All the Gear and no Idea

[SirLes]

I love the fact you can get lots of gear for cycling!

In my previous sporting life although there wasn't much kit required I really looked forward to getting any new stuff at the start of each season and the fact I didn't have to pay was even better!

With cycling however their is so much stuff to choose from, the only downside is the cost. One can spend ages in a well stocked bike shop or searching vast internet stores as you plan your next purchase. Shall I save 10g with some new tires or colour coordinate my bibshorts with my water bottle? The choices are endless.

So this post is for those like me who read the adverts first when they get their cycling magazine and keep the cycling economy going.

You may laugh at me but I don't care: I'm proud to have (nearly) All the gear but still no idea.

 

[krebs303]

If it gets ya out on the bike it's all good. You only mentioned gear, you do have a bike right?

 

[usedtobefast]

I love the fact you can get lots of gear for cycling!

In my previous sporting life although there wasn't much kit required I really looked forward to getting any new stuff at the start of each season and the fact I didn't have to pay was even better!

With cycling however their is so much stuff to choose from, the only downside is the cost. One can spend ages in a well stocked bike shop or searching vast internet stores as you plan your next purchase. Shall I save 10g with some new tires or colour coordinate my bibshorts with my water bottle? The choices are endless.

So this post is for those like me who read the adverts first when they get their cycling magazine and keep the cycling economy going.

You may laugh at me but I don't care: I'm proud to have (nearly) All the gear but still no idea.

it is cool to just look at it.

 

[PACONi]

Get a disc, nothing sounds better than the whoosh whoosh of a disc wheel. Likewise, nothing screams 'I have too much cash' than someone on a disc whose just riding around.

 

[krebs303]

Get a disc, nothing sounds better than the whoosh whoosh of a disc wheel. Likewise, nothing screams 'I have too much cash' than someone on a disc whose just riding around.

Now that's funny.

 

[beroepsrenner]

As an ex pro who gets out among the cycling masses on Melbournes famous Beach Road on a Sunday morning, nothing amuses me more than seeing people who quite obviously have "no idea" out on their carbon fibre dream machines and me on my off the shelf, budget Giant Defy, wearing MTB shoes cause they're more comfortable to walk in when I get to the cafe. But so what. The bike industry is booming!

 

[rgmerk]

Sir Les (of the Patterson variety?) I have just the bike for you: the Factor 001:

British retailer Harrods is expected to soon stock the Factor 001, a super high-tech bike made by motorsport engineering company BERU f1systems.

For the equivalent of about $46,000, you get a bike that takes six engineers a week to build. There's hydraulic brakes integrated into the frame and a Shimano Di2 electronic gear shift.

It's a road bike...with disc brakes...and six-spoke wheels so it's not race-legal! But you'll be the envy of your stockbroker and plastic surgeon mates on the local bunch ride!

But seriously, bling away, particularly if it gets you out on the road. You're paying the R&D on the products that I'll buy a few years down the track

 

[galaxy1]

i have the same urges, but i think my real problem is an addiction to buying cycling clothes. it wasn't that long ago i remember thinking "now i truly understand the true beauty of overshoes, but why would anyone really bother with armwarmers". nowadays i have spare sets of arm-, knee-, and leg-warmers (handy when one set is in the wash). just the smell of brand new lycra kit is sometimes enough to make me buy stuff i don't want.

that's before you even start having every item in a range of colours, and before you think about obscure '80s team kits ("retro-chic").

 

[SirLes]

i have the same urges, but i think my real problem is an addiction to buying cycling clothes. it wasn't that long ago i remember thinking "now i truly understand the true beauty of overshoes, but why would anyone really bother with armwarmers". nowadays i have spare sets of arm-, knee-, and leg-warmers (handy when one set is in the wash). just the smell of brand new lycra kit is sometimes enough to make me buy stuff i don't want.

that's before you even start having every item in a range of colours, and before you think about obscure '80s team kits ("retro-chic").

I had a very bad experience descending the Galibier at the end of May a couple of years ago that changed my view of cycling clothing forever! The road was officially closed but we got to the top and parked the bikes briefly in a snow drift while photos were taken then headed back down to the Lauteret. It's not far but my cheep and cheerful assortment of cycling garb was not up to the temperature and windchill. I had to stop at one point before the Lautaret because I wasn't convinced I could either steer or brake as I couldn't feel my arms/hands/head/legs etc. The pain kicked in while we tried to warm up a bit in the cafe before continuing to Le Bourg D'Oisans. During which section the wind got up and it started ****ing down. It was then that I discovered that "waterproof" is a very loosely defined term in the clothing industry.

With regards disc wheels, I'd love to have an assortment of wheels for every conceivable occasion including discs but that's not going to happen unless my numbers come up one friday or saturday.

Once in my life I'd like to go for a ride followed by a car with several wheels and a spare bike on the road just for the hell of it. Of course at some point I'd have to stop and stand by the road waving a wheel so a quick change whether I had a puncture or not!

Maybe I should do that if i turn up for the first time at a local club run or sportive!

 

[rgmerk]

I had a very bad experience descending the Galibier at the end of May a couple of years ago that changed my view of cycling clothing forever! The road was officially closed but we got to the top and parked the bikes briefly in a snow drift while photos were taken then headed back down to the Lauteret. It's not far but my cheep and cheerful assortment of cycling garb was not up to the temperature and windchill. I had to stop at one point before the Lautaret because I wasn't convinced I could either steer or brake as I couldn't feel my arms/hands/head/legs etc. The pain kicked in while we tried to warm up a bit in the cafe before continuing to Le Bourg D'Oisans. During which section the wind got up and it started ****ing down. It was then that I discovered that "waterproof" is a very loosely defined term in the clothing industry.

Agree with you 100% on clothing, particularly of the winter variety. If you're going anywhere near mountains and a) it's not summer, and/or b) there is anything resembling cloud around, you *need* the full winter kit. Skimping is a recipe for hypothermia.

 

[ravens]

As an ex pro who gets out among the cycling masses on Melbournes famous Beach Road on a Sunday morning, nothing amuses me more than seeing people who quite obviously have "no idea" out on their carbon fibre dream machines and me on my off the shelf, budget Giant Defy, wearing MTB shoes cause they're more comfortable to walk in when I get to the cafe. But so what. The bike industry is booming!

+1 on the shoes. I had cf soled road shoes, but I ruined them walking on them. Bought the stiffest soled non-cf mtb shoes I could find (Specialized BG) and have used them and walked on them happily for 3+ years.

Happiness is being fit enough to really be able to benefit from a higher end cf racing bike. Inner peace is having a budget road bike and beating the s!ht out of guys who have fancy bikes and are fast as hell. (For the record, I have neither.)

 

[pedaling squares]

Sir Les (of the Patterson variety?) I have just the bike for you: the Factor 001:

I like that twin fork design, wonder how it affects the steering and if we'll see it catch on.

Nothing is cooler than some old dude on a vintage steel ride passing a group of younger men on carbon fibre bikes. No, I'm not that old dude but I'd love to grab a vintage steel frame. One day.

 

[Anonymous]

What really hurts the pocketbook is having friends that can get "pro deals" on stuff!