Cycling UK Forum

Thanks for all the tips gang!

Yes I suppose one solution would be a tricycle Do you reckon they make stabilisers from carbon fibre these days?

My reasoning is mostly for convenience, however there is an element of safety involved. I find often times when I'm commuting, I might give myself a quick start with half a crank, but then don't quite clip in resulting in me slowing down which is unexpected. A lot of times this has meant some impatient driver has ended up 'right up my buttock' (for lack of a better term) while I try to stop the pedal spinning and clip in. If I never had to unclip, I'd never have to worry that one of these days said impatient driver may also be just too inattentive and I end up with their car quite literally right up my buttock.

The foot thing is tricky for me as I'm definitely left-footed (i.e. kick with it, more comfortable balancing on it, etc) yet I lead with my right on a skateboard or surfboard or whatever. Thanks for the link, I'll have a look!

The UCI rules, though interesting, might be a little irrelevant for a 115kg rider - especially when most of that is beer belly Jokes aside though, I've never competed and I doubt I ever will, just doesn't interest me. I ride my bike for the fun of it, not to win shiny bits of metal.

What I'm getting so far then is: Find a slight gradient. Have almost equal weight over both pedals, dominant foot forwards and with slightly more weight. And like anything, practice practice practice.


Thanks again for all the tips, I'll give it a shot and keep on it.

Just a quick one really. Wondering if anyone has any tips for learning how to track stand?

I've been cycling ever since I was a kiddo and as such my balance on a moving bike is pretty good. I'm no gymnast or anything but I can sit up in the saddle no hands for a while without worrying about it as most experienced riders can.

However when it comes to track stands, I simply can't do it. Doesn't matter what I try I never get more than 2 or 3 seconds before my balance goes completely. I've tried using brakes, not using brakes, left foot forwards, right foot forwards, bars left, bars right, looking at the ground, looking at the wheel, looking at the horizon. No matter what I just can't seem to stay up on the bike when I'm stopped - let alone as perfectly still as some people can manage.

I've been told it's a good idea to practice on a gentle incline and then go for flat ground, but haven't got around to that yet.

So, anyone got any advice? Or am I doomed to un-clipping at every red light for eternity?

Hello everyone,

Thanks so much for the insights. Hopefully I can clear some things up that you've pointed out.

So first up, When I say 3rd or 4th or 5th gear, I mean in terms of difficulty/speed/size. 3rd largest, 3rd most teeth, 3rd easiest, 3rd from the hub, whatever. In my experience and thus my parlance, a higher number means a faster gear. So the smallest on the cassette is 11, the biggest is 1.

The chain is not new, so as you say that may be the issue, but I don't think so - I'll explain why in a sec.

The hanger looks as good as it's ever done, I can see no signs that it's bent, misaligned, or damaged in any way. Just to be super sure I changed the winter wheel on and it shifts like silk all through the range. So unless I miraculously bent the hanger back by the perfect amount during the change, and then bent it again to the same point changing back again to the summer wheels, I doubt that's the issue

I think NickJP has got the winning ticket. I've had a look at the top jockey wheel and rear mech as a whole, and it is definitely biased to the inside edge of the cassette. That is to say, when I set it to be in the 4th gear, the chain is actually tracking like the derailleur is between 3 and 4. Or in other words, the chain isn't centred on the gear, but rather is off to one side towards the wheel and centre of the bike. It seems like this persists throughout the cassette's range from 4 to 11, but below that it is barely noticeable. It does explain why shifting to 4th is tricky, but it doesn't explain why only 4th is the tricky gear, while 5-11 shift as expected.

In any case I guess it's a case of adjusting limit screws and/or the indexing - so could I ask some further advice there. What do I need to do exactly? Seems like I need to open up the top/high end (towards 11) of the range slightly and then slightly increase the size of the increments on the indexing?

Thanks all for some top tips and in speedy fashion. Happy riding!

So recently I bought a new set of wheels for the bike. Thought I'd upgrade to a bit of deep section for the summer. I bought a new cassette to go with them so I can change back to the winter wheels no worries once the wind and rain are more prominent again.

Only issue is that ever since there's a real issue shifting from 3rd to 4th on the back. It shifts as slick as ever in the 1-2-3 range and also in the 4-11 range, but to get into 4th I more often than not have to push the lever two clicks to jump 3rd to 5th, and then back down to 4th. Additional strangeness is that shifting from 5 to 4 is very slick, as is 4 to 3 - no issues. It's only when i try to shift up into 4 that there's a problem and it really just doesn't want to go. Maybe 4 or 5 full revolutions of the cranks before it admits defeat and shifts.

It's really frustrating because when I'm cruising around town with lots of stop start I'm usually in the 3-6 range, and especially at red lights and such i like to shift 3-4-5 as I go from stopped to riding again.

I was dead sure to install the cassette correctly and made sure there are no gaps or anything, torqued the lock-ring to the right spec, everything. With the exception of the Cassette, the rest of the group-set is untouched - all 105. The cassette itself is an identical 11 speed to the one on the winter wheels, so the fact I had no issues with the old one suggests the new cassette is at fault. The fact that the shifting either side is flawless seems to suggest that's not the issue though - unless the 4th gear is flawed or something?. Just wondered if anybody had any ideas what the problem might be?

Thanks in advance!

peetee wrote: ↑31 Jan 2022, 1:20pm

DareDemon666 wrote: ↑31 Jan 2022, 11:27am The mech is in pretty much perfect condition. In any case the clicking noise doesn't sound like a mech problem - it's too frequent. The cables are all internally routed so if that's the cause of the clicking I think I've got bigger problems to worry about - namely, how an internal cable is interfering with the group-set

It’s not the active part of the cable. It’s the end bit beyond the clamp of the mech. These are often left too long and sticking out to the extent that they interfere with the crank arm as it passes by.

Ah I see what you mean now, the excess cable the other side of the mech. No that's all squared away. If it was that I'd expect it to make one single click - or even twang - per revolution. But it's more like a series of clicks, and they change dependent on the force I apply to the pedals

Jdsk wrote: ↑31 Jan 2022, 12:45pm

DareDemon666 wrote: ↑31 Jan 2022, 12:41pm

Jdsk wrote: ↑31 Jan 2022, 12:36pm
Possibly my most recent Noise of Uncertain Origin.

I thought that it was from the drivetrain, but with advice from these parts it turned out to be the single-point clamping of the seat! Brucey convinced me that it could go a lot tighter.

Admittedly this is a fear of mine. The seat-post is clamped in place by a single set screw, and I've really put it on pretty tight! I've not got a torque wrench to really know but the last time i tightened it up it made a bit of a click and I chickened out of going any tighter!

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Jonathan

Interesting threads (haha get it ), I think it's just the way CF plays with the mind. It's so counter intuitive that something that light could be as strong as it really is - so I think I'm a lot more reserved than I would be with a steel frame, even if that isn't entirely founded.

Jdsk wrote: ↑31 Jan 2022, 12:36pm

Bonzo Banana wrote: ↑31 Jan 2022, 9:41amI seem to remember someone assumed it was the bottom bracket and turned out to be from the seat tube in the end

Possibly my most recent Noise of Uncertain Origin.

I thought that it was from the drivetrain, but with advice from these parts it turned out to be the single-point clamping of the seat! Brucey convinced me that it could go a lot tighter.

Jonathan

Admittedly this is a fear of mine. The seat-post is clamped in place by a single set screw, and I've really put it on pretty tight! I've not got a torque wrench to really know but the last time i tightened it up it made a bit of a click and I chickened out of going any tighter!

I thought it might be a problematic thing to diagnose...nuts!

I'm going to give it a good once over at home this evening and check all of the moving components (and the ones that shouldn't!). With any luck it's just something not quite torqued enough.

I'm using Shimano RS500 pedals with Shimano RC1 shoes (yellow cleats). They didn't make any noise at all the first week or two of riding but if that is the issue it'll be a much easier fix at least!

What am I looking for exactly when inspecting the threads? Just general wear and damage?

Unfortunately the shop I bought it from is way over in London. It's just not feasible for me to 'take it back' as such and I'd only want to ship it back once I know there's a definite issue that needs fixing by a proper mechanic!

I'll see if I can figure out the microphone thing, but I'll have to hunt down the earphones since I've been on wireless earbuds for a few years now - and yeah I think the equivalent of Copper grease is Carbon gripper paste - got some on the seatpost already but perhaps not enough.

The mech is in pretty much perfect condition. In any case the clicking noise doesn't sound like a mech problem - it's too frequent. The cables are all internally routed so if that's the cause of the clicking I think I've got bigger problems to worry about - namely, how an internal cable is interfering with the group-set

Thanks for all the help so far. I've emailed the bike shop about it and I'll see what advice they offer me too.

So, I've recently noticed a clicking noise from the bottom bracket - or at least that area. Of course it's difficult to really pin I down from up in the saddle, but as the noise is torque related I'm inclined to believe it's the bracket that's responsible.

It's a distinct clicking noise and comes around with each revolution of the pedals. When I'm putting the barest power into them and coasting, it's not there at all. At a casual pace and putting some power into the pedals, it's a couple of clicks with each revolution. And when I'm really putting on the power, when I'm climbing or sprinting or similar, then there's a whole medley of clicks. I think the clicks are primarily with the left-hand pedal stroke, but it's difficult to tell. There's no creaking or anything which is somewhat confusing - it doesn't sound like something's flexing - it almost sounds like a Geiger counter

The bike itself is a brand new (not a month old yet!) Cannondale supersix evo (2021). Apart from the pedals which I put on, the bike was assembled by the shop I bought it from. It's a carbon-fiber frame so perhaps that's something to do with it? I'm out of my depth there having only ever ridden steel alloy frames before.

I have been a little worried that it's due to my size. I'm about 106kg which is certainly on the heavier end for a bike like this - but I can't believe that I'm putting more strain on the bike than even an amateur racer might, so I doubt it's that. I'm hoping it's something simple that I can fix myself, it would be pure pain to have my new baby taken away from me all of a sudden to be fixed!

So, any ideas anyone? Any advice on how to diagnose and/or solve the issue would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance all!

OP here, apologies for such a long wait for response. Hectic holidays! Also apologies but there's no pictures/videos of my riding position. I couldn't seem to get a good shot whenever I tried. Perhaps I will revisit this with a willing cameraman (read. bribed riding friend)

Thanks for all the suggestions gents, they were quite helpful. I spent an hour or two down at MudDock in Bristol essentially just trying all their bikes. They were very friendly and happy for me to go about it when I explained why I wanted to. I figured that, while riding position is something I can adjust easily enough at home, trying saddles could be a very time consuming process without the help of a friendly local bike shop.

I discovered that a saddle with a more flat surface helped a fair bit. It seems the very rounded top of the Selle Turbo I'm used to was letting my sit bones sink too low and thus put too much pressure on the undercarriage. I've also since invested in some proper kit for the first time - including a pair of bib shorts, and found that they tend to do a good job of keeping the boys out of harms way.

So it would seem my problem is solved. I don't have any issues on the drops anymore, and even Aero/TT bars don't seem to give me much trouble - though I only sampled those for a few minutes on a mate's bike!

Thanks for all the help guys and gals, made for a warm welcome to this forum!

I'll see what I can do regarding the pictures/videos - might take me a few days to figure that out mind you

As for the saddle nope, anything but. It's a Selle Italia Turbo circa 1980

Hello!

So I've got a little bit of an issue - a specifically male issue if you catch my drift. I've been cycling for years without any issues but recently I've been getting much more interested in my cycling ability and fitness in general - this has lead to time trialling myself (just racing against the clock really nothing fancy), investing in a much overdue new bike, and importantly paying more attention to my position on the bike.

I'm used to drop-handlebars, but to be fair never used them much - usually riding on the tops or hoods. With my newfound interest I'm spending a lot more time on the drops and I've noticed that, well, more often than not the family jewels are in harms way! Seems like every other time I lean down to get a bit more aero and get on the drops I end up regretting the decision promptly!

I just wondered if there might be any obvious reasons that haven't occurred to me. Obviously this isn't a universal problem or else Le Tour would be a much more awkward affair in the final stages . Could it be that I've got the wrong saddle? Or maybe the angle or offset or height needs adjusting? Or perhaps the bars are too low for me? Or is there some neat cyclist trick for keeping the delicates safe and sound?

I suspect the answer will just be to keep adjusting the heights and angles of things until I find a comfortable position, but I thought I'd better ask just in-case I'm making a major rookie error!

Cheers,
Jack