The Cycling Thread

Yeah I still have it. It's a 5 year old madone 5.2. Great bike, going to keep it as I intend to be fit enough next year to ride it properly.

[mattSV]

Originally Posted by maviczap

Keep your fat tyred questions to the MTB thread

http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.p...19882&page=129

I almost choked on my hot chocolate when you suggested using your Dura Ace pedals on an MTB, sacre bleu

No don't use them, sell them and get some proper MTB SPD's and shoes

As for £800 hard tail, then the Boardmans at Halfords always get good write ups, as do the Carrera Fury's

Still got the Trek?

What he said

Boardmans are great VFM. Road shoes are useless in mud - the cleats will totally smeg up, and you will fall over on your **** if you have to get off and push for any reason.

If you could squeeze to £900 this would be a good buy

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by ravingdavis

Yeah I still have it. It's a 5 year old madone 5.2. Great bike, going to keep it as I intend to be fit enough next year to ride it properly.

Yes the Madone is a nice bike. Not sure which one LP's brother had in France, but getting kinda collectable these days. Especially if its got Dura Ace on it.

Originally Posted by ravingdavis

I got out for the first time in ages on a mountain bike in Swinley forest last weekend and as it turns out my form is not as bad as I thought it would be. This has led me to want to buy my own Mountain bike and actually take up cycling once again (last time I used to road ride on my Trek Madone).

My question is about which bike, pretty simple really. I have given myself roughly an £800 budget and I'm looking for a hardtail mountain bike with suspension forks. The one that has caught my interest so far is this:
http://www.specializedconceptstore.c...opper%20Expert

Specifically the expert version. Seems like a good bike for not very much money. Any one else got recommendations?

I already have Shimano Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals from my road bike and a decent saddle is reusing those on a mountain bike an option? Ta.

Give me a shout if you want to hit swinley, just got to get alight frame repair on my old Giant...

[fizzwheel]

I'm wandering if I can get below 30 minutes for 10 miles before the weather turns ****ty and I have to park my Look up for the winter...

Cant quite believe last week I was comfy in Bib Shorts and Jersey, with short sleeve base layer underneath and arm warmers. Tonight was getting colder, but 3/4's and Short Sleeve base layer with jersey and arm warmers, was warm enough when I got going.

33:42 for the first 10 miles of this. Not riding with heartrate monitor at the moment so no stats for that, but didnt feel like I was going flat out

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/122489348

Originally Posted by mattSV

What he said

Boardmans are great VFM.

If you could squeeze to £900 this would be a good buy

I'm really surprised people are recommending the Boardman bikes, I generally held the opinion that anything from Halfords is to be avoided like the plague.

Originally Posted by maviczap

Yes the Madone is a nice bike. Not sure which one LP's brother had in France, but getting kinda collectable these days. Especially if its got Dura Ace on it.

Sadly is isnt full Dura Ace, it is all Ultegra aside from the pedals, when I bought them there was only a £5 difference between the Ultegra SPDSL and the Dura Ace.

Originally Posted by Tim in Belgium

Give me a shout if you want to hit swinley, just got to get alight frame repair on my old Giant...

I will do, although having seen you I would reckon you are still somewhat fitter than I am! I live in a pretty great place as Swinley is only a mile and a half away.

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by maviczap

Yes the Madone is a nice bike. Not sure which one LP's brother had in France, but getting kinda collectable these days. Especially if its got Dura Ace on it.

Ian was riding his Madone 4.7, with Ultegra brakes / groupset and Bontrager finishing kit. He has upgraded the wheels to Mavic Ksyrium Elite's. So it's lovely, light and fast. Shame he is neither of those things! His diet for next year's trip to the Alps has not yet materialised.

My mate has a Madone 5.2 with Dura-ace kit, his chain stay on the left has just fallen apart . It looks like a stone has hit it from the rear wheel and started a crack that has propagated along the tube....

Got to say these carbon bikes seem very fragile, three Bianchi owning lads I ride with have had replacement frames due to cracking around the bottom bracket, plus Craig's Trek just this year. That's a 40% failure rate in our little group.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by ravingdavis

I'm really surprised people are recommending the Boardman bikes, I generally held the opinion that anything from Halfords is to be avoided like the plague.

Sadly is isnt full Dura Ace, it is all Ultegra aside from the pedals, when I bought them there was only a £5 difference between the Ultegra SPDSL and the Dura Ace.

No Boardmans were properly built, and he wouldn't have put his name to them if they were ****e. Proper groupsets and well built frames to a design by Terry Dolan I think.

Most frames are built in the same Taiwanese factories these days, even your uber expensive Trek's, Specialized, Colnago's etc.

Now if it was an Appollo

Nowt wrong with Ultegra, that's what I've got

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

I'm wandering if I can get below 30 minutes for 10 miles before the weather turns ****ty and I have to park my Look up for the winter...

I'm sure you can if you want to, you are pretty close and you can go eyeballs out for 10 miles if you have to, just to claim the time

I was hoping to get sub 1:30:00 for my 30 mile hilly training route after the Pyrenees, but it was not to be with various things keeping me off my bike for most of the past month (god it's a month since France! ) Managed a PB the other week, but it was still well outside the magic number. (1:43:05)

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Cant quite believe last week I was comfy in Bib Shorts and Jersey, with short sleeve base layer underneath and arm warmers. Tonight was getting colder, but 3/4's and Short Sleeve base layer with jersey and arm warmers, was warm enough when I got going.

I know, I was barely warm enough on Sunday's ride in the same sort of kit. I had 3/4s in my bag too, but opted for shorts - wrong option. Talk on the ride was of prepping winter bikes, Aldi kit sales and new goretex riding shoes.... Winter is coming.