[mark1a]

pablo wrote:

pablo wrote:

Via the valve. Assuming it’s a skinny road bike wheel it will use a Schrader valve. If it’s a mountain bike it will use a presta valve. Search on YouTube for some videos. Tubeless just means it doesn’t have an inner tube like a car but like a car you still need to add air and generally more often than a inner tubes wheel.

Schrader & Presta are the other way round. 

[mark1a]

Rendel Harris wrote:

The Specialized Roubaix might be worth a look if you want something that can go like the clappers on road but take a fair bit of off-road punishment? Not sure what its weight limit is though.

Roubaix all up weight limit is 109kg. Another option may be its gravel stablemate, the Diverge (not STR). Very similar to the Roubaix, but also available in aluminium at the lower end, which has a weight limit of 125kg. The last few model iterations have gone way more gravelesque with 38mm tyres and 1x drivetrains, although the lower models are still available with 2x GRX. The 2018 Comp E5 model sounds good for the OP. It predates GRX so has 105 groupset, and is essentially an alloy version of a Roubaix with 32mm tyres. In fact I have one and have gone the other way with it, upgrading it with GRX800, 38mm tubeless, etc as it was too close to a road bike. 

[mark1a]

The Construction and Use

The Construction and Use regulations are a catch all for most things not covered by a specific offence. 

This should cover it:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/104/made

[mark1a]

David9694 wrote:

I know the roads down which your life will drive (Life will drive)
I’ll find the key that lets you slip inside (Slip inside)

? But don’t look back you w**ker

i heard them say… ??

[mark1a]

HoldingOn wrote:

I think I would benefit more from improving my chain cleaning process. bikes’ idea of a jar of spirits/degreaser with a mesh in the bottom, followed by an oil bath sounds like a good starting point. Depending how I go, I might then started experimenting with waxing my chain.

I picked up an ultrasonic cleaner a couple of years ago, and use that with a degreaser. After getting fed up with paying £15 a litre “bike tax” for the “bike brands”, I took a recommendation from a fellow traveller on road.cc and now use the Screwfix No Nonsense degreaser at £12.99 for 5 litres. A light agitation with a paintbrush in 5:1 water solution, followed by 20 minutes at 40 deg C in the ultrasonic tank works wonders. 

Here’s my pre-RideLondon service from last week:

 

[mark1a]

I have no experience with the

I have no experience with the Vels I’m afraid but I do run a pair of Roval C38s on a Roubaix. Had them for a couple of years now, covering around 4000km on that particular bike. They roll nicely, and are a great trade off between deep section and lighter weight. They’re easier to handle in the wind than the CL50s I also have on another bike, although not as fast IMO.

No issues encountered so can’t speak for the warranty, although for other things I’ve found both Specialized dealers and their own Rider Care team exceptional with customer service. 

All in all, good all round choice. 

[mark1a]

I would say that you & I are

I would say that you & I are at different ends of the spectrum here.

I use a GPS head unit on rides, currently a Garmin Edge 1040 Solar (replacing over time previously 1030 Plus, 1030, 820, 520, Wahoo RFLKT). This is paired with multiple sensors on multiple bikes (speed, power, HR, radar, camera). I record every ride with Garmin Connect and Strava, and analyse particular ones with VeloViewer. I track distances on every bike, and using Strava’s component feature, distance on each component, allowing me to forecast wear and tear. I use ActivityFix.com for a rules based “if this then that” workflow to automatically update Strava activities to have the correct bike and title depending on sensors connected and/or GPS data. 

The data collected (along with steps, stairs and sleep data from a Garmin fitness watch) helps me track calorie surplus/deficit for my ongoing battle with weight, I look at Strava segments to track my own performance (it’s fun), and also, I just find data very meaningful. The old adage “you can’t improve what you can’t measure” applies for me. I don’t feel any pressure similar to the Grauniad article’s author, at my age and ability I know no matter how well I do on a bike there will always be someone faster/better, and I can live with that. Rather the opposite, I find it easier and more comfortable comparing say, average power and average HR on a particular activity against how I felt or how much I’d ate or drank.

So in summary, if one likes data recording and analysis and does not suffer with the anxieties described in the article, it’s absolutely fine and makes things more interesting.

[mark1a]

Digger wrote:

P.S. Tarmac recommended sizing looks large to me.  I’m 183cm tall they put me on a 58, but a 56 matches my current bike and is more in line with other brands sizing too. Pretty sure this is the size I would choose if I go Tarmac.

If it helps I’m 181cm and all my road bikes are 56 with the exception of the Roubaix Team (57) due to its odd number sizing (frankenbike longer & lower, Roubaix at the back, Tarmac at the front). 

[mark1a]

Secret_squirrel wrote:

I came very close to pulling the trigger on an Orro Venturi before going in a very different direction. (Ti Gravel bike with 2 sets of wheels)

That’s a very different direction as you say – what Ti bike did you get? I was looking last year and got a Vaaru MPA after much deliberation. 

[mark1a]

Thanks for posting this, the

Thanks for posting this, the North Dorset Trailway is on my list of former railways to ride and is fairly local to me.

Another one to try round here is the Castleman Trailway, which I’ve done as a 70km / 43m loop a couple of times before. Leaving Upton Country Park (just outside Poole), head north towards Wimborne, emerging behind the Willett Arms pub. A short stretch of road towards Ferndown later (you can use the so-called “widest cycle path in the UK” that has caused so much outrage), over the A31 bridge into Ferndown Forest. The trailway now goes all the way (via a small break at West Moors) to Ringwood. Now for the longest stretch on road to Christchurch, once there, head towards Hengistbury, and get on the promenade. Cycling is not allowed on here between 1000-1800 July & August, but OK all other times with 10mph limit, giving priority to pedestrians. You can then ride the 14km alongside the beach seafront past Boscombe, Bournemouth, Branksome, Poole, and finally to Sandbanks. Head back to Poole on road before dropping into Whitecliff Park and Poole Park, around the perimeter of Holes Bay and back to Upton Country Park. 

A splendid few hours on a bike, route is mixed gravel, hard pack and tarmac, with both on and off road sections. Could just as easily be done starting and finishing at Poole Station, which is very close to Holes Bay Road, on the route.

 

 

[mark1a]

One thing I’d say about the

One thing I’d say about the Tarmac SL7 in the Comp version; in order to get down to a price point within the rest of the spec, it has very mediocre wheels (DT Swiss R470), and a 3rd tier groupset (Rival). So allow future cash for some better wheels would be my advice if serious about the Tarmac, or try to squeeze the budget for the Expert, for that you’re getting a 2nd tier groupset (Ultegra), and the rather decent Roval C38 wheelset. I appreciate that you’ve given your max budget as £5k and respect that, but I’m thinking if you’re serious about the Tarmac, the Comp seems to be too compromised. It might be worth trying to arrange a test ride at a dealer or concept store, I’ve not ridden the SL7 but have two of its parents (Roubaix Team and Venge 3) and they’re both great bikes to ride. 

I think others to consider would be Orro Venturi, Boardman SLR and Vitus ZX-1 EVO, I’ve not ridden them but reviews are consistently good and they all represent lots of bike for the money. I also see Decathlon have a new Van Rysel FCR out too.

[mark1a]

Some pearl-clutching and sh*t

Some pearl-clutching and sh*t-losing from my fellow inhabitants regarding *gasp* £2m allocated for active travel. 

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/23534534.dorset-council-gets-2million-government-active-travel/

[mark1a]

Cugel wrote:

The thread’s OP-question seems to assume that losing weight will always mean you’ll go faster up hills. Whilst this is probably true in many cases there are likely to be other cases where body weight losses are detrimental.  But if so, by how much and why?

Your reply seems to assume that the OP weight reduction is body weight. For all anyone knows the kilo in the question could be taken from the bike, for example 2x 500ml bottles of water. 

[mark1a]

Interesting question, the

Interesting question, the answer is… sort of.

I have a spreadsheet that I made some years ago to work out what power I would need to do a particular climb at a particular speed, and staying well below FTP. As this needs weight as part of the calculation, time can be extrapolated from change to speed keeping the power constant. I couldn’t find an online calculator at the time, so scraped some formulae from various sources, including distant memories of 80s physics lessons, Sheldon Brown, etc.

Power to overcome elevation can be calculated from slope x speed m/s x total mass x g^2. Then I took account of wind resistance which is air density x drag x frontal area x (wind or speed) /2. I ignored rolling resistance and drivetrain losses for the purposes of the spreadsheet. 

I also added in some other factors such as metabolic efficiency so I could work out what fuel I’d need, extrapolated from work done in kJ.

This is all a bit “back of a fag packet”, however after I’d climbed Stelvio, the figures matched up fairly accurately.

 

[mark1a]

Frontal area, drag

Frontal area, drag coefficient and air density and human efficiency are guesstimates, total mass is all up rider plus bike. Distance and gradient are Stelvio from the Bormio side.

[Author]

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