Road Cycling Essentials

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Associate
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It made a big difference to me. More the core strength side of things - endurance in the form of my back not utterly dying when I went on long rides.

edit: That said, perhaps it was just the move from sedentary > commute cycling > commute cycling + core strength > tons of cycling + core strength.

This. Solid core provides the platform for you to deliver the powahs.
 
Soldato
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I did a bit of core work but it's so dull. Doing Stronglifts has made a big difference to my core and leg strength and a lot quicker than doing core isolation work. It won't make me a quicker rider, but it will help me become a quicker rider if that makes sense.
 
Man of Honour
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talking of core strength, i ride my bike, thats it. no additional training in any form.

would it help ? and if so where to start ?

Check out the Gym Rats thread and guides.

Stronglifts is pretty much the go-to place to start.

edit: The quickest things you'll notice are reduced soreness on rides, increases in functional strength (outside of riding) and generally feeling a hell of a lot better.

it isn't? ;) :D

Well, some seem to believe so :D

What do you use now? I want something without a remote battery pack really.

Sorry. I missed this earlier.

As above, I currently use a SolarStorm X2. That won't fulfil your requirement for no separate battery pack though (which I can understand - it annoys me quite a lot).
 
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Man of Honour
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Check out the Gym Rats thread and guides.

Stronglifts is pretty much the go-to place to start.

edit: The quickest things you'll notice are reduced soreness on rides, increases in functional strength (outside of riding) and generally feeling a hell of a lot better.

will take a look it all helps, ive stayed away from the gym though as a was 17
stone cyclist to a now 13.5 stone cyclist, i want to get down to 12 stone, can gym work and liftin help in weight reduction ?

or would it work well in conjunction with cycling and maybe say running etc ? as ive been advised as i have plateaued, to a give up the beer (not likely) and or take up running ?
 
Soldato
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Best bang for buck , I would go a size up I did and it fits fine. Returns are good within 30 days I believe.

Only thing is ask for the normal seat post and not the fancy V2 one as they have had loads of problems with it! Plus you get a £90 back as well:)

Yeah I read that some folk were getting seat post slipping. Then others were saying that the issue was solved by properly using the carbon paste and torquing up to the right level.

I really am very tempted by this bike. Seems they are still the 2014 models but can't find anything about 2015 models, they've come down in price a fair bit too.
 
Man of Honour
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will take a look it all helps, ive stayed away from the gym though as a was 17
stone cyclist to a now 13.5 stone cyclist, i want to get down to 12 stone, can gym work and liftin help in weight reduction ?

or would it work well in conjunction with cycling and maybe say running etc ? as ive been advised as i have plateaued, to a give up the beer (not likely) and or take up running ?

The resistance training work won't help (that much, beyond a point) weight reduction but it will certainly help with getting rid of fat and having more muscle. You won't turn into a beefcake overnight (or even over a few years) but you will shed some fat and you will gain a decent amount of strength and a small amount of muscle mass. This will make you look a lot better and help you be a better cyclist.

That said, all training is extra kcal burn so if you're looking to lose weight then obviously more is better. You may want to look into tracking your diet (I love beer and drink way too much of it, but I still track what I eat weekdays at least, it helps a lot). Tracking your food intake will also help you focus on eating food that is better for your goals - eating the right balance of protein/carbs/etc will help you build muscle, recover from rides, etc.
 
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of stuff i say ---->
I've been pretty lazy the last 6 weeks, and not even turned a pedal in the last 2, so decided I needed to get out and start putting some miles in again this w/end. Had 25 miles easy yesterday morning and then a good 85 mile club run today:

http://app.strava.com/activities/219903262

Had crazy stomach cramps for about an hour before our half way cafe stop. Was agony and no idea what caused it. Seemed to settle down again after half an hour off the bike though and made it back no problem.

I've got some plans to have a crack at some racing in the WOSCA series next year, so i know i need to get a good winter in. I don't think i was too far away from being fit enough to get round some cat3/4 road races this year, but i was definitely a bit short of where i'd need to be. Hopefully can kick on that little bit more in the new year.
 
Soldato
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Anyone have a recommendation for full length mudguards for road bikes with little clearance?

I am overhauling most of my all-rounder which is taking longer than I would like, so to combat this I will use my boardman comp for the club runs however this needs mudguards with the weather being so wet.

I have read mixed reviews on the clip ons like road racers so feedback is welcome!
 
Associate
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of stuff i say ---->
Road racers work, but aren't robust. I have a giant defy as my winter bike and it has terrible clearance. Your only choices really are the crud road racers or giants own guards.

I tried the giant ones and the metal fitting around the brake was rattled to bits within 6 months with the roads round here, they were noisy and rubbed and the coverage wasn't that great.

I'm now back to the cruds again. They are plastic so not v robust, but they have good coverage (particularly round the bottom bracket/chainset area), don't rub as much and seem to take the rough roads a bit better.
 
Soldato
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Yeah I read that some folk were getting seat post slipping. Then others were saying that the issue was solved by properly using the carbon paste and torquing up to the right level.

I really am very tempted by this bike. Seems they are still the 2014 models but can't find anything about 2015 models, they've come down in price a fair bit too.

They are decent bikes no doubt about it, like I said previously I can't really say how it rides as I only did 14 miles on it and I was ****ed after that!

Can still only manage 20 miles then my left leg is done in.

The bike is well built , looks great and well specced. I'd recommend it to be honest
 
Caporegime
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Anyone have a recommendation for full length mudguards for road bikes with little clearance?

I am overhauling most of my all-rounder which is taking longer than I would like, so to combat this I will use my boardman comp for the club runs however this needs mudguards with the weather being so wet.

I have read mixed reviews on the clip ons like road racers so feedback is welcome!

If it's got mudguard mounts, get SKS chromoplastics, assuming they'll fit... Though I can't imagine the point of a bike with mounts that wouldn't fit those.

If it's not got mounts, sell it and buy a bike with mudguard mounts and buy some SKS chromoplastics.

;)
 
Soldato
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:D

My all rounder (Titanium) has mounts and is getting its second round of SKS but I need to overhaul the cabling and do a couple other adjustments before its ready once more.

The boardman has little clearance and no mounts as far as I am aware. I have ordered some road racers as I may also get round to doing the odd commute on it if I'm lucky!
 
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