[soapy]

..and those heels darling, those heels

[erm, sam]

A friend of mine has just got one of these...
http://www.doobybrain.com/2009/09/09/review-seal-line-urban-backpack/&usg=__WxJJ-dqZpvM_O64m9SiJBTSn2ag=&h=900&w=600&sz=56&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=Ri8xme6kuGIgcM:&tbnh=146&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dseal%2Bline%2Burban%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

sorry for the long link. Don't know how to do the sophisticated linking thing..

[fatdoc]

I'm having that bag..

£ 60 from wiggle.

In silver... Only concern is the lack of tabs to clip a light on to.. I'm sure a bodge with some climbing cord on the clasp will be OK

te reviews on wiggle are very impressive, repeatedly mentioning lap tops surviving torrential rain commutes. Seems to goo to be true.


Thanks for the UKB knowledge guys

[Bowie]

just bought my first turbo trainer. 
a few quid off at evans and another wet and windy night was enough to convince me that the time has come. am looking forward to suffering in the comfort of my own house.
 

[chappers]

welcome to sweat club. the first rule of sweat club is...

[Percy B]

....put a towel over your bike otherwise it will rust away.

[fatkid2000]

Southern Spain - Sun, sea & steep hills so much nicer than winter miles in The Peak or swearing & sweating on a turbo.

[fatdoc]

bike early got onto the patio this morning....

oh well.. off to the board...

[Scraggadoo]

I'm in the market for a turbo trainer or rollers.  Which one?  Have a limit of up to roughly 200 quid, may pay more if the recommendation is really worth it.

Been looking at the CycleOps range, all have lifetime warranty and from wiggle decently priced as well...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/CycleOps_Super_Magneto_Pro_Turbo_Trainer/5360039907/

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/CycleOps_Jet_Fluid_Pro_Turbo_Trainer_with_DVD/5360039908/

There is also the option of getting the Aluminium rollers with resistance unit but I'd be looking at 275 notes for that.  I have also heard that its difficult to get out of the saddle on rollers...?

The collective UKB wisdom would be much appreciated here before I part with my hard earned cash.  And before you say just get out there and ride...  I have considered this but with climbing and other stuff I just don't have the time in the week so would be great to spend a quick 45 - 60 mins on a trainer / rollers to get some fitness...

[fatkid2000]

I've got the classic fluid cycleops which is about £170 - had a couple of years and seems fine to me.

Never been on rollers - but I've heard they're a bit of a marmite thing.

[Scraggadoo]

Hmmm I've been looking at the Kreitler rollers.  Apparantly they come very highly recommended and I've looked at youtube to see what they're like.  There's some amusing videos for sure of people falling off!

Any recommendations for posting on bike forums (which one I mean) and getting their knowledge?

[webbo]

i've used rollers in the past,before turbo trainers were invented and they were a bit of a novelty item.if you want to do structured training to get fitter,stronger and develop mental umph use a turbo trainer.if you just want to twiddle about while watching the telly rollers will be ok.
i still use a basic fan/flywheel turbo and this works fine for the majority of workouts. 

[Scraggadoo]

Well to further add to my dilemma that I'm having... (Dare I say it in here?)  I'm also considering getting a mountain bike soon...  I've seen some good bargains in the 1k bracket at my LBS.  Buying one of these would mean I don't have the money to get a turbo trainer until 2010 at the earliest.

I do have a mountain bike at the moment but it is so bad it is not worth mentioning.  If you'd like to know, it's worth no more than £10 at the moment probably.

Can't make my bleedin' mind up.   

[webbo]

if you are out just to have fun and get fit along the way buy a mountain bike.if you want to win your local road race league next year get a turbo trainer.

[Percy B]

I'm with Webbo on this one. If you just want to keep fit over the winter, XC mountain biking does it for me. If you want to do some structured training, get a turbo (a proper training plan is the only way I could motivate myself for the pain, and I've never really bothered...too much other stuff to do to find a regular slot for training). If you want a good way of improving your technique on a bike (balance, pedaling style, etc) get some rollers. They are great for getting a good warm-up before heading out on really cold days but pretty useless for serious training.
Out of all the above methods for keeping bike fit over the winter, I prefer mountain biking and spinning on my track bike on rollers.

Only get a turbo if you are very motivated, otherwise you'll have it on eBay inside the year!

[clm]

for 1k stay hardtail

[fatdoc]

 

[Scraggadoo]

Thanks for suggestions guys.

Had a stroke of luck - a mate who's away from home has said I can use his bike for a bit so I can hold off the buying a MTB for a short while.  I've instead plumped for some nice winter clothing (I've been riding in shorts and base layer / jersey so its a bit nippy) and also ordered some great new lights from Hong Kong...  Cheap as chips and should be able to use these for off-roading as well at night time!!  Bit of a wait to get them but they've been touted as equivalents to those really expensive ones on the market today, but for much less...!

So that's my night-time riding (road or MTB) sorted!

When buying a new MTB I intend to stay hardtail at the 1k region...

[chappers]

what you need to do is:
1) man up and stop this silly mtb talk.
2) rob someone rich so that you can buy this:

http://sl.pk0r.com/Bike/index.htm

(3.75kg).

[DubDom]

ninja bike.

anyone used speedplay pedals before? I have no problem with my knees normally but they seem to be allergic to clipless pedals. The only pedals I have used that don't hurt them is an old pair of Time atac mtb pedals, so I'm reckoning on a pair of speedplays to mount on these:-

three hole look mount  . Any experience of them? (speedplays not the shoes!!)

[chappers]

why those shoes? like a cross between football boots and golf shoes!

i had some speedplay for a short time, infact i got them for free from this very forum! they were good, but in the end i passed them on to a friend because i just prefered the look pedals i had before because i felt "too high up" in the speedplay (difficult to explain).

i had some knee trouble, so i switched (from grey) to the red look cleats - problem solved. have you thought of that?

if your question was: will speedplay mount on the three hole look design - yes, they come with a black plate that "adapts" the shoe - why i felt too high i think...

[DubDom]

Why those? I like adidas and they were €40.

I did think about the red look cleats too, but I was interested in what people had to say about the speedplays since they are always mentioned when people talk about knee trouble. they are pricey and less common so I'd like to try before shelling out on them.

Shame to have missed out on the great UKB speedplay giveaway!!!

When you say they felt too "high" - is that in a heath-robinson kind of a way (in the sense that the adapter plate is a bit of a compromise), or more out of personal preference?

What does your friend think of the speedplays?

[webbo]

i suspect they were 40 quid for a reason.

[DubDom]

i suspect they were 40 quid for a reason.

They maybe out of fashion but they fit great so even if they don't last as long as a €200 shoe is expected to last I'll not complain too loudly!

[webbo]

i personally don't believe clipless pedals cause knee problems.its more likely to be your set up/postion or even cheap shoes