New to cycling

[blueoval]

Well Done GUTLES. It's pretty addictive.

[GUTLES]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Well Done GUTLES. It's pretty addictive.

Thanks mate, defiantly addictive, but a good addiction!

Got my clipless pedals & shoes tonight, will be interstate for a wedding on Fathers Day weekend so they decided to suprise me. Will go to a basketball court tomorrow & practice clipping in & out.

Anyone on here doing the around the bay in a day?

[blueoval]

That's a pretty big ride if you aren't used to cracking the tonne.

[GUTLES]

Originally Posted by blueoval

That's a pretty big ride if you aren't used to cracking the tonne.

For sure, I'm going to do the 100 or 135km ride.

[blueoval]

Nice. From what ive heard, its a fairly flat ride. Aslong as you eat well, hydrate yourself plenty before and during the ride you'll do well.

[mcnews]

Lucky enough to ride from Varese to the Swiss border today on a Bianchi kindly loaned to me from the Australian Institute of Sport in Varese, Italy. Did a ride yesterday too. Some map shots.

[prydey]

awesome.

on the subject of bike hire, does anyone know if these sort of facilities are available in australian states? more specifically, brisbane. my folks live up there and i normally visit every year. the lack of a bike gets to me a bit, and taking my own bike isn't really an option, and buying 2nd bike for up there is a bit of a problem financially. it would be cool if there was somewhere i could hire a bike, then i'd just have to take my kit with me.

[mcnews]

Yes definitely there is. I was put on to a guy at the Gold Coast that seemed great to deal with, I didn't end up getting it as one of the Superbike racers loaned me a Cervelo to use instead. ian@paradiseroadcycles.com

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by mcnews

on a Bianchi kindly loaned to me from the Australian Institute of Sport in Varese, Italy.

AIS in Italy ?? Good to see our taxpayers money is being well spent

[mcnews]

The AIS base in Italy was made a few years ago and plays host to Australian athletes based in Europe and also while visiting Europe for competition. It is also host to the Australian under-23 cycling squad which is permanently based here.

[DBourne]

Loving your rides there mate, definitely a cycling dream!!

[NTF6]

I like bike riding and tend to most of mine out in the hills mountain biking, I simply don't ride around the streets as I'm just not interested in becoming road pizza!

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by GUTLES

Thanks mate, defiantly addictive, but a good addiction!

Got my clipless pedals & shoes tonight, will be interstate for a wedding on Fathers Day weekend so they decided to suprise me. Will go to a basketball court tomorrow & practice clipping in & out.

Anyone on here doing the around the bay in a day?

I'm doing the 100k from sorrento. I can't be bothered messing around with the ferry xfer for the extra 35. Wrong time if year for me to do the full loop too.

Pm me if you want to hook up on the ride. I'm doing it solo at this point.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Yes definitely there is. I was put on to a guy at the Gold Coast that seemed great to deal with, I didn't end up getting it as one of the Superbike racers loaned me a Cervelo to use instead. ian@paradiseroadcycles.com

I had the pleasure of a loan bike from Ian whilst I was staying with my sister in law in Broad Beach. Ian took my bike measurements , prepared the loan bike, dropped it off, and then arranged to pick it up before leaving ..Could n't speak highly enough of the service and bike provided ... Now , if I am going to stay on the Gold Coast , I would just hire the bike from Paradise , than take my own .. Bravo !!!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

I had the pleasure of a loan bike from Ian whilst I was staying with my sister in law in Broad Beach. Ian took my bike measurements , prepared the loan bike, dropped it off, and then arranged to pick it up before leaving ..Could n't speak highly enough of the service and bike provided ... Now , if I am going to stay on the Gold Coast , I would just hire the bike from Paradise , than take my own .. Bravo !!!

awesome. what sort of cost is involved?

[Captain Stubing]

I put in an order to Chain Reaction, and had a box of Ultegra arrive!



Unfortunately, I'm doing a course this week at work, and have to do a bit of study...but got pee'd off with it tonight, so I made a start by pulling out the crank bearings. This is upgrading from a Tiagra to Ultegra groupset on an Avanti Cadent.

The Tiagra bearings are held in a plastic assembly that is pressed into the hub (and thus belted out), while Ultegra appear to be threaded on either side, with the bearings more 'covered' with a plastic shield.



I'm not sure if anyone is interested in the finer details of different components on road bikes, if so, I can take photos as I change things over.

And thanks, SgtBourne, I also got an RS31 rear wheel to fit the 11 speed cluster!

[mcnews]

Today's ride out of Varese went into Switzerland around some of Lake Lugano and included a fair climb at one stage. It was hard work. I was with some experienced riders, thus instead of my normal trundling I had to go a bit quicker. It is fair to say I am now pretty rooted. 84km and 1635m . There was some beautiful views but the lens on my phone was so sweat soaked, as was everything else I had been in contact with, that I couldn't clean it enough to take a photo. But I attach one here from the same lookout we stopped at and luckily enough for you guys I found one with someone better looking than me in it .

[DBourne]

How good is getting a box of goodies!!

I have to admit, when I converted my commuter to 10spd, the one part that took me a while was the cabling of the shifters.

Fantastic riding Trev! My ride to work wasn't as picturesque unfortunately lol.

[Uncle Niceguy]

well this morning l was doing my usual bike components search witch led to me finding this bargain:
http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/a/bik...m800/100315288

l think this deal is simply too good to pass up, later today l'll call them and see if they still have it and secondly if it'll fit my bike, if they continue answering yes, then l'll be grabbing it and just go with a single up front witch will be good as it saves me buying a front derailleur witch means less cluttered handle bars, and weight savings. hopefully all goes well.

[blueoval]

A week to go before the Amy's Gran Fondo in Lorne. 110km and 1650m of climbing. It's gonna be a huge tester for me. Never climbed those sort of meters in one day before. Plus Im not a natural climber. Will be a long day I suspect. Gonna try and average 20kph if I can. I think the goal for that day is to just finish it in one piece.

http://www.amysgranfondo.org.au

[DBourne]

You'll be right mate. Don't underestimate the adrenaline of doing a big event like this.

Having so many people around you that you can sit on, pass, keeps you occupied and your mind off yourself more than you'd think.

Just be mindful of your efforts, monitor your heart rate and cadence and keep them at levels you know from experience that you can maintain for a long time.

[NTF6]

Originally Posted by mcnews

Today's ride out of Varese went into Switzerland around some of Lake Lugano and included a fair climb at one stage. It was hard work. I was with some experienced riders, thus instead of my normal trundling I had to go a bit quicker. It is fair to say I am now pretty rooted. 84km and 1635m . There was some beautiful views but the lens on my phone was so sweat soaked, as was everything else I had been in contact with, that I couldn't clean it enough to take a photo. But I attach one here from the same lookout we stopped at and luckily enough for you guys I found one with someone better looking than me in it .

I'd be rooted too, have look at that!!!!!

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

You'll be right mate. Don't underestimate the adrenaline of doing a big event like this.

Having so many people around you that you can sit on, pass, keeps you occupied and your mind off yourself more than you'd think.

Just be mindful of your efforts, monitor your heart rate and cadence and keep them at levels you know from experience that you can maintain for a long time.

Cheers bloke, yep it's easy to get carried away with the moment and overdo it before the major climbs begin. I know my limits at least and know it will be a big day. Just hope I can carry it through to the finish line before the sag wagon comes.

[BENT_8]

Hi guys, been reading a bit of the thread and you guys seem pretty switched on with bike stuff.
I hope you don't mind me asking a few questions

Im looking at getting back on a bike after quite a few years, I've got to do something about my weight.

Has anyone had any experiences with GT bikes, in particular their hard tail MTB's.

I've been looking at the '15 GT Aggressor Comp as my budget to get things under way is about $500.
Would it make a good starter for a bloke who's 6'3" and 118kg.

It will be a mix of flat trails and bike paths.

Cheers

[blueoval]

Are you looking to do off road stuff mainly? or looking at it purely from a fitness aspect?

The GT bikes are a reasonable brand. Just take into consideration the warranty and what it covers. I'd even ask if that model bike will cater for you ok without difficulty?

Either way, congrats for getting back on a bike after all these years. It takes some effort and self motivation to do so. Starting out with a non expensive option is the way to go though just in case don't like the sport. Good thing is, if you decide to give it up for what ever reason, you should get at least 50% of the purchase price back.

I personally think that bike will suit you fine for flat trails and paths.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Are you looking to do off road stuff mainly? or looking at it purely from a fitness aspect?

The GT bikes are a reasonable brand. Just take into consideration the warranty and what it covers. I'd even ask if that model bike will cater for you ok without difficulty?

Either way, congrats for getting back on a bike after all these years. It takes some effort and self motivation to do so. Starting out with a non expensive option is the way to go though just in case don't like the sport. Good thing is, if you decide to give it up for what ever reason, you should get at least 50% of the purchase price back.

I personally think that bike will suit you fine for flat trails and paths.

Probably 70% fitness inspired 30% to just get away for a few hours, clear the mind.
We've got a bike path around the corner which follows the expressway and I'd like to get out on the weekends and spend some time on the fire tracks and trails around the nearby national park.
Nothing full on though, not at this stage anyway.

They are offering 3 free services in the first 12 months which is a nice extra I thought, especially for a beginner.
And it would be nice to say I have a new GT in the shed...lol

Im not really worried about resale do much as one of the kids would get some use if nothing else.

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by blueoval

A week to go before the Amy's Gran Fondo in Lorne. 110km and 1650m of climbing. It's gonna be a huge tester for me. Never climbed those sort of meters in one day before. Plus Im not a natural climber. Will be a long day I suspect. Gonna try and average 20kph if I can. I think the goal for that day is to just finish it in one piece.

http://www.amysgranfondo.org.au

a good mate of mine has done it many times and is riding it this year too, he says its a pretty tough ride if your not prepared.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by GTpilot

a good mate of mine has done it many times and is riding it this year too, he says its a pretty tough ride if your not prepared.

I've been training harder than normal for it for the past few months. Will be interesting to see if the training paid off.

Another friend of mine who is coming with us is doing it too but he hasnt done any training at all. Barely any rides at all to be honest so I dont like his chances.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Probably 70% fitness inspired 30% to just get away for a few hours, clear the mind.
We've got a bike path around the corner which follows the expressway and I'd like to get out on the weekends and spend some time on the fire tracks and trails around the nearby national park.
Nothing full on though, not at this stage anyway.

They are offering 3 free services in the first 12 months which is a nice extra I thought, especially for a beginner.
And it would be nice to say I have a new GT in the shed...lol

Im not really worried about resale do much as one of the kids would get some use if nothing else.

Well if thats the case, go for it. The bike should do the job well. Just make sure you try not to avoid hills too much as they will be a good challenge and help for you to lose weight.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by prydey

awesome. what sort of cost is involved?

I had the loan of a alloy frame Obrea with compact cranks and carbon forks - the bike was brand new , and came with tubes , CO2 bottles , and 2 drink bottles . Was delivered , and picked up and it cost me just over $100 for the week ..