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[Psychotext]

Well that was a nightmare... did 15 hours on the first day before barely getting the tarp up and crawling into my bag for bed. Too wired to get off to sleep, then when I finally did, I was only out for about 30 mins before the wind took the tarp apart.

Set off in relatively good weather, which soon became full on 70mph winds and sideways rain. Struggled to even push the bikes at times and after about six hours had to call it because we'd both got so cold that hypothermia was a real concern. The place is so unbelievably exposed, couldn't find shelter anywhere.

Poor guy in the pub we took refuge in had to mop the floor around us twice as we'd basically turned it into a swimming pool.

 

[jakonovski]

Just came back from the year's first 100km ride. Was pretty nice, winter training paid dividends here as it was much easier than I thought it would be. Bike is super good as well, 35c Vittoria Voyager Hypers roll like a dream and soften the super rigid alu fork. I do need mudguards though, the edges of the road are full of nasty finely ground mud.

edit: also road latex rolls better than tubeless. I feel vindicated. On mtbs tubeless is king.

http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/schwalbe-one-tubeless-clincher

http://www.bicyclerollingresistance.com/specials/tubeless-latex-butyl-tubes

 

[Chip N Chance]

Does anyone have any recommendations of cycling sites? Im looking for write ups, reviews, what ever that may pertain to biking. Theres quite a few and i was just wondering what they good ones were.

 

[Psychotext]

On mountain bikes rolling resistance is virtually impossible to calculate properly. It's so meaningless when you take into consideration how many different surface types you end up covering.

As for sites, Bikeradar.

 

[Aiustis]

There's only one good place to mount a rack, but it's also the only place I can store my lock

 

[jakonovski]

Does anyone have any recommendations of cycling sites? Im looking for write ups, reviews, what ever that may pertain to biking. Theres quite a few and i was just wondering what they good ones were.

road.cc
mbr.co.uk
cyclingweekly.co.uk
mtbr.com
pinkbike.com
bikerumor.com

etc.

Oh, and sheldonbrown.com!

 

[teepo]

gcn


and sagan finally got a win!

 

[Chip N Chance]

GCN really is a great youtube channel to casually browse every now and then. Thanks guys.

 

[HTupolev]

I rode the Stumpjumper to an LBS Saturday morning ride.

No way I was hanging with the A group on that thing, and the B group decided to do a much longer ride than usual.

After we got back to the LBS, I realized that a straight shot home would put me at around 95 miles total.

...

Fine, I'll add a spin around a small airport on my way back.

I should really switch the navigational part of my brain over to metric. -.-

Spoiler

Except that then I'll probably try turning imperial centuries into 200k's, heheh.

On mountain bikes rolling resistance is virtually impossible to calculate properly.

I somehow doubt most mountain cyclists would rush to replace their tubeless with clinchers even if clincher resistance was consistently a bit lower at like-for-like PSI, though.

There's only one good place to mount a rack, but it's also the only place I can store my lock

What kind of a lock do you have? Can you mount it to the rack?

Got a new bike. pictures when it arrives.

I forgot how much I love steel frames.

Four days.

Still no pics of shiny ferromagnetic triangles.

 

[Psychotext]

Oh, and off to a reasonable start to 2016 with my cycling, given I pretty much lost a month to moving house.

Vs my best ever first quarter so far...

500% increase for elevation.
420% increase for distance.
180% increase for TSS.

 

[Psychotext]

Some of my local haunts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDR5nXSLq-0&feature=youtu.be

Edit - You know, seeing it like that, I'm very, very lucky.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Oh, and sheldonbrown.com!

How well is this site being kept up to date in terms of new tech, trends, etc? I just looked and noticed no articles on tubeless, but I did find one on disc brakes.

 

[teepo]

zwift had a major update about a week ago where they added a brutal mountain with two courses, one of which has an average gradient of about 7%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5szOJrWTws

simply amazing

 

[Psychotext]

zwift had a major update about a week ago where they added a brutal mountain with two courses, one of which has an average gradient of about 7%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5szOJrWTws

simply amazing

It's cool, but you really need a smart trainer to take advantage of it properly.

 

[HTupolev]

So I take off on a typical half-century.

I get to the halfway point, and I'm feeling good. Really good, really fast.

I submit my Strava session as I sit down for a quick espresso, I see the average speed was crazy good for me. I look at the achievements, I PR'd tons of segments that I've done many times.

I look down, and now I'm thinking "wow, this new more-skin-tight kit must be super aero.
Then I look at the bike, and I'm thinking "wow, maybe that latex tube in the front tire is actually saving me a few watts."

Then I look up the weather.
And the weather is like "haha stupid, you had a 14mph tail wind. Also, you'll spend the rest of your ride fighting it. lol"

(ノಠ益&#3232ノ彡┻━┻

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

:lol

Oh wait, they turned those off.

I had a similar experience two weeks ago. I was test-riding a bike and I was feeling awesome on it. Like, even though it was a completely different geometry (touring vs racing) I felt like I was blazing. Strava held that data as well. And then I saw the wind was pushing me for the entire ride that I was testing, minus the protected parts of the return trip where there was no wind anyway.

Still love the bike though.

 

[Psychotext]

I wished I had a power meter on my bike the other day, because the wind was so damn strong that I knew I was putting out 300+ watts and barely moving.

 

[rykomatsu]

Is it normal for the US to be slim pickins on groupset components?

Was looking for a 170mm shimano ultegra compact crank (6700 or 6800) and no LBS had any, shimano USA didn't have stock until mid-to-late April, and places that purported to have them said estimated delivery was 9-April at the earliest...or they were over-priced...

Had to order from Wiggle in the UK...

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Is it normal for the US to be slim pickins on groupset components?

Was looking for a 170mm shimano ultegra compact crank (6700 or 6800) and no LBS had any, shimano USA didn't have stock until mid-to-late April, and places that purported to have them said estimated delivery was 9-April at the earliest...or they were over-priced...

Had to order from Wiggle in the UK...

You just summed up why Shimano dropped their prices

 

[teepo]

i have until tomorrow to buy this quarq riken al power meter crank for $576 after a 20% discount and 10% cash back. plz talk me out of it

Spoiler

plz don't

 

[HTupolev]

plz talk me out of it

For the same price, you could:

Put together a sweet fixie
Get a lifetime stash of SunTour barcons
Equip a couple bikes with high-end racing tires
Fill a room with several hundred kilograms of beans

 

[Psychotext]

I'm not convinced you could do that last one for that price.

As for the power meter. Are you going to be using it on your trainer bike, or is it for some sort of real world use? If the latter, how are you going to be using the data?

 

[teepo]

i have a kickr, so it will be for real world use.

i'll be using it for intervals and pacing. while i'll be doing the former, the idea of targeting an average of 140w during a three hour ride is more inciting to me than treating every ride as a means to increase my ftp. it helps that i love looking through data and charting my progress even if my goal isn't necessarily to hit the ceiling on my fitness & freshness chart as quickly as possible.

 

[Psychotext]

Probably wouldn't work for me, from a mountain biking perspective.

I think even on the road I've have to be careful with it. It's one thing to aim for specific averages, but you're far more likely to be able to hit them on a smooth, flat course than if you have to destroy yourself on a hill then recover as best you can on the flats. Obviously it only takes a small number of those efforts to start making it harder and harder to recover.

Will be great for Strava's fitness and freshness data though.

 

[teepo]

another great thing with a power meter is that you can quickly correct your wattage when you're tackling difficult climbs, specifically steep mountain climbs.

and bought

Spoiler

:|

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

I should probably buy a bike stand this year. Pretty sure my wife was not fond of "can you hold this while I clean" approach

 

[teepo]

i use the bike rack attached to my car

it's not as effective as you would think

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I dunno...that sounds pretty damn ineffective. Are you saying it's worse?

 

[HTupolev]

My bike rack seems to work pretty well. The bike can sway a bit if I don't secure it, and the presence of the car means that easy access on the other side can require picking the bike up and turning it around. A proper stand would be an improvement, but not really a game changer.

I'm not convinced you could do that last one for that price.

If you buy cheap beans (i.e. navy beans) in bulk (which you'd hopefully do if you were buying $576 worth of beans), you can manage well under $1 USD per pound. Depending on your purchase approach I suppose shipping costs could be something. If you have a pretty cheap way to move the beans, I'd think 300kg or so could be feasible in that price range.

 

[teepo]

it's certainly better than having my gf hold it! however, i do wonder each and every time i'm either doing maintence work or scrubbing down why i haven't bought a bike stand. the damn arms get in my way

If you buy cheap beans (i.e. navy beans) in bulk (which you'd hopefully do if you were buying $576 worth of beans), you can manage well under $1 USD per pound. Depending on your purchase approach I suppose shipping costs could be something. If you have a pretty cheap way to move the beans, I'd think 300kg or so could be feasible in that price range.

cannellini beans or bust

 

[Psychotext]

I can only imagine how filthy my car would get if I tried to clean my bike on the bike rack. But then my bike actually gets dirty, as opposed to the "oh no, the sheen of the polish has been dulled slightly" generally seen on road bikes.

Mudroadies are another thing altogether of course. You guys might as well throw the bike away at the end of each ride and start again.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

I can only imagine how filthy my car would get if I tried to clean my bike on the bike rack. But then my bike actually gets dirty, as opposed to the "oh no, the sheen of the polish has been dulled slightly" generally seen on road bikes.

Mudroadies are another thing altogether of course. You guys might as well throw the bike away at the end of each ride and start again.

I like my gravel paths thank you very much.

 

[Psychotext]

So dull polish and a little dust then?

Compare...

Believe it or not, I've had it far worse than that.

Edit... ha, I forgot about this one. The wheel wouldn't even turn in the end:

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Fair fair

By the way if anyone is looking for a good winter / fall / early spring jacket I found the Castelli Espresso 3 for 50% off (300 down to 150). It can be a bit warm in the high 40s / low 50s, but it's super good at stopping the wind.

 

[Jarrod38]

Bought this today but will not be here until at least Wednesday. First real bike it maybe 15 years?
http://torkerbikeco.com/bikes/interurban/

 

[Psychotext]

Nice. Oddly the big ring looks huge in that pic, but it's only 50 tooth.

 

[nailbombxx]

Opinions on the Cannondale Adventure 2?

http://www.cannondale.com/en/USA/Bike/ProductDetail?Id=3a646b31-50e7-46b8-8531-7ba57fd32b8f

I'm looking to get my first "real" bike and my local bike shop pointed me to this one for a beginner cyclist. I mostly want to use it to ride up and down the road (paved, but hilly) and occasionally some trails for exercise.

Is it what I'm looking for? They stock mostly Cannondales and 500 is the most Im willing to pay for a bike. Would I be better off getting a mountain bike like the Cannondale Catalyst series?

 

[teepo]

that's the type of bike my mom would ride though you could be her age for all i know. i'd personally stay away from hybrids if you plan on riding on paved surfaces though there are a few gaffers who strongly disagree.

i feel you'd be much better off with a bike that is tailored specifically for the road like this .

 

[Psychotext]

Hybrids are almost always shit. If you want a true on / offroad bike, get a CX bike.

If you're doing it all for fitness, get a hardtail mountain bike and live with the fact that you'll be slower on the road.

 

[jakonovski]

Here's another vote for a hardtail mtb if you want to ride both on pavement and trails. Speed isn't even an issue if you're willing to use more than one set of tyres.

 

[Stinkles]

Hybrids are almost always shit. If you want a true on / offroad bike, get a CX bike.

If you're doing it all for fitness, get a hardtail mountain bike and live with the fact that you'll be slower on the road.

This is incorrect. I have been riding hybrids for 15 years and done single tracks, centuries, streets, trails and the AIDS ride and enjoyed vastly less riding fatigue and easier hills than my road bike chums, and far faster and longer miles than my mountain bike pals and can go off-road trivially.

They're not ideal at anything specific and that's the point.

Currently rocking a Gary Fisher Mendota with carbon forks and knobbly skinny bontragers.

 

[Bad_Boy]

anybody with bmx knowledge here? may be looking to buy a bike on a impulse buy. i need something for cardio, but be fun. and i hate running. i used to do a little bmx when i was younger, looking to see if i still got it. but i have no idea whats good these days.

 

[Quasar]

So with current health issues encouaging me to get some exercise one thing I've decided to turn to is some cycling.

Cycled a lot as a kid, mostly on the streets of local neighbourhoods using cheap bmx like bikes given as christmas gifts, though I do recall a period where I did buy myself tuff wheels and even a frame where I spraypainted it myself.

Anyway its been a long while, and whilst I'm going to start with an abandoned cheap bike left in my parents shed I have kind of thought about dipping my toe into bikes a little bit more upmarket than that.

Started looking at a couple of bike shops online and I guess unsurprisingly am bewildered at the number of categories that stretch way beyond my memory of just bikes, road bikes, bmx bikes and mountain bikes. Things such as hybrids, cyclocross, hardtails, urban bikes and many more. And of course unsurprisingly beyond the bottom it being a pretty expensive hobby.

Anyway...lots to take in.

 

[Stinkles]

So with current health issues encouaging me to get some exercise one thing I've decided to turn to is some cycling.

Cycled a lot as a kid, mostly on the streets of local neighbourhoods using cheap bmx like bikes given as christmas gifts, though I do recall a period where I did buy myself tuff wheels and even a frame where I spraypainted it myself.

Anyway its been a long while, and whilst I'm going to start with an abandoned cheap bike left in my parents shed I have kind of thought about dipping my toe into bikes a little bit more upmarket than that.

Started looking at a couple of bike shops online and I guess unsurprisingly am bewildered at the number of categories that stretch way beyond my memory of just bikes, road bikes, bmx bikes and mountain bikes. Things such as hybrids, cyclocross, hardtails, urban bikes and many more. And of course unsurprisingly beyond the bottom it being a pretty expensive hobby.

Anyway...lots to take in.

Talk to a bike store guy, tell him your exact needs, try some different styles and choose something that feels right. And don't forget that most bike guys are effectively cultists trying to recruit new believers.

 

[nailbombxx]

that's the type of bike my mom would ride though you could be her age for all i know. i'd personally stay away from hybrids if you plan on riding on paved surfaces though there are a few gaffers who strongly disagree.

i feel you'd be much better off with a bike that is tailored specifically for the road like this .

Yeah now that you mention it, it does look pretty senior citizenesque. Don't think thats the kind I'm looking for then! I was just directed to it by the bike shop dude and so I was curious if it was good for me.

I will primarily be riding on a paved road with lots of hills, and occasionally some trail stuff but pavement 80% of the time. So I dont know if I just want a straight up road bike, or a hardtail mtb, or a hybrid as people have suggested.

Also, sorry if this is a dumb question. Lets say I have a mountain bike but want to ride it on pavement primarily, switching the tires out from knobbies to slick tires would work right?

 

[Quasar]

Talk to a bike store guy, tell him your exact needs, try some different styles and choose something that feels right. And don't forget that most bike guys are effectively cultists trying to recruit new believers.

Yeah. Trying to work what I even want from a bike and thats in my budget (which is sub US$ 500) seems as complicated as choosing a phone or pc.

Certainly I know I dont want a pure road bike. I'd like to be able to try my hand at some easier local trails.

Is Polygon a decent brand?

 

[teepo]

Yeah now that you mention it, it does look pretty senior citizenesque. Don't think thats the kind I'm looking for then! I was just directed to it by the bike shop dude and so I was curious if it was good for me.

I will primarily be riding on a paved road with lots of hills, and occasionally some trail stuff but pavement 80% of the time. So I dont know if I just want a straight up road bike, or a hardtail mtb, or a hybrid as people have suggested.

Also, sorry if this is a dumb question. Lets say I have a mountain bike but want to ride it on pavement primarily, switching the tires out from knobbies to slick tires would work right?

if you think you'll be riding on pavement a good majority of the time then there is a good chance you'll be riding on pavement all the time. think of it like backwards compatibility, a feature everybody wants but one that nobody ever really needs.

though if you seriously think you'll be riding on trails during a good fraction of your rides -- i'm assuming through parks, dirt trails and such and not single tracks -- you might want to look into cyclocross bikes. they're as comfortable as a touring bike and while they are slightly too heavy to enter a road race with, you won't feel like your bike is holding you back when climbing those paved hills. not to mention with the right set -- or combination -- of tires, you can easily shred through dirt, gravel and muddy paths.

and yes, it would work but it'll only make it slightly less of a workout riding a mtb on the road. the extra effort you'd put into riding a mtb with slicks might make the entire experience of riding unfun and daunting in the long run. you don't want your bike to become a fixture in your livingroom. don't be a Jerry Seinfeld.

anybody with bmx knowledge here? may be looking to buy a bike on a impulse buy. i need something for cardio, but be fun. and i hate running. i used to do a little bmx when i was younger, looking to see if i still got it. but i have no idea whats good these days.

i have way too many friends who ride fixed gear bmx bikes with 29ers.

in my opinion, you should only buy a bmx bike because you want to ride on half-pipes and what not, the rest is supplementary.

 

[Psychotext]

They're not ideal at anything specific and that's the point.

Sure, but I'd still pick a CX bike over one of them for multi surface use any day of the week. You need reasonable skills to hit truly rough stuff, but I've seen them used for full on mountain bike trails.

 

[teepo]

Sure, but I'd still pick a CX bike over one of them for multi surface use any day of the week. You need reasonable skills to hit truly rough stuff, but I've seen them used for full on mountain bike trails.

i've taken my singlespeed cyclocross bike on a few single tracks and the ones that were rated moderately difficult destroyed my lower back. but it can be done! even with a gimped version

 

[Psychotext]

Yeah, I wouldn't suggest doing the really rough stuff seated... at all.