Thanks. Once you get used to it you might actually like it a lot.

I just installed a cadence sensor on my fixed gear. So when i use it on my Trainer. I can get a idea of how fast I'm going by reading the cadence. It's a wired computer, so the speed sensor in on the FR wheel. This will be good for my training. I ride my Madone on the Rollers & rode, & my fixed gear on my Trainer.

I'm looking to get some type of indoor trainer for x-mas. What's the difference between the two?

These are rollers in action. Over time they will help your balance & handling. Which is great if you do group rides. If you don't pay attention you will pay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34POOhoXHNw

This is a RR wheel trainer not much fun. You don not have to concentrate for it to work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQsk7...x=0&playnext=1

The sunday just gone I went out with Dad. I thought YOU BEAUTY give it the beans. I don't think Dad was expecting to be struggling to keep up :lol: but I was only good for an hour, then I was happy to keep up with him.:whip:

I think my stamina is good for 1 hour as that's how long gym class goes for. Anyway we only averaged 27km/h. I was hoping for more but I think I did OK. Dad decided to get back into routine and ride everyday. I went with him and his coffee friends this morning. Not much of a ride, a casual 20km. He talked a little to one of his friends about an old bike he had. I got the impression Dad wanted me to have my own bike.

I was right. The big news of today- he rings me at work and asks if I've got time to go see him 'meet me at the bike shop' he said. So the manager of the bike shop fitted me with a bike of my own :love: Being Dads LBS and a regular he got some discount on the stuff we got which was bike and stuff to fit to the bike ie- pedals to suit my shoe clips, bottle holder, bottle, bag, tire levers, spare tube, pump.

The pic in the link doesn't show up the blue very well.
http://www.fleetcycles.bikeit.com.au...ti-avanti-giro

The only bad thing I can think out of all this is now I have to do all my own maintenance. I quite enjoyed going and riding his bikes then not worrying about whats wrong with them. I know that's sounds like a gripe but why would i look a gift horse in the mouth. At least now I can ride from home when I get the chance.:yipi:

You need to work on your Drafting. By doing this you save any were from 20% - 30% of your energy. Also when it's your turn for a pull at the Front. Try & keep the same pace as when you were Drafting, & don't burn your self out trying to do a long pull. If you can only pull for a mile or so that's fine. Also be sure to signal the rider behind you before you pull off, so you your pace line doesn't develop a gap . Most people do this by tapping there right hip a couple of times to let the rider behind you know that your pulling off. Your new bike looks good.. I will look at the pics better when i get home from work.

The drafting thing works much better in bigger groups doesn't it? When it's just the 3 of us we sometimes have to wait up for the third member :whip: I'll get around to doing a decent group ride soon I think. I also didn't care to draft off Dad as I wanted to push myself. I did have to ease up for him but I think that was a good thing or I would have burnt myself out like you said. I went out with him again this morning, only 25km but I think it was a good pace (don't have a computer yet). It sorta depends on work as to how much I can ride during the week because it makes me a little late for work:whip:

I do know that two guys in a paceline can go faster than one, & three can go faster than two, & four can go faster than three, & so on. So to a point the bigger the group the better. I believe after a certain size group the benefits of Drafting are negligible. You should a draft a little behind your dad when you feel like your running out of gas, until you recover. Then take another turn pulling up front. Ideally to get a Drafting benefit. I have been told, you need to be about 1FT or less from the RR wheel. The farther you are from there RR wheel, the Drafting benefit will be less. If your your dad holds his line while riding, this should not be a problem. If you watch the Time Trials in the TDF, they are about two or three inches from a RR wheel. Thats to close for me :lol:.

Hey guys got some bike updates myself. I have two gifts coming in. Some Nashbar rollers and training tires to go with it. Can't wait to fall.

What rollers did you get, & have you ever ridden rollers before ?. If not i would strongly suggest using them in a hallway or doorway. They can be tricking until you get the hang of them. I would also suggest not using your toe clips, until you get the hang of the rollers. I can give you tips if you need help.

I have these. And yes first time riding rollers. I have a good place with walls on both sides that im pretty sure would be perfect for learning. Also any tips are greatly appreciated.

Good you didn't spend a lot on your first set. A couple of tips that were given to me & they helped were.

#1 riding in a hallway

#2 Focus your attention about 2 or 3 feet feet off your FR wheel, don't look at your FR wheel until you get the hang on the rollers. Put something that far out to focus on.

#3 Also don't panic & over react when your bike moves on the rollers. I have found just going with it settles the bike down.

#4 Also if you do ride with toe clips, at first i would only ride with one foot in the clips & one foot out. Until you get the hang of them.


I have gotten good enough on m rollers. That i can get up to 35 mph.

Thanks. I think I should be able to get the hang of it pretty quick. (I hope) I also just got a new wheelset recently. I wasn't looking for something extra light but more durable.

Those wheels look nice. Rollers were fairly easy for me to pick up. Another tip lower Tire pressure will give you more resistince, & higher pressure will give you less.

Do training tires have thicker rubber or something?

I think so, they might be a tougher compound. . Mainly they just last longer. With Rear wheel Trainers your tire will were out fast. With Rollers your tires should wear normally.

Great to hear that i won't have to put on the new tires first. Can't wait for x-mas!

Panda & bigboi

Check out this video of a guy doing freestyle tricks on a Carbon road bike.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z1fSpZNXhU

I wonder how many spokes he has to replace lol. He's bold for that.

My first question was - why????? Then I got over it and just accepted he wanted to be different, and thought - $#it he must be uncomfortable! At least he wasn't clipped in :lol: that would have made the video I bet :rofl:

I had a ride from my house the other day. I have a few hills around me... it knocked me about especially since I was alone :whip:

I took my new Wheels out for a ride today. They are Reynolds 46mm deep v Carbon rims with Schwalbe Ultremo r.1 tires. They roll very smooth & fast. When you get a wind gust from the side, it definitely gets your attention.

Very nice. Wish I could ride outside. I'm enjoying the rollers though. I haven't fallen yet so I don't think it's going to happen. I got it on my first try. Hippie that's a very nice wheelset. How many grams?

Thank's
I weighed them at the shop, with out Tires, Rim strips, or skewers. They weighed 1525 grams. There was about a 4 or 5 oz difference between them & my spoked wheels. Just because you haven't fallen yet, don't get cocky :lol:.

Woah that's super light... Went to answer the phone and rode right off the side. lol. You should have listed don't get cocky under the tips you gave me, which work very well btw. Thanks.

Thank's
I weighed them at the shop, with out Tires, Rim strips, or skewers. They weighed 1525 grams. There was about a 4 or 5 oz difference between them & my spoked wheels. Just because you haven't fallen yet, don't get cocky :lol:.

Yeah, this is the motto of the street bike crowd. I have dropped every motorcycle I have owned, sad. Worst part is all but one of those was forgetting to put down the kick stand. :lol: The other was a rear wheel locking stall in a corner on a wet day. Put her down fast and jumped into a ditch. Luckily cross traffic stopped, but I had to pick up a 700lb or so bike up and get it running again. My face was red...

Wheels look nice Mike. I should start riding again, but a bike that nice would likely break under my fat ass!!!!

Guessing all of you guys who are serious riders must be in pretty good shape. Do you follow a decent diet and do other sorts of stretching and strength training? Just curious, as biking is a physically demanding past time!

I missed another ride on sunday morn. Bro was under the weather and dad said it's 'too windy' do it tomorrow. Since I was up and nobody else was I did some rc maintenance.

I take it you didn't fall then?

Your into all sorts of stuff hah? When my mum got her motorbike license (in her 40's) she was told it's not a matter of 'if' but 'when you drop a bike' :lol: Yes she did :rules:

I don't follow any dieting though my one vice is the drink.:drunk: and the only other exercise I do (aside from occassional hard labour at work) is gym classes. The missus got me into that, good for eye candy:mdr:

Fat asses on bikes make me laugh. I think to myself 'yeah you need it':lol:

Your welcome on the tips. My bad for not reminding you not to get cocky :lol:. Riding off the rollers is fairly common when getting started, :lol:.

Panda

I started getting a cold today so i did not ride.

Linc Thank's
No i still have a little belly :lol:, but it is disappearing. I know weigh 202, i use to weigh 217 before i started riding. I am trying to eat a little better, but nothing special. I am trying to watch the calories on the labels when i buy stuff.

I didn't I was in my hallway between the wall and the banister so i just grabbed on to the banister.

I used to be pretty big when i started riding, 315, then I just fell in love with it. I don't really follow a specific diet but i should. Now I'm about 260 and falling slowly but surely. I gotta work on that diet thing :lol:

Wow that's about 500 grams lighter than mines. Did you notice a huge difference when switching to lighter wheels?

Yeah definitely, I'm in absolute love with them right now. :rules: I spent about an hour on them today pretty noisy. I think i just have to get use to it.

The biggest difference i noticed is how much more a cross wind effects me. I also felt they would held there speed better, both on power & coasting. The ride is definitely smoother.

Quick update: Loving the rollers. Just put in an hour today. I think I'm going to change my gearing. I'm at 42/16 right now, about 71 gear inches. I feel like my cadence is really high and the resistance is to low so I'm going to change to 46 and keep the 16 tooth cog to give me 77 gear inches.

That's good. For resistance you can take a rolled up towel & put it under the RR roller. This is what they told me to do on the cycling forums i go to. You hook it under the feet at the rear of the rollers so it wont move. Then you would stuff some of it under one of the rollers until you get enough resistance. I would assume you use the drum that is in between the other drum. If you try this let me know how you like it.

Will do tomorrow morning I'll let you know since it seems more simple than changing my gearing.

Having a big day today. Rode this morning (the usual 40+ km) averaged over 28km/h (best yet) and made it home in time to go to the gym with the missus, went to a small do at a friends house, now just waiting for midnight:whistle::sleep:

Had a handful of rides in the last 2 weeks, it's been good:yipi:

I had a funny thought while riding today. To keep the stroke smooth I was playing a game in my head. I just pretended I was a proffessional sprinter, I was just running with a restraint (feet clipped in pedals) and of course the ground just streamed past like I was at full speed:lol:

I think I am starting to get more feel for the rythem of riding. Before it was just cruise and wait for someone or go as close as I could get to flat out with out running out of puff too soon.

Question- do you find you sweat more when on rollers/trainer?

The rollers make me sweat more than any other activity i do right now. I think its because your riding without any wind to cool you down.

I rode 22 miles today. I plan on ridding tomorrow, I'm not sure how far i will go.

When I get on my bike I never know how far I'm going I just ride. NYC is my playground!

That must be a nice feeling. I used to be a little bit like that in my early 20's, to the point where I might ride in circles:lol:

I rode again this morning. Having a cycle and gym the other day must've knocked me about 'cause today I was only just keeping up with dad.:whip: He could see I was struggling and we stopped for a drink about 2/3's the way.

I've been a little dissapointed that my weight hasn't changed since I started riding:diablo: I must've hit that middle aged point where it becomes really hard to lose weight:gasp:

I rode 40 miles on Saturday. I had a head wind on the way back ugg :lol:. I weighed my self yesterday. I'm down to Two hundred pounds.

Dad's LBS is closing down. The owner fooled around on his missus and got caught so she is taking him to the cleaners. He is now selling up his shops and scrambling to liquidate. So there are some bargains at the moment. There was a $10k bike going for $4.5k!

Of course Dad beat to it. We didn't get bikes though :lol: He got himself some stuff and me a good helmet (blue and silver 777), a basic computer and some blue walled tires. When I got there I got myself a headlight, a tail light, a jersey, socks and some lube. The biggest saving was on the light - $119 was $270. I spent $240 and the docket said I saved $201.:party:

I really wanted the computer and really needed the helmet. The helmet I was using was an elcheapo with the lining ripped out, completely the wrong size and IRRC I found it somewhere.:oops: I'll get myself a pair of bike shorts when I go to pick up my bike from it's first (and free) service.

I was also thinking of making up a battery pack for the light out of 18650 li-ion or A123 cells. Anyone done something like this or have advice?

I did 40km on sunday morning and 20km this morning. I need to keep it as regular as possible because dad is riding everyday and I can notice the difference, I don't lead as much as I used to :whip: