Road Cycling

Had a bit of an issue yesterday with my rear wheel commuting in, things started to feel a little 'squishy' and as I'm slowing to a stop to take a look I can feel a wobble from the rear. I pump it up as it hadn't lost that much air and continued to ride to work, around a mile later things feel squishy again but at this point I'm turning into work so I don't bother pumping it up just freewheeled up the drive walking the last 50 feet or so. I pump more air into it while locking it up so I know the pressure is fairly good (thinking I didn't put enough in before), intending to check it before lunch to see if it's gone down and I'll then replace tube. Sure enough it's gone down before lunch, before removing the wheel I give it a spin and I can see it's pretty badly bucked! Looking even closer I spot one of the spokes 'not quite right' and feeling it sure enough it's another broken nipple. I call the other half for pickup (on maternity leave) and use the car for the rest of the day. :(

Checking tube over last night it's started to deteriorate and easily split along the 'join' when pulled. Easy replacement but the area isn't near where the nipple is broken as I expected it to be. Strange.

Replacing the nipple (4th I've replaced on this wheel) I bring it up to tension and the wheel is still quite buckled, going around checking tensions I add more to those neighbouring spokes to the broken one which were a little slack, *BANG* another neighbouring nipple breaks! Replaced that one too and while adding tension to another the nipple is very tight. Lots of huffing and puffing I get it undone but it's badly warped/damaged from me doing so, replaced it. Checking another I find it very over tensioned and while trying to release some the same happens, it's seized! The spoke will not move in the nipple (just twists) and now the nipple body is badly damaged, I must've got nearly 2 full twists in it and it wouldn't budge. My spoke key cannot get good purchase on it any longer. I'll have to see if I can dremel it off (without damaging the spoke), use some mole grips/pliers etc. The head of the nipple (rim side) I'm unable to get a flat blade into as the spoke is sticking up through much further than any others. It looks like the spoke is the wrong length (has been like that since new?!) Gah! Things where getting pretty late (and me pretty frustrated at that point) so I balance it as best I can so it's rideable. :o

The aluminum nipples this Specialized AXIS4.0 wheelset are made with are dire. I've now replaced 6 of them on the rear with this 7th one stuck and 1 on the front. With the hub/endcap issue I've had with this SCS rear I've been intending to replace it with a DT 350 or Hope RS4, rebuilding back into a non-SCS wheelset. I think now this has pretty much decided things need to be done sooner rather than later! Just need to figure out what spoke lengths I need too! Although I can maybe figure out the lengths needed with the new hub, I'm confused as the current SCS wheel will be dished 2.5mm differently to non-SCS and I don't know if that has an impact on the lengths... I may 'cheat' and get the LBS to build it for me as an easier & quicker option. Unless I can persuade the 'purchase prevention department' that I need my new wheelset now and then I can spend my time rebuilding these AXIS4.0 again sometime. :rolleyes:

Gp4000 s ii the weapon of choice atm?
Depends on your riding, not cost effective for lots of commuting miles, great for a weekend/good bike.

she's cracking on quite nicely. started just after 7 and already passing Camborne, just shy of a 19mph average
GPS tracker is pretty good but unsure if signal is poor or poll time is too low to really give an idea of progress as the routing also doesn't 'snap' to roads, just plots GPS points.

If the average speed is calculated from distance coming from the GPS points it'll be inaccurate... The last couple of times I've looked her moving speed has been sub 15mph yet the average closer to 20mph.

Congrats SDK on fastest finisher for the base route out of 195 riders.

I came in 29th.
Great riding & positions both!

Stripped my diet down, cutting out all booze, and riding like hell. Not having this BS. It's rubbish!
Don't cut the booze, you need to drown your sorrows somewhere! Just get back into riding regularly mate, the weight will drop off! :D

Bah, back in the UK.:(

Will probably do a bit of a write-up for Majorca in the next few days.
Welcome back, could've brought some damn sunshine back with you though! :p
 
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GPS tracker is pretty good but unsure if signal is poor or poll time is too low to really give an idea of progress as the routing also doesn't 'snap' to roads, just plots GPS points.

If the average speed is calculated from distance coming from the GPS points it'll be inaccurate... The last couple of times I've looked her moving speed has been sub 15mph yet the average closer to 20mph.

it's currently showing me 3hrs 58 elapsed, 81 miles covered, average 20.4mph. Pretty much spot on
 
Thanks :)
Pretty happy with that considering I was waiting 15mins for one of our club riders to fix a puncture in the first 10 miles.

That's the problem with looking at the total elapsed time - you start to regret the time you lost on stuff like chatting, eating, drinking, texting, queuing for the toilet. :p
 
Had a bit of an issue yesterday with my rear wheel commuting in, things started to feel a little 'squishy' and as I'm slowing to a stop to take a look I can feel a wobble from the rear. I pump it up as it hadn't lost that much air and continued to ride to work, around a mile later things feel squishy again but at this point I'm turning into work so I don't bother pumping it up just freewheeled up the drive walking the last 50 feet or so. I pump more air into it while locking it up so I know the pressure is fairly good (thinking I didn't put enough in before), intending to check it before lunch to see if it's gone down and I'll then replace tube. Sure enough it's gone down before lunch, before removing the wheel I give it a spin and I can see it's pretty badly bucked! Looking even closer I spot one of the spokes 'not quite right' and feeling it sure enough it's another broken nipple. I call the other half for pickup (on maternity leave) and use the car for the rest of the day. :(

Checking tube over last night it's started to deteriorate and easily split along the 'join' when pulled. Easy replacement but the area isn't near where the nipple is broken as I expected it to be. Strange.

Replacing the nipple (4th I've replaced on this wheel) I bring it up to tension and the wheel is still quite buckled, going around checking tensions I add more to those neighbouring spokes to the broken one which were a little slack, *BANG* another neighbouring nipple breaks! Replaced that one too and while adding tension to another the nipple is very tight. Lots of huffing and puffing I get it undone but it's badly warped/damaged from me doing so, replaced it. Checking another I find it very over tensioned and while trying to release some the same happens, it's seized! The spoke will not move in the nipple (just twists) and now the nipple body is badly damaged, I must've got nearly 2 full twists in it and it wouldn't budge. My spoke key cannot get good purchase on it any longer. I'll have to see if I can dremel it off (without damaging the spoke), use some mole grips/pliers etc. The head of the nipple (rim side) I'm unable to get a flat blade into as the spoke is sticking up through much further than any others. It looks like the spoke is the wrong length (has been like that since new?!) Gah! Things where getting pretty late (and me pretty frustrated at that point) so I balance it as best I can so it's rideable. :o

The aluminum nipples this Specialized AXIS4.0 wheelset are made with are dire. I've now replaced 6 of them on the rear with this 7th one stuck and 1 on the front. With the hub/endcap issue I've had with this SCS rear I've been intending to replace it with a DT 350 or Hope RS4, rebuilding back into a non-SCS wheelset. I think now this has pretty much decided things need to be done sooner rather than later! Just need to figure out what spoke lengths I need too! Although I can maybe figure out the lengths needed with the new hub, I'm confused as the current SCS wheel will be dished 2.5mm differently to non-SCS and I don't know if that has an impact on the lengths... I may 'cheat' and get the LBS to build it for me as an easier & quicker option. Unless I can persuade the 'purchase prevention department' that I need my new wheelset now and then I can spend my time rebuilding these AXIS4.0 again sometime. :rolleyes:


how to measure a hub and a rim here: https://leonard.io/edd/howtomeasure

then use the measurements here: https://leonard.io/edd/

I'll dig out Musson and confirm how to compensate for offset hubs when I get a moment later. 2.5mm isn't going to make a huge difference though

EDITED: Musson doesn't have anything about SCS. I am not sure how to proceed with that particular issue, though I suspect you just need to tweak the flange spacing measurements by 2.5mm to get it right, but i'd ask a pro.


Overall it sounds like those Axis wheels were badly assembled from the get-go. A lot of OEM wheels are.
 
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it's currently showing me 3hrs 58 elapsed, 81 miles covered, average 20.4mph. Pretty much spot on
Yeah but her GPS start point on the tracker was over 2 miles from Lands End before it logged the start point. If that's been used as 'evidence' for her attempt she might be wasting her time already...

Google maps has her route from LE to just before the A386 junction before Dartmoor as 92 miles. She's just reaching it and her tracker reads 89. She's didn't start from Lands End!? :o

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/L...150934!2d50.0662736!1m0!1m0!1m0!1m0!3e0?hl=en

Overall it sounds like those Axis wheels were badly assembled from the get-go. A lot of OEM wheels are.
Thanks, that guide explains it better than the one I had.

Yeah I'd agree about these wheels, unfortunately being SCS Specialized only did two wheelsets, these AXIS 4.0 @£250 or the Roval CLX & SL @£1200+. Moving away from SCS for good reason! :)
 
Yeah but her GPS start point on the tracker was over 2 miles from Lands End before it logged the start point. If that's been used as 'evidence' for her attempt she might be wasting her time already...

Google maps has her route from LE to just before the A386 junction before Dartmoor as 92 miles. She's just reaching it and her tracker reads 89. She's didn't start from Lands End!? :o

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/L...150934!2d50.0662736!1m0!1m0!1m0!1m0!3e0?hl=en

Thanks, that guide explains it better than the one I had.

Yeah I'd agree about these wheels, unfortunately being SCS Specialized only did two wheelsets, these AXIS 4.0 @£250 or the Roval CLX & SL @£1200+. Moving away from SCS for good reason! :)

I've just thought about it again, and SCS should make no difference to spoke length measurements, it only changes the cassette position relative to the axle. The flanges relative to the locknuts is what matters for spoke length, and the locknuts don't move. it's just a 135mm hub with slightly funky flange positions, but they can be measured in the standard way
 
There's something off with her GPS. It says it's been paused for 57 minutes, which seems excessive given she's only just coming up to 5 hours in. I've done metrics in the past with 4 hours elapsed time and like 5 minutes stoppage, so she's got no excuse!
 
SCS isn't strictly a 135mm hub spacing is the problem... It's more accurately a 130mm hub spacing with fancy endcaps. I'm moving away from SCS so my spacing will be closer to true 135mm.

The wheelbuilders and SCS owners I've spoken to all have various information but the most accurate has been from 2 other Diverge carbon comp owners, they've both 'converted' standard TA wheelsets to SCS by using end caps, one Fulcrum and the other a wheelbuilder set with a DT 240s. Both have used 135*12 endcaps to convert the wheelsets to SCS but have needed shims to move discs into position by 2mm, both noted things very tight/too tight if going full 142. The guy with Fulcrums has a non-SCS hanger (like me) and using 135*12 endcap on the cassette size and a 142*12 endcap on the disc side he didn't need a shim. So my current plan is DT 350 or Hope RS4 CL hubs and buy the additional endcap kit (£14 for Hope, waiting on pricing for the 350) so I don't need a shim behind my CL disc (which don't exist and you have to get one made). The other option would be to go 6 bolt (and use washers instead of a shim) but then I'd be buying new discs too... Going endcaps and sticking to CL is cheaper.
 
SCS isn't strictly a 135mm hub spacing is the problem... It's more accurately a 130mm hub spacing with fancy endcaps. I'm moving away from SCS so my spacing will be closer to true 135mm.

The wheelbuilders and SCS owners I've spoken to all have various information but the most accurate has been from 2 other Diverge carbon comp owners, they've both 'converted' standard TA wheelsets to SCS by using end caps, one Fulcrum and the other a wheelbuilder set with a DT 240s. Both have used 135*12 endcaps to convert the wheelsets to SCS but have needed shims to move discs into position by 2mm, both noted things very tight/too tight if going full 142. The guy with Fulcrums has a non-SCS hanger (like me) and using 135*12 endcap on the cassette size and a 142*12 endcap on the disc side he didn't need a shim. So my current plan is DT 350 or Hope RS4 CL hubs and buy the additional endcap kit (£14 for Hope, waiting on pricing for the 350) so I don't need a shim behind my CL disc (which don't exist and you have to get one made). The other option would be to go 6 bolt (and use washers instead of a shim) but then I'd be buying new discs too... Going endcaps and sticking to CL is cheaper.

the objective when building a wheel is to centre the rim between the outer faces of the two locknuts. In this case the locknut outer faces are 135mm apart.

to establish the spoke lengths, you need to measure the distance between the midpoint between the two locknuts, and the flanges (the DS and NDS flange distance).

SCS essentially moves the driveside flange closer to the centre line to accommodate moving the cassette inwards. It's still the relationship between that flange and the centre line that matters for spoke length.
 
In my experience, I would need at least 30 mins per meal to eat and allow it to digest a little before cycling again. I imagine it's very difficult to eat on the bike whilst doing this sort of thing, too. You pretty much need to have your hands on the bars the entire time for climbing and descending.

Beg to differ on both points.

You will never replace the calories burned during such a long ride, that said if the power output remains in the aerobic threshold the longevity of your performance should be extended and fuelling requirements reduced vs climbing at or around threshold.

Equally you're not going to be sitting down to a 3 course meal :o Primarily low volume high energy density foods should take priority when eating on the fly.

Can climb & descend quite happily on suitable gradients one or no handed. /epeen.

Quite a nice broken up climb with a couple of points where the gradient eases. But I think the 20% ramp in the middle would tax too much as doesn't look easy to carry much momentum up? That number of reps though! :o

Eh? Dodgy GPS data from tree cover or a poo-Garmin ;) Pick a club member and view their ride/effort to see the true profile. Flat 4-7% the entire way.

https://veloviewer.com/segments/682978
 
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Beg to differ on both points.
You will never replace the calories burned during such a long ride, that said if the power output remains in the aerobic threshold the longevity of your performance should be extended and fuelling requirements reduced vs climbing at or around threshold.
Equally you're not going to be sitting down to a 3 course meal :o Primarily low volume high energy density foods should take priority when eating on the fly.
I know that you wont replace all of the calories you burn during extended rides but you're going to need to eat a huge amount regardless of what intensity you're riding at.
I guess everyone is different and maybe you can manage on energy bars and things like that but most people can't do that. I get sick of them on 10 hour riders, never mind 24 hours. On a long ride like that I know that I need a few decent meal stops with some time for digestion included.
Riding for 24 hours isn't actually all that difficult in terms of fitness, you just need to pace it right. Most of the problems you'll face will be from nutrition or saddlesores/back pain (and some people struggle to stay awake but i've never really had problems with that).

Can climb & descend quite happily on suitable gradients one or no handed. /epeen.
Ok, I guess that's subjective and depends on the climb.
 
GPS tracker is pretty good but unsure if signal is poor or poll time is too low to really give an idea of progress as the routing also doesn't 'snap' to roads, just plots GPS points.

If it's anything like my spot tracker it'll update every 5 mins but if it doesnt send for whatever reason (trees, buildings, etc) it doesnt retry it just waits until the next 5 min update. So if you have a large area with poor satellite reception you might not get updates for a while.
I'd guess it's also matching her location against the preset route it shows to work out distance traveled on route rather than the direct distance between the tracked points.
 
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Rode my Diverge home and the non-straight wheel feels 'strange'. Don't know how else to describe it! Feels almost 'lumpy' in feel when really pushing much over 18mph. Feels a bit like a wobble, without actually wobbling!? Concerning enough for me to grab my Defy off the turbo and ride that back... First time I've ridden it on the road this year and the first time outside with aerobars...

https://www.strava.com/activities/1170971201
It feels very light in comparison to the fully guarded up Diverge! RS81 wheels, no guards and no saddlebag! The clip-on aerobars really overbalance the weight towards the front so the ride is quite harsh on the arms with the rear feeling very twitchy and responsive... 25mm tyres at 90-100PSI probably not helping that! Enjoyed it a little and maybe a slight tailwind but pretty much a 20mph average without any extra effort! :o

SCS essentially moves the driveside flange closer to the centre line to accommodate moving the cassette inwards. It's still the relationship between that flange and the centre line that matters for spoke length.
Yeah, there's plenty of people just running non SCS wheels and not worrying about it (running wheels 2.5mm off the centre line) along with those who just redish them when going non-scs. The fact I'm rebuilding with a new hub it sounds pretty silly to build/balance them 'wrong' for the setup I'm going to be using!

Eh? Dodgy GPS data from tree cover or a poo-Garmin ;) Pick a club member and view their ride/effort to see the true profile. Flat 4-7% the entire way.

https://veloviewer.com/segments/682978
Went from the Strava segment you linked! Really wish there was some kinda 'correction' you could flag on Strava segments to correct dodgy elevation data with other data from riders who've ridden it (I believe segment data comes from the creators GPS data?). I mean Strava are aware of screwy data as there's even a 'Fix elevation data' built into their ride data system. :rolleyes:

I'd guess it's also matching her location against the preset route it shows to work out distance traveled on route rather than the direct distance between the tracked points.
It must be but it kinda begs the question about measurement. Is GPS 'points' on a map the best for this from some kinda tracker, or actual 'ride' data from GPS units using wheel speed/distance etc to more accurately show the path ridden and 'actual' distance. :confused:

I recall reading something a while ago about Steve Abraham and Kurt Searvogel and the types of tracking info they had to supply for the HAMR 'distance in a year' stuff. It was quite specific and not very flexible. You'll see many of Steves rides have to finish/start at midnight otherwise he 'loses' any of mileage either side as the counts are done daily, not by actual distance covered per ride. He went through a phase of riding in the afternoons & evenings, stopping at midnight and then riding another couple of hours into the next day before stopping, effectively 2 rides a day into the log. :o
 
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I suspect they're using a different tracker, probably in one of the cars, for the website and a more accurate recorder for the record that'll be uploaded after.
 
It must be but it kinda begs the question about measurement. Is GPS 'points' on a map the best for this from some kinda tracker, or actual 'ride' data from GPS units using wheel speed/distance etc to more accurately show the path ridden and 'actual' distance. :confused:

I think she'll most likely have a normal GPS device for recording the ride as well as the tracker for live updates to the website. The live updates are probably done via satellite so data transfer is expensive - hence the slow update rate but the other gps will have a much more accurate log.

Probably doesnt matter much for the Lands End > JOG record - you just need to prove you've ridden the route, the actual distance you've recorded doesnt matter. I think she's planning on continuing and aiming for the 1000mile record though so she'll have to be using some kind of accurate recording.

edit: yes, as Saytan just said. Although the tracking device I use is small and lightweight and no problem to carry on the bike.
 
Yeah I recall reading about DCR using GPS 'poll' type tracker he'd used in various places - on the ocean & when skiing as well as riding. Reliable and worked for many weeks without charging/replacing battery, but quite a low poll rate.

@Saytan while you're here and thinking wheels, in your experience should I change the rims I'm also using? I've obviously broken lots of nipples and I'm mostly blaming the nipples/build, but would a fairly flexible rim also be causing some of these issues? I mean rims are fairly cheap so would I maybe save myself future issues by building a completely new rear wheel rather than just replacing hub, spokes & nipples...?
 
She'll need something with a decent battery to hold up GPS duties for 50 plus hours!

I'm waiting on a response from her team for an ETA round my way...

Edit: 2:30am apparently! Not sure that's feasible with work in the morning!
 
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Yeah I recall reading about DCR using GPS 'poll' type tracker he'd used in various places - on the ocean & when skiing as well as riding. Reliable and worked for many weeks without charging/replacing battery, but quite a low poll rate.

She'll need something with a decent battery to hold up GPS duties for 50 plus hours!

My tracker is a SPOT and uses 4xAAA batteries and lasts several days of constant use. Possibly up to a week but it's difficult to keep track of how long I've been using it because I dont keep it on when I'm not moving.

The GPS is a garmin eTrex and uses 2xAA batteries. They usually last about about 1-2 days depending on how much processing power I'm using if I'm displaying large map files and if I'm riding in the dark with the backlight on. It doesnt lose the recording if the batteries die so it's no problem to quickly swap them and get on the move again.
 
Yeah I recall reading about DCR using GPS 'poll' type tracker he'd used in various places - on the ocean & when skiing as well as riding. Reliable and worked for many weeks without charging/replacing battery, but quite a low poll rate.

@Saytan while you're here and thinking wheels, in your experience should I change the rims I'm also using? I've obviously broken lots of nipples and I'm mostly blaming the nipples/build, but would a fairly flexible rim also be causing some of these issues? I mean rims are fairly cheap so would I maybe save myself future issues by building a completely new rear wheel rather than just replacing hub, spokes & nipples...?


Flexible rims are a pain in the proverbial to build with, but I can't see how they'd cause nipple breakages. Shoddy nipples or shoddy building cause nipple breakages.

alloy nipples will sometimes break down with salt corrosion. Use brass if you're going to get them wet.

Actually use brass anywhere except actual best-day wheels. The slim benefits of alloy are just that.
 
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