People actually run Q6600 at 2.4?!?

@ramsey, a heavier wheel really shouldn’t much difference on a relatively flat TT, maybe 5s top, certainly not a minute.

As others said, only way to be sure is to spend a day testing it. If race pace is 270w, go ride it 8 times(4 with each wheel) back to back at 220w.

No, nothing to be concerned about imo.
I’m definitely an advocate of spinning as you can ‘replace’ heart rates by shovelling carbs in, but once you’ve used up your muscular strength for the day thats it until you get some protein and a sleep.
It therefore makes sense to spin a lighter gear faster to preserve the muscles for when you really need max power at the expense of some heart rate.

If your average dropped below 85 that might be worth spending time thinking about, but 90 is right about what i’d consider normal.

I suspect anyone hardy enough to finish LEL probably won’t be to worried about a little water.
Shame though, as it’ll no doubt turn it from something that should be an enjoyable challenge into a task to be endured.

The main drawback i can see with the qubo is it doesn’t really offer enough resistance to fully replicate steeper climbs(6%max), or for doing high torque or high power intervals.

I’d definitely look to step up one price point to get a higher simulated slope and higher max power.

I wouldn’t go out and spend big on a first proper road bike. Your first one will be something of an experiment with finding out what you like. Once you’ve done 3-4000mi then you’ll be in a great position to look for an upgrade and use the first one as a turbo or winter bike.

I’d definitely suggest getting down to a LBS that stocks a complete range from any brand so you can have a sit on different bikes with different geometries. Once you know whether you feel more at home on a race bike or something more endurance orientated then you can start looking what to spend your cash on.

To start with i’d look for rim brakes and Shimano 105 around the 8-9kg mark will be fine, no need to go chasing the 7’s.

The roubaix turbo cottons seem a much better idea for day to day riding. Although iirc the riders that used them in this years actual Paris-Roubaix had quite a lot of flats.

Not at all sure about giving yourself ‘target’ values for an ftp test, its like artificial motivation that maybe helps you draw out a bit more than you would under normal circumstances, so doesn’t end up reflecting a real world ftp at all.

Only timer on display imo, not even speed or cadence when indoor as they can be mentally worked backwards if you ride the trainer a lot.

No microbreaks on the turbo.
And nothing (scenery, potholes, corners, traffic) to take your mind off the pain.

Is the Rival shift lever still a bit thin/flexi/floppy? Feels kinda like the lever is bending when you downshift.
(Been a while since I tried Rival so it may have improved, but I know Apex still feels a bit like that too).
You will get used to the SRAM shifting though, and it pretty much just works.

@2.5kg wheels my boardman knows that feeling well – its not a great feeling!

Bright orange and black looks fab by the way 8)

Alternatively, maybe ‘Giant’ the person in question was doing it for some sort of reason.

Endura were kind enough to give my NC500 charity group a good deal on kit, so when we do a group event i make a point of dressing to make myself a rolling Endura advert. Kinda seems fair in my view of things.

Yeah, i’d definitely recce it, its close enough to home to go ride a couple of laps as part of a weekend long ride.
TBH, I wouldn’t say it suits me exactly, the climb is nowhere near long enough – but its better than most, and certainly better than a crit on an airfield!

Went to the local APR again this week, with the intention of going with the fast group, however chickened out at the last minute and stuck to my normal middle group.

As it turns out, the fast group had a super strong rider this week, and he made a solo break off the front of the fast group. Feeling nice and fresh on the climb as he came past I made the somewhat foolhardy decision to join him 😕

In the next 10 mins I progressively regretted my decision more and more, until eventually being ridden off the wheel – on a downhill! So at this point with my legs in tatters, and my lungs long since being deposited at the side of the road, I sat up for a couple of mins easy spinning until I was caught by the fast group.

Slotted into the middle of the group no problem, and carried on towards the finish. Knowing my legs weren’t up for contesting the punchy uphill finish any more, I took one final long hard pull on the front before drifting to the back (and nearly off the back) and following the last wheel to finish 15s or so down.

So overall, quite a good confidence boost, and one that lead me to the BC Events page, and running across a race that may actually suit me!
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/165762/Ochils-2/3/4
7 laps of a relatively hilly course: https://www.strava.com/routes/32185

Legs may be ruined for the season by the time i’ve done NC500 late August, but if they are still working, and there’s still some spots, I may just get a race license and have a go

Something about that odd rearward BB placement just looks decidedly wrong.

I wouldn’t even say they are a budget brand anymore.
Certainly not a premium brand, but making nice lights at a sensible price.

Any keen cyclist would know it’s the worst possible time to try to buy/demo a new bike!

Sure, but that doesn’t exactly help him when he didn’t have a road bike and needed one asap.

I had a Joe Blow, left it with my dad when I moved to my own place.
I now have another Joe Blow.
Largely hassle free. The first needed a new head after about 5 years, and 10 years in the shaft is beginning to lose its paint/coating.

If I had to buy a new pump it’d probably be another Joe Blow.

Got to admit i’m kinda with the OP.
If Brand X are selling Model Y, then its a realistic expectation that I should be able to take my cash to a shop (or online) and buy Model Y.

I sent a beginner to a LBS last year to try a Giant Defy as it would be perfect for them – “out of stock”.
Well when are next years coming in? – “Errr, soon?”
Guess what brand of bike he didn’t buy?

I fully understand the logistics nightmare, and the desire to not have excess stock floating around and potentially selling half price. But that’s really not the customers fault is it?

however if there were 20million electric vehicles and 50% were smart connected to the national grid this would be a solution.

Not entirely sure you’d be able to sell that to consumers.
*Arrives home on a Friday night and puts car on charge for trip to trail centre Saturday morning*
*Unfortunately, unknown to me its national cook a turkey dinner at 3am day*
*Wake up to find car only half charged because grid decided to use my car to cook Mrs Jones’s turkey*
*Drives half charged car to showroom to exchange for a petrol powered version*

its a lot of work, and who’s going to pay for it.

Basically sums up this whole thread.

This route? Can’t think of any particularly bad roads there, certainly nothing that I’d ever swap my TCR for

Slightly different this year, and maybe we have vastly different ideas of bad roads, but if I were to ride it again i’d put slicks on my HT, and my riding partner basically hated it and probably wouldn’t go back (he was a bit tense and got beaten up repeatedly rather than letting the bike move under him).

Edit: Yes i’d be slightly slower on a slicked up HT, but it’d have been MUCH more enjoyable, hardly got to look at the scenery as I spent most of it trying to pick the cleanest lines between the craters and rubble.

💡 A cunning plan if ever I saw one. Much misery neatly bypassed and some adventure added for good measure.

I just don’t understand who they think is going to buy a road bike with suspension.

Go ride the route of this years Trossachs Ton sportive – then you’ll understand! I heard that when Evans did back to back sportives in that area Sat/Sun earlier in the year they were forced to change the route for the 2nd day after getting too many complaints about the surface from the Saturday riders.

£380 pcm mortgage payment, lol.

The ‘bubble’ isn’t just in London, you know – my mortgage is £1600 a month and I don’t live in the south east. You can’t even buy a studio where I live for £85k.

Indeed, it’s quite broken, and with no obvious solution.
As evidenced by this thread, a particular wage gives a vastly different experience depending on where you live.
It’s how we end up with giant media frenzy over nurses using food banks, whilst as little as 250 miles away others are scratching their heads as the nurse next door is driving around in a nice new 1 series BMW.

There’s fairly obvious long term benefits to the inflated wages found in the ‘bubble’, but I can’t say they seem worth the short-mid term drawbacks to me.

Clearance for 28mm tyres on a fast top end roadbike is good though.

I think that’s mostly achievable with newer brake calipers anyway.

But yes, the increased clearance is one clear benefit.
Roll on someone making a full on light/stiff race bike with room for 32’s + guards.
(Basically what cannondale just did for the 2018 synapse needs a supersix version!)

the reduction in hand pump was worth any extra weight.

On a road bike? WTF sort of brakes do you usually use? Or do you go down whole 20km descents pulling the brakes?

Caliper or rotor shifting?
Try greasing and re-tightening all the bolts.

I think his biceps may be bigger than my thighs!

Day2 thegeneralist reported to childline for cruelty 😛

Some wins, some cash and a few PB

Sorry, but this is not doldrums, most of us would consider this highly successful!

More a sportive than a race though I thought?

Tell that to the Elites giving it full gas at the front 😛

Only one of the 4 below i’ve actually done and could recommend, but quite interested in giving the others a whirl over the next few years.

Isle of Man 24hr?
http://www.isleofmancc.com/Isle_of_Man_CC/IOMCC_24hr_Welcome.html

Manx 100, either in girly 100km national champs flavour, or full on beasting flavour:
http://manx100.com/

And for a couple of not exactly racing suggestions, but still a fair challenge

Ride24 (Newcastle-London) will be back for 2018
http://www.ride24hr.com/

Or riding across the pyrenees:
http://marmot-tours.co.uk/tours/raid-pyrenean/

Are running threads the new ‘What Tyres?’ threads?

Aparantly if Conti have their way, we’ll soon be making ‘What Tyres for Running’ threads 🙄

TERREX X-KING SHOES
Mountain-bike-inspired “tyres for your feet” directly moulded to upper for added stability; Moulded toe and heel caps; Continental™ Rubber for extraordinary grip

Indeed, there’s a big difference between being moved to the UK at age 2, and still being racing for another country aged 21.

Could you still get a martgage for a house with an £18K salary?
I remember in 1986 my boss having to lie about my salary so that I could get a mortgage! Amazing that there are still houses available for that amount. I’m gonna start house hunting up north!

I can very much imagine it would seem amazing to someone currently living in the bubble.
But the answer is yes, a quick google shows Halifax will give you £85k mortgage on a single wage of £18k, and an equally quick search shows well over 100 2bed flats to choose from <£90k in Dundee.

But anyway, enough derailing Munro’s thread.
Yes I think £22k sucks for a PhD, but no i’m not in any way surprised as PhD’s are regularly underpaid (but not quite that badly) in the private sector too.
But if its the job she want’s and will enjoy, yes I think she should take it anyway and explore opportunities to move up pay bands. At the end of the day, earning an adequate (and I assume second household wage) in a job you enjoy is not a bad place to be in.

I’ve worked in Kirkcaldy…

😆

Piss take to pay ANYONE that little in 2017.

Again, I’d have to ask why?
If you live outside the London/SE bubble its a very adequate amount to lead a comfortable life.

Is there a “wrong” part of the country? You just live where you live. Have to move to Scotland to afford a house?

And no, obviously there isn’t a “wrong” part of the country, but you don’t just live where you live. You live where you ‘choose’ to live, and many people choose to live outside the London/SE bubble as it gives them a much better quality of life (even on a lower wage).

Obviously things like public sector pay bands (and minimum/living wage) really highlight the differences in living costs in different areas of the country, and its a virtually impossible problem to solve.

Never understood why.

Because he’s a Kenyan.
In much the same way as Greg Rusedski was a Canadian.

Just because you have managed to acquire a British passport, doesn’t really make you British.

+1 for hanging on and saving(or paying off as much mortgage) as possible in the meantime.

Lol what nonsense/trolling. For starters how many people are you factoring in being supported by that salary?

Don’t know how a single person could live on NHS wages.

1 person – was fairly obvious from the bold bit in the quote…..

How is it nonsense? I’ve been there, done that, bought myself a house and nice (but not flashy) cars and bikes all starting from a lower wage than £18k.
No kids, and no pissing money away on stuff like iphones and unused gym memberships.
Basic out goings are mortgage, council tax, electric, phone/tv/broadband, car insurance and home insurance which are roughly (380, 90, 45, 40, 40, 40), which leaves loads left over for food and consumer goods.