Army Rumour Service

Register a free account today to join our community
Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site, connect with other members through your own private inbox and will receive smaller adverts!

Dedicated cycling thread?

Just a thought, but I couldn't help wondering if it'd be an idea to have a stickied cycling thread.

At the moment there's a stickied thread on cycling shoes (really 'toe clips vs clip-ins') which is a bit outdated as I don't know anyone who uses toe clips for anything anymore (road/tri/mtb/commute) and I thought they died out years ago except for a dedicated few, while there's an excellent thread on cycle commuting which has become far more general (mtb's, gearing, costs, etc) which is slipping down the forum despite some excellent and interesting posts from some obviously very well informed and experienced cyclists from all fields (road/ tri/ trail/ hybrid/ commute/ fatties/ gravel, etc) as well as from some who, like me, are just into 'cycling' rather than 'cyclists' per se.

I'm suggesting a 'cycling' thread rather than a 'cyclists' one as cyclists have to be the biggest gear heads on the planet, with many simply into the latest fad (anyone remember biopace gears?) rather than actually into cycling, while on the other hand I'm sure there are many who, like me, have simply drifted into more and more cycling and less and less running as injuries and age have taken their toll.

FWIW I've got a range of injury issues (knees, hips, back, etc) which now effectively prevent any running so I've no option but to cycle to retain any sort of health and fitness and I'm sure there must be many others here in exactly the same position, but most of the advice readily available is about the type of cycling to take up and the type of bike (fattie, hybrid, touring, etc), all of which have pros and cons, when the most important point by far isn't style but seat angles - sounds technical, but it's the only thing that, once you know what to look for, actually makes all the difference.

I've had to give up all my very nice (and very pricey) specialist bikes, including from sponsors like Raleigh, handbuilts from Colnago and Swallow (8k, 30 years ago!) and others, and I now ride an upgraded Trek Navigator for an hour or so a day as it's got a very relaxed seat tube angle of 73 but is still relatively 'normal' (if heavy), but I may be getting a rather more outlandish crank forward/ semi-recumbent Giant Revive, as I've noticed one in my local bike shop for a ridiculously low price (about 100 pounds) as I don't think they've any idea what it is.

So ... dedicated cycling thread, anyone?
 
Shouldnt they just use the same threads as other users but believe that they are far more important and entitled than anyone else?

Perhaps they could type two abreast on small threads and stop other users from getting anywhere?
 
Shouldnt they just use the same threads as other users but believe that they are far more important and entitled than anyone else?

Perhaps they could type two abreast on small threads and stop other users from getting anywhere?
You're absolutely right. They shouldn't be using this board at all as they haven't paid any tax and aren't wearing dayglo jackets.
 
Clipless pedals are fine in theory but I prefer not to have to rely on people or objects to prop against when starting or stopping. My first experience of index shift made me grateful for the retro friction on the lever (one of two mounted on the down tube...) Side pull brakes were nice but wore out the rims. Never wore skin tight cycle gear. As an ordinary cyclist, I used ordinary clothes and cycle clips. Only wore helmets a lot later. Head injuries were all incurred at much lower speeds than i used to cycle at on the open road. No GTX shoes, just plastic shopping bags over trainer, shoes or boots. Used to commute by bicycle as fast as I could in traffic. Hills were no fun and would be harder now but for an upright position and granny gears.
 
Well, seat angle... plus (effective) TT length, head angle and the much forgotten importance of fork trail.

But I’ll take your broad point as being ‘aggressive or relaxed geometry’ - in which case I think we’ve seen a big move to more relaxed geometry in road bikes, firstly with sportive bikes and then more recently ‘allroad’ and gravel bikes - which I think suit the U.K. cycle network (ie a mix of roads and inconsistently surfaced NCN cycle routes very well, far better than pure road bikes or most city/utility bikes.

MTB has spent too long more in the ‘standards’ battle - ie. 26/29/27.5 then B.B. types, then tapered forks and hub width... now plus tyres and boost, where does it stop?

I think there’s still a lot of room in the market for a decent folder (eg a para-bike frame equipped with nexus hub and belt drive plus disc brakes) - most importantly for domestic storage reasons to be honest.

Ebikes are growing and an important part of the market for expanding and making cycling more convenient for mass market transit.

Other than that, I think there’s not a lot really happening in componetry - the 12&13 speed game will continue to trickle down but the cost of cassettes is a real limiting factor. 1x just isn’t going to happen on the road, as much as SRAM tries to push it, and we’ll see MTB trickle back to 2x10 or maybe 2x11 for chain strength and durability.

Disco brakes fairly mature, clipless pedals too (I can’t see any reason not to use clipless, the above comments about leaning against things makes me think you’ve not tried them since the old LOOK cleats, rather than more modern designs that engage easily - although I’m sticking with TIME until my current pedals wear out, then will probably go to SPD)

I suspect that compulsory helmets will happen within the next 5 years for kids, regardless of the science of the issue.

Other than that, I predict that Triathlon will begin to die a death and road sportives will become heavily restricted very soon
 
Clipless pedals are fine in theory but I prefer not to have to rely on people or objects to prop against when starting or stopping.
More for the cycling shoe thread, but what's the difference with toe clips if you're wearing cleats? It's actually harder to get your foot out of a toe clip with cleats as you have to reach down to loosen the strap with your hand, whereas with clipless all you have to do is twist your foot (and vice-versa when starting off).

I'm guessing you're talking about either not being clipped in at all or not being strapped in to toe clips with cleats? Fine, but you're losing a lot of power as the whole point of toe clips and cleats or clipless isn't to stop your foot sliding off the pedal but so you can 'spin' and apply power through a full 360, pulling up as well as pushing down. It's the difference between spinning, grinding or just pedalling.
Side pull brakes were nice but wore out the rims.
Unless you've got hub brakes (or drums or discs) what brakes don't? Disc brakes are probably way the biggest advance in braking, not just for effect but progression, even if they're cable operated, and they're relatively cheap (or at least mid-range) now.

Pre-disc I had both rim and drum brakes on my tandem, front and rear, and the rim brakes still over-heated the rim dangerously. Discs are the biz.
Only wore helmets a lot later. Head injuries were all incurred at much lower speeds than i used to cycle at on the open road.
I never wear a helmet and never have, but I don't think this argument's borne out by the facts - you could get a head injury at any speed, and the faster you go the less time you have to protect your head. I'm all for personal choice, but if m/c helmets and safety belts are mandatory it's a bit difficult to justify cyclists being exempt on public roads.
 
Well, seat angle... plus (effective) TT length, head angle and the much forgotten importance of fork trail.

But I’ll take your broad point as being ‘aggressive or relaxed geometry’ - in which case I think we’ve seen a big move to more relaxed geometry in road bikes, firstly with sportive bikes and then more recently ‘allroad’ and gravel bikes - which I think suit the U.K. cycle network (ie a mix of roads and inconsistently surfaced NCN cycle routes very well, far better than pure road bikes or most city/utility bikes.

MTB has spent too long more in the ‘standards’ battle - ie. 26/29/27.5 then B.B. types, then tapered forks and hub width... now plus tyres and boost, where does it stop?

I think there’s still a lot of room in the market for a decent folder (eg a para-bike frame equipped with nexus hub and belt drive plus disc brakes) - most importantly for domestic storage reasons to be honest.

Ebikes are growing and an important part of the market for expanding and making cycling more convenient for mass market transit.

Other than that, I think there’s not a lot really happening in componetry - the 12&13 speed game will continue to trickle down but the cost of cassettes is a real limiting factor. 1x just isn’t going to happen on the road, as much as SRAM tries to push it, and we’ll see MTB trickle back to 2x10 or maybe 2x11 for chain strength and durability.

Disco brakes fairly mature, clipless pedals too (I can’t see any reason not to use clipless, the above comments about leaning against things makes me think you’ve not tried them since the old LOOK cleats, rather than more modern designs that engage easily - although I’m sticking with TIME until my current pedals wear out, then will probably go to SPD)

I suspect that compulsory helmets will happen within the next 5 years for kids, regardless of the science of the issue.

Other than that, I predict that Triathlon will begin to die a death and road sportives will become heavily restricted very soon
Why do you think that triathlon will begin to die a death? Cost?
 
All cyclists should be executed. Go have your mid-life crisis somewhere else. My Jaguar weighs in at a smidge under two tonnes. I have a dashcam. I can edit footage and not break the timeline. I will fcuking win.
 
All cyclists should be executed. Go have your mid-life crisis somewhere else. My Jaguar weighs in at a smidge under two tonnes. I have a dashcam. I can edit footage and not break the timeline. I will fcuking win.
Ha ha!. "midlife crisis" and "I have a Jag, dontcha know" in the same paragraph without a hint of irony.
 
Other than that, I predict that Triathlon will begin to die a death and road sportives will become heavily restricted very soon
The only point I really disagree with - triathlon's growing in popularity in some areas, losing popularity in others. Maybe it's becoming more of a serious sport in its own right and less of a bucket-list challenge.
think there’s still a lot of room in the market for a decent folder (eg a para-bike frame equipped with nexus hub and belt drive plus disc brakes) - most importantly for domestic storage reasons to be honest.
I've seen some brilliant designs in the Far East, but I don't think the future's belt drive there but shaft drive, 3-D printed. A couple of amazing ceramic designs recently.
 
The only point I really disagree with - triathlon's growing in popularity in some areas, losing popularity in others. Maybe it's becoming more of a serious sport in its own right and less of a bucket-list challenge.
I've seen some brilliant designs in the Far East, but I don't think the future's belt drive there but shaft drive, 3-D printed. A couple of amazing ceramic designs recently.
I've only ever seen triathlon as a serious sport in it's own right. I use road sportives as part of my training mix - as I do open-water swims, parkrun etc, - but improving my triathlon times are the objective*.


*I'm still shit, though.
 
tt mtb triathlon and sportive riding are ideal if you are too slow for or scared of road racing. done them all and i am now too scared and slow for RR.
 
Top