Bicycle thread

[CTG]

Into the wind. I don't yet have aero bars on this gravel bike, but have found that I can wedge my forearms in to the hoods to get a really flat - perhaps too flat for leg clearance since I'm now fatter - aero profile.
By this point I had taken the jersey off and undid the tops of the bibs, then tucked the straps into the lower section and put the jersey back on. So... I now see that that helps my jersey back ride up. Whatever - I can't stand having the extra layer of heat retention on with bibs uppers, and really don't like the minor breathing restriction wearing bib uppers cause.

Dave, I know we have had the grown men wearing schoolgirl socks discussion!

Even the schoolgirls don't wear schoolgirl socks. They prefer tights and long sleeves. The long onesies are popular, but those wouldn't work on you either.

 

[Mambo Danny]

Dave, I know we have had the grown men wearing schoolgirl socks discussion!

Even the schoolgirls don't wear schoolgirl socks. They prefer tights and long sleeves. The long onesies are popular, but those wouldn't work on you either.

Yet you keep looking at my legs...

I was waiting for you - the UCI chairperson - to chime in on sock length. It's high fashion from the epicenter of the "look at me" cyclists in south Florida. You people who wear black almost every day wouldn't understand.

 

[CTG]

I don't care for your legs, but I can't miss those socks... or the "fat" panel shorts. lol The girls absolutely-will-not wear those.

Sock length has nothing to do UCI. It has everything to do with poor taste.

Who wears black? Even our club shorts and tights are navy blue.

 

[CTG]

BTW, UCI is a dirty word for us. We organise our own events and at least once a year we have someone from the UCI making threats.

 

[Mambo Danny]

I don't care for your legs, but I can't miss those socks... or the "fat" panel shorts. lol The girls absolutely-will-not wear those.

Sock length has nothing to do UCI. It has everything to do with poor taste.

Who wears black? Even our club shorts and tights are navy blue.

So you and yours don't often wear black, or mostly dark colors, when not on the bikes? That seems not the norm for the areas you frequent.

 

[Mambo Danny]

I don't care for your legs, but I can't miss those socks... or the "fat" panel shorts. lol The girls absolutely-will-not wear those.

Sock length has nothing to do UCI. It has everything to do with poor taste.

Who wears black? Even our club shorts and tights are navy blue.

I'll have you know... those aren't fat panel shorts. I'm now fat, making them look fat. I gained weight after not cycling from covid and the surgery, and having my beloved bike break during the recovery had me stop cycling altogether for a few weeks there out of depression, even after I got the Diverge. The Diverge, thankfully, is starting to come together for the fit, but then there's that nagging 1x issue that irks me.

 

[Mambo Danny]

I don't care for your legs, but I can't miss those socks... or the "fat" panel shorts. lol The girls absolutely-will-not wear those.

Sock length has nothing to do UCI. It has everything to do with poor taste.

Who wears black? Even our club shorts and tights are navy blue.

Oh Christine...

You already know that the USA leads the world in fashion. You know that Lance Armstrong won the tour fair and square, and now you know... that high sock height fashion is agreed upon on both coasts of the USA.
10:55 in this video:

 

[CTG]

Oh Christine...

You already know that the USA leads the world in fashion. You know that Lance Armstrong won the tour fair and square, and now you know... that high sock height fashion is agreed upon on both coasts of the USA.
10:55 in this video:

US leads the world in something. I am fairly certain it is NOT cycling fashion!

He says "Right to the bottom of the calf". Read that twice! lol Not knee height!

Even bottom of the calf is too high for me.

 

[CTG]

I'll have you know... those aren't fat panel shorts. I'm now fat, making them look fat. I gained weight after not cycling from covid and the surgery, and having my beloved bike break during the recovery had me stop cycling altogether for a few weeks there out of depression, even after I got the Diverge. The Diverge, thankfully, is starting to come together for the fit, but then there's that nagging 1x issue that irks me.

You do know what I mean by fat panel? Your friends are wearing them too. It is that horizontal panel for sponsors logo makes riders look fat. And fat riders look fatter! lol

I could make an excuse every day not to get on my bike...

Good you're on your way back.

Florida flat land 1x should be okay. Without spending too much get rid of the pie plate cassette... You'd probably be okay with something like 11-32 and 44 or 46 ring.

 

[CTG]

So you and yours don't often wear black, or mostly dark colors, when not on the bikes? That seems not the norm for the areas you frequent.

We are talking about cycling aren't we?

If you refer to Ukraine attire... Neutral tones, not camouflage, not black.

Or are you a Republican?

 

[2whlrcr]

I typically don't wear socks on road rides. Just one more thing to wash.

 

[Mambo Danny]

 

[CTG]

Before cycling there were a few triathlons. Worst thing ever was getting sand in my shoes with bare feet and it was always worth the few extra seconds to clean sand of my feet properly and put on socks.

 

[CTG]

I'm sure a Redshift would do far more than a steel frame and a wide gravel tire, and the roads around me are rough enough to justify a cush seat post. I like that the Redshift allows tuning, unlike other options.

Do you have any experience with a Redshift stem? I have a CF fork, but again, a little more isolation would be welcome.

Redshift stem absorbs a lot of vibrations and impacts well and is better than most and a good option for "a little more isolation".

What I didn't like about the Redshift stem, and this is common to all suspension attempts using elastomers is the comparatively over damped feel that lacks response. We were able to demonstrate reduced suspension and tyre losses in addition to a smoother ride using a carbon sprung stem. Every bump that lifts the bike and rider or deforms the tyre is using energy that comes from the rider and the purpose of the stems is energy recovery. Same on the rear of my K10S that had semi active suspension with an elastomer spring. A new suspension unit with a carbon spring transformed the rear of the bike.
But that was chasing marginal gains.

 

[Mambo Danny]

Thanks for the information.

This is for a Marin Nicasio 2, so I'll be using it for non-competitive gravel riding and as a utility bike, not in a breakaway during Paris-Roubaix. Considering your standards, "better than most" is high praise from someone riding a K10S. Redshift has 10% off the seat post and a blemished Pro stem, so I may go ahead and order. They'll pair well with my Tailfin AeroPack.

Do give us a report if you get the stem.

 

[CTG]

Thanks for the information.

This is for a Marin Nicasio 2, so I'll be using it for non-competitive gravel riding and as a utility bike, not in a breakaway during Paris-Roubaix. Considering your standards, "better than most" is high praise from someone riding a K10S. Redshift has 10% off the seat post and a blemished Pro stem, so I may go ahead and order. They'll pair well with my Tailfin AeroPack.

Fun bike... I have a steel bike with 8 speed Shimano Claris built for the club shop and sold for about €400 (they'd retail for about twice that) to members. The same can also be bought with Sora or Tiagra for not a lot more money. On a climb like Ventoux (1600m, 22km) the difference between one of those bikes and my PCW costing 40 times (!!!) more is a few minutes. On the flat aero penalty is about 3-4kph at my FTP. Sometimes I use it for club rides and this year our team rode the same in a few races in the criterium series and we didn't do any worse. There is a lot to be said for basic, but well designed bikes that don't cost a fortune.

 

[Mambo Danny]

I'm glad I waited a little longer. They currently have blemished Pro stems and regular seat posts on sale. That combination is the same price as the non-blem regular stem & seat post, so I'll save a little weight without spending more.

The 10% off first order code doesn't apply to sale items, but shipping is still free: https://redshiftsports.com/collections/scratch-dent

OMG, now with the pro stem they carry the length stem I would have needed. That's cool, but my frame on that bike is still broken.

 

[Mambo Danny]

How do Assos bibs rate today? I'm still happy with an old pair, but I wouldn't mind a second so I can avoid wearing them again before the chamois is completely dry. My old Airblock stuff is still perfectly fine for winter.

My first ride with a number of upgrades was brief, but went well. Shimano Deore PD-M8120 XT pedals were fine, and my budget Shimano XC3 shoes were more comfortable with a single BOA adjuster than a pair of Specialized I tried with BOA + strap.

The Tailfin AeroPack Alloy rode fine, with my only complaint being the use of Torx screws. I'll re-assemble it with better thread locker, and I need to make a bracket for my tail light. I used a zip tie to hold the mount in place on the bag, and it worked okay as a temp fix.

I've been riding with a small Camelbak out of necessity, but with the Tailfin, those days are over. I don't mind riding a motorcycle with a small pack, though. I'll assemble the Tailfin panniers for a shopping trip tomorrow. I almost feel bad for leaving my truck parked so much.

I can only answer from a few friends' (who turned other friends onto them who also now use them) endurance riding perspective. There is one specific Assos chamois pad that they swear by for general riding up to 200-mile gravel races, but I've never felt like spending that much to try it out, so I don't know which one it is.

 

[Mambo Danny]

Find a good welder and see what they say. While not ideal, careful TIG work might save it.

Unfortunately, that is risking too much out there. We can be 10, 15 - perhaps more but I don't want to exaggerate without looking at the maps - miles from the closest public-accessible roads/paths when out on the gravel. With temps that hit in the mid-90's, extreme sun, etc., I just can't chance a weld creating a weak point to another area on the aluminum chainstay or seatstay.

 

[Mambo Danny]

I grew up wearing wool & real chamois shorts, and those weren't really in my budget at the time, so I don't mind spending a little more for good stuff when I can.

I'm surprised that my 20 year old shorts are fine, with no apparent degradation anywhere. Even the leg grippers are still tacky. I see that Assos has a gravel specific short that might be what your friends are using. They (of course) tout the chamois as something special.

Well, these folks have been racing gravel longer than the fad of Assos, and others, have been creating gravel clothing and gravel chamois. I'm just about positive that isn't it unless that same chamois has been offered by Assos for about ten years.

I have three sets of Giordana Silverline bibs that I like, but then I've never raced for 200 miles. What I like about those is the lower front waistline. I despise having another layer between my belly and bibs for two reasons, heat retention (or, I guess, lack of cooling), and real or perceived diaphragmatic breathing restriction.

I finally got a new set of bibs in the mail a few weeks ago - those grey NeoPro bibs in my pictures. I really like them so far... except for somewhere about 1/3rd into a 60 or 70 mile gravel ride where I have to stop, take the jersey off, tuck the straps and top down into the lower portion, then put the jersey back on and go. Even during the warm-weather warm-up, 0550 AM in the morning (started at 0530), I felt the extra heat building up of the extra layer in the front.