Road Cycling

[Roady]

lots of companies use the (old, there's a new fancy one now) open pro as a baseline, it's the archetypal "standard" rim, and even Mavic kind of ignored it, meaning no one got upset by it getting a slagging.

Yeah, but what I'm trying to say is - is obviously it gets seen as the 'standard' wheel that the majority of 'off the shelf' bikes wheelsets are considered comparable to. They're really not, as many of them are the traditional 'box section' shape that the open pro uses.

It'd be more accurate to compare modern wheelsets against modern 'standards' like the Fulcrum Racing 5/Quattro, Mavic Aksium, Campagnolo Zonda, Shimano RS61, DT Spline 32, Easton EA70/90 etc etc (without getting into specific branded off the shelf bike manufacturer models, like the Giant PR-2).

I've been riding on Hunt Aero Wide wheels since March this year. Very impressed with them, light and fast.

Good to hear & thanks for chipping in! They do look great, very smart clean traditional looks without looking too dated. They around 30/35mm deep?

You've got me thinking now about disc wheels... Gah! I'd almost decided on replacing my hub as the most 'cost effective' repair but it would be getting around the £200 price level (with hanger and spokes), not to mention the work/stress involved building my first wheel... When the Hunt 4Season are only around the £350 price kinda range for a complete wheelset (I'd obviously have to change the front hub at some point as running two unmatched hubs would eventually drive my OCD mad...!)

 

[Saytan]

Yeah, but what I'm trying to say is - is obviously it gets seen as the 'standard' wheel that the majority of 'off the shelf' bikes wheelsets are considered comparable to. They're really not, as many of them are the traditional 'box section' shape that the open pro uses.

It'd be more accurate to compare modern wheelsets against modern 'standards' like the Fulcrum Racing 5/Quattro, Mavic Aksium, Campagnolo Zonda, Shimano RS61, DT Spline 32, Easton EA70/90 etc etc (without getting into specific branded off the shelf bike manufacturer models, like the Giant PR-2).

Thing is, the designs of all of those change quite often. Until this year (and it's still hard to actually find them) the open pro had been the same since jesus walked the earth. It's as close as there can be to a constant, though you could just as easily use the CXP33 I guess...

 

[Yerman]

Good to hear & thanks for chipping in! They do look great, very smart clean traditional looks without looking too dated. They around 30/35mm deep?

You've got me thinking now about disc wheels... Gah! I'd almost decided on replacing my hub as the most 'cost effective' repair but it would be getting around the £200 price level (with hanger and spokes), not to mention the work/stress involved building my first wheel... When the Hunt 4Season are only around the £350 price kinda range for a complete wheelset (I'd obviously have to change the front hub at some point as running two unmatched hubs would eventually drive my OCD mad...!)

They're 31mm deep. Whether they have an aero benefit it's hard to tell, but certainly very fast and no issues with crosswinds.

You should go with the Hunt 4Season, my brother has used them and been very impressed.

 

[GSVBagpuss]

Thanks for all the feedback guys; more than expected in a few hours! I think they're on the short list although it's hard to judge against the multitude of other options at that price point

 

[Jonny ///M]

Monster effort. Seeing these high average speeds is thoroughly depressing. I struggle to hold onto 22mph average without a draft on TRACK ffs, not a hill in sight! Get out on the road and introduce some gradient and I'm down into the 16.5-17mph zone, introduce some proper hills and I'm touching 15mph average.

All part of riding in a bunch I guess and average isn't always a great way to review a ride. The bundy group I meet can be lower average all in as there is a part were we wait for slower riders but it's all the attacks that break me rather than a consistent high pace.

I tend to be 16-18mph and 20 at a push if I make a point in going for it but 20+ is easy in a group. 24mph on the way home from work on a good day but that's flat/downhill.

Cheers guys, just what I was after but annoyingly my hubs & rims are not listed! I'll revisit trying to discover who makes them for Specialized before probably measuring to confirm...
Pffft, slacker!

Work smart, not hard!

I'll stick to fixing broken Di2 and solving creaky bikes etc.

 

[Roady]

They're 31mm deep. Whether they have an aero benefit it's hard to tell, but certainly very fast and no issues with crosswinds.

Good to hear, of course they're aero, it's in the name!

Thanks for all the feedback guys; more than expected in a few hours! I think they're on the short list although it's hard to judge against the multitude of other options at that price point

There's loads to be fair, if it's discs you're after then also include the DT Swiss Spline 24/32 & Zipp 30 Course in your research.

Work smart, not hard!

I'll stick to fixing broken Di2 and solving creaky bikes etc.

Pffft! Work Hard & Smart!

So you can fix all of our creaky BB's?

Did a good turbo session/race last night. First for a month and long overdue! Since my 100 miler I've been struggling with fatigue and not feeling that recovered, the last 9 days I've been tired even with only commuting miles. Taking it easy commuting hadn't made much difference so I decided that a Zwift race would properly tire me out so I would feel fresher on the weekend club ride after recovering from it. Shall see if it works!

 

[Lethal`]

Do we have any owners of Vortex or Satori smart trainers? Wondering if the vortex is really worth double.

 

[PermaBanned]

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/support-plans-to-build-tynemouth-watch-house-garden-cycle-hub

Seems like a great plan to add a cycle hub at the Tynemouth end of the C2C, which is tasteful and respectful of the local landscape. As it is, there's not really much there as a cyclist to celebrate the end of your 230km journey, a great target for a lot of new cyclists in the country.

Unfortunately some members of the community have taken issue with the idea that we celebrate cycling at all and have taken it upon themselves to completely misrepresent the plans to build support for a petition against it. If people could sign this one and possibly comment on the official consultation, it would make it much more likely for this to become a reality and for the council to not be afraid of promoting cycling in future.

 

[Roady]

Do we have any owners of Vortex or Satori smart trainers? Wondering if the vortex is really worth double.

Vortex smart here. Paid just under £300 for it and well worth the money. They're not without issues (quite a high % develop a click) but Tacx have been fantastic about sending out replacement units (need to log mine and get one). Several of us in the Trainer thread with them, not sure of anyone with a Satori. BE AWARE that although the Satori is a 'Smart' trainer (gives a power output figure) I don't think it's FE-C compatible so it is unable to automatically adjust resistance from an app, you have to do it manually with a lever. Just means it's a ballache and pretty much useless with Zwift/TR/etc. The Tacx Flow Smart I think has always been a cheaper alternative (£200?) and has FE-C, but I think you can only get it from Decathlon or Halfords and they always seemed quite scarce. Wiggle returns on ebay 'Tri Sport Resort' (trust me if you want a link) quite frequently have returned Vortex's on their page and they usually sell for around the same price. Providing Tacx warranty is still ok (it's done by serial #) I'd have no issue buying one.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/10...-trainer-recommendations.html#budget-trainers

Unfortunately some members of the community have taken issue with the idea that we celebrate cycling at all and have taken it upon themselves to completely misrepresent the plans to build support for a petition against it. If people could sign this one and possibly comment on the official consultation, it would make it much more likely for this to become a reality and for the council to not be afraid of promoting cycling in future.

Signed. Don't know the area but understand the concept of having a logical endpoint to something like the C2C.

 

[Lethal`]

Vortex smart here. Paid just under £300 for it and well worth the money. They're not without issues (quite a high % develop a click) but Tacx have been fantastic about sending out replacement units (need to log mine and get one). Several of us in the Trainer thread with them, not sure of anyone with a Satori. BE AWARE that although the Satori is a 'Smart' trainer (gives a power output figure) I don't think it's FE-C compatible so it is unable to automatically adjust resistance from an app, you have to do it manually with a lever. Just means it's a ballache and pretty much useless with Zwift/TR/etc. The Tacx Flow Smart I think has always been a cheaper alternative (£200?) and has FE-C, but I think you can only get it from Decathlon or Halfords and they always seemed quite scarce. Wiggle returns on ebay 'Tri Sport Resort' (trust me if you want a link) quite frequently have returned Vortex's on their page and they usually sell for around the same price. Providing Tacx warranty is still ok (it's done by serial #) I'd have no issue buying one.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/10...-trainer-recommendations.html#budget-trainers

Yeah. I think I was actually thinking of the Flow rather than Satori. Last time I was looking the Vortex was only £240

 

[Nursie]

I bought a Flow last year, seems ok. Not used it with Zwifit etc but will this year as I found it really boring even with podcast/audio books to listen to.
Vortex was around £340 when I was looking and I can get 10% off some companies gift cards through work so at £180 seemed like a good option

Did sometimes have problems with connecting to tacx app to check calibration etc.

 

[merlin]

Blew 10 seconds off my PB going up Cat4 on the way to work this morning and felt like I had a few seconds still up my sleeve - I'm well chuffed. Amazing to see how my times up this hill have fallen since last summer:

https://www.strava.com/activities/1105123189#27205845219

 

[Lethal`]

I bought a Flow last year, seems ok. Not used it with Zwifit etc but will this year as I found it really boring even with podcast/audio books to listen to.
Vortex was around £340 when I was looking and I can get 10% off some companies gift cards through work so at £180 seemed like a good option

Did sometimes have problems with connecting to tacx app to check calibration etc.

Only thing I'm wondering about the Flow is whether I would actually notice the slope / power limitations. Would quite like to use Zwift properly.

 

[Bear]

Blew 10 seconds off my PB going up Cat4 on the way to work this morning and felt like I had a few seconds still up my sleeve - I'm well chuffed. Amazing to see how my times up this hill have fallen since last summer:

https://www.strava.com/activities/1105123189#27205845219

Good going, it's quite rewarding to see progress in our fitness, especially if you make big gains on ability to get up climbs you may have struggled up before.

 

[Roady]

I bought a Flow last year, seems ok. Not used it with Zwifit etc but will this year as I found it really boring even with podcast/audio books to listen to.

Glad to hear it's been good, I'm sure you'll enjoy Zwift/TR/SF, they really do add another element to turbo riding. I personally couldn't now go back to just listening to some music and spinning away. Maybe I could holding power levels while watching some TV but of course I'd need an app for that (or powermeter to head unit)!

Blew 10 seconds off my PB going up Cat4 on the way to work this morning and felt like I had a few seconds still up my sleeve - I'm well chuffed.

Good work, keep it up! One day top 10...

Only thing I'm wondering about the Flow is whether I would actually notice the slope / power limitations. Would quite like to use Zwift properly.

I've noticed the limitations of my Vortex doing hard intervals so you almost certainly would on the Flow as you've probably similar (or higher) power levels to mine. The slope limit only really makes a difference on quick changing things like intervals in ERG mode. The only real way around it is a direct drive with a much steeper curve.

 

[merlin]

Good work, keep it up! One day top 10...

If you ever see me anywhere even near the top 10 on that climb then you know I've started doping.

 

[Roady]

350W avg for <5 min for a top 20. You're doing that wattage already on the steepest bits so it's all about pacing that effort. Top 10 easily doable with a bit of training, tailwind and a drag from a car onto the bottom or something to help you carry speed!

Your avg cadence (71) is quite low so you're standing it. The bottom is 10%, there's only one kicker later which goes over that so being able to carry speed over the start should mean you can stay seated and spin the middle before maybe standing to power the end kicker. The segment is between 2 roundabouts so you are quite limited by visibility leading into it and out at the end. The end of the segment is over the crest of the hill, I can see you're easing up even before the crest, depending on if you can see you should be powering through the end of the segment, not easing up.

It's a stupid segment for trying to pace, as with roundabouts at each end it's all about luck with the traffic. Ideally you want to carry as much speed as possible to get you over that first bit, once over that it'll be judged spinning/paced through the middle to keep momentum and saving your kick/effort for the end kicker & top. Carrying lots of speed to the top roundabout much of it is nerve and trusting/knowing your brakes... Again, much of segment hunting is luck & having so many tries at it, that 'one day' things are perfect!

I had a good one on my way home at lunch I'll use as an example:

Spoiler

https://www.strava.com/activities/1105457809/analysis/215/324
Bus just infront of me so I chased it for a good tow up a gradual 2-3% drag - you can see my 26/27mph chase (450W) then the ease off as the bus tows me up the start of the climb at 18mph, annoyingly the bus then catches a slower cyclist so I have to scrub off speed. As the bus and I overtake him you'll see my big (500W) effort to catch the drag again from the bus (failed!) before settling into 300W to finish off the segment. 20.5mph avg up the 0.3 mile 2% segment is enough for 1 minute 6s, 3 seconds slower than my best and not enough for top 100. Top 10 is 25+mph avg and probably 500W+ for me, not my paltry 377W. My effort today with the drag from the bus was 307W avg - without the cyclist and bus braking I'd probably have held 20mph and got below a minute for a sweet PR! With an equal drag I may be able to top 10 it with 400W avg, instead of 500W. Throw in a tail wind and that's probably another 50W saving, so 350W avg with the right conditions could be top 10! I could do it already with the right conditions!

Commute segments... I've got 450 results on this one with only 3 faster than todays 1 minute 6s.

Be careful though! One of the locals had a pretty spectacular 'Get Down!' last night on the thursday night social ride. Smashed a segment just before (sweet KOM!) before hitting a bump which caused his wheel to collapse and launching him over the bars (while he's on the front of a group ride with ~10 others!) at 25mph. Scary stuff! Check the pictures - spectacular wheel failure with all the spokes ripped out of the hub!

 

[merlin]

I admire the optimism Roady but at the moment I'm just focussing on trying to squeeze into the top 150 let alone the top 10! I've got a bit more in me for sure, but I'm talking seconds not minutes!

 

[merlin]

Be careful though! One of the locals had a pretty spectacular 'Get Down!' last night on the thursday night social ride. Smashed a segment just before (sweet KOM!) before hitting a bump which caused his wheel to collapse and launching him over the bars (while he's on the front of a group ride with ~10 others!) at 25mph. Scary stuff! Check the pictures - spectacular wheel failure with all the spokes ripped out of the hub!

Holy **** what a mess.

 

[SDK^]

I admire the optimism Roady but at the moment I'm just focussing on trying to squeeze into the top 150 let alone the top 10! I've got a bit more in me for sure, but I'm talking seconds not minutes!

Yep - there is a difference between touching 350w for a second and maintaining it for 5+ minutes