Road Cycling Essentials

[remy87]

Just pray to God you won't have any problems with your fibre flare as they have shocking customer service or scratch that it's non existans. Well at least you are covered with the shop.
I'll never buy fibre flare again as my one failed just outside a year of usage.

 

[tedmaul]

Back out on the bunch ride for the first time since my off:
http://app.strava.com/activities/97818342

Nice morning for it actually, though again skirted with some ice on the way over to meet everyone. Gonna have to find a slightly safer route for that - the main roads we use for the group ride are all gritted and fine but getting there was dodgy as hell.

Dunno whether it's 3 weeks of turbo work on Trainer Road or not, but felt a lot better on the ride today. Last time i was out with the club i felt way off the pace, but was pretty comfortable today. Enjoyed it.

 

[Phantom Shadow]

How bright is the fibre flare? Looks like a nice light but in the video on their website you could barely see it once the bike was only a couple of metres away.

 

[oli collett]

Not sure how I feel about today's trip around the Surrey Hills:
http://www.strava.com/activities/97851251

Felt like I was blown to pieces in parts but managed a few PRs. 601km covered over November which I think is a PB

 

[grudas]

How bright is the fibre flare? Looks like a nice light but in the video on their website you could barely see it once the bike was only a couple of metres away.

it isn't bright as in "Bright" its just "big" if that makes sense? it doesn't output much light but it's a bit like a neon strip? as an extra light IMO it's nice but as the main light no way.

 

[Jonny69]

How bright is the fibre flare? Looks like a nice light but in the video on their website you could barely see it once the bike was only a couple of metres away.

It's not very bright, but it adds a lot of visibility and depth to you that a direct LED doesn't do. E.g, on my bag, it lights up my whole bag as it flashes. Plus it's big and you can see it from all angles, which a direct LED light doesn't do. My opinion, but having both is a good thing.

@remy87, what happened to yours out of interest? If mine is likely to fail, it'll be due to water ingress in the bottom half, because it gets in and sits in there corroding the battery contacts. It only does that if I mount it on the back of the bike on the seat post - on my bag it's fine.

 

[helpimcrap]

Totally bragging i know -

I'm in Cycling Plus this month.
Not seen the magazine but been told it's a great piece by someone i met on the Paris ride who got in touch with me out of the blue!

Name is Dan Cannell.

 

[SoliD]

Guys, replaced all the cables on my TT today, and managed to go and lose the retaining screw on the rear brake for the cable, where would I get a replacement from?

 

[Borden]

If you can't find one on SJS Cycles then I'd be surprised. They have a big supply of Shimano brake spares.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brake-spares-shimano-dept681_pg1/

 

[SoliD]

If you can't find one on SJS Cycles then I'd be surprised. They have a big supply of Shimano brake spares.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/brake-spares-shimano-dept681_pg1/

Guessing its this one?


http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-ultegra-br-6600-cable-fixing-bolt-and-plate-8dd-9811-prod29971/

 

[remy87]

It's not very bright, but it adds a lot of visibility and depth to you that a direct LED doesn't do. E.g, on my bag, it lights up my whole bag as it flashes. Plus it's big and you can see it from all angles, which a direct LED light doesn't do. My opinion, but having both is a good thing.

@remy87, what happened to yours out of interest? If mine is likely to fail, it'll be due to water ingress in the bottom half, because it gets in and sits in there corroding the battery contacts. It only does that if I mount it on the back of the bike on the seat post - on my bag it's fine.

Well my first problem was the silicon rubber mount that started to tear off I emailed them for a replacement I don't even mind to pay for it, no answer from them and ended up using it anyways by using the inside of the silicon.

The 2nd problem was it started to loose contact and not turn on, but I managed to wiggle it alive probably loose connection. Worked a couple of months like this until it completely died. Emailed them for a replacement if possible but still no answer. I gave up.

For comparison I got the hornit db140 siren thingy for my bike, each time I email them, they respond and even when the unit failed they sent me a new one, no questions asked. I rather buy from smaller companies to be honest as they tend to care for the customer more.

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

SJS is one of my favourite shops. Their range of niche stuff is brilliant.

 

[Borden]

Guessing its this one?


http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-ultegra-br-6600-cable-fixing-bolt-and-plate-8dd-9811-prod29971/

Looks like it. Your brakes will have the model number embossed on the back of them if you need to check. Doubt there's that much difference in the fixing bolts between models anyway so should be ok.

SJS is one of my favourite shops. Their range of niche stuff is brilliant.

Me too. Always experienced good service from them, very helpful staff.

 

[Berger]

Back to racing this weekend. Super short race, just 14.5km flat out trying to smash each other until someone drops off the group, average of 39.5kmh, most of it was over 40 with some slower tactical bits.

Only went and bloody won our grade! Finished in a sprint, was about 4th back off to one side with most guys on my left. Stayed in the saddle, had two guys in front in a line, hung onto them, the second guy went right so they were side by side. Sat behind the first guy on the left in his slipstream for a moment, wasn't sure if to go between them or to the left. Went left and span as fast as my legs could go, won by less than half a wheel on the line!

Did 63kmh for about 150m on Strava, was spinning out the gear I was in. No idea if I had more gears left, the only downside of SRAM, if I had been in the 11 and gone for another gear, it would have down shifted me into the 12 and I'd have been screwed.

Looking on Strava/gear calculator based off my cadence and speed I was only in the 12 or 13 on the back so did have gears to go, I was doing a cadence of over 120

 

[Jonny ///M]

Guys, replaced all the cables on my TT today, and managed to go and lose the retaining screw on the rear brake for the cable, where would I get a replacement from?

Beaten by the big man

 

[physichull]

The road from culcheth is good - nice and flat, easy bends here and there, pretty quiet.

You're in golborne somewhere, aren't you? For rivington, head up to the crossroads in hindley, straight over and then up to aspull. From there you can go to haigh or blackrod and get to rivington. It's about 8 miles from golborne to aspull, so you wouldn't want to go too much further if you were looking for, say, a 40 mile route, but you could go up rivington or chorley old road or do some of angelzarke/yarrow.

In my experience, places aren't as far away as you might think! Once you get going you can get a surprising distance and get to places you would think we're much too far away. I got to Dunham Massey and back today and in my head that's really distant. Maybe it's because I've only ever really driven there, so in my head it's somewhere you drive to which means its far away.

I'm planning to cycle to my parents on the Wirral sometime next year. It's about 40 miles and I'd have to take the mersey ferry. That'd be quite an adventure.

Yeah, Lowton. Also, I've never really even driven north out of Lowton, I've never had a need to. So that is perhaps what is putting me off, I just have no idea where I'm going/places to avoid.

It means that I really regret not getting that Garmin Edge 800 when it was £150 in the Amazon Black Friday sales! Such a good price, I'll just have to keep an eye out for it in case it comes back.

 

[Jonny69]

I think I'm going in for an x-ray tomorrow. The main swelling down my leg has gone down, but it's like a bloody melon sticking out my hip and I can't get most of my trousers on. I can't see how anything is broken though, because I can bear load on it and it only hurts if I touch the swelling or if it gets jiggled about. Maybe the quacks can offer some advice or something to take it down.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Yeah, Lowton. Also, I've never really even driven north out of Lowton, I've never had a need to. So that is perhaps what is putting me off, I just have no idea where I'm going/places to avoid.

I'll have to pop down to lowton one of these days and take you for a ride up that way. Can take you up Rivington!

 

[VeNT]

todays audax was epic.
the cake! OMG THE CAKE!
pastys fresh from an aga!
50 miles (so not far really but felt nearly as bad as 100km did in may)
only downside was strava losing the 2nd half of the ride!

 

[SoliD]

todays audax was epic.
the cake! OMG THE CAKE!
pastys fresh from an aga!
50 miles (so not far really but felt nearly as bad as 100km did in may)
only downside was strava losing the 2nd half of the ride!

I thought Audax's were supposed to be long rides?