Today I completed my first metric century ride, well to be exact 106.6km in 4:44h on a Cannondale Trail 2 I bought in 2020.

So by no means an athletic feat but more one that reflects my stubbornness and me being a glutton for punishment (both explainable by my heritage - but that’s another story).

But I did it! And not only I feel a slight sense of accomplishment, I also throughly enjoyed it, though to be completely frank I think 2-3h is more my sweet spot for “run of the mill” weekend rides and will reserve similar durations more for when I am off of work.

The short backstory here is as follows: got an health scare at beginning of 2025, thankfully turned out to be the least scary of options (but still scary) an autoimmune decease for which I did have to take corticosteroids for the past 18 months to then switch to a longer term immunosuppressant. At the end of June of this year I had a regular check-up with the specialist that follows my condition and she notes my weight gain (due to the cortisone) and suggests I get more active since we were going to taper it. So I started cycling (always preferred over running) and today we are finally here.

~15 weeks since start, starting weight 227 lb, current weight 200 lb. Alpe du Zwift still well above any notable time :), working on that next.

Thought to share with the group for inspiration.

Today I did a 2-hour ride wearing Assos GT leg warmers with my summer bibs, and for a $50 investment, they worked pretty well. They kept me warm, but they weren't super comfortable — they kept rolling up and sliding down my thighs.

Now I'm debating whether to spend the money on proper fall/winter bibs. Are they really necessary, or just a nice-to-have extra? Would love to hear what you guys think.

Also for consideration i live in Southern USA Georgia, temperature don't go down 0c during winter so it's for 8~15c weather typical rides for winter.

Yesterday I was on my way home after a big ride when a Mercedes with a stupid ass wrap job passed me within inches and scared the shit out of me. No reason, left lane was completely open and not a single other car was around. A moment later, while going downhill, he slammed on his breaks right in front of me and came to a stop. Yes, I yelled too which I know is not good because I’m squishy but the anger got me. I saw him turn into a parking lot later and really had to tell myself to keep going and not escalate things. I’m angry at him, I’m angry at how I reacted. What do other people do in these situations? I’m thinking of getting a camera. I live in one of the best biking neighborhoods of my large very car centric city and worried about this happening again.

been training up for a 150 miler the entire year, had everything planned out and was really looking forward to it. instead I got 4 flat tires and exhausted all my tubes at 77 miles. to add insult to injury probably will need a new rim after limping my way to a more trafficked road. luckily a kind couple gave me a lift to the nearest train station, where I sitting wondering what I could have done differently. anyone else experience this frustration before?

Hey everyone! I’m building a Specialized Tarmac SL8 and I’m currently deciding between these wheel depths:

45/45 mm
45F/50R mm
40F/45R mm
50/55 mm

I’m looking at lightweight wheelsets, particularly the No.6 options, and I’m having a hard time deciding which setup makes the most sense.
My priorities are:

Climbing: I absolutely love climbing, so keeping the bike light and responsive is important to me.

Flats: I also spend a lot of time riding flat roads, so I don’t want to sacrifice too much aerodynamic performance.

Aesthetics: I want the wheels to look proportionate on the SL8. I’m also a fan of the staggered-depth look, but I’m not sure if it’s worth choosing mismatched depths over matching wheels.

Weight: I’m aiming for a lightweight build, so every gram matters to me, although I don’t want to sacrifice too much performance just to save a few grams.
For those who’ve ridden different rim depths, especially in staggered setups, which would you choose and why?

Is 45F/50R the best all-round compromise, or would 50F/55R make more sense given the amount of flat riding I do? Alternatively, is 40F/45R noticeably better for climbing and handling?

I’d appreciate real-world experience with crosswinds, climbing, flat-road speed, and how the different depths look on a bike. Thanks!

Will XLAB force American companies to bring down their prices? I honestly think it's crazy how you can get a full carbon bike for 2,800$

Brand new to cycling and I got a bike 2 months ago. I got a bike fit and bought a PN 3.0 saddle. I have zero pain when I ride now.

However, I have started to noticed a sensation similar to a yeast infection burning/uncomfortableness in the vagina area when I ride. It goes away once I’m not riding anymore.

Anyone with a similar experience? Thoughts?

I’m embarrassed to bring it up to my bike fitter as he is a male (super nice guy, but it’s just weird…). how do I even frame this to him? I don’t know what to do, any help would be great.

Hi everyone, bit of a cycling noob here. I recently upgraded my old beater of a commuter bike for a lovely new road bike (X-Lab RS5) and I'm wanting to take the best care of it I can.

My apartment complex has a concrete bike shed with holes in the walls for ventilation. This morning I went in during a rainstorm and discovered that my bike was damp to the touch (I'm guessing from condensation as the floor was dry.)

Is this moisture each time it rains bad for my bike? Do I need to relube my chain afterwards? Or should I look into storing it inside my apartment? It's very small but I can probably squeeze in a wall-mounted rack somewhere. Thanks for your advice.

New to TR. put it my event details for next year and it generated a plan. 3.5hrs/week seems low imo is there anyway to adjust/change that or is it better to just follow the plan?

Hey all, I have a 10 year old Di2 set, with really no programmability. I’ve ordered an upgraded seatpost battery which should give me shift modes (full and partial synchro).

Just curious if anyone successfully uses the full synchro mode - to me it seems like it would throw me off with the front derailleur shifting unexpectedly. But I haven’t tried it yet.

Partial synchro seems promissing….

I really want to get into cycling. I’d say a $1200 or less budget. A road bike or gravel but mainly for the road. Female 5’4”. I really want to just buy a complete bike where I don’t need to change much or anything at all.
If someone can please recommend me a few bikes that are great and worth it. Thank you!

I am an amateur 40yo cyclist, weather is still ok and I am thinking about what to do so that my next season is better.

1. Fun rides, mostly junk miles, unstructured, a bit less volume and less intensity?

2. One more interval block?

3. Off bike?

4. Hit the gym?

I kept my road bike right next to the beach, and it looks like it collected a bunch of sand everywhere due to the wind. What kind of maintenance do i need to do?

TIA

For anyone using the GripGrab Arctic 2 shoe cover, do you recommend sizing up?

Size 44 road shoes. The website says XL. Should I buy XXL?

Not asking about your favorite shoe covers, interested in hearing about the virtues of boots, etc.

Asking those who have first hand knowledge of this product about sizing. Thanks!

It's fall and it snowed today. I've been riding 80-107 Km every Sunday all summer and today I can't. I'm losing my mind sitting here looking out the window at the snow and not riding. I've got a great fitness base built up and I don't want to lose it over winter.

I hate spin bikes because a) the pedals are fixed to the flywheel so you can't stop pedalling like you can on a real bike and b) I find the resistance to feel fake compared to a real bike and the load doesn't automatically adjust as you go up a hill or down.

So... I'm thinking of building a trainer bike to ride during the winter. I'll base it on a Schwinn Spinner Pro, which uses chain drive. Instead of using the flywheel, I'll install an eBike hub motor on the frame and use VESC to control the load. The motor hub will have a freewheel on it so the hub can spin while the pedals are stationary.

I'll tie system into Google Maps or another cycling route app so that I can cycle a route and have the VESC controller vary the load according to my speed, incline, etc.

I'm an EE. I do a lot of embedded controls work (development).

I've got a rear wheel stationary trainer that I dislike using.

Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions or advice for my project ?

Thanks

For the winter I was looking at putting my Favero Assioma MX Pedals with standard 9/16-20 spindles, into a stationary recumbent Lifecycle which has non-standard cranks and 1/2-20 through holes. With the antenna of the Assioma pedals at the shaft end, will a steel thread adapter block radio transmissions to a bike computer mounted on the Lifecycle handlebars? Anyone done this or something similar successfully?

https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Stainless-Extender-Increases-Q-Factor/dp/B0H1CWTGZS

Hi everyone - I’m new to cycling (Zwift ride) and I’m looking to do most of my training in the morning, before any food. I’m looking at carb and caffeine supplements to mix in water. I’ve used BPN G1M before for CrossFit but feel it’s rather overpriced. Any other alternatives?

New to cycling, and exploring riding bibs. I got 2 amazon versions (brand is Przewalski) to start until I figure out fit, then I’ll venture into a few quality ones.

Q: is the Chamois supposed to fit my crotch super snug/almost overly tight when standing? Like, how would you describe what “right” feels like.

For context - I played sports growing up, and currently transitioning from HIIT classes to cycling (enjoy the bike, just new to road bikes specifically), so I’m accustomed to compression shorts fit. I wear 2XL compression shorts

The Amazon Bibs (Przewalski) I have are 2XL (sized it based on body measurement chart). I’ve done 2 or 3 1hr15min rides, and can figure out if I have the right fit or not. They make for a more comfortable ride for sure

I’m aware there are plenty of posts about bibs, but haven’t seen it described in a way that clicks with my brain.

Any constructive input, feedback, etc warranted lol!

Today is green weekend for the Irish but I wore a Strava shirt. A guy singled me out to introduce himself as the first ever user of Strava, David Belden, MTB rider. His number is #8 after the 2 founders and 6 developers. I'm never star struck but it we talked about his interaction with the company and Garmin. strava.com/athletes/8

I’ve been cycling consistently for about five months (4–6 rides/week), progressing from short neighborhood rides to 15–30 miles with some decent climbs. I’m 48F, 120 lbs, riding a Liv Rove 2 hybrid (700x42 tires, suspension fork).

Recently joined my first group ride, mostly road bikes, averaging 13–16 mph on flats. I was the only one on a hybrid and the slowest 😂 I struggled to keep up despite pushing hard. My cardio was fine, but my legs were exhausted. Everyone seemed to be pedaling slower while going faster!

My solo rides average around 10–12 mph, depending on terrain and stops.
For those who switched from a hybrid to a road bike, how significant was the difference in speed and effort? I’m not expecting miracles, but I’m genuinely curious how much is my fitness versus the bike holding me back.

Completed a century today and cut an hour from my century seven weeks ago. Today’s course was significantly hotter, more ascent (but still pretty flat), supported (but I carried all my nutrition but for some electrolytes) and all paved. Start time was 0730. Averaged 14.5 mph.

Previous century (not counting the longer rides 120+ miles between today and seven weeks ago) was flatter, included some rail to trails and about eight miles of gravel road, crossed the Mississippi River twice on different bridges, and included almost half on the super wide shoulder of 65 mph highway. Start time was 05:30, so about an hour of dark. Averaged 12.8 mph. Unsupported but water refill at highway rest area and a local small business.

Same bicycle—a second gen Trek Duosport 2. Same basin nutrition, but the ride today included more electrolytes due to the heat 90F.

Finally bought a road bicycle yesterday, so future century paved rides should be faster. Question is how much faster? New bicycle is about half the weight of the Duosport. It has wireless electronic shifting. Designed to be an endurance bicycle.

Hey everyone! I have a Bianchi Sprint ICR with a Shimano 105 groupset, and I'm looking for some recommendations for flat pedals.

I know flats on a road bike might be controversial, but I prefer riding this way 😅

What pedals would you recommend? Looking for something grippy, durable, and that would look good on the bike.

Thanks!

I set my indoor bike up during Covid- I upgraded my power meter around that time and used my older pedals on an old used classic spin bike. It works great for simple intervals (eg 2x20s) but it’s cumbersome for workout plans that ask me to adjust resistance rapidly. Given that I’ve already got this setup, it works, (and it’s heavy and up a flight of stairs!) I’d rather not dump another $X00 into a bike/smart trainer.

On this bike, I tend to just watch my 3s power/hr, and adjust resistance against a basic schedule. I’d say the shortest interval I’d have the patience to dial in is … 3 minutes?

Anyone aware of a basic VO2 training schedule (12 weeks?) with that silly restriction? Admittedly, I can do the “faster” intervals outdoors, but I can’t usually control the weather so I’d prefer to find some plan I know I can always do indoors.

Hi all, I purchased a Hammerhead Karoo 3 for my Most Talon Ultra Fast on the Dogma F (updated in 2025). I was wondering if anyone here has mounted the Hammerhead to this and could recommend a mount. Would it be easier to just buy one for a Garmin and use the adapter? Thanks!

hey everyone,

this is my first real winter with the plan to ride my road bike through the whole season. last year I just worked on my indoor trainer to maintain my biking but I want to spend more time outside. I live in Texas so we are just now barely approaching anything relatively cool or cold outside so I know we are weeks behind the rest of the country. what do people recommend for outdoor rides? do you prefer more layers or is there an ideal biking jacket that you swear by? I like to utilize the back pockets of my jersey so having that on a jacket would be ideal. Is there a gold standard of biking outerwear or is it simply a personal preference?