Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
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My current daily rider only has 1 front brake and I've ridden it in all sorts of conditions so I'm sure the ultegra rim brakes will feel like they have phenomenal stopping power compared to my low Tektro brake and I doubt I'll be getting any carbon wheels any time soon!
I just thought I'd rather have a bike to use now rather than potentially be waiting until a few months into next year.
I'm sure, as long as work approve it, as soon as I sit on it the care of disc vs rim will be out of my mind
Most of us have ridden rim brakes for decades without issues. A few pro peloton teams still use them.
The main issue (unless you often descend at speed in the wet) is the rim wear. Wheels are essentially consumables.
Yeah it's going to be way more bike than I can handle and I expect I could've done a lot worse for my first road bike! I guess I need to save something to upgrade to in a few years, right? 
I'm going to apologise to everyone in this thread though. I have a pretty addictive personality, 'in for a penny, in for a pound' and all that. So I've been obsessing over cycling the last few months and I'm not sure I can explain quite how excited I am to get into it and get on the road. But the drawback is I'm probably going to be ruining this thread with silly newbie questions that you're all sick to death of answering!
I did try and get a Wahoo on the cycle-to-work scheme but it wasn't allowed so I will be looking to get one of those after a few months. I can't seem to find my shimano cycling shoes so I will need to get a new pair of those but I'm a bit glad about that as they were really tight so wouldn't mind getting the next half size up
I'm going to apologise to everyone in this thread though. I have a pretty addictive personality, 'in for a penny, in for a pound' and all that. So I've been obsessing over cycling the last few months and I'm not sure I can explain quite how excited I am to get into it and get on the road. But the drawback is I'm probably going to be ruining this thread with silly newbie questions that you're all sick to death of answering!
I did try and get a Wahoo on the cycle-to-work scheme but it wasn't allowed so I will be looking to get one of those after a few months. I can't seem to find my shimano cycling shoes so I will need to get a new pair of those but I'm a bit glad about that as they were really tight so wouldn't mind getting the next half size up
Planned trips and 'targets' are great. Just don't do like I do and have HUNDREDS of them (segments on Strava I've generally Favourited) then don't actually do anything about it... I've set myself goals on a lot of them within reach in the hope that I'll tick some off rather than rolling them on 12 months every time they pop up...!I might have to see about heading out to it. Don't know about this trip now, but perhaps plan it in for next time.
EDIT: Wrote this yesterday before seeing you actually went out and ticked it off! Huge kudos and respect for that mate & well done! Great pictures too - looks like you really 'enjoyed' yourself! Smiles for miles & plenty of that in the Lakes I'm sure! You've earnt more of my respect and I'm now (alongside feeling a little guilty) a little disappointed in myself for not crossing more of my 'targets' off too!
That's an epic tail and I'll echo - fair play for finishing it with that technical issue! Especially when not that far off your targets anyway - just means you should do another again sometime to prove you can!Well its done and dusted, my first full distance completed Nottingham Outlaw total time of 14:43 my Main goal was under 15hrs the top goal was to get under 14 and the nice to have in the 13hrs something.
Swim 1:29
Bike 6:27mins
Run 6:17
Now the Story…The swim went bang onto plan well 1 min quicker, not swimming much due to covid and then getting hit by a car 4 weeks before the day shattered my swim confidence the longest swim I have done before this was about 1.5miles so I thought why risk blowing up.
The bike … Disaster mile one and the first shift the front mech exploded apart the little plastic bit that sits in the front of SRAM just went, causing it to drag onto the chainring and then bugger up the entire thing, a dirty repair that took 15 mins and forced me to do the entire bike leg in the big ring, the repair then broke so another 15mins lost then every-time I missed avoiding a bump the chain jumped off. So with all that I probably pushed too hard to regain time as I think i was capable of a sub 6 hr bike thanks to trainer road and the past 8months.
The run… OMG that run the first 15k I felt Ok, slow but moving forward then the thigh/quads decided enough was enough and I paid the price for overdoing it on the bike leg I think, It was hot and humid (for UK standards it was positively barmy & tropical) and the run became run-walk then a walk-walk-run-walk etc. I then hit upon the idea of using the lake and river markers as run-walk goals but the damage was done time from my legs and walking gave me blisters.
I am happy with that as turned 50 this year.
(copied from the post i made in the TR forum, as lazy)
Now I'm seeing them more I do like the look of them... I'd kinda got myself sold on a TCR but think the Orca for the right price needs to be on my 'wishlist'. Although their range is flooded with so many different it's looking really cluttered/confusing these days.Cheers
Got a bit of a cleaner/better picture today. I swear the labels on these tyres are out of whack! They're pretty good at the valve side and they're off on the other side I reckon.
The M20 Team looks close to what I'm after... Except no DI2 (although that keeps the price down it's still 1.5k more than I'd spend!)
The cheaper ones lack the front end integration (as do many of the TCR) I'm really after - it's only really on the newer and top of the range models, the fact I won't be buying one for a year or two (due to prices!) hopefully means it trickles down the ranges a bit...
What size are you, how do you normally find helmets 'fit' you and what are you after? Does a badge/brand mean much to you?
Really if you're able to wear anything and don't really require anything specific then you can't go wrong. Maybe read some review/comparison sites of helmets within your price range and use those to guide your choice if you're not able to wear a few.
https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/best-road-bike-helmets/
I think he meant you able to get an 'older' SH race/road bike and fit wider tyres to it for gravel riding.
At those price points you'll be getting something quite old, the older they are the less likely they'll have clearance for anything over 28 slicks, some maybe going up to a 25mm is the maximum! My Giant Defy 1 2015 being a prime example, barely fits a 25mm and really not an 'old' frame.
Pro riders love mullets. Even Pogacar regularly has hair sprouting out his helmet and he's the top GC rider in the world (by far!) at the moment. Celebrate the sprout!by the end of the ride it's all sprouting out the sides and I look mental
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Soldato
EDIT: Wrote this yesterday before seeing you actually went out and ticked it off! Huge kudos and respect for that mate & well done! Great pictures too - looks like you really 'enjoyed' yourself! Smiles for miles & plenty of that in the Lakes I'm sure! You've earnt more of my respect and I'm now (alongside feeling a little guilty) a little disappointed in myself for not crossing more of my 'targets' off too!
Ha ha, thanks. I did an easier route though, coming east from the Ponderosa to keep the only real climb being that of Horseshoe Pass. I wont lie, I was a little worried when I set off and literally spent 10 miles going downhill...
I'll perhaps do something similar again, but head out west from the Ponderosa. I'm sure there'll be a few more climbs to deal with then!
Soldato
Yeah it's going to be way more bike than I can handle and I expect I could've done a lot worse for my first road bike! I guess I need to save something to upgrade to in a few years, right?
I'm going to apologise to everyone in this thread though. I have a pretty addictive personality, 'in for a penny, in for a pound' and all that. So I've been obsessing over cycling the last few months and I'm not sure I can explain quite how excited I am to get into it and get on the road. But the drawback is I'm probably going to be ruining this thread with silly newbie questions that you're all sick to death of answering!
I did try and get a Wahoo on the cycle-to-work scheme but it wasn't allowed so I will be looking to get one of those after a few months. I can't seem to find my shimano cycling shoes so I will need to get a new pair of those but I'm a bit glad about that as they were really tight so wouldn't mind getting the next half size up
Haha i feel similar, maybe between us we can even it out a bit
I imagine before long i'll have replaced the whole bike in new components because that's just who i am!On a similar vein, i've read a few comments online (and from a mate who has a much more expensive bike than i'll be buying), that mechanical disc brakes are to be avoided and it's best to either go Rim brakes or Hydraulic disc. Is that actually a decent advice for someone who's not going to be riding massively or is it scaremongering to the point i'd likely never notice?
I saw a Ribble CGR AL which looks good (I'm now at £650) but it has mechanical disc brakes and a mates advice was to avoid it because of that (despite raving about it a few minutes earlier)
Soldato
Ah cheers, i think i need to make my mind up as to what i want. As above, i've seen a few Gravel bikes around the £500-£700 mark which i'd be happy with and obviously that would give me the best of everything, but then there's also the question of how much "off road" use would it actually see and whether i'd be better to just buy a better speced Road bike for the same money.
Ultimately i don't think there's a right/wrong answer and either way i'll probably have some regrets. I'm possibly leaning more towards the Road bike and then maybe if i find i'm using it more than i expect and want to go more offroad then i can look at something more suited to off road use.
Old cassettes, yes, but old cassettes that are worth re-using, no probably not! Although I probably do have 1 or 2 10-speeds floating around I've no use for - useless unless you're on old kit.
Best bet is to hunt around the 'bay. I picked up a 'almost-new' R7000 32t cassette (could barely see any wear on it) middle of lockdown 2020 for £25. You get people selling 28's to buy 32's when they get new bikes, or when going to Majorca, then they sell the 32's when they come back and buy a 28 again. Or people buying off the shelf bikes and swapping straight away.
On the Tacx Flow you can probably get by with a 25t. The trainer isn't exactly powerful so you don't need the low gears.
Anywhere around £30 is a good price for a 105/ultegra cassette right now.
Think I've got a grubby tacx blue tyre on my shelf, had quite a bit of use but you're welcome to it (just cover postage). I'll dig it out this weekend if of interest (if it's still there!). Lots of people say to 'use an old tyre' and it's a valid use if you have them floating around, they do shred and make a mess so probably only recommended in a garage environment... I know plenty of friends who just used their road tyres and they where fine for a while the low mileage they generally did, but then a new tyre every year isn't a huge hardship when you don't have spare wheels to swap around and only do a few thousand miles a year (total).
Good bike, looks tidy, but is a CX bike. Will handle canal paths and such with ease - has good tyres on it for that, although might find them quite draggy on the road - they're really a trail tyre. But as it's a CX type frame might find it quite an aggressive position for a commuter/new road rider, depending on sizing can reduce this with an upright stem and such. Frame is also likely stiff, but can get around that as it's likely got great clearance to stick some 32mm's on - you'd likely get mudguards on it too (as you're talking about commuting year round, they are a must!)
It's a fantastic bike, you've not made the wrong choice!
As mentioned - can always get a hydraulic disk brake in future if you really need. Just get riding what you've got and see if it suits your needs - I'm going to bet it will!
I went from rim brakes to hydraulic disks.Haha i feel similar, maybe between us we can even it out a bit
On a similar vein, i've read a few comments online (and from a mate who has a much more expensive bike than i'll be buying), that mechanical disc brakes are to be avoided and it's best to either go Rim brakes or Hydraulic disc. Is that actually a decent advice for someone who's not going to be riding massively or is it scaremongering to the point i'd likely never notice?
I saw a Ribble CGR AL which looks good (I'm now at £650) but it has mechanical disc brakes and a mates advice was to avoid it because of that (despite raving about it a few minutes earlier)
Now I'd not go back - but I'm very much a 'ride 1 bike all weathers' kinda guy. If I had multiple bikes I would likely still have a rim brake for the summer 'best' and a disk brake 'winter - do everything'. But in my mind I went fairly high-end (at the time) hydraulic setup to get the 'best', but equally that meant my 'old' rim brake bike had no use. I've only ridden it outside a handful of times in the last 5 years, but it earnt its money the 3-4 years I had it previously commuting. It's now a dedicated turbo bike... But I have a set of wheels and it still has brakes fitted 'just in case' as a backup bike.
I went from cheapy tektro rim calipers to older 105 (5800) and the difference was night and day. Modern 105/ultegra calipers are likely even better - pads you use also play a massive part. I liked cheap pads as I used to get through them, but when it came to riding less over the winters in worse weather I generally swapped them out for better Shimano branded ones to get better wet weather performance.
As for moving to hydraulic disks, I was also lucky - I went for a 'gravel bike' before they where really a thing. Got an end of season bargain (reduced from £2500 down to £1750), a relatively light frame with a great geometry (similar to a Tarmac) with very much a road setup on it. It was a little overpriced at the time for 105, but look at pricing now. The same 'Diverge Carbon Comp' is now £4000 (but is very much an off-road machine), the more comparable machines are the Roubaix Comp £3700 or Roubaix Sport £2900. It's somewhere between the 2. So in reality I got mine for a good price - the hydraulics being 'non-series' shimano (before they had them) means I got Ultegra level calipers and levers, with 105 drivechain. Other similar spec machines where cheaper but had cable disk setups.
So even though I've got a gravel bike, it was not really an 'off-road' setup and I don't ride it as one. For me it's a 'do everything road endurance frame' due to being a gravel frame it's incredibly comfortable as an endurance road bike, has massive clearance (I'm running 32mm slicks under full guards), yet has nippy handling and a road bike feel (same wheelbase and similar geometry to a Tarmac). I've upgraded wheels and most of the drivechain on it (including cranks) to Ultegra which has shaved nearly 2kg from it's weight, so even now with full metal guards, 32mm tubeless tyres on Zipp alu (fairly average weight) wheels, it's 'only' 10.5kg. It's no lightweight race machine, but if I take the guards off it dips below 10kg and I may even get it below 9kg with carbon wheels and lighter/smaller tyres. I actually have a Zipp 303 S rear wheel ready and hunting bargains on a matching front...
You've pretty much summed it all up and come to the right conclusions anyway, but I think the general advice we give in here still fits - get something within your budget that'll get you riding. Budgets are hard these days, not to mention the crazy prices right now, but providing you're buying within your budget with a thought in the back of your mind 'if I get into it, I can buy a more expensive bike'. Then you really can't go wrong. The fun will come - just get riding! There will always be a 'better' bike you want to get...
I'd say even going S/H (if you know what to look for, or have a friend/colleague who does) or to a LBS to see if they've got any trade ins is well recommended, then look at C2W for the future purchase to boost your budget. It's a commitment through your employer but does spread the cost - but for the right reasons - you're hopefully already commuting on what you have. So you either upgrade that, or you're buying a summer/weekend/best bike with the C2W.
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Soldato
Thanks Roadie, sling me a trust if you find the tyre and I'll happily sort postage!
Soldato
Thanks @Roady
I did try ringing my lbs earlier to get an idea. I suggested a budget of £750 and asked if they had any components they could fit together maybe on an older frame etc that could work. He seemed to suggest I wouldn’t even be able to get base spec Shimano Sora at that budget and was talking about a Viking frame and lots of other low end used components so given that conversation I felt a little disappointed.
I was looking at the Trek Domane AL2 Disc earlier. Benefits being it’s in stock in many places and whilst it’s a road bike it seems to come with 32mm tyres as standard which would be ideal as gets me on the roads and I assume at that width it’d cope on some paths as well.
Anyone have any thoughts on that? (I know I’m getting more expensive at £895)
I did try ringing my lbs earlier to get an idea. I suggested a budget of £750 and asked if they had any components they could fit together maybe on an older frame etc that could work. He seemed to suggest I wouldn’t even be able to get base spec Shimano Sora at that budget and was talking about a Viking frame and lots of other low end used components so given that conversation I felt a little disappointed.
I was looking at the Trek Domane AL2 Disc earlier. Benefits being it’s in stock in many places and whilst it’s a road bike it seems to come with 32mm tyres as standard which would be ideal as gets me on the roads and I assume at that width it’d cope on some paths as well.
Anyone have any thoughts on that? (I know I’m getting more expensive at £895)
Soldato
All packed and ready for Wales, going to stop in Bristol for a lunch on route, then sleep in Rhayder again before doing the Elan valley ride I did last year.
Me my bro and our friend is tagging along this time for his first proper ride. Can't wait!
Bikes all clean and ready to go, but can't seem to upload an image..
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BGURaMeNTzGYYQjh9
Me my bro and our friend is tagging along this time for his first proper ride. Can't wait!
Bikes all clean and ready to go, but can't seem to upload an image..
https://photos.app.goo.gl/BGURaMeNTzGYYQjh9
My partner and I went bike hunting for her yesterday. Her cycle-to-work scheme doesn't have as many options as mine does so only had a few shops in Bristol to take advantage of.
Went to Mud-Dock. They said most of the bikes within the budget she wanted would be available JULY 2022!!. But rather than waste the journey they had a Trek Domane SL4 in her size. She hasn't ridden a road bike before so she wanted to make sure she liked the style compared to her hybrid bike...
She instantly fell in love with it and by the time we cycled home she decided she wanted to reserve it. It's a decent bike but I think it's a little bit overpriced considering it's £2345 and only has a Tiagra groupset. It does have a full carbon frame and hydraulic disc breaks so I suppose it's swings and roundabouts. She really likes how it rode on her test ride and most importantly to her, it looks pretty too.
Sadly the same bike with a 105 is £2800 and she originally only wanted to spend £1600 so even stretching to the £2345 was over budget (but affordable, she's just not very frivolous). I'm sure coming from her Specialized Sirus this new bike is going to feel like a rocket ship and the gears will no doubt feel much better than what she currently has.
If in a year or so she decided she wanted 11 speed rather than 10 speed I understand that with the Tiagra if she wanted to upgrade to 105/Ultegra shell need the entire groupset but is that relatively easy to do/pay someone to do?
She really likes the bike and I suspect that is the most important thing I just would hate for her to be hating it in a few months.
Went to Mud-Dock. They said most of the bikes within the budget she wanted would be available JULY 2022!!. But rather than waste the journey they had a Trek Domane SL4 in her size. She hasn't ridden a road bike before so she wanted to make sure she liked the style compared to her hybrid bike...
She instantly fell in love with it and by the time we cycled home she decided she wanted to reserve it. It's a decent bike but I think it's a little bit overpriced considering it's £2345 and only has a Tiagra groupset. It does have a full carbon frame and hydraulic disc breaks so I suppose it's swings and roundabouts. She really likes how it rode on her test ride and most importantly to her, it looks pretty too.
Sadly the same bike with a 105 is £2800 and she originally only wanted to spend £1600 so even stretching to the £2345 was over budget (but affordable, she's just not very frivolous). I'm sure coming from her Specialized Sirus this new bike is going to feel like a rocket ship and the gears will no doubt feel much better than what she currently has.
If in a year or so she decided she wanted 11 speed rather than 10 speed I understand that with the Tiagra if she wanted to upgrade to 105/Ultegra shell need the entire groupset but is that relatively easy to do/pay someone to do?
She really likes the bike and I suspect that is the most important thing I just would hate for her to be hating it in a few months.
Soldato
It might just be me, but for that money I would not want Tiagra groupset.
I know the newest Tiagra stuff is nice still for the average cyclists l and replacing parts when worn out in the future would be cheaper, but that does seem mega bucks.
Yeah that's what I feel deep down. Issue is most things seem to be out of stock in her size until well into next year
Soldato
That is absolutely mental, is that the manufacturers RRP?
Soldato
Probably is a nightmare buying cycling stuff. I haven't had to buy much the past year or so as I not been active but also because I had a good stash accumulated over the decade leading up to today (four bikes, couple of retro projects too and many components).
I suppose n+1 comes in handy after all these years..
I suppose n+1 comes in handy after all these years..
Soldato
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Bikes are just getting more and more expensive it's getting silly.
Alloy frame, carbon fork with 105 hydraulics is sitting around £1700 from a brand considered to have value for money.
Supply is still an issue and shipping costs. Was speaking to a guy who ships 300 containers a month and is still paying £14,000 a pop down from £20,000.
Alloy frame, carbon fork with 105 hydraulics is sitting around £1700 from a brand considered to have value for money.
Supply is still an issue and shipping costs. Was speaking to a guy who ships 300 containers a month and is still paying £14,000 a pop down from £20,000.
Soldato
- Joined
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