all purpose gear thread

Duly ordered.

Would totally buy those revolights, too.

Anyone got any advice re: prescription sports glasses?

I wear Oakley flak Jackets (have sunglasses and plain) and they are awesome, apart from the fogging when stopped at lights etc. Good for peripheral vision.

I have Adidas elevation clima cool, they are convertible between sunglasses and ski goggles, a little big for the former and small for the latter but pretty good for both. They take a prescription insert, have changeable front lenses etc.

Cannondale is offering team pricing to our club. Super tempted to pick up super six with rival for $2000

One of your ex-teammates is joining my team btw. Super rad guy, his dad was my math prof yearssssssssssssssssssss ago funnily enough.

Wait a sec, are you racing for Sw@mi's? I think I always assumed that...

(cuz they race cannondales as well...?)

Nah sw@mis is out eternal rival. I race with the (SoCal cup winning) SDBC. Its a super exclusive club, you have to have $45 to join! The team deal is through the same shop (Nytr0) as theirs.

ah okay, well we poached a rival of your guys, then. :D

What do we think, guys? For my fixie-about-town? Is it worth adding 690g to a lightweight bike for style and, I hope, comfort? Is the suspension completely unnecessary and I'd be better off with a suspension-free Brooks and/or something else entirely?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=11673

Sprung saddle is very nice but I think it works best with an more upright riding position.

It's 90 quid for a saddle though! Seriously toying with a 12-28 cassette for the kaffenback instead of the 11-25 I've got on there at the moment cOnsidering my hill-aversion.

how much movement does the suspension offer? i reckon too much bounce could be a bit annoying.

i won a saddle last month from local brand 'thrones' - bright yellow w/ flanders lion on it - for getting third in a 'guess the bike weight' contest. it doesn't really match any of my bikes!

Ed'll make you an offer.

Fair dos re saddle. The point is it's not supposed to make you bounce around but then I've never tried one. Tbh even skinny racing saddles are fine with me so I can probably be fairly unpicky.

Chris, I know, but it'd be a Christmas present so it's all good :)

I am, right now looking for shocking pink components to match my winter trainer

http://dappered.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ShannonWeek7Header.jpg

how about a brown cord suit with a stylish shirt and tie

(and pocket square)

I could rock that, would need a better tie, though, maybe a Pucci one.

Putting a leisure saddle on a track bike is like putting a sofa in a ferrari.

I like sofas and I like Ferraris, so...

rules about "track" bikes is pretty old school ever since lol hipsters, but keep the flag flyin old man

**flies flag high**

http://road.cc/content/news/46989-video-eurobike-faves-pinion-bb-system

rate these saddles: flite vs concor vs turbo

plz

see if there's a dealer near you that has a trial program.

i think race pace has one but i still want to see what iltrmb ppl experiences have been, steven shasta

IMHO this kind of stuff (contact points*) is such a high matter of personal preference, the #lazyweb can't tell you what your own ass on the saddle will.

*saddles, shoes, pedals, etc.

There is a reason why you'll see pros in the peloton wearing/using non-team issued gear (or in some cases, re-branded or brand-camouflaged) and its usually always contact point stuff.

What is your saddle history and what was your experience with each?

not making any choices based on what anyone says here just a curious bro killing time on the internet

i had san marco saddles on the bianchi and cannondale, nice and firm but too narrow. the lemond i have now had a stock bontrager saddle, total throwaway p.o.s. just poorly shaped and soft and cheaply made.

p much decided on flite for the lemond and i need a saddle for my old raleigh. i like the shape of the turbo better than the concor but not into the turbo's suede/nubuck material. i'd rather have a synthetic cover

i love my specialized alias saddle

have yet to ride on a taint cutaway

i've had a brooks, and two selle anatomicas. had a honeymoon period with the anatomicas (which i posted about here, i think), and thought they were the best ever saddles. buuuuuut a couple longer rides disabused me of that notion, and the rails kept bending (hence going through two of them). the wingy things on the back of the alias, coupled with the taint cutaway, do what the anatomica does, and better. i've never had any ~issues~, even on longer (40+mi) rides

fwiw, competitivecyclist.com has a saddle tryout program, but you're limited to high-end stuff

feel like a brooks would get stolen fast in this city but could be wrong

I love Selle italia and Selle San Marco with taint cutaway slits. You can pick up barely used Selle Italia Gel Flows on ebay for around $50 all the time. It is totally subjective though.

for real riding i really like the vanilla selle italia slr (which you cant really get anymore). for crapping around, the mid-upper level wtbs are nice.

man "crapping around" just isn't something i want to see in a discussion of saddles

the best saddles for taking a crap from are flites, but i have a limited sample size there.

The comfiest saddle I have is the POS stock Bontrager throwaway saddle on my old Trek, fwiw.

:O

is it this one?

http://thebikeline.com/images/library/large/bontrager_260398_05_m.jpg

If it's not that one it's pretty damn similar!

So, the temperature is dropping in the UK, and judging by my office quite rapidly today. What are your top tips for keeping riding when it's cold?

good bib tights, gimp shoes, man up

Have a hot bath in the morning before heading out. The bit I hate most about riding in the cold is the first ten minutes - a hot bath raises your core temperature sufficiently to not really notice the cold until you've had a chance to warm up.

In terms of gear:

a decent wicking baselayer
a long sleeve lined (or wool) jersey
a rain/wind jacket
mittens
shoe covers

pair of uggs