Forum Replies Created
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Just go for a frame with a
Just go for a frame with a lifetime warranty.Based just on looks, Colnago
Based just on looks, Colnago then Bianchi. However, the reality is that every one of these bikes will be good, but if you can get to ride them all, that will tell you which one to buy.I’m not sure I’d consider
I’m not sure I’d consider this recent mild winter to be an aberration – I’d be more inclined to think that the previous 2 or 3 were exceptionally cold, relative to the years before and after.Question – if you’ve got the
Question – if you’ve got the light Bianchi off your friend, plus the fixie for the city, and you were after something for Touring, why now switch to a carbon bike that is closer to racing? Or have I got that all wrong? Assuming that I’ve not got it wrong, what kind of riding will you be doing, if not touring?Glad to see you’re dropping the idea for the rack with it though – that’s like buying a Porsche then towing a caravan!
I have SRAM Apex on my winter/commuting bike, and Ultegra on my ‘nice’ bike. I was quite happy with SRAM, save for the fact that it seems very fussy with the indexing. It’s 2012 Apex, and I can’t get it to run all 10 gears smoothly, despite spending a lot of time with it on the workstand. Anyway, having bought my new bike with Ultegra and demoting my first bike to ‘hack’ status, I can’t help but notice how much smoother and easier to adjust it is than Apex. The shift action is also lighter. I would expect 105 to be extremely similar to Ultegra, just a little heavier.
With regard to the rest of the bike, I would STRONGLY recommend buying from a shop that will include a half-decent bike fitting. I say this because you note that the TCR was too stretched-out for you. This may well be true, but it may also be the case that the bike you sat on was the wrong size, or the stem was too long etc. If you’re just looking to get out for some long fast rides/join a club/ride a couple of sportives etc, then either the Defy or the TCR will be great, but if you can stomach the more stretched-out position, then it will generally make for faster riding.
Given the way that recent
Given the way that recent threads have gone, I knew as soon as I saw RANT ALERT in the sidebar, whose post it was going to be! I don’t blame you either.Oh, and don’t bother feeding the troll, above. I’d pay good money to see Northstar (EDIT: and Chiv – god what a childish post) be so brave in person.
The 2014 version of the
The 2014 version of the Madone 4.5 is a bit different, with the aero frame design. That said, I have the 2013 version, bought for £1600, and it is a great bike.For your purposes though, any of these would be great. If you’re after comfortable rides, the Domane may be the best bet. The Madone is a race bike.
The problem is that you need
The problem is that you need to practice something like this so that it becomes part of your muscle memory. Watch any martial arts class and see how many times they fall over (and practice falling over).That said, I have seen a slo-mo breakdown of a crash in the TdF, *think* it was Geraint Thomas. It was very well-handled. Basically, he’s on a bend, but the rider in front has crashed and there is no way round it, so he:
1. Stands the bike upright – it’s now headed for the off-road on the outisde of the turn
2. Unclips his feet
3. lets the bike go
4. Clear of the bike, drops into a forward/sideways roll
5. Gets back up without a scratch, recovers the bike, carries on!Now yes, I can hear a couple of you grumbling that GT has had a bit more practice than most recently, but he’s a class bike rider and that’s awesome mental focus to be able to pull this off in the heat of the moment.
For context, where are you
For context, where are you moving from? You’ll find some awesome countryside for riding.Glad it’s not just me then! I
Glad it’s not just me then! I assumed it was a high ratio of lean muscle (which burns calories just sitting there) and low insulation (fat). Sometimes when I get cold, eating is the only thing that warms me up, even though I don’t feel hungry.Massive well done on losing the 10 stone though, great achievement, I’m not surprised you feel the cold having lost that!
Sounds a lot like my
Sounds a lot like my experience (as does Bashthebox’s). Basically, and as as Bash… states, it’s all in your head. I was getting speed wobble, and so tried to take the descents more slowly and ride on the hoods, but that made it worse. Someone suggested that I was taking too much weight off the front wheel (it’s natural to try and sit up and away from it if you’re feeling twitchy), and they were right. Relax (I know, easier said than done, right?!), loosen your fingers, get on the drops – this moves the centre of gravity forwards and downwards, and trust your kit.When I was just getting used to the idea of doing this, someone put a slight detour into what was otherwise a popular route for the club run. Next thing we’re on a singletrack road that I wasn’t familiar with, featuring pockmarks and bits of gravel. It drops away in front me, speed increases quick, and I tensed up and started to get on the brakes. Straight away I could feel the wobble, at maybe 30mph. Now I’d not long since bought my Trek Madone, which have a reputation for stable handling, plus I’d added GP4000s tyres, so I knew I could trust the kit. I made myself relax, breathed deep, stayed low and on the drops but off the brakes and just let the bike go. Hey presto, I recorded my quickest ever (by quite some margin) max speed of 50mph.
What Rpm are you pedaling at?
What Rpm are you pedaling at?It’s a tough one re the
It’s a tough one re the S-Works SL1 – it was pro-level stuff in it’s day, but things have moved on quite a bit since then. Plus I’m not sure how easy/cost-effective it would be to obtain spares for 7-year-old kit.Re shifters, I’ve got SRAM Apex on my commuter, and Shimano Ultegra 10-spd on my ‘nice’ bike. Ultegra is definitely the choice of the two for performance and use. For maintenance, the SRAM has always been so finnickety, I’ve rarely been able to access all the gears. On Ultegra, no such issues, and adjustment of the derailleurs appears far less fussy. I’m assuming a new bike will include the new 11-spd Ultegra, which I believe is on another level again.
I’d say go down to Planet-X, get a bike fit (this is a MASSIVE plus of being able to walk into a bricks and mortar shop, it can do more for your performance than any component ever will) and see how a test ride feels.
Weren’t you having similar
Weren’t you having similar issues with Dura-Ace 9000 not long ago? Sounds like you need a better LBS.LOL at shelling out an extra £140 for the diagnostic software- I totally get your point, but it just seems bizarre to be buying such stuff to maintain a bike!
Also, Allez neg re turning it off and on again – now that is funny!
Pics +1, I want an action
Pics +1, I want an action shot of you giving it the “Full Cav” over the finish line with everyone else trailing in your wake… maybe leave out the rude gestures though!I believe both are very
I believe both are very popular – there’s plenty of guys in the club with Ribbles. I think you’d be happy with either, so just go with the one that looks the best. If when you look at it, you *want* to ride it, that will make a big difference in itself.
