Pedal Power Thread

Not sure if anyone might be interested in this, if you are I can forward you the letter if you PM me your email address. You need to be aged 20-35 - I'm too old..:( Copy and paste below:

I have sent around emails about CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) before but here is a great opportunity to get a free screening and more in depth testing than they generally offer.

One of the Cardiologists working with CRY is doing a research study and needs male cyclists/triathletes to participate. Its in London at St Georges on the 6th April and you would get an hour of tests including an ECG, Echo and a longer ECG for free. If you are interested please see the attached letter for more details and the link for where to book an appointment.

I am afraid this screening is for male triathletes/ cyclists aged 20-35 only. However, if anyone else is interested in having a screening (males and females aged between 14 and 35), then CRY offers free mobile screening opportunities and there is in fact one at St Georges, Tooting this weekend on the 16th March. Please see their website for more details: http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/general_information_on_cardiac_s.htm

I would really recommend getting a screening done at some point. Please feel free to pass this on to anybody you feel may be interested.
 
A fine hospital and a good consultant. Trained at SGH myself and Sharma looks after my Mum's heart condition.

As an aside, cycling is damn good cross training for running. Second fastest 5k in the gym this morning!
 
ewww - running - no thanks!

or, in the words of the knee-cutter who fixed me 18 months ago... "ride the bike all you want, but if I even hear that you've run for so much as to catch a bus I'm taking you off my treatment list faster than Mark Cavendish on the Champs Elysees" :lol:
 
TheBigYin said:
ewww - running - no thanks!

or, in the words of the knee-cutter who fixed me 18 months ago... "ride the bike all you want, but if I even hear that you've run for so much as to catch a bus I'm taking you off my treatment list faster than Mark Cavendish on the Champs Elysees" :lol:
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I could add swimming and do a tri! ;)

On a completely different subject- wheels and tyres. My bike currently has 700c 32mm continental contacts on it on its alex Alex DP17, Double Wall, 32H
wheels. Am I correct in thinking that these won't take skinnier tyres?

I am thinking of keeping these for winter use (good grip and nice and stable) and getting something skinnier for the other times of year. Would I need new wheels as well as tyres? If so would it just be easier to get another casette as well and leave the current one on the old wheels?

Or should I just buy a fancy road bike for summer? (This is currently not an option- the wife would kill me. I will have to wait until she asks for a better bike- mind you she already has a hybrid and a brompton!)
 
menthel said:
I could add swimming and do a tri! ;)

On a completely different subject- wheels and tyres. My bike currently has 700c 32mm continental contacts on it on its alex Alex DP17, Double Wall, 32H
wheels. Am I correct in thinking that these won't take skinnier tyres?

I am thinking of keeping these for winter use (good grip and nice and stable) and getting something skinnier for the other times of year. Would I need new wheels as well as tyres? If so would it just be easier to get another casette as well and leave the current one on the old wheels?

Or should I just buy a fancy road bike for summer? (This is currently not an option- the wife would kill me. I will have to wait until she asks for a better bike- mind you she already has a hybrid and a brompton!)
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seems 25mm might be the narrowest..

http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=29287
 
Thanks Neil. I will have a think. Some slick 25 or 28's may be the best option. Get a little bit more speed and tarmac grip out of it!
 
Its survived so far without any great pain and actually I am finding the Charge Spoon seat quite comfy. Hopefully cutting down the bars and changing the tyres will make me a little more nippy in and around the traffic.
 
So finally managed the commute in on the spds and new bike. I'm starting to wonder why I was ever worried about the SPDs - so far so good, though I sense I may regret these words on the way home.

Be interesting to see if it makes any difference on certain segments once I get some fitness back up.

As an aside, it may be cold, but what a beautiful day, and so much nicer now everything is in light on the way to and from the office.
 
menthel said:
It may be the best thing about the bike!

Edit: Charge now do custom versions too- really nice!
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I love my Charge Spoon very comfy after the first week.

Im loving my new Lyriks so much lighter than my Marz 66 and the damping is great.
 
It's always interesting to hear what people make of various saddles. I'm riding a Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow - bought for the cut away centre - and it's not pleasant. Instant pressure on the gooch regardless of the for/aft or angle adjustment means that numb you-know-what is inevitable. I really need to have an experiment with a few others but I loathe the idea of parting more money on saddles that probably won't work either. I really want to give the Fizik Kurve a try but at around £150 it's a huge sum to be experimenting on a saddle with in my eyes.
 
Have you tried a slight tilt forwards? I had the same problem, couldnt feel stuff for a few hours after a long ride...fitted a bontranger (slight indent) and slightly angled it....

Just bought a Prologo...bit uncomfy atm but needs to bed in.

Sometimes its worth considering yoru shorts too!
 
danmon_81 said:
Have you tried a slight tilt forwards? I had the same problem, couldnt feel stuff for a few hours after a long ride...fitted a bontranger (slight indent) and slightly angled it....

Just bought a Prologo...bit uncomfy atm but needs to bed in.

Sometimes its worth considering yoru shorts too!
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Yeah I've tried a little adjustment both nose up and down - I actually found nose up slightly nicer because it stop you rolling forward to a narrower part of the saddle - but it's just the shape of the saddle puts soft tissue into contact first. The structure around the cutout has absolutely no give at all so anyone who doesn't perfectly align with that groove can expect problems because of the stiffness of the surrounding material.

I think a Fizik of some sort is next on the list, though maybe not the Kurve just yet!
 
just bought my son a new bike. 24 inch Carrera blast. took off the utterly crap clarks CMD-11's with tektro levers and replaced them with avid elixir 3's.

580862_10200686596828898_2097906348_n.jpg


481193_10200686596868899_1202082024_n.jpg
 
danmon_81 said:
specialized offere a fitting service if you go into a designated shop...they measure your sit bone imprint and work out the best one for you...Sella do a similar thing...it took me 3 saddles to find the right one on the winter bike...just hope this new one beds in ok!
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I've done their sit bone measurement and helpful as it is, I don't think it's nearly sufficient in saddle fitting. It's a marketing tool more than anything.

The problem I have is most saddles are to high in the centre and low in the wings, which directs all the pressure on the soft tissue along the centre and consequently cuts of blood flow. I need a virtually flat saddle so that my sit bones are carrying my weight before other areas have the chance to come into contact.

This is the 2nd Selle Italia I've spent a lot of time on and neither is quite right so I think it's time to try a different make.

Things aren't too bad up until about 1.5hrs as long as I stand for 30 seconds regularly to keep the blood flow going, though it certainly isn't something I should tolerate for very much longer.
 
menthel said:
I could add swimming and do a tri! ;)

On a completely different subject- wheels and tyres. My bike currently has 700c 32mm continental contacts on it on its alex Alex DP17, Double Wall, 32H
wheels. Am I correct in thinking that these won't take skinnier tyres?

I am thinking of keeping these for winter use (good grip and nice and stable) and getting something skinnier for the other times of year. Would I need new wheels as well as tyres? If so would it just be easier to get another casette as well and leave the current one on the old wheels?

Or should I just buy a fancy road bike for summer? (This is currently not an option- the wife would kill me. I will have to wait until she asks for a better bike- mind you she already has a hybrid and a brompton!)
Click to expand...

Buying a lighter pair of wheels with a 23c tyre would make an improvement, and then you can use your existing wheels & tyres for the winter. I would also buy a new cassette as it saves moving it between wheels
 
POAH said:
just bought my son a new bike. 24 inch Carrera blast. took off the utterly crap clarks CMD-11's with tektro levers and replaced them with avid elixir 3's.

580862_10200686596828898_2097906348_n.jpg


481193_10200686596868899_1202082024_n.jpg
Click to expand...

He certainly looks happy :thumbs: Getting a bike when you are young is one of the best presents you will ever receive I believe (if you like cycling of course).
 
Really enjoyed the cycle today. Felt good on the spds on the way back, seems a bit easier now to get into a rhythm. I'm not sure if it's the spds, the new bike, new more 'racy' position or all of the above, but I certainly felt better tackling the ups on the way back.
 
menthel said:
I can go into Evans and Action bikes without lust but I am scared to go over to Pearson's and wander in. Their stuff on the internet looks just beautiful.

Mind you I have had bikes from there before as a kid (cruddy ones!) as I grew up in Sutton.
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Have a wander up new Kings Cross and go to the Condor shop. I mentioned the place to a work colleague a few years ago, he went in just for a look and came out with £1500 of new bike :)

TriggerHappy said:
I've done their sit bone measurement and helpful as it is, I don't think it's nearly sufficient in saddle fitting. It's a marketing tool more than anything.

The problem I have is most saddles are to high in the centre and low in the wings, which directs all the pressure on the soft tissue along the centre and consequently cuts of blood flow. I need a virtually flat saddle so that my sit bones are carrying my weight before other areas have the chance to come into contact.

This is the 2nd Selle Italia I've spent a lot of time on and neither is quite right so I think it's time to try a different make.

Things aren't too bad up until about 1.5hrs as long as I stand for 30 seconds regularly to keep the blood flow going, though it certainly isn't something I should tolerate for very much longer.
Click to expand...

One of comfiest ones i have had was a carbon saddle with just 3 bits of foam on it, strange.
 
Reidy36 said:
Have a wander up new Kings Cross and go to the Condor shop. I mentioned the place to a work colleague a few years ago, he went in just for a look and came out with £1500 of new bike :)
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:lol: I guess they took pity on him and sold him the entry level clunker...

I doubt I'd get out of there with a bill for double that, and probably only have a frame order to show for it...

(though in fairness, If I was spending that kind of scratch, i'd probably be having a word with Ricky Feather...)
 
A friend of mine has a condor- never seen it. He got it having killed a brompton doing lands end to John o groats! Said he wanted to buy once and buy well. I guess he did! ;)
 
To be honest, even though in my head I KNOW that the "off the peg" string and glue Dolan is a far better performing frame than I've ever ridden - there's still part of me that hankers for the "made to measure" Bob Jackson 753 that was nicked from the back of my van, the Custom Columbus SLX Harry Quinn TT that went under a truck when I crashed... or even the retro steel Colnago that I left with my "second family" back in Italy when I returned home maybe 10 years ago...

Sometimes its more about the heart than the head...
 
TriggerHappy said:
It's always interesting to hear what people make of various saddles. I'm riding a Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow - bought for the cut away centre - and it's not pleasant. Instant pressure on the gooch regardless of the for/aft or angle adjustment means that numb you-know-what is inevitable. I really need to have an experiment with a few others but I loathe the idea of parting more money on saddles that probably won't work either. I really want to give the Fizik Kurve a try but at around £150 it's a huge sum to be experimenting on a saddle with in my eyes.
Click to expand...

Jamie, I used to race, and the saddle was IMO the most important part of the system.
On my turbo bike I have a Selle San Marco Rolls - a heavy very "unsexy" saddle, but one of the most comfortable I have ever ridden.
On my road bike, I have a very sexy looking Selle Italia gel saddle which is not very comfortable at all.
 
TheBigYin said:
To be honest, even though in my head I KNOW that the "off the peg" string and glue Dolan is a far better performing frame than I've ever ridden - there's still part of me that hankers for the "made to measure" Bob Jackson 753 that was nicked from the back of my van, the Custom Columbus SLX Harry Quinn TT that went under a truck when I crashed... or even the retro steel Colnago that I left with my "second family" back in Italy when I returned home maybe 10 years ago...

Sometimes its more about the heart than the head...
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I will be with my Scourer for a while longer yet. It is the best bike by far I have ever owned (and believe me I have had some crap). I am just having bike lust I guess. Like GAS when you first start photography.
 
I don't think I've EVER stopped with bike lust though...

I'm currently building (very, very slowly) a bike that's compliant with the regulations of L'Eroica...

Specifically

Article 6 – Criteria for admission
Only cyclists with vintage bicycles will be permitted to participate.
Your vintage bicycle must have all the following characteristics:
• road racing bicycle, built before 1987 (not cyclo cross or time trial bike);
• steel frame (the only aluminum frame bikes permitted are ALAN or VITUS with either screwed or glued joints);
• gear shift levers on the down tube of the frame (exceptionally, only pre-1980 bar-end gear shifts are allowed);
• pedals with toe clips and fitted straps (quick release pedals are not allowed, except Cinelli M71 pedals);
• the passage of brake cable outside the handlebars.
New bicycles with steel frames can be used but they must be assembled with vintage components (gear levers, handlebars, pedals, etc..).
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I've got a couple of Old Raleigh Competition Shop 531 frames in the loft which are the correct vintage, one's half built with 7400 Series Shimano Dura-Ace (6 speed), the other's based on Campag Victory..

It's shaping up to be probably as expensive a project as building the Dolan :cuckoo: - Every time I find a groupset that looks half tidy, some nice german chap or other pays more than it'd cost for a brand new Di2 or EPS version...

I think what I'm doing is pretty much the same as what Ped did with those rangefinders a while back...
 
TheBigYin said:
I don't think I've EVER stopped with bike lust though...

I'm currently building (very, very slowly) a bike that's compliant with the regulations of L'Eroica...

Specifically

I've got a couple of Old Raleigh Competition Shop 531 frames in the loft which are the correct vintage, one's half built with 7400 Series Shimano Dura-Ace (6 speed), the other's based on Campag Victory..

It's shaping up to be probably as expensive a project as building the Dolan :cuckoo: - Every time I find a groupset that looks half tidy, some nice german chap or other pays more than it'd cost for a brand new Di2 or EPS version...

I think what I'm doing is pretty much the same as what Ped did with those rangefinders a while back...
Click to expand...

He sure did have a shiny box of rangefinders. Sounds like a great project though!
 
3 minutes off my fastest time! Kept it smooth, less gear changing and kept my speed up. Mind you, my legs are killing me. Owey.
 
I can see how collecting bikes can be addictive!! Check out some of these customs:

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/nahbs-2013-highlights-massive-gallery-part-three-36720/

Also a bit of inspiration:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324532004578358780883339720.html

Jamie - I've just bought one of these...
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?PartnerID=2812&ModelID=88814&PartnerID=2812&utm_source=Awin&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=generic&_$ja=tsid:41244|cgn:awin|kw:86839&awc=2698_1363340331_688b5a352baec5799a37583db27d3ebb

nice and flat with a split and hasn't broke the bank!

Finally something to kill some office time Fantasyvelo:

http://www.velogames.com
 
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