I opened this with high hopes because I’ve got my first triathlon tomorrow. Starting with an olympic before I take on a IM in 4 weeks… Excited for something totally new, should be fun – Good luck to your son!

Recommending what i have… I picked up a Merida cyclocross 500 which doesn’t seem to attract too much hype but I’m loving it so far. More than pure cross and has rack/guard mounts etc. Oh and an awesome green colour.

Some bargain Cubes over on the German discount site (riding unbranded carbon and it’s not broken yet…)

GP 4000s on the race bike, conti ultra sports on the training bike, and wide Clement Stradas on the commuter for some tracks and gravel. Ultra sport wins the value prize though.

The suggestion in your answer sounds like more fun than just selling!

Try Whisky Base for a start

I’ve got a road ID mini size, for a small amount of money, it’s not conspicuous or obvious and it might save my life one day. Can’t hurt anyway!

I’ve done plenty of research into this, although so far I have no practical experience so I’m in the same boat as you. My decision is to carry a tube of vittoria pit stop as first defence, and carry a pre glued spare tub and CO2 to mount if necessary. Others will be sure to say that’s overkill…

Thin diameter fishing line (not wire) and a nice tight small knot worked a treat.

I have the core and the light weight. Core are quite thickly padded and probably not my absolute favorite short although plenty comfy for centuries. Love the light weight although they do seem to be wearing quickly. For comfort my castellis seem just as good but they’re not a cheap short either. Got mine in post Christmas 30% off. The repair service however is fantastic. Just had a tear in the knee of some long bibs repaired free of charge with free return postage. For that reason alone I’d pay for the Rapha ++

Just swapped bars on my P3, total recable job for me as base bar and extensions were internal. Lots of fun with fishing line etc! Got the tricky gear cables routed and thought the end was in sight only to find the old vision brake levers didn’t fit on the new 3T bars… good luck!

Probably as all round fit as ever at 35. Many years of rowing in my 20s balanced out by poor diet, then a few years of not much then 4 seasons road racing. Then decided ironman would be fun and have my first in 7 weeks, eek. Swimming 4k, running marathons for fun and lots of long rides. Maybe lost a bit of 1-5 min power on the bike, but 3kg lighter as well!

Have one on the TT bike I bought second hand. Unlike others it took no setup, and no time to adjust to, just comfy from ride 1. Find it works best with more thinly padded shorts.

Doesn’t surprise me at all. I had one that would not turn on, brand new. Replacement could not find sensors. Never again!

Just got my first TT bike, a second hand P3 with mechanical Dura Ace. I love it but already been pricing up Di2 kit… Not sure if I’ll pull the trigger on it, but that’s mostly due to being tight and getting better with the mechanical shifting and planning ahead every ride. We’ll see!

Bought a Dengfu race bike a year ago, love it, good to deal with and it’s not snapped on me yet!

Go Fishing I should have said

Always loved a bit of Gone Fishing with John Wilson. Need to have a look on YouTube!

I’ve got on very well with the muc off dry ceramic lube. It’s effective and lasts a decent amount in dry conditions and cleans off easily when  needed, so perfect for my summer race bike. It’s another story if it unexpectedly chucks it down 2km into a 150km race however, so beware!

Quite the seatpost on that Felt plus one!

I had two Lezyne ‘super’ bike gps units, both returned under warranty. One wouldn’t even turn on! I’ll be sticking to another brand, likely beginning with G…

As the others above said, avoid Lezyne. I thought I was being smart and getting a good deal… First unit wouldn’t even turn on, second one wouldn’t keep connected to sensors during a ride. Both went back under warranty, bought an Edge 520 instead which has been 99% problem free.

I recently had a similar dilemma and ended up buying a Merida cyclo cross 500, mostly because it ticked enough of the boxes and was a really good price. Has through axles, internal cable routing, rack mounts. Unfortunately I’ve not ridden it yet so can’t offer more than that.

Krakow is a good shout but don’t expect to completely avoid the crowds. 5 days might but just about the limit but certainly 3-4 wouldn’t be a problem. I’ve also done Gdańsk in summer but overall probably slightly less beautiful and things to do than Krakow.

Could city hop a couple of northern Italy cities? Combine Amsterdam and Antwerp for Belgium and Netherlands in one? Lisbon for somewhere slightly different? Not sure where you’re from and it seems less exciting but Edinburgh is always good and loads to do.

Ooo that Niner is nice Daffy, and might just tick enough boxes for me. Looks practical, special enough to be excited to get on at 6am in winter, but no so fancy I’m going to be precious about riding it. Thanks for all the suggestions it’s great to hear some real world experiences and some different considerations.

I’ve been on a 10 year old tricross for a couple of years, and an early 2000s ss rigid stumpy before that so I apparently keep bikes for a while and want to get it right.

Some interesting suggestions here, thanks. Definitely hub/belt curious and maybe trying out an alfine is a good start before shelling out for a rohloff. I’ll have a look at the Soma and Bombtrack. As you say it’s a buyer’s market so it’s great to see what people rate.

I’ve had the Evans own brand Proviz jacket copy for the past two winters. I’ve used it daily for commuting through the dark and have no complaints, apart from perhaps a bit more breathability would be nice. I’m not sure how effective where it is when you haven’t got car lights or street lights and in dusky conditions. I think the perfect combination would be alternating stripes of yellow/orange with the proviz material – best of all worlds in all conditions. But I’ve not seen this yet!

Cycling
280 rides
7046 km
63 353m climbed
13d, 3h, 53 mins

Running
64 runs
555 km
5626m climbed
2d, 4h, 58 mins

First year counting miles and pretty happy. Cycling only really started logging in March and lots of indoor rides that didn’t get any distance. 80% of run distance since September so looking to up that next year. Bring on 2018.

More running on the cards this year with a couple of marathons including a first trail marathon. Then Ironman Norway in July, followed by the etape a week later which should be interesting.

Probably not that comparable to you, but some of the indigenous tribes in the Arctic will eat almost nothing apart from caribou for months at a time. Europeans who have tried this diet claim they never felt healthier. So a few steaks should be all good!

32km of climbing in 8km? Think that guy needs to get his gps checked…

I’d say you’re a bit of a dab hand at this…

Some interesting suggestions here. Not my personal favourites but the Glenmorangie Lasanta (festive?!) and Quinta Ruban are very smooth easy drinkers. One is sherried and one port cask. Tomintoul or Glen Grant nice choices for more typical easy drinking Scotch.

Play 1 in a 25 m2 living room works great for me. Just upgraded to a playbase, and bought another play 1 for upstairs… My biggest plus for Sonos is that it just works, always. Can’t comment on other options though. Do I have a Sonos problem?

I used to be an 80kg rower with a best 2k of 6.24. Would have been nice if I had a few kilos to lose to become a lightweight. No doubt Wiggins has the capacity to pull some good scores but I do doubt if he’ll ever get very far in a boat.

My Dengfu R02 in 58 is 940g, matching fork is 320g. I think they had a light option as well but at 80kg and a Chinese frame I decided to play it safe

Did Flanders this year, thinking about LBL next year for variety unless I hear that is a terrible idea

I’m too scared to open up my lefty…

I don’t think there’s any brand I wouldn’t buy, lots of bikes I wouldn’t look at for various reasons but nothing based on brand alone, I’d look at anything for the right use at the right price (bought all the unpopular oo, trek, spesh, cannondale and currently love my unbranded carbon…)

I’ve got some of their Chill mesh boxers I use for long runs and they’re great and very comfortable. Also got some running compression leggings that are warm and comfy, don’t notice any particular compression. Had various long sleeves overt the years too and best endorsement I can say is I’ve never worn any of the stuff out.