You are reading a single comment by @clubman and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
London Fixed Gear and Single-Speed is a community of predominantly fixed gear and single-speed cyclists in and around London, UK.
This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
@clubman
Yes, this is the one.
'It's not about the bike', is pretty well the only thing I'd agree about with Lance, and for most of us upping mileage is the most beneficial change that can be made.
I have certainly come across a few individuals who overdo their riding, and it is clear that if only they could be persuaded to rest, their perfomances would improve. However they are a tiny minority.
If I had to identify just one machine related improvement, I'd go for a new chain.
As a young teenager I was deeply impressed by a senior clubmate who told me he fitted a new chain to his road bike (i.e. road racing bike) every three weeks during the season: he would then demote that chain to his training bike. Now I fully understand his thinking, since I'm sure that an imperfect chain soaks up and wastes more energy than any other bike fault.
There is a view - generally promoted by the bike trade - that a new chain should always be used with new sprockets. I believe this is rubbish. The chain wears more quickly than the sprockets, and while it is true that a new chain won't run on badly worn teeth, it's not true that the sprockets have to be virgin. Chains are generally cheaper than sprockets, so I think we can see where the trade is coming from!