Cycling

[The Pits]

The thing that put me off gels are that you still feel hungry afterwards, whereas a solid bar removes the hunger, they also have more energy in them.

One problem I have with all bars though is that the packet is a bugger to open whilst cycling, especially with thermal gloves on.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I hear regular blood transfusions are pretty good.

 

[gethinceri]

Yay!!!
I finished the sportive with the 2nd fastest time, it's not a race but I am quite pleased, there were 15 entrants on the route that I entered.
Strava is here:
https://www.strava.com/rides/47623855
I hit a top speed of 60Kph.

Now to find the next one........

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Just mounted my tires tubeless without the use of an air compressor, did it with a floor pump. Safe to say I don't need to do any push ups today! It was so hard to get the bead of the tire to seat on the lip of the rim. But once done it was ok. All of about that rotational mass yo!

 

[gethinceri]

Hmmm, tubeless. Benefit no-FIAt-please?

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Well you don't have to replace inntubes when you get a puncture, the sealant takes care of that. Also you run the wheels without tubes which reduces rotational mass, allowing for better acceration. All weight loss on a bike is good but rotational mass is much more important than weight on a frame or components. If you're gonna spend some dough and upgrade any part of a bike, wheels are probably the best bet.

 

[gethinceri]

Yeah, i'm looking at the Mavic Aksium as a first upgrade as it seems to be the default first choice but they're tubed, what do you mean by sealant?

 

[Brogan]

I would guess that the sealant is required to make an airtight seal, as there is no inner tube and also in the case of small punctures perhaps?

 

[gethinceri]

Not sure, in that case the sealant would be between tyre and rim, how would that help in the case of a puncture?

 

[no-FIAt-please]

You're a road biker, as far as I know (I could be wrong) Hutchinson are the only brand of tubless road tires. There are also tubular tires (not the same as tubeless) which seem more common on road bikes but they're pricey and I don't know too much about them.

As for the Mavic Aksiums I don't know too much about road componentry, I prefer MTB. However what I do know is that wheels are an area where you can save a considerabe amount of money by building a set yourself, buy the rims, hubs, spokes and nipples separately and you can build a wheelset that suits your needs and will likely be the same price as lower specced wheelset sold by a retailer. Of course you would have to watch a few vids and read up on it first. But basically all you would have to do is get the correct spoke lengths and build it up, then take it to the local bike shop and they'll true the wheel for a small price. Alternitvely you could just buy all the components and get them to do the whole build process, just depends on what price they quote you.

Sealant is a liquid (latex I think) that seals the gap between the rim and tire, stopping air from entering and escaping from the wheel. The basic process entails covering the inner width of the rim in rim tape to stop air leaking through the spoke holes, then you get the tire bead seated on the lip of the rim (not all rims have this) then you had sealant. Simply inflate to the psi you want and presto.

 

[Brogan]

As you cycle, centrifugal force will throw it to the inner surface of the tyre?

 

[no-FIAt-please]

It dries I believe. Otherwise any benefit gained by the process would be negated by the energy lost that would be rquired to constantly rotate the liquid.

 

[gethinceri]

Mmmmmmm, nipples.....
But seriously (for a change), you're talking about "pinch deflation" where the tYre parts from the rim I guess, rather than a hole (puncture) in the tYre itself. Unless the sealant coats the inner surface of the tYre and seals when something penetrates it.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

You still get punctures yes. But you don't have to repair or replace inntertubes when you get a puncture because when you redo the tubeless process the sealant seals the hole in the actual tire. There are negatives to going tubeless though. For example the process probably has to be done around 3 times a year and the tire can just 'burp', this is where too much pressure is put on the tire and it unseats from the lip of the rim which causes all the air within the tire to escape instantly, not good! (ony happens in mtb)

 

[gethinceri]

So you have to put new sealant in every time?

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Only if you get a puncture. I only started biking in September and have done about 900 miles, in that time I've never had a puncture.

 

[gethinceri]

We're about the same time/ distance in, no punctures for me either.
Which means we'll both get one soon!

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Haha yes probably!

If you're looking at upgrading parts, make sure you only do it once, get something you will be satisfied with for a long time the first time.

If wheels are what you want then I can't recommond carbon rims enough. The stiffness really is something else and they weigh way less than the stock rims that came with my bike. Although I wouldn't buy a branded product, the cost is ridiculous, try a Chinese OEM manufacturer. They're (comparitively) cheap even including customs, the only downsides are the delivery times and the customer service is not to the same level as you would find in the UK, some people claim the quality control is lacking but I think it depends where you buy from. However the fact that the big brands' production centres are based over there tells you the standard of production is high (and that the labour cost is low!).

If you do decide carbon is the way to go for you then this company is tried and tested, definitely the best wheel company.
http://www.light-bicycle.com/

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Note to self. Don't try and ghetto tubeless tires. I used valves cut off inner tubes and non-tubeless certified tires. Didn't get a chance to try it before today. So in the pissing rain the rear tire starts to lose pressure after about a mile on the way to work, I have to leg it home, miss the bus and have to get the next one, 36 minutes late for work.

My own fault admittedly...

 

[gethinceri]

Yeah, science is a bastard eh?