cycling

[akashra]

So I've added to the collection...


2 down, 2 to go. 3rd or better at Mt Buller I'm pretty confident of. The big question mark will be the Oceania championships at Shepparton.

[Paranoid__Android]

That's awesome

[TheKrikkitWars]

I recently had my bike stolen, from the university building's bike racks, which sucks...
An analysis of my cycling habits suggests that rather than replace my cross country bike with another, when I get the insurer to pay out I should be buying a cyclocross bike, which is exciting.

Moaning:

Spoiler:

But it would be much more exciting if the insurer wasn't screwing me out of nearly £1000 on a technicality.

[wokattack]

Why not go the whole nine yards and go for a Mountain Bike? That's what I did (inj Devon, so plenty off-road possibilities)

[akashra]

Why not go the whole nine yards and go for a Mountain Bike? That's what I did (inj Devon, so plenty off-road possibilities)

'Mountain Bike' is an all emcompasing term for Cross Country, Downhill, STP/Trials bikes and others, in the same way 'Computer' is an all emcompasing term for Mac, PC, or Notebook, Desktop etc...

Personally I don't see the point of CX bikes for anything but CX racing. If you're in technical or twichy terrain, then flat or riser bars are more suitable, as are the remaining components you'll find on an XC bike, but if you're only riding on proper roads, a road bike is the way to go.

If you're going to be riding a uni, a cheap bike commuter might be safer - eg, just a cheap 650C flat bar singlespeed.

[Paranoid__Android]

I'm going on another bike trip this summer... This will be huge bike trip number 6

My current tally
1. 230 miles
2. 1000 miles
3. 330 miles
4. 480 miles (MTB over alps)
5. 1500 miles

damn that's satisfying.

[geoth]

I am planning on biking from Washington State to Washington D.C. this summer for Habitat for Humanity. I've never biked more than 20 miles at once, although in high school I would bike 10 miles to cross country practice and I would bike back afterwards. What amount of training should I have. They recommend being able to bike 12-20 miles at one given interval. Also, how do i cross train right now? I've been biking in the gym, but it's not really biking.

Here is the route http://www.fullercenter.org/bikeadventure/route

I'm going to buy a road bike. Right now I have a GMC Denali. What do you recommend on keeping an eye for, and how do I pick the right bike?

Also how do I pick the right equipment e.g. helmets, cycling clothing, etc.

Any words of advice?

Sorry about the numerous questions.

[llamanaru]

The most important things for cycling cloths is that they be comfortable. That might be the dedicated cycling shirts that you see the professionals wear, or it could be (as in my case) just a plain cotton tee-shirt.

Comfort is also important for a helmet. You'll want to go to a bike shop and try on several until you find one that fits you comfortably. Also keep in mind that it will form to your head after you wear it for a while, so if you can find one that's comfortable in the store, after riding for a few dozen hours with it you'll never notice it's there. At least that's what's happened to me. Also, always wear the helmet. I've had mine save my life at ~5 mph.

Given that you'll be riding a few thousand miles, if you're comfortable with it I'd recommend clipless pedals. These are the ones that you clip into (heh) and they hold your feet to the pedals. Their main advantage on the road is that you can pull up and push down. Give you more power and if you do it right some more endurance. These can be kinda expensive though, depending on what you get. Alternately you could just get the retro strappy pedals who's name I don't know.

If you're going to be riding 75 miles a day, in a big group, comfort and fit are going to be more important than a few extra pounds. That being said you don't want to go buy a bike that was heavy in 1980 because it fits you perfectly. If you have a big budget for this, I'd say just go ahead and go to a local bike shop, have them fit you for a bike and buy it there. Something aluminum in the midrange of Trek or Specialized is going to be light enough and of good enough quality to get you across the country. If you can't afford that (it'll be like 1000-1500 depending on stuff) then I'd say go to the bikeshop anyway and have them fit you, write the measurements down and trawl craigslist for a bike that has those measurements. Take a friend that knows about bikes to make sure the product is good (if you don't have one I'll tell you what to look for, though in this case a bike shop would probably be better).

As for advice. Bring more water than you think you'll need and more food than you think you'll need and eat at Santiagos while you're in Lafayette Colorado

[dubsola]

You should try and ride as much as possible in between now and then. Outside, not in the gym.

[akashra]

Oh yes, I forgot to mention:

[Paranoid__Android]

We have some skilled cyclists on the fora

nice one!!!!

[akashra]

New toys are good, we like new toys!


Also, I forgot to update months ago:

[DustinKoski]

Isn't it bad for muscular development to exercise strenuously for multiple days in a row? Well, at least I've been told repeatedly that you should alternate your days of exercise. Just saying, bike trip sounds like a bad idea considering that.

[TheSkyMovesSideways]

Isn't it bad for muscular development to exercise strenuously for multiple days in a row? Well, at least I've been told repeatedly that you should alternate your days of exercise. Just saying, bike trip sounds like a bad idea considering that.

Overtraining syndrome is barely applicable to exercise that is primarily aerobic, and is also a problem that builds up over months and so would not be encountered on an individual multi-day trip.

[halbarad]

I'm looking to get back into cycling to help me get fit again. I currently have a pretty basic mountain bike which is a few years old but I'm considering upgrading to something better. I plan to cycle to work and back each day (only a mile or so each way) and go for longer rides a few nights a week (20 miles+ eventually but starting out smaller). I'll mostly be riding on roads but want the option to go off road if I want to.

What would the more experienced cyclists recommend?

Edit: Went out on my current bike today, hoping to complete a 15mile round trip across mostly flat ground. Didn't go so well as I hit two hills early on and gave up after a few miles. Still managed to get 7 miles done so not a terrible start after not cycling for at least 6 months. I think my first goal will be to complete the inital route I had planned.

[llamanaru]

I'd say a Cyclocross bike is probably good. They're good on road but also have the ability to go off road pretty well without changing anything.

[Evengeduld]

Yep Cyclocross bikes are very fun to ride and don't break as fast as road bikes or maybe that is just only in my case

[Ulc]

Yay, due to stupid bureaucracy I get a bunch of money on my account tommorow and on, and I'll finally get to buy a bike

Planning on buying a new one, since that's easier for insurance purposes - One gear only for a number of reasons

1) I live in a city where the biggest hill is less than 40 metres above sea level. The rest of the city is flat as a pancake.
2) I have to lug it up to fourth floor every day - not having gears reduce the weight by a lot, making it easier to carry.
3) If gears aren't needed due to the city being so flat, why waste the 10-15% of the energy that gets turned into heat by the energy wasting in the gears.
4) Maintainer of gears is annoying, not having them will reduce the amount of time needed to maintain the bike.

I've even found the shop where I want to buy it, since they have a model from last year they just want to get rid of, including replacing the racer-handle bars that I hate riding with, for straight handlebars it will run me $800. Damn I'm really looking forward to not having to walk everywhere.

[llamanaru]

So you're getting a bike with a driveshaft, or just one with a single set of cogs instead of multiple cogs with derailleurs? Cause the former would be pretty awesome.

[Ulc]

So you're getting a bike with a driveshaft, or just one with a single set of cogs instead of multiple cogs with derailleurs?

No driveshaft, just a bike with a single set of cogs

I've been driving around on it for a couple of days now, and it's wonderful - though it feels a bit silly that the chain hanging on the saddle in the picture is actually heavier than the bike itself.

[ComicMath]

I wonder if there is anyone making highly secure and light weight chains and locks.Cyclists would love it. Other people here on this forum would know better than me...is it possible to have a lock that is both lightweight and also very hard to break?

[Ulc]

I wonder if there is anyone making highly secure and light weight chains and locks.Cyclists would love it. Other people here on this forum would know better than me...is it possible to have a lock that is both lightweight and also very hard to break?

In general, A) affordable, B) lightweight, C) Secure.

Choose two out of three of the above. Yes, there is lightweight very solid chains, but those are awfully expensive, and would easily get near the price of most bikes themselves. There's really nothing to do about that either, because the materials (essentially, some few steel alloys if they are really well fabricated) necessary for making solid and lightweight are expensive.

[ComicMath]

is it possible to have a lock that is both lightweight and also very hard to break?

In general, A) affordable, B) lightweight, C) Secure.

Choose two out of three of the above.

Somehow that seems like a metaphor for life.

[akashra]

Oh yeah, ended up with some really good photos from a race I did at Phillip Island a few weeks ago, but rather than flooding the thread I'll just leave it with two:




I'm sooooooo loving this new toy, best frame I've ever owned

Oh, and in other news, MTBA have just announced the 2011/2012 National Series - in addition to XCO and XCC that it's had the previous years, it now features both XCE and XCT, both formats I'm exceptionally good at (compared to XCO).
I'm considering doing the National series in Expert this year, but will be aiming for the National Championships in Sport at Eagle Hill, Adelaide.

[akashra]

A few will have noticed I keep gravedigging this thread every now and then. This may well be the last time I'm able to one-up myself, as it doesn't go much higher from here (unless I go and win a world championship, which let's be fair, is rather unlikely).

So I present:


Hell
Yeah!

[fizzgig]

Nice work!
You could always go for a world championship for something like 24 solo, in an unpopular age category - there are enough 24 solo world championships going around at the moment...

[akashra]

There's only one 24hr World Championships, and they're being held in Italy.
The 24 Sports one is the 24 Hours of Adrenaline World Championships. At least, that's what Stu was happy to call it for 12 years before he annoyed everyone and they set up an event that wasn't just the North American World Championships

[fizzgig]

Well there is that of course. Definitely looking forward to next year when they're here. Fingers crossed that they can attract a bigger international field than the 24 hoa world champs.

[TheKrikkitWars]

A few will have noticed I keep gravedigging this thread every now and then. This may well be the last time I'm able to one-up myself, as it doesn't go much higher from here (unless I go and win a world championship, which let's be fair, is rather unlikely).

So I present:


Hell
Yeah!

Good work mate!

You said it, you can't unsay it, the internet expects

[akashra]

Oh and the timing of you bumping this thread couldn't be better, yesterday I rolled around and got enough points to win the 2011-2012 state series.
I've basically been off the bike since Nationals, so it was very much a case of "to finish first, you must first finish.", and not really racing at any high pace.

[TheKrikkitWars]

Excellent!

I actually came on to ask if anyone had any opinions on tubulars and got distracted by your achievments; I'm considering putting tubs on my cross bike, but i'm conflicted as the effort of rebuilding my wheels with new rims, to potentially not get on with them and re-build them again with the clinchers is weighing heavy on my mind (times are tight and I'm struggling to justify buying pre-built or getting new hubs and a new cassette and building a second set of wheels, so re-building seems like the best option).

[EvilDuckie]

I crossed England. On a bike. Well, mostly

Cycled the coast-to-coast route from Whitehaven to Tynemouth last week. 4 days, fully supported trip. Didn't manage some of the very steep climbs, especially not on the 3rd day (not exactly a whole lot of hills around where I live, so limited practice in climbing and descending), but I walked those. So I technically did go from the Irish Sea to the North Sea under my own power.

[TheKrikkitWars]

Cycled the coast-to-coast route from Whitehaven to Tynemouth last week. 4 days, fully supported trip.

Was that with Purple Mountain or just a trip you'd set up yourself?

[EvilDuckie]

Cycled the coast-to-coast route from Whitehaven to Tynemouth last week. 4 days, fully supported trip.

Was that with Purple Mountain or just a trip you'd set up yourself?

It was with Skedaddle actually. I found various companies organising this trip, but Skedaddle was the easiest for me as they meet up in Newcastle, rather than Whitehaven (I'm from The Netherlands, took the ferry over). I can highly recommend them, the organisation and support of the trip was just wonderful. This was my first cycling holiday and I'm hooked now

[EvilDuckie]

Resurrecting the thread.

After the success of last year's cycling trip I've decided to do another one. 6 days in Tuscany in september. So I'm busy getting in shape for that. I haven't been able to do much cycling this winter due to the weather but I'm glad I can get out on my bike again. Yesterday I took part in an organised group ride: 90 km, 300+ riders with full support (traffic wardens, tech support, spare bikes, the whole shebang). We stuck to the roads rather than bike paths due to the size of the group. The speed was advertised as 25 km/h average, turned out to be 27.8 in the end (which was pushing my limits a bit).

Was involved in a little crash quite early on, somebody fell, somebody else tried to avoid him and I ended up hitting that guy's rear wheel with my front wheel, causing me to come off my bike too. I did land on my feet though, not injured or damaged myself. I was at the back of the group when that happened and by the time I checked myself out and got back on my bike the group had a considerable lead, so I had to race to get back. One of the pro riders that was involved in the ride had dropped back and she helped us catch up.

Got somebody to take my picture at the halfway rest stop (spoilered for spandex)

Spoiler:

Me at the halfway point by hans905, on Flickr

Somehow found myself behind a few slower riders on the 2nd half of the ride, and after a couple of sharp turns I noticed the main group again had a big lead, so another bit of fast riding to get back and just as I succeeded in that I went over a bump and heard a loud snapping noise. My saddle seemed to have tilted backwards, so again I had to get off and check it out. The tech support vehicle was with me in 5 seconds and we couldn't find any major issue with the bike so I got back on and for the third time had to push hard to catch up. The tech guy offered to pull me along with the car, tried that for a little bit but that requires a lot more guts than I have, so I did it on my own.

All things considered, a great ride. Glad I've done it, although I was pushing my limits several times. Once I got back home I checked out the saddle again with help from my neighbor (who helps out with bike maintenance from time to time) and we decided it was probably just set up right in between 2 of the "fixed" position, and going over the bump (probably slamming back on the saddle, as the bump caught me by surprise) made it snap into one of them. Looks like there's no permanent damage.

[Sebastiaan]

So, how is the preparation for your trip coming along, EvilDuckie? Sounds like you've got a program.

I've just been on a short trip to the French Pyrenees and, while my shape is nowhere near the shape I've had a couple of years ago, it actually felt pretty good. I've made the trip with a couple of friends, forming a group of 9 riders.

The 'stages' we've done:

Day 1 - Arrival + Descent and ascent of Col de Peyresourde from Avajan (9.96Km @ 6.6%)
Day 2 - Easy, first ride of 41.3 KM with 1230 meters of climbing including Col d'Azet from Génos (7.47Km @ 8.3%)
Day 3 - Increasing the intensity; 65Km with 1670 meters of climbing including the Hourquette d'Ancizan (10km @ 8.7%) and the last part of the Col d'Aspin (5.8km @ 7.4%).
Day 4 - Peak Intensity: 111 km with 2800 meters of climbing including the Port de Balès from Mauléon-Barousse (18km @ 7.4%) and Col de Peyresourde (9.6km @ 8.2%).
Day 5 - Bad weather rest day.
Day 6 - Ascent and descent of the Col du Tourmalet from Sainte-Marie-de-Campan (16.7 km @ 8.2%) on the final day

[EvilDuckie]

So, how is the preparation for your trip coming along, EvilDuckie? Sounds like you've got a program.

I've just been on a short trip to the French Pyrenees and, while my shape is nowhere near the shape I've had a couple of years ago, it actually felt pretty good. I've made the trip with a couple of friends, forming a group of 9 riders.

Impressive! I'm not sure I'm ready for that kind of stuff yet, but I did have a lot of fun in the Ardennes a few weeks ago, just 2 days to get the hang of climbing and descending again (no chance to practice that here... if I tell you the closest 'hill' to where I live is the Moerdijkbrug you'll get the idea...). Tackled a few hills with famous names (though not the Redoute nor the Stockeu) and I was pleased to see I've improved in terms of strength and endurance. Less than 2 months before my trip and I'm confident. The distance/elevation per day is about 80k/1100m for the first 4 days, dropping a bit for the last 2.

We actually have another cycling thread going on here, to track mileage, so why not add yours there

[Sebastiaan]

We actually have another cycling thread going on here, to track mileage, so why not add yours there

Yeah, I've noticed that. I think I'll add the mileage of the training cycle I'm starting next week to prepare for the Mergelheuvelland 2-daagse (160 + 120 km).

The Ardennes are nice and they are a bit better suited to my body type. I'm not a climber, but most of the climbs there are under 3km and that suits me better. I've had some of my hardest rides there. I've never been to Tuscany with a bike, how are the climbs there?

[EvilDuckie]

I've never been to Tuscany with a bike, how are the climbs there?

I don't know It's an organised tour, listed as 3 out of 5 for difficulty. Will just have to wait and see.

[MotorToad]

Oh yeah, ended up with some really good photos from a race I did at Phillip Island a few weeks ago, but rather than flooding the thread I'll just leave it with two:

Casey Stoner is WAY faster there than you are!