Gran Canaria

[jon avery]

What a joy it was riding in the sun in shorts and and short sleeves! I hired a bike from a shop which was reccomended by Cycling weekly, it was a Cannondale CAAD9 Ultagra cost about 12 quid a day. I had to laugh at the so called easy routes i was given, their easy and my easy are to different things! It was very enjoyable though. I have Campag on my bike and must say how i found Shimano so much more smoother. Also the british drivers should take a lesson off the spanish on how to drive when approaching cyclist, not once was i cut up, also no puntures! Then this morning it was back to Pot holes, rain ,sleet, tights and wet proofs. Happy days! See you all Saturday.

[Matthew Ives]

[quote]I have Campag on my bike and must say how i found Shimano so much more smoother.

[jon avery]

What i found was the change on Campag is more of a clunk ( i have Centure by the way, i don't know if it would be different on Chorus or Record) as for the Shimano i found the change smooth with no clunking.

[jon avery]

We have a cycle to work scheme at our work and i am taking advantage of it. They do a max of 1000 pounds, so i have gone for the Cannondale CADD5 with are you ready for it............Shimano 105 the budget wouldn't go to ultegra. I pay 560 pounds for the bike so its a pretty good deal.

[jon avery]

It's a nine speed, with the scheme at the College where i work you pay a final payment of 100 pounds after 10 payments of 56 pounds then the bike is yours. So its 660 pounds for a 1000 pounds bike. Or you can just pay 10 payments of 56pounds but then the college still own the bike. Still good buisiness me tinks.

[Ian A4size]

All those wriggly brake levers on those inevitable FM moments- no thanks.

And what about the ugliness of the chainset thru out the gruppo.

Incoming............

[Andrew G]

Ian.

Utter Campag snob here, but I saw [url=http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/article/mps/UAN/2149/v/1/sp/]this[/url] which I think sums it up quite well. For me it's the levers, I want a fixed position brake lever and I have paws so find Shimano too big for comfort. Be interesting to see what the first club member with SRAM thinks as they may have managed to fit the best of both worlds in to their system.

Sorry Jon, went off topic, glad you had a good hol getting in some warm miles to help your comeback from injury.

[Jon H]

SRAM is perfect for those people who don't mind their brakes breaking. Product recalls in the first year of trying to get into a duopoly market can't be good for business.

[Jon H]

By the way, how flexible are these cycle to work schemes? Do you actually have to buy a whole bike and ride it to work, or could you say buy a set of bling race wheels worth a grand and only pay £660?

[-Adam-]

SHIMANO SHIMANO SHIMANO!!!

i have campag on my old bike, and the shifting, although good, aint got nowt on shimano. which is just perfect, 'smooth' is the perfect word to decide the difference. my campag thumps its was from gear to gear, which mildly disrupts the rythmm. while the shimano is just silk like, you almost have to look down to make sure it has shifted its so good (except you obviously feel the difference)

and ian, whats wrong with the chainsets? there modern, and ultra stiff, and cheaper than that carbon stuff which is gonna break if your bike falls over outside the cafe!

[jon avery]

Jon referance your question, yes you have to by the whole bike, they order it for you and get it delivered, but only up to 1000 pounds. I asked if i could pay the extra for a better bike but the answer was no.