Originally posted by hwttdz
I'm also interested in starting to race. I can't seem to find any events that are in my area. To give you an idea I don't have a car, so I'm riding to the starting line, nonetheless anywhere in Houston, TX, USA is fine, and I think I can con a friend into driving up to an hour.
The bike I'm riding now is tiagra equiped. I was a 4:30 miler but I was injured, but I'm still able to bike. I'm thinking about going up to 105 because my brother is interested in getting into cycling. Will the equipment make a large difference, or is 105 more durable?
105 is OK. Ultegra is better. It won't make a huge difference but it will help if you get an upgrade.
I'm logging about 100 miles a week right now, but it's going up fast. I should be at 200 by the end of the calendar year
I have found that 150 mi/wk is the minimum I needed to be competitive in cat 4
. I've heard chains are only built to last 1800 miles, that seems awful short to me, they'd be like the running shoes of cycling, is this true?
I use mine much longer than that.
I was figuring I could build my own bike, that way I can customize the setup more than if I buy one off the rack in a store. I figure I can get the right handlebar size, crank length, personalized gear ratios, stem length and a few other things if I build my own. I was planning on using an aluminum frame of the nashbar house brand (see nashbar.com for additional info) is this a bad idea? The definate advantage is that it's dirt cheap, and I prefer aluminum to steel (feel, weight, resistance to rust).
I'm just going to continue asking basic cycling questions if people don't mind.
My deraileur cables are starting to fray, I'm pretty sure that's a bad thing but I really have no idea what to do about it. Any advice?
Get new ones if frayed
I also seem to be having problems with numbness in certain very personal areas. I read an article in a scientific journal about how mountain biking did have some negative effects on fertility especially it contributes to the probability of calcious deposits. Do those twin rail saddles help any?
They are usually a big help. Your body will also become used to the riding if you are just starting. Pointing the nose down might also help a bit if the pains are a bit farther down the line in the plumbing.
Doing some research I've come upon the discovery that some frames route the cables internally. Wouldn't that mean all hell if they started to fray like mine? What are the advantages to this?
My front deraileur is a royal pain, the cable is sagging a little on one ring and crazy tight on the other, I fiddled with it for a little to try to adjust it, now it works I'm just worried this tension thing will mess with it. Is there a site detailing adjustments? I'm pretty mechanically inclined so I can manage a good deal. Will 105 shift smother?
Thanks for any help and your patience.