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Thread: TZ Cycling/Bike Appreciation thread!

  1. #1551
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    Quote Originally Posted by SimonH View Post
    Great pics, a level of cycling I can only dream of.

    I was quite pleased with doing Ride London in 5 hours dead, especially as I lost a bucket load of time here and there so feel next time there's some big improvements I can make.

    4 years ago I posted my first ride on Strava, 25km @19kph and I was absolutely wiped out after that. It's taken a lot of work since then to be able to ride 100 miles at 20mph but I've loved every minute of the journey
    I did ride London for the first time and thought it was great. I just about managed under five hours without stopping. If you want to see how you compare with others - https://datadiversions.shinyapps.io/ride100/

  2. #1552
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    Quote Originally Posted by trident-7 View Post
    Some images from a race I did in the Mendips near Chew Valley Lake on Sunday.
    52 miles, 4500ft of climbing in 2hr 12min. Max. speed 57mph (see photo 2).
    I can guarantee that the guy on the front in the last photo is actually right on his limit but posing to look like he isn't trying!




    As someone who’s average 40 mile bike ride is 3,500 ft and is delighted if his average speed has a 14 in it , I tip my hat to you. That is a brilliant performance on the back of Im sure some serious training and nutrition. Chapeau

    Steve

  3. #1553
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    Quote Originally Posted by senwar View Post
    Can anyone recommend some current, small(ish) good lights front and rear? I had a decent set but seem to have lost my rear one somehow so need to buy some new ones.

    Also - I have now signed up to do C2C next year and need to kick on with getting fitter. I do cycle quite a bit but carry some timber but am relatively cycling fit. However, my main struggle is hills - I find hills extremely tough. Where I live, I have a 1 mile hill to my house and have only managed to get up it without stopping once (in the 3.5yrs I've lived here). Obviously I'm going to have some challenging hills on the C2C.

    What is the best way to train for hill riding? Is it just continuing to ride as much as possible, increase strength in legs and attempt the killer hill more regularly? Or should I also focus on additional training at the gym?

    Lightning suggestion I use Moon products , Meteor X on the front about 350 lumens and two moon shields on the rear. Great battery life USB charging and lots of solid or flashing functions.

    Turning to hills as stated above make sure you have the right ratios. Older bikes used to run 52/46 front rings. Then compact chain sets cam along , typically 50/34. Doesnt look like much on paper but the 34 will give you 2 or 3 lower gears for climbing. Attacking big hills with big gears is a sure route to knee trouble.

    Secondly weight, again as stated above I have lost just over a stone 12->11 through diet since January and my hill times have dropped by nearly 20%

    Which C2c are you doing, some are hillier than others, a typical c2c is 70 miles a day so both stamina and being a climbing god will be vital!

    Lastly specific things you can do for hill riding are hill reps, google them. Most cycling improvements comer from specific short fast sessions. Training low slow miles = slow riding Im afraid.
    Last edited by higham5; 8th August 2019 at 09:02.

  4. #1554
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    Quote Originally Posted by higham5 View Post
    Lightning suggestion I use Moon products , Meteor X on the front about 350 lumens and two moon shields on the rear. Great battery life USB charging and lots of solid or flashing functions.

    Turning to hills as stated above make sure you have the right ratios. Older bikes used to run 52/46 front rings. Then compact chain sets cam along , typically 50/34. Doesnt look like much on paper but the 34 will give you 2 or 3 lower gears for climbing. Attacking big hills with big gears is a sure route to knee trouble.

    Secondly weight, again as stated above I have lost just over a stone 12->11 through diet since January and my hill times have dropped by nearly 20%

    Which C2c are you doing, some are hillier than others, a typical c2c is 70 miles a day so both stamina and being a climbing god will be vital!

    Lastly specific things you can do for hill riding are hill reps, google them. Most cycling improvements comer from specific short fast sessions. Training low slow miles = slow riding Im afraid.
    I've tried quite a few lights and I'm currently using a rear light from Exposure which is great. For the hills get a 32 cassette (you might need a longer rear derailleur to go with the 34 chainring and you should be able to ride up anything (an oval small chainring such as Absolute Black is smoother to pedal up steep hills).

  5. #1555
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    +1 for Exposure as a brand. Expensive but excellent and backed up by great customer service

    Regarding ovalised chain rings...people love them or hate them. As far as I'm aware there is no science to definitely prove them more efficient.

  6. #1556
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bondurant View Post
    +1 for Exposure as a brand. Expensive but excellent and backed up by great customer service

    Regarding ovalised chain rings...people love them or hate them. As far as I'm aware there is no science to definitely prove them more efficient.
    No idea about the science but I tried just the smaller chainring to start with and it is noticeably smoother when pedalling slowly so I see no reason why it wouldn't be better when pedalling faster. It makes sense to me as there is no way the human body can transfer maximum power in a perfectly circular motion.

  7. #1557
    Master senwar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by higham5 View Post
    Lightning suggestion I use Moon products , Meteor X on the front about 350 lumens and two moon shields on the rear. Great battery life USB charging and lots of solid or flashing functions.

    Turning to hills as stated above make sure you have the right ratios. Older bikes used to run 52/46 front rings. Then compact chain sets cam along , typically 50/34. Doesnt look like much on paper but the 34 will give you 2 or 3 lower gears for climbing. Attacking big hills with big gears is a sure route to knee trouble.

    Secondly weight, again as stated above I have lost just over a stone 12->11 through diet since January and my hill times have dropped by nearly 20%

    Which C2c are you doing, some are hillier than others, a typical c2c is 70 miles a day so both stamina and being a climbing god will be vital!

    Lastly specific things you can do for hill riding are hill reps, google them. Most cycling improvements comer from specific short fast sessions. Training low slow miles = slow riding Im afraid.
    Thanks for the lights info, will have a look.

    I'm doing Whitehaven to Tynemouth although am doing it over 4 days so max per day will be about 40 miles I believe. Leisurely as opposed to time with 6 of us doing it.

    I'm back on a weight loss programme, albeit slower than I'd hoped (half a stone in 5 weeks) but during that 5 weeks I've only just started getting out on the bike again. I don't do C2C until next July so aim to shift another couple of stone for then. I know a few of the climbs are brutal so want to prep myself for that.. My bike is a Jamis Dakar A2 MTB

    I'll have a good read on hill reps too - initial view this sounds good for training so thanks again for this

  8. #1558
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bondurant View Post
    Regarding ovalised chain rings...people love them or hate them. As far as I'm aware there is no science to definitely prove them more efficient.
    I had oval chain rings on my Shimano set up back in the 1980s - never seemed to make any real difference then. Perhaps now everything is re "marginal gains" means they are back - after all my aerobars are meant to save 5.5 watts (whatever they are).
    Still 10 mile time trial tonight at Great Missenden, which as ever I will finish ready to throw up...

  9. #1559
    Craftsman Dean Learner's Avatar
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    Another plug for exposure lights. Definitely worth the investment

  10. #1560
    Quote Originally Posted by Andrzej View Post
    I had oval chain rings on my Shimano set up back in the 1980s - never seemed to make any real difference then. Perhaps now everything is re "marginal gains" means they are back - after all my aerobars are meant to save 5.5 watts (whatever they are).
    Still 10 mile time trial tonight at Great Missenden, which as ever I will finish ready to throw up...
    The old Shimano BioPace are oval in the opposite way to the modern ones.

    I managed to injure my knee quite badly using BioPace a few years ago.

  11. #1561
    Grand Master magirus's Avatar
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    All this talk of oval rings brings back memories of Chris Bell of Highpath Engineering and his EGG rings.

    http://www.cornant.uk/eng/highpath.html

    http://www.cornant.uk/eng/eggs.html
    F.T.F.A.

  12. #1562
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    Quote Originally Posted by HenPecked View Post
    The old Shimano BioPace are oval in the opposite way to the modern ones.

    I managed to injure my knee quite badly using BioPace a few years ago.
    Thanks - bound to be some there tonight, so will take another look and a chat with the riders.

  13. #1563
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    Quote Originally Posted by SimonH View Post
    Great pics, a level of cycling I can only dream of.

    I was quite pleased with doing Ride London in 5 hours dead, especially as I lost a bucket load of time here and there so feel next time there's some big improvements I can make.

    4 years ago I posted my first ride on Strava, 25km @19kph and I was absolutely wiped out after that. It's taken a lot of work since then to be able to ride 100 miles at 20mph but I've loved every minute of the journey
    20mph average for 100 miles is good going on a road bike. It's a lot faster on a TT rig with all the aero kit.

    I've ridden two 100 mile Time Trials. The first one in 2016 I got the pacing wrong, started too hard, then I couldn't manage to swallow the energy bars that I had with me. Consequently I ran out of fuel and the last hour was the worst I've ever felt on a bike, I could barely turn the pedals. I was aiming to beat my club's 100 mile record of 3:57 something but missed the record by about 50 seconds.

    In 2017 everything went right. I'd ridden 3.5 hours averaging 270W two weeks previously so took that as my power target for pacing. I set off at 5:53am on a warm June morning. I had three drinks bottles on board and 7 gels. I aimed to take one gel every 30 minutes religiously. I kept the power as near to 270W as I could. For the first 50 miles that level of effort felt easy. At 75 miles it was starting to feel a lot more difficult. At 90 miles it felt almost unbearable. It was taking a superhuman effort to keep up that same power and I could tell that my pedalling was getting more ragged. I was thankful to see the chequered flag at 100 miles, I'm not sure I could have kept going a mile longer.

    My time was 3:32:58 which was at the time, & I believe still is, a National Age Record for a 54 year old. Average power was 269W. Average speed 28.1mph.

    I've ridden about 950 Time Trials over the last 30 years, but I count that 100 as my best one.




  14. #1564
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    Quote Originally Posted by trident-7 View Post
    20mph average for 100 miles is good going on a road bike. It's a lot faster on a TT rig with all the aero kit.

    I've ridden two 100 mile Time Trials. The first one in 2016 I got the pacing wrong, started too hard, then I couldn't manage to swallow the energy bars that I had with me. Consequently I ran out of fuel and the last hour was the worst I've ever felt on a bike, I could barely turn the pedals. I was aiming to beat my club's 100 mile record of 3:57 something but missed the record by about 50 seconds.

    In 2017 everything went right. I'd ridden 3.5 hours averaging 270W two weeks previously so took that as my power target for pacing. I set off at 5:53am on a warm June morning. I had three drinks bottles on board and 7 gels. I aimed to take one gel every 30 minutes religiously. I kept the power as near to 270W as I could. For the first 50 miles that level of effort felt easy. At 75 miles it was starting to feel a lot more difficult. At 90 miles it felt almost unbearable. It was taking a superhuman effort to keep up that same power and I could tell that my pedalling was getting more ragged. I was thankful to see the chequered flag at 100 miles, I'm not sure I could have kept going a mile longer.

    My time was 3:32:58 which was at the time, & I believe still is, a National Age Record for a 54 year old. Average power was 269W. Average speed 28.1mph.

    I've ridden about 950 Time Trials over the last 30 years, but I count that 100 as my best one.
    What an achievement, amazing.

    And thanks for the encouragement Rob very much appreciated

    Unfortunately I only started cycling (other than pootling around as a kid) four years ago and as I'm 55 now it's quite hard to catch up! But I'm quite pleased with where I've got to, hopefully I can continue to improve for a few more years... I wish I had found cycling many years ago but there you go...

  15. #1565
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    Quote Originally Posted by SimonH View Post
    What an achievement, amazing.

    And thanks for the encouragement Rob very much appreciated

    Unfortunately I only started cycling (other than pootling around as a kid) four years ago and as I'm 55 now it's quite hard to catch up! But I'm quite pleased with where I've got to, hopefully I can continue to improve for a few more years... I wish I had found cycling many years ago but there you go...
    There's absolutely no reason why you can't keep improving even at 55. You're a year younger than me! If you've only been riding more seriously for 4 years there's still a lot to learn and you've very likely got untapped potential. The equipment and science, training techniques etc. have improved so much as well.

    7 years ago, when I was 49, I decided to take on a coach. Up to that point I'd done many years of competitive cycling and had been pretty successful. I wasn't sure whether I could actually improve any further, especially with my 50th birthday looming. Following a structured Training Plan gave me massive improvements in the first year. It was almost unbelievable. Before I got a coach I'd only ever ridden two TTs at over 30mph average in 23 years of racing. Since having a coach, in the next 7 years I've ridden another 45 at over 30mph average. So doing the right kind of training actually works!
    Last edited by trident-7; 8th August 2019 at 22:44.

  16. #1566
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    One of the 60 year olds that I ride with regularly on a Sunday did RideLondon last w/e in 4.17 safe to say we were all very impressed!

  17. #1567
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    I struggle to average 20mph for two hours and think my thighs would have to double in size to average 30mph!

    For good quality, well priced lights have a look here https://www.mtbbatteries.co.uk/mountain-bike-lights/ they're not road specific but very versatile and the lumen 800 goes on one of their head bands so can be used as a head torch for camping, running etc. Excellent service at a decent price and any repairs are no problem in the future.
    Last edited by deepreddave; 8th August 2019 at 23:11.

  18. #1568
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    Amazing cycling. Even 30 years ago I couldn't quite make the hour for a 25. Now, I am happy using the age related times to feel that I am doing OK -
    https://www.vtta.org.uk/standards

  19. #1569
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrzej View Post
    Amazing cycling. Even 30 years ago I couldn't quite make the hour for a 25. Now, I am happy using the age related times to feel that I am doing OK -
    https://www.vtta.org.uk/standards
    Even after the changes in standards, they're still a bit biased towards the older riders IMO. At least they are on the fastest courses which tend to get chosen for the National Championships. It's harder to make up 3 or 4 minutes in a 10 when the 75 year old is still able to knock out a 22 and you have well under 20 minutes in which to do it!

    Still, I don't begrudge them that. To be still able to ride that fast at that age is phenomenal.

    In 2014 I was joint National VTTA 10 mile Champion with a plus of 7:57. I did 18m57s on the F11 aged 51. I tied for first place with the late great Derek Stewart who knocked out a 22m43s at an average speed of 26.4mph. Aged 78!

  20. #1570
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    Quote Originally Posted by trident-7 View Post
    Even after the changes in standards, they're still a bit biased towards the older riders IMO. At least they are on the fastest courses which tend to get chosen for the National Championships. It's harder to make up 3 or 4 minutes in a 10 when the 75 year old is still able to knock out a 22 and you have well under 20 minutes in which to do it!
    Any bias towards older riders (I am 70 soon) gets my vote. Last night Rob Engers, son of Alf, and is one of our club members, was out riding the 10 as well.

  21. #1571
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrzej View Post
    Any bias towards older riders (I am 70 soon) gets my vote. Last night Rob Engers, son of Alf, and is one of our club members, was out riding the 10 as well.
    That must be Prince Rob, son of The King!

  22. #1572
    Master Chris W's Avatar
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    Just finished upgrading my lads previous bike for my Daughter.
    Has gone from a 21 speed cable disc braked bike to:
    1*10 SLX/Saint mix with 11-42t cassette and 30t narrow wide ring
    Shimano M365 hydraulic brakes with purple 160 Superstar rotors
    Stan's Crest 24" rims in Superstar Electro hubs
    100mm X-Fusion HiLo Dropper with Madison Youth saddle.
    And plenty of purple bits.
    Colour scheme based on Sam Hill's EWS Nukeproof Mega.


    Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

  23. #1573
    Master Templogin's Avatar
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    Averages of 30mph? I am usually somewhere between 8-12mph. Then again it’s a Thorn expedition bike, I will have loaded panniers, 60 is approaching, and I have a list of other excuses including the wind in Shetland.

    The fastest I have recorded is 44mph downhill carrying me 83kg, and 30kg of gear.

  24. #1574
    Talk to me about pedals and shoes,at the minute I’ve only got normal pedals.
    I’ve started doing sprint triathlons,the bike part is around 20k ,will I go quicker with pedals and shoes but will it be enough to offset the time it’ll take me to swap my shoes for the run .
    What are the different types of shoes and pedals .


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  25. #1575
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    Quote Originally Posted by mk1974 View Post
    Talk to me about pedals and shoes,at the minute I’ve only got normal pedals.
    I’ve started doing sprint triathlons,the bike part is around 20k ,will I go quicker with pedals and shoes but will it be enough to offset the time it’ll take me to swap my shoes for the run .
    What are the different types of shoes and pedals .


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Sure lots of detail will come on here , but in summary.

    Mtb pedals , double sided SPD system , shoes are flexible and you can walk in them

    Road clipless Spd / Look etc , single sided , bigger pedal to reduce pressure on the sole of foot. Shoes are Very rigid, not suitable to walk in unless you want to look like Groucho Marx.

    If it was me, I would go road shoes as you dont suggest you are doing any touring where you walk away from the bike.

    Shoes take same time as trainers to get on and off , so do the maths for your transition.

    You will go quicker with any form of clipless pedals, road shoes transmit more power since they dont flex.

  26. #1576
    Master Templogin's Avatar
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    For touring and commuting I use flat pedals. DMR V12s. The tread of my boots fit in the grippy bits well and I have never slipped off them. Not cheap, but I am a convert to them.

  27. #1577
    Master Matt London's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mk1974 View Post
    Talk to me about pedals and shoes,at the minute I’ve only got normal pedals.
    I’ve started doing sprint triathlons,the bike part is around 20k ,will I go quicker with pedals and shoes but will it be enough to offset the time it’ll take me to swap my shoes for the run .
    What are the different types of shoes and pedals .


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    I went from flats to SPD to Look to Speedplay Zero to SPD.

    I ended up back on SPD as it was the easiest and most practical.

    Look were a pain to clip in and rubbish to walk on. The cleats wear out quite quickly as well.

    Speedplays were good clipping in but not good to walk on. When they get a tiny bit dirty they often won’t clip in. Not good if you go for a nature break in the bushes! I have had to rinse the cleat out with my drink bottle before I could clip in.

    I would never go back to flats. I have pedals that are flat one side and SPD the other. On the odd occasion that I have used trainers and the flats it felt so wrong. It was actually a bit dangerous as I had learnt to sweep through the pedal stroke and my foot would sometimes fly off the pedal!

    Some do have problems with areas of pressure on the foot with SPD. I don’t have that problem but did have it with one of the other systems, but i do not remember which.

    This is just my experience. Yours may differ.

  28. #1578
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    For sprints I still use old platform pedals, toeclips and straps with racing flats for the running. Saves me over 1 minute for each transition, and as I posted on the TZ running thread, that got me a silver in age group duathlon at the European Championships. By standard distance I use "proper" cycling shoes and clips. At Hillingdon Tri we devote on of our duathlons to transition training at the beginning of each season - run,bike, run, bike, run.

  29. #1579
    This is what I’m thinking,in the sprint you probably can’t gain enough time to warrant changing your shoes for the run


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  30. #1580
    Master senwar's Avatar
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    Just blagged myself a lovely 2019 Specialized Stumpjumper Carbon Comp 29er in the Rutland sale. It's arrived today, is a light as a feather and looks lovely. The bike is black and the frame looks a bit odd in places - looks marked (I know it isn't). Is this just how the carbon looks or is something not right? I can see the carbon pattern but as you can see in the pics there are things that look like marks to me







    Not had a carbon bike before but this looks really noticeable and makes the bike look a bit odd

  31. #1581
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    Quote Originally Posted by senwar View Post
    Just blagged myself a lovely 2019 Specialized Stumpjumper Carbon Comp 29er in the Rutland sale. It's arrived today, is a light as a feather and looks lovely. The bike is black and the frame looks a bit odd in places - looks marked (I know it isn't). Is this just how the carbon looks or is something not right? I can see the carbon pattern but as you can see in the pics there are things that look like marks to me







    Not had a carbon bike before but this looks really noticeable and makes the bike look a bit odd
    The middle photo looks like the weave is exposed with very little resin. Carbon is at its toughest when the resin ratio is correct.

    I have carbon bars seatpost and frame and the bare sections do not look like yours. Can you pop into a local specialised dealer and view another Carbon Comp for comparison.

  32. #1582
    Master senwar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by higham5 View Post
    The middle photo looks like the weave is exposed with very little resin. Carbon is at its toughest when the resin ratio is correct.

    I have carbon bars seatpost and frame and the bare sections do not look like yours. Can you pop into a local specialised dealer and view another Carbon Comp for comparison.
    Thanks. This was the last available one in this colour in this model anyway but I’ll see if I can check any other similar model. In the interim I’ll email Rutland to get their thoughts too then. Thank you.

  33. #1583
    Just landed my first full sus bike.I know its not up to some of the calibre of bikes on here but it will do for now.Just need to set up the front rear shox and get out on it

  34. #1584
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    About to hit the Whinlatter black graded trail on my heavily modifed NP Mega (not really a black though) and my newly built up Felt:


  35. #1585
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    Quote Originally Posted by senwar View Post
    Just blagged myself a lovely 2019 Specialized Stumpjumper Carbon Comp 29er in the Rutland sale. It's arrived today, is a light as a feather and looks lovely. The bike is black and the frame looks a bit odd in places - looks marked (I know it isn't). Is this just how the carbon looks or is something not right? I can see the carbon pattern but as you can see in the pics there are things that look like marks to me







    Not had a carbon bike before but this looks really noticeable and makes the bike look a bit odd
    Looks strange to me, my Felt road bike is fully carbon and no marks at all. Take it in to your local decent bike shop and see what they say.

  36. #1586
    Master senwar's Avatar
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    I’ve actually been reading up on things more tonight and apparently this is apparent sometimes as it is the natural carbon as opposed to a carbon weave finish. Quite a number of posts about similar on bike forums. Some live with it as say it’s ‘character’. Saying that not sure I’d be able to live with it so will have to check.

  37. #1587
    Quote Originally Posted by senwar View Post
    I’ve actually been reading up on things more tonight and apparently this is apparent sometimes as it is the natural carbon as opposed to a carbon weave finish. Quite a number of posts about similar on bike forums. Some live with it as say it’s ‘character’. Saying that not sure I’d be able to live with it so will have to check.
    Its perfectly normal - I design with carbon composites all day. What you picture is referred to as "injected chopped strand" infusion moulding. You will get all sorts of odd shapes depending on how the mould flows.
    It is heavier per unit stiffness when compared to unidirectional or twill pre-preg, but significantly cheaper and can be made from volume tooling.
    Nothing to worry about.

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

  38. #1588
    Master senwar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bluehase284 View Post
    Its perfectly normal - I design with carbon composites all day. What you picture is referred to as "injected chopped strand" infusion moulding. You will get all sorts of odd shapes depending on how the mould flows.
    It is heavier per unit stiffness when compared to unidirectional or twill pre-preg, but significantly cheaper and can be made from volume tooling.
    Nothing to worry about.

    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk
    Thanks for the info, at least I know it’s ok then. Must be honest it’s just disappointing to see as makes the bike look very flawed especially in gloss black and given the price I’ve paid even with a big discount I didn’t expect this. But you live and learn. The bike is unbelievably light so I’ll see how I feel in a week or so.

  39. #1589
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    When I got a cf frame made I asked for most of it to be clear coated just so what was underneath could be seen. I think it looks great.

  40. #1590
    I'd try and learn to accept it if you can - it really is just a inherent characteristic of the manufacturing process and cannot be avoided - just as the weave of a pre-preg mould manufactured part will have a weave or strait lines.
    The black pooling willl be because a black dye is added to the resin - without this you would get milky patches where resin is thicker on the surface.


    Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

  41. #1591
    Master senwar's Avatar
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    Thanks guys - does put my mind more at ease

  42. #1592
    Quote Originally Posted by trident-7 View Post
    20mph average for 100 miles is good going on a road bike. It's a lot faster on a TT rig with all the aero kit.

    I've ridden two 100 mile Time Trials. The first one in 2016 I got the pacing wrong, started too hard, then I couldn't manage to swallow the energy bars that I had with me. Consequently I ran out of fuel and the last hour was the worst I've ever felt on a bike, I could barely turn the pedals. I was aiming to beat my club's 100 mile record of 3:57 something but missed the record by about 50 seconds.

    In 2017 everything went right. I'd ridden 3.5 hours averaging 270W two weeks previously so took that as my power target for pacing. I set off at 5:53am on a warm June morning. I had three drinks bottles on board and 7 gels. I aimed to take one gel every 30 minutes religiously. I kept the power as near to 270W as I could. For the first 50 miles that level of effort felt easy. At 75 miles it was starting to feel a lot more difficult. At 90 miles it felt almost unbearable. It was taking a superhuman effort to keep up that same power and I could tell that my pedalling was getting more ragged. I was thankful to see the chequered flag at 100 miles, I'm not sure I could have kept going a mile longer.

    My time was 3:32:58 which was at the time, & I believe still is, a National Age Record for a 54 year old. Average power was 269W. Average speed 28.1mph.

    I've ridden about 950 Time Trials over the last 30 years, but I count that 100 as my best one.



    Can I ask a question please. Don't you get bad knees ?

    A year ago I used an indoor exercise bike 6 days a week for between 30 - 40 minutes ( sometimes longer ) a day for maybe 10 weeks.

    I lost about 2.5 stone but when I stopped I started to notice my right knee was not right.

    It clicks very loudly and does not quite feel right ever since although it is not painful as such.

    It damaged / wore out or broke something for these symptoms to not improve at all after a year.

    I am only 36 lol

  43. #1593
    Master tiny73's Avatar
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    Hijacking this thread a little but does anyone have an opinion on BMC vs Boardman hybrids? I’ve not really kept up to date with bike technology and despite much googling I can’t really get a clear answer.

    I’m looking to sell my full sus Yeti 575 since even with a new lockout rear shock and lightweight road wheels with skinny tyres it’s an effort to keep up with hybrids and road bikes. Since I rarely ride off road now I’m thinking about a hybrid of the ilk above with a view to getting a spare set of wheels with fat tyres for when I occasionally venture off road.

    Any views on either of these? I really like the look and spec of the BMC but they’re not easy to get hold of.

    Cheers
    Tim

  44. #1594
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    That carbon paintwork looks quite weird?

    What caused that?

  45. #1595
    Master
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    Have a look at some of the replies

  46. #1596
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bondurant View Post
    Have a look at some of the replies
    Never seen that before, I know from experience these carbon frames cost a lot of money, I’d be disappointed if it was my bike.

  47. #1597
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    There's nothing wrong with it though...clearcoat any cf frame and you see what's underneath. It's not like steel, the way they are made mean you see the joins, layers, etc.

  48. #1598
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    Quote Originally Posted by xellos99 View Post
    Can I ask a question please. Don't you get bad knees ?

    A year ago I used an indoor exercise bike 6 days a week for between 30 - 40 minutes ( sometimes longer ) a day for maybe 10 weeks.

    I lost about 2.5 stone but when I stopped I started to notice my right knee was not right.

    It clicks very loudly and does not quite feel right ever since although it is not painful as such.

    It damaged / wore out or broke something for these symptoms to not improve at all after a year.

    I am only 36 lol
    No, fortunately I don't get any problems with my knees at all. It's a low impact sport so is generally kind on the knees, unlike running.

    Possibly the exercise bike wasn't adjusted to your ideal position. In my experience the Q-factor is generally too high on an exercise bike. Basically your legs are too far apart when you're pedalling. Saddle height needs to be correct. At bottom dead centre your leg should be a few degrees short of straight. Not completely straight but not too bent. Cadence should be high and low gear rather than low cadence & big gear. At least to start with. Build up the time & effort over several weeks rather than do too much too soon.

    I'm wondering whether your kneecap wasn't tracking properly as it slides over the groove in the femur. I guess that could have caused some damage to the cartilage at the back of the patella but probably more likely that it could be treated. Possibly by correcting some muscular imbalance, stretching techniques, straight leg exercises.

    I'd see somebody who knows about these things, a sports physiotherapist maybe. A youngster like you shouldn't have to put up with not being able to ride a bike!

  49. #1599
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bondurant View Post
    There's nothing wrong with it though...clearcoat any cf frame and you see what's underneath. It's not like steel, the way they are made mean you see the joins, layers, etc.
    Just doesn’t look great, I understand the reasons, I’m guessing the paint has just worn off?

  50. #1600
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by tiny73 View Post
    Hijacking this thread a little but does anyone have an opinion on BMC vs Boardman hybrids? I’ve not really kept up to date with bike technology and despite much googling I can’t really get a clear answer.

    I’m looking to sell my full sus Yeti 575 since even with a new lockout rear shock and lightweight road wheels with skinny tyres it’s an effort to keep up with hybrids and road bikes. Since I rarely ride off road now I’m thinking about a hybrid of the ilk above with a view to getting a spare set of wheels with fat tyres for when I occasionally venture off road.

    Any views on either of these? I really like the look and spec of the BMC but they’re not easy to get hold of.

    Cheers
    Tim
    I have a Yeti 575 and can emphasise with its inability to stay with a hybrid. One of the biggest reasons apart from skinny tyres is the wheel diameters are larger. Off road 29’s leave me gasping, on the road I dont even try!
    My daughter has a Specialised Vita hybrid, 700c wheels and it flys.

    Boardman was such a success for Halfords, so much so they bought the brand. BMC have a solid reputation and field many race teams. My suggestion is have a look at them in the flesh, specs on paper can often flatter. Key thing is getting the right size. More road miles means more time in the same position, unlike mtb riding. So please dont fall into the trap of buying a bike that is too large.

    Im sure someone else will chip in with a view on the two bikes soon.

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