Official Road Cycling Thread

[Markr]

No cycling at all this weekend - weather was bad on both days, yesterday especially - we went out for afternoon tea and had to use a brolly from the house to the car and still got soaked. Today has been on and off rain, dry now, but way too windy to go out. Starting to think about setting the winter trainer up. I took some time to strip the bike down yesterday morning, wash it, ceramic coat it and reassemble. Just wheels, cages and accessories off, so nothing major, but a good chance to inspect everything.

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by M_Six

I once got caught out about 3 miles from home in a torrential downpour. The worst part of it was the salt getting in my eyes from the rain pouring through my helmet. The second worst part was my eyeglasses kept fogging up and I had nothing dry to wipe them clean. Ever since then I check the weather radar carefully before I ride and if there's any chance of a downpour, I stay home. I never want to repeat that nightmare ride again.

I usually do but at the time I was raring to go, you know when you decide and just do it at the time when it's dry outside and can't wait anymore.

[UncleWede]

When the shreader valve gets a little bent because SOMEBODY forgot to screw it back down after filling up 2 weeks ago, then rode it around, can it be made to screw back down now? Or do I need to go get a new tube?

Recreational at this point. I'm riding my dad's old Trek on Sunday mornings, to loosen up my legs after soccer on Friday nights. I have a 10mile circuit that tours me thru the city in relative safety, lightly used roads on a Sunday morning.

[chassis]

Do you mean Presta valve? The Schrader is a non-adjustable valve. Yes, you can screw the Presta in place, if it is not too bent. There are inserts available for repair but I have not had luck with these. When needed, I have simply installed a new tube.

[M_Six]

I had a Presta valve with a bad O-ring that kept sticking. The LBS tech just removed the Presta insert from the tube stem and inserted a new one. All fixed. Looked pretty easy, although still beyond my skill set.

[UncleWede]

I'm old, what can I say? I have both currently on my bike. But yes, seeing the pictures now, it's the Presta that is hosed up. My rims don't match either, so . . . P up front, S in back, with relative width of rim to match.

I like what M_six is saying, and I saw inserts were available online, so maybe I just need one replaced instead of the tube.

[erickonphoenix]

After several years on single speed I bought a geared road bike last week. Nothing exotic but a certainly handsome State "Undefeated" road bike. Put in a 26 mile warm up ride on it Saturday. Will swap out the platform pedals for clip-ins tonight.

....and yes I did color match the bike to my F31 so I'm a beret and a cigarette away from losing my native Texan status.

[chassis]

Great looking roadie!

[M_Six]

Nice. I like 1x bikes.

[M5Rick]

Planning a 20-ish miler tomorrow with sun all day, was going to go today but a garden beginning to look like a jungle made me concentrate on that.

[pshep138]

Almost done with the build on my Cervélo Soloist. Thing is an absolute rocket, even with me on it. I have a Cervélo Áspero-5 I ride gravel on, and this bike is such a wonderful counterpart to that.

When I took this photo, the chain was too short. It was reused from a previous build without the OSPW. I've since gotten a new chain that's the correct length. Still waiting on a 120mm stem to dial my fitment in, and then it'll be perfect.

I knocked out a 50 mile ride two nights ago, and that put me over 3,000 miles accumulated in 2023.

[M_Six]

^^^Sweet bike! That looks like a nice bike trail in the background. Can you ride around that body of water?

I'm just a tick over 3,800 miles so far this year. On pace for my 5k goal for the year.

[pshep138]

Originally Posted by M_Six

^^^Sweet bike! That looks like a nice bike trail in the background. Can you ride around that body of water?

I'm just a tick over 3,800 miles so far this year. On pace for my 5k goal for the year.

Yep - that lake is about a mile from my house. It's a nice ride, but full of pedestrian traffic on any nice day, so getting a good workout in isn't really an option most days.

I wanted to get 5,000 miles this year as well, but I really slacked off in May and June after spending the entire winter on my indoor trainer. I'm hoping I can bring it back and at least get 4,000.

[chassis]

7 miles, nice autumn evening. Temp around 70F with a breeze. The leaves are rapidly changing color. We saw several deer. Great time of year!

[M_Six]

I skipped the ride today. Wifey and I did 3 walks totaling 4.5 miles. She was off work this week, so we got lots of walking in. 22.6 miles in all. Back to riding tomorrow.

[UncleWede]

So, for those freezing SoCal winter months, what's the minimum I can get by with for a "trainer" to put in the garage or one of the 3 newly-available empty rooms in the house? If wife claims a sewing room, maybe I can get an exercise room going. Yoga mat and trainer ought to be sufficient, I still have plenty of closet space to hang clothing

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

So, for those freezing SoCal winter months, what's the minimum I can get by with for a "trainer" to put in the garage or one of the 3 newly-available empty rooms in the house? If wife claims a sewing room, maybe I can get an exercise room going. Yoga mat and trainer ought to be sufficient, I still have plenty of closet space to hang clothing

You could get a KICKR Snap for about $350. It's a wheel-on trainer, so you just mount your existing bike to it. You do need a special rear thru-axle, so make sure your bike is able to use a thru-axle.

https://www.wahoofitness.com/devices...kickr-snap-buy

Riding inside is one of those rabbit holes that can get expensive, though. Some folks can just sit on a trainer pedaling at the same speed while watching a movie or whatever. But then they try something like Zwift or Fulgaz and like the interactive experience. And then they want to get something more realistic so it feels more like riding outdoors. That means a better trainer and maybe a bigger TV to use with whatever program you decide on. Rinse and repeat. Being in SoCal, at least you don't have to endure indoor riding for 4 months or more like some of us.

[pshep138]

Got 155 miles in last week and one Strava KOM, my third one ever.

[pshep138]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

So, for those freezing SoCal winter months, what's the minimum I can get by with for a "trainer" to put in the garage or one of the 3 newly-available empty rooms in the house? If wife claims a sewing room, maybe I can get an exercise room going. Yoga mat and trainer ought to be sufficient, I still have plenty of closet space to hang clothing

You can score really cheap trainers on Facebook Marketplace, too. I bought a new in box Saris H3 last year for something like $350 (then had to buy a cassette for it), and then I upgraded to a used Garmin Tacx Neo 2T for $600, or about half of MSRP.

The Tacx Neo 2T is an insanely nice trainer, definitely my favorite one I've used.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by pshep138

Got 155 miles in last week and one Strava KOM, my third one ever.

Kudos on the KOM!

I've been trying to ramp up my rides from 20 miles to 30 miles at a time. The hard part is finding that extra time to squeeze in a longer ride.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Kudos on the KOM!

I've been trying to ramp up my rides from 20 miles to 30 miles at a time. The hard part is finding that extra time to squeeze in a longer ride.

Aren't you without work requirements???? I was told when I got there I'd have loads of time.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

Aren't you without work requirements???? I was told when I got there I'd have loads of time.

Not so. I'm usually shorter on available time now than I was when I was working. Too many projects. And a 90 minute ride really takes up 2-1/2 hours of the day when you add in prep time and putting the bike away and showering afterward.