Road Cycling

[Martynt74]

I don't. Even with a turbo and the spare time I struggled to follow one!

Yeah, i'm mostly the same. Not helped by wanting to do both running and cycling and imagine a specific plan for one wouldn't leave time for the other.

I need some kind of accountability/structure though. Especially with not having the same commitments/issues as most of you (fairly flexible job, no young kids, work from home, decent weather )




I never signed up for that big gravel event. Mainly due to not wanting to do it on a hardtail with low gearing, and not trusting my road bike and being reluctant to spend money to get either in a decent place. Maybe i need to find a 100 mile event to focus my training. I followed a plan for a very brutal 75km mountain running event and saw great progress. Left to my own devices i'm rubbish!

 

[engee]

Matt is very good, but his location although good for west mids is still also a 'bit in the middle' from lots of other places. He's between Hereford and Worcester, so fairly easy from the M5 if you're quick to get to and are south/Worcester, but the main road north-south being the A49 from Shropshire then he's a little more tricky to get to if you're from the North.

I've got friends in Bridgenorth/Oswestry and Stourbridge who I'd trust their recommendations of a fitter if you want me to? Where abouts are you based? Andy Turner could be a good person to ask, he's an ex- domestic Pro (very good rider!) now doing Coaching, originally from south of Hereford (Ross) but think he's living and working in Kidderminster at the moment. He would know what good fitters are around most of the midlands, drop him a message - https://atpperformance.uk/meet-the-coaches/

Thanks for the reply. I'm in Stafford so its a good 75 miles away from Matt. But if someone is worth it, I would happily drive that far.

Although I live in Stafford, I work in Wolverhampton. So if those friends know of a good fitter closer to their area, that would be great!

Thanks for the link to ATP too. I'll have a look.

 

[Calpol]

Shoe update incoming.
Ordered two pairs to compare and contrast and have just gone a bit mad trying to evaluate fit and comfort versus current shoes.

First up is the Shimano RC7s

These were £120 and to be fair they are decent but the upper does feel a bit plasticky. Heel cup quite nicely padded. Size 45 about right but the right shoe feels a bit tight at the midfoot with a thin sock on and bearing in mind its the winter and your feet sweel in summer I can see this being a problem. Insoles are crap with these but thats ok as I use Specialized greens in all my cycling shoes. However these do reduce the volume slightly as they have a high arch.
So despite the bargain I don't think these will be staying.

Next up is the Quoc

These are discounted to £180 currently probably because they are a slightly odd colour. They are less taupe than on the website and I'd say closer to a grey. I quite like it tbh. All round I think these are a better quality shoe. The upper feels nicer and boa adjusts better than the shimano. the insoles are better and feature an adjustable instep support which gives 3, 6 or 9mm. The problem I have with these is that heel cup is a bit less snug and I feel my heel would be slipping a bit and likely this might get worse as they soften up.

Current shoes have a very tight heel cup to the point where getting the things on and off is a challenge but they sure don't move on the bike.

So it's most likely 2 returns and back to the drawing board. Size wise I think 45 in both of these is right. Neither do half sizes otherwise I might have tried a 44.5 in the Quoc. Problem is that cycling shoes do take time to break in but you can't fit cleats and properly test without voiding a return so I think this cinderella might just have to try a few more! Let me know if you want any pantomime updates!!

 

[bastic]

Surely if you've got no accommodation then why are you tied in to Girona?

our small cycling group goes there , got flights booked, bike box etc..

have booked a place last night on my own, with aircon in the centre of old city and less then 5mins walk to Esspresso Mafia.

im sorted and happy bunny again

 

[bastic]

So it's most likely 2 returns and back to the drawing board. Size wise I think 45 in both of these is right. Neither do half sizes otherwise I might have tried a 44.5 in the Quoc. Problem is that cycling shoes do take time to break in but you can't fit cleats and properly test without voiding a return so I think this cinderella might just have to try a few more! Let me know if you want any pantomime updates!!

good to hear feedback

I'm considering Van Rysel new shoes

[https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/road...fMnbWgKEE9FIeI3qssAaApJDEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Junglist]

Next up is the Quoc

I really like these. Grey and pink are some of my favourite clothing colours so right up my street. Shame they didn't fit very well

@bastic - they look really decent too.

Still my favourite looking shoe but it's so far out of my price range it may as well not exist lol.

 

[Junglist]

oops.

 

[bastic]

I really like these. Grey and pink are some of my favourite clothing colours so right up my street. Shame they didn't fit very well

@bastic - they look really decent too.

Still my favourite looking shoe but it's so far out of my price range it may as well not exist lol.

Rapha ones look better in pic than in RL ...

 

[Junglist]

Rapha ones look better in pic than in RL ...

That's a bit comforting really, seeing as I'd never buy them so now I can think they're rubbish instead

I wish Nike would get into making cycling shoes for anyone not named Mark Cavendish. Their Flyknit material is like just wearing a sock. Would be very nice on a cycling shoe

 

[Roady]

I wish Nike would get into making cycling shoes for anyone not named Mark Cavendish. Their Flyknit material is like just wearing a sock. Would be very nice on a cycling shoe

Lots of Knitted shoes around...? Or certainly was just before covid, they where really the 'next big thing' and most brands did a version.

Giro Republic/Empire knit, Bontrager Ballista knit, Fizik Vento etc...

 

[Junglist]

Lots of Knitted shoes around...? Or certainly was just before covid, they where really the 'next big thing' and most brands did a version.

Giro Republic/Empire knit, Bontrager Ballista knit, Fizik Vento etc...

Can't really say I looked into them too much. I'm just speaking from experience of owning many pairs of vapourmax over the years that their flyknit stuff is super comfortable and if i had a cycling shoe that felt like that, I'd be happy.

 

[engee]

DMT do knit cycling shoes.

 

[bastic]

DMT do knit cycling shoes.

those are amazing...but the price...

 

[SoliD]

Out of interest, how do people follow training plans without a turbo?

I was looking through a Garmin plan and it has a base period of cycling around 160w for up to 2 hours, yet due to all the hills around here i'm usually either >240 or <100w as i coast downhills. Same with intervals. There's no point hitting a recovery interval just as you come to an 8% climb!

There's also the issue i've posted about previously where Garmin tells me my FTP is 280w which it definitely isn't. The main issue being my legs are the limiting factor so because i have decent cardio endurance from my running days, my HR can be quite low in Z2 but watts around 200w for an hour.
This seems to make Garmin think "hmmm if he HR is 150 at 200w, then if he pushes himself to 180bpm for an hour he could put out 280w" when it's not actually scalable.

I've tried manually setting it a few times, but it just prompts Garmin to tell me i have a new FTP every ride!

Plan the routes accordingly and adjust the workout so you're in the recovery window on the downhills and extend or decrease as required. Plus learn to pedal harder on downhill where appropriate.

 

[Shoeyuk]

I got a pair of dmt kr3 the shoe feels great on the foot, it took a little while to get used to one boa dial for securing.

They felt great trying on but after a couple hour ride they do start to feel a little snug on the side of the foot.

 

[fez]

Bit of a strange question for you guys but....do any of you use nose strips? I got some to see if they helped me with my sleep and they are revelatory. I feel like I can suck in about 50% more air through my nose. I was on Zwift yesterday on a Z2 ride and I could comfortably nose breathe the entire time rather than it getting to the stage where I felt like I needed to mouth breathe a bit to keep my HR down. I assume at some point I have broken my nose without really noticing and these strips are helping compensate.

The missus seems a little concerned because I have had one on for the past 2.5 days solid and shes worried I'm going to start going out in public with it on

 

[fez]

Good input guys

 

[Junglist]

I've never tried them but I'm a bit intrigued now. I've been blessed with awful sinuses so my nose is pretty much always blocked so it would be interesting to see what it's like!

 

[Roady]

The missus seems a little concerned because I have had one on for the past 2.5 days solid and shes worried I'm going to start going out in public with it on

Got a link to them? Or just some pictures so we can laugh?

I'm kidding. I'm the same as @Junglist although not blocked sinuses am intrigued as have always been fairly nasally and nearly always ride mouth breathing and just wonder if they're worth trying out!

 

[fez]

Well your cruel replies have made me not want to share my magic beans with you anymore!

Breathe Right® UK - Get more air! Better breathing starts with us

Breathe Right® Nasal Strips gently open your nose so that you can breathe in air more easily. Giving you more opportunities to breathe better – wherever you are.

breatheright.co.uk

These are the ones I use and I look a lot like the woman on the homepage with mine on.

Bear in mind that once you stick that sucker on your nose you need to get it surgically removed! I've just taken one off to go out into the real world and I already feel like I'm suffocating!