New to cycling

[mik]

Heh no worries mate ;) ,
i dont think i could go back to a bike without suspension on it now, even front suspensioned forks alone absorbing impacts is so nice (plus big tyres) , without suspension its like driving a kenny cab over bob tail with a hendrickson on the back and no air bags ...... (trucky joke for those not familiar ,sorry wont happen again ).

[mik]

Just reading an article on gadgets for 2015, one I spotted and liked was a radar device for bikes, it monitored cars coming up behind you, the display has a row of dots, and a car coming up behind you shows up as a red dot moving up through white dots ........... How's cool is that ?
Made by Garmin, device name is Varia.
If be interested to hear anyone's experience with said device.

[geckoGT]

Well the Campag Record groupset is here, the Campag tools are here and I am just waiting on the wheel components.

I have decided to convert the 2003 Eurus wheels to C11 and get the Shamals in the near future. Many reasons for that.

So now just waiting for the C11 free hub body and axle and then the build starts, the wait is killing my.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by mik

Heh no worries mate ;) ,
without suspension its like driving a kenny cab over bob tail with a hendrickson on the back and no air bags ...... (trucky joke for those not familiar ,sorry wont happen again ).

But mines has KW torsion bars !!

[mik]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

But mines has KW torsion bars !!

Heh, very nice ;).

[Batmobile]

Interesting reading the HOG mag to find Olympic BMX Caroline Buchannan living her dream on a iron horse . (Harley Davidson Street 500) .

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Interesting reading the HOG mag to find Olympic BMX Caroline Buchannan living her dream on a iron horse . (Harley Davidson Street 500) .

Hey Batmobile, When I read your post, I thought, wow, I didn't know Ironhorse were still building MTBikes.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Hey Batmobile, When I read your post, I thought, wow, I didn't know Ironhorse were still building MTBikes.

I sure you will find they still do in the US .. I can't remember how long it was , but both my son and I owed a IronHorse dirt jump/urban street 'fixed' 26' mountain bikes .. You don't see them as much now , but back awhile , most kids coming from the BMX scene where all riding them .

[mik]

Now that summer is on its way out, in melbourne some say perth stole our summer , its been pretty wimpy summer for us mexicans this year as really the probably the last 4 or 5 years i think , nearly always the grass is dead around the area for most of summer, youd swear we are not in summer ,
anyway to the point, its cooling down (probably be 45 celcius tommorow being melbourne ),
went for my daily run .... er ride yesterday and it was fairly brisk ..... either that or im getting wimpy in my old age ? what do you guys wear in the cold weather to stay warmish? or do you not ride in the cool weather , as rule i wont ride in the rain , i will put up with a bit of cold, im not fond of it though.

[prydey]

i handle the cold pretty well. for the real cold mornings (getting down close to 0) i just wear 2 tops and arm warmers. a lot of it is because i'm too tight to fork out for decent thermal gear.

i've been riding for 3 years so have survived 3 winters with just arm warmers, 2 jerseys and a gillet. also boot covers are a must to keep the toes warm. first winter i had some long thermal bib knicks but got to big in the legs for them to be comfortable these days so haven't worn them for the last couple of winters and survived ok. i do have a reasonable natural thermal layer though...

[GUTLES]

Got to get used to the Cold, dark & rain if you want to stay on your bike over winter in Melbourne.

For me I've done it the last 2 winters with a base layer (singlet), jersey & arm warmers. Luckily for me I don't really feel the cold.

Invest in a decent light, my Exposure Diablo makes dark roads enjoyable!

[GTpilot]

A smart trainer and online virtual ride subscriptions are my plans for this coming winter. Sure it's not the same as getting out there, but it will maintain the exercise and fitness levels and save me riding in crap weather and not enjoying it. If your not enjoying it then the motivation drops.
Rain does not bother me, but I hate the the cold.

[GUTLES]

Got to get used to the Cold, dark & rain if you want to stay on your bike over winter in Melbourne.

For me I've done it the last 2 winters with a base layer (singlet), jersey & arm warmers. Luckily for me I don't really feel the cold.

Invest in a decent light, my Exposure Diablo makes dark roads enjoyable!

[DBourne]

Cold doesn't bother me. I got through last winter without anything special, part from a baselayer and long sleeve jersey (just normal short knicks).

Though I will get some shoe covers this year.

Rain, I don't mind if it rains whilst I'm out (cos what can you do?) but I'm usually a bit of a wimp if it is raining BEFORE I head out.

Massively agree on getting a good light for the winter months. Yes it sucks spending the money, but it makes the biggest difference to your experience.

[blueoval]

It's been literally weeks since Ive been on the bike that it hurts. Hoping to get out this weekend before the heat kicks in.

[GUTLES]

Originally Posted by blueoval

It's been literally weeks since Ive been on the bike that it hurts. Hoping to get out this weekend before the heat kicks in.

That's the worst when that happens! You'll be ok after a couple of rides.

I've been riding regularly with a guy who lives close to me who's a lot quicker then me so I can't afford to not ride every 2-3 days!

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by GUTLES

That's the worst when that happens! You'll be ok after a couple of rides.

I've been riding regularly with a guy who lives close to me who's a lot quicker then me so I can't afford to not ride every 2-3 days!

Haha. well when you have that sort of competition to live up to then I dont blame ya. My mate is like that, but I choose not to compare myself to his way of riding which is balls out, go hard or go home kind of riding. Im much more social and I'll ride to my pace and not to others. I find if I got caught up in that other mentality I would find myself disappointed quite quickly.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by GUTLES

Got to get used to the Cold, dark & rain if you want to stay on your bike over winter in Melbourne.

For me I've done it the last 2 winters with a base layer (singlet), jersey & arm warmers. Luckily for me I don't really feel the cold.

Invest in a decent light, my Exposure Diablo makes dark roads enjoyable!

When the temperature gets into single digits - I find its not the body per say that the trouble , its my fingers .. I 've found on some occasions after around 10mins - they get so cold they ache . Ache that it brings me to tears and it hurts so much I cant them to work .
I 've tried, base gloves , I tried , ski gloves , I tried multiple gloves , I tried , tight and lose gloves , I have tried heated patches , and it's safe to say I tried almost everything I can think of , and found it my fingers can cold , I don't want to be on the bike .

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by GUTLES

Got to get used to the Cold, dark & rain if you want to stay on your bike over winter in Melbourne.

For me I've done it the last 2 winters with a base layer (singlet), jersey & arm warmers. Luckily for me I don't really feel the cold.

Invest in a decent light, my Exposure Diablo makes dark roads enjoyable!

What's it like riding without pants on? No doubt your nuts would stick to the saddle on a frosty morning.

I feel even the slightest cold of a morning. I hate it. I tend to over dress with layers and shed layers as I warm up. Annoying, but I hate that shivery feeling.

[Danny]

Down in TAS for a couple of week getaway, took the bike with, and decided to tackle the Targa Tas stage known as "Elephant Pass". Probably my official first mountain climb. I spent ages psyching myself up for this one only to realise it wasn't anywhere near as hard as expected. That being said, I did make a point of not pushing too hard, for fear of dying alone with no reception or even (at one point) sattellite connection.

The road to get to elephant pass is a beautiful seaside highway with rolling hills. Once at the top of the pass, you're in a small town called St Mary's, finally spiralling back down St Mary's pass to the Ocean again. Very enjoyable, Tassie is a beautiful place.

I love this bike!

[MAGPIE]

I was out riding today and came across another rider who was in training for this ride the length of NZ http://www.touraotearoa.nz/p/the-route.html.

He was saying he gets the cheap $50 airfares around the country (where ever is on special at the time) jumps on the plane with his bike and then rides home again.

He flew to Auckland and then rode the 1100 km+ back home in 6 days

He wasn't boasting either just a genuine guy lucky enough to be doing what he loves, what a life.

[mik]

Originally Posted by blueoval

What's it like riding without pants on? No doubt your nuts would stick to the saddle on a frosty morning.

I feel even the slightest cold of a morning. I hate it. I tend to over dress with layers and shed layers as I warm up. Annoying, but I hate that shivery feeling.

I`m a bit similar Shav , i hate cold most of the time, especially when im swimming or exercising , funnily enough just walking around i`ll wear a t shirt (its true you get weird as you get older ) ,
what really kills me i think is when i exercise i sweat like buggery , it could be 0 degrees outside while im on the bike, and 3 minutes later im already sweating (maybe its an old age thing ? ), every day/night i come back from a ride, and im saturated head to toe.
All part of the fun ay .

Speaking of lights and night riding , i decided to boost my lighting ...... check out this little honey , i have ordered this one, let you know how it operates when it arrives.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SolarStor...cAAOSwm8VUskF9

[mik]

Originally Posted by Danny

image

Down in TAS for a couple of week getaway, took the bike with, and decided to tackle the Targa Tas stage known as "Elephant Pass". Probably my official first mountain climb. I spent ages psyching myself up for this one only to realise it wasn't anywhere near as hard as expected. That being said, I did make a point of not pushing too hard, for fear of dying alone with no reception or even (at one point) sattellite connection.

The road to get to elephant pass is a beautiful seaside highway with rolling hills. Once at the top of the pass, you're in a small town called St Mary's, finally spiralling back down St Mary's pass to the Ocean again. Very enjoyable, Tassie is a beautiful place.

I love this bike!

Good on you Danny , sounds like a great experience, i think tassie had a bit of a mixed bag for the weather recently did it not ? , warmer than melbourne at one stage and ice on the hills another day, how was weather for your ride ?
cool bike .

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by mik

Speaking of lights and night riding , i decided to boost my lighting ...... check out this little honey , i have ordered this one, let you know how it operates when it arrives.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SolarStor...cAAOSwm8VUskF9

I got one of these, but I have not used it since I seen this.

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb...paign=15_12_17

[Danny]

Originally Posted by mik

Good on you Danny , sounds like a great experience, i think tassie had a bit of a mixed bag for the weather recently did it not ? , warmer than melbourne at one stage and ice on the hills another day, how was weather for your ride ?
cool bike .

Yeah the weather was fine but overcast. Yesterday was beautiful, I wanted to go yesterday, but ultimately talked myself out of it!

[mik]

Originally Posted by GTpilot

I got one of these, but I have not used it since I seen this.

http://www.singletracks.com/blog/mtb...paign=15_12_17

Bugger ! thanks for the warning mate , oh well i will look for another .

[Adamz Ghia]

Hi guys,
So I'm looking at getting myself back into cycling. I used to always have a bike but I had no one to ride with so I let it go, but now I figured everyone else can get stuffed and I'll have fun in my own haha!

Really just after advice on any bikes I should be looking at. I've seen this one

http://www.gtbicycles.com/aus_en/201...valanche-sport

and I had a go on it at the shop and it felt good. I don't want to spend a crazy amount on my first one, around the $1000 give or take a bit here and there including accessories would be my limit. If I get a bit more adventurous I'll upgrade then.

For those who've had both, how important is full suspension? I'll be riding mine in urban and out in the bush, nothing too crazy, but out in the You Yangs and Otways (for those who know Victoria) there's some trails and rail trails that I'd like to have a go at, up hill and downhill runs.

Any advice would be great and much appreciated.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by Adamz Ghia

Hi guys,
So I'm looking at getting myself back into cycling. I used to always have a bike but I had no one to ride with so I let it go, but now I figured everyone else can get stuffed and I'll have fun in my own haha!

Really just after advice on any bikes I should be looking at. I've seen this one

http://www.gtbicycles.com/aus_en/201...valanche-sport

and I had a go on it at the shop and it felt good. I don't want to spend a crazy amount on my first one, around the $1000 give or take a bit here and there including accessories would be my limit. If I get a bit more adventurous I'll
upgrade then.

For those who've had both, how important is full suspension? I'll be riding mine in urban and out in the bush, nothing too crazy, but out in the You Yangs
and Otways (for those who know Victoria) there's some trails and rail trails
that I'd like to have a go at, up hill and downhill runs.

Any advice would be great and much appreciated.

I would suggest you try and get on a Specialized or Trek ride day at either Lysterfield or You Yangs
You will be able ride the different styles , hard tail, 27.5 ans 29er . I understand they will be beyond your budget, but they will give you a better understanding of what will suit your style of riding .
You are spoiled for choice , suggest you get to ride as many demos as you can on the trials and not around the bike shop . Do your homework , as the right bike will make riding so much more fun ..

[blueoval]

As Batmobile said. Test riding everything will be your answer. It will make sure you make a more well informed decision on your purchase and with confidence. Don't be in a rush to hand over a wad of dosh until you are completely convinced of the bike you love.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by blueoval

As Batmobile said. Test riding everything will be your answer. It will make sure you make a more well informed decision on your purchase and with confidence. Don't be in a rush to hand over a wad of dosh until you are completely convinced of the bike you love.

Cycles Galleria at their new store in Eastland Ringwood have a demo day at Lysterfield on 25 Feb , its a Thursday , so it will most probably not be suitable , but you should call to see if you can have a demo on a weekend . I know they were getting some shop demo bikes for their customers to take out