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Quick question – £2k is a lot
Quick question – £2k is a lot for a first bike, but have you budgeted for all the other stuff? I ask because if this is your first road bike, then I’m assuming you don’t have the rest.As a starter, think about:
Shoes and pedals (they aren’t usually included with the bike)
Helmet (should you choose to wear one, but sssh don’t start a helmet debate round here!)
Jersey, base layer, shorts, gloves, armwarmers
Waterproof jacket
bottles and cages x 2
Track pump (don’t underestimate the difference between a mini-pump and a track pump, it’s wise to have both so you can get a proper amount of pressure in the tyres before you go out)
Saddlebag with inner tube, multitool, tyre levers etcThen assuming you’re hooked (you will be!), you’ll want winter jersey and tights and maybe a jacket for the cold. Plus you’ll start wanting bits like a Garmin.
Then there’s the bike. The more you ride, the more you notice what you like and dislike. Before you know it, you’ve decided that the handling of the frame isn’t quite what you hoped, the saddle’s too narrow, the bars drop a bit too far, you don’t like the bar tape and the brakes are a bit grabby for your tastes. This is so subjective that I don’t think spending more initially mitigates any of it, so you spend more making it ‘yours’. Ribbles are well-regarded, so in your shoes I’d spend up to £1k for one with mudguard mounts. Get to know it (and you), then when you feel like you have a better understanding of what kind of bike you *really* want, fit the mudguards to the first one and make that your winter bike, while taking delivery of something fast which suits you really well and which you now have the fitness to do justice! 😀
Pauldmorgan wrote:Jimmy Ray
For all that Sky can try and dress this up, this is nothing more than a spoilt child spitting his dummy.Re-watch the clip Jimmy – there’s no dummy spitting going on here – that’s one of the most measured and tactful interviews I’ve ever seen given the circumstances.
Just imagine if The Badger had been dropped in 1986 in favour of LeMond and how his interview on breakfast TV would’ve been!
I think you’ve misunderstood Jimmy – who I’m inclined to agree with – he’s suggesting that Chris Froome is the spoilt child spitting his dummy, by rejecting Brad for the TdF team.
When Chris’ book was quoted a week or two ago, I figured it was just down to the publishing timeline dictated by the publisher, but it does have the convenient air of ‘shielding’ CF from criticism in this latest twist.
@nwardill – so it sounds
@nwardill – so it sounds like, rather than halfords cannibalising the brand, halfords directors have simply recognised that the cycling market is worth the effort. The choices they then have are to effect a massive cultural and perception change towards the halfords brand (which they might be doing anyway, it would take time), buy another retailer (not viable, the other chains are only a step or two up from Halfords in terms of reputation, and a corporate like this isn’t going to buy a dozen different independent bike shops), or buy a bike manufacturer. And whaddaya know, they have an existing relationship with a particular one. Starts to make sense now.Interesting, because recently
Interesting, because recently I’ve noticed a couple of “real” bike shops starting to stock Boardmans. I wonder if those retailers had any inkling about this?I’ve never had a tattoo,
I’ve never had a tattoo, primarily because there is nothing that I’d still want etched onto me 40 years from now. That, however, would qualify.I know what you mean,
I know what you mean, although for me it’s often the RLJers. I then leapfrog them once moving again. I think the difference is in how you view your cycling:My view (and possibly yours, given that you’re on this site) is that time on the bike is all good. If I have to put in an extra couple of accelerations complete with rucksack, rack and pannier, it all builds towards better fitness.
However, if you’re on a bike just to get from A to B, the opposite is true – you don’t want to work any harder than required, you don’t want to wait in the queue, you just want to get to the front and get across the junction and on your way… etc etc. You also don’t have a view on cycling etiquette – the others are just in your way.
Perhaps your rucksack cover needs to say something like “Only pass me if you’re quick enough not be overtaken!”
Super stuff. Overall pace
Super stuff. Overall pace must have been healthy, judging from your average. Have you got a stamped card then?Is there a cingles emblem? For something that so few people have done (climbing everest is so common, but not this), you need a tattoo on your calf…
I spent £100 on an Edge 200,
I spent £100 on an Edge 200, and I thought that was overpriced until I got to grips with the ‘courses’ functionality. (Everything else works fine, but £100 for a bike computer is a bit pricey) We’re away in Anglesey next week, and provided my slightly dodgy knee plays ball, I’ll be riding in completely unfamiliar territory, but because the route is laid out for me, I’ll have a blast.In practice, I often record the ride on both the Garmin and the phone, just because uploading from the phone is way easier than booting the laptop and plugging the Garmin in.
A car trailer – one of those
A car trailer – one of those very boxy things with the body mounted really low to the floor and carrying a sports car or whatever, with me just leiurely cruising along at 28mph.I think my fastest drafting though was on the chaingang. The clubrun was running a little late and a few guys needed to get back soonish, so rather than the scenic backroads back into Manchester, we took the dual carrigeway – A6 out near Buxton – there was about 12 of us absolutely flying on a slight downhill, and I looked to my right to see a car full of people gawping as they overtook us.
Well it took IVF treatment
Well it took IVF treatment just to have kids, surely there’s got to be a silver lining in not needing to bother with the snip?!I like the idea of a Wyndy
I like the idea of a Wyndy Milla – custom fit, paintjob etc, but the aesthetics are seriously marmite – the look just isn’t for me. I believe they’re also stiff with a capital S.surly_by_name wrote:Its a
Its a sportive, which makes it much less important than your relationship with your wife.Whereas if you were crit racing, marriage means nothing! 😀
Unless she can maintain a
Unless she can maintain a consistent 25mph on the flat, then I would say that new wheels aren’t going to give her that much of a free boost in speed.* (This is thought to be the speed at which aerodynamics start to make a tangible difference) Even then, they would need to be aero wheels, at which point you’re into the realms of assessing the terrain you’re riding on and making a call as to whether aero wheels would even be appropriate. If not, then you’re just looking at lighter wheels, which only make a difference on climbs, and even then it’s not huge (I dropped about 600 grams from my wheel weight, it felt tangible, but not enough to alter how my climbing rated against my peers)*They might give her a psychological boost though which could translate to higher speeds – who doesn’t fancy a new pair of £750 wheels?!
I’d be more inclined to ask what you mean about ‘training’ – is this proper structured sessions or is she just going out on her bike and giving it the beans? If she does some decent intervals, focuses on her pedalling technique (push the pedals forward through the top third, drag them back through the bottom third – the downstroke kinda happens automatically I find), and if necessary rides with someone quicker (you?) who can push her during the intervals, she should start making gains. She might also find it beneficial to do some stretching exercises so she can remain in the drops for longer periods, that gives you an extra mph or 2.
I don’t have one, but if you
I don’t have one, but if you struggle, you could always just join in…?I’m certainly no authority on
I’m certainly no authority on such things, but wouldn’t the ‘bump’ of the pad adjusting to the different distance to the surface affect the wheel stability at speed? I’m not sure I’d fancy braking from 40mph with that.In addition, wouldn’t it act like a plane to shave off the pad surface (assuming the second surface is closer than the first)?
