Ride quality - how to improve it?
Discussion
My rides since the start of the year have often been miserable due to the terrible quality of the roads around the Surrey area - If you live around here you will know what I mean.
I have upgraded from 32 tubes to 35 tubeless and have carbon fibre seat post and front fork, have upgraded my saddle and I am still shaken to bits and have known danger on pretty much every single journey. I don't know how you roadies handle the craters with your high pressure slick tyres.
I know why there are so many 4x4s on the road now, it is to handle the lunar like surfaces of the roads. I now find myself looking at mountain bikes to replace my commuter
I have upgraded from 32 tubes to 35 tubeless and have carbon fibre seat post and front fork, have upgraded my saddle and I am still shaken to bits and have known danger on pretty much every single journey. I don't know how you roadies handle the craters with your high pressure slick tyres.
I know why there are so many 4x4s on the road now, it is to handle the lunar like surfaces of the roads. I now find myself looking at mountain bikes to replace my commuter
272BHP said:
My rides since the start of the year have often been miserable due to the terrible quality of the roads around the Surrey area - If you live around here you will know what I mean.
I have upgraded from 32 tubes to 35 tubeless and have carbon fibre seat post and front fork, have upgraded my saddle and I am still shaken to bits and have known danger on pretty much every single journey. I don't know how you roadies handle the craters with your high pressure slick tyres.
I know why there are so many 4x4s on the road now, it is to handle the lunar like surfaces of the roads. I now find myself looking at mountain bikes to replace my commuter
What tyre pressures are you running?I have upgraded from 32 tubes to 35 tubeless and have carbon fibre seat post and front fork, have upgraded my saddle and I am still shaken to bits and have known danger on pretty much every single journey. I don't know how you roadies handle the craters with your high pressure slick tyres.
I know why there are so many 4x4s on the road now, it is to handle the lunar like surfaces of the roads. I now find myself looking at mountain bikes to replace my commuter
JEA1K said:
272BHP said:
My rides since the start of the year have often been miserable due to the terrible quality of the roads around the Surrey area - If you live around here you will know what I mean.
I have upgraded from 32 tubes to 35 tubeless and have carbon fibre seat post and front fork, have upgraded my saddle and I am still shaken to bits and have known danger on pretty much every single journey. I don't know how you roadies handle the craters with your high pressure slick tyres.
I know why there are so many 4x4s on the road now, it is to handle the lunar like surfaces of the roads. I now find myself looking at mountain bikes to replace my commuter
What tyre pressures are you running?I have upgraded from 32 tubes to 35 tubeless and have carbon fibre seat post and front fork, have upgraded my saddle and I am still shaken to bits and have known danger on pretty much every single journey. I don't know how you roadies handle the craters with your high pressure slick tyres.
I know why there are so many 4x4s on the road now, it is to handle the lunar like surfaces of the roads. I now find myself looking at mountain bikes to replace my commuter
Also check padding on gloves, and design of grips/padded bar tape. And if it feels uncomfortable on your hands check the relative height of your saddle to bars - maybe putting too much weight forward?
Could also try a different saddle and/or padded shorts.
In Gloucestershire where I do most of my riding I'm sure there are communities of lost cyclists living in some of the potholes.
I find it's not the potholes that are the issue as a pothole in an otherwise good surface can be ridden around. It's the road surfaces with large stone poorly embedded into the surface. My tactic is to avoid these roads wherever possible, even if it means riding extra miles to do so.
Double wrap your bars with decent handlebar tape? It won't make a massive difference but every little helps.
I find it's not the potholes that are the issue as a pothole in an otherwise good surface can be ridden around. It's the road surfaces with large stone poorly embedded into the surface. My tactic is to avoid these roads wherever possible, even if it means riding extra miles to do so.
Double wrap your bars with decent handlebar tape? It won't make a massive difference but every little helps.
PastelNata said:
Gravel bike.
My Specialized gravel bike has adjustable front suspension in the headset and 42mm tubeless that I run at around 35psi.
Result: comfortable off-road on bridleways and bad roads aren’t a problem.
Very nice bike, how does the suspension work, can't see anything under the head tube like the (old style) cannondale headshok..?My Specialized gravel bike has adjustable front suspension in the headset and 42mm tubeless that I run at around 35psi.
Result: comfortable off-road on bridleways and bad roads aren’t a problem.
Mostly pressures. If you're getting shaken up on 35's something is very wrong.
28s at 70/60 are pretty comfy for me (I'm on the hefty side). Your front can be a chunk lower than the rear because there's less weight on it. Also realise that the comfort in larger tyres comes from the ability to run lower pressures. A 35 at 60psi will be LESS comfortable than a 28 at 60psi.
Double wrap of bartape helps mine for hand comfort - that only runs to the hoods.
Also one of the best things I've bought is a *specific* seatpost - the canyon S13 vcls post (my bike is not a canyon) I didn't want a clonky big/heavy suspension post. I did want some give. I was skepical at the cost, but really rate it after a year plus - there's a surprising amount of compliance.
Last of all, remember you can go around the holes / think about where you ride relative to the gutter/worst parts of the road..
28s at 70/60 are pretty comfy for me (I'm on the hefty side). Your front can be a chunk lower than the rear because there's less weight on it. Also realise that the comfort in larger tyres comes from the ability to run lower pressures. A 35 at 60psi will be LESS comfortable than a 28 at 60psi.
Double wrap of bartape helps mine for hand comfort - that only runs to the hoods.
Also one of the best things I've bought is a *specific* seatpost - the canyon S13 vcls post (my bike is not a canyon) I didn't want a clonky big/heavy suspension post. I did want some give. I was skepical at the cost, but really rate it after a year plus - there's a surprising amount of compliance.
Last of all, remember you can go around the holes / think about where you ride relative to the gutter/worst parts of the road..
I've no idea what kind of bike you're talking about but my solution, when I was commuting across London frequently, was to start with a Boardman 8.9 hybrid. It came with carbon forks which take a lot of the chatter away. It also came with a gel saddle but if it hadn't I'd have added one as I always did to previous bikes.
The one thing I did add was a set of add nice fat Ergon grips. They make quite a difference. A seatpost with suspension would do more again; my wife has one of those on her hybrid but mine is comfortable enough for me now.
I can't remember what tyres it's on but they're not ridiculously skinny and so also soak up a fair amount of vibration.
The one thing I did add was a set of add nice fat Ergon grips. They make quite a difference. A seatpost with suspension would do more again; my wife has one of those on her hybrid but mine is comfortable enough for me now.
I can't remember what tyres it's on but they're not ridiculously skinny and so also soak up a fair amount of vibration.
budgie smuggler said:
Very nice bike, how does the suspension work, can't see anything under the head tube like the (old style) cannondale headshok..?
It's the Diverge so the suspension is like this: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/future-shock
It removes most of the vibration through the handlebars making the bike ideal for bridleways etc.
I’m surprised you’re having an issue at those pressures OP.
I find both my winter (little bit stiff) and summer (stiff) bikes on 32mm tyres (65/60PSI F/R) are comfortable with the roads here (West Berkshire) and I can’t imagine they’re too dissimilar from the roads near you.
Because of how stiff everything in the roadie world is made nowadays, you’ll struggle to gain any compliance with carbon parts.
Could you be loading your hands too much when riding?
I find both my winter (little bit stiff) and summer (stiff) bikes on 32mm tyres (65/60PSI F/R) are comfortable with the roads here (West Berkshire) and I can’t imagine they’re too dissimilar from the roads near you.
Because of how stiff everything in the roadie world is made nowadays, you’ll struggle to gain any compliance with carbon parts.
Could you be loading your hands too much when riding?
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