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Bicycle age

M

Mascot

Member
Psychotext said:
Maybe time to hit up some hardened trails. The problem with your local haunt is that it really doesn't respond well to rain.

I mean, you could but a fat bike or something, but those I know with them say they're shit in the mud anyway. Maybe become a mudroadie?
Click to expand...

Slade actually drains pretty well, with only a couple of small areas that remain underwater. And FUCK buying a fat bike because I'm not a brodude, or a dudebro, or a ponce. And mudroadies are basically mucky Jimmies.

thomaser said:
Do you have good enough clothes? This winter, I got good water-proof cycling pants, shoes and warm gloves. Just those three things make all the difference, and I can go out no matter the weather. In theory. In practice, maybe once or twice a week. But still!
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Good enough, I think. Two sets of bibs so the local ladies can gawk at my magnificence and a waterproof jacket. I don't really feel the cold or the wet when out on the bike.

jakonovski said:
The shiniest bike you can find. And maybe something a bit different to what you're used to.
Click to expand...

I have been considering it, but I know I don't actually neeeeeed a new steed, so I know that once the novelty wears off I'll be filled with buyer's remorse.

I think I need to get over the feeling that going for a ride in winter is a hassle, ie longer to get dressed, longer to prep the bike, longer to clean and maintain the bike afterwards and more clothes to launder. I know I'll enjoy myself tremendously when actually out on the bike - I hold this truth to be self-evident. I think the problem is over-thinking the actually doing of it.

TL;DR: I'm getting lazy in my old age and the sofa is like super-comfy.
 
W

Wax Free Vanilla

Member
L

Laekon

Member
Today was one of those days when it was so hard to get my ass out the door. Just had no motivation even though the weather was perfect. Once I got out it was totally worth it though, no wind, perfect temp, and my legs felt good.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
My car is off the road so I've not been out in more than a month. I'm going to try and cycle to a trail on Sunday, but I get the feeling I'll be wrecked by the time I get there. =/
 
Y

Yaboosh

Super Sleuth
How important is standing and pedaling for either mountain biking or road biking? I find I never do it but I think it might be holding me back especially while mountain biking.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
I'd say pretty important for both, especially important in mountain biking because of the need to build up your stabilising muscles for descents, and to be able to handle technical climbs out of the saddle.

Sometimes it's nice just to switch for a bit to give your other muscles a break too.
 
Y

Yaboosh

Super Sleuth
Psychotext said:
I'd say pretty important for both, especially important in mountain biking because of the need to build up your stabilising muscles for descents, and to be able to handle technical climbs out of the saddle.

Sometimes it's nice just to switch for a bit to give your other muscles a break too.
Click to expand...


Technical climbs are absolutely a spot where I'm hurt by not being comfortable pedaling out of the saddle.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
When I started I would set myself the target of doing x time out of the saddle on repeats. So I'd do say, 30 continuous seconds out of the saddle every 15 mins. I'm still not brilliant at it, but I certainly have the stamina / power to pull it out of the bag when I need it.
 
G

Granadier

Is currently on Stage 1: Denial regarding the service game future
I think today's a good day for a ride. It's finally warmish out and the snow has gone away for the most part.

Edit: went for a quick ride. Everyone else had the same idea. Trails were packed with walkers. A lot wetter than I expected too so I got nice and soaked.

This ride has reminded me just how bad my stuck seat post is though. I can only manage 1/4 - 1/2 leg extension while sitting down. Really need to find a different bike.
 
J

JPKellams

Member
Bike shopping and borrowed a Canyon Aeroad for a ride with the Rapha Tokyo crew. Rode a Canyon for the first time yesterday. A few things I liked and a few things I didn't about the Aeroad...

+ Incredibly stable at speed. Once it gets above 35 kmh it feels like rock solid.
+ Going from 40kmh to 50kmh was the fastest and most responsive thing I've done on a bike. Once it got past 40kmh, the extra speed was not nearly as demanding as I suspected. It was a hard effort to get above 50, but I got there easily where I can't on my current bike.
- Front end is very direct - transmits all the shock from the road. Rear end was super stable and compliant though.
- It takes legs to keep it above 30 kmh. Strange thing was it really demands a lot of your legs to get it up to speed/keep it moving.

I tried (for about 10 mins not hours) a Venge Vias recently, and the acceleration/demands on that frame aren't nearly as great as the Aeroad, but also the bike didn't feel nearly as stable. For better or worse, it felt incredibly light. That being said, the Vias felt like all of the power on accelerations was going to the road, where as the Abroad frame would literally jump on powerful accelerations.

Also, Dura Ace Di2 was pretty awesome, but I've got my heart set on eTap.

Any other frames/bikes I should try before I make a decision? I'm going to try and get some time on a Dogma F8 (even though they are horrendously overpriced) next weekend as well as a Scott Foil. Plan is to buy a complete eTap bike or build from the frame with Zipp 404s.
 
J

jakonovski

Member
Some excellent trails over here lately, hard packed snow and a bit of ice. Grip is better than summer in places. Found some new routes too, including a super steep, icy, rocky descent I just couldn't stomach trying. Maybe next week...
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Oh god, I made a horrible mistake. Was worried about cycling too fast with my nephew so decided to go out with a 50lb weights vest on...

...6 hours later and I'm in agony. I had to take co-codamol whilst I was out on the trail as my collar bones were being wrecked. Starting to wear off now and everything hurts.
 
J

jakonovski

Member
I have my very own subcutaneous weight vest. :p

Anyhow, I promised a friend I'd go and ride a 200km brevet in about 7 weeks. Any tips on how not to die, the most I've ridden so far in one go is 100km.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Depends, if you're planning on taking it easy with lots of rest stops then you'll probably be OK anyway. If not, there's really no substitute for time in the saddle, 2hrs minimum for your sessions, and pushing at a relatively decent clip.
 
H

HTupolev

Member
Bikes on the M/V Tacoma for the Chilly Hilly. Early morning ferry ride from Seattle (space noodle is visible in background) to Bainbridge Island:

WMf4rXW.jpg
 
Gray Matter

Gray Matter

Member
Finally made the plunge and got some dedicated cycling shoes, along with the cleats and pedals.

How many falls will it take me until I get used to clipping on/off?
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Depends on the sort of fall. You'll probably only do the traffic light tumble once, but don't be surprised by two or three slow speed crashes when you struggle to untangle yourself.
 
H

HTupolev

Member
Gray Matter said:
Finally made the plunge and got some dedicated cycling shoes, along with the cleats and pedals.

How many falls will it take me until I get used to clipping on/off?
Click to expand...
Zero or one.

Clipping off is easy, it requires no precision, and if it requires much force then you need to adjust the clipless system looser. As long as you don't simply forget to unclip you shouldn't really be falling over, and that's something you'll learn fast.

In my experience, learning to clip in smoothly was much harder. Would have been less of a problem if I'd started by adjusting the SPDs looser, though. Seems like they shipped those SPDs stupidly tight. Clipping in isn't likely to cause you to fall over though, at least if you're initially learning in a space where you can move around while you try to clip in.
 
Gray Matter

Gray Matter

Member
Hopefully I'll adjust quickly.

I'm really looking forward toward the season, I have a dedicated riding group, hopefully we can grow it, with lots of rides planned. Very excited.
 
Y

Yaboosh

Super Sleuth
I bought a cheapo dropper post and got it all installed. I am pretty darn excited, I hate having to manually lower my seat and so I would just leave it up but that would make downhill sections way less fun. I can't wait to try it out tomorrow.

Also got a sweet bell.
 
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