Herne Hill Saturday Training

Got a 14t, but no spare 15t.

49x15 is a bit big to start on.

(although 49x16 is a bit small)

no access to a 47 or 48?

Or a 44 to run with a 14?

I don't think 49x16 is too small to start on at this time of year. Good conditioning for a few weeks.

No access to another chainring. I thought maybe 49x16 could be good at this time of year, nice and spinny so more control which would allow me to work on skills aswell as pace.

What hub Max? I've probably got a spare 15T knocking around that you can have.

Phil Wood. I had a 15t a while back but it was 3/32 and unbranded so I had second thoughts about putting it on my Phil.

Got a 14t, but no spare 15t.

Cheers Guy

Give the 49x16 a go.

My current plan is to start back on 47x15 and go from there.

(mostly because the 47 os on and I can't be arsed to change it)

Ha, will do man.

When do you reckon you'll be riding again?

"Wanted: 16t cog..."

Next appointment on the 7th. If I get the all clear, just Physio to do then back on. Not sure how much physio I will need before I can ride again. I'm hoping for Mid/Late April return to the track (novice training and inductions).

Same post in two thread, check me :-)

Nice one, I was under the impression you were gonna be off the bike for longer. That is good news.

Hmmm copy and paste... how personal! :)

Party boy, I have a 16t gathering dust at my place.

What brand is it fella?

Who fucking cares?

If it's shit I don't want it to strip my hub thread.

beggars.
choosers.

:)

Stripped hub = shit installation/maintenance :p

Never stripped one before - you might wanna ask teenslain about that one.

I was always under the impression that you shouldn't use a mega cheap cog on a hub like a Phil, as the threads aren't cut to the same high standard.

I may be talking out my arse! I bet it's fine.

i thought you were the new ever lasting fountain of bike knowledge, now that you work in Evans?

What's it got to do with Evans? I've always been that fountain.

you tit

is this on this saturday or am i riding a long way on a geared bike this weekend?

Both.

Got a 16t cog (thanks Nhatt).

Hope it isn't wet tomorrow.

Hi people,

robyn from this forum has recommended that I pop round to the track, it sounds like great fun after all!

I'm planning to go this Saturday 10th for Novice Induction with some mates, which will hopefully be the start of a weekly thing.
I have a track bike, a Condor Potenza, but currently with risers.
I am, therefore, looking for some track drop bars but I have no idea where to start. What do you guys use? The b123aa bars seem too deep a drop for me but I've never tried them so I can't really say.

Regarding gear inches, I'm currently running 46x16 for city cycling which is 75.6GI, but I can flip over to 46x15 which is 80.6GI. Is this suitable? Or would it be worth going down one more to 46x14, giving me 86.3GI. This figures are using the 700x23 tire setting in the Rabbit calculator.

Next, clothing!
Is it worth investing in some lycra, or can I wear casual stuff for now?
Shoes-wise, I only have a pair of Vans that I wear for cycling in clips. They're a bit chunky, though...what would you recommend as something casual and good for track?

Thanks!

If you want something similar to Nitto B123's, but with less drop, you could try the Nitto B125's.

Both are available in steel (stiff, heavy) and aluminium (not so stiff, light).

For foot retention, clips and straps are fine to start on, as long as they are tight enough so your feet can't slip out.

46x15 would be fine for the novice session. 46x14's a good race gear, but probably too big for novice session. it also depends on your pedaling style.

Just borrow any drop bars that fits your stem from a friend for the first session.
nitto's are pretty over priced in UK for what they are, and unless you are a sprinter/weight lifter, you don't need steel bars.
don't worry too much about gears in the beginning, you don't even know if you like it yet. once you know a bit more, you'll be able to make much wiser decisions.

thanks for all the advice!

@ebenzo - When referring to gear sizes trackies use the 27" wheel calculations no mater what size tyre that are on. For example a 50x15 is always call 90" not mater if you on a 19mm or a 23mm.

46x15 is 82.8. Perfect for the novice session. 46x14 is 88.7 which is great gear for racing at Herne Hill. I normally race the early season on 48x15 (86.4) and up that for the league to 49x15 (88.2) or 50x15 (90). Many people look at the Pros gears and think that is what everyone rides but you got to remember they are rider more than 5mile/h faster than more A cat league events and so are pedaling at similar cadence but on a bigger gear.

As for drops. You don't need "track specific" drops. The Nitto bars are aimed at Keiren sprinters. You'll not be doing any Keirens or sprints on a Saturday training session. More of the A cat riders have road spec bars, only the sprinters bother with deep drop steel.

Ideally you want a narrow set of bars, 42 or 40 would be fine. 44 is to wide especially when you tryng to find a gap in the Devil take the Hindmost.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get hooked.

:-)