Pedal Power Thread

I've ridden a couple of sportives and as a veteran of maybe 20 years of club cycling and racing I have generally been astonished at the terrible quality of group riding on show... Far too many people who think that buying themselves a £4k Pinarello and an outfit from Rapha, then watching the highlights program of the final half hour of the TdF sprint stages means that they understand the dynamics of group cycling etiquette...

To be honest, I've no inclination whatsoever to go and ride another one - apart from getting charged £50 or more for the "honour" of being given a start time to be there for, riding with a bunch of no-wits who just want to get a fast time on Strava, and getting to ride normal roads, with cars still allowed to mix in with (and become profoundly annoyed by) the hundreds of large unweildy groups of Mamils, and then get a "goodie bag" of some gels that taste like celulose paint remover and a t-shirt that is fit only to wipe the bike down with... No thanks, if I want to challenge myself over the course, I'll wait until the week after, find someone who rode it on Strava, download the route into my Garmin 800 and go ride it myself, starting at a more sensible time (after a good breakfast). At least if I fail, it'll be because of bad legs or a mechanical, not because some all-the-gear-no-idea tosspot has fallen off directly in front of me...
 
TheBigYin said:
I've ridden a couple of sportives and as a veteran of maybe 20 years of club cycling and racing I have generally been astonished at the terrible quality of group riding on show... Far too many people who think that buying themselves a £4k Pinarello and an outfit from Rapha, then watching the highlights program of the final half hour of the TdF sprint stages means that they understand the dynamics of group cycling etiquette...

To be honest, I've no inclination whatsoever to go and ride another one - apart from getting charged £50 or more for the "honour" of being given a start time to be there for, riding with a bunch of no-wits who just want to get a fast time on Strava, and getting to ride normal roads, with cars still allowed to mix in with (and become profoundly annoyed by) the hundreds of large unweildy groups of Mamils, and then get a "goodie bag" of some gels that taste like celulose paint remover and a t-shirt that is fit only to wipe the bike down with... No thanks, if I want to challenge myself over the course, I'll wait until the week after, find someone who rode it on Strava, download the route into my Garmin 800 and go ride it myself, starting at a more sensible time (after a good breakfast). At least if I fail, it'll be because of bad legs or a mechanical, not because some all-the-gear-no-idea tosspot has fallen off directly in front of me...
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lol, consider my chips soaked ;)

I'd not really considered the whole "group riding" things, and it's not something I've got any previous experience of either. So now I'm a bit nervous about that as well as the distance! I'm hoping that as one of the slower and more cautious riders I may be able to stay away from the hoards, but that may be wishful thinking.
 
TopBanana said:
I'd not really considered the whole "group riding" things, and it's not something I've got any previous experience of either. So now I'm a bit nervous about that as well as the distance!
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No need to be nervous. I've not ridden a sportive yet where I've felt forced into group riding.

Unless you're doing something really big like Ride London the start will be the only place were it tends to bunch up much. Even at the start you'll probably be released in small groups. At this point if I'm riding with my friend we'll normally push the pace a little to break away. Alternatively you could just hang back.

I'm not a member of a club so to some extent I'm probably one of those Mark (TheBigYin) isn't impressed with. That said the application of some common sense goes a long way and I've seen enough bad riding on sportives to know that even if I'm no expert I'm far from the worst out there.

I like sportives because they give me a chance to ride areas away from home with a level of support if something goes wrong. But while we're here sportive pet hates:
Getting stuck behind a car because it is in turn stuck behind two inconsiderate numpties who can't ride single file for a couple of hundred meters. (I know single file isn't always the best option)
The stranger who sits on your wheel for miles without muttering a word or taking the front even when you slow right down. (I'll happily tow someone round if they're honest and ask)
The guy who comes flying past pulls in front of you and then shuts your pace right down... why?
 
I agree with this, all the sportives I've done have been easy, relaxed affairs, with minimal group riding unless you're at the front in 'racing' mode.
 
Got my first Audax at the end of the month, only a 100km and 1600m climbing. It's been nice to get back on the bike for the longer distances (I've missed those rides) but trying to build up a decent bike fitness from basically nothing in the winter was less than ideal.
 
Dropped my trusty Pinarello frame off the the LBS today, I fear it may be the end of it - carbon seat post stuck in aluminium frame [emoji17]. I tried everything at the weekend but no joy.
 
Ammonia and brute force does work. I had a similar problem a few years ago. I got some household ammonia from boots, dripped it on the seat post and gave it while. I then put an old saddle on and started wrenching the seat post to try and break the bond. After much swearing ti did come out, if you've got a sturdy workbench and a vice the frame would make a much better lever than a saddle.
 
Thanks for that, yes I stopped myself using the vice method and thought I'd give it to the bike shop to try first. I have a habit of being ham fisted and impatient!!

I'm also a bit anal and what's bothering me more is that the corrosion that occurred on the aluminium inside has also gone under the paint on the outside for about the top 8 inches of the frame seat stem. The paint is flaking off with all of the struggling to get it out. So even if the bike shop get the post out I'm still going to have dodgy paint, and that bugs me to the point where I've started to look for a new frame [emoji38] I've had it about 5 years and probably done about 15k miles on it though so it's paid for itself.
 
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The Aluminium may well be work hardened and about to crack after that long, although it tends to be MTBs rather than racers that suffer from metal fatigue.
 
Mine was only a year or so old when the seat post seized. That was 6 years ago my dad is still running it as his daily commuter.
 
Greggster said:
Dropped my trusty Pinarello frame off the the LBS today, I fear it may be the end of it - carbon seat post stuck in aluminium frame [emoji17]. I tried everything at the weekend but no joy.
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You could try what I did on the seat post of my daughter's tag-a-long bike.
- Take the saddle off
- drill a hole in the seat post
- use a bolt through the hole to secure a block of wood to side of the seat post
- repeatedly hit the block of wood to try and get a bit of rotation on the seat post, thereby freeing it
- accidentally split the block of wood
- accidentally bend the bolt
- go back in the house, have a cup of tea and lament on what an idiot you've been to even try that method
- next day go and buy more wd40
- flood seat post in wd40
- find it easy to remove stuck seat post which now has a random hole and bent bolt in
- go back in the house, have a cup of tea and lament on what an idiot you've been
:banghead::LOL::withstupid:
 
What products/brushes/tools do you guys recommend for washing the drivetrain? I'm keen to look after this bike as it cost me more than double what I've ever spent on a bike before.
How about those big 5l bottles of degreaser you get in screwfix? Are they a bargain compared to bike-branded stuff or are they too harsh?
 
I always use WD40 to degrease (buy it in a gallon can), and one of those cheap plastic chain cleaner contraptions which reduce the mess. Old toothbrush for the sprockets, and lots of old rags.

I've had a few of those chain cleaner things and the Parktool one has lasted the longest and easiest to open and shut [emoji106]
 
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Had my first puncture on the cube the other day, hit a pothole whilst swerving to avoid being hit by a taxi. How my wheel is still running true i will never know!

Damn these racing tyres are a bitch to get off and on ......much blood, sweat and explitives:LOL:
 
Do not get any skin caught between the tight fitting tyre and the rim!!

Well my Pinarello frame is toast, no surprise, it will be fine for turbo training but the metal fatigue means I won't trust it on the road, pick it up tomorrow and still don't know if the post will be out, but in discussion with the bike shop, we've concluded its terminal. RIP! To cheer myself up I bought a Planet X RT-57 Carbon frame, and looking forward to building the new bike this weekend [emoji3]
 
new club kit arrived, matches the new bike :)

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ooohh next week - do you need monies in the justgiving account beforehand for this one ?? I'm (still) waiting on a payment from one of my customers, and if It don't come through I'm on packet soups for the rest of the month, so I've been hanging fire dropping a few quid in the pot, but if needs must....
 
Nah, it's fine, I think it's open for about a month after the event :)
 
no mention of the weight of the helmet... oh, and they're not shipping to Australia/Nz - which usually means that they can't / haven't yet passed the arguably stricter AS/NZS 2063 safety regulations...

great idea, but if the helmet weighs in at twice what my Kask Mojito does, and isn't as safe fall-protection wise, then for my riding I doubt I'd switch - if I did lots of night-time commuting, then possibly Id consider it...

oh - and the "brake" sensor being deceleration related, I guess it'd be coming on every time I came to an uphill... :LOL:
 
I reckon the decelerometer will allow for even bat fastards hitting uphill sections!!! (Not for one moment suggesting that you are still a bat fastard, Mark!)

Helmet weight is a bigger problem with motorcycle lids IMO since speeds are generally higher so the effective mass of the hat through corners is far higher. They also restrict eyesight and hearing much more than cycle helmets do.
 
Nod said:
Helmet weight is a bigger problem with motorcycle lids IMO since speeds are generally higher so the effective mass of the hat through corners is far higher. They also restrict eyesight and hearing much more than cycle helmets do.
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For Bike Lids, the weight's not so much a "safety" issue in terms of the "intertia" and G-Force effects, simply that once you've been used to helmets that range around 220-300g (like my past 4 lids have been) an additional 200g say is going to be REALLY noticeable - might not be a problem for the "target" market of commuters that have been pootleing around wearing 500g Pi$$-Pots, but for the serious rider who's wanting something light and un-noticeable to wear for a 8+ hour ride - I'd think that an illuminated lid would be ideal for the REAL distance events like 600km Audax's / PBP / RAAM as well come to think of it... over longer rides, the difference between a cheap lid (like my old Giro from 6 years ago that weighed around 400+g) and the Kask at around 220g IS noticeable in the aches at the back of your neck...

put simply, the most effective helmet is one that you'll actually want to wear, because it's comfortable, doesn't make you stream with sweat, fits your head shape and doesn't leave you with collapsed vertabrae in the neck from it's weight... Problem is with a "pre-order" like this, you can't try it on before you buy it, so you simply can't tell... My money's on Steve's solution - a good "normal" helmet, with a couple of high powered micro-LED's attached
 
Although head lamps (especially the high powered ones) are used by some psycholists (note the SOME, I'm not tarring all with the same brush!) to dazzle oncoming cars, much like some drivers have either poorly adjusted headlights or simply don't dip!
 
just need some ability now :(
 
Wheels

Fancy a new set that i can use spring to autumn whilst retaining the stock alexrims for the winter riding.

Originally i was looking at a set of campags but i have now had my attention drawn to two different makes of wheel.

One is Hunt wheels and the other is Novatec....specifically the jetfly.

Anyone heard of or got these wheels? I like the subtleness of them (no garish stickers etc) but always like to hear from users some first hand experience

Cheers!
 
stupar said:
Novatec....specifically the jetfly.

Anyone heard of or got these wheels? I like the subtleness of them (no garish stickers etc) but always like to hear from users some first hand experience

Cheers!
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never heard of them but they seem to review pretty well from both the mags and users. Look like a very decent spec for the cash
 
dod said:
never heard of them but they seem to review pretty well from both the mags and users. Look like a very decent spec for the cash
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That was my thinking too so was instantly looking for the caveats but i couldnt find any.
 
far too much road bike gayness going on in this thread so here is a macho mountain bike frame lol

Transition Suppressor, Should arrive tomorrow - taking some bits off hornet to build it up

p3pb13406351.jpg
 
I'm a keen MTBer & have been riding an upgraded Mongoose Teocali, bought 2nd hand after a recommendationon this very forum, some years ago.

As of tomorrow, though, I'll be riding this :)

ee638fd8413ba7cf3758ae7eb8a0d.jpg
 
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Nope, it turned up this morning.

It was delayed a couple of weeks, so I think Canyon are still having some issues, but it was a cracking deal. Hoping it lives up to expectations!
 
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