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Bicycle age
- Thread starter elrechazado
- Start date
T8SC
Member
It's always a good testing climb up Hardknott, done it lots of times but this was the first with my new gearing - 52/36 that I'm using for the Fred Whitton Challenge. I used to use a 50/34. (Always run an 11-28 on the rear). There wasn't really much difference between the gearing, doesn't help when tourists try to squeeze past on one of the 30% hairpins though.
Bit of weird day. We've got some warm weather coming through, so it was just shorts and a jersey today. Spent a little time indexing my gears and got them shifting nice and smooth. Decided to just take a nice slow ride and keep my heart rate even and it was really nice. First day it felt like biking season was back.
Just went 10 miles and stopped just before home to meet a neighbor's new puppy. When I was done, hopped back on to ride the last 1/8 mile, which is about an 8% grade up to my house. Dropped into the granny gear on my gravel bike and I don't know what happened, but the chain dropped and got jammed in really badly. Walked my bike up and spent a while on it but the chain was just stuck in there. Figured I was going to try and get the crank off so I could get it out so went and got some tools I needed. Turned out I don't seem have the right crank puller (this bike doesn't have self extracting cranks) so I was going to put everything back together and noticed the chain seemed to have gotten itself free. No idea how. Put the outer bolts back in. Guess that's the danger of the triple.
Just went 10 miles and stopped just before home to meet a neighbor's new puppy. When I was done, hopped back on to ride the last 1/8 mile, which is about an 8% grade up to my house. Dropped into the granny gear on my gravel bike and I don't know what happened, but the chain dropped and got jammed in really badly. Walked my bike up and spent a while on it but the chain was just stuck in there. Figured I was going to try and get the crank off so I could get it out so went and got some tools I needed. Turned out I don't seem have the right crank puller (this bike doesn't have self extracting cranks) so I was going to put everything back together and noticed the chain seemed to have gotten itself free. No idea how. Put the outer bolts back in. Guess that's the danger of the triple.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Is it a 1x set up?
TarpitCarnivore
Member
1 gear in the front
I thought the reference to the granny gear and "triple" described the setup pretty well but I guess not
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Def thinking I'm going to try listing my Garmin Edge 510. They're going for 150-190 depending on what you include in the package. That would mean at most another $100 for the Element Bolt.
Ah my bad.
I thought the reference to the granny gear and "triple" described the setup pretty well but I guess not
Ah my bad.
I was at the London Olympic park yesterday going around the 1 mile road track. The track is fine, but the wind. Oh my the wind was painful. On the back straight was just being blown all over. Ruined the nice 25C weather! there's a turn that you ride really fast, going and down thinking power down lots of speed until this wall of wind just stops you right there. After a while I was just nope, this is too much. Weak.
Oh that'd be grand. Its a defy 3 which treats me reasonably well.
I tremendously miss my old saddle that graced my Giant Kronos. It was white leather, Giant-branded, padded and not flat. Current seat is breaking me in.
T8SC
Member
Looks a bit like my mates Defy 1, thought maybe the colour scheme was just a touch different in different countries. I know what you mean about the seat, my winter bike currently has a Selle Italia saddle and I hate it, I much prefer the Fizik Antares 00 that's on my good bike, so I'll prob pick up an Antares R3 (Cheaper version) for next winter. The Selle Italia is ok upto 50-60 mile but the Fizik I can sit on all day, did a 200+ mile ride the other week and was in no discomfort at all.
frontieruk
Member
As I had the Defy out to fit the Elemnt Bolt I thought I'd get a photo
It can take the pressure off a team by allowing them to sit in the pack while other teams have to up the tempo at the front to chase down the break.
The reflectors are a bigger issue on the Defy Advanced then the pedals. Where are you keeping a spare tube and co2?
One of the new fancy cycling lanes in London has a massive fucking pothole. Scared the shit out of me, was not expecting and just swerved away from it. CS2 in Stratford going West.
Anyway, here she is pretty much ready for the spring. Might go back to longer stem because arms seem to be ok again. Need a new saddle too, want a comfier arse.
Anyway, here she is pretty much ready for the spring. Might go back to longer stem because arms seem to be ok again. Need a new saddle too, want a comfier arse.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
If no one else was out, it puts some pressure on other teams to send out other riders to try and gap it back
If there were other people out there, it can help to bridge the lead out group back.
Yeah there's a cut out in the middle. I would say around 70-80km is when my arse has had enough and wants to take longer moments standing or just giving up. Have been looking at some Fizik ones. Thinking I don't want to spend more than £120-130 on it so just trying to figure out what to go for.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Is it numb or sore?
frontieruk
Member
What do you have against MTB / XC bikers?
Pockets on jacket.
As all my riding is road with traffic there is a legal requirement in the UK to actually​ have reflectors front/back and on two faces of the pedals (the real reason road bikes are sold without pedals is that aftermarket pedals are beyond the stores responsibility) and if you have an accident your insurance can refuse to payout if you don't have them, you'll generally get away with not having the pedal reflectors but not having any you'll likely fall foul of policy.
Probably just numbness I think. That's a good question haha. I guess soreness would still be felt a bit afterwards, but as soon as I am off the bike it gets back to normal pretty quickly. I'm not in any pain when on the bike just feels like my arse is dead and need to stretch it about a bit.
^^ was just reading about the law huh. front and wheel reflectors are not legally needed. rear + apparently pedal reflectors (+front and rear lights are needed). I've been riding SPD-SL pedals whihc have no reflectors and are pretty much hidden beneath my shoes for ages now.. hm. but I always have lights and rear reflectors on my commmuter bike. My above bike came with zero reflectors, wonder if the shop was breaking some law there..
frontieruk
Member
Well there goes the front reflector then....
It only gets ridden in daylight hours, but the commuter is fully set .
It's wonderful what you learn after an accident right.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Numbness could be varied but without getting too personal:
If it's on the bum and in the sit bone area it can be A. too much padding for your bum or B. seat angle
If it's in the other region you could have the seat to far back or too angled down, putting all the weight on that area.
I've found that even if I'm measured for proper set back I still may need to adjust a few CM to get the seat worked just right. It's either up/down or front/back depending on the shape.
T8SC
Member
Nothing, didn't mention MTB/XC bikers. However you can apply a lot more power using road pedals than MTB pedals, which is why a road bike is better with them. Great for when you're in beast mode.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I went the indecisive way on my gravel bike and got these
Have these as well, but likely moving away from them. I don't get enough contact with my shoe which is giving to much wiggle.
I tried to find and read up on this before moving over to 2-bolt system and it seemed to be all over the place. Some people said they noticed no difference, some just said there is difference but offered no evidence.
I did notice though that foot positioning, balance and comfort is a lot easier to attain with 3-bolt. Having the spread of weight and contact really helps there.
Alright, so I'm moving to Pittsburgh in a few months and won't have a car. I want to snag a used older bike of CL that I can use for commuting as well as for touring/hauling stuff like groceries. What sort of stuff should I be looking for in a bike? Steel frame, probably?
If anyone is in the Philly area and selling a 54cm sized roadie that would fit this, let me know
This has more to do with the shoe interface, than 2 or 3-bolts (or 4-bolt if you're a speedplay road lunatic).
With most 2-bolt systems (SPD, Time Atac, Speedplay Frogs, etc..) the cleat is merely an interface to ensure the rider remains in place. As such, 2-bolt systems typically utilise the sole of the shoe, which in itself is less rigid for the most part than road shoes, as the interface between the rider and the pedal resulting in power loss (and/or for some hot spots).
Speedplay SYZR solves this—while retaining the goodness of 2-bolt setups in that you get to utilise recessed shoes and debris clears much better—as the pedal directly interfaces with the cleat to transfer power.
fake edit: Speedplay's founder probably describes this better than I did. https://youtu.be/J6of44QblX0?t=2m24s
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Ok, that makes total sense. I've noticed that since switching up my shoes my current Shimano A600's don't feel as good. I find my leg getting more pressure points and stiffness throughout the pedal stroke. I looked at the show in the cleat while it was attached and noticed it wasn't making contact with the outer support rails. This is the whole push of the pedal: better comfort and support.
On my mountain bike I originally was on your standard pedal, but again I noticed cramping in my left leg and could not for the life of me solve the problem. I switched to a better platform pedal (M540 to M9020) and the leg discomfort went away immediately.
I'm pretty confident this is the main problem with my road bike so I'm going to try out some Crankbrothers. The Candy 5 come with 1mm and 2mm foot pads to let you provided better support to the shoe on the outer part of the pedals.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Wool + wind a jacket
A wind jacket keeps you surprisingly warm.
A wind jacket keeps you surprisingly warm.
I have a warm jacket that may be too warm and a rain jacket that I don't love. I might go with leg/arm warmers and vest. Or do a little shopping on Saturday.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
this is probably more than enough. Just don't wear it right away to prevent it from getting too sweaty.
You'd be shocked at how warm you can be with such little clothing.
Back on the road bike this evening for 20 miles. It really does feel like a feather compared to the aluminum gravel bike.
The Castelli chamois really is plush. Of course, my problem has not necessarily been thickness, but keeping it dry after 40-50 miles. Will have to see how it holds up. Wish I had gotten another size up, though, as they are stretching a bit at the seams in the front. And of course they cost a lot, so ideally they won't be they only brand that works for me. I also bought a pair of the "pro" level pearl izumi bibs, which are more reasonably priced. They don't have as thick a chamois and interestingly it's sewn in flat side up. I've only had a chance to do a short ride in them but they felt nice. Again, will have to wait for warmer weather and longer rides to see how they hold up.
The Castelli chamois really is plush. Of course, my problem has not necessarily been thickness, but keeping it dry after 40-50 miles. Will have to see how it holds up. Wish I had gotten another size up, though, as they are stretching a bit at the seams in the front. And of course they cost a lot, so ideally they won't be they only brand that works for me. I also bought a pair of the "pro" level pearl izumi bibs, which are more reasonably priced. They don't have as thick a chamois and interestingly it's sewn in flat side up. I've only had a chance to do a short ride in them but they felt nice. Again, will have to wait for warmer weather and longer rides to see how they hold up.
jakonovski
Member
The weather has been way too cold, barely above freezing and it's easter! So I haven't been doing road rides for a week, instead I'm having great fun on the fatbike. Been also doing some core exercises (pull and chin ups, planking, etc.) which has made it much easier to put power down in rough terrain.
Next week I'm having a 200km road ride though, gotta test my road tubeless setup before that (Ultegra wheels, Schwalbe Pro One 25c tyres, Orange Seal). It was a nightmare to set up, since Shimano tubeless valves have no removable cores so I spilled half a bottle of sealant trying to get the stuff in.
Next week I'm having a 200km road ride though, gotta test my road tubeless setup before that (Ultegra wheels, Schwalbe Pro One 25c tyres, Orange Seal). It was a nightmare to set up, since Shimano tubeless valves have no removable cores so I spilled half a bottle of sealant trying to get the stuff in.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
In what world is this a good design idea? This sounds so stupid
jakonovski
Member
It'd be ok with mtb tyres but with super tight road tyres it's one of the worst ideas ever.
The hole free rim bed is incredibly good tho.
The hole free rim bed is incredibly good tho.
T8SC
Member
Yeah, my old Dura-Ace 9000 wheels were the same. My Fulcrum Racing Zeros have removable cores, much better.
phazedplasma
Member
Bike parks starting to open up back east (US). Anyone getting after it?
Gotta wait till June out here in CO.
Also downhill WC starts this month...hyyyype
Gotta wait till June out here in CO.
Also downhill WC starts this month...hyyyype
Back from the Midnight Marathon ride. Just to make things interesting, some rain was added to the forecast this evening. There was a lot of scurrying for jackets and vests, but it didn't last long. I stayed in shorts and jersey for the rest of the ride and it was fine. What was not fine was the rear flat I got about 3 miles into the ride. Flats tend to happen to me at really inopportune times. This meant most everyone passed me so the ride to the start was pretty lonely. I made it to the start pretty much right at midnight and the ride back was much better. Tons of riders the whole way and an easier ride, which didn't hurt. This is only the 5th year they've done this and they've managed to get help from the police and a huge crowd of riders.
Night riding was very cool, I enjoyed it. But I really need riding friends
Finish line:
Night riding was very cool, I enjoyed it. But I really need riding friends
Finish line:
im mentally and physically pooped after finishing the updated trainer road base and build plans. and i only did part II of SSB HV and part I of general build HV of the new versions. huge weekly 200+ TSS upgrades over the previous versions. im literally limping into recovery week.