Thread to tell everyone what bargains you've spotted!

london-red

redvision wrote:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-400-c17-cl-wheelset/

Anyone got any thoughts on these?

timothyw

London-Red wrote:

redvision wrote:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-400-c17-cl-wheelset/

Anyone got any thoughts on these?

It's not a lot of spokes. Wouldn't want to risk them far away from home.

If you want to do time trials and are worried about your wheels holding you back these should give you most of the advantage without the expense of deep carbon wheels.

sloppyschleckonds

TimothyW wrote:

London-Red wrote:

redvision wrote:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-400-c17-cl-wheelset/

Anyone got any thoughts on these?

It's not a lot of spokes. Wouldn't want to risk them far away from home.

Straight pull hubs so less worry about the spoke count

Personally for £200 ish wheels id go for the Askium USTs

london-red

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

TimothyW wrote:

London-Red wrote:

redvision wrote:

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/fulcrum-racing-400-c17-cl-wheelset/

Anyone got any thoughts on these?

It's not a lot of spokes. Wouldn't want to risk them far away from home.

Straight pull hubs so less worry about the spoke count

Personally for £200 ish wheels id go for the Askium USTs

And I’ve always found low spoke count campag wheels to be pretty much bomb proof, so that doesn’t worry me so much... Running Campag groupsets also limits the choice a bit..

N0bodyOfTheGoat

https://www.planetx.co.uk/c/q/deals/cle ... =price-asc

Few good deals, especially for hydraulic brake bikes.

david7m

5p arm warmers

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLCACAWOP ... armwarmers

wolfsbane2k

david7m wrote:

5p arm warmers

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CLCACAWOP ... armwarmers

Damn, now back to a tenner.
Shame, as that's the colours of one of the local racing teams..

kofsw4

Conti GP5000 700 X 25c finally down to a 'reasonable' price: £31.57 each at Amazon.

Continental Gp5000 Folding Bike Tyre, Black, 700 x 25 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07K91B78V/ ... .CbVSJQ1JT

indyp

Not showing that price now

crossed

Howies bib shorts half price here:

https://howies.co.uk/collections/mens-b ... 2692991043

daniel_b

Daniel B wrote:

Chpt3 shorts arrived yesterday - initial thoughts are positive.
Material is fairly thin, but then I knew that, so definitely more of a summer short imho.
Not tried them on for fit \ leg length yet, or for a ride, but will probably do so tomorrow.
As long as the fit does tie in with Castelli perfectly, then I see no issues, hoping leg length will be sufficient for my liking - I prefer long over short.

This will be my first pair of Castelli bib shorts as such, as I have their Omloops which are sublime, and also the Sorpasso tights which are equally phenomenal imho - or perhaps it is mostly down to the pad. I've tried their Kiss pad, and it isn't a patch on the Progetto for me.
Do Castelli make a short with a thicker material but still with the Progetto X2 pad does anyone know?
The endurance short perhaps?

What do those who also ordered think of theirs?

DrLex

Mine arrived yesterday. Feel v. good quality, but unable to get the straps over my shoulders, so going back. Not crazy about the gray tone- look almost like faded Lycra.

pblakeney

DrLex wrote:

Mine arrived yesterday. Feel v. good quality, but unable to get the straps over my shoulders, so going back. Not crazy about the gray tone- look almost like faded Lycra.

Yup. I think their comparison with Castelli sizes was "optimistic". Next size up apparently arriving this week so I will see if "going up one size for comfort" was the more accurate.

kofsw4

indyP wrote:

Not showing that price now

Random Amazon pricing!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/YBCL16279 ... zesty-lime £700 for Rival 1x11 hydraulic disc, bargaintastic! :shock:

j_mcd

NitrousOxide wrote:

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/YBCL1627954/planet-x-london-road-sl-rival-1---large---zesty-lime £700 for Rival 1x11 hydraulic disc, bargaintastic! :shock:

I've got one of those, and that's 300 quid less than I paid. I paid a grand for mine a few years back and felt quite underwhelmed, I'm sure I could have got more bike for my money elsewhere.

In addition, ask yourself, do you really want a 1x gear set? I find that I never use the dinner plate sized cog and can easily spin out on the sprints. Not had to replace a cassette yet but I've heard that they aren't cheap! The whole package is heavy as well, probably not helped by those wheels!

whyamihere

J_MCD wrote:

NitrousOxide wrote:

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/YBCL1627954/planet-x-london-road-sl-rival-1---large---zesty-lime £700 for Rival 1x11 hydraulic disc, bargaintastic! :shock:

I've got one of those, and that's 300 quid less than I paid. I paid a grand for mine a few years back and felt quite underwhelmed, I'm sure I could have got more bike for my money elsewhere.

In addition, ask yourself, do you really want a 1x gear set? I find that I never use the dinner plate sized cog and can easily spin out on the sprints. Not had to replace a cassette yet but I've heard that they aren't cheap! The whole package is heavy as well, probably not helped by those wheels!

The bolded bit suggests you need a bigger chainring.

apreading

Yeah - that bike only has a 42T chainring - 42x11 will spin out easily. I find on my 50T chainring, I could live without the 11 but wouldnt want to be without the 12 so to give the same ratio as 50x12 you would need to be 46x11.

Ideally I would go 48 at the front, with a 42T cassette, that would still give a low gear the equivalent of 34x30 so plenty low enough for most.

If you want an easier low gear then a 46 at the front would be OK and unlikely to spin out.

tgotb

apreading wrote:

Yeah - that bike only has a 42T chainring - 42x11 will spin out easily.

Blimey. I have 38 x 12-32 on my CX bike, and it seems to be fine for 35mph; it's about 84", which is a reasonable track gearing. Decent Youth B (U14) riders will happily spin a 79" gear (48x16) up to nearly 40mph in a bunch sprint.

At what cadence are you "spinning" out?

PhilipPirrip

To be clear, the London Road is sold as a commuter bike designed for carrying a person and a load to and from work, and at that price it's a good bike for the money.

It's not designed for racing or sprinting so to criticise it for not being something it doesn't claim to be is unfair.

apreading

I can only guess that the 42T chainring was chosen as half way between the 34 and 50 on the most popular compact chainset. Which would be the obvious compromise if they had a standard 11-28 or 11-32 cassette on the back. But with a dirty great 42 tooth cassette they have absolutely no need for such a small chainring - even a beginner on the steepest of hills wouldn’t need 42x42. So a 46T chainring would have been a much more sensible choice.

I border on spinning out on 50x12 at the bottom of a descent when I want to try and carry that speed onto the next flat bit. It’s not a problem but would be if all I had to call on was 42x11.

timothyw

TGOTB wrote:

apreading wrote:

Yeah - that bike only has a 42T chainring - 42x11 will spin out easily.

Blimey. I have 38 x 12-32 on my CX bike, and it seems to be fine for 35mph; it's about 84", which is a reasonable track gearing. Decent Youth B (U14) riders will happily spin a 79" gear (48x16) up to nearly 40mph in a bunch sprint.

At what cadence are you "spinning" out?

You are fine at 35mph on a 38x12 gear?

Even with 700x32 cyclocross tyres that would require an 138rpm cadence....

I'm calling Strava or it didn't happen.

Or when you say fine, do you mean that you are fine going downhill at 35mph, with the occasional manic spin to keep the speed up?

Similarly I doubt happy is how you can describe anyone trying to spin a 79" gear at nearly 40mph... at 35mph we're talking 150rpm, 40mph would require 170rpm... it's basically the fact that these youths are capable of spinning the pedals that fast which makes them decent youth riders, because they are limited on gear inches. Adult riders free from these restrictions use much bigger gears.

I've got a 1x bike with a 46 chainring and an 11-36 cassette and I'm thinking of getting rid to reclaim the space - the range is fine (similar to 50-34 with 12-28) but there's very little joy in riding it (always feel like I'm in the wrong gear..) so I always take one of my other bikes.

tgotb

TimothyW wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

apreading wrote:

Yeah - that bike only has a 42T chainring - 42x11 will spin out easily.

Blimey. I have 38 x 12-32 on my CX bike, and it seems to be fine for 35mph; it's about 84", which is a reasonable track gearing. Decent Youth B (U14) riders will happily spin a 79" gear (48x16) up to nearly 40mph in a bunch sprint.

At what cadence are you "spinning" out?

You are fine at 35mph on a 38x12 gear?

Even with 700x32 cyclocross tyres that would require an 138rpm cadence....

I'm calling Strava or it didn't happen.

Or when you say fine, do you mean that you are fine going downhill at 35mph, with the occasional manic spin to keep the speed up?

Similarly I doubt happy is how you can describe anyone trying to spin a 79" gear at nearly 40mph... at 35mph we're talking 150rpm, 40mph would require 170rpm... it's basically the fact that these youths are capable of spinning the pedals that fast which makes them decent youth riders, because they are limited on gear inches. Adult riders free from these restrictions use much bigger gears.

This was all on the flat. I don't cruise along at 35mph; neither do you. I hit 35mph in the sprint at the start of a CX race on the tarmac at Hillingdon a few years back; I'm not on Strava, but there's a photo of me winning the holeshot somewhere. I don't actually know whether I was in 38x12, but it's the longest gear on that bike, so it's a reasonable assumption. And yes, that's ~138rpm. No big deal, trackies will hit much higher cadence than that.

And yes, 40mph on a 79" gear is 170rpm. That probably is on Strava; I've no idea how to search it, but if you can find someone's trace from the final stage of this year's Isle of Man Youth Tour (Youth B category) you'll see the boys were nudging 40mph on the finishing straight (which is dead flat). The girls were a couple of mph slower, I think we calculated 165rpm.

I'm not suggesting anyone rides around at those cadences for prolonged periods; my point is that if your gearing's good for 35-40mph in a sprint, you're probably not spinning out at normal riding speeds.

daniel_b

PBlakeney wrote:

DrLex wrote:

Mine arrived yesterday. Feel v. good quality, but unable to get the straps over my shoulders, so going back. Not crazy about the gray tone- look almost like faded Lycra.

Yup. I think their comparison with Castelli sizes was "optimistic". Next size up apparently arriving this week so I will see if "going up one size for comfort" was the more accurate.

Tried my 30's on this morning - plenty of Sumo moves to get them on, straps are spot on for me as I have a short torso comparatively.

Observations -
Liking the grey finish, and goes with my CR1
Not very flexible fabric, fit wise I would say this 30 is on a par with Rapha XS.
Quite a low cut at the front, not very flattering if you have a bit of an overhang.
Pad position felt good, general fabric felt thicker when on, than out of the bag if that makes sense.

Will keep them, but they will definitely only be for when I am at my lightest weight!
Suspect if I went up to a 31 the straps would be too long for me.

matt-h

NitrousOxide wrote:

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/YBCL1627954/planet-x-london-road-sl-rival-1---large---zesty-lime £700 for Rival 1x11 hydraulic disc, bargaintastic! :shock:

Its not new.
The description notes it as a used return

itsrob

Daniel B wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

DrLex wrote:

Mine arrived yesterday. Feel v. good quality, but unable to get the straps over my shoulders, so going back. Not crazy about the gray tone- look almost like faded Lycra.

Yup. I think their comparison with Castelli sizes was "optimistic". Next size up apparently arriving this week so I will see if "going up one size for comfort" was the more accurate.

Tried my 30's on this morning - plenty of Sumo moves to get them on, straps are spot on for me as I have a short torso comparatively.

Observations -
Liking the grey finish, and goes with my CR1
Not very flexible fabric, fit wise I would say this 30 is on a par with Rapha XS.
Quite a low cut at the front, not very flattering if you have a bit of an overhang.
Pad position felt good, general fabric felt thicker when on, than out of the bag if that makes sense.

Will keep them, but they will definitely only be for when I am at my lightest weight!
Suspect if I went up to a 31 the straps would be too long for me.

Size L / 32 showing as stock this morning. Ive gone for some. Thats very optimistic - and based on my nanoflex being XL, will see if I can get into them :shock:

tgotb

TimothyW wrote:

I'm calling Strava or it didn't happen.

I was bored, so I found it. This is the Girls Youth B (U14) winner of the last stage of this year's IOM Youth Tour:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2345160969/analysis
The bunch sprint occurs at about 27.5km (looks like she also recorded a warm-down lap). Top speed 61.9km/h (38.5mph) at 162rpm.

Here's one of the leading boys (posted under his Dad's name):
https://www.strava.com/activities/2343965152/analysis
The boys did an extra lap, and he seems to have stopped recording after the finish, which was at ~34.5km. He hit 67.3km (41.8mph) in the bunch sprint, at 174rpm.

Edit: Unlike a lot of the Isle of Man, this stage was essentially flat (for petrolheads it's the Southern 100 course).

timothyw

TGOTB wrote:

TimothyW wrote:

I'm calling Strava or it didn't happen.

I was bored, so I found it. This is the Girls Youth B (U14) winner of the last stage of this year's IOM Youth Tour:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2345160969/analysis
The bunch sprint occurs at about 27.5km (looks like she also recorded a warm-down lap). Top speed 61.9km/h (38.5mph) at 162rpm.

Here's one of the leading boys (posted under his Dad's name):
https://www.strava.com/activities/2343965152/analysis
The boys did an extra lap, and he seems to have stopped recording after the finish, which was at ~34.5km. He hit 67.3km (41.8mph) in the bunch sprint, at 174rpm.

Edit: Unlike a lot of the Isle of Man, this stage was essentially flat (for petrolheads it's the Southern 100 course).

I wasn't calling Strava on the under 14s spinning at those speeds. I was calling Strava on you being fine at 140rpm.

I mean that's pretty rare that you hit that surely?

Just for fun I did a bit of spinning this morning on the commute, peaked at 129rpm... and decided that was quite enough of that and changed gear. If I need/want to go fast I'd rather have gears that let me do it at my natural mid eighties cadence.

Tashman

TimothyW wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

TimothyW wrote:

I'm calling Strava or it didn't happen.

I was bored, so I found it. This is the Girls Youth B (U14) winner of the last stage of this year's IOM Youth Tour:
https://www.strava.com/activities/2345160969/analysis
The bunch sprint occurs at about 27.5km (looks like she also recorded a warm-down lap). Top speed 61.9km/h (38.5mph) at 162rpm.

Here's one of the leading boys (posted under his Dad's name):
https://www.strava.com/activities/2343965152/analysis
The boys did an extra lap, and he seems to have stopped recording after the finish, which was at ~34.5km. He hit 67.3km (41.8mph) in the bunch sprint, at 174rpm.

Edit: Unlike a lot of the Isle of Man, this stage was essentially flat (for petrolheads it's the Southern 100 course).

I wasn't calling Strava on the under 14s spinning at those speeds. I was calling Strava on you being fine at 140rpm.

I mean that's pretty rare that you hit that surely?

Just for fun I did a bit of spinning this morning on the commute, peaked at 129rpm... and decided that was quite enough of that and changed gear. If I need/want to go fast I'd rather have gears that let me do it at my natural mid eighties cadence.

Calling Strava?? Is that like Jimmy reckon?

pblakeney

itsrob wrote:

Size L / 32 showing as stock this morning. Ive gone for some. Thats very optimistic - and based on my nanoflex being XL, will see if I can get into them :shock:

You won't. Unless your Nanoflex are loose fitting.
Edit - I suspect the ones showing up as available are ones that others have already returned.