Reply With QuoteThanks for all the advice, much appreciated.
Im currently mulling over an offer from a TZ member.
I saw that, it’s going to create a dilemma for the Tudor owning cycling haters …Originally Posted by martinupnorth
Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated.
Im currently mulling over an offer from a TZ member.
The same problem the bold blokes had with Alpecin sponsorship
RIAC
Tbh, I’ve always had an issue with Sky and then Ineos, due to my feelings about their owners (Murdoch and Ratcliffe), which has made it hard for me to really get behind them.
It’ll make a nice change to have a team I can wholeheartedly support :D
Not really as bald blokes are indifferent to shampoo ads. In this instance a brand someone loves is supporting a sport they hate …
The Ineos/Sky issue wrankles but then many unsavoury brands use sport sponsorship to recover goodwill.
I build and maintain my own bikes and like to be able to fix it myself too. Have to say an eTap build is a lot easier than anything mechanical though and has yet to need 'fixing'.
Do you watch or have Sky?
RIAC
I have some Sky channels as part of my Virgin subscription, yes.
I didn’t say I was a paragon of virtue, just that I have issues with it :D
To quote Hassan Minhaj “I’m woke, but I’m much more lazy than I am woke”
If one of the motors goes / gets wrecked you'd just be looking at buying another one though right?
I was going to offer to tell you the football and boxing results as they happen if they weren’t on BT Sport lol
RIAC
I guess so, much in the same way as if I break something mechanical on the bike...
But I can buy parts for my rear mech or use donor bits. Whereas you'll be buying the whole new part.
I have nothing against electric bits BTW. Just trying to make the point that things without motors are rather more fixable at less cost if they get broken. People can ride whatever they like as far as I'm concerned, this is just a personal view. I'm not religious about this, or discs. Or tubeless.
Fair enough, I certainly wouldn't be riding eTap if I bike trekked around S. America, but it fits most scenarios pretty well for me personally.
Really, try buying anything more than jockey wheels or cages for a mechanical rear mech. Also many of the pivots are riveted making any repair near impossible.
My vintage bike I can maintain to the smallest bearing but anything remotely modern has some disposable components regardless of mechanical/electronic. That said I can’t remember the last component failure I had.
Last edited by Montello; 27th April 2022 at 15:30. Reason: Typo
To be honest, buying almost any spare parts from Shimano for the last couple of years has been an exercise in futility!
In theory a lot of the components can be stripped down and individual parts replaced but in practice getting the spares is a lot, lot harder than it should be.
That's a good point and one I should have added to the equation actually. I use Campag. I believe the spares situation is rather easier than with Shimano.
https://stemcaptain.com/
Funky bit of kit
RIAC
Sorry to hear on both counts, but in any case - Rupert Murdoch sold his remaining stake in Sky in 2018.
Mrs Right-Force went to a bicycle shop today to peruse these new-fangled electric devices.
The one she was recommended was this one;
https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Spe...XGS?id=1396398
I know nothing about electric bicycles so i want her to make a wise purchase.
There`s a lot of wisdom on here and i`d appreciate your thoughts - what does the collective TZ-UK think about this make and model?
Will be used for pleasure/recreational use.
Cheers.
Those Turbo Vado SL are really good. There is a 5.0 version is which is slightly higher spec but possibly not required for your use.
But there is also an “equipped” version which come with mudguards, lights, rack etc for about £100 extra which seems good value.
Specialized are often belittled as Generalized because they literally have a product for every niche and sub genre.
And they are never ever the cheapest.
Personal I'm a big fan, I think they put a lot of effort into their designs and have good QC in my opinion.
I say something like Adidas would be an equivalent brand in a different industry. Not the cheapest, not the most exotic, but almost always a decent product.
If you can stomach the price I'm sure this will be a great purchase and a great bike for your better half
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One thing worth bearing in mind about the SL versions of Specialized ebikes is that they’re a compromise between power and lightness. There is a non-SL version of the Vado which is more powerful but much heavier. It depends on how much assistance your wife wants.
Made of Cheese , good point, however I think I can comment constructively here . My wife has run a Vado 4 for the last 14 months. Hers izs the more conventional diamond frame version of the above and as you say has the £200 upgrade lights mudguards and rack.
In the 12 months of riding weather eg no ice riding! She has clocked up 1300 miles. Every one of those miles enjoyable and at pace. I now have a partner that can do 1500 ft of climbing per 10 mile covered.
At 15 kgs the bike is just Is just OK to lift into the boot.
Its range depending on hills on a full charge is 60;to 80 miles
The rack guards and lights are well worth the £200, the lights are very bright, guards keep the frame and rider clean and the bag allows a Topeak trunk bag for light shopping.
The fit and finish is excellent with deep matt in our case blue paint. It comes with 32 / 35 mm tyres with reflective sidewalls.
The companion app on the phone is brilliant allowing you to tune the motors cut in times, see your journey, journey stats like strava, diagnose problems.
We paid £3200 im March 21 having waited 4 months for delivery. So above price is good. We did however get £320 of vouchers and £180 worth of service vouchers included We used the £320 vouchers for new bike clothing spd shoes and tops, we have only used £60 of the service vouchers thus far. We bought from Evolution bikes in Bangor North Wales.
Lots of my friends have E bikes usually EMTB , this bike stands head and shoulders above due to its simplicity, lack od complicated displays and lovely finish. Plus it doesnt weigh 25kgs
Highly recommended:)
Last edited by higham5; 6th May 2022 at 07:44.
If anyone needs SPD's I seem to have an abundance
RIAC
Anyone here with a gravel bike? I’m MTB currently and wondered about sizing; is it a straight translation I.e. large to large?
Yeah pretty much
RIAC
Cheers 👍
Do you gravel bike and if so what pedals do you use? I used to use Time pedals back in my road days but have just been using casual flat pedals for MTB & Gravel, but going to go back to clip-in. I liked time as they provided plenty of float, but technology has passed me by since the days of club / open racing approx 10 years ago.
If anyone needs SPD's I seem to have an abundance
Depends what you mean by gravel bike and which brand...
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On gravel I use SPD
RIAC
I’ve converted to Crank Bros egg beaters on all my bikes, MTB, gravel and road.
I’ve used SPD for decades but I was getting knee pain, especially on the static turbo trainer. Switched to egg beaters and all that went away.
(Excuse for gratuitous shot:
)
Last edited by MadeOfCheese; 8th May 2022 at 08:22.
I'm pretty new to biking having spent the last few years running but picked up my 1st road bike earlier this year. I'm doing the coast to coast way of the roses next weekend as preparation for a larger event in September. Keeping costs down I went for basic pedals and toeclips as that's what I was used to when I road mtb many(many) years ago. Do clip on pedals help, make much of a difference, give you an advantage? Anyone else done the way of the roses route?
Just my opinion, but clip-in pedals are superior to toe clips in every way.
Easier and quicker to get into and out of (once you’ve got the hang of it);
Many types allow you to enter from multiple sides (fnarr) so you don’t have to spin the pedal the right way up;
Noticeably better power transfer on the upstroke.
The only negative really is that you need special shoes, but even that can be circumvented if you get the pedals which are flat on one side and clip on the other (so you can nip to the shops in your trainers).
Shimano SPDs are the most common, and they can be had pretty cheaply.
Edit to add: don’t feel that you have to have road pedals for a road bike. I’ve always had MTB SPDs or egg-beaters on my road bikes. That way I have the same cleats on everything.
Last edited by MadeOfCheese; 8th May 2022 at 09:15.
Clip in pedals hold your foot more securely so more energy is transferred to the pedal cycle. The types of pedals are numerous. Road riders nearly all use a pedal retention system from clips and straps to Look type large platform pedals.
The mtb world is more divided as Fatty pedals are often preferred since mtb riders want to get their feet out fast whilst operating in very muddy conditions which can jam clipless systems, hence the egg beaters above which are self cleaning.
I did the way of the roses in 2014, nice route Morecambe to Bridlington, well signposted. We did it over 3 easy days. Its a ride of two halves Morecambe to Pateley bridge you ride over the Pennines with some tough climbs especially out of the back of Settle. From then on eg York onwards its pan flat. Lots of cake and coffee stops , Grassington is a lovely village we overnighted there.
A lad in a local cycling club have a group of friends who do it there and back in one go, non stop. Quite a challenge that as its about 210 miles on the WOTR route.
Not one to listen to any advice coming from me or to do any research Mrs Right-Force (and offspring No2) have each bought one of these;
https://www.countyebikes.co.uk/products/x-cross-520
Never heard of them myself i hope they are of a quality that will not make them regret their purchase.
The dealer was very helpful however and allowed them to test the bikes out for an hour or so out on the road (other dealers allowing only a ride around the shop....) and they were both impressed with their performance when under power and felt like a `normal bike` when not.
They are both looking forward to getting their bikes delivered end of next week and trying them out - i probably won`t see them all weekend..
Same here MOC , spds on my gravel / mtb / 2X road. I find spds so much more friendly at cafe stops or occasional route ( walk) diversions. Yes I know Im trading a bigger platform and a stiffer sole , but it suits my riding. If I was time trialling then no issue I would use my Shimano SL pedals eg Look type fastening.
That looks very cool - care to share details?Depends what you mean by gravel bike and which brand...
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Tanks, it was the extra cost of shoes that put me off. I was surprised the bike didn't come with pedals when I bought it so just went with the basics. Interesting you mention knee pain, I've found biking has caused some soreness which I wasn't expecting. I thought it would be less stressful on the knees than running.
Honestly, I’ve never had an issue with the size of platform. Even with egg beaters, which have a tiny platform, my shoes are stiff enough that I don’t feel any flex or lack of support.
I’m no pro racer, but I can put up to 1000w thru them (very) occasionally and it’s never been an issue.
Knee pain is what made me change from SPD to Crank Bros egg beaters (they have many designs btw, some with much larger platforms but al with the same mechanism). Knee pain has totally gone for me now, and my knees crunch like a pepper grinder just walking up stairs.
All clip-in pedals have some amount of float, which is the amount of lateral movement between the pedal and the cleat. Ranging from 0° on the super racy road pedals to a max of about 6° (eg on the egg beaters).
Doesn’t sound like much but makes a huge difference if your knees are prone to being old and crap.
Float is generally a combination of the pedal and the specific cleat used on the shoe, so you have some tunability even after you’ve selected your pedals.
Same, SPDs all round. Full carbon soled Sidi shoes so just as stiff as road shoes.
The pedals on the road bike are <200g too so weight not an issue.
Last edited by gunner; 8th May 2022 at 11:00.
My home built PBS - parts bin special
On One titanium frame
Carbon lefty fork
Drivetrain a mix of Dura Ace and XT
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Lovely that.Depends what you mean by gravel bike and which brand...
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A ‘traditional’ gravel, not an MTB conversion. Thinking I can put road wheels/tyres on for when needed.
Just seen the specs; titanium frame and carbon lefty parts bin specials 😍
My parts bin is several levels below that.
I'm after a second pair, are you selling some?
If anyone needs SPD's I seem to have an abundance
Literally just given them to Rod this morning! Sorry. Might have others but they will be Dura Ace
RIAC
Still, it's a noticeable difference using proper road pedals. The larger surface, lower stack, stronger connection - it just somehow feels better. Might be partly due to the very close fitting road shoes too, my gravel shoes have more space for a thicker sock.
Depends entirely on body geometry. I’m 6’3” and I ride a 56/57cm sized frame.
No worries, the dura ace are probably a bit too good for my winter hack. Thanks anyway.
Knee pain can be caused by a load of different things... as a (really) general rule of thumb, if the pain is at the back of the knee then it's often that the saddle's too high, pain at the front and the saddle may be too low and pain at the side is often caused by the angle of the foot on the pedal.
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