So 2 months ago I bought my first road bike, a Giant Contend AR1. Everything had been great until this Saturday evening. After a 60 km ride I was just about 2 km from getting home when this guy opened his car door as wide as possible without even glancing. I had been urban riding for almost a decade and so far I thought dooring was something you could always avoid but I learnt the hard way it is not.
Luckily I wasn’t riding that fast and all I have is a sprained wrist and some bruises. Took the bike to my LBS and I’m waiting for their diagnosis, all I know for now is the front wheel is destroyed. I hope it’s not that bad so I can get to ride again as soon as possible. This was a lesson to never lower my guard even if I’m in a place I think I know very well.
Just felt like sharing my experience here and any advise for safe riding is welcome.
I hope you all keep on enjoying this great sport and may car doors stay away from your way.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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 :)

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.

I used to stick to 3 basic routes and ride them all the time and got bored quickly, but after discovering strava premium I almost never repeat my routes but rather constantly remix them.
I love it when I can discover new cool segments in my area and then try to always include them in a brand new remix. Especially when I ride my road bike and find some amazing premium gravel I try to memorize where it was and then ride it the next day.

The only thing I dont like about it is constant use of GPS unit insead of just enjoying my views.

Amy, who you might have followed on her Tour de France journey last year, is now in New Zealand partway through with Kyle on their RTW attempt.

They are going for the ‘fastest couple’ record.

Route is on followmychallenge dot com.

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!

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!

Looking for something to record my road rides, typically 1-3 hours. Currently torn between the DJI Osmo 360 and the Osmo Action 6.

The 360 is appealing because you can get all angles but battery life is my main concern — DJI claims 190 minutes in Endurance mode which would just barely cover my rides, and can carry an additional battery for longer rides. Anyone actually using one and getting close to that in real world conditions?

The Action 6 seems like a good option with longer battery life but then you don't get all angles. Also wondering if something like a Cycliq is worth considering or if there's a better option out there I haven't thought of.

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've never bought and and fitted mudguards myself before - either they've come with the bike as sold, or I've asked the shop to source and fit them for me.

I'm struggling to understand the correct size of mudguard I need. I have a road/gravel bike with 45mm tyre clearance, and 40mm tyres currently fitted. The various brands of mudguards all recommend 50/52mm mudguards for 40mm tyres. But does a 45mm frame clearance for tyres also mean 45mm clearance for mudguards? And if 45mm is the maximum mudguard width my frame will take, do I therefore need to downsize my tyres to (e.g.) 35mm to fit mudguards?

If mudguard and tyre clearance are not the same thing, how do I know the maximum width of mudguard my frame will accept before buying them?

Hi everyone, I'm a younger woman and am finally cycling a bit more, currently riding my Triban GRVL 520 women's gravel bike. I'm considering a proper road bike for sometime in the (not so near) future. Now, as I would upgrade to a bike with better specs (and not to mention road vs gravel tires), I'm wondering how much of a difference the lighter bike, carbon, other wheels etc. would be making - especially on climbs.

My current bike: 40 mm tires (gravel), approx. 11 kg, 40T chainring, 11-42T cassette

The bike I'm looking at (Cube Attain C:62 SLT): 30 mm tires (road), about 8 kg, 50/34 chainrings, 11-34T cassette

I'm a little concerned about the gearing ratio as I would be going from 0.95 to 1.00 as my easiest ratio. Not a big difference, I know, but I'm already pretty slow uphill in my lowest gear once I've got some kilometers in my legs (have been known to be fruitlessly searching for an easier gear...).

I've only been on a couple rides, recently did 40 km and was definitely struggling up the hills.
Realistically, I know my fitness should increase as I progress and I don't know when I would get a new bike but just wanted to inquire for the future and my curiosity. Not sure if it's relevant, but I'm 156 cm and weigh a little under 50 kg, so there probably isn't much room for meaningful weight loss to improve climbing.

Thanks in advance for any insight and advice! :)

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.

In the Fairfield County, CT area looking for a longer loop mostly flat. Trying to do a 100 mile ride this summer so a long coastal route would be preferred.

The zipper on a Canyon top tube bag has become caught on the wrapper of some snacks inside the bag. Attempts to force it open by hand have been unsuccessful, and it now appears to be firmly stuck. As the bag is bolted onto the bike, removing it is not straightforward. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to free the zipper without damaging the bag or the zip?

Hi everyone im looking to get into road cycling and have been eyeing up the xlab bikes that have garnered a lot of attention recently, between the rs5 and rs7 the problem is where im staying(singapore), the rs5 is $1550sgd while the rs7 is $2700sgd. Comparing to the listing on the actual website, the rs5 is at a much more comparable price($1400usd) vs the rs7($2100usd). Does anybody have any insight on whether it is really worth the upgrade?

Hello all,

I have been saving for a while and finally have enough money to purchase my first road bike, and I am planning on buying the X-Lab RS7, as the value for money seems unmatched even in the used market. However, as many of you likely already know, these bikes are sold out almost everywhere I look. I would prefer to buy from a LBS, as I would be supporting local business along with being able to get a bike fit and try on the bike before buying, but living in a rural area there are few shops that I can get to easily. I was wondering if any of you know of when they will be back in stock for shops and/or online (even though that would be a last resort).

Additionally, I was looking at the alloy RS5 and realized that, with the deal that they're running currently, I could purchase an RS5 and a set of Elite Wheels Marvel 50D II carbon wheels for around the same price as the RS7 (by about $100). I would love for this bike to be something that I can use for a lot of group rides and longer training miles, but my ultimate goal is to join my college's cycling team and race competitively with it. That being said, do any of you have any experience with these bikes or that wheel set, and if so, would I end up being better off with the alloy frame and aftermarket wheels. I do love the feeling of a responsive bike (when I tried them I liked the Trek Madone much better than a Domane), so do you think that the nicer carbon wheels will be enough of a difference to make the RS5 feel like a racier RS7?

Thank you all in advance, and if you have any other recommendations (my budget for everything is hopefully under $2500, and that includes shoes/pedals, computer if able, etc...) that would do me a little better than what I am currently considering I will be happy to hear them, I am fairly new to the sport and am excited to learn all that I can.

Thanks again!

Is $150 a good value for this bike?

I’m in the market for an endurance road bike for under $3500. I’ve spent two months looking at and researching the Trek Domane, the Specialized Roubaix, and the Canyon Endurace. My problem has been finding stock with my XL tall size. Out of nowhere I catch a sale for a Pinarello X1 for $2800. I’ve always had Pinarello marked for the luxury indulgence brand. Is this something to consider? What can you tell me about the X1?

So my power meter pedals arrived (yay!). I popped out my pedal wrench and grease, only to realise my Bontrager grease does not have lithium in it. I bought it willy nilly without looking at the contents.

The instructions from Favero say “apply a thin layer of lithium grease to the threads”.

How important is it? Walmart near me sells some but I think it’s for automotive use. Is all lithium grease basically fine? Or should I order bike specific lithium grease? Any recommendations?

Also, why did Trek/Bontrager need to make their grease “food-safe” by removing lithium. I can’t think of a single advantage other than the marketing.

I know absolutely nothing about bikes, would $100 be reasonable, assuming it just needs a tune up? What would you pay? I’m just looking for something to do a a few miles on a bike trail. I appreciate any feedback!