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Road Biking: Convince Me

Jisch

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Lunch time ride for me today, I guess I'll do road, but I think I could hit the woods behind my house if I was so inclined.
 

severine

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Looks like I will be taking a maiden voyage first thing Saturday morning before there is much traffic on the road for me to worry about.
Congrats! I may get out for a ride before the bump comp, but it depends on how quickly I get back from dropping the kids off in Middletown in the AM.

I have a Road ID that I got when I started running that I can use for identification--no need to carry the license. I actually have one cycling jersey that has the pockets in the back, but it seems weird to me. Will probably move my underseat bag over from the MTB. Just need to get the other supplies...

The MTB shoes, being super ventilated, are a little rough when it's cold. I guess if I really get into this, there are things I can get to help with that.I need to get new pedals, too. Looks like my clipless have one bad spring.
 

Jisch

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We rushed out the door to get a ride in at lunch time - my wife had all the time in the world, but I had to run out between conference calls. 15 minutes away from the house she hits a pothole and gets a pinch flat. ugh. We have everything to fix a flat.... except tire levers! argh! I used a QR off my bike and got the tire off and new one on with a few very minor scratches on the edges of the rims. I pumped the tires up to 110 before we left, they'll be at 120 from here on in, but ultimately I think if you hit a pothole at speed the tire is going to pinch. The pothole was in a shadow and was difficult to see - especially with sunglasses on.

Oh well, lesson learned even if it did shorten the ride.
 

mlctvt

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Lunch time ride for me today, I guess I'll do road, but I think I could hit the woods behind my house if I was so inclined.

Just got in from a 24mile ride at lunch ( a long lunch) :smile:
Fantastic weather today!
 

mlctvt

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We rushed out the door to get a ride in at lunch time - my wife had all the time in the world, but I had to run out between conference calls. 15 minutes away from the house she hits a pothole and gets a pinch flat. ugh. We have everything to fix a flat.... except tire levers! argh! I used a QR off my bike and got the tire off and new one on with a few very minor scratches on the edges of the rims. I pumped the tires up to 110 before we left, they'll be at 120 from here on in, but ultimately I think if you hit a pothole at speed the tire is going to pinch. The pothole was in a shadow and was difficult to see - especially with sunglasses on.

Oh well, lesson learned even if it did shorten the ride.

Potholes are bad this time of year. I passed a few today that were very deep, I'm sure I would have flatted if I hit them.
Smart move using the quick release lever as a tire iron! I'll have to remember that one.
 

Jisch

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Potholes are one place where riding a MTB on the road wins over the road bike. ;)

For the record I was on my MTB with slicks and I rode through the same pothole at the same speed and did not pinch.

BTW those tubes in the road bike tires are freaking tiny things.

John
 

mondeo

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For the record I was on my MTB with slicks and I rode through the same pothole at the same speed and did not pinch.

BTW those tubes in the road bike tires are freaking tiny things.

John
On the other hand, on a road bike you're able to react more quickly and weave more fluidly though potholes, so you end up hitting less overall.
 

Jisch

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On the other hand, on a road bike you're able to react more quickly and weave more fluidly though potholes, so you end up hitting less overall.

True, unless you're my wife.
 

o3jeff

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Just back from first ride on the new road bike, actually lots of fun and once your in shape you can roll some serious miles in a short time. Pretty windy out there this morning, ended up doing 9.56 miles in 43:24 which included one stop back home to put another layer of clothes on.

Look forward to another ride tomorrow morning.
 

bvibert

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Just back from first ride on the new road bike, actually lots of fun and once your in shape you can roll some serious miles in a short time. Pretty windy out there this morning, ended up doing 9.56 miles in 43:24 which included one stop back home to put another layer of clothes on.

Look forward to another ride tomorrow morning.

Nice Jeff!
 

o3jeff

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Nice Jeff!

Did a second ride yesterday, I did a loop near my house, but needed to cross a lot of busy roads with lights and stop signs which really sucks! I really need to scope out some smoother roads around me, probably head out towards the New Britain Res, but the only problem is the roads are pretty narrow and curvy and people fly down them.

I'm really liking the road biking so far!
 

mondeo

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Did a second ride yesterday, I did a loop near my house, but needed to cross a lot of busy roads with lights and stop signs which really sucks! I really need to scope out some smoother roads around me, probably head out towards the New Britain Res, but the only problem is the roads are pretty narrow and curvy and people fly down them.

I'm really liking the road biking so far!
Route selection is something of an art. Once you get to longer rides it gets a little easier (so long as you don't end up picking a dirt road) as you can pick a low-traffic in and out leg of 5 miles or so to good riding, then just pick and choose from there. Berlin has some nice riding, and I always loved the Durham area when I lived in Rocky Hill and Cromwell.

Gonna have to do more than 10 miles to do Durham, though. :razz:
 

severine

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Nice, o3jeff!

I still haven't gotten out. 29 degree temps in the early morning have thwarted me twice now. Call me a fair weather biker, but I planned on using it in warmer weather than that. BRR!
 

Jisch

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My wife joined a local riding group and I went with her on a road ride Saturday morning - she had never been on a group road ride and needed a little encouragement to go.

First it was windy! I swear I never felt a tail wind despite doing a big circle, felt a headwind many times. It was pretty fun - way more social than group mountain bike rides. There was 14 of us at the start, 13 road bikes, one mtb with slicks. I felt completely out of place, but no one really gave me a hard time. The fact that I stayed in the front for most of the ride and I smoked them all on the final hill before the parking lot let me have the last word :-D

We did 31 relatively flat miles in just about 2 hours - the pace felt casual to me, my wife was at her top end - she'll get better as the season goes. Drafting was pretty cool, but the three times I broke out to take a pull up front I ended up gapping the group. I guess drafting doesn't save as much effort as my legs thought it did, if I do it again, I'll have to pay more attention to how to do that. It was initially weird how they pointed out every little thing in the road, but I suppose those things can be dangerous on a road bike.

All in all a fun time, but not near as much fun as my two MTB rides on Sunday!
John
 

MR. evil

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I have an inside track on a very nice used bike a friend is most likely going to be selling. I took of for a spin yesterday and the fit it perfect. Should know this week what he wants for it....keeping fingers crossed!
 

riverc0il

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We did 31 relatively flat miles in just about 2 hours - the pace felt casual to me, my wife was at her top end - she'll get better as the season goes. Drafting was pretty cool, but the three times I broke out to take a pull up front I ended up gapping the group. I guess drafting doesn't save as much effort as my legs thought it did, if I do it again, I'll have to pay more attention to how to do that. It was initially weird how they pointed out every little thing in the road, but I suppose those things can be dangerous on a road bike.
I started a thread on here last year after my first few group rides. It is interesting showing up for one of these things for the first time. Drafting can save 30% of your effort though you save less when going slower. Its a fine balance between getting close enough to the rider in front of you to get max draft vs getting dangerously close and risk causing a crash. You get better at it by doing it more. Pointing out everything in the road is very important as if you are in a paceline, you can't see what is coming up. Be sure to pass those signs down the line. It becomes second nature after a while.
 

Jisch

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yeah, I was passing signs along right from the beginning, as foolish as it felt, when in Rome... with the wind the drafting was helping a great deal, but not really in allowing us to go faster, just not tiring out as quickly - had to be 20mph winds.
 

mondeo

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with the wind the drafting was helping a great deal, but not really in allowing us to go faster, just not tiring out as quickly - had to be 20mph winds.
Nope, just not as tiring unless the lead is a stud. The lead rider feels like he's still riding solo, so a lot of people will go their solo pace and everyone else just takes a break.
 
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