Cycling Thread

[Hack&Lube]

If the zoo has closed more pathways west, I don't like riding up the Bridgeland LRT ramp to get over to that side so I'd recommend going across to Edmonton Trail and McDougall road. It's always nice and clear of traffic in there.

[worth]

I can't be the only one that rode in today?

[Reneeee]

Probably were. I'm fair weather and anything 5 degrees or under is a no go for me

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[KTrain]

I moved my road bike to the trainer so I can participate in Zwift Academy.

I'm bringing the cyclocross bike to the shop to get fixed up and some new tires so I can get back to commuting and weekend rides on it.

[habernac]

Nope. Great day for a ride. Remembered my shoe covers today!

[alexle]

I didn't ride in because I left my bike at work. Big mistake, there was a CTrain power outage downtown and I ended up taking an expensive car2go trip. This always seems to happen when I decide to take the train instead of riding my bike...

[Bigtime]

I would have rode today but due to work commitments needed to drive. Back at it tomorrow.

[wwkayaker]

I’m trying to diagnose an issue with my mountain bike. When I’m riding, there is a knock in the front tire or shock. When I got home, I tried moving the front shock and it felt stable. In the garage, when I applied the brake and moved the bike back and forth, the knock was there. I checked the headset and it is tight. The bearing doesn’t seem to have extra play. Thoughts?

[Northendzone]

^ I'd try loosen the stem and stem cap and really make sure that headset is tight and fitted together properly. Then tighten it up and torque it to spec (I believe most of that should be 5 nm).

If that does not work I would suspect something in the fork or possibly the front hub. Could eliminate the hub if you could drop the wheel in another bike and perform the same brake test

[wwkayaker]

^Thanks. I was going to put the wheel in another bike tomorrow to eliminate that bearing. If that test eliminates the wheel bearing I will move on to the headset. I was researching headset maintenance tonight and watched some informative videos. Like you said, I need to loosen the stem and see what the headset is doing. The bike is 10 years old and I have never serviced the headset bearings to my knowledge...the shop may have done it but I never specifically asked. Since I have been doing most of my maintenance, I know I never serviced the bearings.

[The Big Chill]

Originally Posted by KTrain

I moved my road bike to the trainer so I can participate in Zwift Academy.

I'm bringing the cyclocross bike to the shop to get fixed up and some new tires so I can get back to commuting and weekend rides on it.

How do you like Zwift?

I'm contemplating if it's worth it to get a setup going for it this winter season.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by The Big Chill

How do you like Zwift?

I'm contemplating if it's worth it to get a setup going for it this winter season.

I love it. Trainers aren't that fun, even if you're watching TV. Zwift gamifies the experience and makes training more social (if you want).

You can customize your "character" as you increase your level (20 XP points for every km). You can upgrade your bike, wheels and clothes. Like any video game, you need more and more points to increase each level. I'm level 17 after about 2400+kms on the trainer. You max out at level 25 currently. They also have badges (like Strava) that you can try to get. Little (and big) goals to work towards. Things like "Ride 50km", "Ride 7 days in a row" or "Hold 500w for 10 seconds".

The social aspect is more fun for me now. They're constantly organizing group rides and races throughout the day you can join. Or, if your friend(s) has Zwift, you can ride together. Zwift does the calculations for things like draft, elevation, rain, etc so if you're using a smart trainer you can have an easier or harder time depending on what's going on around you. If you're in a peloton during a race you can feel it become a bit easier to maintain the pace.

They also have a bunch of pre-programmed workouts. While it's great to just hop on the bike and ride around London, you can also do a work out that will push you through intervals or threshold training. I've only just started doing these and they're killer.

I'm doing my first race this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes. My goal is to not be last.

[wwkayaker]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

^ I'd try loosen the stem and stem cap and really make sure that headset is tight and fitted together properly. Then tighten it up and torque it to spec (I believe most of that should be 5 nm).

If that does not work I would suspect something in the fork or possibly the front hub. Could eliminate the hub if you could drop the wheel in another bike and perform the same brake test

I pulled the stem/handlebars and removed the fork. I cleaned up all of the components and regreased the bearings. That took care of the knocking.

[Northendzone]

Nice....I miss riding my bike as my sons hockey has now taken over my life

[arcfyr]

Looking to commute through the winter for the first time this year. I expect my road bike not to be up to the task whenever there's snow on the pathway... rim brakes and maximum 28mm tires. What kind of bikes do you guys use? Hardtail, fatbike, cross?

[habernac]

I ride a cross year round. My Jake has fenders and that's about it for additions.

[KTrain]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Nice....I miss riding my bike as my sons hockey has now taken over my life

Get a trainer. You don't want to lose any fitness/progress you've made over the summer. It makes getting back on the bike in the spring that much harder.

Dedicating a lot of time to kids is great but you should still take time to do the things you enjoy.

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by arcfyr

Looking to commute through the winter for the first time this year. I expect my road bike not to be up to the task whenever there's snow on the pathway... rim brakes and maximum 28mm tires. What kind of bikes do you guys use? Hardtail, fatbike, cross?

My hybrid that I've had since 2000 became my winter bike last year. Running 35mm studded tires on it, will add fenders for this season.

[worth]

Originally Posted by arcfyr

Looking to commute through the winter for the first time this year. I expect my road bike not to be up to the task whenever there's snow on the pathway... rim brakes and maximum 28mm tires. What kind of bikes do you guys use? Hardtail, fatbike, cross?

Bought a mid-nineties Specialized Rockhopper off Kijij for $100. It’s got rim brakes which work fine and it’s fully rigid, don’t see why any suspension would be needed during winter really. Changed out the tires to 2” Marathon Studded front and a 2.15” Kenda Klaw in the rear and added some fenders. Flat pedals are a must so you can wear thick winter boots when it’s -15C. It’s a blast in the winter time.

[worth]

I'm planning on doing a solo overnight bikepacking trip out to powderface trail and back this upcoming weekend. Anyone done anything like that?

Plan is to cycle out to Bragg Creek, get to powderface trail somehow, cycle north on it for a bit and find a spot to camp. Then on Sunday continue north until highway 68 and head back to the trans Canada and head back into Calgary.

Spoiler!