by Andrew G » Wed Apr 16, 2008 8:42 pm
[quote="Marky Mark"]I think my cycle life plan is as follows :-
I started riding early this year.
DONEJoin a good club.
ADDISCOMBE WILL HAVE TO DO FOR NOW Enjoy it.
I AM, ALOTLose some lard off my gut.
WORKING ON THAT ONE.Legs need to be stronger.
THEY ARE GETTING STRONGER.General fitness.
I AM FITTER THAN LAST YEARTT.
START DOING THEM THIS YEARRace.
SEND OFF FOR LICIENCE IN DECEMBER I think this year is too soon.
Get new bike.
THINKING ABOUT THAT ONE (so tempted) 1 Do I need any form of liceince or insurance for time trials, or just send that CTT form off?
2 This one sounds simple but it's not. If I do get a new bike, How do I know the one I have now is the right size and comfortable for me? It might be the best fit in the world but I don't know. I might be more comfortable on a bigger bike, but I dont or wont know. My bike, the one and only Bianchi, is a 59cm but measures 56cm. CB told me that it measures to an imaginary point
are they lying to me?
I'm 6ft 2inch tall. Height x 0.67 = frame size
58cm OR Inside leg - 9inch =
63cmMark Mark
War and Peace PtII
Good plan, just the tricky bit of sticking to it know you've put it in print
.
TTs (10s) will help to improve your speed and strength and your ability to ride faster for longer, they certainly did for me.
You can have a tester race at the end of the season as I would expect there to be an ACC road race. There has been for the last couple of years and are a club members only race where all the novices can have a go together in a safer and more companionable atmosphere. You won't need a licence for that.
No licence needed for TTs. You should already be either a bronze member of BC or a CTC member which gives you 3rd party cover. Not sure if this is
needed for TTs but as a club member it is asked that you have it anyway to cover you should you be the cause of a road accident.
Re the bike there is no hard and fast rule for frame sizing as it has so many variables. Are you comfortable on your current bike? If not book yourself in at Dauphins (got a good reputation for bike fitting and will cost about £50 I think) and get your current set up sorted. If you are happy with it no need for that.
Once happy with the fit you can take some simple measurements which will help you know whether a frame will fit. Doesn't always transfer from one manufacturer to another as they may use different head and seat tube angles.
[quote]CB told me that it measures to an imaginary point
are they lying to me?
. Not necessarily. If your frame has a sloping top tube they could be referring to the effective top tube length and where that would cross the seat tube/post. You have to go from effective top tube (as if the bike had a horizontal top tube) to take out any variable in angle of seat tube and angle of slope on top tube.
Based on using a 100mm stem and 170mm cranks (you're a lot taller than me though so just swap for what you use).
1) Effective top tube length - measure from the centre of head tube along the effective top tube to the centre of the seat tube (or where it would be if it continued up to meet).
2) Seat tube - from centre of bottom bracket up the seat tube to the top of the saddle, where the seat tube would poke through if it continued.
3) Tip of saddle to steerer - from the tip of the saddle horizontally to vertically above the centre of the steerer cap. (May need a friend to help out holding the spirit level(s) for this one).
4) Tip of saddle diagonally to the far corner of each ergo/sti hood - should be the same measurement and helps to triangulate so you have both hoods level, horizontally and vertically.
I keep a note of these and can then set up pretty much any bike I ride/hire to fit me and know it'll be comfortable without having to fiddle about. If you change pedal/shoe manufacturer you should re-check measurement 2 as the shoe/pedal combo can slightly alter your desired seat height.
I'd get your current bike fit perfect first so you can use that as a base for the new one. If you go the ebay/online route then see if you can check that frame/bike at a shop first to check the sizing, then you can buy online without the worry of will it fit. It's a lot of cash if you get it wrong.