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PKRAZOR

Yes ive a question.

Why is it that virtually everywhere you read, we are told that cycling is a great way of getting fit and losing weight and a lot of manufacturers use this in their advertising and a lot of magazines do articles on it. And yet, with that being the case, clothing manufacturers continue to produce jerseys, jackets and the rest in sizes fit for people straight out of a concentration camp. Size XXXL? that'll be a 40" chest thanks. Do me favour.

If people are trying to lose weight, if the media want people on bikes and promote its fitness appeal, then why oh why arent there clothes to fit bigger people? surely, with most people being bigger these days anyway, clothing producers should recognize this and make bigger clothing. Afterall, if im supposed to go for long rides, take my energy gels and the rest of it, then i need a jersey with pockets but most of them with pockets only fit round my left bollock.

sheavi

Hi
I've purchased a Focus Izalgo 3.0 that comes with DT Swiss 1850's. I have a set of Fulcrum Racing 3's - any thoughts on switching the Fulcrums to my Focus.

Thanks

domfm

Hi,

I've just purchased some Shimano SPD SL cleats as I have just got some new Shimano R450 pedals. I tried to fit the cleats to an old pair of Diadora shoes that I had LOOK cleats on but they wouldn't fit. I was wondering what the best shoe was to buy instead? I have a relatively low amount to spend on the shoes and was wondering the best value for money shoes that you would recommend?

Cheers :?:

mab1966

Hi Guys,

Not really sure if this is in correct collum but I am trying to track down the best place in the UK to purchase a Canyon bike any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Mark

RichBassett01

Hi guys!

I'm about to buy 1 of 2 bikes and would like your opinion!

Initially I was pretty much set on the CAAD 10, 105 setup. £1200 Liquigas colours, carbon forks Ali frame.

http://m.evanscycles.com/products/canno ... e-ec031694

But I've since been advised on a Jamis xenith comp. 105, full carbon frame etc. Prob bit cheaper.

http://m.evanscycles.com/products/jamis ... e-ec031741

I think the Jamis is the better bike and better value. Any thoughts?


Rich

maddog.mark

Hi
I'm looking at purchasing a CAAD 8 105 and can get a good deal on the 2011 model, however I see the 2012 model has had a redesign and am unsure if it's worth the extra few pounds a month? Thoughts would be welcome, in addition is it worth swapping out the wheels for the Fulcrum Racing 5's that currently sit on my Specialized Tri-Cross.
thanks

daveyruthers

In_the_big_ring wrote:

bmeaden wrote:

Hi - I'm looking at getting an aluminium frame, carbon fork road bike, want to take advantage of the ride to work scheme and just top up a little.

Under the scheme you aren't able to top up payment. It all has to be paid for by your employer. Your employer is essentially buying the bike and hiring it to you (paid for by your salary sacrifice), and in order to take advantage of the tax breaks your employer must be the sole owner of the bike. Your employer can take out a consumer credit license if the bike is more than £1000 and you'll still get all the tax breaks.

Can't help with the bike reviews, haven't ridden either, but have recently gone through the whole rigmarole of getting a bike through C2W

Yes you can top up on the cycle scheme. You just have to find a shop that will let you do that. Several shops I know in the North East allow you to do it and Ribble also.

Catenaccio

Hi there.

I'm looking for recommendations for anywhere selling good quality wicker baskets on behalf of my wife. She has a dutch bike which she bought from the site i've linked to, but needs some storage space. Those lot actually sell baskets on their 'accessories' page but if there's a place widely regarded as making really good quality ones I wouldn't mind checking them out.

Cheers.

JPHJPH

Hello,, im a beginner looking to train for London2Paris next May as a 1st goal. I want a decent bike with a budget of £600-1000.
I was thinking of getting a Broadman COMP or a Carrera Virago(carbon) though Halfords but now swaying towards a PLANET-X PRO CARBON RIVAL for £999...
Am i looking at the right bikes & does anyone have any advise for a beginner looking to do London to Paris in 8mths time....

any comments & suggestions would be great.. cheers jas

TriTom90

Hi there,

Just wanting some advice on the best way to go about upgrading my bike. I currently have a 2012 specialized allez comp, and have added some profile century aero bars on. Not in a massive hurry to upgrade it at the moment but after the winter may look to. Main use for it is sprint tri's- certainly that would be what the upgrades would be aimed at- could you advise me on the best things to go for? or would I be better just looking for an upgrade on the whole bike?

buresburner

Hi, I'm returning to cycling after a long break (20 yrs!) and am renovating my custom built Reynolds 753 road frame. I'm going to get some new wheels and need some advice on compatibility and use of 9 & 10 speed cassettes. Can they be used with any old chainset - mine's a 52/38 Campag Victory? Can they be used with bog std down tube friction shifters - again Campag Victory. Do you need to have a special 10 speed rear mechs or can you just swap out the jockey wheels to cater for the chain? If I need to change everything I think I'll stick with a 6 or 7 speed block. Part of me thinks all this new fangled stuff dilutes the aesthetic simplicity of cycling. Advice/explanantion will gratefully received.

bigdaddibare

Raleigh airlite 100 or btwin triban 3 ??????????????

Dufcug

Hi,
I've been looking for a 2011 Kuota Kharma Rival bike for a while and stumbled upon one the other day at King Cycle Shop for £650... Wow, I thought...
It turns out that King Cycle Shop is based in Indonesia and there would be a delivery charge of £170. So now we would be touching £820 (including export tax and vat). Still seems like a good price to me and would allow my budget of £1300 to include some Planet X 50s for summer/dry use whilst keeping the DT Swiss it comes with for winter.
Now, I have absolutely nothing against Indonsia or, indeed, Indonesians but I have just a few niggly little alarm bells ringing...
Any thoughts in this? Or is the 'too good to be true' indeed just that...?
Thank you,
Dom

Brock23

I have a Giant OCR Zero, with a 50/36 Chainset and a 10 speed (12-23) Cassette. I have been out riding in Cumbria UK with min 10-15% gradients, up to 18-20% gradients and found it difficult to sustain effort to get up the inclines. What should I change with regard to current Chainset and Cassette to allow easier climbing?

TMR

Rob Spedding wrote:

We're after your cycling questions - we want your queries on bike and gear buying, training, nutrition, injury, racing...basically anything about bikes and biking. You can either post your question here or email us with the subject Reader Rescue at cyclingplus@futurenet.com

Why does Warren have such silly facial hair? Tell him to get it shaved.

I7 Extreme

Question... Is there a difference between MTB and Road QR (wheel) skewers?
and wheres the cheapest place to get them? (road ones)

Samvan77

Hi Rob,

I am new to road cycling and was wondering what make and model tires you recommend for wet winter road conditions?
Thanks

Sam

andymort

The Campag xenon 10sp (2009) compact shifter paddle ( EC-CH429) on the L/H side has snapped to my dismay.
I can find the part on-line but I can't get hold of it and I'm not even sure a shop will fit it.
All the bike shops I've contacted say I have to replace the whole unit.

Any suggestions?

Should fix it or bite the bullet and buy new shifters either Xenon again, Veloce or Centaur?

simonporter

Hi, I bought a cheap mountain bike (python daytona) july 11' and kitted it out with scwunbble marathon tyres mud guards ect, and happily havent had a puncture yet, but sadly the right crank arm snapped the other day. I weigh 16st 9lbs (233lbs/105kg) and am thinking thats the reason. Could you recommend a crank set (as I have to replace the lot) which isn't over kill (I will just be riding from a to b with no jumps or tricks)

paulhaynes

Morning all, in the market for new wheels, narrowed it down to two contenders, dura ace c24 or vision t30? Thoughts and experiences please.

bekneeboy

Hello,

I'm building up my first road bike. Quite looking forward to having all built up in the next fee weeks. I just wondered if it was necessary to consider the various parts I'm using in terms of compatibility of the shifts (Shimano ST 2303s 8spd) with the front mech and brakes. I've managed to pick up the rear mech from the same stock groupset as the shifters so I'm not too concerned about that. The brakes I've picked up are Shimano 105s and the front mech will be any braze on. As this is the first dip into the world of road bikes I'm trying to keep spending down but also want to consider the fact that if I get along with the road bike then upgrading specific parts, e.g. the gearing etc. to 10 speed.

Do I need to be careful which front mech I get to use with the ST 2303s or could I get away with a 10 speed front mech? As in is the attenuation (think this is the correct term) going to be consistent for a 8,9,10 speed front mech?

Could I get away with using a 10 speed chain on an 8 speed cassette - will this be too narrow a linkage to ride effectively? I know it is advised to use new cassette, chain rings and chain so perhaps this is folly in terms of trying to save a few pennies here anyway.


I appreciate all or any thoughts on the above.

Thanks,

baileyjb

Hi
I have a Cannondale CAADX 105 cyclocross bike which I have had for a year now. I am finding that a majority of my summer rides are mainly road oriantated. I am thinking of upgrading some parts and would like to get your thoughts on what to upgrade first. Should I buy a carbon seat post (if yes what would your recomend) or should I upgrade my wheels. (if I upgrade the wheels I would use my original wheels for off road and use the new set for road work) How much would I need to spend to notice a difference? Would a Mavic Askium be enough or would I have to spend more? What wheels would you recemend? Or am I better off upgrading something else first. I guess I am asking what is a good upgrade route plan.
Thanks
Jason

tootleamble

Hi. I'm looking to buy a 'hybrid' bike. I've been looking at the Specialized Sirrus range, and also the The Halford's Boardman range which seem to have comparative specs at a lower price. The Boardman Hybrid Team has a "Sram Apex 20 speed drivetrain" to quote the not very informative blurb. I don't know what the ratios are off the top of my head but looking at them in the shop I could see they could be better. So, I don't like the gearing and would prefer to get them to swap (I know, it's Halfords am I asking too much?) for the Sram 48/34T compact chainset and 11-32T cassette. I've enquired and they say they will do it, but as their technical expertise is known to be on the poor side of abysmal; can anyone tell me if a straight swap is possible? The same issue also applies to the Boardman Pro (which I'm also looking at) which has Sram Rival on it.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks


Eric

philosopher83

FRAME SIZE FOR 185 cm TALL MALE RIDER WITH 89 cm INSEAM

Hello all,

I have never owned a road bike before, and am currently doing an 18 mile round commute on a steel Italian town bike that weights about 16 kg.
I want to upgrade but am finding a lot of contradictory information online about frame sizes according to height/inseam.
As it says above I am 185 cm tall with an inseam of 89 cm.
Can anyone give me some advice about choosing the correct frame size and even some good brands/models to get started on. My budget is about £1000 but I would like to get a more expensive bike second hand, hopefully from this site

Thanks a lot,

Pete

jmartin87

Hi there,

I currently own a Specialized Allez which I bought second hand and I believe it to be around 4/5 year old. It still rides nicely and I have no real problems with it.

I'm not a particularly serious rider although I'm actually beginning to train for a 1200km London to Monte Carlo race over 8 days in June. I was thinking of upgrading some components on it but I'm seeking some advice of what would be best and what I'd benefit from the most. I currently have Shimano Tiagra groupset and Alex rims.

Should I be looking to upgrade the groupset, wheels, frame first? I obviously wouldn't mind saving some weight although I'm about 13st anyway but obviously reliability and durability will be important to me.

Also, any suggestions of what I should be looking to spend to make the upgrade worthwhile would be welcome.

many thanks,

Ishqq

Good Morning,

I am pretty sure a lot of people have asked about upgrading bikes but this is specific to my bike and Im not good at this at all.
I have an 8 speed Cannondale Synapse with Shimano Claris. I already have another 11 speed bike as well because I outgrown my 8 speed and feel better on hills with the 11 speed. I have a Wahoo Kickr I use for indoor training and I want to make the Cannondale a permanent indoor training bike on it as mounting and unmounting my regular bike messing up my frame. So I just upgraded couple of things in my 11 speed bike and would like to use the parts I took off from it to make my Cannondale an 11 speed bike for my traine and get some used cheaper parts on ebay maybe.
I have an 11 speed Cassette, 11 speed chain and back derailleur. Other than an 11 speed set of shifters, do I need to change the crankset or the fron derailleur or any other part.
P.S: I want to spend the minimum I can so anything that wont make a difference for my indoor training sessions I dont want to buy.
Suggestions are greatly appreciated,

Thankt you,

Isha

shirley_basso

If you do use the small ring on the turbo then you will need a new front mech as the cable pull on the new front mechs is different.

Chainset MAY be ok but hard to know really. I *think* 8 speed may be too wide and front shifting may be atrocious and the chain may fall down between the chainrings or not actually sit on the teeth properly.

Depending if it's a direct turbo or not you may need to see if the wheels you use are 11sp compatible. If they're not it may be worth taking one of the cogs out the middle of the cassette and use the limit screw to stop you over shifting.

Poldaz

Hi

I'm 5'11 (more or less) and looking for a first road bike.
I found a 2nd hand Giant TCR Advance 2 size XL, at the local bike shop at a great price.

The owner suggested the bike would be ok for me. He said they can put a much shorter stem on it (think that's the term) - the piece that extends out with the handlebars attached.

It's a great bargin so I'm keen but don't want to buy a bike that will not be good for me. If I look at Giant's website I should be an ML. I'm not a serious rider so as long as it will be comfortable and preform reasonably on a long rides, that's my priority.

Darren

Camcycle1974

Well, I'm 5ft 9 and have just bought a medium frame. Don't do it if you haven't already, it will be too big, even with a shorter stem. Xl for 6ft 2 plus riders.