http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help
Specifically for your derailleur problem http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustments
Advice for my road cycling commute (Inner city)
- Thread starter Roady
- Start date
http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help
Specifically for your derailleur problem http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help/front-derailleur-adjustments
Fitted my M530's and XC30's yesterday along with the roadracer mk2 and went out for a trial ride... I can see where the performance with cleats comes from! Really enjoyed them any can't wait for my work commute to get used to wearing them... Also got my first puncture (in 948 miles) so a bit of a learning curve on the road tyres as only ever done MTB - about 17 years ago!
Also on my ride I found a hill... Only a slight one but one my work commute I literally have NONE! It utterly killed me... Any suggestions for training my stamina so I'm not a total let down to the cycling side?!
Also on my ride I found a hill... Only a slight one but one my work commute I literally have NONE! It utterly killed me... Any suggestions for training my stamina so I'm not a total let down to the cycling side?!
Soldato
Ride more hills lol seems to be the only way
Caporegime
Ride more. Ride further. Speed and stamina will come with practise. There's not much more to it than that. Maybe when you get beyond a certain point you can get into more structured training, but to begin with it really is that simple.
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Man of Honour
As above /re hills. I have been riding tons this year and have recently started to try and ride over hilly terrain as much as possible to improve my hill climbing. It's getting better but I'm still terrible at them 
Great links and info, thanks yourmomma!
Sums it up really!
I had considered a 'turbo trainer' as I'm fairly sure it would make me ride the bike more, I could do 20/30 mins here n there rather than having to allot specific time to go out riding, without a specific target/objective in mind. I could also then ride in front of the TV or in the conservatory in the rubbish weather!?
Would an adjustable turbo trainer assist with my hill 'problem'? Or am I just throwing more money at cycling when I really just need to spend more time on my bike?!
Never-mind the turbo trainer for now, this colder weather and wind in the mornings has suddenly jumped up my priority list! Brrrrrr!
I've been looking at 3/4 length bib shorts for warmth and some protection from the weather (which is sure to come!), the dhb ones seem really expensive?! Sorry dhb but I think I'll be trying some other brands out! I'm not adverse to going fully covered (rather than 3/4) and I am also looking at getting some overshoes for when the rain comes... Any recommendations guys? These review well on Wiggle (many others don't!).
Gloves... I'm after fingerless (so I can wear them in summer too) and I also have some winter gloves already... Most of the medium sized gloves on Wiggle are out of stock
I've been looking at 3/4 length bib shorts for warmth and some protection from the weather (which is sure to come!), the dhb ones seem really expensive?! Sorry dhb but I think I'll be trying some other brands out! I'm not adverse to going fully covered (rather than 3/4) and I am also looking at getting some overshoes for when the rain comes... Any recommendations guys? These review well on Wiggle (many others don't!).
Gloves... I'm after fingerless (so I can wear them in summer too) and I also have some winter gloves already... Most of the medium sized gloves on Wiggle are out of stock
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Jun 2013
- Posts
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I had considered a 'turbo trainer' as I'm fairly sure it would make me ride the bike more, I could do 20/30 mins here n there rather than having to allot specific time to go out riding, without a specific target/objective in mind. I could also then ride in front of the TV or in the conservatory in the rubbish weather!?
Would an adjustable turbo trainer assist with my hill 'problem'? Or am I just throwing more money at cycling when I really just need to spend more time on my bike?!
Turbo's are remarkable things for improving fitness (especially when tied with a motivaitonal video like the Sufferfest series) and can pack a very high quailty trianing sesison into an hour - often quoted that a good hour on the turbo is worth 3+ on the road.
Any suggestions for training my stamina so I'm not a total let down to the cycling side?!
Move to the Alps. Worked wonders for me
.More seriously though, Turbos are great for fitness, but for climbing hills, the only real practice is...climbing hills.
Move to the Alps. Worked wonders for me
More seriously though, Turbos are great for fitness, but for climbing hills, the only real practice is...climbing hills.
Not all of us are as committed as you mate, I assume that's not the *only* reason you moved? lol
I've got a local route with a 1.6km long 6% slope so using that as my 'training ground' a couple of times a week... That's the plan anyway - every time I get the inclination/time/courage to go try it, the weather decides otherwise!
Well sadly no I was relocated by work, so I do have to..work .
It was a no brainer though:
(I'm paraphrasing a little)
"We're opening a new position at one of our French sites in a few years, and would like you to take it, but you need to speak French. Would you like to go now so that you can learn French and take the job in the future?"
"Er, well, which site in France?"
"The one next to the Alpes...[Insert noise of Platypus leaving the office, getting into a car, driving to the airport and flying to France]..., the one where on a good day you can see Mont Blanc out of the office window"
.It was a no brainer though:
(I'm paraphrasing a little)
"We're opening a new position at one of our French sites in a few years, and would like you to take it, but you need to speak French. Would you like to go now so that you can learn French and take the job in the future?"
"Er, well, which site in France?"
"The one next to the Alpes...[Insert noise of Platypus leaving the office, getting into a car, driving to the airport and flying to France]..., the one where on a good day you can see Mont Blanc out of the office window"
Caporegime
Not all of us are as committed as you mate, I assume that's not the *only* reason you moved? lol
I've got a local route with a 1.6km long 6% slope so using that as my 'training ground' a couple of times a week... That's the plan anyway - every time I get the inclination/time/courage to go try it, the weather decides otherwise!
A mile at 6% sounds ideal.
Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet! Any near good slopes for snowboarding?
I don't know if it's 6% but certainly a steady climb for that distance!
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Are you taking bookings for 2015 yet? Breakfast included?
On a more serious note... The fantastic weather is back! 15 degrees on my commute in this morning @7:15am (certainly better than the 3 degrees last Wednesday!), but the nights are closing in so it won't be long until the miserable weather returns and the lights come out.
So what should be next on my cycling 'hit' list?
I'd like to think I'm semi prepared for autumn - bib tights, baselayers, overshoes, neck/face gaiter, lightweight waterproof UA coat & basic lights. Bear in mind I did this last year on my hybrid (with no clue!) with superdry windcheater, trackies and cycling clips! Is there anything I'm missing?
I should probably look to change my tyres (700c x 23c Kenda road tyres) for something with a little more grip? I've earmarked the Michelin Pro 4 Endurance as wiggle have them in stock and everyone seems to rave about them! Great price too! Is it just a case of matching the size? (so I pick the 700x23's?) I'll pick up some inner tubes too, I imagine that's the same, just match the size? Or are there particular tubes I should be using with the Pro4's?
Last autumn/winter I wore standard waterproofs over my trackies (using cycling clips), is this the best again? Just wear them over my DHB active padded bib tight with clips again? Or should I look for some closer fitting waterproofs or waterproof tights? I will be commuting through the winter again
Is a cycling computer or something to measure my cadence the next step? Heartrate monitor? I'm constantly using strava (and love it!) so natural progression makes me want to constantly improve my health and cycling. Is a garmin (or such) the logical decision? Would a bike fit be better? I've been kinda saving that until I get a better bike, but that won't be until next year now (unless I find a Caad8/9 or Defy in the '14 sales).
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Man of Honour
If your bike can fit 25mm tyres on it I'd go for those rather than 23s. They tend to be better for rolling resistance, comfort and grip.
With regards to improving, a cheapish cycle computer that can measure your cadence will be really useful. If you want to be able to go out exploring then one of the higher end Garmins would be great too. If your phone supports it, you may be able to pair an Ant+ or Bluetooth LE cadence/speed sensor with it, which will be great for recoding your speed and cadence but you'll still want something to display the data as you ride. Garmins are great as do-it-all devices but they're very expensive so I guess it comes down to how much it matters to you to have one device that does (nearly) everything.
With regards to improving, a cheapish cycle computer that can measure your cadence will be really useful. If you want to be able to go out exploring then one of the higher end Garmins would be great too. If your phone supports it, you may be able to pair an Ant+ or Bluetooth LE cadence/speed sensor with it, which will be great for recoding your speed and cadence but you'll still want something to display the data as you ride. Garmins are great as do-it-all devices but they're very expensive so I guess it comes down to how much it matters to you to have one device that does (nearly) everything.
I've got an old iPhone4 I just set Strava going on and chuck it in the rear of my backpack at the moment but I have been meaning to switch to Android for a year or two... Probably to an S5, I imagine most cadence sensors would be compatible with it (+strava)? Or are there specific cadence apps I would be using (when riding) with Strava open in the background? Recommendations?
I'm quite tempted to see if there's an easy/cheap heartrate monitor I could use too, more for my interest than anything else... Could be useful to see if I could/should be pushing more!
I'm quite tempted to see if there's an easy/cheap heartrate monitor I could use too, more for my interest than anything else... Could be useful to see if I could/should be pushing more!
In all seriousness anyone is welcome, within reason, the only condition is bringing or hiring a bike.Are you taking bookings for 2015 yet? Breakfast included?
.
My tyres are a tight fit between my pads at the moment (even with the little swivel 'quick release') so I don't think I'd get 25mm's through the gap, unless I'm not understanding the sizes correctly? (23/25mm is tyre width?)
What devices do you guys use paired with your smartphones and are compatible with Strava/android?
Not my snowboard?
Seriously though that's a very nice offer and very kind of you!
Ok tyres, am I being stupid (probably) but the price on Wiggle for the Pro 4 Endurance is PER TYRE and not for a set of them?
I'll have to get 700x23's as my mudguards are so flush to my frame/brakes/tyre's they'd defo rub the 700x25's (and no other larger mudguards fit my bike - without looking terrible).
What inner tubes should I get? To carry as spares... I don't have any currently! Nothing serious required - cheap and cheerful (they'll be better than my current cheapo ones). Do I need to buy valves or will they come attached?! Buy Presta (my current are)? Or is it ok to swap? (my track pump can do both)
Cadence sensors... I now have a Galaxy S5 (awesome!) so which sensors would be best for a beginner like to me use with Strava? The Garmin GSC 10 would obviously work, but is a little pricey... Would a cheap one from china be a better 'starter'? I'm not looking to get a garmin in the short term (smartphone is more than enough) but I may get a HRM soon too... I've not pencilled in any of those yet (or done much research) so any recommendations for a starter/starting point would be welcome
I'll have to get 700x23's as my mudguards are so flush to my frame/brakes/tyre's they'd defo rub the 700x25's (and no other larger mudguards fit my bike - without looking terrible).
What inner tubes should I get? To carry as spares... I don't have any currently! Nothing serious required - cheap and cheerful (they'll be better than my current cheapo ones). Do I need to buy valves or will they come attached?! Buy Presta (my current are)? Or is it ok to swap? (my track pump can do both)
Cadence sensors... I now have a Galaxy S5 (awesome!) so which sensors would be best for a beginner like to me use with Strava? The Garmin GSC 10 would obviously work, but is a little pricey... Would a cheap one from china be a better 'starter'? I'm not looking to get a garmin in the short term (smartphone is more than enough) but I may get a HRM soon too... I've not pencilled in any of those yet (or done much research) so any recommendations for a starter/starting point would be welcome
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