Official P&b Cycling Thread

[flyingscot]

Had another near-miss today.

Was doing a good 15-20mph and some stupid bint decides to pull out of a side street right in front of me. Took both brakes, some swerving and a whole lot of luck to not hit her, then not skid and fall on my arse. She then stared at me like I had two heads.

I'd like to know what goes through the minds of these people. Not just the pulling out, but then not realising what they've done wrong.

3 things. Some people are in their own bubble and genuinely have no idea they have done anything at all.

Of those that realise the other 2 are that some people genuinely cannot accept they have made a mistake or are wrong and driving is one of those things. You might have played 5s with someone similar, it's never them to give the ball away/make a bad pass but your fault for wrong run or the pitch or something else.

Equally a lot of people think they are good drivers and when they make an obvious mistake, like missing a bike and pulling out, they are that shocked and frightened they just try to blank it.

Edited November 1, 2012 by flyingscot

[ICTChris]

I'm thinking of buying a bike, for commuting and general riding. I've been recommended a hybrid bike by some cycling colleagues. Do P&B peddlars concur with this advice?

If I do go for this, I'm going to wait until the spring, not much point buying a bike in the middle of winter.

[broon-loon]

I'm thinking of buying a bike, for commuting and general riding. I've been recommended a hybrid bike by some cycling colleagues. Do P&B peddlars concur with this advice?

If I do go for this, I'm going to wait until the spring, not much point buying a bike in the middle of winter.

Go with the advice of your colleagues, it makes sense given what you have in mind.

However, this is a great time to buy a bike, the manufacturers are already lining up next years models which means the dealers want to get rid of their current stock.

If you wait until the middle of February you might even find a better deal? Christmas has long gone and there's very little happening in a bike shop over February and March

Don't leave it much later though.....

[Drooper]

I've not been out this week at all, and have missed it. A couple of weeks back, though, I went for a decent ride and, for the first time, one of my knees was giving me a fair bit of pain for a few days afterwards. As I say, this isn't something I've experienced before, and it seems a bit odd considering I haven't changed the set-up of the bike in over 2000 miles at least. I was wearing thermal bibtights, so I don't think the dip in temperature could have been a factor.

I intend to do 30 miles or so on Saturday, so that'll give me an idea as to whether this is a one-off. The idea of it being a developing problem is giving me the fear.

[Fifespud]

I'm finding my biggest problem isn't running out of puff, although that happens a lot as I'm monstrously unfit, but that my thighs simply can't take inclines. They hurt like f**k before I get out of puff if going uphill, and I'm talking any kind of slight incline, be it a tiny one, a regular one or a big one. I assume this is normal and will improve with time, but any tips on how I can overcome it faster? I stretch quite a bit before and after a ride (fnar!).

It's normal for sure.

Some people are built to climb - Contador - some can be made to climb - Wiggins - and some are relatively pish - Cav.

You've just got to climb, climb and then do a few more climbs.

It's takes time.

Edited to add - weights can help too.

Edited November 1, 2012 by Fifespud

[Fifespud]

I've not been out this week at all, and have missed it. A couple of weeks back, though, I went for a decent ride and, for the first time, one of my knees was giving me a fair bit of pain for a few days afterwards. As I say, this isn't something I've experienced before, and it seems a bit odd considering I haven't changed the set-up of the bike in over 2000 miles at least. I was wearing thermal bibtights, so I don't think the dip in temperature could have been a factor.

I intend to do 30 miles or so on Saturday, so that'll give me an idea as to whether this is a one-off. The idea of it being a developing problem is giving me the fear.

Do you wear clips?

Could one of them moved?

That can give you a sore knee.

[Fifespud]

I'm thinking of buying a bike, for commuting and general riding. I've been recommended a hybrid bike by some cycling colleagues. Do P&B peddlars concur with this advice?

If I do go for this, I'm going to wait until the spring, not much point buying a bike in the middle of winter.

Sounds reasonable. They accommodate mudguards etc.

Depends what you want to spend but it's worth considering a Titanium frame. An incredibly smooth ride in comparison to carbon.

There's a make called Sabbath I've had a look at before and was fairly impressed.

http://www.sabbathbicycles.co.uk/bikes/september

[Drooper]

Do you wear clips?

Could one of them moved?

That can give you a sore knee.

Good point. I wondered if the pedal needs tightened. I checked the cleat, and it seems secure enough, but closer examination might required.

Cheers.

[DA Baracus]

It's normal for sure.

Some people are built to climb - Contador - some can be made to climb - Wiggins - and some are relatively pish - Cav.

You've just got to climb, climb and then do a few more climbs.

It's takes time.

Edited to add - weights can help too.

Cheers for that, although moving my saddle up has seemed to make a bit of a difference.

Had a late night ride on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Had to cycle to the (Queen Margaret) hospital from my home village (Saline if anyone knows it) on Wednesday night to be there for 11. I had no idea how long it would take, so set off at half 8. Got there just before 10! Cycled along to Asda to get some juice and kill some time. Had to cycle back home at 01.30. It was though country roads so was pitch black. It was also misty and quite cold. It was also quite a lot of fun. Not a single car passed me on the way back. It was eerie and rather enjoyable. I only found out when I got home that my back light had cut out on the way back as well! Not great.

[well fan for life]

Cheers for that, although moving my saddle up has seemed to make a bit of a difference.

Had a late night ride on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Had to cycle to the (Queen Margaret) hospital from my home village (Saline if anyone knows it) on Wednesday night to be there for 11. I had no idea how long it would take, so set off at half 8. Got there just before 10! Cycled along to Asda to get some juice and kill some time. Had to cycle back home at 01.30. It was though country roads so was pitch black. It was also misty and quite cold. It was also quite a lot of fun. Not a single car passed me on the way back. It was eerie and rather enjoyable. I only found out when I got home that my back light had cut out on the way back as well! Not great.

Another thing helpful when climbing is keeping your cadence high and staying relaxed. It saves your legs rather than grinding a gear out and not breathing properly.

[Drooper]

Cheers for that, although moving my saddle up has seemed to make a bit of a difference.

Had a late night ride on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Had to cycle to the (Queen Margaret) hospital from my home village (Saline if anyone knows it) on Wednesday night to be there for 11. I had no idea how long it would take, so set off at half 8. Got there just before 10! Cycled along to Asda to get some juice and kill some time. Had to cycle back home at 01.30. It was though country roads so was pitch black. It was also misty and quite cold. It was also quite a lot of fun. Not a single car passed me on the way back. It was eerie and rather enjoyable. I only found out when I got home that my back light had cut out on the way back as well! Not great.

It is a good idea to have two rear lights on your bike. I tend to keep one on constant and the other flashing. Apparently the flashing light is best for ensuring you are noticeable to traffic, while the constant beam allows motorists to judge how far you are from them. This approach also ensures that if one light fails, you're likely to at least have something back there.

[Fifespud]

Cheers for that, although moving my saddle up has seemed to make a bit of a difference.

Had a late night ride on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Had to cycle to the (Queen Margaret) hospital from my home village (Saline if anyone knows it) on Wednesday night to be there for 11. I had no idea how long it would take, so set off at half 8. Got there just before 10! Cycled along to Asda to get some juice and kill some time. Had to cycle back home at 01.30. It was though country roads so was pitch black. It was also misty and quite cold. It was also quite a lot of fun. Not a single car passed me on the way back. It was eerie and rather enjoyable. I only found out when I got home that my back light had cut out on the way back as well! Not great.

The point about high cadence is well made. A cadence meter is relatively cheap if you have a Garmin - I would say a Garmin is almost a necessity if you are seriously trying to improve/ be competitive at, cycling.

Current thinking would be (mind you this is endorsed by Lance!) would be to try to ride with a cadence of 90, maybe dropping to 80 on hills. When I started trying to improve and fitted a cadence meter I found I was spinning at an average of under 60 - way, way to slow. It hasn't felt natural but I have managed to force it up to 80-90 and it seems to gave made a difference.

Trying to keep your elbows out (to expand the chest cavity), whilst relaxing the upper body as much as possible (as the other poster said) is meant to help but IMO miles of hills is what works best.

Have you any idea what gear ratios you have?

The standard set up now is 50/34 on the front and say, 12-27 on the back. You can count the teeth although the front cogs are usually marked. You might have something much less helpful like a big ring of 23 on the back which would make things tougher, maybe the front small ring is bigger than 34 too, again making this a lot tougher.

I have 2 back lights too - one on the bike and one I clip on my helmet - it's that bit higher so easier seen and its easier to tell if its gone out.

Edited November 2, 2012 by Fifespud

[Busta Nut]

any recomendations for Cyclocomputers?

[DA Baracus]

Cheers for advice on lights. I'm going to get on that.

Forgive my absolute ignorance, but what is a cadence?

[Fifespud]

any recomendations for Cyclocomputers?

I don't Busta.

I use a Garmin 305. It's an old device, primarily for running but it works great on a bike too. It'll give you speed, distance, heart rate*, cadence*, elevation, gradient and you can download it all on to a map etc when you get on. (* with accessories)

A proper bike device is better but this thing is rock solid.

Because its an older design you can get them for sub £100 on eBay.

[Fifespud]

Cheers for advice on lights. I'm going to get on that.

Forgive my absolute ignorance, but what is a cadence?

No problem.

Cadence is how many revs per minute you're spinning the pedals at.

Modern thinking is you spin easy gears fast rather than trying to turn a hard gear more slowly.

[broon-loon]

Cadence is how fast you are turning the pedals. Some like to grind higher gears at a slower cadence, others prefer to spin the crank in a lower gear..?

It's basically the same as driving your car at 40 mph up a hill in say 5th gear or changing down to 3rd but moving at roughly the same speed with the engine revving faster...

It gets a bit technical if you're a serious cyclist, the length of the cranks, the number of teeth on the front (crank) rings, the number of teeth on the rear cassette and of course how many gears or speeds are available.

Road bikes are much more popular these days. One of the reasons for this is the option of the Compact 50/34 front crank rings compared with the much harder to pedal 53/39 or 52/39 which were de rigueur in years gone by and of course still available on the super speedy bikes...

Anyway hope this helps....

BTW.. you can pick up a cycle computer that will give you cadence pretty cheap... I had one from Aldi or Lidl and it was pretty good. You need to mount a sensor on the bike near the crank arms and a magnet thing in the crank, but it's not that hard to do...

Sorry for the long post BTW.....and just noticed that someone else has given a much simpler explanation, even before I post.....

[Broccoli Dog]

Any reccomendations on tubeless tyres? The roads in Govanhill are like the surface of the moon and I've had 4 punctures in 2 months. Mostly these are out of my own carelessness, because I've been so used to screaming through all terrain on a MB, but these road bikes don't seem to like anything more challenging than perfect tarmac.

Speed isn't of the essence, as I mostly commute through traffic. Is it worthwhile in switching to tubeless?

[well fan for life]

Any reccomendations on tubeless tyres? The roads in Govanhill are like the surface of the moon and I've had 4 punctures in 2 months. Mostly these are out of my own carelessness, because I've been so used to screaming through all terrain on a MB, but these road bikes don't seem to like anything more challenging than perfect tarmac.

Speed isn't of the essence, as I mostly commute through traffic. Is it worthwhile in switching to tubeless?

As has been said by a few of us, Continental Gatorskins could be your answer.

[printer]

Any of you more experienced guy able to give me advice?

I'm lookingto upgrade my road bike, but I'm by swamped by the choices out there and the variety of prices. I only took the sport up 15 months ago and did pedal for Scotland and another similar charity ride this year. I'm looking to push on a bit (I've entered the Kinross Sportive, and will try the Etape in 2014), but nothing too dramatic (I'm 53 so there's a limit to how much I can improve I think).

The bike I inherited is a Carrera from Halfords (costs about £400 new). I hear a lot about carbon being best, but others tell me its not as straightforward as that.

Reading a recent edition of Cycling Plus, it seems you can get a "good" bike, certainly one that would be better than what I've got for about £700 or so. Would I find much benefit from spending more? I'm think of getting a Boardman from Halfords - I've heard they are good value, and buying there would be convenient in terms of ongoing maintenance etc.

My work doesn't do cycle to work unfortunately.

Any thoughts?