Cycling UK Forum

If they don't have spares how can they repair it? I think when they say replacement, they are going to replace the whole unit.

I think what is happening here is that Garmin are offering an upgrade to a more current model (800?) for the cost of £82, which I don't think is too bad a deal.

I've read Al Humphreys Moods of Future Joys and couldn't get on with it. He seems to write from memory and doesn't keep a diary, so misses out huge chunks of the journey (whole countries sometimes). I've still got Thunder and Sunshine waiting to be read.

I'd also recommend Mike Carter's book. I'd recommend:

Bernie Friend's Cycling back to Happiness
Anthing by Bettina Selby, if you can still get any of her books.
Anne Mustoe's "A Bike Ride"
Tim Moore's French Revolutions
Mark Beaumont's books.

mig wrote:yes i vote banning this thread until 1 week before the clocks change!!

By which time all the shops will be sold out of decent lights!

Perhaps I should clarify my needs. I want something more than a see and be seen light. Something that I can see well on a dark country lane if I decide to do an extended ride home from work. The Ixon is adequate in this respect but not outstanding. Given that the Ixon design is several years old now, is there anything else out there that's better for similar money?

Magicshine?
Cateye Nano?
Exposure?

We've had people who've started with the slower group and stayed with it. The progression is there if you want it, but not everyone does and many are perfectly happy to just ride with the easy paced group, even several years after they started riding with us.

The nights are starting to draw in and I'm starting to think about a front light for winter night riding. I currently have a B&M Ixon IQ but am wondering if there's something better out there. I could pass the IQ on to my wife. Not looking to spend more than £100 really.

Our rides take place in the almost totally flat Vale of Belvoir. There's one hill about 2 miles after the start and we have a sub-group of the slower group who leave early, climb the hill at a slower pace and wait for the others at the top. Our rides are 25 miles round trip from the meeting point, with a cafe stop half-way. Whilst not suitable for total beginners, we found they are OK for people who've bought a bike and done a little riding themselves. We find almost all who turn up can cope with the pace of the ride. They are mostly on road bikes but we have a few on hybrids and tourers.

We split the group as some of the newcomers have become fitter and are wanting to push the pace on. That's why we have a medium paced group, to cater for these and to take the pressure off the ones who want to ride at a more leisurely pace. Some newcomers are so fit that they go staright to the middle or fast group.

The problem with having mutliple groups is having people to lead them. The slower group is run by a retired chap who rides almost everyday. He likes to have an easier Saturday ride before the harder Sunday run. I run the medium paced group and one of our racing men runs the training group.

It works for us. We often have over 40 riders out over the 3 rides, and we have a club membership that has climbed back to over 100 members. Even on cold days in the middle of winter, we get 25 out.

I've been a member of a club for nearly 40 years. We've recently tried to broaden our appeal by having beginners rides on Saturdays. These have been a great success. We now have 3 groups on a Saturday with varying speeds - 12-14mph for beginners/slower riders, a middle group that averages 16mph and a faster training group that does 18mph+. We all meet at the same place at the start and then neet up at the same café. This works well because you can go out with the middle group and return with the slow group. We have a traditional club run on Sundays (16mph average) and a similar ride on a Wednesday for those who aren't at work.

I'm aware that our club is not the norm though. Most other clubs in the locality just cater to faster riders and the racing fraternity.

Riding with a club will teach you how to ride in a group, show you quiet routes on country lanes and nice tea stops that you can then use on your solo rides. You get companionship and a large circle of friends plus access to a knowledgeable group of people who know a lot about bikes and cycling. They aren't for everyone though, especially if you don't like getting up early at the weekend, as most group rides meet early to get maximum distance in and be back at a reasonable time.

Luckily, Mycyclinglog holds stas for my rides. i didn't start riding the Trek until mid-April, due to the weather. Since then, i've done 23 rides, 1134 miles in 71 hours, ave 15.5 mph. I only ride it on Sat, Sun and Weds. In that time I've only got wet on it once, a heavy shower that lasted for 10 mins. The British weather isn't actually as bad as we think it is.

I ride my Audax bike all winter when the roads are permanently wet, but it's nice to have a lighter summer bike that's not encumbered with guards, rack, heavier tyres, etc. I ride the audax in summer if heavy rain is forecast (or I don't go out).

If I was the OP with £2000 to spend, i'd buy 2 bikes - my steel audax bike and my Trek summer bike - they both cost £1000 each. If I had less money, I'd buy a carbon audax bike (Ribble 365).

PS - My wife's Trek Lexa also has a road triple and 30 tooth sprocket. Trek seem to have woken up to the idea that MAMIL's and MAWIL's need low gears. Her Specialized Dolce Elite only has a 27 sprocket, but also has a triple (she rode Alpe d'Huez on it last year).

531colin wrote:

Mark1978 wrote:

karlt wrote:My "first" road bike which I still have three years on cost my £270 and I've never regretted not spending more money. I've yet to understand why a bike costing five times more would be five times as good.

I often see things like this "it's twice as expensive but not twice as good". Well no, just as a car costing 10x the amount won't be 10x faster, but that's not the point. It will be faster, and it will ride much better. If the OP has £2,000 to spend on a good bike and he can afford it then why not.

Why not is easy.....because he can't know what he wants until he has ridden for a while....Mark, I'll refer you back to your thread here http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=73840.....which finishes with you buying a new frame which was more comfortable, with less scary steering....that seems to me to mean that your original choice of bike was....how can I put this kindly.....wrong?....misguided?...a waste of money?

I'll join the chorus saying a "road bike" that's a road racing bike...is NOT the place to start, unless you want to start with scary steering, gears too high to get up the hills, and a ride that rattles your fillings loose.. Start with an audax bike, a sportive bike, a cross bike....something a bit less extreme than a full on race bike, with a bit more comfort, lower gears, the option to fit mudguards and wider tyres.

Not all road bikes are uncomfortable to ride and over-geared. I bought a Trek Domane 2 last year. The only thing I've changed is the saddle. It's got 25mm tyres, a road triple and a 12-30 cassette, so the bottom gear is 30x30 or 27" in old money. It gets my 18st body up any hill Iocally. Can't fit guards but I've got my audax bike ready with full guards for rainy days.

Penfold wrote:So lots of interesting comments about Wogan and all the knighthood issues, but what about UK cycling?

Is the rise all down to Brailsford or is there a.n. other(s) who should be held high as the person(s) who has helped steer the good ship ' UK cycle sport' off the rocks and into clear blue water.

I only ask as I know nothing of the other backroom staff/team/directors that have lead this quite astounding turn around. Can it all be due to one mans leadership?

The guy who started it all off was Peter Keen. He was Chris Boardman's coach and then went on to set up the World Class performance Plan (WCPP). Applying for and getting lottery funding. This started to pay off at the Sydney Olympics where we started to win medals in cycling, and grew and grew through Athens to Beijing and London. Peter Keen left British Cycling in the mid-noughties and Brailsford took over the mantle.

Brailsford has a small team that includes Shane Sutton and did include Chris Boardman. They go out and find the best coaches and can afford to employ them. BC CEO Ian Drake actually does a lot of the background work that enables Brailsford to concentrate on his main roles as Head of Performace at BC and Head of Team Sky.

I'd say buy something like a Decathlon Triban 3 or 5 to start with (£299 or £429 respectively). Ride it for a few months, then you'll have a much better idea of what you would like from a bike. You can then either sell the Triban at a small loss, or keep it to ride in the winter. Then spend the remainder of your budget on the bike you really want.

The problem is that you will be travelling in the middle of rush hour when the train will be busy and trains are always busier on Fridays with people travelling home or to visit friends for the weekend. There'll be a number of commuters with bikes that might only want to go a short way. The advantage you'll have is that you are getting the train from its start point so could bag a space, if one is available. It would be better to travel in the middle of the day if you could.

I have a pannier rack on my audax bike and the saddlebag hangs about 2 inches above it, so it provides no support at all. I keep it on there because a rack is a generally useful thing to have and is essential for the rack pack. I fitted a rear light to the rack using a solution suggested by CJ. Drilling 2 holes through the weld at the at the back and fitting a bracket.

Nelson Longlap is big enough that you can get a decent amount of stuff in, but not so big that it becomes unweildy. It's also expandable, as it has a second set of starps tucked away under the flap. I've been experimenting with my SQR. when i first put it on, the handle/bag loop attachment was above the back of the saddle and I found that it dug into my rear slightly. I've moved it down, so that the bag loop attachment is below the height of the back of the saddle.

I have glasses with interchangeable lenses. I use dark(smoke) when it's sunny, orange when it's cloudy and yellow in low light/night time. I don't have clear ones, but i would use them at night if I did.