Road Cycling

I regularly ride with in-ear headphones for both music and also just to block out wind noise as I find it distracting, not very relaxing and demotivating when very windy. Can still hear plenty going on around you with them in and nothing playing through them so would think earplug are very similar.

I'm more alert and cautious with them in due to knowing my senses are impaired than when I ride without them.
 
There's definitely a market for some kind of earplug that resists sweat and has a good noise shaping curve for reducing wind noise but not vocals/lower pitch traffic noise. I'm unconvinced by these cat ears or ear covers in any sort of warm weather.
 
Ahhh you guys.

Should I change from attack to something else? That hill is acceptable for getting up at your own pace, regroup at the bottom.

I'm moaning that they are happy to sit on with stronger guys in the front and then ride away into the sunset. I stayed behind with my mate on my wheel to get back over to them. They didn't wait on the guy taking the wrong turn.

When I caught up to the guy and tried to chat to him he started riding harder so thought **** it let's get involved here.

Again people were dropped so we waited. They didn't.

So I've to wait for them and they aren't going to wait for slower guys? Every man for themselves it sems.
 
Really noticed yesterday that when descending long hills against the headwind, the wind noise pretty much blocked out any noise of motors behind me, not that this happens much in the South Downs (but nonetheless it does happen).

I did dabble with wearing a single Bluetooth earbud while riding a while back, so I could use the "audio feedback" feature of apps like Ghostracer Pro and Polar Beat, but it does reduce awareness of surroundings to some degree and sometimes the feedback voice was horribly muddled anyway!
 
To some degree it helps to not be able to hear much... you do more visual checks. I see a lot of cyclists seemingly relying upon hearing checks which aren't always reliable. After riding a motorcycle for a while I found myself doing better visual checks on the road bike too.
 
Lethal` said:
To some degree it helps to not be able to hear much... you do more visual checks. I see a lot of cyclists seemingly relying upon hearing checks which aren't always reliable. After riding a motorcycle for a while I found myself doing better visual checks on the road bike too.
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After doing my DAS a few years ago I always perform 'lifesaver' checks.

Modern cars are getting quieter too and people seem to be driving faster than ever.
 
Possibly a strange question dudes but.......does anyone have any suggestions on what to clean your tyre sidewalls with? I recently bought a pair of Michelin Pro Race 3's on special offer at £29 a pair which was stonking value for money. I got the ones with the red sidewalls which go really well with the colour scheme of my Pinarello. However the rear tyre sidewall after a few hundred miles is now looking a very dirty shade of red with the oil which comes off the chain over time. Any ideas how to clean it with something that will lift the oil off the surface of the rubber sidewall?
 
Jonny ///M said:
Decided to actually meet up with a mate for a club/social run. Usually I'd say no to go to one of two other options but I've said no to him far too much.

Two abreast from the meet until the climb, I attacked up the climb as I'd heard Gary usually does and made it over the top with one guy on my wheel.

Regrouped at the next corner and ended up with just 6 of us going for the route we chose. One strong guy up the road a bit but me and Gary kept it sensible at 18ish two abreast, spell up and he goes in front of me, nobody comes up. The three then sprinted like **** to get across to the guy up the road.

I tow Gary up the long drag and meet the guy who was up the road a bit, he didn't know the route and missed a turn. Got back on to the guys and I decided to smash it on the front at 30mph to see how good these guys were. They stepped up the mark and we put two guys out the back, they kept riding on as the two of us waited up for them.

Left them a hundred yards up the road until the next climb, left Gary on the front to go at his pace and smashed it to the top and then I took the job of being on the front as a two up back in the road.

The strong guy from the start managed to catch the two of us even when I was towing my mate along at 27mph average, he does do well at time trialling and it shows.

The two of us and Mr TT got in the road and an actual club run sort of pace.

Cyclists are strange people and it felt awfully amateurish. Makes me appreciate a proper riding etiquette.
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Agreed with the others. It sounds like you ruined a social ride. Well done.
 
I got fed up with group rides. I don't have the confidence to sit right on the person in fronts wheel so I leave a bit of a gap (probably less than a bike length) but people always seem to want to get in that gap (which I don't have a problem with) and then instantly slow down. Not wanting to look like a tool and instantly pass them I wait, realise we are dropping back and pass them back which inevitably is followed a few seconds later by the ride "leader" telling me to bunch up :rolleyes: For me it spoils a nice leisure activity. Quiet country lanes to clear the mind or four trips in/out of the city riding mm off someone elses wheel with constant yells of CAR UP, CAR DOWN and said person mm away from me spinning their fingers at every minute crack in the road. No thanks :p

What I do wish is that there were one or two people I could ride out with. The guys at work are the wrong side of the city for me and we all seem to be free at different times.
 
I do find excessive hand signalling amusing. We're in Britain, let's just assume the roads are terrible. Sure, let me know if we're about to fall into the Grand Canyon, but beyond that everyone just needs to keep their eyes open.
 
Vonhelmet said:
I do find excessive hand signalling amusing. We're in Britain, let's just assume the roads are terrible. Sure, let me know if we're about to fall into the Grand Canyon, but beyond that everyone just needs to keep their eyes open.
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Depends really. If you're drafting properly it can be quite difficult to see what is ahead.
 
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