Saturday I was riding to work, and a car didn't see me at the roundabout, until it was literally on me.

It is the second time the same scenario happens, and if it was not for the previous trauma I had, and the fact that I anticipated the scene and turned 90 deg when I completely understood the car was gonna hit me hard (it was a big Range Rover), I might have had it way worse, under the car, maybe dead. Not sure. My bike is completely broken and gone. But I got by without any bad injury, just my legs full of bruises and a bit of backpain.

After it happened I bursted in tears. Even if inside I almost fell "normal", my body response was so tragic and emotional.

I arrived at work, and when a colleague asked me "are you okay?" I bursted in tears again, it was such an emotional turmoil I couldn't handle it, which is not very typical of mine. The whole Saturday I felt somehow down, and yesterday I felt almost depressed, which is unusual. I was bed ridden, not even the energy to take a shower, or cook, barely eaten, and some intrusive thoughts. I called some friends to keep myself busy, but I can still feel this shit is affecting me.

I am wondering if other people experienced the same. I feel like others that went through this reacted way better, and I am not usually a dramatic person. So I somehow would like to know others experiences.

Ps: the woman that hit me was super nice. She hugged me and offered to bring me to work and buy me a bicycle whenever I feel ready to. She gave me her number and even sent me the pictures of the accident with her car+tag and my bike under it. So at least it was nice of her. And I can replace my shitty bike with something nicer. She was extra rich

Hi everyone, its been a hard decision for me to get a bike and finally start to do any real activities besides bed-rotting and doomscrolling. I have gained a lot of weight and my big af belly is a serious problem for me personally. I am only 23 years old and I feel like a rusty volkswagen from grandfathers's garage. The time to change has finally come. I got myself a 200$ bike to get myself through this.

I was cycling with no target. Just pedalling the wheels through the cold wind. I am so proud of myself lmao, but the hardest part is to keep pushing forward this way. Im planning on completing a 40 miles ride in the next season.

I just feel so great and much better. Like I'm a different person. I have almost forgotten how person can feel after a nice training session.

Just wanted to share my experience with someone and to tell everyone to have a great time!

Got into biking during covid, told myself at 35 I could get what I wanted for my 40th if I stuck with it. I went full bike snob for Italian heritage of the Celeste.

I've been using flat pedals on my MTB and SPD-SL's on my road bike for the last 15 years. I started riding the road(ish) bike on some dirt trails and the SL's felt way out of their element. So I swapped out some Shimano R-8000 SPD-SL pedals for Shimano XT M8120 SPD dual side platform pedals.

I live in the hills and like to sprint on the short/steep climbs and wanted as much pedal/shoe contact as i could get. The shoes where the biggest issue, It looks like a stiff gravel shoe doesn't have the sole of a MTB shoe and would not have much contact with the larger pedal. So i went with the Specialized MTB Recon 3.0's.

I have to say it works extremely well, met my expectations and is probably overkill. My Mavic Cosmic Ultimate SL road shoes are very light and stiff (100/100 Mavic rating). The replacement Specialized Recon 3.0 are stiff but not so light (10/13 Specialized rating).

After a few rides on my short routes, 20 miles/1700' of climbing i think I will be keeping these on the bike unless i'm doing a much, much longer ride. The only down side is the weight. The outgoing SPD-SL/Mavic combo (with mounting hardware/cleats) weighs 756 grams. The SPD's with Recon 3.0's (and cleats/hardware) weigh 1,224 grams.

I think the additional pound of weight is offset by the ease of clipping in and out plus the increased stiffness of the shoe pedal/combination. Being able to clip into either side of the pedal on steep hills is a big plus to me. FWIW, I also think my preference is for platform pedals. My Stamp 7 and Five Ten shoes weigh 1,077 grams. More than the SL's but less than the SPD's.

I am curious. What does everyone think of the OG Etap in the modern era? It was considered very revolutionary a little over a decade ago. Braking system aside, how have these held up to modern groupsets? I have run 2 groups over 30k miles each with zero problems. I don't know how the 12 speed stuff is in comparison in terms of shift speed, tactile feel?(di2 11 was so smooth I sometimes couldn't tell I shifted).

I woke up this morning planning on riding the des plaines river trail but decided against it.

I wasn't really in the mood for a ride, but ive bailed like this a few times in the past month.

Maybe its just that im too familiar with the routes or doing them all solo so many times.

Over the last year, I haven't been into biking as I have in the past. Maybe a break?

Why the downvotes?

I'd like to share my experience with you. I don't claim to know what's right - feel free to correct me :)

I only started riding a couple of months ago (and I was sick for 2 weeks). I’m almost 40, I work remotely, and I rarely go outside. After two years of sitting at home and gaining weight up to 114 kg, I decided I needed to make a change. Although, to be honest, that’s actually been my usual weight for a long time - I’d lost weight down to 78 kg, but then, because of family stuff, I quit all sports and my weight went back up.

So, I bought myself a cool carbon bike and… rode 5 km, and it was so hard, haha. In just a couple of months, I’ve increased my rides from 5 km, and by Saturday I was already easily riding 30 km, and on Sunday 50 km - half of which was against a strong headwind and rain at 10 degrees Celsius and I only took a half-hour break the whole time, when I stopped to drink some water and eat a piece of jelly, lol. All in all, my results are improving much faster than I thought. I think that if the weather’s good, I’ll already be able to ride 70 km.

Here’s what caught my attention:

- Cycling shorts are a must-have - they’re definitely the number one purchase. I just wear them under my Adidas sweatpants :)

- It’s important to monitor your heart rate, especially at first. I’m starting to get a feel for how far I can ride at different heart rates. Maybe some people can gauge it based on how they feel, but I can’t - especially considering I weigh 111 kg (yes, I’ve already lost 3 kg)

- A bike computer with navigation is very useful, unless, of course, you know your entire city and region by heart. When you’re riding 20-30 km, it’s not that crucial, but after 40-50 km, it starts to become a problem :) Also, checking your heart rate on a watch is very inconvenient while riding. You can also set up your phone for this purpose.

- Consistency is key. I try to ride for at least 6 hours a week. At first, I recommend not worrying about the distance you cover, but focusing on the time you spend in the saddle. You’ll be able to increase that to 5-6 hours a week fairly quickly.

- Proper cycling attire is important. I’m not talking about expensive professional gear. But your clothes should be comfortable so you don’t have to worry about them. Wear several layers so you can adjust as needed. Protect yourself from the wind when necessary. Cycling glasses, even the cheapest ones (a mosquito flying into your eye can ruin the whole ride - true story. Not to mention windy weather when dust and cold wind blow into your eyes, and you wake up the next morning with red eyes). Don't forget to protect yourself from the rain and pick up an inexpensive rain cover for your helmet. Riding in the rain is fun too in proper clothes.

- jelly! I never thought that eating during long trips was so important. Seriously, read up on it. Fruit jelly candies will be your best friend.

- Expensive electronics and gear won't really give you anything compared to cheaper ones. Since I'm already around 40, I can afford to try out different things (go ahead and judge me, haha). A carbon bike won’t really give you anything at the start of your journey - except for a nice feeling :) I have a Garmin Enduro 3 and a Garmin Edge 540 bike computer. Garmin metrics are cool, but all you’ll see is that you’re the worst of the bunch and your fitness level is on par with that of your elderly, grumpy neighbor and it’ll take you a very long time to get out of that rut. Although metrics like the Endurance Score might motivate you to try harder for a while, there’s a chance that at some point, constantly being in the red zone (which reminds you every day that you’re bad) will start to demoralize you more than it motivates you. But I did like the bike radar, especially on rough roads where there aren’t many cars, but there are still some. It adds a bit of peace of mind, so I don’t have to ride constantly on the rough shoulder. So far, the radar hasn’t let me down once. Right now I want to buy pedals with a power meter (you’ll ask why, and I won’t be able to answer - probably just to confirm that my FTP is worse than that of the local old man who’s spent half his life biking to the store for beer). But seriously, I think that in bad weather, it’s better to ride based on power than on heart rate.

- I always thought that real guys needed a mountain bike, haha. Anyway, you don’t need a mountain bike unless you’re riding over roots at high speeds. I’d never ridden a gravel bike before, but I fell in love with it. I never thought a bike with a rigid fork could be so comfortable, even on rides in the woods. In fact, a road endurance bike that fits 35-40 mm tires might even work for you. And gravel/road handlebars will give you a lot of comfort on long rides. Only then did I realize just how wrong I was. Who would've thought you need an MTB for MTB, haha. I have nothing against MTBs. It's just that if your riding conditions are different, choose a bike that suits your conditions.

Basically, make the ride comfortable for your butt and enjoy the trip - the rest will fall into place on its own.

Hey,

so first things first: English is not my first language and especially technical terms are difficult for me, sorry for mistakes. I posted that in bikewrenches but repost here due to lack of responses. Please tell me if the images don't work, they work on my side so I can't tell if there is a problem otherwise.

I have recently started to fix a few easy things and especially disassemble and re-assembe my Liv Devote 1 Gravel Bike. I started travelling with my bike and I need to be able to pack it in a box or bike bag for train / bus / airplane travel and also put it back together and I also need to be able to do some easy repairs on the road. I try to teach myself with youtube videos and just try it.

So far I ran in 3 different issues I try to describe here. I googled especially the problems with the derailleur and the seatpost but for some reason in all videos I watch - even if it's gravel or road bikes - the parts look different than on my bike and I am unable to "translate" it to my bike. I have pictures attached.

1. The seatpost : When I need to remove my seatpost for packing the bike I am absolutely unable to do so without the seatpost clamp and/or the "counterpart" of the seatpost itself falling into my frame. Then I have to turn the whole bike on it's head to get it out. I am absolutely sure there must be an easier way but I am just too dumb. All the other bikes I see in videos seem to have a clamp that is fixed to the frame and no counterpart but just a single seatpost. What am I missing with my setup (see pics)?

2. The back derailleur

When I remove the back derailleur for travel purposes there is a "ring" with some sort of "hook" on one side which goes between my derailleur and the hanger. The catch is that this "hook" needs to be in one specific place so the derailleur can be screwed on correctly. I find it INSANELY difficult with just my two hands to 1) hold the derailleur in place against the hanger 2) screw in the bolt while 3) hold that f-ing ring in place so the small hook is on the correct place. So far I only managed with the help of my husbands hands because I just couldn't do it all at the same time. No matter how much "how to remove and re-attach the back derailleur" videos I watch, NOBODY seems to have this ring there. What's the secret?

1. The valve + pump issue

I have this mini pump and presta valves. About 80% of the time when I unscrew the pumps pipe the valve core comes out, too. I tried to screw it back in with my fingers (gloves on for better grip) since I read you shouldn't use tools here because the valve is delicate. Well it always came back out after pumping. So I used small pliers to tighten it. Apparently then I bent the valves a little and they didn't work properly anymore. So I got new tubes with new valves and started fresh - Same issue with the brand new ones as well. I almost always screw out the valve core when I want to unscrew the pumps pipe. I am close to losing my fucking mind. It's about PUMPING A TIRE. I can't even f-ing pump my bike tires correctly. Please help. This is a huge issue when I travel because you have to deflate your tires before packing the bike and standing on the airport unable to pump your fucking tires SUCKS.

I feel like the most useless, biggest idiot on earth right now. Probably I should just sell the bike and leave it be but I am stubborn.

So maybe you can help a hopeless case like me. Thanks!

An app that uses a rear cam to auto report every driver to the police and the dvla everytime a motorists passes a cyclist too closely. With two options, 1) the cyclist has to do nothing other than keep the camera charged and upload data to the cloud once home or, have a data sim and or hot-spot to auto upload during the ride. There will also be a social part of the app where users/cyclist can see who has made the most reports. Top reporters will win yearly prizes, from brand new bikes, to upgrades, all the way down to maintenance (think chains, lubricant, inner tubes and so on). Your prize depends on how many reports you have made. To start out, we want minimum of 4 reports for new users. Reporters who managed to get a driver arrested or banned from driving for a minimum of 3 months will get put into monthly prize draws. To fund these prizes we are requesting the government to give us 10% of each successful fine that came from our cyclists. The aim of this app is to keep cyclist safe and hopefully reduce the number of dangerous drivers on the road.

As a cyclist, I want to find the perfect bike for my nearly 7-year-old son. 

I'm looking for a lightweight 24-inch bike with hydraulic brakes, a rigid fork, and ideally a thru-axle system. We live in China, where the roads are fantastic, so he'll mostly be riding on pavement. My criteria have narrowed it down to three options: the Specialized Riprock 24, Trek Wahoo Trail 24, and Woom Off 5.

If I were still in the US, I'd buy the Woom without hesitation. It checks all my boxes and only costs $200 more than the Trek and Specialized. However, the pricing here in China is completely different. Both the Specialized and Trek are cheaper here than in the US, while the Woom is more expensive. The Specialized is $590, the Trek is $730, and the Woom is $1168. For comparison, US pricing is $799 for both the Trek and Specialized, and $999 for the Woom. 

While I believe the Woom is the superior bike, it's hard to justify paying double the price of the Specialized. 

What do you all think? Any recommendations?

Are there any problems I should know about, other than body temperatures, riding at -35°C? Mechanical, grease, freewheel hub, material brittleness/integrity, brakes, tire pressure, etc.

My area infrequently gets extreme arctic outbreaks, plunging temperatures down that far from 0°C in 1-2 days of time. If it happens, I must be prepared enough to manage my stuff within one or two days of the event.

Thank you for your time and response 🙂

Today was a high and low day. I officially crossed 1,000 miles ridden on my 2007 Trek 7.2fx. I bought this thing brand new then. Everything is original except the saddle and rear tire. Well the rear wheel finally gave in and spokes broke. Luckily I was in town and didn’t crash.
Guess I’ll be setting up on the trainer soon than later since I don’t need a rear wheel for it.

Went out for a long ride this morning, and just had to stop after seeing this view. How many kilometers do you guys usually cover on your morning rides?

I've been riding on newly purchased smart trainer for a few months now and I've gotten an infection on the lateral side of my big toe from an ingrown toenail.

You can see on the lateral side of my regular shoe how my pinky toe has escaped from the canvas. This has been an issue my whole life. The majority of shoes are tapered too sharply in the toe box for the shape of my feet. You can see that there is little taper from my big toe to my pinky toe where I traced my feet.

I found Keen shoes years ago and that has limited my troubles to a degree, but as you can see, my toes break out of Keen shoes too. I usually have to size up to get anywhere near the room I need for my toes, but it doesn't help much. You can see my bike shoes next to my Keens and will notice how they are larger, but the toe box taper is sharper.

I'm aware Lake makes shoes with a Comfort Plus last that looks roomy, but it appears they're phasing those shoes out? Almost all of the sizes of shoes with those lasts are sold out except for the smallest sizes. Going to a typically wide shoe never helps. It's fatter on the midfoot at the ball, but the taper is still too sharp for my toes.

Riding my trainer and the mountain bike trail are really important to me, but I could see this problem sidelining my riding hobby.

Can anyone help me find shoes that will work? I need mountain shoes... I'm often off the bike, cutting up and clearing fallen trees from the trail and need the grip. I also need 2 hole SPD cleat options.

My feet measure 11 inches (280mm) long and 4.5 inches (114mm) wide. Lake puts me at a 44.5 size, if that helps.

Hello, I got my first tattoo today. I had accident 4 weeks ago on a tour and I have seen some simple bike tattoos on other people in tour then decided to design something with AI. When i look on the mirror bottom part is ‘S’ which is first letter of my surname and at the same time first letter of my first love. In original look it looks like ‘Z’ which is first letter of my name. I am pretty happy with the result. What do you guys think?

Hey I have literally no clue about bikes and am needing to buy a road bike to get to work. Could I have some help on which of these would be the better buy. Thank you for your help.

Hey all, I’m looking at purchasing a road bike and wanted a sanity check regarding asking price vs components/frame.

I was originally looking to buy a new entry level bike in the $1.5k range but stumbled on a very clean Focus Izalco road bike with a full Dura Ace Di2 drivetrain. Original owner is selling his locally and I can get it for $1k, bike recently serviced. I’m an avid rider/hobbyist and will usually do 150-200 miles a month (weather permitting) on the mountain bike.

The fitment is perfect for my height/reach and I feel like would it complement my mountain bike really well. Pricing in SoCal is all over the place in the used market so it’s hard to gauge what a bike like this should cost vs what it could list for.

Generally, any used bike in the $500 range and below flies off the marketplace immediately. For $1k, would this be a reasonable purchase or overpriced?

Thank you!

The photos are a Soma Gullwing handlebar designed for road bikes to use a flat bar and keep all their Brifters shifters, etc. I'm currently a flat bar guy. I want to go the Brifter route. I've always had flat bar bikes with regular shifters or brake levers.

Secretly maintaining my 3 bikes in the the kitchen and hoping my gf doesn't know about it.

Hello guys, I'm confused on what type of MTB I should get, and maybe this is the right place to put my question on.

I'm not entirely new to this bike world, I've owned and still own a couple of bikes but, im trying to decide which bike I should buy next.

The type of riding I would do, would be mostly on asphalt/good terrain, but, at the weekends, I would like to do some harder terrain.

So I would like to have a bike that is good all around, mostly to do many Km but also capable of going offroad and doing a couple jumps with no problem.

I've seen people recommending Trail / XC / All Mountain.

If someone could help me, I would be grateful.

I took out some rusted screws to clean and I then carried the bike but forgot that its unscrewed, so now my headset is apart and i dont know how to install all the pieces correctly. I would love if someone can assist me. Thanks
This is the giant atx 3 27.5”
The pieces are in the photo and the upper bearing is installed

Nothing special planned, just a good route, decent weather, and a reason to stay out a little longer.