After getting yelled at for grease marks on the couch, I decided to act with some self-preservation and try the whole waxing thing.

First, looked at the Silca kit. $100 for a $20 waxing pot. $40 for paraffin wax with some bullshit additives. I'm in the wrong business.

Second, I looked at degreasing and all the "magic wizard guides" where apparently if I look at the wax with a sullen expression it won't stick. I think these guides are the most needlessly intimidating part of the process.

Third, I gave my entire drive train a really good cleaning removing all the stuck on black gunk. This was by far the most time and energy consuming part of the process.

Time to go shopping.

$20 waxing pot. $10 of paraffin wax. Some mineral spirits, brake cleaner, and denatured alcohol I already had.

Cleaned the chain in two baths of mineral spirits for coarse degreasing. Dropped the chain in a tupperwear jar. Shook it around. Got 90% of the dirt off. A coffee filter takes care of the sediment when I pour it back into the can.

Then I did two baths in some chlorinated brake cleaner. Sure it kills a dolphin or three but it got the chain super clean. Finally, a wash in the denatured alcohol and a few minutes to dry. Oh, and don't drink that stuff -- they literally add poison to it. Paper towel test said everything is sparkling and no residue was left behind. Time to wax.

I dropped the chain into a 167 degree F (75 C) melted pool of wax for about 15 minutes shaking it around occasionally with a chopstick. Took it out, let it cool for 15 minutes on a wire coat hanger from my dry cleaning, and then broke free all the links.

Then I rode 65 miles in the rain on a muddy gravel and limestone path. Nasty AF and about the worst conditions we get out here.

Takeaway is -- the waxing thing works but not always for the most obvious reasons.

The clean drivetrain is great for not attracting dirt as I ride. At mile 3, it rides the same as a freshly cleaned drivetrain -- couldn't tell a difference. At mile 63 it was still pretty smooth whereas any drip-on lube would have been dirty, gummy, and slower. The chain felt a bit dry but it wasn't stiff or squeaky.

The next day I re-waxed the chain after an alcohol wash. Good as new.

Takeaways:

1. Using brake cleaner to de-grease old chain is clutch. It removes what mineral spirits and denatured alcohol don't. I don't know why more people don't recommend this.

2. Paraffin wax is cheap and seems plenty effective. If the Silca stuff goes on sale again I might try it for funsies when the paraffin runs out.

3. The Silca melting pot is dumb. It's virtually the same as the $20 one I got on Amazon except mine is black and the Silca one is red. And I don't understand why people want to use a crock pot that takes up half their kitchen.

4. It's more work the first time than lubing your drivetrain but less work than cleaning your dirty, post-gravel ride drivetrain.

5. Go try it. It's a $60 experiment even with all the chain cleaning supplies rather than a $200 one like the internet makes it out to be.

is it just me or everybody else too thinks that it's getting very boring since the GC gap is 4+min and today despite being a mountain stage, the gap to the peloton is somewhat 7+ min. what's going on here?

I'm coming from sports with baggy clothing.

I'm a straight dude in my 20's keeping it as creep free as possible but damn everyone looks amazing. Even Kevin down the street!

I've seen it kinda asked before but with no real answer given but I just want to know is there any set of currently available power meter pedals that are comfortable to use with flats or a pedal body that can be slapped on one that will work? I only do 60-100 miles a week I don't want to bother with another pair of shoes just to get my data itch.

I started cycling spring last year, and had an awesome time starting out. I was active for about 8 months, did like +- 4000km and learned a lot about cycling and most importantly, I found a lot of fun and joy in this sport.

I had a nasty skiing crash end of last year and broke multiple ribs. I had surgery, and it took a long time to fully recover. I gained about 15kg / 33lbs in weight due to inactivity and overeating for a long period.

I used to ride like 80% of my rides and riding time in zone 2 (or atleast, as much as possible), but since I recently restarted cycling again I cannot stay in zone 2, no matter how slowly I ride.

My ‘easy’ rides used to be like 40km / 25 miles, but when I do that same ride now, im fully exhausted.

I live in quite a hilly area, and I never struggled staying in zone 2, but my heart rate is between 150-180bpm most of the rides, averaging around 160bpm.

Also something that I noticed, is that my heartrate won’t go any higher then 181bpm where it tops out. My max heart rate used to be 194bpm, and I wonder if something is wrong with me, or if this is also a side effect of being out of shape and a long time of inactivity?

If anyone has ever been in a similar situation, please share your experience and if you have any tips to get back on track or improve, feel free to share them.

My current stats are:
Male
30 years old
179cm / 5ft10
120kg / 265lbs

Any help or input is very much appreciated.

Can anyone recommend an app for planning cycle routes, including ones that aren’t on main roads?

I used to use Endomondo back in the day. For running I use RunGo and love how it snaps routes to roads and footpaths.

I’m after something similar for cycling: free, no subscription, lets me plan routes in advance, shows the distance, and automatically snaps to roads/paths. Basically RunGo but for bikes.

Any recommendations?

Just recently decided to start learning, an after an hour I cannot possibly put any weight on the seat. Took a four hour break, and immediately was incapable of sitting on it without immediately needing to pop back up

Edit: I should make it clear that I am a very... "large" person, and I'm on a Schwinn comfort saddle.

Switched up from 25mm tyres to 28mm a couple of years back and noticed an instant improvement. It’s now time to replace these and I’m wondering should I go one further and order 30mm. I’m based in Ireland so secondary roads can be a bit rough in areas but I do a fair bit of climbing so I want something that doesn’t feel sluggish going up steep hills. Any advice welcome!

I have a road bike that got exposed in heavy rain so I washed it immediately the day after. I used a degreaser and washed every nook and cranny since that's what the YouTube tutorials did. Then I put gear or chain lube oil on every metal part I saw because I don't want it to rust (if that's how it works)

I don't know anything much about bikes, but I think I put chain oil on both front and back rotors because I washed it with the degreaser thinking it would protect it from rust...

I think that was a mistake now, seeing both my front and rear brakes are weak.

They worked just fine yesterday before I washed them. My bike is 2 years old, slightly used and it just got worked on so almost all the old parts got replaced

Did I cook myself or is this easily fixable?

People exalt high end bibs to no end and rapha seems to always be thrown in the convo as the go to or entry level high end bib. I just got my first pair since I had a gift card to use and I am kinda disappointed lol. It’s comfy because the chamois is just way thicker than other bibs. If my aliexpress bibs are a 6/10 comfort these are a 7/10. At triple the price. I was really led to believe they had some super material science technology that made the chamois more comfortable but its just more foam lol. Obviously this is all personal preference but damn if you want raphas just get some chinese ones that have thick foam. All in all they are just fine. I will not be spending more than $200 on bibs any time soon haha

I have been biking for almost a month now and have been doing paved and gravel paths but I am looking to ride more on the road does anyone have tips and tricks on how to get started on that?

There is a 2004 lemons tete de course for $850. I cannot seem to find a better deal but I want to sound check this with the community. I’m coming from a 1950’s steel Peugeot Monaco 10 spd, so this will be my first real bike. I felt silly going to my first triathlon using a 30 lb bike because folks couldn’t believe how heavy it was. I didn’t do half bad but I’m wondering if I can get something a little better without breaking the bank.

This bike intrigued me because it comes with Dura Ace components, had a half titanium and half carbon frame, and so I think it should be pretty high quality even if it’s 22 years old. It is only 19 lbs and the correct size for my body.

Does anyone have any feedback? Anything with as nice groupsets and carbon frame run me $1200+ and this is for $850

Can anybody tell me why Assos would reduce the width of its padding by over 1.5cm for the same bib short size on the next version of the same bib shorts?

I recently purchased a pair of Ultra cycling bib shorts (UMA GTV Bib Shorts S11) after 2 years of intensive use of its predecessor (UMA GTV Bib Shorts C2 EVO), same size (L), and quickly realised that the pad was much smaller.

When I measured the new pad, it appeared to be 14.5cm wide compared to its previous version that is 16cm wide. On their product description, Assos indicates 'new cuts on the sides to reduce volume and friction'. Thank you but erm... As far as I'm aware, my sit bones haven't shrunk over time 🥸 Most annoying thing is that I measured my partner's new Assos bib shorts (male) and the width of the pad is no shorter than 16.5cm!!! Since when do men have 2cm wider sit bones than women?!
I tried them on and *drumroll* my sit bones seem to fall right on the edge of the pad, causing pain for a simple 10km-ish ride... These were my favourite bib shorts and I really need to find a substitute for ultra distances with a good padding density (and width!).

Let me know if you are facing the same issue, if you are an Assos or other bib short brand technical/R&D expert to explain the foundational reason behind such a change, or if you have any recommendations for women ultra distance bib shorts with technical breaks feature & great padding & optional cargo pockets which is a plus - thanks! 😄

Power meter pedal was getting low on charge, connected it to an Apple 5W USB power adapter via the supplied charging cable. After 6 hours, the LED on the end of the pedal is still blinking red. Should this eventually turn green, and how long should it take?

The street I live on doesn't get much traffic, but it also doesn't have sidewalks. When my wife and I go for a walk, we walk facing oncoming traffic—cars and cyclists—which got me thinking about shared-use pedestrian/bike paths….and the “on your Left…and bell ringing”.

What if walkers always stayed to the left side of the path and cyclists rode on the right? That way, pedestrians would be facing approaching cyclists instead of having them come up from behind.

It would eliminate a lot of the "on your left!" calls,  and those scary moments when someone gets startled and jumps...to the left. Everyone could see each other coming, there'd be fewer surprises, and pedestrians could naturally stay closer to the edge of the path while cyclists pass toward the middle.

Obviously, the biggest obstacle is that it would require everyone to adopt a completely different mindset, so it's probably never going to happen. Still, it's fun to think about.

Am I missing some downside here, or does this actually make sense?

(edits provided by ChatGPT)

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on finding sponsors within the gravel racing world.

I compete in a lot of gravel races and it is my dream to make a name for myself in the gravel scene. To keep pursuing that goal i’m looking for sponsors, as funding a full race programme on my own is simply not realistic.

I’m especially interested in smaller or upcoming brands that may be more open to supporting individual riders.

For those who have successfully found sponsors: what made brands interested in working with you? Was it mainly race results, social media reach, content creation, professionalism or something else?

Are there any upcoming gravel or cycling brands you think would be worth contacting? I’m based in Belgium but regularly race internationally. My reach on social media is still relatively small.

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Why is there only one black person riding the mens tour de france?

Just started with Silca Hot wax and the Silca pot. Chain prep and everything else aside, how are you guys managing the wax left on the chain? It seems to leave big clumps on the end of each link and it’s caked all over my drive train now. Do I have to play around with the temp? (Currently doing 75°c)

Have ever been passed by motorcyclists and they act like they're pedaling their bikes? I've seen it many times and I just wave. But I wonder, are they poking fun or is it a nod to their two wheeled friends?

Edit: Just to add that it's never a solo rider on a Honda. It's always a group on a Harley or crotch rocket.

I was biking home today and had a near miss with a car driver...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWomHgAlL7A

jak radzicie sobie w deszczu i z potem?Jaka odzież na lato itp?

Also how much better is Di2 over 105 mechanical?

Hello 👋 J’ai reçu un kit cadre neuf (commandé online) avec 3 micro éclats de peinture sur une pâte arrière, le plus gros fait 1mm. Le reste du cadre est nickel.

Le cadre est en alu (Cinelli - Alliage Columbus Airplane Triple Butted)

2 questions que je me pose :

1. À la place, que feriez vous ? Renvoi du cadre ? Demande de geste commercial au revendeur ? Rien ?
2. Dans l’hypothèse où je garde le cadre, quel est le meilleur moyen de fixer le défaut et que l’éclat ne s’élargisse pas ? Vernis incolore carrosserie appliqué en direct dessus?

Merci pour votre aide 🙏

I just bought my first carbon bike.
Wondering the best way to transport it with a car. Inside the car is best… what’s next best?
On top of the car?
On a rack behind the car?
Has anyone tried putting it inside a cargo roof box?
Thanks.