The Fretboard Cycling Club

Teetonetal

@MagicPigDetective is your Roscoe actually a 27.5+ designed bike? If so then don't go below 2.6 as the geometry will be off.

I have a merida big trail 800 from the 27.5+ days. The fork is actually a 29er fork, if the Roscoe has the same, then putting a 27.5 x 2.4 or smaller on the bike would not be the best idea...

I'd recommend 2.6 schwalbe hans dampf, with the harder compound on the back and soft on the front.

Pjon

As m-c said, it's a compromise. Most of the bunch I ride with down here in Swansea area are on something a bit grippier like a Minion/Assegai/Magic Mary type of tyre with something a little less draggy on the back. That's good for techier, steeper trails but not necessarily any good for sloppy muddy forestry. A mud tyre would be the solution for that. For trail centres, I'd be happy on 2.8 Rekons - I used those on a plus bike I used to have. They were decent enough for that.

Jaycee

First ride of the year done, a 20 miler at about 70% effort. It was nice to get back on the bike after a two month lay off even tho' I was cold with numb feet.

vanlooy1

Managed 1600 miles last year and got the first ride of the year under my belt this morning. Only about 25 miles but after 6 weeks off the bike it was plenty! Aiming for 2000 this year.

thermionic

After months, no, years, of pondering and procrastinating, I finally decided to get a new bike built. Frameset arrived today…

https://i.imgur.com/lfClGYU.jpg

m_c

Shiny new is always good


I'm currently stuck in decision paralysis over what new knobbly tyred thing to buy.
Top two contenders aren't quite ticking all the boxes.
One is adourned with E.Thirteen rubbish, however it is my favourite colour.
Second also has E.Thirteen rubbish on it, and is my preferred bike on paper, except it uses a superboost rear hub, which severely limits hub/wheel choice. And the frame only option isn't a colour that I really like
(yes I know I'm shallow when it comes to bike colours. Last big bike cost me a lot more than it could have, just because I didn't like the fully built colour option!)

On the plus side, I've been gradually upping the mileage/climbing, and managed to complete the monthly Strava climbing challenge last month.
After spending too much time digging over the past few months, climbs are starting to feel OK again, and the legs are feeling better.

Road bike has been serviced in anticipation of dry roads and double digit temperatures, and the short travel full bouncer is currently being rebuilt to get more off-road miles in, in anticipation of my planned autumn adventure.

littlegreenman

I'm upping the miles ahead of Ride London's 100 miler in May! 

Legs are seemingly OK, but with only 2 and a bit months to go I stilll wonder if I bit off more than I can chew?

More worried about my shoulders, lol

MagicPigDetective

Not been a great winter, with only a handful of rides. I’ve developed a pain in my knee- patellar tendonitis. A physio has given me some excercise to strengthen the knee and its improving. I don’t feel any pain when cycling, will need to see how it goes and build up the miles gradually. 

Jaycee

I haven't been out for two months due to illness,  hopefully another few weeks I may be out. 

littlegreenman said:

I'm upping the miles ahead of Ride London's 100 miler in May! 

Legs are seemingly OK, but with only 2 and a bit months to go I stilll wonder if I bit off more than I can chew?

More worried about my shoulders, lol

I'm sure you will be ok. Get a few 100 miles weeks in and a few 60-70 miles if you can and you'll kill it

pt22

littlegreenman said:

I'm upping the miles ahead of Ride London's 100 miler in May! 

Legs are seemingly OK, but with only 2 and a bit months to go I stilll wonder if I bit off more than I can chew?

More worried about my shoulders, lol

What kind of mileage are you hitting and what amount of elevation?

The route this year seems to be very similar to the first year out to Essex, which means fast and flat. If you can get yourself to 100km and maybe 2000-2500 meters elevation on a day, you'll easily be able to tackle the 160km and 1300m of the Essex route. Just make sure you are hydrated and fueled very well. The biggest block will be mental, not physical. I ran into a mental headwind from around 105-120km, but just focused on a steady pace and regular cadence and eventually pushed through it. From 120k on I was surprised at how good I felt. 

I'm sure you'll kill it. It's quite a thrill riding with so many people so quickly on the way out to Essex. Your average speed will go way up, just don't overdo it. 

Teetonetal

m_c said:

Shiny new is always good


I'm currently stuck in decision paralysis over what new knobbly tyred thing to buy.
Top two contenders aren't quite ticking all the boxes.
One is adourned with E.Thirteen rubbish, however it is my favourite colour.
Second also has E.Thirteen rubbish on it, and is my preferred bike on paper, except it uses a superboost rear hub, which severely limits hub/wheel choice. And the frame only option isn't a colour that I really like
(yes I know I'm shallow when it comes to bike colours. Last big bike cost me a lot more than it could have, just because I didn't like the fully built colour option!)

On the plus side, I've been gradually upping the mileage/climbing, and managed to complete the monthly Strava climbing challenge last month.
After spending too much time digging over the past few months, climbs are starting to feel OK again, and the legs are feeling better.

Road bike has been serviced in anticipation of dry roads and double digit temperatures, and the short travel full bouncer is currently being rebuilt to get more off-road miles in, in anticipation of my planned autumn adventure.

What have you got against e thirteen?

m_c

Teetonetal said:

m_c said:

What have you got against e thirteen?

It's pretty average stuff for an above average price, and not that reliable.
Crank extractor strips, so you have to cut them off.
Wheels are pretty average, but their hubs aren't that great.
The main good thing they make, and what they built their reputation on, are their chain guides.

For a big bike that will be ridden hard, there are other brands I'd much rather have, but e13 has been pushing OE stuff hard so quite a lot of bike brands are using their stuff just now.


I know which bike/frame I'd prefer, but the colour scheme I'd prefer has a build spec I don't really like (air shock, SRAM drivetrain/brakes, and e13 wheels). And the frame only option comes in a colour scheme that I think is a bit mleh

littlegreenman

Jaycee said:

I haven't been out for two months due to illness,  hopefully another few weeks I may be out. 

littlegreenman said:

I'm upping the miles ahead of Ride London's 100 miler in May! 

Legs are seemingly OK, but with only 2 and a bit months to go I stilll wonder if I bit off more than I can chew?

More worried about my shoulders, lol

I'm sure you will be ok. Get a few 100 miles weeks in and a few 60-70 miles if you can and you'll kill it

pt22 said:

littlegreenman said:

I'm upping the miles ahead of Ride London's 100 miler in May! 

Legs are seemingly OK, but with only 2 and a bit months to go I stilll wonder if I bit off more than I can chew?

More worried about my shoulders, lol

What kind of mileage are you hitting and what amount of elevation?

The route this year seems to be very similar to the first year out to Essex, which means fast and flat. If you can get yourself to 100km and maybe 2000-2500 meters elevation on a day, you'll easily be able to tackle the 160km and 1300m of the Essex route. Just make sure you are hydrated and fueled very well. The biggest block will be mental, not physical. I ran into a mental headwind from around 105-120km, but just focused on a steady pace and regular cadence and eventually pushed through it. From 120k on I was surprised at how good I felt. 

I'm sure you'll kill it. It's quite a thrill riding with so many people so quickly on the way out to Essex. Your average speed will go way up, just don't overdo it. 

I'm commuting 8 miles a day, Zwifting about 50 miles a week and doing an IRL ride of about 25 miles currently, cos the weather's shit.

Signed up for the 8 week Zwift 100-200km plan which I'm starting on Monday. 

I'm good doing 100km rides, done Liv-Chester-Liv (90Km) many times and do Liv to Preston return (100Km) and train out to Conwy and ride back (100km). Longest ride to date was a 72 mile from Budapest to Visegrad and back following the Giro, and that included the mountain finish in the middle so I'm probably good.

Thanks for the encouragement fellahs, pretty much what I was hoping to hear

Jaycee

littlegreenman said:

I'm commuting 8 miles a day, Zwifting about 50 miles a week and doing an IRL ride of about 25 miles currently, cos the weather's shit.

Signed up for the 8 week Zwift 100-200km plan which I'm starting on Monday. 

I'm good doing 100km rides, done Liv-Chester-Liv (90Km) many times and do Liv to Preston return (100Km) and train out to Conwy and ride back (100km). Longest ride to date was a 72 mile from Budapest to Visegrad and back following the Giro, and that included the mountain finish in the middle so I'm probably good.

Thanks for the encouragement fellahs, pretty much what I was hoping to hear

If that is what you are doing you won't have any problem.

Most of the "problem" will be the mental side of it, a "centuary" ride is the cyclists marathon a huge achievement.  Just enjoy the day

vanlooy1

thermionic said:

After months, no, years, of pondering and procrastinating, I finally decided to get a new bike built. Frameset arrived today…

https://i.imgur.com/lfClGYU.jpg

Let’s see the contents please…?

Teetonetal

m_c said:

Teetonetal said:

m_c said:

What have you got against e thirteen?

It's pretty average stuff for an above average price, and not that reliable.
Crank extractor strips, so you have to cut them off.
Wheels are pretty average, but their hubs aren't that great.
The main good thing they make, and what they built their reputation on, are their chain guides.

For a big bike that will be ridden hard, there are other brands I'd much rather have, but e13 has been pushing OE stuff hard so quite a lot of bike brands are using their stuff just now.


I know which bike/frame I'd prefer, but the colour scheme I'd prefer has a build spec I don't really like (air shock, SRAM drivetrain/brakes, and e13 wheels). And the frame only option comes in a colour scheme that I think is a bit mleh

Ah, good to know as their stuff always comes up in component searches and I'd seen them fitted to factory models more and more.

thermionic

vanlooy1 said:

thermionic said:

After months, no, years, of pondering and procrastinating, I finally decided to get a new bike built. Frameset arrived today…

https://i.imgur.com/lfClGYU.jpg

Let’s see the contents please…?

I wanted to wait until it’s fully built, but here’s a sneak preview:

https://i.imgur.com/mVnfXsZ.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/vStj0r2.jpeg

elstoof

C64 with direct mount brakes, nice. Are you going mechanical or electronic shifting?

thermionic

I refuse to buy a bike that requires firmware updates, so it will be mechanical. Specifically, Campagnolo Chorus.

Seriously though, I like to maintain my bikes myself and the EPS groupsets are just ridiculously expensive - for components that wear out or are often damaged. So much of what the bike industry is trying to force on me is stuff I don’t want - hydraulic disc brakes, tubeless tyres, bib longs that don’t have stirrups, white shoes, and those socks that reach half way up your calf.

elstoof

I love Campag. Here’s my C60

Watch out with the rear mech cable on the C64, there’s a weird corner that the cable has to navigate at the chain stay. Either a length of inner liner or one of those housing ferrules with a long tail attached should stop any rubbing