Re: New to cycling
 

It was great fun. Especially after bending the rim - I allowed mnyself to hit jumps etc becuase it didn't matter if I caused more damage.

I'm probably just going to get a solid set of off road wheels and keep them for the tracks, rather than get another bike - as it would be roughly 1/5 of the cost.

Re: New to cycling
 

Hey guys,

Just wondering if any of your seasoned riders know much about the Wilier bike brand and it's history?

Am considering this brand as it seems to have a good reputation for quality but not many know about the brand or it's recent history for reliability etc.

What are the Campangnolo groupo's like compared to Shimano and SRAM?

The bikes I am thinking of are Wilier Latriestina in this link
http://www.upfrontbikes.com/page10.php

Another model is the Izoard XP.
http://www.trakcycles.com.au/bikes/i...lier+Izoard+XP

Re: New to cycling
 

One of the guys I ride with, he's an ex racer, has a bike that he has built himself to his exact specs, he chose a Willier, not sure which model though, but he prides himself on being a sprinter so I assume he has picked one of the stiffest ones.

Re: New to cycling
 

Shav,

The Willier's are a beautiful frame.. Truth be told, I was looking at the Superlegera (sp) at one stage and was fortunate enough to take one for a short ride equipped with super record, it was such a nice ride....They are a brilliant bike, however you will pay for it !!!!

The Izoard is a nice looking bike and you don't seem to see many around.... As for Campagnolo groupos, I would say they are IMHO the best groupsets on the market. Have ridden on Shimano, SRAM and Campag and the smoothness and direct feel of the shifters on the campag is far superior (comparing super record with SRAM red and DA and Veloce with 105s and Apex)... Having said that, I still went for SRAM red on the Ridley as I was persuaded by the Mrs....

Re: New to cycling
 

Thanks for your post mate. That's helped a lot. The Wilier frame has really got me interested, and I love the look of it, plus it looks different from the 20000 Giant bikes you see on the roads. I can get the Izoard locally from Trak Cycles around the corner from work for that exact price, plus accessories. Just love the thought of a full carbon monocoque frame with Utegra's (although only 6600). But yes the $2600 price tag is stretching my budget to the extreme as I want to upgrade wheels with Mavis Ksyriums and Rubino Kevlar tyres or similar. I am not familiar with the Fulcrum rims, are they decent?

All in all, I really want to get a full carbon quality built frame, seat post with Ultegra or SRAM Rival's minimum for hopefully a starting price of 2k. If they come with Campag's then even better by the sounds of things. Then spec up the lightweight rims and Kevlar tires.

possible? I may have to wait for the new season sales later on this year by the sounds of it.

Re: New to cycling
 

Comparing groupsets is a very personal thing though and everyone will have a different opnion.. The guys I ride with have a mixture of Shimano, Campag and SRAM and all swear by their gear...


What model of Fulcrums are you looking at? Fulcrum 5s are a pretty good bang for buck wheel... There are also the Racing 1s and Zero's (with ceramic bearings) but be prepared to dig deep for those!!! ...


On a side note Contador has been banned for 2 years and his 2010 Tour de France victory has been handed to Schleck for doping
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cas-...enbuterol-case

Re: New to cycling
 

The Izoard has Fulcrum 5's by the look of that picture in the link. Would you compare them to the Ksyrium Equipes?

I also read about Contador last night. What a shame, he has to forfeit his TDF title from 2010 and his Giro d'Italia title.

Re: New to cycling
 

Noticed that this has become our goto thread for cyclists so I will post this in here....


My father's bike was stolen yesterday from Port Melbourne. The Bike is a blue framed Kennedy with the initials CMM on the top tube, with an ultegra groupset, ultegra wheelset and Look pedals. At the moment he is totally shattered.. They are not a common bike so fingers crossed it gets found... Whilst it probably isn't worth much it does hold a lot of sentimental value.... If anyone comes across anything that remotely resembles the bike please PM any info yo may have.
I'll see if i can find some pics in the comming days.

Re: New to cycling
 

That sucks to see this happen to good people. Is the bike insured?

Re: New to cycling
 

Unfortunately no, it wasn't insured. It's listed on his H&C but that doesn't cover the bike outside of his premises...


I have listed my bikes on my H&C insurance policy and those alone added 50bux per month to my premium!... It has never crossed my mind to insure my bikes outside of the house as the only time they are not moving are when they are inside the car... Might have to reconsider after this though

Re: New to cycling
 

yeah I have my bikes insured under H&C as well but they don't cover the bikes when on the road. Velosure do this cover. Its gets pricey though.

I am covered personally against injury and loss of income with BikeSA. But that does not cover the bike. Its a separate cover again. This stuff can get pricey.

Re: New to cycling
 

here are some pictures of yours truly for you commuters and roadies to be in awe over haha

http://i.imgur.com/yaQ0U.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/shVmR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/67GkM.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ykWU4.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jQ56O.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/o22bs.jpg

Re: New to cycling
 

Looking good Hal. :D

Re: New to cycling
 

None of my bikes are insured (other than H&C), and frankly i'm not going to bother... they dont have brakes. So if I was at fault, insurance wouldn't cover me anyway! And if I was unfortunate enough to be in an accident caused by somebody else, then their insurance/the government would cover me.

If I had dropped a couple of k on a carbon roadie, which is road legal, I would investigate. Nothing like having a crash on your own accord and cracking a brand new frame ha!


In other news, I've stripped down my Hillman for a full rebuild. Selling off the vintage groupset, giving the wheels to my dad.

Will be building it up with a modern group/wheels (Probs Tiagra because it's cheap, and new Tiagra 10spd has been getting great reviews). Sticking to the budget this time because this is only for a bit of fun/sunday ride with the old man. If i wanted to ride road all the time, I would buy a new road bike, not a vintage Steel bike with modern group! For now I just train on my Fixed Gear! Did an 82km ride at 29.6kph average the other day with 2 mates on roadies! Was sore the next morning ha!

Frame has been confirmed by Hillman as being Legit, Built by Gordon Hill in 1985 out of Reynolds 531 Steel with Campagnolo Fork Tips and Drop outs! :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...an008small.jpg

Re: New to cycling
 

You might want to check your home and contents insurance. I reckon my bike is covered away from home, but I have accidental damage cover too. I'm with CGU (via People's Choice CU)
http://www.cgu.com.au/cgu/cgusystems...with-Flood.pdf

Re: New to cycling
 

Ol boy is doing some investigating.. Will let you know how he goes....






Very nice pickup!!!!!! :yummy:

Re: New to cycling
 

well after doing some running and watching what im eating re the :my fitness pal" thread...and reading this thread...i brought a bike.

its a hybrid shogun, cheap, feels nice on the road and will do me for the mean time as another form of exercise. il get a photo up soon

the one thing however, i havent seen mentioned on here is helmets. I had a nasty stack on a bike when i was younger and the dr.s said that if i didnt have the "stackhat" i was wearing at the time, id either be dead or have nasty brain damage.
so im after a good, well (cheaper) priced helmet. open to suggestions, but i dont want to be paying top dollar.

Re: New to cycling
 

https://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f...1022012188.jpg

went for a ride last night, only a few kms but it went well. i remember bike riding used to be a lot easier lol.

any help with the helmets?

Re: New to cycling
 

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/

If you can wait the time it takes for delivery. Buy online. SO much cheaper. Can get a good helmet that would cost a packet here for wayyyyy less.

Re: New to cycling
 

As long as the helmets meets what ever the ADR compliance rules are, it shouldn't matter too much. I have a Netti branded helmet I got from my LBS for about $60. Not top of the range, and not the cheapest but looks fine, meets the road rules and does the job.

Very similar to this
http://www.solasport.com.au/products...il_helmet.aspx

Re: New to cycling
 

Be wary of buying helmets online.. They don't come with an ADR compliance... In the event of an accident you may not be covered by your insurance....

I picked up a Giro Ionos for $80 brand new in box without an ADR sticker and keep it in the car as an emergency.....

If this doesn't phase you wiggle, CRC etc will get you some killer helmets..

Re: New to cycling
 

I have found some of the LBS's will happily match online prices of the same stock if you ask. Having the ADR standards sticker is a must for insurance claims. It's just a matter of finding a brand that gets stocked here in australia as well as sold overseas and asking the question.

I found Bicycle Express here in the city of Adelaide do as good, if not better prices than wiggle for certain gear. All backed with a warranty and posted to your door if you wanted. Most bike helmets are a universal fit with adjustable components built in to suit all head sizes. you can often bargain with them to lower the price a bit.

http://www.bicycleexpress.com.au/sto...FS_Helmet.aspx

Re: New to cycling
 

Normally I get the but we have overheads to pay line, which is fair enough, but on occassions you are quite right, afterall you'll never know if you dont ask. !




Yep bicycle express and also cycling express have filled that gap locally between overseas online retailer and a bricks and mortor store... CE have store, 5 minutes up the road from where I work!!!... I got to test ride one of those Azzurri's with Ultegra Di2 and was very impressed with it! Good bunch of guys that work there and they know their stuff... Sometimes postage is a little slow but they are still quicker than the OS online giants and pricing is just as good.

Re: New to cycling
 

Buy helmets from your Local Bike Shop. Might be a little dearer, but you can try them on, maybe get a discount, and ultimately, it has that ADR sticker so you can Race.

Buying online is always a gamble. It might not be comfortable, or it might not have the ADR sticker. Do you research, you might get lucky buying online, but helmets are one of the things ill hit my LBS for.

Shoes on the other hand....

Re: New to cycling
 

Just remember, if you're going to enter any cycling event, being racing or community events, you'll have to have a helmet with ADR stickers on it.
I know that the triathlon I've done in the past, they check your helmet on the way in to the transition area.

Re: New to cycling
 

I noticed how well the priced the Azzurri bikes are compared to the International brands and was impressed. Do you know if the CF frame is hand laid and what not? Is it a monocoque design or composite? The componentry is also impressive for what you get as well. Aren't the Di2 compo's electronic?

Not a lot of LBS's stock this brand either, is there any reason?

Re: New to cycling
 

Absolutely.. The tri series I particpated in had some pre race checks done... They didn't seem to do it for the fun series though..


Dont quote me but am pretty sure their CF frames are all hand laid..... Their Forza is a monocoque design though..
And yes the Di2 technology has been brought down to ultegra too!
As to why LBS' don't stock this brand I am unsure; It is a lesser known brand, however they do have a lifetime warranty on the frame (pretty standard these days from most manufacturers)... There are quite a few shops in Melbourne who do stock them. Also pretty sure they are made in Aus too!

Re: New to cycling
 

thanks for the tips about the helmets, but i dont plan to race :yelrotflm . but id rather go and see a local shop and help them out so i get the right size

Re: New to cycling
 

Aussie made I'm 99% sure!!

I had a ride of a mates Azzuri Track which is all carbon, carbon seat, cranks, bars, stem, whole lot.

The thing weighed about 3 tonnes I swear, heavier than my steel track bike, but damn it was STIFF. Most track guys don't stress to much about weight, but stiffness and power transfer. Besides, have you seen the size of their quads? Pushing 52/12 and higher on the track is no big deal for them ha ha

Re: New to cycling
 

Here is a Hitler rant about Cyclists on the roads.
http://vimeo.com/36287895