Pedal Power Thread

TheBigYin said:
go try helmets on, decide which one fits properly and is comfortable, buy that, then come back with what budget you've got left and we can suggest something... in other words, don't skimp on a helmet for the sake of a jersey/jacket that it a nice colour :shrug:

I'm not saying spend potfuls of money on the helmet BTW, just make sure you get that right before anything else... you may find that the cheapest in the shop fits better than anything else... alternatively, you may find the only one that is comfortable is £130 :shrug: ... we don't know what shape/size your head is, so we can't recommend specifics.
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Thanks for the advice. I don't plan to skimp on a helmet but for some reason I didn't really think about sizing.

OK, scrap the original question. £60 budget for a top and bib shorts. What would you all recommend? Any specific brands to look out for?
 
DHB from wiggle - can't really fault it. Get gel not foam padding if your budget allows.
 
TheBigYin said:
I bought a pair of 3mm Gul Neoprene gloves from this place... went out for a couple of hours this afternoon and my fingers were warm as toast all ride. They're pretty much on a par with my castelli diluvio's but nearly 1/3 the price...
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so I bought the and got deliverd today..
really thick gloves and possibly to thick for me...grip is really low as well...
I think I will return them...
 
theurbanclown said:
Thanks for the advice. I don't plan to skimp on a helmet but for some reason I didn't really think about sizing.

OK, scrap the original question. £60 budget for a top and bib shorts. What would you all recommend? Any specific brands to look out for?
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At £60, there's little to touch the DHB stuff from Wiggle to be honest.

As to the helmet sizing - it's a strange one, some makes are more suited to a rounder shaped head, some to more oval shaped ones, and the degree of protection they afford depends on two things -

1) that it fits well enough not to come off if/when you have an accident and

2) that it fits well enough, and is comfortable enough that you aren't tempted not to wear it....

I find it really difficult to give specific advice on things like saddles, helmets, shoes and even gloves - partly because i'm such an odd shape that anything that fits me perfectly is almost guaranteed to be wrong for the majority of people out there :lol:
 
Have a play with the helmet strap closure, some are fiddler than a crab and if it's a real PITA it might get left in the cupboard. Don't give a thought to how it looks, it's how well it works that's important! You may look odd wearing it but you'd look a lot odder with a scar across your scalp... (although the scars do fade after a year or so...)
 
The other consideration re: helmets is the weight. The lighter it is the less you notice it. I wear a Giro Savant and can't fault it. Only £50 too.
 
Lukas, you really should know better than to try and trade outside of the classifieds in a thread where one of the main protagonists is a moderator :lol:
 
TheBigYin said:
go try helmets on, decide which one fits properly and is comfortable, buy that, then come back with what budget you've got left and we can suggest something... in other words, don't skimp on a helmet for the sake of a jersey/jacket that it a nice colour :shrug:

I'm not saying spend potfuls of money on the helmet BTW, just make sure you get that right before anything else... you may find that the cheapest in the shop fits better than anything else... alternatively, you may find the only one that is comfortable is £130 :shrug: ... we don't know what shape/size your head is, so we can't recommend specifics.
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I remember in the eighties when i used to race push irons all we had were cloth caps for head protection. Though i remember while riding one of the stages in the milk race one of the spectators we passed was wearing a horse riding helmet she was decades ahead of her time thinking about it now.
 
TheBigYin said:
Lukas, you really should know better than to try and trade outside of the classifieds in a thread where one of the main protagonists is a moderator :lol:
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oh c'mon....
I would create a thread in there if there would be any interest...
 
bastic said:
oh c'mon....
I would create a thread in there if there would be any interest...
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Which is why I just deleted the post rather than giving you a ticket for it ... Mainly to head off the stream of rtm's complaining about it ... However, if you have an issue with a moderators decision, I suggest you reaquaint yourself with the rules and act accordingly.
 
Nod said:
Don't give a thought to how it looks, it's how well it works that's important! You may look odd wearing it but you'd look a lot odder with a scar across your scalp... (although the scars do fade after a year or so...)
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theres no reason why you shouldnt be able to find a functional AND stylish helmet these days. they come in all shapes, colours and sizes.

ive still got the scar on my forehead from about 12 years ago, after headbutting the ground "landing" a dirt jump :D
 
Worth bearing in mind some helmets are very adjustable while others are not, so I'd happily buy another MET online because I could be reasonably sure of getting a good fit.
 
It's definitely worth trying helmets on before buying. I've had to get my last few full face helmets online as there aren't many places that stock them to try them first but I've been lucky and they've fitted pretty much perfectly. It's something worth spending a bit of time on getting right though if you can!
 
neil_g said:
theres no reason why you shouldnt be able to find a functional AND stylish helmet these days. they come in all shapes, colours and sizes.

ive still got the scar on my forehead from about 12 years ago, after headbutting the ground "landing" a dirt jump :D
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a stylish helmet lol
 
Legs dead. 4 days cycling and a PT session on top of Aus jetlag (and excess weight!) have finally taken their toll. Not looking forward to this evening's trip home!
 
menthel said:
Legs dead. 4 days cycling and a PT session on top of Aus jetlag (and excess weight!) have finally taken their toll. Not looking forward to this evening's trip home!
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hope you enjoyed the wedding :)
 
bastic said:
hope you enjoyed the wedding :)
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It was great thanks! I liked Adelaide a lot, the people were friendly, the food was good, they have a good cycling culture and it is surrounded by some superb wine growing regions! We spent 3 days going round various places in the Adelaide hills, McLaren Vale and the Barossa. I have rediscovered a love of wine!
 
what make of handlebars tape would you recommend ??
 
Me again....
Anyone on here has shimano 105 gearset???
How the hell you change gear cable on this thing....can't see where the beginning of the cable is..
Need extra hands to pull it out as well...
 
http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/t...0A/SI-6TH0A-002-ENG_v1_m56577569830702880.pdf

4th column - installing the gear cable.

basically, make sure the lever is in the correct gear by slicking the rear changer lever at least 9 times, then roll back the rubber hoods so you can access the bottom of the lever. Cable goes up from below and out the top - but will only go through when the gear is in the "small sprocket" position.

it's actually a really good idea to just bookmark the shimano techdocs website - as it covers all the details on fitting/replacing and maintaining the groupsets. Especially useful when you buy a built up bike from one of the box shifters and don't get a full set of the paperwork as you would if you actually built your own bike. I have to admit, it felt strange not having a mound of paperwork to file when I purchased the CaadX.
 
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Oh - and as to handlebar tape... personally, it's a bit like socks - buy the cheapest decent quality stuff thats the correct colour for the purpose and be prepared to change it regularly. Very regulary, when the correct colour is white.

And what's the correct colour... well - Rule #8 pretty much covers it...

Rule #8
// Saddles, bars, and tires shall be carefully matched.3
Valid options are:

  • Match the saddle to the bars and the tires to black; or
  • Match the bars to the color of the frame at the top of the head tube and the saddle to the color of the frame at the top of the seat tube and the tires to the color where they come closest to the frame; or
  • Match the saddle and the bars to the frame decals; or
  • Black, black, black
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So I went to the doctor yesterday, partly to ask how to get my knees checked out to make sure they are ok. GP was massively behind schedule, and after a 2 minute exam of my knees by moving them left and right informed me I should do basically no physical activity such as running, cycling and swimming, though he then said some types of swimming might be ok. This is because he said I had very early signs of arthritis and if I pushed them now I would pay for it sooner in later life. :(

I'm hopeful of getting a second opinion and perhaps some physios as I'm not keen on giving up after such a short analysis and explanation, especially as some googling suggests some movement is good for it. No real purpose to this post other than to say arghhh....in more positive news the world may never see me twist and shout again!
 
get a second opinion, from a specialist. You're way too young to become a couch potato mate.
 
Thanks Mark - I will do that and I also need to go back and see the doctor anyway to quiz him some more, I think I was a bit shocked by his diagnosis to quiz him fully.
 
Changing gear cable at shimano 105 is a bloody nightmare...but have done it...
Finally derailleur changed-took ages to get it done...now can't get rear gear at biggest sprocket to get completely in place...time to dig out instructions how to change cables and adjust gears ;)

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:woot: just downloaded today's ride from the Garmin...



Mission accomplished - now I can sit on the settee for the rest of the year, and eat chocolate until my blood group reads "Nutellla".
 
A lot of km..... great job :)

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Top tip - Shimano chainring bolts are useless. Replace them for the torx on both kinds rather than slotted.

Noticed my large chainring was lose, went to tighten it up with my x-tools T tool and the metal next to the slot just pealed away like chocolate.. To make maters worse, although its loose the bolt appears to be seized together so not even mole grips are helping.

Going to have to drill the thing out now..
 
I'm currently fighting the urge to buy one of the Canyon Inflite AL range. I want one so badly, but do I really need one? It would be a lot of fun :D
 
Is Strava rubbish at elevation? Just did 70k that was fairly hilly and strava corrected the climbing to 800m. The garmin thought it was 1050m in corrected and 1300m corrected. Ridewithgps reckoned 925m when I planned it but some sat nav arguements and some cruddy planning made the ride a little longer and quite a bit hillier.
 
Garmin Edge 800. The barometric measurements are generally way off I think but the Strava correction seems quite far out for what felt like a lot of climbing!
 
Ridewithgps reckons 1064m, I think somewhere between 1000-1100m is probably correct.
 
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