The Cycling Chat Thread

[beesonthewhatnow]

I just avoid steep slopes and long climbs - I only do this for fun

Steep climbs are fun

 

[Orang Utan]

Steep climbs are fun

Never!

 

[han]

Steep climbs are fun

I have to agree. Especially when you can reward yourself with a lovely view or downhill stretch. And there's also that sense of achievement which is fab when you can see yourself getting fitter over time.

 

[Artaxerxes]

I just avoid steep slopes and long climbs - I only do this for fun

I live at the bottom of a minor valley

 

[han]

As you can probably tell, as much as I love my flat bars, I'm missing the drops a teeny bit, mainly downhill. I'm going to be doing longer and longer rides to build up my fitness and getting back to doing regular weekends of 50+ miles so if I find after that I miss the drops more, I can always get something that's like a flat/drop hybrid bar. Gravel bars look good, that may be an option. If I did this, i'd really like to have proper mountain bar brakes on the flat bit AND brakes on the drops. I'm aware that'd make me look like a total freak though. I reckon if Sheldon Brown were alive he'd encourage this radical behaviour.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

As you can probably tell, as much as I love my flat bars, I'm missing the drops a teeny bit, mainly downhill. I'm going to be doing longer and longer rides to build up my fitness and getting back to doing regular weekends of 50+ miles so if I find after that I miss the drops more, I can always get something that's like a flat/drop hybrid bar. Gravel bars look good, that may be an option. If I did this, i'd really like to have proper mountain bar brakes on the flat bit AND brakes on the drops. I'm aware that'd make me look like a total freak though. I reckon if Sheldon Brown were alive he'd encourage this radical behaviour.

The new Shimano GRX gravel groupset has top levers as an option

SHIMANO GRX Hydraulic Disc Sub Brake Lever | SHIMANO BIKE-EU

The SHIMANO GRX BL-RX812 in-line brake lever bring greater rider control for mixed terrain riding thanks to SHIMANO's category-leading hydraulic disc brakes. The hydraulic disc sub brake lever offers reliable and accessible braking in more positions and allows for quick access while riding...

bike.shimano.com

 

[han]

Ooh, that's very interesting. Thanks!

 

[Cid]

Yeah gravel bikes in general require a bit less flexibility, and the drops are certainly more forgiving... Also hydraulic discs will deliver plenty of stopping power even riding on the hoods.

 

[editor]

I've been cycling a bit more recently and wondered if regular cyclists use bike 'computers' any more or do they just use their phones?

I think I'd feel a bit vulnerable to theft if I had my phone strapped on my handlebars or am I being a bit paranoid?

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I've been cycling a bit more recently and wondered if regular cyclists use bike 'computers' any more or do they just use their phones?

I think I'd feel a bit vulnerable to theft if I had my phone strapped on my handlebars or am I being a bit paranoid?

I have a dedicated cycle computer, a Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt). Much better battery life, more robust, waterproof.

 

[Sweet FA]

I use my phone with one of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B074NLNVT2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's robust and the phone clips in. Someone could wrench it off but it's pretty solid. I've got an S10 so it's fairly waterproof.

 

[magneze]

I have a dedicated cycle computer, a Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt). Much better battery life, more robust, waterproof.

+1 but I have a Garmin. I used a phone for a while but the battery tended to give out way too early potentially leaving me lost and without a phone.

 

[Cid]

ELEMNT bolt here. Usually with Komoot for mapping... the tech in general seems to be moving pretty fast.

 

[Cid]

Bear in mind that bike computers are also pretty nickable, but easy to remove and compact.

 

[DownwardDog]

Bear in mind that bike computers are also pretty nickable, but easy to remove and compact.

The Wahoo Roam can be bolted to the computer mount to allow it to count toward the bike's weight limit for UCI purpose and, coincidentally, foil thieves.

 

[Cid]

The Wahoo Roam can be bolted to the computer mount to allow it to count toward the bike's weight limit for UCI purpose and, coincidentally, foil thieves.

The bolt can too, but in London (presumably Ed is still there) taking shit off bikes is basically an industry and I suspect they’re on top of that. Mind you leaving a bike unattended at all is a pretty bad idea.

 

[han]

I use my phone, mounted, mainly for navigation and Strava. . Obviously I take it off if locking the bike up. I use CycleStreets and OsMand, both of which are free, open source apps based on the OpenStreetMap world mapping. I also keep a battery pack in a bag on my crossbar so I never run out of battery.

 

[han]

I've thought about getting a cycle computer, but as I'm mainly interested in navigation on NCN routes and quiet routes here and abroad, I think a phone is going to work better for that. Cycle computers are if you're into monitoring all your stats etc.

 

[Leafster]

I bought one of the cheaper Garmins and use Strava. I feel more comfortable with it strapped to the bike than I would my phone. The battery life is good. It does more or less what I want it to do except its navigation leaves a little to be desired sometimes. I'm not in the middle of nowhere just semi-rural Surrey so it's been frustrating when it throws a wobbly and loses the route. It might be that I'm using bridleways and other permission routes rather than roads a lot of the time though. I've taken to memorising the main points on a route and using the Ordnance Survey app on my phone when the Garmin is struggling.

 

[Leafster]

ELEMNT bolt here. Usually with Komoot for mapping... the tech in general seems to be moving pretty fast.

I found Komoot a bit frustrating. It'll happily tell me to push/carry my bike up the 100 steps which link my road to the one above it on the hillside but won't let me make a route which uses the track through the local SSSI to the same point even though that's cyclable.

 

[Cid]

I found Komoot a bit frustrating. It'll happily tell me to push/carry my bike up the 100 steps which link my road to the one above it on the hillside but won't let me make a route which uses the track through the local SSSI to the same point even though that's cyclable.

It has its flaws... It tends to work pretty well round me (Peak District). The problem is obviously that any app like that has an enormous task in trying to work out where routes are, whether they’re technically legal etc - especially with the nebulousness of uk usage rights. I haven’t found anything better, and it integrates well with computers. Hopefully it will improve with time... at some point I’d like to do some thorough OS based exploration though.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

There still isn't one clear leader when in comes to bike navigation software. Every one I've tried seems to be good in a certain areas then falls over elsewhere. It's rather frustrating.

 

[Artaxerxes]

I just use my phone to keep track of roughly how far I’ve gone via strava.

It’s rapidly becoming useless mind as the battery is fucked

 

[Leafster]

It has its flaws... It tends to work pretty well round me (Peak District). The problem is obviously that any app like that has an enormous task in trying to work out where routes are, whether they’re technically legal etc - especially with the nebulousness of uk usage rights. I haven’t found anything better, and it integrates well with computers. Hopefully it will improve with time... at some point I’d like to do some thorough OS based exploration though.

There still isn't one clear leader when in comes to bike navigation software. Every one I've tried seems to be good in a certain areas then falls over elsewhere. It's rather frustrating.

I guess that's it. Everyone wants something slightly different from their navigation software and it may well depend on your location too.

I've found planning routes works best for me using the OpenCycle Map and plotting it via Garmin Connect(?). That way I can see all the permitted routes on the OpenCycle Map and then create a course in Connect that I can upload to the Garmin.

As I mentioned above, if I get lost or want to take a detour while I'm out I resort to the OS maps on my phone.

Then when I've completed the route it gets uploaded to Strava!

 

[han]

There still isn't one clear leader when in comes to bike navigation software. Every one I've tried seems to be good in a certain areas then falls over elsewhere. It's rather frustrating.

Yes this is my experience too. I find myself using CycleStreets the most though. It seems to fuck up less than anything else I've tried. And it's opened up London to me totally, with routes I'd never have discovered otherwise.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

It would be great to get this integrated on a sat-nav system: UK footpaths, bridleways and byways online map | FootPathMap.co.uk I use that to plot routes, but have to try and remember them, which is something I can (mostly) do, but if we could have that with navigation that would be handy...

 

[Artaxerxes]

It would be great to get this integrated on a sat-nav system: UK footpaths, bridleways and byways online map | FootPathMap.co.uk I use that to plot routes, but have to try and remember them, which is something I can (mostly) do, but if we could have that with navigation that would be handy...

Last time I relied on a bridle way to go down I got scars for months from the brambles

 

[Leafster]

Last time I relied on a bridle way to go down I got scars for months from the brambles

A lot of my riding is on bridleways. I learnt pretty quickly that shorts and T-shirts weren't the best thing to wear to tackle tracks that were overgrown with brambles and nettles.

 

[sleaterkinney]

han is a fan of bridleways.

I use my garmin to follow routes from the net and strava to record because the garmin crashes...

 

[weepiper]

I just use Strava on my phone. I don't do route planning, Mr W does on his Garmin sometimes but I find the beeping and waiting for it to find its signal and replot the route of you go off course and the way the ride becomes all about the Garmin infuriating.