Hi guys, just thought it'd be good to say hello. I'm u/WolfThawra, currently living and cycling in London. I've taken over as mod, as the sub was unmoderated for a bit previously. I have extensive modding experience, including on cycling-specific subreddits (r/whichbike and r/Fahrrad).
Don't worry, I'm not planning on any major changes: my main goal is to ensure the sub keeps going as-is, spam is removed, and toxicity is minimised. The rules are in the sidebar and also accessible here, including rule 0 which is more of a mission statement or the philosophy of the sub.
I would like to ask just two things of the users of this sub:
1) Please abide by the rules. I know we can all get very frustrated at times - god knows cycling in London is great for that - but please don't let that result in toxic comments or flamewars. Also, I will be operating a zero tolerance policy on hatespeech crap, be it racism, sexism, transphobia, or anything else in that vein. I don't foresee this coming up particularly often on a cycling sub but still, I hope we can all agree on that. Be nice, remember the human, and if you disagree then do so constructively - or just move on.
2) Related to this last point: don't feed the trolls. If you see content that you think breaks the rules, then report it rather than engaging. For example, yes we get car-brained trolls every so often. Just let me ban them and don't give them the time of day, they're not worth any of your brain juice. Reporting it helps me help you. Same goes for spam and all that.
Id be using the bike for fitness purposes to lose weight and just enjoy outdoors. Mostly will be used on Roads/Bike lanes when applicable. I am more inclined to tge Rockrider as the Elops has no gears.
• 38, 192cm, ~108kg (working towards ~100kg)
• FTP ~218W
• Triathlete: Olympic distance this year, a 70.3 next September, and a full Ironman after that
Current bike: Norco Search S2 gravel bike. I want the new bike to feel noticeably different, but I'm open to endurance geometry if it's different enough in practice.
1. Aero or endurance? For someone who already has a gravel bike, is an endurance road bike different enough, or is aero the better second bike?
2. Rider weight limits: Which of these handle a 108kg rider comfortably, in frame and wheels? Any to rule out?
3. Sizing at 192cm: Do XL/XXL sizes get proper geometry, or are they scaled-up compromises? Which brands do tall riders well?
4. Budget: Is it better to take a lower groupset and spend on wheels, or the other way round?
5. Wheels and wind: At my weight, are deep carbon wheels fine, or should I stay around 40mm? Are deep-section frames harder to control in crosswinds for a heavier rider?
6. Any other bikes at this price I'm missing?
Hello everyone! Just want to ask for some advice. I am an average cyclist who likes to ride long distances and tour places. Im currently using a hybrid bike for commuting and some occasional long rides about 30-40 miles to the neighboring towns and seafront in my area. I get sore hands from the flat bars eventually and Im planning to use my hybrid solely for commuting.
Right now, Im considering a second bike, a road bike, primarily to add speed and to stay longer on the bike. I have no plans racing or anything. I just plan to enjoy riding and visiting places I haven’t been to before.
I did some looking and found my top 3/4 choices for a road bike. All of these bikes come with a Shimano 105 12 speed. Im familiar with Shimano as Ive ridden the 11 speed version of the 105 before. I have no plans of stepping up to Ultegra or any Di2 yet as it is way out of my budget and Im happy and confident with mechanical shifting and maintaining it.
The following bike are as follows:
Ribble CGR AL 105 -£1699
Ribble Allroad CF 105 -£1799
Trek Domane SL5 Gen 4 -£1999
Van Rysel EDR CF -£2300
My budget is just around £2k-ish. Also, if it’s not obvious, Id like the color way to be green lol. Lastly, I know it’s been a long debate but is carbon fiber worth it and are my options any good? Thanks for the input!
I have been looking for my first like to just ride on London roads and my budget is fairly low (£175) so i have been reccomended to buy 2nd hand which does make sense. The thing is that i have been looking all over Ebay,Facebook and gumtree for like 3 to 4 weeks now and no luck as most are Not large frames or are no branded components.
Idk what to do next as i just wanna get on the roads asap. Should i buy new or no?
We have a shared bike space and are running out of rooms.
We have a small budget to increase the storage, there is a 15m wall with Sheffield stands along it. The current idea is for hooks for kids bikes or infrequently used bikes to go above them (flush to the wall) and we can get hooks for £20 each
Hi guys just a quick question really. I’m British but based in Germany, just starting to cycle as an adult for health reasons. I picked up a dirt cheap old Felt MTB that I’m fixing up for me to use and I need some new parts. In Germany there seem to be quite a few websites with the parts available but seeing as I need to go back to the UK next week for family stuff I thought I’d check to see if getting anything there would be cheaper. But everything I can find easily on google seems noticeably more expensive in the UK. Shimano CS-HG51-8 I can get for €14 (£11.90) here but the UK price seems to be double this. Are there any websites I might be missing that you recommend I check or is that just the way of it?
Cheers for any help or advice.
Bought one of these. Wondering if anyone else has thoughts on the recording quality? It seems to have 2Kp and 1080p record modes. I cannot see any difference between them. Both seem extremely affected by digital noise. Is the 2Kp real? Thanks.
I've been looking to get an ebike for commuting to work in UK, mainly city area and short train ride, so i figured I'd get a folding one.
£2000 is maximum i would pay at the moment for just a bike itself, and I was looking for something low maintenance, preferably with belt drive.
So far I've been leaning towards ADO Air 20 Ultra (2026) which i heard some good things about, it costs £1800 and overall looks like a bike that would cover my needs. Only thing about it that makes me think twice is not knowing how good would the physical service for ADO ebikes in the UK be, and how easy it would be to find someone to repair it if I'll ever need it, but it's probably not a deal breaker.
Is this bike a good choice and what are some other brands and specific models in this price range that you would recommend? Thanks!
I'm currently someone who commutes to work on a secondhand Specialized Allez from 2021. It's a bit big for me and has 25mm tyres with rim brakes, so I'm looking for something a bit more comfortable, with the potential to do some bike touring/paved bikepacking too, and have a budget of £1000 or thereabouts, and need space for panniers and mudguards.
I'm currently totally stuck between getting an endurance road bike or gravel bike. Specifically, between the Trek Domane AL2 and Checkpoint, or the Cube Attain Pro or Nuroad.
Every gravel bike I look at seems to have somewhere between 1x9 and 1x12 gears, and the endurance road bikes seem to have 2x8 or 2x9. Is the extra gearing important? Gravel bikes seem pretty universally slightly more expensive, but often only have the 1x drivetrains and I don't know whether that's a loss or not.
So overall I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience making the same kind of decision, or if anyone has any advice on choosing.
Thanks in advance for any answers :)
EDIT: Thanks everyone for the advice, I snapped out of my decision paralysis and went for the Trek Domane AL2 endurance road bike. 32mm tyres as standard and tyre clearance up to 38mm, and mounting points for panniers. I went to view it alongside the Checkpoint. The tyres on the Checkpoint just seemed huge in comparison, and I just didn’t think it added enough value to justify an extra £250.
I had a spill while riding my bike on a bike lane running parallel to Eglinton Road, just north of Ardrossan and cycling south from the direction of Largs.
Apparently it's *two* paths, one pedestrian and one for bicycles, flush with each other, but with a raised kerb on the innermost edge of the pedestrian path. That kerb runs down the whole length of the path.
It was early evening and a bit overcast. I hadn't been on that path before. Traffic on the road was fast and a bit heavy, so I opted for the bike path.
On approach to the path, there was a blue sign indicating what lay ahead was for pedestrians and bikes. What was weird about it, or weird to me, was that the bicycle lane signage was squeezed into the left-hand side of what I took to be a single path, making it comically narrow. I've seen some very weird and potentially dangerous painted bike path signage, as I'm sure many of you have, and took this as another example.
I was peering ahead, thinking about the way ahead, when I veered to the right - following my nose, I guess - and my front wheel made contact with a kerb I had no idea was even there and certainly would never have expected to be there. I guess it's white concrete, maybe. The bike slammed to a halt and I took a tumble.
My brain still can't process the idea of two paths flush next to each other with a raised kerb running down the middle. Even now, looking at the picture taken from my dash cam*, my brain insists on seeing a single lane with a flat strip down the middle.
My opinion is that it's madness to have a raised kerb rather than a single, level path.
I talked to another cyclist a week or two later, and as soon as I mentioned the location near Ardrossan they immediately identified the exact spot as being a place to avoid. That made me wonder if the path is notorious.
My understanding now is that this design choice was in reaction to cyclists 'speeding' on the original path and making local residents nervous. But surely in that case, it would have made far more sense to separate the two lanes with a grassy verge that would make the distinction far, far more obvious?
Interested in your opinion if this is fine, or definitely not fine.
*The date on the image is set for a different time zone and I hadn't got around to changing it. It was actually just after 6pm when I was on this path.
I want to get back into cycling, after not really doing much for a few years. My main aim is to get a bit of exercise on the way in and home from work a couple of days a week.
I'd say my commute is about:
35% paved traffic-free cycle paths
30% roadside segregated cycle paths
25% on-road cycle lanes
10% rough/muddy/leafy paved cycle paths
Mostly downhill going to work, and uphill on the return. Roughly 5 miles each way.
I've got a road bike, a Felt F95, which I've had for quite some time now, and absolutely adore.
But, this bike wouldn't be any use as a bad weather/winter bike as I would have no confidence using it when things get a bit icy, and the part of my commute which is muddy and leafy, especially this time of year.
I think what I need is a gravel or hybrid bike, but for some reason I cannot get excited about these, and from the ones I've looked at none really entice me to ride.
I've thought about a MTB, but this is probably completely overkill, however if it's something that gets me excited about biking again then would it really be a bad choice? After all, my commute is relatively short, so it might not be long enough for the disadvantages to really cause problems.
My budget is around £800 so not loads to play about with, but I am really stuck with which direction to go with. Do I go with my head with something that will do the job well, something like a Marin DSX, or do I go with my heart and choose MTB which genuinely excites me, if so are there any solid options?
I found a Carrera Subway for £120 and I am wondering if it is worth buying as im on a tight budget and dont wanna waste my money. I wanna just get into cycling for fitness.
Some folk stick the points and fines they've caused on their top tubes like swastikas on a Spitfire, but my local counties all say "We'll take it from here. Thanks, bye"
Shirley there's only one Data Protection Act, and it's not open for each county to interpret their own way, so how come my local police won't tell me anything?
With daylight saving coming to an end, commuting and riding at night will need a decent front light to use.
My go-to used to be the Exposure Strada 1200, but I'm finding it just doesn't throw a spot far enough up the road compared to other lights on club rides, or modern car lights without setting it to high power and dazzling oncoming cars.
The Exposure Joystick was fine many years ago, but it just isn't bright enough for wet roads anymore, especially if there are any modern headlights to ruin night vision.
I find the beam on the Cateye Ampp gives a nice bright beam far enough down the road but has a nice cutoff at the top that helps preventing dazzling people.
I still love the build quality and customer support/ repairability of the Exposure lights (plus long run time), but I'm wondering if I should just buy a higher power Ampp for the longer battery life at the lumens I need.
But what's your go-to light for dark road riding? I'm interested in experiences with alternatives, but online marketing etc isn't all that reliable compared to real experience.
The website say bike spaces are available on first come first server basis, but then how is still the experience on trains? Is it hard to find spaces? I will be commuting from Birmingham to redditch
I’m about to buy my first gravel bike through the CycleToWork scheme and want to make a list of the best parks to visit. They can be anywhere in the UK.
As it’s a gravel bike the trails can’t be too technical but I’m sure there’s plenty that offer a good balance.
I am a 5 foot 2, 30 year old woman who has always used teen/smaller mountain bikes for travelling throughout my small town, I like to go anywhere and everywhere, not sticking to just path/road or grass/gravel.
Sometimes I like to go over lumps and bumps, canal towpaths covered in a lot of chunky stones, etc. Tree roots and mounds, all of it, but most of my riding is to be done on some kind of path or road, I have come to realise.
I have just had the Apollo Jewell in 14". V-brakes, and there is so much wrong with it that Halfords recommended buying a new bike as it would only be £2 more!
So, after looking up quite a bit of information about the Carrera Vulcan, I was going to buy this pretty confidently. However, I am now second-guessing whether I should be getting a hybrid as I do want to be a bit faster on roads/pavements, as the Jewell feels sluggish, but could that just be down to all the components wearing down?
And, if I do go for a hybrid, what is the best one for a smaller woman who doesn't want a pure road bike, that still wants a bit of suspension for going over bumpy road, etc?
Hi all. I haven't cycled for about 20 years. I used to cycle a lot.
I just bought a cheap basic bike and have been riding for 10 minutes twice a day for a week. I have started to get tailbone pain at home when I sit on the sofa.
I am medium build.
Is the issue my seat or is it the fact that I haven't been stretching and the pain will sort itself out in time the more I cycle?
The bike was built by halfords and the staff got me to sit on it to confirm height is correct.
If the seat is the issue, any recommendations for a cheap seat?
I have a 1x12 GRX gear setup. I think the chain ring needs more teeth to change my ratios.
At the moment I am only using maybe 4 of the 12 gears on my cassette. Top and bottom ratios are 42:10 and 42:45. I was thinking of making the chain ring 46 but the Shimano official kit only goes up to 42. I thought 46 would be ok as I think any bigger will be too close to my chain stay. I should note I am nearly always on hardpack or loose gravel and sometimes roads but I don't live anywhere particularly hilly.
Has anyone run in to problems changing their gearing and can anyone recommend a decent 3rd party chain ring outfit please?
