Inspired by Brillo, my fitness training ....

[doodab]

This is a fair point though folks; those blasted things waste huge chunks of your life. I've almost given up watching it at home. Loads more time to cook and eat well, ride my bike etc. Start by resolving never to eat a TV dinner and always sit down at the dinner table to eat together.

I binned tv a while ago, now I find CUK isn't busy enough to fill the time and I'm forced to read other websites.

[Ketchup]

Out of interest why?

Best thing to do is wander down to your local Evans/Cycle Surgery/ Specialized/Giant/Trek concept store and try a few out. I prefer to deal with Cycle Surgery as they'll price match everywhere (including online) and actually seem to be interested in bikes rather than just selling whatever they have to hand.

That being said - I bought my existing bike from the Giant concept store in Twickenham. I wandered in, and they measured me up, suggested a frame, ordered one in in my size, put me on a watt bike, built it up according to the measurements from the watt bike and let me take it around Richmond park for a couple of laps with no comittment to buy. I think Specialized in Kingston do the same, they certainly have loaners you can borrow.

Don't know where you are in the country though.

I'm in Essex (Chelmsford) but ClientCo is in London (Paddington)

[Mich the Tester]

I don't think you ever need a triple set unless you're going to do l'etape, or some serious climbing. A twin set will provide ample gears for normal use, and a triple set is heavier, more cumbersome, imo.

Yep, if you do a long day's tour ride (200+kms) and there are a few hills toward the end you'll be glad of a triple. It's OK riding uphill with a compact if you're fresh, but if you've already got 6 hours of riding in your legs it's a different matter altogether. You don't necessarily feel like your legs are really tired until suddenly you go up an easy looking hill and it feels like the bloody Matterhorn.

And don't fall for the 'triples are for wimps' argument; take a look at the tour de France or the Giro during the mountain stages and you'll see that some of those guys will have a triple on the really hard uphill days, and maybe they don't actually use it, but just have it in reserve in case 'the man with the hammer' hits them on a hill.

I've noticed since I started taking cycling seriously that there's a lot of macho guff talked by cyclists and it's a bit sad. When some bloke claims he rode up the Stelvio on 50/16 he's either bulltulipting or he's bulltulipting AND he spent 3 days in bed afterwards with no movement in his legs, or he's on EPO and he's bulltulipting.

[Old Hack]

Yep, if you do a long day's tour ride (200+kms) and there are a few hills toward the end you'll be glad of a triple. It's OK riding uphill with a compact if you're fresh, but if you've already got 6 hours of riding in your legs it's a different matter altogether. You don't necessarily feel like your legs are really tired until suddenly you go up an easy looking hill and it feels like the bloody Matterhorn.

And don't fall for the 'triples are for wimps' argument; take a look at the tour de France or the Giro during the mountain stages and you'll see that some of those guys will have a triple on the really hard uphill days, and maybe they don't actually use it, but just have it in reserve in case 'the man with the hammer' hits them on a hill.

I've noticed since I started taking cycling seriously that there's a lot of macho guff talked by cyclists and it's a bit sad. When some bloke claims he rode up the Stelvio on 50/16 he's either bulltulipting or he's bulltulipting AND he spent 3 days in bed afterwards with no movement in his legs. Or he's on EPO and he's bulltulipting.

I do some very long rides, and I don't think, here, and especially chelmsford, has a hill for which you need a triple set for. It's not macho posturing, it's fact. I rode from Lands end to Deal in 4 days without a triple, and that's across Cornwall and Devon, which is about as hilly as it can get.

I am being genuinely serious, you really do not need a triple in this country.

Now, if you read what I said, it was, if you were going to attack l'etape, then I can see the value, as you will go up a bona fide mountain. But Essex? England? Really?

Don't buy a triple, it will be a waste of your money.


Edit MTT. How many people do you know, who will be riding 125+ miles, with hills at the end? A long training ride for me is 60 miles, across and about Dartmoor. Never needed a triple set. Normally, it's a couple of hours punting across the levels, which are about as flat as most of Holland. When we do a trip, it's normally 5-7 days in and around the UK. I have genuinely never needed a triple set. Ever. To be frank, I don't like getting down onto the lower set, as I feel that's my reserve. I don't get out of the saddle either mind, as I think once you're out, it's Custers last stand.

But no, never in the UK have I needed a triple, and I don't think I've met anyone else who needed one either.

[Mich the Tester]

I do some very long rides, and I don't think, here, and especially chelmsford, has a hill for which you need a triple set for. It's not macho posturing, it's fact. I rode from Lands end to Deal in 4 days without a triple, and that's across Cornwall and Devon, which is about as hilly as it can get.

I am being genuinely serious, you really do not need a triple in this country.

Now, if you read what I said, it was, if you were going to attack l'etape, then I can see the value, as you will go up a bona fide mountain. But Essex? England? Really?

Don't buy a triple, it will be a waste of your money.


Edit MTT. How many people do you know, who will be riding 125+ miles, with hills at the end? A long training ride for me is 60 miles, across and about Dartmoor. Never needed a triple set. Normally, it's a couple of hours punting across the levels, which are about as flat as most of Holland. When we do a trip, it's normally 5-7 days in and around the UK. I have genuinely never needed a triple set. Ever. To be frank, I don't like getting down onto the lower set, as I feel that's my reserve. I don't get out of the saddle either mind, as I think once you're out, it's Custers last stand.

But no, never in the UK have I needed a triple, and I don't think I've met anyone else who needed one either.

I must admit I've only really had one occasion to use it; at the end of a 200 km mass tour into Germany and back, the last hill, about 10km from home has a 1:9 stretch for about 100 metres. Dunno if I really needed it but I wanted to save myself for the last flat stretch; rode up the hillock in high cadence and was overtaken by a load of guys laughing 'ha ha ha he's riding his granny gear' and one that shouted 'you're nearly there now granny, one hill to go!' Alas for him and his laughing chums, it's a double hill and then a stretch against the prevailing wind along the riverbank where it's always a bit blowy, so once we got on the flat I gassed it and overtook the lot of them; had to restrain myself from shouting 'ha ha I used the granny gear'. It CAN be useful, on steep hills, and hills don't have to be big to be steep. I might well need it when I get round to some gran fondos though.

[Mich the Tester]

Edit MTT. How many people do you know, who will be riding 125+ miles, with hills at the end? A long training ride for me is 60 miles, across and about Dartmoor. Never needed a triple set. Normally, it's a couple of hours punting across the levels, which are about as flat as most of Holland. When we do a trip, it's normally 5-7 days in and around the UK. I have genuinely never needed a triple set. Ever. To be frank, I don't like getting down onto the lower set, as I feel that's my reserve. I don't get out of the saddle either mind, as I think once you're out, it's Custers last stand.

But no, never in the UK have I needed a triple, and I don't think I've met anyone else who needed one either.

I often ride 150 to 200 kms at a weekend and I have a few mates who do the same. As for getting out of the saddle, I do that if I really want to gas it uphill but not if it's a hard effort; best to just up the cadence and stay seated.

What knackers you on long rides in NL isn't the hillocks, it's the wind.

[oracleslave]

As for getting out of the saddle, .

Does that not use slightly different muscles and hence is recommended when doing long climbs to give your legs a break. It's what I was told but might be bollox.

[Old Hack]

I often ride 150 to 200 kms at a weekend and I have a few mates who do the same. As for getting out of the saddle, I do that if I really want to gas it uphill but not if it's a hard effort; best to just up the cadence and stay seated.

What knackers you on long rides in NL isn't the hillocks, it's the wind.

Couldn't agree more to the bolded parts.

Getting out of the saddle is up to the individual. I just don't do it on the hills, preferring to push through it if we going steep. I have got out to crank it up sometimes, after a drink or snack.

You're in a select group doing those miles! I can't justify the 4/5 hours to be frank, so either pop in a couple of hours on the levels, a couple of times a week, which is about a 50 mile ride, or sometimes with some friends, we have a 2 monthly squirt around Dartmoor, which is more 4/6 hours.

On the levels, it's the wind too, for it comes off the channel straight across. Can be an arse, but conversely, can put you into some big numbers.

Some excellent pubs to cycle around the levels to, too.

[Mich the Tester]

Does that not use slightly different muscles and hence is recommended when doing long climbs to give your legs a break. It's what I was told but might be bollox.

I think it just uses more muscles; brings the quads into play and ' distributes the load' over several muscles as it were. Aerobically more demanding though as you've got to pump oxygen to a larger bulk of muscle, and not really for long climbs except perhaps accelerating out of bends. Unless of course you're a 60kg Italian who grew up in the Dolomites and you can dance up and down on the pedals all day, but most of us aren't that talented.

[Old Hack]

I think it just uses more muscles; brings the quads into play and ' distributes the load' over several muscles as it were. Aerobically more demanding though as you've got to pump oxygen to a larger bulk of muscle, and not really for long climbs except perhaps accelerating out of bends. Unless of course you're a 60kg Italian who grew up in the Dolomites and you can dance up and down on the pedals all day, but most of us aren't that talented.

There's a 55 yo in our club; ex pro. He's about 50 kilos and lean. Can't touch him. But I am close to 40 kilos more, and on the hills, each one of them counts....