Psychotext
Member
I actually bought a pair of normal Oakley sunglasses when I was in the US, they weren't too bad, but in the UK, they're RIDICULOUS. Certainly way too much for me to consider repeatedly replacing them / the lenses.
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Bicycle age
- Thread starter elrechazado
- Start date
I actually bought a pair of normal Oakley sunglasses when I was in the US, they weren't too bad, but in the UK, they're RIDICULOUS. Certainly way too much for me to consider repeatedly replacing them / the lenses.
Darth Pinche
Member
I use either my prescription sunglasses or my regular eye glasses. Frankly, since I mainly ride in the middle of a forest, there is never sun, so my eyeglasses get almost all the use.
Gray Matter
Member
Just left my local bike shop and ordered the trek 7.2 FX, it's a 20 inch (top to bottom) frame, as a fellow gaffer recommended. Took a test ride and it felt great. Also tried the 22 inch 7.5, that size felt too big for me, and 6 feet tall. I was expecting to leave the shop with the bike but it has to be shipped from New Jersey.
Also, not relevant, but the man helping was great. Most helpful employee I have ever met, he was great. He also mentioned that he meets up with some customers and goes riding every Thursday, which I'm definitely try to go as much as I can.
Really excited to start riding.
Also, not relevant, but the man helping was great. Most helpful employee I have ever met, he was great. He also mentioned that he meets up with some customers and goes riding every Thursday, which I'm definitely try to go as much as I can.
Really excited to start riding.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
It's about those replacement lenses. I like being able to switch between clear or sun blocking depending on the time of day. I can only do my weekday rides during sundown (4:30am-6:00) so I need clears then, but on weekends I need sun blocking.
Where are you in NJ?
Where are you in NJ?
Gray Matter
Member
I'm in CT, that's the problem.
Psychotext
Member
Yeah, I have five different lenses for mine. I usually go out with two, which gives me some options if the conditions change.
@Gray Matter: Sounds great. I've considered joining up with a club to do some riding, but if I'm honest it makes me fairly nervous.
@Gray Matter: Sounds great. I've considered joining up with a club to do some riding, but if I'm honest it makes me fairly nervous.
Gray Matter
Member
I'm actually very excited about it, but it might not work out as I will most likely will start working second shift (1pm-9:30pm) in the next few weeks, so that will get in the way. Regardless of that I'll still go out on weekends by myself.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Ah misread what you wrote, thought you said "to New Jersey"
I don't belong to any clubs, but I really enjoy riding with other people. While it's nice to get out by yourself the company can help when you're in a rough week/month of riding. Also the paceline is great on windy days and riding with better people always makes you better.
I don't belong to any clubs, but I really enjoy riding with other people. While it's nice to get out by yourself the company can help when you're in a rough week/month of riding. Also the paceline is great on windy days and riding with better people always makes you better.
Gray Matter
Member
I'm new to cycling so hopefully I can get some group rides before I start work and get some tips on riding/trails etc.
Which brings me to this, anyone know of any good phone apps to track distance and location?
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I prefer Strava, but I don't use it with my phone. I record and upload with my Garmin Edge 510.
Gray Matter
Member
Damn that looks fancy. I'll just stick with the app, I don't care too much about that anyway, it would just be nice to have it.
Psychotext
Member
Endomondo is really good. It has live tracking too so people can watch where you are. If you absolutely have to have Strava segments, you can just use Tapirik to sync them.
GamePnoy74
Member
I was wondering what happened to the old Bike GAF group...found the new one.
http://www.strava.com/clubs/109390
Psychotext
Member
Yeah, we could do with some more people in there. There are some semi-regular posters who aren't on there yet.
Gray Matter
Member
Great. Thanks for the recommendations. I'm really excited. Can't wait to get my bike next week.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
But if I join the group I might reveal my true identity....
Psychotext
Member
Well, you can't be Batman.
I'm Batman.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Rain predicted for two days next week, one of which is a riding day. Beginning to think I need to just wake up at 4:00/4:30am every day and just ride based on the weather.
Psychotext
Member
Just bought a GoPro and some mounts. Hopefully will get some good footage when I'm out with a friend next week. More for him than me though.
In the Halfords 20% off sale?
Gray Matter
Member
Saw an ad for this cool bike lock and did some research, it's pretty cool but it's expensive as all hell for a lock.
http://skylock.cc
http://skylock.cc
Psychotext
Member
No, Amazon. Didn't even consider Halfords.
Edit - Not in stock near me. Similar prices though.
Gotta love spring weather. Went out for a 47 km loop in nice, dry, sunny weather. Almost exactly halfway in, and hail starts falling from the sky, turning into wet snow for the following 10 km. Didn't bring a rain jacket because the weather was just SO nice to begin with. Fun fun fun! The boiling hot shower when I got home was glorious, though.
It was snowing here, but you can't see it on the photo.
Top of a hard climb. At least the skies had cleared at this point.
Psychotext
Member
Sexy
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Not to say they aren't good, but I have an issue with trusting tech companies trying to make smarter locks and reinvent how we use them. There is a reason Kryptonite, U-locks in general, are the standard lock and work as well they as do. The Sweethome (off-shoot of The Wirecutter) did a lock round up in which they actually talked to bike thieves about different locks. It has a lot of valuable information.
At the end of the day you're never going to be 100% safe from having your bike stolen. So you just try to make your bike look like the biggest hassle.
PjotrStroganov
Member
A good chain lock gives me the most confidence paired with ease of use in almost any situation.
As for new tech, Litelok would get my vote. Less heavy but still flexible enough to use it in different situations.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-flexible-and-super-secure-bike?ref=discovery
As for new tech, Litelok would get my vote. Less heavy but still flexible enough to use it in different situations.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-flexible-and-super-secure-bike?ref=discovery
jakonovski
Member
I wouldn't leave my "good" bikes outside even with the best lock ever. I can just about handle leaving the singlespeed out for a while, but the more I ride the more the intangibles start to matter. I dream about building a bike out of discarded parts at the local recycling plant, but then I'd be losing something I built from the ground up.
Psychotext
Member
My bikes get a motorbike chain and lock if they're out overnight at a B&B or something... and they never get left out aside from that.
Gray Matter
Member
I have a U-bar lock for my bike, but the only time I leave outside is when I at work and that's in a secured area where nobody can get to it.
Other then that, it's in my dorm room.
cheechwizard
Member
Nice day for a bike ride 
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Got a really nice, and wind filled, 34 in today. Plus was feeling pretty good overall and finding out my breaking point is around 1h45m/30 miles before I absolutely need to eat food. Down side was realizing I'm back to square 1 on hills I was mostly comfortable on last season.
Was going to watch just the highlights of this and then I remembered it's flippin Flanders and will be watching the whole thing. Just waiting for a, uh, replay.
Was going to watch just the highlights of this and then I remembered it's flippin Flanders and will be watching the whole thing. Just waiting for a, uh, replay.
Gray Matter
Member
Should be getting my bike no later than Tuesday. Excited.
Question: what's a good way to train for longer 10+ mile rides?
I'm by no means "fit" but I think I can go for a ride under 10 miles.
Question: what's a good way to train for longer 10+ mile rides?
I'm by no means "fit" but I think I can go for a ride under 10 miles.
You don't need to train for that, just do it. Seriously, 10 miles is nothing, even though it feels like it's a lot when you're first starting. If you're completely untrained and not used to a bike, it will be challenging but much easier than you think. Worst case, you'll be sore for a day or two afterwards. Do it just once, and you'll wonder what the big deal was. Then you'll do 100 miles before you know it.
One year ago, the longest ride I had ever done was 30 kms (18 miles). Then I went with a group on six 75-90 km rides in one week, something I didn't imagine I could do. They were hard, but still completely doable for a beginner and much easier than I thought they would be.
That said, 10 miles plus on a technical trail is very different and much more challenging than the same distance on a road. And if you're setting out on a ride that seems long for you, the most important things are not your fitness level, but ensuring that the bike works, that you are clothed properly (don't go out in the rain without a rain jacket), and bring water and maybe something to eat.
Gray Matter
Member
I ran cross country/track in high school, which wasn't that long ago so I think I should be able to do it, but I'm rusty.
jakonovski
Member
Just remember to drink and eat sufficiently and you'll be fine. Something like a banana after an hour of riding and water depending on conditions.
Cool that that worked out, although I'd generally strongly recommend against that degree of ramping, even with the group riding making things easier than solo. Even if your muscles can push you through it, there's a non-negligible chance that you'll something that needs improvement.
Had to sit things out for a bit recently on account of my left knee after trying to do a fairly fast solo half-century with some hilliness.
Well we did pause halfway through each ride to eat a substantial lunch, so in reality it was two shorter rides each day
There was also a car following us to pick up anyone having trouble. I didn't sit in it, but it was well used by the older beginners who couldn't get up the longer climbs. Of course, I did get cramps, especially on the first couple of days. Pushed myself a little too hard, and didn't even know how to gear so I used too heavy gears the first two days. Riding with much more experienced people was very useful since they showed me how to correct my technique and do things more efficiently. I improved a ton just during that one week.Anyway, with enough energy, hydration and sensible clothes, most people should be able to ride 10 miles pretty easily regardless of their fitness level. Just take your time and cycle at a comfortable pace. I remember how mentally hung up I was on those "barriers" (10 km, 20 km and so on) when I started cycling, and how easily they were conquered once I just got out and rode.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
For 10 miles there shouldn't be much need for anything beyond a bottle of water. I only eat something if I'm doing a ride over 30 miles or plan to go for a tough workout (hills or repeats). The body can store a lot of energy and the biggest thing people fail with when getting into endurance, or working out in general, is over estimating the amount of calories needed. I'm not trying to say eating a banana is the same as pounding back a whole box of pasta, just trying to expand a bit on nutrition.
Psychotext
Member
You can only really process around 350kcal an hour (some higher, some lower) when you're riding anyway, so no point going mad on your intake. Your body is perfectly capable of providing what you need over the short term to bridge the gap between what it's taking in and what you're using.
Most important on long duration endurance is water and salt.
On the barriers thing. I know I can do about 12 hours now (properly paced) without completely falling apart, and I figure that's all I'll ever need to do.
Most important on long duration endurance is water and salt.
On the barriers thing. I know I can do about 12 hours now (properly paced) without completely falling apart, and I figure that's all I'll ever need to do.
jakonovski
Member
For sure, ten miles on a road goes easy. Incidentally, I found that for weight loss it actually works best to sometimes go out before breakfast (and then have it afterwards).
But yeah, I think it's best to measure stuff in terms of hours of effort. Some of my most demanding outings have been relatively short distance wise, having included stuff like dragging the bike through a swampy forest.
But yeah, I think it's best to measure stuff in terms of hours of effort. Some of my most demanding outings have been relatively short distance wise, having included stuff like dragging the bike through a swampy forest.
Psychotext
Member
Yeah, off road stuff is a completely different ball game. Even if you know the elevation change totals, you have no idea how technical that terrain is going to be. Some days you might get 12mph average, others you'd be lucky to get 4mph.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Are you saying 12 hours without any food intake at all?
jakonovski
Member
Totally shredded the gnar today and also my pants (Enduras). Any suggestions for indestructible mtb pants and/or shorts?
outunderthestars
Banned
Congrats on the new bike. You should be able to knock out 13 miles in no time. Just try to ride at a comfortable pace that you can maintain.
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