New to cycling

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

I had the loan of a alloy frame Obrea with compact cranks and carbon forks - the bike was brand new , and came with tubes , CO2 bottles , and 2 drink bottles . Was delivered , and picked up and it cost me just over $100 for the week ..

ok cheers. i wonder how much it would cost to ship my own bike up and back. $100 is very reasonable, but i'm normally up there for about 4 weeks, and although i probably wouldn't ride every day or even every week, it would be nice to have something readily available when the urge hits.

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

I had the loan of a alloy frame Obrea with compact cranks and carbon forks - the bike was brand new , and came with tubes , CO2 bottles , and 2 drink bottles . Was delivered , and picked up and it cost me just over $100 for the week ..

That is a pretty reasonable rate.

I might have to get out on the bike more often or Prydey is going to hurt me on O'Reilly's next time he is up here.

[DBourne]

Originally Posted by prydey

ok cheers. i wonder how much it would cost to ship my own bike up and back. $100 is very reasonable, but i'm normally up there for about 4 weeks, and although i probably wouldn't ride every day or even every week, it would be nice to have something readily available when the urge hits.

Have you looked in to a big carrier? Torpedo7 stock them, and they aren't that expensive, especially if you get it on a free shipping deal.

My boss bought one and took his bike to Hong Kong, and loved it.

[blueoval]

I tend to hire a bike if I am in a new city just to take in the sights and sounds of the area. Also saves the hassle of packing your bike up and shipping it. Different story if you are staying at a destination for extended periods of time. Then I would consider it.

[Uncle Niceguy]

Originally Posted by Mr.NiceGuy

http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/bik...m800/100315288

would this here be compatible with something like this?:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/a...t/rp-prod27684

thanks in advance guys.

and how do you tell what size your bb is i.e.. 170mm 175mm etc.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

Have you looked in to a big carrier? Torpedo7 stock them, and they aren't that expensive, especially if you get it on a free shipping deal.

My boss bought one and took his bike to Hong Kong, and loved it.

do you mean a bike carrier for the car? or like a bike bag for shipping? i wouldn't take my bike on the back of the car. too much hassle with access to the boot, among other things.

Originally Posted by geckoGT

I might have to get out on the bike more often or Prydey is going to hurt me on O'Reilly's next time he is up here.

ha. no chance. i'd be keen to have a crack at O'reilly's or tamborine or something though. not too keen on the narrow roads though.

[DBourne]

Na, I mean this:

https://www.torpedo7.com.au/products...-eva-bike-case

Although, they have it listed as $330 at the moment, it frequently drops down to circa $150-$190

[prydey]

hmm, cool idea but bit pricey. i know if i ever want/need to ship my bike anywhere, my local bike shop will box it up for me. most bike shops do this i believe, otherwise they always have boxes available.

if i'm honest, even though i generally go away for up to 4 weeks, i probably would only ride a handful of times, so i probably wouldn't go to the bother of packing up my own bike.

[mcnews]

If your bike is alloy etc it is viable I think but I am too scared to take my carbon bike anywhere in case and I have good cases, just too much hassle and risk despite insurance.

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by mcnews

If your bike is alloy etc it is viable I think but I am too scared to take my carbon bike anywhere in case and I have good cases, just too much hassle and risk despite insurance.

Actually I'm the other way around.
When layered up and cured correctly, Carbon is a hell if a lot stronger than you think, especially in a monocoque tubular layup.
This said. I would not use anything other than a hard shell bike box to travel, and thats more for durability and security.
They may be pricey. But it's not usually something that needs to be replaced.

[mcnews]

Carbon is hell strong but not impact resistant when hit in ways it is not designed to he hit is my understanding

[GTpilot]

That's somewhat true yes. But carbon is also quite flexible and will return to its molded shape where as metal/Alu won't always (dependant on the bend).
My brother does a lot of flying with his bike and had more metal bikes bent than broken carbon. Theft is the biggest problem.
These days, invest in a decent hard shell case, one you can secure also. You would be fine.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

Na, I mean this:

https://www.torpedo7.com.au/products...-eva-bike-case

Although, they have it listed as $330 at the moment, it frequently drops down to circa $150-$190

If I take my bike away , i normally do it in a cupboard box , wrap the bike in bubble wrap , and carry some packing tape .. However , recently , I borrowed a SciCon AeroComfort bag , with alloy brace frame within the bar ... What a difference .. If I traveling regularly with my bike , I would definitely invest in a SciCon bag

[mcnews]

I have a hard case and recently got a Scion Aero Comfort 2 but am yet to use it. If anyone wants to buy a hard case (not the Scion bag but a hardcase I bought years ago) in VIC let me know as you can have it for a couple of cartons of Coopers Sparkling Ale :-)

[mcnews]

Two rides today, second one was pretty mammoth. 139km ride this afternoon into Switzerland skirting Lake Lugano around the top then over to Lake Como and down to Como before riding back to Varese. Following on from 35km this morning around Lake Varese makes 175km for the day and a combined 2687 metres of climbing. I don't think I want to look at bicycle again.... For the record if any of you think I am a whippet I am a somewhat lardy 177cm 105kg.... 438km so far this week and 7159m

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

Na, I mean this:

https://www.torpedo7.com.au/products...-eva-bike-case

Although, they have it listed as $330 at the moment, it frequently drops down to circa $150-$190

I had a similar box years ago. A hard case is the only way to take your expensive bike on a plane. Watching aircraft baggage handlers can be a cringe worthy experience.

[blueoval]

That's a fair effort there Trev. Well done. Helps when you got some decent views to look at while riding though

[DBourne]

I think Trev needs to be banned for a while. He's having too good a time!

[geckoGT]

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

I think Trev needs to be banned for a while. He's having too good a time!

You are just jealous!

Come to think of it, so am I.

[DBourne]

100% mate!!

[prydey]

how are we meant to top the leaderboard on strava when someone goes and rides nearly 500km in a week!!

come on trev, play fair

[geckoGT]

Has anyone tried the Specialized gel pads for under your bar tape? I ride on a lot of course rural roads and I was having a lot of trouble with my hands going numb and shoulder pain. My bar tape was pretty old so I though I would have a look around.

I found that Specialized have put out gel pad sections, 1 for the top of the bars and another for the drops that you put under your tape to give more padding. Just to go really comfy I also got their Roubaix Wide cork tape which also has a very thin gel strip.

It has made the tape very soft now, also really chunky which is not really a bad thing. I will let you know how it goes.

[Captain Stubing]

My Avanti came with these gel strips fitted. I just re-wrapped the bars yesterday after getting all my new Ultegra gear on. It's more comfortable and less numbing than my hybrid.

Now it's time to get on the bike and try it out today!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by geckoGT

Has anyone tried the Specialized gel pads for under your bar tape? I ride on a lot of course rural roads and I was having a lot of trouble with my hands going numb and shoulder pain. My bar tape was pretty old so I though I would have a look around.

I found that Specialized have put out gel pad sections, 1 for the top of the bars and another for the drops that you put under your tape to give more padding. Just to go really comfy I also got their Roubaix Wide cork tape which also has a very thin gel strip.

It has made the tape very soft now, also really chunky which is not really a bad thing. I will let you know how it goes.

i know of 2 people that have gone to 25 tyres instead of 23, and rave about the difference in comfort. one of them did so due to a wrist injury.

not sure what size tyres you run, but you could try 25's and see if it makes a difference.

[strobe]

I was having trouble with numb hands so bought a pair of gloves with gel inserts and they actually made it worse. I read somewhere that too much padding can sometimes cause numb hands so I ended up switching to bar tape with less padding (Lizard Skins DSP 1.8mm) which fixed my problem. Interestingly I can now use 3 different (no padding, padding, and gel padding) gloves with no real difference in comfort levels, even after 6 or 7 hours in the saddle.

[DBourne]

Not as glamourous as Trev's photos, but here are a couple from me from the last couple of weeks.

Kuota shot was taken on one of our lunch rides. First day of spring was perfect!

DBR shot was from my commute to work last week.

[Syndrome]

I did some mountain bike tracks around Lysterfield Lake yesterday. In much pain today....

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

I did some mountain bike tracks around Lysterfield Lake yesterday. In much pain today....

What's your recovery routine like? Do you stretch afterwards?

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by prydey

i know of 2 people that have gone to 25 tyres instead of 23, and rave about the difference in comfort. one of them did so due to a wrist injury.

not sure what size tyres you run, but you could try 25's and see if it makes a difference.

I changed to GP4000s 25mm last year and found a big difference.
The main advantage you gain with a wider tyre is you can run lower PSI.

On 23s I was running 110 front and 120 rear.
On 25s I run 90-95 front and 105-110 rear.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by GTpilot

I changed to GP4000s 25mm last year and found a big difference.
The main advantage you gain with a wider tyre is you can run lower PSI.

On 23s I was running 110 front and 120 rear.
On 25s I run 90-95 front and 105-110 rear.

Did you notice any additional rotational weight/mass over the 23's when trying to accelerate?