577 replies to this topic

[AndrewJ530]

Took my bike back to the shop last night, and i now have a spanking new chain . The guy changed it there and then for me. He said once more than 1 link has gone you lose confidence in the chain so it's better to change the whole thing . Going to come into work on friday on it to test it out.

Is there anything i should do to it before i ride on it? (i'm going to oil before i go out)

Thanks,

Andrew

[mymini007]

Cannondale CAAD3 For sale if your interested?

http://www.theminifo...hp?product=1690

Edited by mymini007, 20 May 2009 - 06:14 PM.

[THE ANORAK]

ooh, it's all gone quiet on here lately

anyway, finally bought myself a helmet...



rode with it today and it's comfortable but it does make your head hotter

managed a total of 76 miles last weekend and just done 40 this morning despite this strange pain in the middle left side of my body. if i wasn't still alive I'd think i was having a heart attack but I'm sure i've just laid in a really strange way overnight.

went to watch the Tour Series bike racing in Milton Keynes on Thursday night. good fun as the course was just over a Km long and right in the city centre.
good chance to see the racing close up. it was also on ITV4 on Friday night

there are more races over the next few months and if there's any near you i recommend going to watch.

this is the main website... click

here are my photos, i gave up trying to up-load the video clips to you tube as it was taking hours ....

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Edited by THE ANORAK, 23 May 2009 - 06:17 PM.

[AndrewJ530]

Well, anyone been out recently then? It's been the weather for it.

Unfortunately i've twinged my bad knee again (whilst being a bit drunk) jumping on my girlfriend's trampoline. So no biking for me. I'm going to try and get into work on friday mind because my leg is feeling better. Had a quick jog last night and it feels solid .

[nurseholliday]

Yeah been plugging the city miles in. Riding fixed from East London to Bletchley on 26th June so need to keep the training up.

[THE ANORAK]

yes, been out loads lately. did my first 50 mile ride since i started riding again the other week (52.5 miles in 3h7m46s = 16.8mph av) and I'm regularly doing over 100 miles a weekend now.

also using cyclogs now. on there as the anorak as well

[AndrewJ530]

Okay gents, i'm sorry but i need a little advise/ guidance again .

I'm wanting to use my bike when i go back to uni as a daily commute (it's only 4 miles to uni so it shoudln't be to strenuous) however when my tyres see even the slightest bit of rain they give up any grip they had lol. I've looked on some website but can't find any wet tyres in my size (700 - 26C).

Does anyone have any links to what i should be buying?

Cheers,

Andrew

EDIT: Forgot to ask what the 26C means in tyre sizes. Is it the hieght of the tyre from the rim?

Edited by AndrewJ530, 11 June 2009 - 07:43 AM.

[nurseholliday]

26 is the width of the tyre.

Go for 25s. I'm pretty happy with Schwalbe Stelvios or Schwalbe Blizzard Sports.

Don't go for Continentals, *melon* in the city.

[AndrewJ530]

Are they going to give me any grip in the wet though? They look like slicks.

Cheers,

Andrew

[THE ANORAK]

Are they going to give me any grip in the wet though? They look like slicks.

Cheers,

Andrew

strictly speaking thin road bike tyres don't need any tread. because they are so thing they act the same way as a single line of tread on a car tyre.

apparently you would have to travel over 100mph to make a road bike tyre aquaplane

[nurseholliday]

Are they going to give me any grip in the wet though? They look like slicks.

Cheers,

Andrew

strictly speaking thin road bike tyres don't need any tread. because they are so thing they act the same way as a single line of tread on a car tyre.

apparently you would have to travel over 100mph to make a road bike tyre aquaplane

What he said.

They are great in the wet, they give me loads of confidence.

[AndrewJ530]

Ah okay. It's just i've slipped on my tyres before on a bike path so it was pretty smooth, however if i remember rightly i was stood up so my centre of gravity will have shifted which might have caused it to slip.

These are my tyres:

http://www.discountb...er_folding_bead

I take it these are suitable for the wet then?

Cheers,

Andrew

[nurseholliday]

I really don't rate Kendas.

I had Kendas on my bike when I slid out and needed stitches in my arm. On my Blizzard Sports I've had the bike right over so I'm on the edge of the tyre in the wet and it's felt rock steady. I have to keep pedaling too because I'm fixed and there was no unsteadiness or slipping mid-corner.

[AndrewJ530]

Yeh, i was talking to guy at work when i first got it and he said i should get some different tyres. Think i'll invest in some new ones once i go back to uni. I'll get some use out of these ones and then change them to something better.

What happened when you slipped out like bud?

Cheers,

Andrew

[nurseholliday]

To be fair, I think a lot of tyres would have struggled to maintain grip in the situation I was in. I was doing 30 mph on a straight road with bright sunshine. Unfortunately the sun was deceiving, it had been very cold overnight and it was still quite early in the morning. It was about 8am on a winter's day so the sun hadn't been up for very long at all. A tall building was casting shadow on the road and that shadow was hiding a very small patch of ice. My front wheel went from upright to on it's side in about 1 millisecond. I hit the road so hard my arm busted open like a peach. The doctor said he'd only ever seen a wound like that when he treated a boxing injury a few years ago. I had 15 internal stitches to keep my forearm muscles holding together, and 7 external stitches to keep my skin together.