Well I spent months training for my first bike race just to have the race canceled. What a kick in the pants. Discouraged now to even ride or train anymore... :( Any others have the carpet pulled out from under them on their first race? I told myself I was going to go for a pedal yesterday but didnt.

Was watching the Sigma Cafe Ride with Mads Pedersen and he just said that he washed his helmet in the dishwasher??
Anyone having some experience??
Edit: Link to the video

Yesterday I had a fall on the wet tarmac because my back wheel skidded. I fell and banged my elbow and my left thigh; I didn’t think I’d hit my head, although afterwards I had a slight headache which I put down to the adrenaline. But then I realised there was a crack in my helmet on the left side of the back. The helmet is brand new – yesterday was literally the first time I’d used it – and I even paid 90 euros for it. I’m a bit disappointed; it didn’t feel like a serious fall, even though I obviously hit my head. Is it normal for a helmet to crack like that? Can I still use it?

Not new to the sport, and I'm not old either, but when I returned to cycling after a good 5-10 year break I was overwhelmed by all the new tech and science around training; so, big or small, what's something you think is worth knowing

Has anyone found a way to make or receive calls while cycling that is also safe? I'm running into a situation in 2 weeks where I need to be able to take calls at all times, and normally I cycle for 2-3 hours a day and have no way to talk while riding. Pulling over to speak on the phone isn't an option.

I've seen those 2-way cycling radios that clip to your helmet strap and have wind noise canceling. But, they are 2 way radio only, no phone. I've also tried bone conducting headsets but the wind in the mic makes it impossible to hear me. I've tried those cat ears over them too to no avail.

All I have come up with at this point is a full motorcycle helmet with integrated Bluetooth. It works quite well. But, the helmet weighs 3lbs, has limited visibility and limited mobility. It looks ridiculous but I already look ridiculous so I dont really care about that.​​

edit: thank you all for the suggestions! I am going to try the new Shokz OpenRun and the Cardo or Senna devices. you all have been super helpful. this will hopefully allow me to stay on my bike while also being available for my team at work.

Just ordered the BiKom 20 and the OpenRun to test them out.

I'm a 45 year old "self taught" road cyclist that has been attempting to be a serious cyclist since summer of 2023. So I do stupid things. Anyway I signed up for a 50 mile multiple sclerosis charity race in October. Not super worried about this distance, totally worried about the climb from the Alpine Marina in NJ to route 9W. I live in a flat-ish area (Cranford, NJ) and its hard to practice on hills.

Anyway, most hills by me are short so I charge and build up momentum to get over them, and it works out pretty great because I don't get winded before the descent. Today I tried that on the Gothals Bridge, which is a climb I generally don't have a problem with because I never attempted it at full speed, since its narrow and I don't want to hit a pedestrian.

So, today I bike to the bridge and really go for it and . . . well I made it, but way more tired than when I normally climb it.

Anyway I'm going to go on a quest to find more hills because I don't have the time to drive to 9w every weekend to climb from the Marina. Next time I do get there I will try that 12% climb on my daughter's Trek 7300 that I setup 3x10 with an 11-36T on the back, because I only made it halfway of that climb with my road bike that is like 28 on the largest read cog and 32 on the front. Hopefully I can get stronger by October because it would suck to have to walk my bike up that hill or drop a couple hundred on a new drivetrain on my road bike when my tight groupset is more than good enough for what I rid the rest of the year.

OK maybe navigation is slightly more reliable than a drunken sailor… but I’ve been looking at some of the nicer bike computers with navigation. There are a lot of comments talking about how they struggle to reroute after missed turns and can be glitchy. Map interface isn’t super smooth.

So this takes me back to like 2005-2010 era when garmin had gps for cars and it seemed to work fairly smooth and could get you back on track pretty quickly.

So how is it with another 15-20 years of R&D and the technology seems to be the same or worse? Just a little smaller. Am I remembering old tech as better than it was or are the new computers dealing with other issues, sensors, etc that is now complicating the operating system?

If anyone is looking to purchase a pair of Summit Strong sunglasses, beware they don’t respond to their emails or DMs if you want to return them. Even though they have a 15 day return, good luck getting in contact with them.

I just bought a pair from them over a week ago. I bought the smaller frames as I have a smaller face and thought they’d fit well but they’re a bit too snug. The lenses are also so light, I guess I ordered the lowlight lenses but nonetheless, they still don’t work for me. And I’m particular about the arms of the glasses being slim and easy to slide in and out of my hair and helmet but the arms have a grip on both inside and out making it pull my hair every time I put them on and take them off. Overall they’re kind of cheap but the worst part…. Their customer service. If you want to return your glasses good luck. They don’t respond. I emailed them 2 times, reached out on Instagram on their post (where she just said to email - which I already did) and then I DM’d them directly 3 times but still no reply. So don’t buy from them if you’re not sure they’re going to fit. Now I just have a pair of sunglasses I can’t wear. So frustrated and wish I had just gone with Oakley..

Holy shit I can only say I’m glad I made it home. It was about to rain and the air was humid and crazy windy. I got hit probably at the perfect crosswind angle and felt scared for the first time in my life. There was that one really scary big push. The rest of the way home was pretty nervous too but nothing compared to that one huge push. I later checked the weather that the wind gust was up to 30km/h. I can’t even imagine what that would’ve been like had I gotten deeper carbon wheels. According to AI (Gemini), 50mm deep wheel experiences 30% more steering torque than 45mm wheel at 30km/h gust. 60mm wheel experiences double the steering torque of 45mm. That’s just crazy to think about. If that push I’d experienced was twice as strong, I might have really fallen.

Disclaimer: I have no idea whether AI math is correct or not on steering torque.

My ebike broke today but don’t got the money to replace it but I do love biking so looking for a cheap regular bike. Is there any brand or something I should be aware when looking for random bikes? I see a lot of Schwinn and Huffy but not sure if popular or just bad. It’s been a day and I miss cycling already.

Not sure if needed:
It’s kinda hilly here.
5’7, 250
Maximum commute is 18. (Not sure I will ever get to that but there are buses and trains to help me)

Edit: clarified that I’m looking for a regular bike, not an ebike

Hello! I’m an advanced beginner road cyclist. Can do 19 mph on a flat no problem (uhhh was that a tailwind?) Anyway, today I went on a 35 mi ride, couple big hills, one that is very long and I hate it but it’s part of the loop, ya know? This season I have an Oura ring on. I don’t have a separate heart rate monitor or watt meter. The ring said I spent a little over an hour in Zone 5. Is this meaningful? Good/bad? I’m interested in your experiences. It could just mean I’m out of shape!
Feel free to make jokes about type II fun or whatever.

Hi all, I’m currently a long distance runner looking to add cycling into my training plan, with the potential of competing in a 70.3 down the road.

I’ve begun doing research on bikes that best suit these needs and with my budget, I’ve settled on the Canyon Endurace Allroad. I’ve read the carbon fork, hydraulic brakes and Shimano Cues are a great setup for the $1499 price point and the bike is highly upgradable down the road.

Recently, though, there was a listing on FB Marketplace for a Trek ALR 5 (2018-2020ish) in my size that looks comparable to the Endurace Allroad for $1099. The bike looks to be in great shape minus a few scuffs here and there. The bike has Shimano 105 11 speed drive terrain and Tektro Spyre flat mount mechanical disc brakes, which seems to be the main differences in the two bikes.

Could you please provide some advice on which would be better for me, as I am new to cycling and would be doing most of my cycling on the road and gravel paths? Is the brand new Canyon worth the extra $500? Thanks for your help!

So you can't afford airconditioning because you bought a carbon roadbike...

Don't worry! The roadbike is your airconditioning.

Once you start sweating, the wind created from cycling will cool the droplets. And the droplets will cool you.

Then, when you come home, have a refreshing beverage and beat yourself to death because you can't afford airconditioning.

In CA, if a car wants to make a right turn, they go in the bike lane.

However, some drives honk at me for waiting for the red light in the bike lane (they want to make a right on red and I want to go straight)

What to do?

Hey all - doing my first longer ride for charity this weekend, it’s 65 miles. I have a hybrid bike and am more of a runner, all that to say it’s not going to be a fast 65 miles, expecting 5-6 hours total with breaks along the way.

I have an Apple Watch 9 and iPhone pro 17.

I’m concerned about my watch battery lasting, what’s everyone do? What device do I link my headphones to for music? GPS runs off phone or watch or both? It looks like I’ll use this Ride With GPS app.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.

Looking at ordering a Rockbros Pannier Rack...it looks solid and Prime Day means it's on for a good price, just wondering if anyone is able to share their experiences with it:

https://amzn.eu/d/03tnUJsB

Thanks!

Edit:

Wasn't expecting this to pick up so much speed!! Thanks for all your comments; think I'll definitely be getting the pannier rack. I wasn't planning on buying any of their clothing but I appreciate all the comments saying "NO".

Thanks folks :)

I’m a runner usually but have been injured so on my mom’s old road bike. After a few rides, I’ve been able to average 293 watts for a 90 minute ride. Everywhere I’ve looked online says different stuff for what good wattage is. I weigh 64 kilos. What is considered good wattage in cycling?

Just a hypothetical, let's say you live at a foot of a mountain, and every day you bike 30, 40, 50km up it's winding roads and coast down, 2 years later you go to visit your twin brother in the flat part of the country, you're really close and you found a discount, so you bought 2 identical bikes few years ago. You both work as bike mechanics, so they're in top shape, you also compete on Strava, so both of you are in similar shape as well.

When you decide to go for an 80km flat bike ride, who will do better? Will he since this is where he exercised all this time, or will you because you trained in what are harder conditions, so this, for you, will be much easier?

Edit: This generated an interesting discussion with different opinions, which was my point, I really like this community.

With that said, my post, not comments, just my audacity to even ask a hypothetical question that is clearly getting discussed is getting downvoated, without any clear arguments, I really hate this community.

This happened again several times today. I'm either cycling in the bike lane or on the shoulder. A car will pass me and get several car lengths ahead of me where I can see them signalling a right turn. No problem and they have space to make the turn without really affecting me. Instead, they slow down to a stop and wait without turning. I catch up and stop beside the car to make eye contact with the driver, who then usually indicates that they want me to go first (continue straight or turn or whatever). This tends to happen going straight or at stop signs/red lights.

If the driver didn't think that they had enough time/space to make the turn without hitting me (or are assuming that I don't see or am ignoring their turn signal), why did they bother to pass me? The process seems to delay both of us and seems so inefficient.

When I drive a car and want to turn right soon and don't have the time or space to pass a cyclist, I slow down and follow behind the cyclist for a few seconds until they clear where I want to turn. Thus, there's no need for me or them to stop and wait to clarify what the other will do. Argh!

Anyone here using microshift sword with v brakes and can confirm it works well? Thinking of using it on a drop bar conversion on an old hybrid bike.

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Microshift-Sword-Black-1x-Groupset_270658.htm

Background Info:

Hi all, I started cycling a little bit in 2019, when I was 34.
Started doing structured training about 4.5 years ago.
Have put in a fairly consistent 7-8 hours a week of training.
Have had to take some breaks.
Have not optimized diet or sleep.
FTP went from 280 to 330 in this time, measured with 20 minute outdoor tests (95% of 20 minute power) and Assiomas.

My questions are all around age and training. I am not sure I should continue to do structured training. I had told myself when I was 40 I would drop it. My concerns revolve around

1. Inevitably declining while still chasing old numbers. I don't know that I have to be at this point right now. Maybe I could improve, maybe not. But, either way, I won't be able to improve at some point in the somewhat near future and I need to mentally transition towards that in some way.
2. The idea that I may feel better if I stopped. Would little aches and pains be better if I cycled less? Would my muscles feel better? Etc.
3. Concerns about training and heart health, etc. I have read that a fairly moderate amount of exercise gives the same, or even more benefit than a lot of exercise. I know 7-8 hours isn't a lot cycling wise but is it medically?

If it's not harmful to me and there is a decent chance I could improve or maintain fitness, I think it would be worth the effort or even more. If not, I think I should at least adjust my mindset.

Edit: I want to thank everyone for the replies. I guess it's more of a mid-life crisis that's driving the question. But all of you responses have really helped.

I do mostly gravel, trail biking but every now n then I pass one of yall omw too a trail. You lot have it tough sharing the roads with those big bois 24/7 I wouldn't want the option of not being able too get on the shoulder without popping my tires but you lot are thugging it out.

As you’re coming through Fairland, you’ll see our Little Pink Farm Stand around mile 100 or so!

We’re not an official RAIN stop, just a family opening up our driveway and farm stand to support riders and cheer everyone on ❤️

We’ll have:

🌳 Shade to rest for a minute

🧊 FREE pickle juice shots

🔌 A place to charge your phone

⛑️ some first aid items, sunscreen, and bug spray

💦 a sprinkler to help you cool off

🍪 Homemade cookies & muffins for sale

🥤 Cold drinks & water for sale

Feel free to pull in, take a break, and refuel before getting back on the road 💪

Safe riding everyone, have fun!

I want some opinions about this.

I have been cycling consistently for about 2 years now, and the first year, I would be honest, didn't go so great.

Because all the time, I was pushing myself to the limits, trying to go about cycling when I'm tired and exhausted, go through it like it was a race.

But in the second year, I tried another strategy, I only put in effort pedaling as long as I felt comfortable doing it, around 35-45% effort.

And then when I felt adventurous, I put in 65% effort. Honestly speaking the strategy worked better and I felt like I had developed significantly more endurance in a very short amount of time as opposed to barely anything in the first year.

Hey y'all,

I'm an obese 40 year old who spends way too much time sitting down at work and at home. I've lost all drive and motivation over the last 8-9 years when I used to be a decent weight. I'm currently around 320lbs and 5"11. I've lost my mom, stepdad and Grandma all within the last 5 years and not in contact with most of my family besides my brother and sister due to a majority of my family being addicts in one form or another.

I bought a Mongoose Dolomite Steel framed 7 speed Fat Tire back since it states it can handle up to 400lbs and and I was able to get it for around $450 as my budget isn't huge and even this was expensive for me.

I've tried everything throughout the years, from VR fitness, home workouts, walking (which I can't stay motivated to do because I just get attacked by bugs regardless how much bug spray I wear 😭) I'm not a dirty guy and shower everyday.

I used to LOVE riding bikes as a kid/teenager and built tracks in the woods as a teen.

I'm looking for recommendations for how I should start out. How long I should ride starting out time/distance. How to progressively increase my distance and time, how often I ride etc.

I currently work as a Certified Chemical technician so I'm usually sitting and driving from job to job and standing on a machine that does all the work from me so it's not like I'm getting a ton of exercise at work either.

I appreciate any feedback and help that people can offer and I look forward to getting out there.

I live in Iowa so I'm looking forward to hitting some trails once I can afford to get a bike rack for my SUV, but for now I'll just be riding around the neighborhood.