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Guest armelec

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philipsteak Veteran

philipsteak

Posted
Posted

Does anyone (Halcyon) know much about the tyres for using on and off road. Dug out my mountain bike from my mums shed (bikes about 7 years old but in good nick) and want to start using it again but I'll probably be using it mostly on roads, with the option for going off on some trails if I want. Currently got the typical massive knobbly mountain bike tyres. Are these type of tyres any good?

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modey Apprentice

modey

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Posted

You can get road tyres to put on a montain bike, you need slicks, you can get them to fit montain biked, usually size 26 x 1.4 or something like that.... the knobbly montain bike ones will make it a lot harder on the road

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  • 1 month later...
Halcyon Newbie

Halcyon

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I'm on a cycling holiday at the moment, thought I'd post up some updates. Day 1 was yesterday, 87miles Gillingham to Ipdwich; and finished Day 2 Ipswich to Sherringham (north east corner of Norfolk) a couple of hours ago - 97miles.

Updates on the usualt twitter under #cyclewatch, and the humorous tag #TourDePhil

It was actually v hard going today... Suffolk and Norfolk are flat, but that means you get a strong old head wind. I think I prefer hills to be honest, and least you can grind them out in a low gear and enjoy the enevitable down hill bit on the other side.

Anywho... I'm off to Peterborough tomorrow for a couple of days rest while I attend a beer festival(!), and then it's onto Derby, Chester, Bangor, Aberystwyth, Swansea, Bristol, London and eventually home. Just shy of 950miles in total.

At least, that's the plan... god willing!

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greenfairy43 Newbie

greenfairy43

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I'm on a cycling holiday at the moment, thought I'd post up some updates. Day 1 was yesterday, 87miles Gillingham to Ipdwich; and finished Day 2 Ipswich to Sherringham (north east corner of Norfolk) a couple of hours ago - 97miles.

Updates on the usualt twitter under #cyclewatch, and the humorous tag #TourDePhil

It was actually v hard going today... Suffolk and Norfolk are flat, but that means you get a strong old head wind. I think I prefer hills to be honest, and least you can grind them out in a low gear and enjoy the enevitable down hill bit on the other side.

Anywho... I'm off to Peterborough tomorrow for a couple of days rest while I attend a beer festival(!), and then it's onto Derby, Chester, Bangor, Aberystwyth, Swansea, Bristol, London and eventually home. Just shy of 950miles in total.

At least, that's the plan... god willing!

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Halcyon Newbie

Halcyon

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Posted (edited)

I got assaulted by a guy in white transit van on friday. I was coming to the end of a nice afternoon ride, cruising through a town at about 23mph before getting cut up by said van. Forced me to take significant evasive action and swerve onto a deep drain cover - i nearly came right off. Van pulled up at the lights down the road, and I filtered down the left hand side (as is my right) and came to a stop just in front of him. Looked over my shoulder and gave him a look, and saw him shouting and getting angry. Tried to ignore his shouts, but he actually got out of his van and confronted me. Was calling me all sorts of names and giving me all sorts of abuse. Told me I shouldn't be on the road and to get back on the pavement where I belong, before spitting right in my face.

I took his number plate, and reported the incident to the police, who imediately found who it was (or at least who owns the van). Got an interview tonight to provide more details, so maybe they'll do something about it. I know the police may have better things to be doing with their time (like catching murderer and thieves and that), but I reported it as I'm fed up with the increased abuse I've gotten over the summer months.

I know there are bad cyclists out there; but I consider myself a decent cyclist and the verbal (and now physical) abuse I get really is becoming untenable. I have as much right to the road as any car driver, and as long as we both stick to the rules of the road should be able to get where we going without incident. Yet some car driver drivers feel that it's ok to clip me with their wing-mirror, turn left on me without indicating, to go over the speed limit while overtaking me, or to overtake me when we're approaching a blind corner etc...

I've had enough, so I'm pretty much at war with car drivers now and will be going on the defensive.

-

On a slightly nicer note, I went up to London yesterday to watch the final stage of the Tour Of Britain. Not the most imaginative of stages (up and down the Victoria Embankment), but it was certainly spectator friendly. A decent stage win by Cavendish, but his poor performance in the morning TT stage meant that he lost the points jersey to Gerrant Thomas - perhaps rightly so I guess.

Kinda makes me want to go to france next year for the TdF finish in Paris. :scratchhead:

Edited by Halcyon
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modey Apprentice

modey

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Posted (edited)

Does that sort of thing happen a lot then? Bit shit when you can't even ride your bike without getting aboused by some thug :( Luckily we don't get that sort of thing over here.

Got out on my bike yesterday in the http://www.manxe2e.o...tegories/view/4 yesterday, only managed 30 miles though, hills and mud were a killer

great event though, just need to train a bit harder for next year :training:

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  • 2 months later...
Halcyon Newbie

Halcyon

Posted
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Just written a rather long email to a friend who's just bought a bike and asked me for advice about equipment and stuff. Figured it might be useful to some folk on here.

WARNING.... LONG ASS WALL OF TEXT!!!

Hi there Matt.

So... you asked about bike stuff, and rather than do a half assed job in 140 characters, I figured it'd be better to do a (not so) brief email. First off... welcome to the cause! I know you've been looking at getting one for a fair while, so congrats for finally taking the plunge. Not exactly sure what you went for in the end (I presume some sort of hybrid city bike) or what you'll be using it for (distance/commuting/leisure riding) so my advice will be somewhat generic.

------

In terms of ride height (since you specifically mentioned it)... in my opinion it's widely misunderstood that the height of the saddle is the most important thing to adjust. In fact, there is only one position your saddle should be at, and it's the height of the handle bars you'll want to adjust. Your saddle should be set so that when sat on it and your foot on the peddle, when the peddle is at the bottom of its circle (ie 6 o'clock position), your knee should be just a little bit bent. Not straight (otherwise your knee will constantly be locking out), but not too bent otherwise you won't be applying as much leg power into the peddles while riding as you could be (ie riding inefficiently).

Once that's set right (it'll take you a couple of attempts to get it right), you can then adjust the handlebar height depending on your preferred riding body geometry. This is where your use for the bike comes in. If your touring (ie leisurely 10mph rides on a Sunday afternoon around the park with the girlfriend), then you'll want the handlebars up high so that you are sitting up on the bike with your back straight. If you're going to be doing serious rides (40-50 miles on a cold wet Saturday morning on major roads to get your fitness up), then you'll want the handlebars low - either level or lower than the saddle - so that you're leaning forward right onto the handlebars. The latter option will allow you to get the most power into the pedals (through the balls of your feet), the former is probably a bit more comfortable. For city commuting to and from work on a hybrid, I'd suggest something that strikes a balance between the two... handlebars level with, or slightly higher than the saddle - but it's down to personal taste with a bit of trial and error.

As for how to adjust the handle bar height... it involves undoing the headset bolt, removing the handlebar stem, and adding/removing the circular spacers. Be sure not to over tighten the headset bolt when you put it back together... that'll stiffen the steering up and damage the innards of the fork. This is where someone with a adjustable torque wrench comes in handy. Link: http://sheldonbrown.com/headsets.html

But get stuck in and give it a go. Don't be scared of tinkering with your bike... it's a machine after all and will need tuning and adjusting like any other machine. The more you can do yourself, the less you'll have to rely on the bike shop.

-----

And this leads me to my top piece of advice - make friends with the lads down at your local bike shop. And unless you have their service cover, I don't mean Halfords. Their great and all... but it's not personal service. Getting to know your local bike shop mechanics can work wonders. If you need something done they'll do it for a fee... get into their good books they'll get it done in half the time and with twice the care and attention - and maybe even throw in a few freebies for you (last time I went into my local for some work on the frame after a spill, they re-spoked and trued up both my wheels for free for me). But beyond that, they're a fountain of advice and info... need to adjust your gear timing but don't know how... the shop can either do it for you, or if they're quiet, can talk you through how to do it yourself. It helps if you buy all your shit from them, but just making your face known and taking your cycling seriously goes a long way.

Second bit of advice is to look after you bike. It's not unusual to spend as long cleaning and trimming up your bike as you do riding it. Keep the frame clean, keep the brakes tight and the wheel rims free from brake rubber, keep the gear cassette and cranks all oiled and free from grit, and the chain well lubricated. If you do, there's no reason why the bike can't last you years. Never put the bike away in the shed still wet... wipe it down with a microfiber cloth. Generally, take pride in a clean and tidy bike. I got laughed at turning up for turning up to a group ride with a filthy bike once... oh the shame!

If you're going on roads with heavy traffic, in my opinion you need to learn to be an aggressive rider. This doesn't mean being a dangerous antisocial cyclist that thinks nothing of breaking the rules of the road - don't be that guy... don't be the cyclist to give us other cyclists a bad name. Instead, you need to be able to lay claim to the bit of road that your riding on, whilst still being courteous to car drivers. I ride approx 1/3 of the way across the lane rather than in the gutter - safer for me not to ride over the drain hole and in all the crap at the side of the road, and ensures that cars can't actually overtake me unless it's safe for them to do so. Got me in trouble a couple of times, but works more often than not. And if a driver does cause you issues and confronts you, don't be scared to give them the finger and stand your ground. I've kicked a few bumpers and scratched a few paintworks in my time. Make aggressive drivers go on the defensive and accuse them of unsafe manoeuvres... the police will believe you (the vulnerable cyclist) over them (the road rage ridden tank driver). Perhaps I should shut up now... and not scare you anymore.

Most of all... enjoy your riding. If you don't enjoy cycling, then you just won't want cycle. It's simple as that. You get the best fitness results not by cycling a long ass way once a week... but riding shorter distances regularly day after day after day... and that takes mental effort. If you don't enjoy cycling, you won't want to ride, and then you've just got an expensive metal dust gatherer thing taking up space in your shed/front room.

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In terms of gear... it depends on how much you want to spend. What I've listed below is some stuff you may or may not find useful (I certainly have), in a rough order of priority.

1. Helmet. Not really much to say to be honest... wear a helmet/don't wear a helmet. I don't care, but you will die eventually if you don't and you won't get any sympathy from me (or any other cyclist) when you do. You may think you look like a tit to people you whizz past and never see again... but you'll look like more of a tit when you're dead. Simple.

2. Lights. If you're likely to be riding in the dark or twilight, then dammit... make sure your properly lit up. Preferably like a freaking Christmas tree. The more the better. On my hybrid road bike I ride to work on, I have two of these (http://www.wiggle.co...ed-front-light/) at the front - one pointing to the ground about 6ft in front of me, the other pointing up at oncoming traffic. On the rear I have something like this (http://www.wiggle.co...led-rear-light/) flashing away on the seat post; and one of these on each of the seat stays (http://www.wiggle.co...ail-light-pair/). The FibreFlares are fantastic... and really light the road up behind me. Plus they look mega cool and are unusual. One thing to mention... you need at least one non-flashing light at the front and rear, otherwise you're not legal. Flashing lights on their own are not legal. Others will tell you otherwise, but they're just wrong... I've looked into it. I personally don't wear a high vis jacket (unless it's raining or foggy), but my bag has a high vis cover that I always use (red http://www.wiggle.co...ion-compatible/)

3. Top. It's up to you if you go for a cycling jersey (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/jerseys-tops/ and http://www.wiggle.co...team-jerseys-1/)... personal choice and all that (I ride in a HTC Highroad or a Team Sky jersey). What I would definitely recommend however is one of these: (http://www.wiggle.co...shield-mock-12/ or http://www.wiggle.co...eve-tight-mock/). These are basically a compression undergarment and are amazing at keeping you warm. It's unbelievable how great these things are when worn under a jersey, tshirt or jumper. They kinda emphasises the old beer gut unfortunately, as they're designed to hug your body (literally!)... but that's a small price to pay for keeping warm in the cold weather.

4. Bottoms. Optional, as shorts or track suit bottoms and trouser clips can suffice, but I would suggest some padded shorts (http://www.wiggle.co...ded-bib-shorts/) or padded lyrca 'tights' (http://www.wiggle.co...dded-bib-tight/). Something padded at least. As a tangent... if, after anything longer than a 3 hour ride, your ass is a bit stiff and your 'groin' a little bit sore - then that's understandable. If however, after an hour or two's ride you feel sore, then you're riding wrong. That short a ride shouldn't hurt. You're either sitting on the wrong part of the saddle, or on the wrong part of your bum, or with your back in the wrong shape (hence putting more weight on your tush and not through your legs). Don't listen to anyone that tells you that cycling is meant to be hard on your butt - it's not.

5. Puncture Repair Gear. Pretty much essential, as there's nout worse than getting a puncture and not being able to fix it. It'll be an embarrassing train journey home when it happens. I always ride with a pump, spare inner tube (easier to replace the tube and repair later than try and patch it at the road side), tyre irons and a set of tube patches. Some links to the stuff I use: (http://www.wiggle.co...oy-tyre-levers/) (http://www.wiggle.co...ure-repair-kit/) (http://www.wiggle.co...h-with-gauge-1/). Note: these are stowed away in my jersey pockets or rucksack, because I personally can't stand gay floppy saddle bags.

-----

And so, on to the luxuries.

6. Pedals & Shoes. Flat normal pedals are all fine and dandy... but once you try cycling with cleats on the bottom of your (special cycling) shoes, you'll never go back. Replacing your pedals with something like this (http://www.wiggle.co...pd-m520-pedals/) and wearing some of these (http://www.wiggle.co...d-cycling-shoe/ or http://www.wiggle.co...-cycling-shoes/, both of which I use and love) allows you to get twice as much power into the pedals (you can power up on the upstroke for example) and generally ride much more efficiently. They require practice using (clipping in takes practice, but you soon learn how to unclip in a hurry!), but are well worth the somewhat sizeable investment.

7. Gloves. Padded gloves are very useful in preserving the palms of your hands (anything on here http://www.wiggle.co...-finger-gloves/), and a pair of warm gloves (I recommend something like this http://www.wiggle.co...erley-ii-glove/ as mine are discontinued these days).

8. Bar Ends & Grips. I take it you have straight handlebars (rather than drops like on a road bike)? If so, and if your bike doesn't have them already, consider some bar ends such as these (http://www.wiggle.co...ds-xs-bar-ends/). You'll soon learn that holding the vertical grips is a lot more comfy than the horizontal bar. You don't have control of the brakes or gear... but I always found it much more fun holding the vertical bars, and is the reason why I eventually put drop handle bars on my hybrid (so that I could control the brakes/gears in that position). Also, these look interesting... (http://www.wiggle.co...andlebar-grips/). Not tried them myself, but I'd imagine the extra surface area will help relief wrist pressure and a mate of mine who has something similar swears by them.

9. Mini Tool. You never know when you might want to tweak your saddle, or tighten up the headset... so I carry this with me (http://www.wiggle.co...v-5-multi-tool/)

10. Computer. Some of these fancy bike computers have average speeds, and timers, and heart rates, and calorie counts and this and that and whatever... but beyond my speed, for how far I've been doing that speed, and what the time is... I don't really need to know anything more. So I have a simple detachable computer that I swap between my bikes (racked up my 6000th mile this year the other week!). That's just me though. But whichever one you do get, make sure you get a wireless one. Wires running up the fork to your handle bars really are the dirt worst thing, and just scream amateur. Really is worth the extra tenna or so.

11. Tyres. This is a little bit more subjective, and depending on what your bike comes with, it's probably something you can hold fire on until you know what you want. Just bear in mind... wide knobbly tyres are for riding on dirt and down hills. On a bike you ride on the road they're just extra weight and require 3x the effort to ride with. In my opinion... the smoother and narrower the tyre the better - at the cost of grip. You need to strike a balance if riding on wet roads. On my roadie, I ride with these (700x23 http://www.wiggle.co...skin-road-tyre/) the thinnest I could get without going to tubular tyres, but on the hybrid I have something slightly wider with more tread and puncture protection (700x28 http://www.wiggle.co...igid-road-tyre/). Anything more than 32 or 35mm wide and you're wasting energy in my opinion... but that's from my slightly skewed point of view... you might prefer the extra grip.

12. Lubrication. Keep a bottle of this handy, and apply sparingly every so often to keep the chain running smoothly (http://www.wiggle.co...nt-60ml-bottle/)

13. Cleaning. Some stuff I find useful: (http://www.wiggle.co...tle-with-spray/), (http://www.wiggle.co...iece-brush-set/), (http://www.wiggle.co...off-claw-brush/) (http://www.wiggle.co...-chain-cleaner/), (http://www.wiggle.co...-400ml-aerosol/), (http://www.wiggle.co...olishing-cloth/) and an old dirty tea towel.

----

And that's about your lot. There's a lot of stuff there I know... but you don't need it all at once. Cycling is not a cheap hobby... there's always that next thing you want that'll make your bike better. And then as soon as your bike is as good as you want it... you'll want a new bike. I say 'you'... really I mean 'me'. I pimped out my hybrid, and then wanted a full-on carbon road bike, got used to that way of riding, and then wanted to convert my hybrid into as much of a road bike it could be!

All these links are to wiggle.com as their website is a dream to use... but similar stuff can be found on http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ and on http://www.evanscycles.com/. Also... they can all be used in conjunction with https://www.quidco.com/ for cashback bonuses.

Other useful links I have saved: http://www.jimlangle...rts_labeled.jpg, http://sheldonbrown.com/articles.html, http://www.cyclingnews.com/, http://www.cyclingwe...co.uk/news.html

-----

My apologies for the extra extra massive long email here, and I wouldn't blame you if you don't bother reading it or don't listen to any of my advice. I'm sure you can tell I'm incredibly enthusiastic about cycling, and have a habit of rambling on a bit. I've been asked a bunch of times about cycling advice, so thought I'd make a good job of it and make it a blog post. And as with all things... this is all just my opinion from my point as a someone who enjoys cycling and wants as many people to enjoy it as well. Some of it may not apply to someone who's just cycling here and there for leisure, but I think most of it rings true not matter what your motivation is.

As for going out riding like you mentioned... any time mate. It'd be an honour and a pleasure to come up and go for a ride with you. And it's not about destroying or competing with fellow riders.... a good rider is a disciplined rider. Any old mug can sprint away and leave their riding mate in the dust. Real riders work together with other cyclist... minimising the amount of effort both cyclists can get away with if going for distance, or urging each other to work as hard as they can if going for speed. So while I might go quicker or longer on my own, I always much more enjoy riding with friends and other riders - it's so much more rewarding that just knocking out the same old 40miles on your tod.

So once the weather gets a bit nicer... then let's set a date!

Best of luck while out riding fella... if you're anything like me I'm sure you'll love it. I hope I've helped here, probably given you much more to think about than you were aware of. Shout if you have any other questions, and be sure to let me know how you're getting on in a couple of weeks.

Talk to you soon mate...

P.

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  • 2 months later...
Paul ™ Experienced

Paul ™

Posted
Posted

First outing of the year and did a mere 6 1/4 miles in 42min. Am so unfit so probably will stick to short, regular rides for a bit then build it up over time.

Really felt it going up any sort of hill, but then am probably not using the gears right either!

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Rufus Gwertigan Proficient

Rufus Gwertigan

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I have just read this thread with real interest. I used to cycle a lot nearly 20 years ago and bought myself a "town" bike before Christmas. I have arthritis and cycling takes some of the pressure off my knees. But I notice if mentions about riding aggresively. I used to be fine on the roads but I take some long detours on the route to uni. Some of the main roads in Manchester are totally mental and you really have to ride with your wits about you.

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nightcrawler13 Newbie

nightcrawler13

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thanks for that :)

I cycled three lots of 90 miles over the easter weekend, i think maybe my seat was just a touch to low and my gears turned up to high as the front top of my left knee cap is killllllling me, any exercises you recommend to get it back to normal a bit faster?

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nightcrawler13 Newbie

nightcrawler13

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Posted

it's not what I want to hear, but it helps, thanks for saving me from doing any more damage :)

I've been reading up about good form and knee care off a few bike sites, apparently all the Swiss take Glucosamine and Chondroitin and have good joints till their 80s.... was thinking about buying these, and some cod liver oil, as I'm pretty sure I'll be cycling for a long time, and now I've discovered the fun of long distance it seems a good idea to look after myself? :huh:

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