cycling and century rides -

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Thread seems pretty dead, but let's see if it'll come back. Anyone on the eastern seaboard, specifically the US South East? Doing the Virginia Cap2Cap again in 2019 - 2018 was a wonderful century. And, of course, the 'let's kick a century in the pants in term of difficulty' metric-century Attack on the Carolinas. Anyone in the area who loves road cycling should give that one a gander.

 

[XYZpdq]

Doing the "car's dead, bike because shopping for used cars is literally hell" thing again. Now work's a bit over three miles away but I've been getting in much better shape for a while so I'm not winded at all from the ride.
Really enjoying it, honestly. I'm sure if I'm still doing it when weather gets warmer it won't be so fun but for now it's nice.
It's satisfying to hustle my ass to work and back under my own power.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

I'm sure if I'm still doing it when weather gets warmer it won't be so fun but for now it's nice.
It's satisfying to hustle my ass to work and back under my own power.

Man, I'm waiting for weather to get warmer here to commute by bike. Heh. Just remember, the faster you go, the more cooling air you get through your helmet vents.

 

[XYZpdq]

Man, I'm waiting for weather to get warmer here to commute by bike. Heh. Just remember, the faster you go, the more cooling air you get through your helmet vents.

lol what-met vents?

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Yeah, I ride with a helmet at all times. Usually riding at higher speeds, and given where I ride and how terrible many of the drivers are, better safe than sorry. I've gone down hard, I know plenty of others who've gone down hard, and I have a few riding buddies who've been hit. Noggin injuries are no laughing matter (have a friend who lost a kid due to whacking his head on a curb with no helmet in a bike tumble). Been wearing it religiously ever since I started riding my road bike.

But if you're going slow speed, short distance, and are amongst drivers that don't see you as an obstacle to hit, I suppose it's not terrible to ride without one... just not a gamble I'm willing to take.

 

[XYZpdq]

Yeah, I ride with a helmet at all times. Usually riding at higher speeds, and given where I ride and how terrible many of the drivers are, better safe than sorry. I've gone down hard, I know plenty of others who've gone down hard, and I have a few riding buddies who've been hit. Noggin injuries are no laughing matter (have a friend who lost a kid due to whacking his head on a curb with no helmet in a bike tumble). Been wearing it religiously ever since I started riding my road bike.

But if you're going slow speed, short distance, and are amongst drivers that don't see you as an obstacle to hit, I suppose it's not terrible to ride without one... just not a gamble I'm willing to take.

I just have a boring onespeed, bop along slowly on the sidewalk, and I don't have those strapin pedals.
If I was getting near double digits per hour I probably would.

I do have a bunch of lights at least.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Oh, I completely understand. I can't stay on the sidewalk. Double-digit averages make it unsafe if there's any pedestrians there. And while I don't have toe-straps, I do have clipless pedals and am almost always clipped in. When I went down, I was fortunate I was going only around 20mph. Just ripped off a lot of skin and tore my jersey to shreds. My steel beast of a road bike came out with a few scratches, but no integrity damage.

That said, I'm hoping this year doesn't feature wet roads again at the Assault on the Carolinas. Last year I melted my brakes on the descents and was still going way too quick. I'd love some dry roads so I can actually corner without risking sliding off the pavement.

(and I digress: there were two other tumbles. Thanks to clipless pedals, at stoplights I have experienced comically slow tumbles to the ground due to forgetting which foot I'd unclipped and leaning the wrong direction. Nothing's more embarrassing than having a little old lady start getting out of her pickup truck to check if you're alright because you slowly fell over in front of her at a stoplight.)

Good on ya for having the lights on your bike! Can't live without them.

((edited because what the fuck is a pickup trick? I can't type today.))

 

[XYZpdq]

Yeah I got flashers on the back of my bike, one on the back of my backpack, a flashlight on the front, and I already had a bunch of reflective hats because I'm damn weirdo with bad taste in fashion lol.

 

[Cactus Wings]

Got a $1200 105 Bianchi after a cozy NorCal introduction to road bikes. I'm about to drop money into both kit and clipless but I'm a poor student and doing one over the other ends up sounding awkward as hell.

I also hate how anything minimalistic with a spot of color is exclusively female design. I don't wanna be majorly non-black but not a blob of black either. Even worse that all fashionable kits are winter, such as one sleeve and top chest being a solid color.

I'll probably get Shimano RP5's and some black Alé set for starters. Halfway through winter so not worth investing in thermo kit either. Maybe a summer one with a replacement jacket around april.

For some reason I fear looking stupid despite being proven wrong 100% of the time, whether fat or old. Hell, at least I ride a brand bike and not some Walmart discount like every other monkey in this generally wealthy country.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Just remember the rule for kits - all colors are acceptable, as long as your shorts are black. Black is the only acceptable shorts color. Every other color emphasizes your anatomy ten-fold above what lycra already does for you.

For your kits, if you're not afraid to put down a touch of money, check Aerotech Designs. High quality stuff. The money you put down will be worth it, because that shit will last. If you buy from eBay, just be aware that 99% of that shit's from China, and you're going to have to size up considerably.

I personally ride Shimano SPD clipless pedals on my road bike. They're a little heftier, but the SPDs are super easy to clip in. My pedals are also dual-purpose - one side is clip, the other side is flat. Makes it nice when I choose to ride my bike near the beach with flip flops or do a quick jaunt to the store and don't want to bother clipping in. The flat pedal side does actually have those marvelous little teeth to give sufficient grip for bunny-hops, too, so bonus. Another great plus is that the shoes can be walked in rather easily, so if you stop at a joint for some grub and beer you don't gimp around like an exceptional idiot.

((And no knocking on Walmart discount bikes. I've upgraded lots of those for friends and family. While they're heavy as fuck, they can be halfway decent once you rebuild the hubs and replace the shit bearings they use in the bottom bracket. Just takes knowing what you're doing with a bicycle, and can be great for heavier riders because there's next to no chance of those heavy steel frames or bulky wheelsets failing under their girth.))

 

[XYZpdq]

Yeah at work people are all "oh that looks like a so-and-so suchandsuch bike" and I'm like "duhh, it was the cheapest on at Walmart" because I know fuckall about them.

 

[Cactus Wings]

Yeah at work people are all "oh that looks like a so-and-so suchandsuch bike" and I'm like "duhh, it was the cheapest on at Walmart" because I know fuckall about them.

The thing is, there's a lot of Apple/Microsoft tier brands selling bikes at the same price and higher quality than whatever discount stores get you. Trek, Scott and Giant are very common bikes for people who don't spend a second researching their options, and still I see people in full kit and half the bike's price in accessories riding brands I've never even heard of. And here we're talking office-working adults (who tend to have a governmental bike discount, who'd be able to blow $900 easily.

Just remember the rule for kits - all colors are acceptable, as long as your shorts are black. Black is the only acceptable shorts color. Every other color emphasizes your anatomy ten-fold above what lycra already does for you.

((And no knocking on Walmart discount bikes. I've upgraded lots of those for friends and family. While they're heavy as fuck, they can be halfway decent once you rebuild the hubs and replace the shit bearings they use in the bottom bracket. Just takes knowing what you're doing with a bicycle, and can be great for heavier riders because there's next to no chance of those heavy steel frames or bulky wheelsets failing under their girth.))

We don't even have Walmart here; I just sort of correlate them with our bike stores, but thinking about it, a lot of proper EU brands specialize in city/woman's bikes, such as Gazelle from Holland. It's probably still better than Walmart in reality.

I'm willing to use a lot on a black bib but even those have brands across the bottom rim. Jerseys can be of lower quality if they look better and aren't produced in a sweat shop, obviously, but our import tax is among the highest in the world, so even a $60 one would end up close to three digits. On top of that, it seems like a sneakerhead-tier market. Every time I see an exceptionally good minimalistic jersey, it's some 200-and-gone korean production.

That said, one of Alé's colors look very celeste but it's expensive as hell and no stores carry it cheaper. Much like car dealerships, they tend to carry 2-3 bike brands and even fewer clothing ones; this one happened to be Bianchi and Alé. They're currently trying to get rid of stock though, so I could get black bibs extremely cheap, but they'd just end up laying around for a while, and none of them look that good.


These wouldn't clash too much and still be more attention whore than just fully black. My bike does have a lot of random white streaks that don't fit in very much, so a white brand name on the bottom wouldn't hurt much overall. But again, this is for starters. I'm just gonna get Shimano RP5s, yellow cleats and leave it at that for a while. But as I said, it's awkward getting 1 of these 2 things without the other, so it's sort of an all-in dive sometime in April as opposed to a gradual investment. We'll see.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Well, I certainly wish you luck with the kit debacle (and I'm loving that second kit - subtle celeste is a weakness of mine, and celeste is truly one of the reasons I'm looking hard into buying a Bianchi one of these days (because let's be real, there are other brands that offer similar quality for similar prices (Colnago, Pinarello, Cervelo, Time, etc.)). Have fun with those RP5s! Any particular reason you're going to run those instead of Look Keos?

Yeah at work people are all "oh that looks like a so-and-so suchandsuch bike" and I'm like "duhh, it was the cheapest on at Walmart" because I know fuckall about them.

LMAO Fuck yes. I'll admit there've been some sharp bikes coming from Walmart these days, and the inclusion of Shimano Tiagra groupsets on some of their 'higher end' bikes is a welcome sight.

Still, I'll never forget the Roadmaster 700c I serviced for a buddy of mine. /That/ was hilarious. Had to completely rebuild the hubs after he put 300 miles on it, and he chewed the bearings in his bottom bracket to pieces. Fortunately it's all mountain bike parts, so very easy to service. (If you're interested in learning how to keep your Walmart bike going for hundreds of miles, there's some great youtube videos on servicing hubs and bottom brackets - because believe it or not, everything else will last really damned well with minimal maintenance! And once you service the hubs once, they're good to go for a long, /long/ time.)

 

[Cactus Wings]

Any particular reason you're going to run those instead of Look Keos?

Honestly haven't looked around much. Fell upon a video and wrote down RP5, yellow cleats and PD-R7000 pedals. Was months ago so I'm just hoping I was smarter then than now.

Saw a post earlier of a dude doing 150km on my exact model, albeit with practically no water, he did have kit and shoes. Really makes me want to get out but it's the windiest and coldest it's been in years. I'll probably drop money on the whole deal next month and pray. I'm coming up on the easiest semester of my degree so hopefully I can get fit enough for a metric century this summer.

Spoiler: Powerlevel in the name of cadence

This is his bike; as you can tell, there's very little space for stuff on the non-taped area of his handlebars.

And mine, having issues putting on attachable lights for night riding

Obviously, there's no issue finding a ½ inch area for the arm for a bike computer, but my lights attach to a full handlebar circumference, and that's an issue like this. Hell, even holding my hands on the tops I have to wrap around the wires.

It's got a mandatory check-up in late January; I hope an actual professional can fix it up for me then.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Very nice. Though I won't say to put all your credence in what someone else does with their bike - I personally have done well in excess of 175 km in my SPD clips, and found them insanely comfortable. But when you're riding an old steel beast like mine, a few extra grams doesn't amount for shit. My biggest suggestion would be to find a bike shop that carries a few different types of shoe and see what you like, then get the pedals that correlate with it. Hence why my pedals for my next bike are still going to be SPDs - they're just not going to feature the flat pedal option. Because I adore my shoes, and refuse to shift to a non-MTB shoe just to shave a few grams by sacrificing my ability to walk like a non-gimp into the bar when we stop for a drink.

Warning: Click below only if you don't mind being bombarded by lots of pictures. I'm a fucking bike sped.

Spoiler: Powerleveling with Bastardized Retro Cycle Style

Went and took some pictures of the Panasonic (shit camera, so grainy as hell). This is my steel steed that's hauled my ass through well over a thousand miles now. Ignore the blue tires - I had to get something on in a pinch after demolishing my matching yellow ones on a gravel trail. And yeah, the geometry isn't very aggressive because that stem isn't slammed, but I'm old with busting joints and a gut, so fuck it - I prefer comfort over blazing speed.

Front view, so you can see how narrow the handlebars on this bitch are, and see how the light situation works out.

You'll note the computer had to go on the stem. Only way to make it fit.
Now the pedal set - I flipped one so you could see the clip clearly on it (in the above picture, the flats are in marvelous view. Yeah, metal versions of everyone's favorite plastic flat pedals. They perform well with flip-flops and sneakers).

Very easy to clip in and out, once the tension's set right. I'm about to tighten up on mine, because I want a slightly firmer grip.
And finally, the shoe:

As said, can walk without being a fucking gimp. Because the tread is as deep as the clip. Mud and grass are remnants from that fucking gravel trail. It was a dare by some buddies of mine to take my road bike on their mountain bike trail (it's not a technical trail, it's more of a swamp trek with some gravel segments thrown in). Now they have to do a fucking 40 mile loop with me on the roads for mucking up my gear and shredding my tires. Worth it.

As said, this is just my shit though. You might like the roadie clips. I personally have tried both, and prefer these, because my ankles suck and I like to roam around like a nincompoop through establishments while out on my rides. But to each their own; as long as one rides their bike, who cares?

 

[Guts Gets Some]

I didn't learn to ride a bike until well into my 20's, and despite freaking out over it as a child, it was actually pretty damn easy.

Barring the couple of times I almost got run over and got road rash.

 

[Cactus Wings]

Very nice. Though I won't say to put all your credence in what someone else does with their bike - I personally have done well in excess of 175 km in my SPD clips, and found them insanely comfortable. But when you're riding an old steel beast like mine, a few extra grams doesn't amount for shit. My biggest suggestion would be to find a bike shop that carries a few different types of shoe and see what you like, then get the pedals that correlate with it. Hence why my pedals for my next bike are still going to be SPDs - they're just not going to feature the flat pedal option. Because I adore my shoes, and refuse to shift to a non-MTB shoe just to shave a few grams by sacrificing my ability to walk like a non-gimp into the bar when we stop for a drink.

Warning: Click below only if you don't mind being bombarded by lots of pictures. I'm a fucking bike sped.

Spoiler: Powerleveling with Bastardized Retro Cycle Style

Went and took some pictures of the Panasonic (shit camera, so grainy as hell). This is my steel steed that's hauled my ass through well over a thousand miles now. Ignore the blue tires - I had to get something on in a pinch after demolishing my matching yellow ones on a gravel trail. And yeah, the geometry isn't very aggressive because that stem isn't slammed, but I'm old with busting joints and a gut, so fuck it - I prefer comfort over blazing speed.

Front view, so you can see how narrow the handlebars on this bitch are, and see how the light situation works out.

You'll note the computer had to go on the stem. Only way to make it fit.
Now the pedal set - I flipped one so you could see the clip clearly on it (in the above picture, the flats are in marvelous view. Yeah, metal versions of everyone's favorite plastic flat pedals. They perform well with flip-flops and sneakers).

Very easy to clip in and out, once the tension's set right. I'm about to tighten up on mine, because I want a slightly firmer grip.
And finally, the shoe:

As said, can walk without being a fucking gimp. Because the tread is as deep as the clip. Mud and grass are remnants from that fucking gravel trail. It was a dare by some buddies of mine to take my road bike on their mountain bike trail (it's not a technical trail, it's more of a swamp trek with some gravel segments thrown in). Now they have to do a fucking 40 mile loop with me on the roads for mucking up my gear and shredding my tires. Worth it.

As said, this is just my shit though. You might like the roadie clips. I personally have tried both, and prefer these, because my ankles suck and I like to roam around like a nincompoop through establishments while out on my rides. But to each their own; as long as one rides their bike, who cares?

Well, point is that the stock handlebars are kinda wonky. Theyre an inch or two shorter than any other I've seen and the tape, which I assume is default length for all brands, reaches in too far. The dude himself said he had issues fitting lights onto his bike, but yeah I could probably fit a computer arm onto what space is available, but the lights I've gotten are somewhat tight and have one of those reach-around attachment straps. For the sake of 'OCD' I'd probably fit a computer on the stem as well for centering.

Spoiler

I mucked about for 15 mins to get it here, and while it's fine, the issue is still the cables against the tape. I don't exactly want to shuffle my hand around for 3 seconds to get a decent grip on the flattest part of the handlebar.

I've considered the hybrid pedals but I'm not really in a position for my day-to-day business to involve my bike sadly. Year-long construction ruining my pretty much straight road to university following a 40 min train ride etc. My uni has like.. easily 300 bikes stacked up every day and maybe 1 in 4 is a vintage roadie. I'm considering doing that as well, so I won't lose a major investment if someone steals it. The double-edged sword to Bianchi is the attention whoring colors.

The few people I've spoken to all had cheaper bikes and cut a lot of corners. I feel like that rich lawyer dude who quit his work to become a pro in a year; buying 3 bikes, all the tech, oxygen tent etc and then being trash talked for thinking it's that easy to bike -- Except in the low end.

 

[Slime Tube]

I mucked about for 15 mins to get it here, and while it's fine, the issue is still the cables against the tape. I don't exactly want to shuffle my hand around for 3 seconds to get a decent grip on the flattest part of the handlebar.

Cables look too long from the shot you've posted. If it was me, I'd loosen the cables and cut the cable outers back a bit. Or you could buy a Di2/eTap groupset if you've got a massive pile of cash to spare.

 

[Cactus Wings]

Had it in for the mandatory insurance-activating workshop visit and they cut them shorter. It's all perfect now; got a 120mm stem to fix the stripped bolts and I also threw on the Shimano 105 series pedals (and acquired aforementioned RP501's after so much fucking trouble).

Spoiler

I use EU 44.5 in Vans and have for years; had to go up to 47 for RP501's to fit. I bought them this expensive for the Boa dial, so rather tighten them a lot then lack the inability to loosen them I guess.

Oh, and replaced the shit stock saddle with a specialized romin evo expert gel. I've never been this aware of my sit-bones, but since it's an actual saddle it's meant for bib usage, of which I hopefully close up my shopping spree with next month. I'd lie if I said looking like an asshat wasn't my primary concern, but in reality I've yet to see a kit that didn't look better than my current fashion sense. All this bike crap caught me in the middle of investing my academical wardrobe.

Every time I sit on it in my apartment it feels off, but the 100 meters I rode to get help replacing the pedals felt fucking perfect, so not sure what to expect. Hopefully the weather will clear up soon and cease my constant fiddling.

 

[Diet Coke 4 Life]

Well, wish you luck with that!! Lovely setup.

Me, I'm just chomping at the bit for the end of next month. That starts my sportive season. Already got two metric century rides, three century rides and a cute little 32 miler lined up. Waiting on one more metric century option to open its registration. It's going to be a busy year for me and my retro steel beast.