O/T Road Cyclists and Mountain Bikers (Merged thread)

[vwlatino]

Well done Steve and Tim, good work lads. Steve I have raced so much stuff sick it's not funny.

I think A grade club level is B-C in opens. They put you where they put you really in opens. But unless they know you, that is a good thing as fast chaps often don't race club level and if they do hardly ever win it. Club champ points etc are better left for the club racers.

I could go alright in A grade here in crits at club level, but only once or twice really did I get in a move with a few others and they worked me over with a couple of laps to go. Never even finished a B grade open crit on the same course.

On the track A club, won a few and been in the top 3 a fair bit. But the fastest club A riders are struggling to hang on to the real elite open riders. I get graded B for opens on the track and go ok there too. It's a bit hit and miss sometimes and they have had 2 A divisions (club level) run at the same time on the same track, depends if there are National events on around the time or not.

Tim, good on you for getting in there and having a go Just keep going back and don't change anything or bothering to go up grades etc as while you may be stronger, race craft can be learnt a fair bit with riders going everywhere. You have to avoid lots of bad things etc and it can only help. It's lots of fun.

The last club trophy thing I did was a 1 lap TT of the crit course last year. There were folks in B & C grade with full blown TT rigs and aero helmets etc. I had normal clothes and helmet, small depth 32 hole box section wheels, water bottle and tool bottle (took off the tool bottle) but I left the pump on my bike and I won A grade by 1 second or something.

Osqar I am stoked with 7th, was just happy to have made the finals. I normally have 64 as my number, but for all next year I can run 7N Also now I have what is a state plate (the "N" stands as NSW) I can now enter the worlds which are in NZ next year. That's not a long flight is it?

[CiaranGTI]

Thanks Steve!
Aren't grades Club specific though, as in a "B" grade in one club could be an "E" in the other ?
I mean, I was put with the slowest bunch which the club called "C", so there wasn't any below that.

Have a look at it and ignore first 5 laps, which were basically a pre-race warm up.

Just had a squiz at your strava for the race. That's a pretty reasonable pace! Were there many accelerations? It looks pretty steady save for the downhill section.

You'd find you'll probably be somewhere from B to D depending on the quality and depth of the field at club races.

Buy a license and get amongst it! You'll love it.

You should give Beaumont Rd. Crits at Kuringai a go too. We can go and steal their money.

[J-Tim]

Just had a squiz at your strava for the race. That's a pretty reasonable pace! Were there many accelerations? It looks pretty steady save for the downhill section.

You'd find you'll probably be somewhere from B to D depending on the quality and depth of the field at club races.

Buy a license and get amongst it! You'll love it.

You should give Beaumont Rd. Crits at Kuringai a go too. We can go and steal their money.

Thanks mate. I did most of the race by myself, as in I was only in the bunch for the first couple of laps and then going after the B-grade, which I caught up after 2 or 3 laps. No, I wasn't really pushing at any given time, just trying to get my head around the whole thing.

The whole racing scene seems like a very different world and yet another learning curve to go through. I am probably going to get a license and do the whole year and then see how I go after that.

[CiaranGTI]

Thanks mate. I did most of the race by myself, as in I was only in the bunch for the first couple of laps and then going after the B-grade, which I caught up after 2 or 3 laps. No, I wasn't really pushing at any given time, just trying to get my head around the whole thing.

The whole racing scene seems like a very different world and yet another learning curve to go through. I am probably going to get a license and do the whole year and then see how I go after that.

I'm sure you've already been told this, but in case you havent... wait a couple weeks before you join a club. That way you get the rest of this year and all next year on your race license, effectively a couple months for free!

[Osqar]

Osqy, last time we did Fitz, I was slightly mocked for not drinking at our GTG. This is why. I know alcohol affects my performance. I rediscovered that the hard way. Very little drinking for me for the next few weeks.

Grats on the anni. Good to hear you are getting the training in. Planning some Black Mt reps and a ride out to Rendezvous Cr and back. Beyond that, business as usual. Cant wait to put the light wheels back on. The climb was only hard due to lack of traction.

us? mock? shucks? really? but hey? I think you got your own back, you went out and ripped the ride, and came in 3rd!!!

alcohol? yeah,... I've been trying really hard to stay off spirits since january. I've been slowly teaching myself to drink beer, and can now handle about a six pack on a very big and long night. However friday was wine, beer, scotch, and in colorful amounts. Then saturday was more beer in colorful amounts. Ordinarily 1 or maybe 2 beers the afternoon or night before a ride wouldn't hurt me... but two nights of being thoroughly torched really knocked me around.

black mountain? hehehe... that's a great little road. I really enjoy it. I actually think the lower sections are the toughest. ie: just after you come off Clunies Ross Rd, you do a long left, then a right, then left, and then you're looking out toward Tuggeranong Pkwy. I don't have a GPS, but in those initial corners, it feels like 10%. It's only a short distance, it wouldn't even be 2km, but it's tops.

[Osqar]

Osqar I am stoked with 7th, was just happy to have made the finals. I normally have 64 as my number, but for all next year I can run 7N Also now I have what is a state plate (the "N" stands as NSW) I can now enter the worlds which are in NZ next year. That's not a long flight is it?

brilliant!!! - That number plate is "for the Pool Room!!"

NZ is just across the creek. We should make it plan. We've completely failed to meet up for normal BMX stuff, so why the hell don't we plan to meet up in NZ??!!! Which City is hosting the Worlds?

NZ is brilliant for cheap holidays. GF JB and I have been planning to hike around Fjiordland, y'know, the Milford track and that sort of thing. We'd also love to ride the Queenstown DH MTB park. It would be rad to time it to coincide with you racing the worlds. We could sit in the stands wearing face paint, and "GO AARON, GO!" banners. You know your kids would love it!!!

[steve2gtis]

black mountain? hehehe... that's a great little road. I really enjoy it. I actually think the lower sections are the toughest. ie: just after you come off Clunies Ross Rd, you do a long left, then a right, then left, and then you're looking out toward Tuggeranong Pkwy. I don't have a GPS, but in those initial corners, it feels like 10%. It's only a short distance, it wouldn't even be 2km, but it's tops.

Yeah, the first 1/3 of that climb is pretty brutal. It is up around 16-18% if I recall correctly. There are some steep pinches. I have never done climbing as training. Perhaps I should start. Fitz extreme could be quite tough for me. I havent had many loooong kms for a while.

[Zorg2]

Lots of cyclsits happy today given ****tylink Tunnel is shut. One tweet

Traffic terrible in Melbourne today. Awful to see it as I rode past. #cyclingrocks

[J-Tim]

Lots of cyclsits happy today given ****tylink Tunnel is shut. One tweet

Try riding along the car park AKA "M5" in the morning during the week. Oh, what a feeling!

[monkeysrus]

We'd also love to ride the Queenstown DH MTB park.

I might just be riding there next Sat.

[Osqar]

I might just be riding there next Sat.

yeah,.. i suspected you might try it while you're over there.

Am green with envy!! I hope your arm holds together!! make sure you take photos!!!

also... are you gunna enter Fitz with us? or are you just foxing?

[Osqar]

Yeah, the first 1/3 of that climb is pretty brutal. It is up around 16-18% if I recall correctly. There are some steep pinches. I have never done climbing as training. Perhaps I should start. Fitz extreme could be quite tough for me. I havent had many loooong kms for a while.

well,.. you're plenty fit compared to me. I have focused all my training around climbs. Looking at J-Tim's Strava, he's definitely fitter than me. I don't have too much time during the week to grind out the miles, so I've been trying to to aim for climbing power. I honestly won't have enough endurance to put in a fast time, but as I found out with the Convict 100, if I have the climbing power, I can go very deep on the day. These events are all about recovering time on the climbs. At Convict, although slower than Tom & Monkey on the tech descents, I had heaps of power on the open sections, and had plenty of motor to finish the event. I am using the same logic for the Fitz.

[monkeysrus]

yeah,.. i suspected you might try it while you're over there.

Am green with envy!! I hope your arm holds together!! make sure you take photos!!!

also... are you gunna enter Fitz with us? or are you just foxing?

Fitz? Im not ready..........

[steve2gtis]

Did the Scott course red lap this morning for the first time (at stromlo) since last Scott. The new bike is easily as fast on climbs and is seriously faster on descents, and thats not at race pace. Its just so much nicer to ride fast.

To be honest, probably a combo of better bike and better rider. I was pretty green at MTB last Scott. I had fitness, but not much skill.

I am also running Rubena Scylla tyres as a trial, instead of the XMarks. The tyres are around 250g lighter, are much more plush and have at least as much grip. They also seem to run slightly higher pressures than the LUSTs without shaking my teeth out. I could run them lower without worrying about dinging rims, too. Plenty of cushion on the sidewall. They will be worse on the road with more rolling resistance. Nice for the bike to drop half a kilo. First impression: worth the change. The XMarks were bulletproof but harsh and tended to have an understeer point before gripping up again. They were heavy, though. Over 840g per tyre.

[vwlatino]

That sounds like fun, not sure if I mentioned it but back in July I got the bug to try downhill mtb riding, haha.... I looked on ebay for a bike that was cheap and had full intentions to give it a go. Wasn't sure how often I'd get there, but I was willing to spend around $2k on a used bike.

I ended up buying a 3-4 year old mint Kona dualie xc bike, belonged to a kona sponsored downhill rider that had it for training, he was a pom also so it has bits of Hope parts on it. So far I used it the once and that was the week I got it, oh well, it's not like it wear out sitting in the garage. I am looking forward to getting to ride it a little bit over summer. It goes great and feels great. Suspension is weird though. I almost enjoy it more locked out and hardly moving.

I didn't think that I'd get the use out of a dh bike and hardly ever go

Found a few more pics from the states, at last a decent one of myslef. Luka giving it some stick in one of the corners and taking off. I saw him do a jump on the weekend and it was rather large for a 6 year old. He is hooked now, at coaching last night all he did was line up sections to try to jump them.

[vwlatino]

So I only had a gum/mouth ? whatever infection from a rotten tooth. Needed root canal this morning as last night the pain was incredible.

The pain killers I took yesterday knocked me out clean for a few hours. crazy

[J-Tim]

Nuts! Sorry to hear that, mate!



On a side note, does anyone have a set of Shimano 105/Ultegra you don't need anymore ? I am mainly after shifters and calipers... can't bear using Sora anymore.

[steve2gtis]

Root canals suck.

I think I have a few Tiagra/105 bits, but I am not sure if they are worth chasing. I have old Tiagra shifters. Better off going for 105 minimum, I reckon. Beyond that, Tiagra brakes, 105 mechs. You should find a decent group set at a good rate on wiggle or CRC. I found a 105 group for less than 600 shipped a couple of yea back. Which bike is this for?

[J-Tim]

Root canals suck.

I think I have a few Tiagra/105 bits, but I am not sure if they are worth chasing. I have old Tiagra shifters. Better off going for 105 minimum, I reckon. Beyond that, Tiagra brakes, 105 mechs. You should find a decent group set at a good rate on wiggle or CRC. I found a 105 group for less than 600 shipped a couple of yea back. Which bike is this for?

Thanks Steve. That would be for my commuter. I need a proper set of brakes and Sora just don't cut it even though I've now replaced pads with Dura Ace... they are still rubbish.

I saw the whole groupset for sale new, but I don't think I need that much. A set of used 105 shifters and calipers would do just fine.

[steve2gtis]

My commuter project could be a Merida Cyclocross 4 Disc with guards. Except I will ditch the wheels and run a set of stans Alpha Disc and run tubeless tyres. Should be a good all weather ride. I expect to do a lot of wet weather riding to and from work. With the MkII going, there is no chance of us having two cars in the foreseeable future. We just dont need one.

Either that or I was considering building one from a custom Ti frame using a carbon belt, 11spd Alfine and discs. Undecided.

[J-Tim]

With current, end of the year deals going around, don't you think you could snatch something very decent for less than if you've built all that yourself ?

Just a thought.

[steve2gtis]

Possibly. Although, there arent too many CX bikes with discs out there. Merida is very reasonably priced. All Specialised and C'Dale bikes at that point or up to 500 more run tiagra and sora. All of these bikes will have wheelsets weighing more than 2kgs.

For around 2, I could build a lighter better specced CX bike and have the benefit of having accumulated bits and built it up myself. Its pretty gratifying. We are talking carbon belt drive and 11spd internal gears. I am more likely to get the merida, though.

[vwlatino]

Tim, check the angle your pads contact the rim and try to get them to toe in a tiny bit, so the front of the pad touches the rim first. the width of a business card between the rim and the rear of the pad is perfect.

Clean the rims really well with a kitchen scrubber, one of the course green ones. Maybe give the pads a light sand too, they may have picked up some crap from the rims or while you put them on.

More often than not it's a bad rim surface that will effect the brakes the most. (given the cables are not damaged and seated correct) I still have a set of sora brakes that are from the 90's and they still work fine. Actually I still have dia compe brakes on a bike with downtube shifters, original pads and they work fine. The bike is a 91 model.

But, I'd go 105 for shifting at least. Any of the gear below that is made for a short life. I can't remember exactly what it is, but they calculate the average use of bikes in that price range and they are made to last something like 35 hours use. Most would be bought and used for a sunday morning ride for about 6 months and never come out again.

For commuting you would kill the cheap drivetrains and shifters after 1 really wet season.

I have an ultegra 9 speed group I got on a lemond bike in 98, I rode it for 4 years straight and it still works just fine. I don't have any 9 speed cassettes though now.

How many speed is the bike you have 8-9-10?

[sweatyworker]

Clean the rims really well with a kitchen scrubber, one of the course green ones. Maybe give the pads a light sand too, they may have picked up some crap from the rims or while you put them on.

Be careful sanding rims. Doing this and a new set of kool stops left me in hospital with a fractured jaw and a six screws in my wrist.

[CiaranGTI]

Thanks Steve. That would be for my commuter. I need a proper set of brakes and Sora just don't cut it even though I've now replaced pads with Dura Ace... they are still rubbish.

I saw the whole groupset for sale new, but I don't think I need that much. A set of used 105 shifters and calipers would do just fine.

Build a single speed. Best commuter rain thrasher possible. Buy some $50 non-shifting levers & use a mish mash of parts you have available (Old rear derailleurs make excellent chain tensioners).

I have sora brakes on my single with Ultegra pads and have never had any concerns with braking power. Have a good look over the brake cables, maybe they are moving around or catching on the outers and delaying the release of the brakes.

[CiaranGTI]

But, I'd go 105 for shifting at least. Any of the gear below that is made for a short life. I can't remember exactly what it is, but they calculate the average use of bikes in that price range and they are made to last something like 35 hours use.

I put 7-8000kms on my Tiagra 9sp, and it still shifted like new when I upgraded to my next bike. I think if you maintain a bike well, it'll last.

A guy in my club is a mileage monster and races on a Sora 8sp in A/B grade, no worries.

The shift quality is definitely better in 105 and above, but longevity is pretty good across the board in Shimano.

[J-Tim]

I put 7-8000kms on my Tiagra 9sp, and it still shifted like new when I upgraded to my next bike. I think if you maintain a bike well, it'll last.

A guy in my club is a mileage monster and races on a Sora 8sp in A/B grade, no worries.

The shift quality is definitely better in 105 and above, but longevity is pretty good across the board in Shimano.

Well, I do maintain my bikes pretty well and I am confident that Sora I have on my commuter will keep on shifting for many years to come. While thumb-operated upshifts are a bit crap, I could certainly live with that. Shimano has upgraded Sora range to proper shifters now though, which is a good news for anyone who's getting a new entry level for 2013.

My biggest issue are the brakes as in they are truly rubbish. I've never been happy with them since the day one and at some point I thought maybe that's how they are all supposed to be. That until I got my new bike.

[Osqar]

not sure if I mentioned it but back in July ... I ended up buying a 3-4 year old mint Kona dualie xc bike, belonged to a kona sponsored downhill rider that had it for training, he was a pom also so it has bits of Hope parts on it. ....
.....
Found a few more pics from the states,

yup you mentioned it. the bike is sik. you should ride it. I understand double bouncers might feel weird, but you'll get used to it!!

top bmx shots!!!

sorry to hear about the root canal jobbie. that hurts like F#$K! anything that involves mucking with your teeth nerves is electric. Its that peicing pain. nasty! When I was kid I smashed my face, broke my nose, and smashed out my top front teeth. the pain was immense. I had to have the dead nerve cauterised, and a fake cap glued to the tooth stump, and a bolt up into my top jaw. I totally empathise. Without the right drugs, it's an inceedible electric feeling pain.

[Osqar]

Well, I do maintain my bikes pretty well and I am confident that Sora I have on my commuter will keep on shifting for many years to come. While thumb-operated upshifts are a bit crap, I could certainly live with that. Shimano has upgraded Sora range to proper shifters now though, which is a good news for anyone who's getting a new entry level for 2013.

My biggest issue are the brakes as in they are truly rubbish. I've never been happy with them since the day one and at some point I thought maybe that's how they are all supposed to be. That until I got my new bike.

go full 105s. if you can't afford it, just save up. you know this is right.
PS: besides, it gives more excuse to ride the new bike for the time being.

[J-Tim]

May just swap brake calipers for 105s which can be had for under a hundred. Meanwhile, off to clean up front rim and pads. Hopefully, that'll stop her squealing!!

[vwlatino]

if they squeel, do what I wrote, scrub the rims, toe the pads in and sand the pads a tiny bit. Check the cables.

I'd say you have dirty rims causing the most problems. Shimano pads are notorious for picking up grime also, like tiny metal flakes in the pads that chew your rims up when wet. Sand the pads clean.

Don't sand your rims at all. Just use a kitchen scouring pad washing up thing.

[steve2gtis]

Thats good advice. I should do my roadie, too. Its been a while. I think the braking surface on the TWE's might be a bit pants...

[J-Tim]

if they squeel, do what I wrote, scrub the rims, toe the pads in and sand the pads a tiny bit. Check the cables.

I'd say you have dirty rims causing the most problems. Shimano pads are notorious for picking up grime also, like tiny metal flakes in the pads that chew your rims up when wet. Sand the pads clean.

Don't sand your rims at all. Just use a kitchen scouring pad washing up thing.

Thanks Aaron, will do!

[smarm]

[steve2gtis]

Fark! More impressed with that than McAskill.