The biking thread

Greycap
That would certainly be interesting. But no, I'll be a bit more boring.

As the current fashion is the totally nuts 10-5x (depending on the manufacturer) cassettes on mountain bikes, even on go-fast XC bikes - and I know from experience that with such a cassette I basically never user the smallest, or the four largest cogs - it effectively means I'm riding a very expensive seven speed system with huge gaps between gears. Which isn't good. My previous bike was from the good old 10s era when you could mix and match just about anything and for most of the time it had an 11-28 road cassette. Shimano just unveiled the new 12s road parts a few weeks ago, I'm going to find out how to craft an 11-34 Ultegra cassette onto the XC rig and make it work.
Click to expand...
Can you elaborate on this a bit? What do you mean by 10-5x? Also, why is it the current fashion? Just looking over by Ribble build sheet, it's shipping with an 11 speed, 11-42 rear cassette paired with a single 40t front chainring but I guess a gravel bike and a hard tail mountain bike have different requirements.
 
Eunos_Cosmo
Can you elaborate on this a bit? What do you mean by 10-5x? Also, why is it the current fashion? Just looking over by Ribble build sheet, it's shipping with an 11 speed, 11-42 rear cassette paired with a single 40t front chainring but I guess a gravel bike and a hard tail mountain bike have different requirements.
Click to expand...
By 10-5x I mean that SRAM originally had the 10-50 12-speed, then Shimano made the 10-51, now SRAM has once again one-upped them with a 10-52. The only other option for a 12 speed MTB drivetrain is Shimano's 10-45 which frankly isn't any better as the difference is only in the extreme low end.

Pair such a cassette with a typical MTB chainring that is around 32t nowadays, and you'll see that the ratios are crazy in the low end. On a gravel road I can't use anything below 1:1 properly as either there isn't enough traction, or if there is, the front end begins to get off the ground. The four largest cogs are 33-39-45-51 which renders them just about useless. As a result I'm left shifting a 10-28 eight speed, with the smallest 10t cog also not seeing much use, so practically a 12-28 seven speed transmission. Now, 12-28 would be a great cassette, if it only had more ratios to fill up the gaps that cause huge cadence jumps - which is exactly what a road cassette has. The new 11-34 is effectively a 11-27 ten speed but with two extra bailout gears in the low end which would make it a perfect match for my riding.
 
Ah, I get it now. I'm trying to even imagine what a 32-52 ratio feels like. The lowest ratio on my CAAD12 is 36-28...which feels pretty low on anything other than a 15%+ grade. With a 32-52 you have to spin 90rpm to go 3.6mph! If you have a "normal" cadence of like 70rpm, how do you not fall over?
 
Last edited:
For a long time my lowest was 39/25 but because I'm now old it's 36/30.
Hardly ever use it but it's nice to have it there when needed.
 
Last edited:
Eunos_Cosmo
Granted, it hasn't been established that the drug actually enhances performance...but it really makes you wonder why else they would be using it...
Click to expand...
In a similar vein to when EPO was rampant I'm guessing. All about aiding the recovery which means you can train harder and recover quicker.

Still have to put in the hard yards in training but that assistance means you can have a much higher training load.

Using it during the race which going by the article they could as it's not banned would mean waking up fresher each day which would be a big advantage in the third week.
 
@W3H5 @Eunos_Cosmo @Shaun

Thank you so much for all that great info. There was so much I had never heard about like for instance the "neuromuscular power zone, I'm still trying to digest it all.

I found a great article a few days ago that also spoke about the difference of trainers vs. riding on the road and the issue of overheating which is definitely killing me when using the trainer despite cranking the AC.Looks like I'll have to invest in a fan of sorts. Apparently one should be able to ride faster and longer in the road vs indoors. I'm about to go on my first ride outside since I got the trainer so hope that's true and I'll be able to ride 20kms comfortably.

Last thing I've lost 3kgs now from the fattest I had been, I'm weighing 87kg so just 12 more to go. I measure 172cm so that should be a good weight to be in.
 
There’s something magical about riding outside, even in bad weather and especially when the scenery is wonderful. I can’t say I’ve much enjoyed using an indoor trainer, however, I can imagine it’s much easier to get motivated compared to going out on the road.
 
W3H5
There’s something magical about riding outside, even in bad weather and especially when the scenery is wonderful. I can’t say I’ve much enjoyed using an indoor trainer, however, I can imagine it’s much easier to get motivated compared to going out on the road.
Click to expand...
+1 on this. I just invested in some new bib tights, long sleeve base layer, and waterproof gloves. Bring on the rain!
 
Shaun
In a similar vein to when EPO was rampant I'm guessing. All about aiding the recovery which means you can train harder and recover quicker.

Still have to put in the hard yards in training but that assistance means you can have a much higher training load.

Using it during the race which going by the article they could as it's not banned would mean waking up fresher each day which would be a big advantage in the third week.
Click to expand...
Use of Tizanidine in cycling crosses an ethical red line, says former Tour de France doctor

“[Bahrain Victorious] would like to stress that the authors of the scientific article to which all allegations refer have unambiguously pointed out that tizanidine is not a prohibited substance in sport.


Bahrain Victorious added it was “consulting legal advice about the nature in which this information was published during an ongoing investigation without the Team being notified which has impacted the Team’s reputation.”
Click to expand...

Let me translate that. "It's not against the letter of the rules, and we're really mad that everyone found out we are using it!"

Yeah, I didn't need an excuse to root against BV, but I absolutely will be doing so now. Is this how Sonny Colbrelli kept up with MVP and Remco Evenepoel until the last few hundred yards in those one day races?
 
Last edited:
So my original estimated dispatch date for my bike was January 2nd. Well I got an email from them towards the end of December that date was pushed to January 14th. This morning I got an email that the date is pushed to January 28th. I'm starting to get annoyed. The only reason provided is "supply shortages" from an automated email. You'd think that the company could provide slightly better customer service to somebody who spent over $3,000 (up front with a 4-month lead time!) on a bicycle - it's not exactly a casual purchase. I now have zero confidence that the bike will be dispatched January 28th as the automated system is probably just tacking 14 days on to each delayed order a few days before the previous dispatch date arrives. So I honestly have no idea when to expect the bike.

I don't think I could possibly recommend buying anything from Ribble at this point. Piss poor customer service.

I'm tempted to cancel my order if they don't provide a better response, soon, and get a Specialized Epic Hardtail instead...
 
Last edited:
I was just wondering about this the other day @Eunos_Cosmo , to honest I'm not surprised with the world we live in today.

Hopefully that get it to you by the end of the month.
 
Been mountain bike riding on and off my whole life, mostly off because I never had a bike I really enjoyed riding and I could never justify spending too much money on one. Decided, screw it, life is too short to worry about money. So, along with a few friends of mine, we decided to go all in biking. Just in time for winter, too! Got a new bike and loads of tools and gear.

These are my bikes for different uses, including a brand new (cost more than my first car) Trek Fuel EX 5 on the left, which will be the primary bike and I have since ridden quite a bit and loving it. The middle one is a Trek Marlin 5, to be used primarily as a gravel bike for casual rides. And the right is the fat-bike, a Trek Farley 8 (guess I like Trek...), which I have no plans on riding anytime soon because it needs a tune up and I would like to use that as an opportunity to learn how to work on bikes more.
51814929876_700f3676a9_b.jpg
 
So in bicycle-adjacent news I finally bought a "trainer" though, in my case it's a dedicated stationary bike. It's made by a company called Renpho and it's $500-$600 depending on when you check amazon. For that you get automatic resistance (motor based, basically unparalleled at the price), cadence and a built in app. I bought it because it is compatible with Zwift. Honestly, it's much nicer than I expected from the price and I would recommend it with one caveat: It's not really compatible with Zwift at the moment. Apparently the latest Zwift bluetooth update broke the compatibility but allegedly both teams are working on a fix. For the moment, there is practically no resistance unless you are in ERG mode, which seems to work fine.

Particularly for the folks in areas with meme-level winters (@TB ) I feel like a trainer is a great idea. I am fortunate to have year-round riding weather, but unfortunately with two full time jobs (practically) it's hard to make time for it :(. Now that I have this little stationary bike though, I can get structured workouts in after dark! It's great. Any other Zwifters on here? Maybe we could do a GTPlanet group?

My 2021 was not nearly as productive, cycling-wise as my 2020. I suppose this is to be expected as I went back to the office half way through, and I spent basically 2-months in a home-buying blackhole and also started a business. I'm finding that my strength is still there but my fitness has really dropped. Hopefully with Zwift I can maintain fitness and keep building strength. I'd really like to get to a sustainable 3.5w/kg. Right now I'm afraid I'm around 2.5...

Some of my other 2022 goals include actually getting out to ride in places I haven't been before. Unfortunately my car situation is not ideal for this and car prices are currently unhinged. Hopefully this corrects soon.
 
Last edited:
@Eunos_Cosmo I used to use Zwift but no longer have an indoor trainer, it grew pretty old for me quickly and prefer to ride outside even when it's raining.

It is however a sensational tool to use for structured training so it will hit mark for you there. 👍
 
Last edited:
After years off the road I’m finally getting back on the grind, albeit very gently.

A while back I mentioned selling my Trek Emonda and @Shaun said to hold on to it. So glad I did.

I’m only taking baby steps and doing local laps at 20-30km to get my legs back. Got halfway up the mountain I used to train on and didn’t have the strength for the latter half. That has spurred me on to get back in shape. But I’m now 10kg heavier than before and none of my jerseys fit!

I’m not getting back to cycle for the weight loss to be honest, I just miss the open roads and the feeling of accomplishment after a long day in the saddle.

Still fiddling with my geometry and I’m certain I’ll never nail my seating position but that’s always been one of my cycling issues. The lungs feel good now that I no longer smoke cigs but my legs are weak so before I hit the mountains I’m going to focus on building up endurance on the flats.

Next job is cables and bar wraps which need replacing.
 
Last edited:
W3H5
After years off the road I’m finally getting back on the grind, albeit very gently.

A while back I mentioned selling my Trek Emonda and @Shaun said to hold on to it. So glad I did.

I’m only taking baby steps and doing local laps at 20-30km to get my legs back. Got halfway up the mountain I used to train on and didn’t have the strength for the latter half. That has spurred me on to get back in shape. But I’m now 10kg heavier than before and none of my jerseys fit!

I’m not getting back to cycle for the weight loss to be honest, I just miss the open roads and the feeling of accomplishment after a long day in the saddle.

Still fiddling with my geometry and I’m certain I’ll never nail my seating position but that’s always been one of my cycling issues. The lungs feel good now that I no longer smoke cigs but my legs are weak so before I hit the mountains I’m going to focus on building up endurance on the flats.

Next job is cables and bar wraps which need replacing.
Click to expand...

A youtuber I follow recently moved to Thailand and has been detailing some of the riding there...looks quite amazing! He hasn't posted any videos on the mountain rides to youtube, but I have seen them on Strava - some pretty serious elevation.



I wonder - is this near where you are?

I finally did a proper FTP test yesterday, of the Ramp variety. I was guessing my FTP was around 180 but I actually managed 200...so not as bad as I thought. I've also lost nearly 10lbs in the last 4 weeks so suddenly my w/kg ratio is looking much better. If I can lose another 5-10lbs and bring up my power to 250 I should be pretty close to where I want to be. I'm curious to know what my sprint power might be as I think that kind of riding is a more natural fit for me (I'm no Egan Bernal :lol:). Best I've managed in a 40 second burst was 550w so I wonder if I could hit 1000 watts for 1-5 seconds.
 
Last edited:
Eunos_Cosmo
I wonder - is this near where you are?
Click to expand...
Exactly where I am :lol: I ride those roads on my loop and they rode past my house.

I just happened to notice that bike shop they went to on my mid week ride, I’d never taken that road before by bicycle even though it leads directly to my neighbourhood.
I’ll have to check it out as I do need a minor service and being 5 minutes from my house is very handy.
 
On a short ride after work during the week I picked up two punctures which pretty much means the tyres I use, Vitorria Corsa's have met their demise.
Right up until that stage they pretty much don't puncture on the roads I ride but from that point there is a good chance they will every ride :lol:.

No big deal I've been riding them as long as I remember and know it's time to simply buy news one's which I did. They turned up yesterday in the mail and I proceed to fit them after work last night in preparation for today.

One difference since last doing that is I've bought some new wheels and due to the wheels being tubeless ready the tyres are tight to fit.
My God I have a blister on each thumb today from rolling them onto the rim, I've never had a tyre so tight. I genuinely hope I don't get puncture out on the roads for a while until they stretch a bit.

: Grumpy old man hat:
Bloody tubeless tyres, just more marketing mumbo jumbo that's not needed for road bike.
 
Last edited:
Wanted some input from you guys before I jump because there is an obvious red flag.

Someone is selling a Monark LC6 on Facebook Marketplace. That looks to be a $14-17K exercise bike.

Monark LC6 Novo Testing Bike Ergometer

The Monark LC6 Novo testing bike ergometer features Novo technology and a perfect fit frame for the optimal testing bike for sports and medical applications. The Monark LC6 Novo can be connected to ECG and Stress Testing software for sports and medical testing. The Monark LC6 Novo provides the...
www.hcifitness.com www.hcifitness.com

Granted, it's used but based on the location (not a major city, so not many potential users), I'm assuming it's not that used. They're selling it for $500, recently serviced.

If the consensus is to go for it, how difficult is it to get this to work with Zwift?

Edit: I'm feeling a lot less red-flaggy now. I found an article that he's the owner of the gym and they renovated it about 2 months ago.
 
Last edited:
@TB being Facebook Marketplace my intial thought was it either doesn't exist or is stolen, though it wouldn't be an easy item to steal.

Can you go see it to confirm it's legit as you never know it could be the bargain of the year?

As for getting it to work with Zwift I don't know, there may be a way but a very quick Google didn't show anything. Also it's not on their list of indoor bikes.

 
Shaun
being Facebook Marketplace my intial thought was it either doesn't exist or is stolen, though it wouldn't be an easy item to steal.
Click to expand...
Searching for the guy's name, I found a newspaper article that he's the owner and they recently renovated so I don't think there will be any issues with that. My new concert was brought up by my son - that the guy missed a zero and the price is $5,000 instead of $500!
Shaun
Can you go see it to confirm it's legit as you never know it could be the bargain of the year?
Click to expand...
I'm about 1000 feet away from it but there's a train that about 40 miles long separating us. :lol:

Shaun
As for getting it to work with Zwift I don't know, there may be a way but a very quick Google didn't show anything. Also it's not on their list of indoor bikes.
Click to expand...
I kind of figured even if Zwift won't work, I'll have a ridiculous exercise bike!
 
I haven't plugged it in yet because driving it home in freezing weather at 70mph has left it with a fair bit of condensation and I want it to dry out first but nevertheless it's purchased and home!

20220116_195129.jpg


This is entirely too much bike for my needs but it was way too good a deal to pass on.
 
TB
I haven't plugged it in yet because driving it home in freezing weather at 70mph has left it with a fair bit of condensation and I want it to dry out first but nevertheless it's purchased and home!

View attachment 1106378

This is entirely too much bike for my needs but it was way too good a deal to pass on.
Click to expand...
There is an entire cottage industry of people writing bits of code to make non-compatible bikes work with zwift via github, usually involves 2 devices where one acts as a sort of "emulation" and the other runs zwift. You could try searching on the Zwift forums to see if anyone has done one for your bike. Zwift is an open platform, as far as I can tell so just because a bike isn't listed as explicitly compatible, doesn't mean it won't work. If all else fails, you could always rig up a cadence and speed sensor and get it working that way, though you won't have auto-resistance for climbs. Congrats, I had no idea stationary bikes got that expensive! :lol:


edit: I'm tempted to recommend listing the bike online for seriously like $5k and use the proceeds to buy a wahoo kickr bike...
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

Katiegan
The BMX Thread
Replies
1
Views
2K
allent2
allent2
Hollow
Skincare Thread
2
Replies
39
Views
2K
Omnis
Omnis
sirjim73
The Nordschleife time trials thread
Replies
15
Views
3K
Alex p.
Alex p.
Nakano219
The Community Career Creator Thread [Accepting Submissions]
Replies
4
Views
693
sirjim73
sirjim73
C
The Events & Features Wishlist Thread
Replies
8
Views
956
Saf1
Saf1

Latest Posts

Back