jakonovski
Member
But it sounds cool!
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Bicycle age
- Thread starter elrechazado
- Start date
TarpitCarnivore
Member
I believe it was Lemond who said that.
For me cycling is a health and enjoyment thing, but I have to approach it with a training mindset or else I get to complacent about it all. Every ride for me is with a clear goal and focus.
For me cycling is a health and enjoyment thing, but I have to approach it with a training mindset or else I get to complacent about it all. Every ride for me is with a clear goal and focus.
Ha ha..! I wish. Manualling (is that even a word?) is a piece of piss once you get used to instinctively recognising your balance point. No harder than riding a unicycle.
Obviously my wipeout was down to supernatural forces and/or terrorists.
Gray Matter
Member
I can confirm, riding in the rain sucks. Fuck the rain.
jakonovski
Member
I don't really have goals (too much like work, that) but instead I can't help but push all the time. I think it's a case of the late convert being over zealous. Also I think I'm learning to like pain.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
By goal I just mean: I'm doing this route because of the hills or at this point of the route go into tempo mode. That kind of stuff. I'm still kicking around the idea of trying a duathlon, so I'd rather have the bike game as best I can.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
Yeah, same.
I can't count the number of times I've left the house thinking, "I have plenty of time, I don't need to rush." And I end up at my destination early anyway and I need to shower. Hell, it happened today. Normally it takes me ~20 minutes to get to the bus station, and I had 20 minutes to when the bus left. I figured I'd just miss that bus and take the next one, give me some time to cool down waiting. Nope. Halfway there I notice I'm on pace to get there in less than 20 so I pour it on. I get there in 17.5 minutes (new best time) and I get on the bus hot and sweaty. Sigh. At least there are showers at work so no big deal for me. The person who I sit next to, however...poor them.
Did 100km in hard rain a few years ago for a charity run. It was 13C the entire day. Yes rain sucks. Though as soon as we got to camp the sun came out and it turned out to be 25C, perfection for the rest of the night. My poor bike the next day though, sounded like it was buried in sand for 20 years.
Cycling for me is only training and heart health. I get serious enjoyment out of it and the high afterwards. I love having my heart beating at its limit, and really enjoy being able to run up stairs without losing my breath. I haven't ridden a bike for leisure in maybe 10 years, my rides are all strictly fitness. I'd really like to get into mountain biking, but all those failarmy videos I watch of people falling really deter me.
Thanks for the welcome guys.
Question.
I'm looking for some shorts and a jacket for rain and whatnot. Any recommendations? Im not looking to break the bank for this, just some bang for the buck kinda items..
Ive been eyeing these
ZOIC ether shorts
http://www.rei.com/product/881810/zoic-ether-bike-shorts-mens
Endura urban shell jacket
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/co/en/endura-urban-shell-jacket-2013/rp-prod85221
Question.
I'm looking for some shorts and a jacket for rain and whatnot. Any recommendations? Im not looking to break the bank for this, just some bang for the buck kinda items..
Ive been eyeing these
ZOIC ether shorts
http://www.rei.com/product/881810/zoic-ether-bike-shorts-mens
Endura urban shell jacket
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/co/en/endura-urban-shell-jacket-2013/rp-prod85221
davidnic
Member
Sorry mate, I was away travelling and racing at Para-cycling Nationals.
Don't be put off by those types of clips - mountain biking is as safe as you want to make it. Yeah, OK, there's nothing quite like getting the adrenaline pumping by nailing a massive jump or sweeping through high-speed berms and there's a definite sense of pride in picking your way through a seemingly-impossible rocky technical section, but depending on the terrain you choose to ride on, the speed you choose to take and the lines you choose to follow, you can eliminate all reasonable risks. With a properly-maintained bike it really is totally within your control. The common mistake people make is either trying to run before they can walk or taking unnecessary (or badly-calculated) risks or going too hard over terrain they don't know. I've been mountain biking since before mountain biking became mainstream in the late 1980s and I still drop the ball occasionally, but it's always usually my own stupid fault (eg trying to manual down a hill..!).
One thing I do know - I feel one hell of a lot safer once I get off the roads, away from motor vehicles and into the forest. I've never had a tree try to cut me up and run me off the trail.
Psychotext
Member
Yup. I've just been planning my route for the Welsh Ride Thing and I've added half an hour's off road ride so I can avoid a particularly fast section of the A44 road. I'm going to be dealing with all sorts of crazy terrain, but it was 10 minutes on a busy major road that really concerned me.
I'll leave this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKPMzX0BWlI
I'm so moving to the northern parts of this country again, just so that i can enjoy both the roads and the trails.
EDIT: I need to vent a bit.
You know what's boring about road cycling? All the videos i've seen on YouTube are 99% about the sport, the competitions - and not the exploring, getting together and seeing new places etc. I get this feeling whenever i'm out riding my road bike that i cant relax anymore, that i need to keep pedaling and break personal records on Strava and to some extent "look the part". It's not that i dislike the whole breaking of records and training to get better and doing races etc, but... I don't know, i know it's silly.
EDIT2: Videos like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBj...ation_id=53df084a-0000-2df1-9fc8-001a113e45b8
That soothing piano... <3
I'm so moving to the northern parts of this country again, just so that i can enjoy both the roads and the trails.
EDIT: I need to vent a bit.
You know what's boring about road cycling? All the videos i've seen on YouTube are 99% about the sport, the competitions - and not the exploring, getting together and seeing new places etc. I get this feeling whenever i'm out riding my road bike that i cant relax anymore, that i need to keep pedaling and break personal records on Strava and to some extent "look the part". It's not that i dislike the whole breaking of records and training to get better and doing races etc, but... I don't know, i know it's silly.
EDIT2: Videos like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBj...ation_id=53df084a-0000-2df1-9fc8-001a113e45b8
That soothing piano... <3
Psychotext
Member
Come to the dark side. We wont even shun you if you don't shave your legs.
Come to the dark side. We wont even shun you if you don't shave your legs.
What?
Psychotext
Member
I was under the impression you were saying you felt pressured by / weren't enjoying road cycling, hence suggesting you do mountain biking instead.
Maybe I read your post wrong.
Maybe I read your post wrong.
Psychotext
Member
Just finished my Welsh Ride Thing route. 165 miles / 266km (80% offroad) to be done in about 20 hours of cycling over three days (well, 1 full day, two half days). 22,000 feet / 6,700 meters of climbing. This all whilst carrying about 15kg or so of gear.
Going to be a REALLY tough ask. I'm going to have to come up with some escape routes just in case I get any punctures etc.
Going to be a REALLY tough ask. I'm going to have to come up with some escape routes just in case I get any punctures etc.
Good luck PT. Sounds like torture..!
Christoff Yurievich
Member
Yeah, try that in Fangorn Forest.
Christoff Yurievich
Member
I think I know what you mean. For example, my first year 'riding for real' I challenged myself to do a century. I did four, only one of which was supported. The second year (last year) I decided to do the Seattle to Portland ride in one day. Did that, as well as three or four more centuries on my own. I wondered this year how I would challenge myself and came up with: just ride.
I stopped signing up for supported rides. There's no real challenge there if every 15-20 miles you have a stop and support vehicles are crawling over the course. (And the cost-to-swag ratio isn't really great either) So now I just go to Google Maps, give myself a distance, and then try to find a route that covers it. Luckily there's a 40-mile loop (not really 40 miles) so there's ton of options and connected trails.
jakonovski
Member
The first warm (10C) evening of the year, had to go for a ride despite having spaghetti legs. It was totally awesome, even though I had to push the bike on uphills so much my calves started aching. Learned a bit about taking drops and pumping.
Psychotext
Member
When you get it right, pumping is amazing.
jakonovski
Member
I suck at explaining, but:
Taking a drop in this case means riding off a small vertical drop without nosediving, instead landing neatly on both wheels.
Pumping means using your body weight to generate speed from undulating terrain. With big ass roots in this case.
Taking a drop in this case means riding off a small vertical drop without nosediving, instead landing neatly on both wheels.
Pumping means using your body weight to generate speed from undulating terrain. With big ass roots in this case.
Psychotext
Member
Careful pumping roots in the wet. They'll end you.
jakonovski
Member
They'll end me without pumping too! But luckily it was dry.
What I did do was slip into a muddy rut and caught the handlebar on a tree. Speed was very slow but I almost fell anyway. Knowing how to bunnyhop would've been useful there.
What I did do was slip into a muddy rut and caught the handlebar on a tree. Speed was very slow but I almost fell anyway. Knowing how to bunnyhop would've been useful there.
Darth Pinche
Member
I went to the Sea Otter Classic this past weekend and had a blast. Took my DSLR and captured this crash. I did talk to the rider and she is ok. I also sent her these photos too.
Road cycling is what you want it to be. All my long rides are "strava-free". Of course it's nice to see improvement after a ride, but I don't care about the segments during the rides just abouth getting hours on the seat. I make sure to ride the hills slow, beneath a hr threshold. Strava is a fun tracking tool, a motivator for interval sessions and a great tool to monitor personal improvement, but I don't really care that much how I'm doing compared to others
long slow rides are really important for your development, going hard just increases the recovery time
Psychotext
Member
Nicely pringled rear wheel.
Wow - good catch!
Just got an email from Trek saying that there is a sort of voluntary recall for the quick-release on the front wheel of some disc brake-equipped bikes. Apparently you also get a $20 coupon for Bontrager stuff, which almost makes it worth the hassle of taking my bike to the shop, if my X-Caliber is one of the affected models...
jakonovski
Member
That sounds really weird, any loose qr skewer can foul up a wheel.
Psychotext
Member
Some of you guys might be interested in this:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/limits-the-world-s-smartest-cycling-power-meter/
A new take on power meters (basically it bolts between your pedal and your crank arm).
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/limits-the-world-s-smartest-cycling-power-meter/
A new take on power meters (basically it bolts between your pedal and your crank arm).
Psychotext
Member
Oh, and the Trek design on the QR is pretty stupid:
How do you fuck that up after this many years of using the things?
How do you fuck that up after this many years of using the things?
bloodreign
Member
It's not a Trek design. This is a pretty generic QR used by a lot of companies. Kind of surprised no one else is in on this recall, well not yet anyway.
Psychotext
Member
I just checked all the ones I have, none go past flat. It's a pretty simple cam mechanism.
jakonovski
Member
I checked too, only Trek qr's go past 180. Now it's a question of whether I can be arsed to dig up the receipt for my bike, put on the old qr skewers and drag the whole thing to the shop for a $20 voucher and a set of new qr's.
edit: assuming the recall ever reaches these hallowed shores.
edit: assuming the recall ever reaches these hallowed shores.
Any recommendations for secure and protective mobile phone chest mounts? I tested the 1080p/60 video on my new phone last night and the quality is staggering. Hard to tell the difference between it and a GoPro. I could capture some really nice footage with it when I eventually get back on the bike.
Psychotext
Member
Best bet would be a gopro mount with an appropriate holster for your phone I'd have thought. I have this mount, it's really good: www.amazon.co.uk/GoPro-Chest-Mount-Harness-CamKix/dp/B00PQ6B5SY
Then something like this: http://www.hitcase.com/hitcase-pro
Very nice, but those saddle bags have you breaking the rules.
Then something like this: http://www.hitcase.com/hitcase-pro
Very nice, but those saddle bags have you breaking the rules.
sorry to quote myself. Anyone?
Psychotext
Member
Endura stuff tends to be reasonably good as a general rule. Have never heard of ZOIC. Can't see why they wouldn't do the job though.
Very nice, but those saddle bags have you breaking the rules.
I just bought a 2 liter saddle bag yesterday to use on long rides with my road bike! Looks hideous, but think of all the food it can hold.
Great-looking bikes, teepo.
TarpitCarnivore
Member
Food can go in the jersey pockets. I've fit enough food for a century in just the three pockets. Other option is you bring some cash, stop at a convenience store and grab some cookies for a buck.
I use an Arundel Duel on my bike. Big enough for a tube, lever, compressor and two CO2 cartridges. I used to carry a multi-tool in mine but I realized in the event I need to actually use that thing something major has happened anyway.
I use an Arundel Duel on my bike. Big enough for a tube, lever, compressor and two CO2 cartridges. I used to carry a multi-tool in mine but I realized in the event I need to actually use that thing something major has happened anyway.
Ta - can get gopro knockoff harnesses dirt cheap on ebay. Need a cheap case too. I'll probably only use it once to satisfy curiosity.
Who here uses a power meter?
A few of my mates have adopted them but the cost for entry is quite high.
I've decided to take a punt on this solution here:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/limits-the-world-s-smartest-cycling-power-meter
Seems to be reasonably priced and easy to install.
A few of my mates have adopted them but the cost for entry is quite high.
I've decided to take a punt on this solution here:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/limits-the-world-s-smartest-cycling-power-meter
Seems to be reasonably priced and easy to install.
Psychotext
Member
That is a knockoff, it's just a knockoff that I personally know is good.
I don't know how you guys cope carrying such a small amount of water. Two bottles would last me about an hour and a half, which is why I always go with the camelbak on long rides.
Posted about it on the last page. I've bought one too.
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