The Bicycling Thread

[997TT]

Good to hear. Sounds like a decent wheel. If u had to buy wheels around the same price would you buy them again or a different set? Some reviews say the Zipp 30 is decent and bow cycle has them.

[jaylo]

I guess for the price and constant tinkering or brake system and truing, I find it not the worry on spending $$$ on carbon reinforced plastic wheels.

http://road.cc/content/feature/17111...n-fibre-wheels

[Brent.ff]

man how do you motivate yourself when a) it's bloody cold and b) it's supposed to snow. Definitely chickened out today and spent an extra 15 minutes in the shower...

[Penguin_Racecar]

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Good to hear. Sounds like a decent wheel. If u had to buy wheels around the same price would you buy them again or a different set? Some reviews say the Zipp 30 is decent and bow cycle has them.

I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.

[ZeroGravity]

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Good to hear. Sounds like a decent wheel. If u had to buy wheels around the same price would you buy them again or a different set? Some reviews say the Zipp 30 is decent and bow cycle has them.

I have the disc brake version of the Fulcrum. With disc brake, no need to worry about melting the brake tracks or using special brake pads for the wheel. Only ridden on them for about 200km so far. I think they're similar to my stock Giant PR-2 wheels (40 mm vs 38 mm). But they do seem to be a bit lighter. Tires mounted are also different. Stock Giant tires vs Conti 4000sII. So not exactly apples to apples comparison. I bought them almost two years ago and only decided to ride them this year. Prices (online from europe) has gone down slightly since the time I bought them. Tried to get them locally, and Bow quoted me 2300+ CAD + tax. For me, it is more of a vanity thing than performance gain since I can't hold higher speeds like 40km/hr for any significant amount of time to make a difference.

Not sure how much Bow is selling the Zipp 30. But I can't imagine it to be cheaper than the Fulcrum set from probikekit.

[taemo]

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man how do you motivate yourself when a) it's bloody cold and b) it's supposed to snow. Definitely chickened out today and spent an extra 15 minutes in the shower...

wasn't that cold this morning
and I didn't know it was going to snow until i heard some guys chatting about it this morning in the locker room so it might be an interesting ride this afternoon

even then, as long as it doesn't go below -10C or paths are too icy, I will keep on riding until end of the month.

unless I can find a bus pass for 50$ then I will start taking the c-train again

[Brent.ff]

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wasn't that cold this morning
and I didn't know it was going to snow until i heard some guys chatting about it this morning in the locker room so it might be an interesting ride this afternoon

even then, as long as it doesn't go below -10C or paths are too icy, I will keep on riding until end of the month.

unless I can find a bus pass for 50$ then I will start taking the c-train again

ha im just a wuss in the mornings.... feels freaking cold when you're in your underwear letting the dog out for a pee..gotta get over it

[D'z Nutz]

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man how do you motivate yourself when a) it's bloody cold and b) it's supposed to snow. Definitely chickened out today and spent an extra 15 minutes in the shower...

I can't speak for others, but setting milestones is what keeps me motivated (ie: get X number of KMs in a week, get X number of KMs by Y, etc) regardless of the weather. But I'm more stubborn than motivated. It's amazing how not wanting to look like a sucka keeps me going, even if these are personal goals I've set myself haha

It wasn't even that cold out this morning. You'll find you really don't need a lot of clothing to get warmed up after about 10 minutes of riding. In fact, if you have too much and you'll be pulling over to peel off some layers cause you'll be sweating so much.



997TT, what are you trying to achieve with new wheels? Aero? Weight reduction?

These Prime wheels are lighter than those Fulcrums at half the cost:

6 bolt:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/c.../rp-prod142940

Centerlock:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/prime-pro-di...speed-shimano/

They don't have the bling factor of carbon fibre nor the aerodynamics, but if I needed a new set of wheels today, I'd probably end up getting either of these.

[J-hop]

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ha im just a wuss in the mornings.... feels freaking cold when you're in your underwear letting the dog out for a pee..gotta get over it

I hear you. I think it depends on the length of the ride. I used to have a 5km ride to work and I was still warm from the house by the time I got in. So no motivation issues. 10km starting to feel cold and didn't ride everyday. 21k morning rides and I really start picking my days considering in 2 days I spend more time on a bike than most do in a week. Definitely changes things.

I'm going to get true bar mitts this year. Keeping the extremities warm is the main motivator/show stopper for me and my MEC cheapos didn't quite cut it last year even with lobster gloves. I've considered electric socks and gloves but the price turns me away every time.

[997TT]

Bow has the Zipp 30's for around $1300. would've been nice to get those at 30% during customer appreciation but ya the probike fulcum's are a great deal at $1100.

I'm trying to go faster as I hate being passed on the paths...haha. I know it will happen as some guys are just in crazy shape but it drives me insane. That CGN video was good saying the benefits on flats was 5% but on a climb it was up to 20% .... That's a massive difference being able to get up my hills going home.

Those wheels look good ... both weight and price wise. Yesterday I was convinced I'd just go for new wheels and tires but part of me still wants a good road bike. Even with a new road bike I've been told/read that wheels are the best bang for the buck in upgrades as manufacturer's will skimp here to get the bike to a decent price point. Decisions decisions....

My thumbs are cold in this 0 to -6 temp morning rides.... I should've gotten Barmitts at bow for 30% off. Think I'm gonna need to buy those $69 mec tires... weather could turn and don't want to be stuck with my balding knobby's

[997TT]

TOugh wind riding west. Hope the roads don’t freeze too bad o/n

[Star1995]

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man how do you motivate yourself when a) it's bloody cold and b) it's supposed to snow. Definitely chickened out today and spent an extra 15 minutes in the shower...

lol... done that a few times in the past. Now I shower at night and face cloth on the face in the morning. Head down ass up, dress for the weather and I find that after five minutes or so it's actually really nice out. Ride this morning was excellent saw a porcupine on the pathway and after a few minutes it's business as usual.

[taemo]

well I'm out from daily commuting until next spring/summer as I picked up a bus pass last night.

rode on the trainer last night and this morning to get my pedaling juice

[Brent.ff]

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lol... done that a few times in the past. Now I shower at night and face cloth on the face in the morning. Head down ass up, dress for the weather and I find that after five minutes or so it's actually really nice out. Ride this morning was excellent saw a porcupine on the pathway and after a few minutes it's business as usual.

Shower at night helped for sure, got my ass on the bike this morning. Brisk but good way to wake up!

[jaylo]

Hey man I hear you about the 20% uphill with cfrp wheels versus stock wheels. I used to think that I needed them for my commute but the price is really the factor that turned me off.

I use my commuter all year long and my legs just got used to riding and climbing hills. Your endurance will be better over time and muscle memory. I mean 20% means really nothing in terms of commuting.

Theft is also another factor. Bling wheels that screams "HI I'M A ZIPP/REYNOLDS" means an easy visual target for thieves.

I run a hybrid and upgraded my muscles, crankset, tires, bottom bracket, brakes, and chainrings. With a fresh tune up I can be as fast as those Lance Armstrong's on the path if I really wanted to.

[CLiVE]

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I'm trying to go faster as I hate being passed on the paths...haha. I know it will happen as some guys are just in crazy shape but it drives me insane. That CGN video was good saying the benefits on flats was 5% but on a climb it was up to 20% .... That's a massive difference being able to get up my hills going home.

Trying to buy speed. Not worth it - especially for pathway riding. lol. Work on the engine.

I hate commuting on my carbon wheels - both my reynolds and zipps are a very harsh ride and tend to 'dance' over rough paths. The only wheels I don't mind are my Giant PSLR-1s, which have an aluminum brake track as well. Great all-rounders.

Used to hate being passed, now I don't care. Pathways are for cruising. The easier you ride on the easy days, the harder you can ride on the hard days...

[buh_buh]

Hate to break it to you, but carbon wheels aren't going to prevent you from getting passed. Weight makes almost no diffference on a flat, and aero will make some difference, but not enough that it'll transform your riding. I'm with CLiVE, work on that engine. You can't buy enough speed to make up for the differences if you're getting passed.

[D'z Nutz]

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Trying to buy speed. Not worth it - especially for pathway riding. lol. Work on the engine.

I hate commuting on my carbon wheels - both my reynolds and zipps are a very harsh ride and tend to 'dance' over rough paths. The only wheels I don't mind are my Giant PSLR-1s, which have an aluminum brake track as well. Great all-rounders.

Used to hate being passed, now I don't care. Pathways are for cruising. The easier you ride on the easy days, the harder you can ride on the hard days...

This is the conclusion I came to: dropping $1000-2500 just to shave maybe a couple minutes on my commute to work just isn't worth it. A few hundred bucks on some much lighter wheels for those road climbs on the Century Rides few times a year, I can swallow.

Rough paths are bad enough on my aluminum wheels with 32c/35c tires. I couldn't imagine commuting on CF wheels with 23c/25c tires.

[lilmira]

Yeah that's comparable to getting a better performance car to improve your commute time in rush hour traffic. I would do it for sure if money is no problem. Other than that, I'm not sure if you'll see the return.

[Brent.ff]

As they say, "don't buy upgrades, ride up grades". Definitely noticed a speed and endurance difference on my commute when i was training for the MEC ride. Long rides + grade = faster on my commute..

then again i did buy a new bike..but its not my go-to commuter!