Planet Rugby Forum

Whatever wrote: ↑Fri Aug 06, 2021 2:41 am I've have another, delicate, question for the bike officionados. I do an hour plus most days, but have been experiencing pinching in a place where I don't want to experience pinching with all this. I'm just wearing normal shorts as it is summer. I saw padded shorts last time I was in the bike shop, does anyone have any recommendations?

I have been avoiding becoming a lycra-clad person because, well you know, so please bear this in mind.

Whatever wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 12:18 am Well, I'd never heard of 'bib shorts' before, or know of 'inserts', so I've learnt something. Have ordered some bib shorts now; if I find that they show a bit too much of me I guess I can always wear some loose shorts over the top.

Thanks all.

blindcider wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 7:03 am

Whatever wrote: ↑Sat Aug 07, 2021 12:18 am Well, I'd never heard of 'bib shorts' before, or know of 'inserts', so I've learnt something. Have ordered some bib shorts now; if I find that they show a bit too much of me I guess I can always wear some loose shorts over the top.

Thanks all.

As soon as you realise that most people either don't care or don't notice what you are wearing you get over the lycra issues. Bibs prevent your arse hanging out as top and shorts inevitably gap so are my goto cycling gear.

Bindi wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 9:14 am After being somewhat sedentary for a decade, I’ve signed up for a 4 day MTB stage race in May (https://porttoportmtb.com/race-info-2/course-info/). Will be interesting to see what sort of shape I can get myself into by then. My bike is rubbish (2x10 29er hard tail from 2011), but not much I can do about that. Will be memorable.

blindcider wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:08 pm

Bindi wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 9:14 am After being somewhat sedentary for a decade, I’ve signed up for a 4 day MTB stage race in May (https://porttoportmtb.com/race-info-2/course-info/). Will be interesting to see what sort of shape I can get myself into by then. My bike is rubbish (2x10 29er hard tail from 2011), but not much I can do about that. Will be memorable.

Hardtail is a pretty good choice for this sort of event normally as they aren't normally super-technical, trying to be inclusive and fun rather than a balls out rockgarden and jumpfest. 29ers are great for these sort of events as they tend to roll smoother. Might be worth considering upgrading the chainset to a 1x with a good range block on the back.

Bindi wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:16 pm

blindcider wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 12:08 pm

Bindi wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 9:14 am After being somewhat sedentary for a decade, I’ve signed up for a 4 day MTB stage race in May (https://porttoportmtb.com/race-info-2/course-info/). Will be interesting to see what sort of shape I can get myself into by then. My bike is rubbish (2x10 29er hard tail from 2011), but not much I can do about that. Will be memorable.

Hardtail is a pretty good choice for this sort of event normally as they aren't normally super-technical, trying to be inclusive and fun rather than a balls out rockgarden and jumpfest. 29ers are great for these sort of events as they tend to roll smoother. Might be worth considering upgrading the chainset to a 1x with a good range block on the back.

Thought about upgrading the drive train, but it's not simple. BB, crankset bolt diameter, cassette width are all non-standard now, and older parts are really hard to source. Will just have to stick with it, but blame the bike for my failings.

Bindi wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 9:14 am After being somewhat sedentary for a decade, I’ve signed up for a 4 day MTB stage race in May (https://porttoportmtb.com/race-info-2/course-info/). Will be interesting to see what sort of shape I can get myself into by then. My bike is rubbish (2x10 29er hard tail from 2011), but not much I can do about that. Will be memorable.

booji boy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:34 pm

Bindi wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 9:14 am After being somewhat sedentary for a decade, I’ve signed up for a 4 day MTB stage race in May (https://porttoportmtb.com/race-info-2/course-info/). Will be interesting to see what sort of shape I can get myself into by then. My bike is rubbish (2x10 29er hard tail from 2011), but not much I can do about that. Will be memorable.

That looks awesome. Good luck. What sort of bike do you have? I'm still riding a 2013 hardtail (Scott Scale) with 3 x 10 and still love it. I thought the 2 x 10 models came a little later.

I owned a 2 x 10 full suspension for a while but found I was either at the bottom end of the big ring or the top end of the small ring on most of my trail rides. The 3 x 10 suits me better as I live in the middle ring 80% of the time and drop to the granny gears on the climbs. The big ring only gets used on the road ride to and from the trail head.

Having said that my current full suspension is now 1 x 12?

Bindi wrote: ↑Sat Jan 08, 2022 11:36 pm

booji boy wrote: ↑Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:34 pm

Bindi wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 9:14 am After being somewhat sedentary for a decade, I’ve signed up for a 4 day MTB stage race in May (https://porttoportmtb.com/race-info-2/course-info/). Will be interesting to see what sort of shape I can get myself into by then. My bike is rubbish (2x10 29er hard tail from 2011), but not much I can do about that. Will be memorable.

That looks awesome. Good luck. What sort of bike do you have? I'm still riding a 2013 hardtail (Scott Scale) with 3 x 10 and still love it. I thought the 2 x 10 models came a little later.

I owned a 2 x 10 full suspension for a while but found I was either at the bottom end of the big ring or the top end of the small ring on most of my trail rides. The 3 x 10 suits me better as I live in the middle ring 80% of the time and drop to the granny gears on the climbs. The big ring only gets used on the road ride to and from the trail head.

Having said that my current full suspension is now 1 x 12?

Giant XTC Advanced SL. It's still stock except for a new chain. Possibly needs a service.

I have been less sedentary over the past year since getting a Wahoo Kickr to be fair. Did about 4400 km riding/running last year with 41000m climbing according to Strava. Mostly on the trainer. Maybe 2 or 3 mtb rides. Previous to that, having kids killed almost all cycling.

nardol wrote: ↑Mon Mar 28, 2022 9:22 am Went for my first proper ride (proper ish 65km flat) on my brand new Canyon CF SL 8 and its like night and day compared to what I have been doing all my life. It's my first proper bike where previously - last 10 years - I was on a generic branded full ALU Tiagra gs. Its like night and day and it was absolutely BRILLIANT.

Solo ride but managed a decent chunk of it sheltered in behind other riders which in itself was good fun as I usually only ever ride solo. With longer evenings now I hope to get a few midweek rides in.

blindcider wrote: ↑Mon Mar 28, 2022 9:29 am

nardol wrote: ↑Mon Mar 28, 2022 9:22 am Went for my first proper ride (proper ish 65km flat) on my brand new Canyon CF SL 8 and its like night and day compared to what I have been doing all my life. It's my first proper bike where previously - last 10 years - I was on a generic branded full ALU Tiagra gs. Its like night and day and it was absolutely BRILLIANT.

Solo ride but managed a decent chunk of it sheltered in behind other riders which in itself was good fun as I usually only ever ride solo. With longer evenings now I hope to get a few midweek rides in.

Nice, I'm hopefully only 6 weeks away from getting my new Trek Emonda which I ordered last June. I've never spent a decent wedge on a bike before so looking forward to it although I am not going anywhere near top of the range. Using Pedalon cycles cos you get approx 10% of the bikes value back in points towards gear/components so will get some new shoes and lid plus some other bits

nardol wrote: ↑Mon Mar 28, 2022 9:22 am Went for my first proper ride (proper ish 65km flat) on my brand new Canyon CF SL 8 and its like night and day compared to what I have been doing all my life. It's my first proper bike where previously - last 10 years - I was on a generic branded full ALU Tiagra gs. Its like night and day and it was absolutely BRILLIANT.

Solo ride but managed a decent chunk of it sheltered in behind other riders which in itself was good fun as I usually only ever ride solo. With longer evenings now I hope to get a few midweek rides in.

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 8:07 am Ultegra R8000


Ive been ruined for life, tiagra will never do ever again.


The price quality ratio of canyon is just the best there is. While it is online sales only their customer care is just fantastic and covers up any and all gaps the online only channel may bring with it. It's my first canyon but i am completely sold.

blindcider wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 9:16 am

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 8:07 am Ultegra R8000


Ive been ruined for life, tiagra will never do ever again.


The price quality ratio of canyon is just the best there is. While it is online sales only their customer care is just fantastic and covers up any and all gaps the online only channel may bring with it. It's my first canyon but i am completely sold.

Whilst I don't disagree with anything you say there the canyon bikes leave me a little cold design-wise. if I'm spending that sort of money on a bike I need to absolutely love it

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 10:08 am

blindcider wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 9:16 am

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 8:07 am Ultegra R8000


Ive been ruined for life, tiagra will never do ever again.


The price quality ratio of canyon is just the best there is. While it is online sales only their customer care is just fantastic and covers up any and all gaps the online only channel may bring with it. It's my first canyon but i am completely sold.

Whilst I don't disagree with anything you say there the canyon bikes leave me a little cold design-wise. if I'm spending that sort of money on a bike I need to absolutely love it

is 2.5k eur really that much?
They last 10ish years and even a basic tiagra bike is the guts of 1k.

I like the canyon design. I have the matte black with aero handlebar. I do generally prefer toned down and minimalistic design though.... some may say boring... heh

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 8:07 am Ultegra R8000


Ive been ruined for life, tiagra will never do ever again.


The price quality ratio of canyon is just the best there is. While it is online sales only their customer care is just fantastic and covers up any and all gaps the online only channel may bring with it. It's my first canyon but i am completely sold.

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:05 am I don't own a car (use the wifes in a pinch and even then thats probably no more than twice a month) and that's how I justify spending that amount of money on a bike to myself.

When fuel prices rise that means I can spend more on gear because im saving more!!! .... Right?

DOB wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:46 pm

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:05 am I don't own a car (use the wifes in a pinch and even then thats probably no more than twice a month) and that's how I justify spending that amount of money on a bike to myself.

When fuel prices rise that means I can spend more on gear because im saving more!!! .... Right?

I try to use the cargo bike to do school runs, but it hasn't quite paid for itself in those terms just yet, let alone started to buy me a new bike. I'd love to get back to being a 1-car family. 0-car would probably be a stretch...

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:48 am Hit 240km and 4.5km climbed last week after a big push Saturday and Sunday. Legs are still fecked after (stupidly in retrospect) doing a recovery 8km jog yesterday.

I need to keep doing stuff most days as I aim to drop another 5 or 6kgs in the next 7 weeks which creates a recovery problem.

Anyone recommend alternate forms of cardio that allow for recovery from riding but still melt the belly away? My big cycling days each week are Thurs, Sat and Sun when I get most of my work done. I'm contemplating jumping onto Zwift to do an hour/90mins easy ride with C Cadence which is easy enough but allows me to sweat, keeping average HR around the 135-140 mark. But I'm also aware of the dangers of too much time in the saddle.

blindcider wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:51 am

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:48 am Hit 240km and 4.5km climbed last week after a big push Saturday and Sunday. Legs are still fecked after (stupidly in retrospect) doing a recovery 8km jog yesterday.

I need to keep doing stuff most days as I aim to drop another 5 or 6kgs in the next 7 weeks which creates a recovery problem.

Anyone recommend alternate forms of cardio that allow for recovery from riding but still melt the belly away? My big cycling days each week are Thurs, Sat and Sun when I get most of my work done. I'm contemplating jumping onto Zwift to do an hour/90mins easy ride with C Cadence which is easy enough but allows me to sweat, keeping average HR around the 135-140 mark. But I'm also aware of the dangers of too much time in the saddle.

Swimming

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:13 am If you want to lose weight you should actually do some weights.

It allows you to hit a different joint and muscular group while the legs knees etc recover and the increased muscle mass will increase your base metabolic rate.

Even old school sit ups and core strengthening exercises are beneficial.

nardol wrote: ↑Wed Mar 30, 2022 11:46 am

DOB wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:46 pm

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:05 am I don't own a car (use the wifes in a pinch and even then thats probably no more than twice a month) and that's how I justify spending that amount of money on a bike to myself.

When fuel prices rise that means I can spend more on gear because im saving more!!! .... Right?

I try to use the cargo bike to do school runs, but it hasn't quite paid for itself in those terms just yet, let alone started to buy me a new bike. I'd love to get back to being a 1-car family. 0-car would probably be a stretch...

I live in Holland and only have 1 kid (at the moment) so its not a fair comparison as this country is fully geared to cycling and 2 cars just isn't necessary. My employer even pays for all my commuting costs (even if I cycle I get paid) and the trains + metro are frequent and quick.

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 7:03 am

blindcider wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:51 am

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:48 am Hit 240km and 4.5km climbed last week after a big push Saturday and Sunday. Legs are still fecked after (stupidly in retrospect) doing a recovery 8km jog yesterday.

I need to keep doing stuff most days as I aim to drop another 5 or 6kgs in the next 7 weeks which creates a recovery problem.

Anyone recommend alternate forms of cardio that allow for recovery from riding but still melt the belly away? My big cycling days each week are Thurs, Sat and Sun when I get most of my work done. I'm contemplating jumping onto Zwift to do an hour/90mins easy ride with C Cadence which is easy enough but allows me to sweat, keeping average HR around the 135-140 mark. But I'm also aware of the dangers of too much time in the saddle.

Swimming

Was afraid of that recommendation

I used to be a decent swimmer but put my shoulder out playing rugby 2 years ago and it hasn't been right since, so swimming is a pain in the arse. But probably a good thing atm.

blindcider wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:45 am

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 7:03 am

blindcider wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 6:51 am

Swimming

Was afraid of that recommendation

I used to be a decent swimmer but put my shoulder out playing rugby 2 years ago and it hasn't been right since, so swimming is a pain in the arse. But probably a good thing atm.

Rowing machine?

Duff Paddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:47 am

blindcider wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:45 am

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 7:03 am

Was afraid of that recommendation

I used to be a decent swimmer but put my shoulder out playing rugby 2 years ago and it hasn't been right since, so swimming is a pain in the arse. But probably a good thing atm.

Rowing machine?

Sounds like he’s already over training to be honest, injury coming more likely

Jim Lahey wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:19 am

nardol wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:13 am If you want to lose weight you should actually do some weights.

It allows you to hit a different joint and muscular group while the legs knees etc recover and the increased muscle mass will increase your base metabolic rate.

Even old school sit ups and core strengthening exercises are beneficial.

I'm 99kgs and a former backrower so spent a lot of time in the gym in the past and still carry a lot of my rugby bulk. My FTP is around 3.2 w/kg so I'm ok with my leg power (not so happy with the denominator . . . . ).

When I do weights I find it wastes my legs and means that I'm a lot less powerful out on the road. Ideally I think I need to bump up the cardio to drop the weight and bulk, but still get in quality climbing sessions to avoid losing too much gas.

Once I get this fondo out of the way I'll probably return to the gym to improve the power again but I'm 9 weeks out from my event so want to keep the training quality high while dropping as much weight as possible.

Duff Paddy wrote: ↑Tue Apr 26, 2022 8:40 am

nardol wrote: ↑Wed Mar 30, 2022 11:46 am

DOB wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:46 pm

I try to use the cargo bike to do school runs, but it hasn't quite paid for itself in those terms just yet, let alone started to buy me a new bike. I'd love to get back to being a 1-car family. 0-car would probably be a stretch...

I live in Holland and only have 1 kid (at the moment) so its not a fair comparison as this country is fully geared to cycling and 2 cars just isn't necessary. My employer even pays for all my commuting costs (even if I cycle I get paid) and the trains + metro are frequent and quick.

Aren’t ya great sure