assuming it’s just commuter racing (putting in some effort and passing other people) and not commuter ****tery (RLJing, weaving in and out oblivious to other road users, etc) then I’m having difficulty seeing the problem

IMO theres a difference between a weekend club run on open country roads and cycling furiously through urban areas shared with loads of other people who just want to get from A to B. It unfortunatly does often include weaving, excesive risk taking etc which can be intimadating to other road users or pedestrians.

Whilst its mostly harm free, I cant help feeling it puts cycling and cyclist in a bad light, its just a bit knobish.

6 miles each way, rarely a drop of sweat so my work clothes are the jeans and jersey top I rode in wearing.

TBH I find commuter cyclist racing as anti social as cars speeding. (Their usually embarrassingly crap cyclists too)

Double post

So it’s not a fit question but a speed / technique question?

How are you measuring your speed?

I would get something to reliably measure your average, a garmin or smartphone app.
Do a baseline 20 mile ride on the mtb.
Pump up the tyres c 100 psi on the roadie and do the same route, get on the drops as much as possible, when you think you’ve put every bit of effort you have into peddling try a bit harder.
Repeat.

You will be faster than on the mtb and get faster still each time you ride. Having sad all that it’s possibly not the best time of year to start.

Which bit of it is 60cm?

Lot of belt tightening going on at the mo.

Generally speaking don’t get involved with any sellers you can’t look in the eye.

Road- pair of bibs, a chain, some lube a set of tyres and the occasional gel should see you though a year.
MTB- Been single speed for quite a while and have a good selection of tyres so its pretty much just lube and gels

Maybe enough for a couple of trips but really dont like paying for orginised events.

So all in probably £500/750 a year including replacing the occasional big ticket item, which a lot better than some hobbies. All of which is good because theres plenty of other stuff to spend it on.

Anything but sealskins, great idea crap application.

OR wool/not wool combo are my faves.

No helmet or hi viz.. tut, tut.

Whilst I know you lot are probably arguing about the colour of stitching on the steering wheel by now. Could I just point out (again) that cars WILL be speed limited within the next ten year.

Reason being only cocks and those trying to sell cars think differently.

Anyway… Carry on.

You are making a leap really with the Sonos, it worked for me because I had a mac with a big library of music and an Ipad/Phone to control it.

If you want to base a system on existing HiFi it may not be the best choice.

That said I think I converted quite a few people at a recent BBQ with people in the garden using an Ipad to queue and play their favourite music.

Cant speak for the other systems but since getting a Sonos I have listened to much more music and would highly recommend one.

I quite like road bikes are a little too small, I should ride a 56 but my fave bike is a 54.

Looking at the same thing, list so far:

Giant tcx but haven’t seen one in the flesh
Boardman I seen one today very nice and I don’t have a problem with SRAM
Croix de fer or CDF because I like the look
Cannondale caadx refreshingly un sloping top tube.
Vapour but hey have very short head tubes
Kona Riove not really a cx but they look cool and I love that video

I’m still not convinced by discs, there not really needed for the use I have in mind and rim brakes would make swapping parts with existing bikes much easier.

Telling we have to argue the merits of not breaking the law. 🙁

Julian W

Many(possibly even most) new cars already have all the technology installed to make this possible and insurance companies are falling over themselves installing thousands of black boxes every week.

Generally speaking the new technology creates new opportunities for companies like those providing the insurance . Car manufacturers are not so keen, their business is flogging cars many of which are sold on the promise they will improve your live by being faster than last years model.

That’s why they are blocking the EU direct live to make installing black box and speed limiting compulsory.

It will eventually happen though..2018 at a guess.

iCloud Mr G , of course you have to have bought into the Apple thing. 🙂

Otherwise I have used google drive to successfully share stuff with my family and that I no mean feat.

Bagsy ..giancarlo fisichella

I doubt you will get much better, only consideration would be something more classic and titanium for a few quid more.

It’s a blessing in disguise, get rid of the thing and get a life.

I have distant memory of cycling from Leeds to London then onto Brighton circa 1983 fantastic care free trip as were the weekend rides from Leeds to Ilkley. The only aspiration was some campag gears but they were so far out of reach you didn’t really give it much thought.

There we’re admittedly half the vehicles on the road there are today but helmets and hi viz weren’t invented, gore text was still a marketing dream and lights meant every readies with batteries as big as your wrist or dynamos that could stop yuo down hill.

So cycling meant a t shirt and a pair of shorts and it was brilliant.

Also missing though was the presumtion that getting from A to B by any other than a car was the exception that need some kind of trainng, expensive gear the use of which should be monitored by self appointed bike police.

The point of this waffle is that I wouldn’t like to see cycling restricted to those who can afford the official gear as sactioned by this weeks marketing spin.

You know the lonely young chap who built himself an online alter ego as richmtbguru has now thrown himself under an erratically driven dusky pink ford Ka whilst wearing all black “ninja” style cycling attire an out of date helmet an absolutely no reflectors on his pedals.

He is now just another cycling fatality held responsible for his own fate due to his lack of hi viz despite the driver of the car texting her boyfriend 11 times before running him over and reported as shouting “I pay road tax” whilst fleeing the scene in fear of her life.

All because of a you lot don’t know when to stop.

Whilst I think this is superb TV and avoids more successfully than most the temptation to go too long once they know their onto a good thing. I cant help thinking the proper ending was series three when Gus was blown up.

Since that series theres been a few tenuous moments an example of which is the final episode in which Jack was about to kill Walt but stopped to prove he wasn’t in partnership with Pink..really thats all a bit 007 and the villain explaining his master plan whilst giving our hero time to instigate plan B.

It was scenes like that which for me made BB a brilliant bit of escapism TV but put it at least at least one step behind The Wire in credible story telling.

Still already missing Walt and not convinced they haven’t left it open for a return based on another one of those “things that make you mmm” moments in the final scene when the plod didn’t check him for live.

I would also like to claim the Waltism for the reason I cycle ” I did because I liked it, I was good at it..and it made me feel alive” at least two of those apply to me and riding a bike.

Taking your post on face value- why not post a link to your Strava profile, I bet you will soon find those KOM’s more challenging?

Brilliant TV…as above

The Wire
Breaking Bad
…All the rest

Fwiw I thought the best scene was him explaining himself to Skyler..and how soon before we hear that name shouted across the supermarket isles?

I don’t see any reason someone wouldn’t identify the correct reason there performance improved.

Having recently gone from 16.5 stone to 13.5 I can say there is a massive improvement in results(probably proportionate to the weight loss+ some). Whilst loosing the weight and frequently being in a calorie deficit my fitness levels (particularly for endurance) where often worse than before and required managing carefully.

However the overall effect was improved results even during weight loss and certainly when stabilised. ..

How are you measuring fitness?

As long as there’s lots of room for me and the ladies in the back I would let the chauffeur choose the brand.

Bit of trolling, newspapers must be desperate at the mo.

Was about to post…then remembered its a modern metaphor for pissing in to the wind.

Pies and Predjudice at roughly one page per poo.

I would rather not cycle(and I have most days since I was three) than join the wonking helmet, high viz gang.

Insisting people dress up in silly clothes is one of the key reasons people dont start cycling in the first place.

Doesnt matter a jot what colour your wearing when the driver of a car is updating their facebook status.

Don’t watch it all as it goes on a bit

That’s the best bit, should be in black and white with a musical backing.

At the risk of opening up a whole new front of disagreement..I think that road is more likely to improve fitness due to the easier access to the type of surface inductive to maximum effort, otherwise known as a road.

Out the door 2, 3, 4 hours not stop uninterrupted effort at whatever level you want is accessible to most on a road bike. Thats more difficult to achieve on the MTB (is for me anyway) which whilst I can string some long loops together more of it will be backing of for the loose surface and all the hazards that make it fun.

I also don’t think you can replicate the sensation on mtb with slicks, road bikes only really come into there own at 19/20mph+ even better if thats in a group. The fitter you are the better it gets, which is usually encouragement enough.

Not being a little fit would be like sending me down Fort William Downhill and concluding it is crap cos I had to walk most of it.

FWIW thats my experience of being a regular MTBer and Roadie.

Theres been a few threads on here about overtraining and or riding late at night and the effects on sleep.

Certainly happens to me if I run/cycle late gives me real trouble sleeping, never had any problems with the gels(sis) though.

Can’t imagine why anyone would get so vexed by someone else’s preferred type of cycling, bizarre.

it’s a bit of polystyrene with a plastic outer designed to protect you from a small knock. It’ll probably still protect you from a small knock, that’s the logic.

Looks ok to me.

There not that strong anyway, I doubt it’s reduced its range of protection much.

I like it, much cleaner.

Also started a bit of a mac fest in which I set up iCloud sync devices and home sharing to home share all good.

Had five and a curry on Thursday, just about recovered this morning.

May give total abstinence a go for a month or so, see how that works out.

FunkyM- most of my mates >40 agree any more than 2 pints is hangover inducing, something for you to look forward to. 🙂