Education We Like to Ride Bicycles

I'm writing a report on bike selection.
Your input is appreciated.
For price of your bike, enter approximate dollar amount.
Thanks
Survey

 

Your survey is difficult because I only really ride in the summer. I may ride around 150 miles a week, but only between sorta April and October.

What should I put?

 

Done. Although I only cycle commute in term times so about 35 weeks a year.

 

Just go for the weeks you ride.

 

Some basic hydros to replace the mechanical front on my work commuter, took it for a quick run defiantly an improvement. 203mm disc and surprisingly braided lines as well.

 

Here's a quick pic of my giant Defy

 

Yaaay bike twins. Just cleaning mine atm:


Also it's a friend's birthday soon so we're rebuilding her bike and spraying it fluorescent pink

The bike:



Stripping the frame



Sanding the original paint off (by hand... takes ages)

 

Am going to build my cove this week Just waiting on some parts but should be out on it at the weekend and I am immensely excited about this!

 

Could do with some help/ideas on clothing.

I don't currently do much biking (none really), but am going to Scotland in two weeks, and we'll probably do a days biking.

I've got both a road and Mtb and want to start riding more.

All my current lower half clothing is too small really.

What I used to wear was

Mtb:
padded shorts
tracksters (tight things)
camo trousers cut down to 3/4

Road:
padded shorts
tracksters ontop if it was cool


For mtb'ing, they weren't great as they were getting a bit small, so constricted around the waist a bit, and I suppose added some weight too as the camo stuff is pretty heavy duty.


And now I'm looking at what to get to replace it all. And I'm stuck,

Can't decide on what I want, or really need.


So, what do you recommend for light'ish XC biking trousers wise?

 

For inexpensive and versatile I have used both of the following:

Endura Humvees 3/4 length trousers

Endura MT500 Spay baggy shorts

The humvees are a nice length, light weight and are a good compromise in the Scottish conditions. The MT500's have a waterproof crotch and back panel but the rest it normal breathable fabric so again they are a good compromise between comfort and practicality.

Where abouts are you going to be in Scotland?

 

I've always found Endura gear pretty good and it's doesn't break the bank.

These have been pretty good. You can also buy another pair of liners then you can reuse the shorts the next day if they're covered in dirt with a fresh pair of liners.

 

I may have been unlucky but I too have a pair of (road) endura shorts and the stitching on them is falling apart and they seem a bit cheaply made, but I may have been unlucky.

Also the reports on the reflective road trousers all seem to say that the reflective part comes off after a few washes.

 

on my road bike, I wear a tracksuit and gloves as I don't really like alot of bike clothing - I have different gloves depending what the weather is like (i ride about 70 miles a week on my road bike). I'm not too fussy about the rest of my body except my hands, I wear a helmet also.

When I'm out on the mountain bike I normally wear some mtb specific trousers or shorts. I have a couple of pairs of sombrio trousers that were quite expensive, but haven't lasted at all, so I wouldn't advise those - I think I have got about 4 or 5 rides out of each pair before the crotch area ripped and some of the panel stitching has come undone, that's quite hard trail riding though but still I would of hoped for them to last longer. I got a really expensive pair of fox shorts that have lasted well and fit well and had a nice padded liner that I can wear with any of my other garments. tops, I just wear t-shirts, though I have ordered a jersey with 3/4 length sleves, as I am finding most weekends im too hot in a jumper and too cold in a tee, so this is a compromise layer that I will wear over a tee.

Alot of my friends ride in Troy lee designs gear. I am going to stick to fox and troy lee for off road - as my friends gear all seems to have lasted a long time, and my fox gear has lasted well. Spendy - but I think it's worth it. And last years gear can often be picked up in sales for half price - and I don't give a damn what year its from, function over form for me!

 

Aviemore, we've got a timeshare in Dalfaber, so have been going up there every year for the last god knows how long, .


Thanks for the advice people.

I should have mentioned I'm at the budget end really, as the stuff may end up not getting used as much as it should.

I'd seen the endura stuff on CRC, but couldn't decide what I'd need.

Probably get a pair of the Humvee 3/4, as I imagine most of my riding away from scotland will be in the warmer weather in the summer, where 3/4s would be fine on there own and trousers probably too hot.

Might see what Bothy bikes have got when I get up there, and the shop at Laggan seemed pretty good the last time we went there.

 

Why is it that mountain bikers wear baggy shorts over Lycra like roadies? Doesn't it make more sense with normal cycle shorts?

 

I have got no lycra roadies! But some shorts come with padded liners that are not too disimilar to lycra roadies. Though they are very much an under layer! Baggies tend to have no padding, a padded liner is nice.

 

Also with the Humvees you get a liner which is a lycra inner short that clips to the outer short it has a padded crotch too.
Bonus of the liner is you can move it between shorts I ripped my humvees after a large tumble, picked up a pair of Endura Zyme shorts an the liner went straight in. Have to say I prefer the Zymes over the Humvees mainly as its a tougher heavier fabric.
Also tip from someone whos been up there, you may want some leg protections mainly because the plants overhanging the trails seem to be rather spikey

 

Erm.. wear whatever's comfortable? I cycle daily in everything from work trousers to jeans.

If you're on a budget just get a pair of old whatevers out of the wardrobe and use those.

 

Trouble is I don't have a pair of old whatevers that would be comfortable for biking.




What plants are spiky legoman?

I've got 661 shin and knee guards, but don't wear them for anything but DH as they're too awkward.

Never had a problem so far with flora. It's usually my pedals that end up cutting my shins up, or our stupidity that ends up with us losing momentum in the middle of a river ford and having to put a foot down, .
Although pretty much everytime we do the same run, from aviemore to Loch en Eilen then on to Loch Einich, which are quite wide trails. Want to try something else this year though as it's got boring doing the same ride every year, and usually not managing to get to the end,

 

An sweet! How do you find it?