None of the above - Any cyclists?

Discussion in 'Cars, Motorcycles, Boats, Airplanes Talk' started by yotacowboy, Jan 2, 2017.

  1. ergopower

    ergopower Friend

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    I have had my cleats at 13mm for decades. I know many are recommending further to much further back, but I never even think about my feet when riding, so I'm really reluctant to change. The other negative for me is that I have a long torso/short femurs so I'm always running a 13cm stem. Moving forward would be a challenge.
     
  2. Prydz

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    I ended up selling my Giant TCR. I'll be ordering a Canyon Ultimate ASAP.
    Why Ultimate? Lightweight, decent QC, available in pressfit or threaded BB, rim or disc, and cheap!
    Else id buy another Giant TCR in XL, but they are even harder to get in stock
     
  3. aufmerksam

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    Man I have been away too long, sad I missed all this chatter! I have been all over zwift since COVID, and honestly I don't really care if I get back out there for group rides or races; despite kids and jobs, I am still getting about 9-10 hours a week on the bike and fitness/health is through the roof.

    I gave up on cyclocross because no races anywhere, and instead built a ti gravel rig last fall. I use it train mornings on zwift and then ride the trails around my house. @shredical you're getting a zwift follow here in a moment. Here's a recent pic of my current bike:
     

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  4. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    That's awesome that you're getting the hours in, i'm kinda jealous. 10hrs a week over 6-8 weeks will build a monster motor. I'm still trying to find my motivation. Raced one of my favorite courses in the region (that I've had three podiums at) and the race was an absolute shit show. I just sat up on the last lap due to the obvious lack of skill in the field. Then, my team folded, so I'm stuck going into training season without that structure. Looking at registrations at the CX races that are still being held and strava-stalking, it looks like COVID has killed off a lot of the motivation for quite a few of my racing buds beyond my teammates, which is sad.

    I just need to get back that hunger to train to race, and race to win. If you don't have it, what's the point of freezing your ass off at 2.5 hours in on a training ride, in the middle of February?
     
  5. aufmerksam

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    Honestly, once I found people to race and train with in zwift, motivation went back up for me. You can (usually) find competitive races several days a week, and you can find/coordinate training rides with others easily now. Between not having to ride or drive to a start point, and not having to worry about cars on county highways, I kind of don't care about getting back "out". I still ride trails nearby, and I will probably do the bigger organized events (they are finally coming back this fall, and velodromes are finally opening), but otherwise, well, yeah.
     
  6. Biodegraded

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    Looks like spring has finally started here in Vancouver, so the Degradeds will be getting the (e-)bikes out. For other bored locals or for visitors (the cruise ship terminal is at Canada Place, in the NW corner of the map), here, as an antidote to the usual "cycle around the seawall" exhortation, is a map of the East Van bike routes annotated with some items of interest:

    [​IMG]

    Edit: Updated with another 5 breweries and 2 record stores that I'd initially missed.
    Safety tip: we try to stick to the green routes on the return journey. :drunk:
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2022
  7. bobboxbody

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    Shameless plug: I'm selling one of my bikes to help pay for the move/new house. It's on ebay here. I did the build a pretty long time ago and rode it for years, but not so much anymore, proud of my photography for the ebay photos. I don't do fast riding, but I enjoy a nice 20-25 mile ride a few days a week in nice weather. I'm excited because the new house is less than 2 miles from a 90 mile paved trail along a river and through the woods, with no busy streets on the way to the trail.
     
  8. ergopower

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    Man, there's a lot to like on that bike. It's tall AF, but 531 and Campagnolo, sweet. Next owner definitely needs to get the Record derailleurs. You used to be able to find those pretty cheap.
    I built my first 10 speed (drop bars) in that era, I think I even looked at Jackson frames.
     
  9. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    That thing's a beauty!! GLWS!!!
     
  10. wbass

    wbass Friend

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    I follow this thread occasionally and drool over some cool bikes across the Internet now and then. I'm mostly a bike commuter here in Chicago. Vintage Scapin and a vintage Trek. Both 80s Ohio steel, I believe. Nothing special, but decent city bikes that have taken a few crashes and still get me around.

    Contemplating a move to London in the fall now and thinking I might take the Scapin with me and maybe add a decent gravel bike for some of the (many) fun-looking rides a train trip away from the city. Gravel because I like a bit of trail now and then but also want the comfort and speed for longer road rides.

    Totally open to suggestions in the $2k and below range. Recently been reading about belt drives, which seem cool, but not sure if they're good for climbing and road? Seem to see a lot of them aimed at commuters, but no way am I locking up a nice bike in any kind of urban situation.
     
  11. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    semi-retired bike mechanic opinion on belt drive: most get super f'ing noisy over time. they're plenty durable, but they just turn into squeak monsters over time.

    For a gravel bike, I'd stick with a simple SRAM 1x NX eagle setup and take the weight hit for the indestructibility and inexpensiveness. SRAM really killed it with their latest lower range components, as long as you're okay with the weight.
     
  12. bobboxbody

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    Thanks, it was a barn find from back when I used to restore and flip bikes, but it was too cool to sell. It had seized up record derailleurs with the frame, I replaced them with another set I had but preferred the 600's. It's almost too tall for me but I'm pretty gangly so it works.

    Thanks!
     
  13. wbass

    wbass Friend

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    Hmm, interesting. I really like the idea of belt drive, especially for touring, as I'm daunted by the idea of replacing a broken chain mid-tour. (Not that that would be terribly likely to happen?) Anyway, I guess there's a bit of a learning curve, ahead for me but UK bike-packing and day-riding seems to be excellent. Much better, perhaps, that what can be had anywhere near Chicagoland.
     
  14. bobboxbody

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    I admit there's not a ton of great riding/bike-packing around here, but the I&M canal trail isn't too far, 96 miles paved/mostly gravel, it's great for bike-packing plenty of campsites along the way and Starved Rock state park near the end. Also the North Branch trail and Des Plaines River trail are fun, NBT starts in the city and Des Plaines is within easy riding distance.

    On the belt/chain debate - if you're far away and have chain issues, it's an easy/cheap fix. You probably won't have belt drive issues, but if you do it's more of a pain, I'd still probably bring an extra belt. I've done a handful of 4-600 mile tours that we flew the bikes to a destination for, always with chain drive, always with some portion on gravel, frequently many miles from civilization, and never had a chain issue. I always carry a spare chain, little bag of essential bike tools, folding tires, extra tubes, and zip ties. Once you have 30+ pounds of camping junk and clothes on the bike, and extra couple of pounds for spares doesn't make much difference.
     
    Last edited: May 26, 2022
  15. wbass

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    Oh, nice, thanks for the tips. I've done chunks of the North Branch, but have yet to try the I&M and Des Plaines.

    Yeah, various Internet research suggests that belt might not be quite the slam dunk it seems. Still, this is a pretty slick looking ride: https://www.prioritybicycles.com/pr...Z2u8PfUOKfx9mf1XioFEVbp7P7kAfDPxoCzJsQAvD_BwE

    Still poking around at various bike ideas though, and many/most new bikes are, no surprise, way back-ordered. Plus, as with hi-fi, I tend to like to buy secondhand. We'll see. No rush on anything. Wish my Scapin was comfortable enough for long-rides, but it was a mutt from the beginning and has never quite fit. Still seen a lot of great miles though.
     
  16. wbass

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    Taking some baby steps (pedals?) toward some longer rides. Got out with a couple guys today for about 50-60km, out of NE London and into Epping Forest and then back along a canal path. Pretty good time. The guys are much more experienced riders, but I basically kept up. My general fitness is good, and I've been bike commuting a fair bit.

    I've been resisting the Lycra/clipless/padded shorts thing, after a buddy hipped me to the "un-racer," Grant Petersen thing, which is definitely more my personal aesthetic. But the back half of today's ride was not super comfortable. Mostly, a bit of a neckache and, weirdly, front part of my feet going a bit numb.

    I know the biggest remedy to the above is just to get out on the bike more, and now the weather is turning, that's the general plan. But I'd welcome opinions about gear. I might go for some padded shorts first, just to up the comfort a bit.

    As far as clipless shoes/pedals goes, I'm open to them. But, then, I don't totally see the point, especially as there seems to be a prevalent counter-opinion that they don't really add much in the way of efficiency/power.

    But, again, staying open-minded.

    Btw, the new bike is an Orro Terra, a new-ish British make. Typical Chinese aluminum frame, Shimano 105 groupset. A gravel bike, ostensibly, but looks pretty road-oriented. Pricing was solid. I rode a Genesis and a few other things, but liked the Orro feel best.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2023
  17. yotacowboy

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    Just grab some MTB style shorts with a decent chamois; no need to get too Grant Peterson granola-nut cranky and anti-lycra about clothing, or go full on tweed on a pennyfarthing... The biggest upside to going clipless is that most compatible shoes offer a bit stiffer sole than walking or running shoes which relieves some of the stress on your foot to support pedaling through the ball of your foot. Cheap clipless SPD style pedals are easy to find: https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m520-pedals. You're going to likely want to try on a few different brands of cycling shoes, but most bike shops will be happy to help fit shoes. Don't spend more than $100/£100 on shoes, there's no need if you're just trying them out for the first time.
     
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  18. wbass

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    Ah, nice, MTB shorts. Didn't think of that, but seems like a good option in-between full Lycra and full Grant P. Thanks for that.

    I might get a set of dual flat/clip-less pedals, just to get a feel for bike shoes and have the option to ride regular shoes to work.
     
  19. ergopower

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    I agree w/ @yotacowboy Cycling shoes and pedals together allow you to carry your stroke a little further as you approach the bottom of your stroke. As you get used to it, you should be getting a bit more power out of your stroke, to the point that if you go back to flat pedals, you'll find yourself pulling your feet off the pedals when you're picking up the pace. The stiff sole of cycling shoes might also help with the foot numbness, since you aren't flexing your foot anymore.
    Regarding the neck, if it happens regularly, might be worth seeing a fitter to check your position. Having your hands too low or too far forward can do that.
     
  20. AdvanTech

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    It’s not just the pedals but the rigid soles of cycling shoes that help, as well. My power meters haven’t shown the usual wattage numbers since putting flat pedals and wearing sneakers for a bit.
     

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