchy because he lives in Scotland.

merlin · 23 Mar 2017 at 15:06

xdcx. The Victor Meldrew of cycling.