Hi, GCN Tech! In your videos you are compare tyre witdth without relation to rim width. For example I using 23 mm width Conti tyre with c15 Filcrum rim. What if I wear 28mm tyre to this? Will I improve rolling resistance and ride comfort? Or it is better use slim tyre with slim rim?
#askgcntech HI, I recently got my first smart trainer and was wondering what are the best nonsubscription options? Are there any virtual programs to buy? Thanks!
Hey guys! I'm currently running the SRAM FORCE 12 Speed ETAP AXS groupset and was thinking of slowly upgrading to the SRAM RED 12 Speed ETAP AXS groupset. Problem is, I'm not entirely sure if it's possible to mix groupset components?
#AskGCNTech Hey guys, so I'm looking at buying a road bike now (coming from MTB) and I got an option between an older 2014 s-works venge (used) or maybe even a current 2021 Trek Madone SL6 (new). Both for around the same price but the s-works would have rim brakes and older geo? What's your thoughts on this?
In regards to cadence, it is a highly personal comfort issue. That said, the major lower extremity muscles used to move pedals are primarily constituted by slow twitch oxidative muscle fibers. These are the skeletal muscles aerobic fibers. They are the first to be recruited by the CNS and have a relatively small cross-sectional area which means they do not generate large quantities of force relative to other fiber types. What's more, it is believed that as say a cyclist becomes more trained, some of the other fiber types will shift in their function to this type. It's one adaptation to training stress. Thus, these fibers will ultimately be the most commonly used by a cyclist and they function best under lower force but higher contractility rates. This is one reason why a higher cadence for general riding is widely preferable with lower cadence, high force work necessary for steep inclines and town line sprints. I won't even get into the stress on the ligaments and other soft tissues... Signed...a physiology nerd.
I used to hate any high cadence when I was very unfit and my brain was telling me not to do it as I would then struggle for breath etc, that the strength in my legs to grind was my advantage. A few years on and I thought just the other day how my style has naturally evolved to a much higher cadence - anything else now feels unnatural. I only really grind as a last resort when things are just too steep and I don't enjoy it at all.
I know for a fact, if you have lung or heart issues, you definitely will be restricted to under 85 rpm. I recently figured out that because I have a heart murmur I could never keep up for long with the faster riders. A friend of mine had lung problems and had to use monster gears to keep his rpms down under 75 rpm. TALK to a sports DOCTOR.
As a compact cyclist, 1.5m, 48Kg, parceling the same power using higher cadence (mine usually around 110 on flat/rolling terrain, 90s or even high 80s for ascents) requires good aerobic fitness, but is far easier on the musculoskeletal system than doing a thankless grind in higher gears ratios. But that's just me adapting to what's comfortable for me. Yout results may be quite different. Everyone has their own chosen cadence sweet spot.
To foreverblue: I‘m also a long-time MTBer and only started road cycling last year. From the MTB, you are most likely used to high cadence. A major difference I noticed is that road bikes often come with the big gears the roadie pros use but almost no MTB, even XC race bikes, come with the gears MTB pros use. Don‘t be shy to switch to smaller gears.
@@BigBrownMonke More teeth on the back, less teeth on the front. You could get a compact chainset or a bigger cassette (if your rear mech has the capacity)
My trick for waxed chains...once you've initially degreased and waxed the chain, no further degreasers or solvents are necessary. Just remove the chain an put it in some boiling water. The heat will melt and remove the old, dirty wax and clean the chain.
On the topic of rear tires wearing out: Most road tires are symmetrical, i.e. there's no front specific tire or rear specific tire, and the tread is generally designed to run the same direction front or rear. So what I like to do is rotate my tires as the rear wears out. I'll move the former front tire to the back, since it is generally not very worn at all by that point. Then I'll install a new tire on the front. This gives me maximum grip on the front wheel where it's needed most. There's not as much of a culture in road bikes of running a "mullet" setup with different size or types of tires front and rear, but there's no inherent reason it wouldn't work. It's mostly an aesthetic thing to make sure your tires match.
This came up in a previous tech clinic and is not recommended since the rear tire wears out differently (whatever that means). I think Dan was the one who said this specifically
Leg shaving: all the women in my house prefer a men's razor. I use to use multi blade disposal razor and just switched back to an old school single blade safety razor and am very happy with it.
Good memory given we only had it up for 15 minutes! Yes, we replaced it with a Eurobike tech video so have re-uploaded for most people who didn't watch it to see this week!
I ran the Conti Attack and Force tire combo years ago. I believe they were the same tire compound but the Attack tire (front) was a 22mm width while the Force (rear) was a 23mm.
Crank length plays a MASSIVE factor to cadence, my average cadence for the same power using 170mm cranks are around 85-90. Switched to 150mm and now averaging 100+ rpm, less fatigue over a period of days of training, average heart rate goes down by 10-20 bpm with no loss in power, if not higher sustainable power
Sounds like you have found a miracle solution for you (N=1) but it’s not that simple and your solution and the associated benefits you have derived definitely won’t work for everyone. If you are interested check out Dylan Johnson’s science based videos on cadence and crank length.
@@marcdaniels9079 I have watched the video during my research before buying the 150s. Assuming that the researchers know what they are talking about and publish accurate data then numbers don’t lie. But yes, my experience says otherwise: 1. Given that appropriate adjustments are made to cater for shorter cranks (saddle height, setback, saddle tilt, stem height). I managed to get aero a lot lower, comfortably more aerodynamic. A smaller spinning circumference also feels a lot more natural 2. I have done several interval sessions from Sweetspot to VO2 Max, I had no reduction in power or speed. And yes, my cadence were higher. Zone 2 also feels more “right”
Hey guys! I was just wondering if its possible for a grand tour race like Tour de France to have a live feed of the rider's power and speed? I think it would make watching the races more interesing especially during climbs and sprints segments. Thanks! #AskGCNTech
Re waxed chains, I have been using them for mountain biking as well as road, often just hose off the mud/dust, when re waxing the chain I use hot boiling water, the chain is in a kitchen sieve, then dry and rewax in an old slow cooker, I often wax 3 chains at a time so to save time - use quick links. I have had no measurable stretch after about 5000 km👍
Having a TUE seems to be what worked for the white Kenyan whilst riding for Team Murdoch and then Team Apartheid, EPO for others did the trick and blood bags helped many more.
I recently saw a video of the Glandon descent during the recent fondo. There were about 15 cyclists stopped on the side of the road changing their inner tubes…all on rim-brake bikes.
In terms of lubing the chain, dry lube hits the sweet spot for me. Cleaning and applying takes as long as regular lube but it lasts so much longer and it attracts waaaay less dirt so it stays clean much longer.
The perfect cadence is at the sweat spot inbetween spinning and grinding and it depends on power output. Hard to maintain optimum cadence with gears as just a few rpm makes a big difference. That's where a CVT is so brilliant. Especially when its fully automatic and adjusts cadence based on power output.
Actually, the best cadences are what is best for YOU. It could be 65 RPM in a big gear or it could be 100 RPM in a small one. There is NO formula for figuring out what is best, you have to get on a hill and figure it out.
@@jamesmckenzie3532 Precisely everyone has a cadence that they feel is spinning a little fast and a cadence that feels like grinding. A persons optimum will be right inbetween. My automatic shifting is setup to my favourite cadence for the given power output.
@@tktspeed1433 Automatic shifting is definitely a thing for bicycles. Never really caught on for derailleur gears but with a CVT it makes more sense. Within an upper and lower limit a CVT has an infinite number of ratios. Therefore automatic shifting can effectively shift continuously and maintain a perfect cadence. I built my own automatic shifter 5 years ago and its been a great project. They are available to buy but as far as I know mine is the only one in the world to receive power data.
@@Ed.R I have mostly been a motorcycle and car guy for most of my life so I did not know bikes had such things, and I know how CVTs work, that's why I was confused about the "when to shift" because they either never shift or always shift depending how you look at it.
#AskGCNTech Or is there an #AskGCNScience ? I've often wondered, if you go for something like a big, 5,000 calorie ride - how much time before and/or after is your calorie intake contributing to that deficit? It's easy to think that if you're going for a ride later, you can have a huge meal earlier in the day or vise versa and have a big one after. Is only one of those true? Both? Thanks!
#AskGCNTech Hi’ there. Seeing the speeds on decents in the TDF makes me wonder how many kph or mph a tyre is rated for/Can handle? A car tire has speed and load index, what about bike tires? Best regards to you all.
Going faster over long distance - a comfortable set of aerobars will give a noticeable performance increase of around 2mph for the same level of effort! Training is good... getting more aero can be easy.
Wax... Use a good chain cleaner with diluted degreaser. After that, paint thiner for 15 minutes and a good shake. Another 15 minutes in paint thiner. You can let the bad stuff sedimented and reuse the thiner over and over... Dry your chain and after that you can wax it again. I am so used to it now, I wont going back to oil but for very long ride in difficult wearher! And, my MTB chain last a season instead of 2 weeks.
#AskGCNTech Given the fact that there aren’t really ‚bad‘ bikes in the pro peloton, do pro riders really recognise / notice or even feel a difference when their team changes the bike brand (for example Jumbo Visma‘s change from Bianchi to Cervélo)? With the individual bikes being set up exactly to needs of the respective rider, i think it would be an interesting experiment to see if they would notice any difference at all if the looks of the different bikes would be absolutely identical… what do you reckon?
Hey guys, was just doing a deep clean of the drive train and noticed some significant wear on the chain rings, cassette and rear derailleur, the chain is new (replace it 1 or 2x per year). Those other (tiagra) components have about 10k km in them, 50% of which was gravel - often for many hours with heavy dirt/mud no doubt accelerating the wear... anyway, the question is how do i know its time to replace each bit/all of the drivetrain? Thanks as always, love the show. #AskGCNtech
Hi... I have a 2020 Cannondale CAAD13 with mechanical Ultegra. I would like to upgrade to Di2. Would you say just get new Ultegra 11-speed shifters, derailleurs, battery and cables or would it be better to switch to 12-speed 105 Di2, which is semi-wireless and therefore easier to set up. The 105 option is about £350 more expensive. Thanks #AskGCNTech
#askgcntech Hey y'all, thanks so much for all the great content! I recently acquired a set of Bontrager xxx tubular wheels and am running Continental Sprinter tires. I got a tiny puncture out on the roads and have read conflicting information about the viability of putting tubeless sealant inside the tire. Do you think it's safe to try or should I pursue the much more labor intensive repair process?
#askgcntech I just bought a new canyon bike with the ultegra di2 12 speed group, the bike is fitted with a left sided powermeter. On my previous bike I had a ultegra 11 speed dual sided stages crankarm powermeter. Is it possible to fit a 11speed front chainring on a 12speed groupset? I would like to ride with dual sided power. Thanks!
#AskGCNTech, Do you know of a feature in Strava or Garmin that can remind you to do service at a set number of miles? I’ve been so focused on training for #PMC2022 that I really let things slide and just had to replace the chain and cassette. Would have been better if I’d gotten a notification from either, “Yo, get your bike to the shop for a tuneup.”
#AskGCNTech Hi Tech Team... I upgraded my bike computer last year. From a 2016 CatEye STRADA to a XOSS G+ GPS unit. Everything was peachy until I did my first 200 Km ride. I felt that when riding in unfamiliar places I kept taking my phone out to check where my current location is. Also, during ascents I worry that I may not have enough energy to reach the top. Which did happen. Not knowing that the climb was about to end in a few meters. Now, for a person who rides 2-3 days a week (sometimes less) would it be wise to upgrade? Which would you suggest if I should upgrade? I'm torn between Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt and Garmin Edge 530. But leaning more on the Bolt. Hope you can help.
Hi GCN Tech team, OSPWs - Shimano, Campagnolo and Sram all have some pretty damn smart engineers working for them designing, building and testing their various groupsets. They all must have tested the OSPW system to see if they offer any advantages at all , but none of them offer them on any of their groupsets even their top-tier groupsets. Are they fashion over function? Marginal gain over Imaginary gain ??
#AskGCNTech Hi guys. A lot of advice tells me to run low tyre pressures (say 5 bar) yet my Mavic Yksion UST say not to go below (say) 6 bar printed on the sidewall. This occurs on other tyres i have too (different brands). Will they fall off if I run them below the stated min pressure? Is this the manufacturer being ultra cautious? (note this is subtly different to the question asked a couple of weeks ago by another viewer; I am not using inserts and this is a 25 mm road tyre issue). Cheers!
#askgcntech Hey Alex and Ollie. I’ve got a new disc brake bike and want to run latex tubes (the wheels aren’t tubeless compatible, unfortunately). If I happen to get a puncture with latex tubes, can I fix it, or do I need to get a new tube?? Thanks!
#AskGCNTech Hi there. I am buying a mid-range road bike with either Shimano Tiagra or 105. Later down the line, can I upgrade it to SRAM, or am I locked into Shimano? Also, is it okay for me to run mtb clipless pedals and shoes, such as eggbeaters? I commute to school, and often walk in the shoes.
#ask GCN Tech. Hi team, as an older rider I tend to ride everywhere about 15/16mph. Am I right in thinking that at these speeds an aero bike will be of no advantage, and that for my next bike i should be thinking light weight?
Surely it's good enough to get the idea of what they are on about. I'm tired of all the ads needed these days to pay for all the storage of HD content.
#AskGCNTech Hi All, I have just been lucky enough to acquire a Canyon endurance and when picking up the bike I was told that the rear tyre would need some more sealant in. My question to you is, can you mix differnt sealants? as I don't know what sealant is in the tyre already or do I have to clean out all of the original and refil with new? thanks in advance.
#AskGCNTech Hi ya Team! I recently got myself a new gravel bike with GRX which comes with a clutch on the rear derailleur. As 85-90% of my cycling is tracks & trails, is there a reason why I can't just leave the clutch on all the time?
About Training, if "structured" training like stets of intervalls, or HIIT is not your peace of cake: I like to look up 2-3 Strava Segments on the route of the day and try to go for a personal record there (tailwind helps)... You can mix these up with "shorter", sprintier segments, hill segments and semi-flat town to town segments.... Helped my to motivate myself to put in the efforts.... And for the rest of the ride you can enjoy the view and/or keep up the pace😅 However, being in an aero position and pushing over hill helps A LOT with the average speed!
I have a kit fitting question, I want to buy some bianchi kit, but at a 6 foot 3 250 pound (113kg) American I worry about size and fit given the cost. Do you have any links that will allow me to measure myself to a size chart? And I remembered the bashing wheels video. That was wonderful.
@@shawnsee2688 For an American? REI has a lot of different brands and size charts. You could look at that to get a sense of fit. If US based and a bit larger, I'd check Aero Tech Designs. Not the fanciest, but made here in the US and good quality, very size inclusive. My kit from them has held up well. Fat Lad at The Back also has larger gear. that's cute. I like what I get from them, it's UK based but more stylish than the US stuff. I would not buy anything without being able to see a size chart.
Best way to do a waxed chain.. take it off n soak it in solvent. Then. Re hot wax it... in between re hot wax. Add a wax lube. But. They don't last as long as hot wax
#AskGCNTech. Hello there Alex, Ollie, Mannon, and probably Hank, from the Philippines here. I've been to a crash 2 months ago, and I've just got to ride my roadie again, first in the last 2 months. I am not really that much of a fast rider, just more on recreational riding. Just to let you know Mountain bike on road is a trend here in the Philippines, and with my first ride i noticed that XC bikers are a lot faster than me, and when i try to chase them or just follow their pace, I feel like my chest would burst out. I wanna get back to my old self as soon as possible, what do you think i should do, do i just ride following my pace? or do I do a higher pace riding, to purposely empty my self out?
We took it down shortly after posting last week because we decided to put out the first Eurobike video instead so we re-uploaded this week for everyone else as not many people had seen it before we removed it.
running different tires is easy and smart to do. you could use a 28c, 32c in the rear and than a 25c or 28c in the front. doing so is reflective of how the laods the rear and front whell are under are different. rear tires suffer punctures more and front tires if they are too small/thin suffer from pinch flats or lack of traction/rough ride. even spokes on the drive side, non drive side can be optimized by having all the j bends exit the outside of flange, using 1x lacing, and you can do radial lacing on the non drive side and 1x on drive side to save weight becasue the tension the non drive side is under is really not much. i have a wheel with a 25c tire on it and have rode it with a 32c. and even a 36c in the back and what im left with is a dirable setup where i can haul a heavy bag or go off curbs a little easier. i also took a velocity aileron rim and reamed the spoke holes to fit like 14gauge(i forget exactly) e strong spokes, very stong wheel build.
Greater leverage. The larger the disc the more torque to stop the wheel turning. A larger disc also dissipates heat better. So, seeing as greater leverage is better, a 700c rim has even more leverage, so rim brakes are better than discs 😉
Hi Guys and Gal, I've recently started road riding and have entered myself for my first 100k, Il Giro de Pembrokeshire on September 4th. Other than miles on the bike any tech tips to help me train, prepare and complete the 100k. #askgcntech
#ASKGCNTECH Hello guys! I'd like to buy soon a new bike equiped with Shimano 105. Since the DI2 version just came out, should I wait for a new version of it's mechanical groupset or should I just stick to the current R7000?
Chances are that a new mechanical version will not be released before next year (if at all), so if you want a bike now, get it now, if you can wait, why not wait
@@kayy-03 Shitmano's web site. It's been reported by several people including DC Rainmaker, GPLama and others. They have NO plans on bringing out a mechanical version of 105, now or in the future.
@@jamesmckenzie3532 I can't seem to find the posts you're referring to, I'd guess links are disabled here but can you give me the link with spaces or at least tell me the title of one of the articles?
@@rob-c. That's only true if the bike has insufficient gears. My mountain bike I use for trailer towing has gears so low I can spin on a steep hill towing a trailer at 2mph.
it's so fishy for que wheels durability question you didn't say a word about how carbon wheels break and explode so often while aluminum ones are much much sturdier and weight is not as different as people believe, at the same tier carbon wheels may save you +-300grams (per set, not each wheel) not much more than that, and is NOT worth the money or the risk to your own safety
Lol GCN is so patently sold out it's no wonder all the good presenters are gone. Yeah sure buddy buy entry level tubless rims for the same price as top of the line clincher it will make u faster man gj
#askgcntech Hi everyone in the Tech-team! Having spent many hours watching the Tour on GCN plus my mind went a very wild. I suddenly had a thought. If I catch a water bottle from a rider, that the rider has been drinking from of course, does that bottle have enough DNA on it to make it possible to create a clone of that rider? Would be cool, (and creepy I know!) to create a clone super team of pro cyclists!
