Chiming in on the Zwift (Indoor trainer or power pedals? What is more accurate?) topic as I use the Assioma pedals with my Kickr on Zwift. I also noticed a difference in my power numbers when using the Kickr for power, then saw a comment from another rider; he suggested using the pedals for cadence and power source, and the Kickr for the resistance (erg mode). That way, I'm getting a more accurate power reading across both channels, indoors and outdoors. This setup has worked perfectly for me, providing more consistent power numbers that align with Zwift and outdoors.
Jobst Brandt, author of "The bicycle wheel", would suggest that you use quality double butted spokes in a rim and then stress relieve the spokes after building the wheel. The spokes will last forever. Higher Spoke count is much more important when the rider is heavy. I am heavy rider and this advice has served me well on my wheels.
Totally true. Double-butted spokes can make a more durable wheel. Like you, on my wheels, I never break a spoke or even need to true the wheel again after building it, and I'm also heavy. The rims would wear down (pre disc) first, and I would install a new rim reusing the spokes. Great book! I hope the guys read your comment, they would enjoy that book and update their advice. If they had seen they guy's broken spokes, they would notice that the butted spokes broke on the thick part, so they would need an explanation. As you said, stress relief needed. Thanks!
This is practical information. You need to use high quality spokes. However, high quality full through spokes will be stronger if the wheel is built properly. Most straight through spokes are low quality unfortunately.
Yeah, he was right. RIP. I rode with him a few times and discussed this very topic. It's kind of hard to explain the science in youtube comments so I won't bother. I can wholeheartedly recommend the book though.
I'm tall (1,95 m) and fat (150 kg). For many years I had been struggling with breaking straight gauge spokes (rear wheel, drive side, 36 spokes) at the j-bend. After reading Jobst Brandt's book I ordered custom wheels (36 spokes), 2,3 (j-bend) - 1,8 - 2,0 mm on the drive side and 2,0 - 1,8 - 2,0 mm on non-drive side. I've been riding on them for 4 years and with no issues. So I highly recommend double butted spokes, but 1,8 mm on the thinnest piece, not 1,5 mm.
I downsized my cyclocross bike's chainring from 40t to 36t. It has an 11-36 cassette. I only use it to ride gravel, fire roads and dirt singletrack. Some climbs are over 20% in very loose surfaces. That smaller chainring makes it so much easier. I'm a pretty decent climber on road but off road steep and loose climbs require power delivery while seated on the saddle to maintain traction. A smaller chainring is very helpful in such situations. Going downhill on that bike, I'm limited by my confidence and technical ability in the kinds of trails I go on rather than any sort of gearing.
Loved the question about big chain rings. I have a friend that has been cycling for many years. She calls them knee wreckers as she has had knee surgeries couple times and downsized to smaller.
7:25 I though the bedding in of the brakes was not just to get some brake material on the rotors, but also to mesh the specific pads with the specific imperfections of the rotor used and vice versa. The latter is probably the least impactful effect.
My favero asioma duo shi also reads 5-10w lower than my wahoo kickr v6. It’s good to know that someone else is also losing their mind about the same issue. I end up disconnect Zwift from training peak and Strava. Now I just use garmin bike computer and garmin connect to training peaks and Strava so all my data outdoor and indoor are from the same power source.
Great vid. Tested my trainer (Tacx Flux 2) VS my Favero pedals last year. Ran them simultaneously and metered as I rode. Got generally within +/-2% of each other, which probably is within margin of error for both devices. So in general I think you can take readings for what they are. Good idea to recalibrate occasionally.
Brake bedding info (Race car mechanic here): typically pads and rotors are pre bedded, but a new wheel on a bike with a brand new brake rotor on used pads isn’t a problem. The first couple hard braking zones will get the pads flattened to the rotor. Pads and rotors on race bikes are changed often enough to not be an issue. On race cars, we actually like to only change one thing at a time, new pads and new rotors can cause a lot of heat and actually overheat in the first session out
Talking about the gearing, I just went through this exercise and as I am in my 60s, realizing that trying to push a bigger ring is not my friend any longer, and like the questioner, I live in a very flat area. I looked at my SRAM app over my last 40 rides for 2 different bikes, a 1X, the other is a 2X. I have used my small ring on the 2x , 2 times for about 3 mins. I am going to convert that bike to a 1X, reduce from the 48\35 to a 44 tooth and stick with my 10-33. The gear ratios will be better and I can slide into the 15, 14, 13 more comfortably, and still have 3 more cogs for when I am riding in a group to hang with the group. The 28 and 33 cogs will be my bailout cogs. Will also be changing the current 1X ring from a 46 to a 44 on my gravel as I am planning on some hillier gravel areas in the future and this should work out perfectly as I can run a 10-36 or 10-44 based on where I am at and still have a comfortable cadence.
Smaller chainrings, go for it. I've been using 48/32 for a few years now and would not swap back to bigger. I couldn't get that with the ultegra groupset so got a very nice FSA carbon chain set. With Ultegra 11/28 mechanical, perfect!😁👍
Favero Pedals: The latest pedals have been calibrated accurately. However, my first pair of Assiomas were about 5% out, so I did a static weight calibration.
Rolf Prima offers Clydesdale-wheel sets. Not only one of , if not the fastest wheels made, but I’m going on 15 years on two out of three wheel sets with no issues. Third wheels are only ten years old no issues.
#askgcntech I have a commute home of 3miles (5km) it all slight uphill 1-2#ish on a brompton it takes me 17 mins to get home avg speed 11 mph. How much faster would a road bike or tri bike be? Basically how much do I suck? Thank you for all the motivation to keep riding my bike.
Strange gauge vs double butted spokes for the (cycling) “heavy” rider. 2 wheels were deep section expensive carbon wheels (factory made) with double butted DT Swiss spokes. 28 spokes on each and never out of true. The track/fixed wheel was hand made with 32 double butted DT Swiss spokes, box rim, and also never out of true. All failed about 2 inches from the bend. I also ride a relatively cheap Halo Aerorage track type wheel with “cheap” single butted (no brand) 32 spoke wheel; never failed, never out of true and more mileage on it than the 3 other wheels combined. I strongly suspect an inherent weakness in double butted spokes where their thickness is changed. I also appreciate that spoke tension/wheel build quality etc is very important.
Hunts superdura wheels are designed for heavy rugby player type build riders. Designed around a retired rugby player to ride the cobbles at Paris Roubaix. Not the fastest wheels but very durable.
if you're heavy go with 12 guage spokes. standard bike spokes are thinner, 13 guage. you can buy the spokes precut and then pay a wheel builder at the bike shop to build and true the wheels.
Double butted spokes are always better. Always. Something else is the problem if this guy is breaking spokes. Increase spoke count or change spoke brands.
True Greg,the tensile strength on double butted spoke is supposed to be higher because they are better quality as DT and Sapim states.Maybe his spoke tension is right.🤔
Yeah, butted for the win! Nothing much wrong with plain gauge though apart from weight and not being aero. But most importantly, wheelbuilding technique and maintenance. Braking not at the bend but 5cm away - halfway between the bend and the cross - is a definitive indication spokes got loose and started to bend.
I agree. Double butted, always! If someone complained that they were breaking straight gauge spokes, I would consider rebuilding with butted. They’re stronger and springier, which helps to prevent them going slack. Momentary slackening of the spokes, particularly leading spokes, when torque is applied, creates the worst conditions for fatigue failure. The questioner was breaking non-drive side spokes. In a dished rear wheel these are the lowest tension spokes which makes them particularly vulnerable. I would design a wheel with a particular focus on maximising the build tension in the NDS spokes. Maybe consider a lighter spoke gauge than the drive side. The quality of the build is important too - things like stress relieving the spokes are often overlooked.
Huh? You do know how double-butted spokes are made? They will break easier if the issue is overweight. Many spoke snap because they are over tensioned not due to wear. Maybe an issue of corrosion is a factor as well.
The increased heart rate in the heat is in fact a result of your body needing too cool. To do this it sends blood to the skin to interact with the outside temperature and in that way cool down the blood to keep the body from storing the heat and overheat. If the same amount of oxygen is needed in the legs than this results in the heart needing to work harder in order tho supply the skin as well as the legs with blood. This results in a higher heart rate as the stroke volume of each beat usually tops out at 50% VO2max. So the only way to increase cardiac output is to increase the heart rate. So possible your gear is a bit to warm for the temperature.
#askgcntech on the topic of indoor trainers, I am curious to know how often you all would suggest cleaning/relubricating the chain if using an indoor trainer for the winter (3 - 4 times a week for an hour and a half at a time)?
I’m only 6’0” 200lbs and broke 3 spokes on the rear wheel last year, so I also have to use gravel wheels on my road bike now. I haven’t broken a spoke in over 6 months now, hopefully it will stay that way.
You need a crows foot wrench to torque Garmin pedals. A video showing people how to do this would be useful to many people. The engineers have presumably specified a torque setting for a reason. My thoughts are that a different torque would alter the ‘tension’ in the pedal axle and hence the reading of torque inputs via the pedals. An engineers perspective on this would (to me) be very interesting.
Thanks Alex , Dr O , and crew . What do you think about cable actuated hydraulic brakes ? I need to replace parts , on my older mechanical brakes and I was considering a bit of an upgrade ? Thanks again , be well
For SteveHoller -cox1400 I would be curious to know where the double butted spoke broke and if it is a straight spoke or a hooked spoke. If a hooked spoke that broke at the hook where the spoke connects to the hub then the double butting of the spoke does not seem like the cause of the failure. If, however, the spoke broke at the thinned part of the spoke where the narrow gauge of the double butting existed (generally uncommon to break here) then a straight gauge spoke would likely be beneficial. This assumes the spokes are quality, stainless steel spokes by a reputable brand like DT or Weinmann.
@@ronaldsmith5375 two wheels were deep section expensive carbon wheels (factory made) with double butted DT Swiss spokes. 28 spokes on each and never out of true. The track/fixed wheel was hand made with 32 double butted DT Swiss spokes, box rim, and also never out of true. All failed about 2 inches from the bend. I also ride a relatively cheap Halo Aerorage track type wheel with “cheap” single butted (no brand) 32 spoke wheel; never failed, never out of true and more mileage on it than the 3 other wheels combined. I strongly suspect an inherent weakness in double butted spokes where their thickness is changed. I also appreciate that spoke tension/wheel build quality etc is very important.
#askgcntech have you had any experience changing a Trek Emonda SL 6 bottom bracket, I believe I need a park tool BBT-35, however this exact model doesn't exist now. I'm changing out the praxis T47 BB out like for like. What tool do I need to do this? Many thanks!
#askgcntech I’m a bit posh so have hot and cold outdoor taps. When washing my (certified super-nice) bike I use the hot tap and it is excellent at helping degrease the drivetrain reducing the amount of degreaser I need to use. Is there any issue in using the hot tap or should I use the cold tap and elbow grease.
You can't bed in all wheels to all bikes at the same time :) also, every bike and every wheel has some different measurements... (by 1-2mm) - That's interesting thing, are they able to match all wheels with all bikes ? (without disc rotors rubbing)
#askgcntech Hi guys, I was waxing my chain the other day and half way through I had to answer nature's call and I came back to burnt wax (I could see the wax vapor and the wax had turned black). Is it ok to continue to use it or do I need to throw the wax away? Tks
#askgcntech I am gettimg back into ryiding after a accedent where i was hit b a car while ryiding. I am getting a new merida endurance carbon with 105 di2 first carbon bike i bave had) but I am currently around 130kg. What hould i change on the bike to help with the added weight and what wheels should I be looking at for replacement, I am not racing but do want to look at a better set. Manly flat where I am but do get a bit of wind at times.
Silka sealant remover does make life easier but only marginally. Cleaning old sealant from tubless tyres are a nightmare. Although i've rode with a plug as big as my finger for more than 40 km after a puncture...
I'll say that between my Samsung 7 watch and a cheap (less than £20) heartrate strap, there's typically only a +/- 3percentage difference in the readings. Caveat to this being that when there's a massive gap, the watch is always 30 -50 beats less than the strap. So I'm more inclined to believe what my heartrate strap is reading.
#askgcntech I bought a titanium frame and all the components for my christmas. Is it possible to have a "How to build a bike" video ? Calculating fork's length and cutting it is a bit scary. Putting all the cables seems a bit messy. And I can't find a GCN tech video about the whole process !
#askgcntech If I have a 9 speed cassette on a smart trainer, can I put on a 8 speed bike? Assuming one person has a 9 speed bike, and the other has a 8 speed bike and only uses erg mod, will there be a problem? I assume the biggest and smallest gears are pre indexed.
#askgcntech Hi Guys! Beeswax Boy is back! 😀🐝What if the rider loses 2kg of weight (not muscle mass) instead of lightening the bike? Will he/she feel the same effect on effort during regular rides, sprints, climbs, and other scenarios? Thanks in advance!
#askgcntech Speaking of indoor training. Can you guys share how you set up multiple indoor trainers, with multiple sensors in the same room without having any connectivity issues. That’s my biggest complaint with my wahoo kicker core (2years almost). I have disconnection issues like 1/3 of the time.
#askgcntech been having a rear derailleur bolt that has become loose in recent months. Never has this before. What could be causing this? (Photo attached)
Using MyWhoosh with Direto or Favero I've had more accurate readings than using Direto or Favero with Zwift, with Favero with MyWoosh giving the most outdoor like readings.
Power meters being off by 10 W in one direction and then 10 W in the other is way, way worse than the advertised accuracy. I'd expect the GCN folks to pick on this.
I have broken drive side rear wheel spokes on two bikes on the same steep hill -- around 15% at its worst -- about 1/3 mile, half paved, half gravel. I weigh around 71 kg or around 156 lbs. I was out of the saddle and so I guess the extra torque snapped the j-bend spokes. However, when I took an e-bike with a small 250 watt front hub motor, the rear wheel was fine every time. I thought that the strain through the spokes of the rear wheel was reduced a lot by the assistance from the front hub motor. Are some rear wheels better for climbing? Or what kinds of wheels are best for very hilly regions? All of my wheels had either 32 or 36 spokes. I live surrounded by steep hills. Thanks.
Sounds very much like a problem of that exact wheel built (tensioned and trued) improperly. Yes, drive side on a rear is the most stressed, yes, j-bend is where the spokes are the weakest. But no, you haven't put any unexpected strain. If you build your own wheels, invest in a tensiometer and don't forget to calibrate it. Also - much overlooked - pay attention to how much tension is lost when the tyre is on and fully inflated. With shallow alu rims it can be a significant proportion, up to 30%
@@feedbackzaloopthis! Properly built and tensioned wheels should handle alot of stress and torque. Tandem wheels can take a beating if built correctly.
As a heavier rider, I had problems with spokes breaking on my rear wheel only with my road bike, having not had this issue with a cheaper mountain bike, when I was heavier (130kg, now down to 110kg) - my local bike mechanic (during the time COVID made bike parts harder to get) ended up getting me on a larger wheel with more spokes (more like a gravel style wheel) and the problem has been solved. However, it just serves as a reminder that the recommended maximum weights for bikes should always be taken as being the total weight for the rider plus bottles, plus anything else they are carrying. it is not unusual to add 5-10kgs extra in weight with lights, bottles, water, food, camera, spares, pump,, tools, etc when going for longer rides
I'm a 90 kg rider myself and have destroyed loads of wheels. What fixed it for me is building my own wheels so I could tailor them for my weight and abuse. Going to straight gauge spokes moves the weak point to the rims, which means you need heavier rims as well. You will end up with a stronger wheel but at the cost of weight. Its weird that your non drive side spokes break, these spokes bear the least of the load. That would point to the spokes being not tension-ed enough. But breaking spokes at the thin part indicates the spokes being overloaded. And its quite a feat to have 3 wheel sets with an incorrect tension. I would take the wheels to a bike shop or wheel builder to get the tension checked.
If you're above 90kg just get 36 spoke rims with the 2mm straight gauge spokes. When you are that heavy the bike will be slow no matter what so you might as well just go for wheels that never need to be trued or break spokes.
lol I am 120kg rider and I race in Cat 2 on 20 spoke carbon rims. I’ve get to break a wheel despite having a 1600 plus watt sprint. Well built wheels with good components matter more than spoke count. In terms of rider weight.
@Ryan.T89 That's unsafe, if you hit a large rock the whole bike is going to explode. You want to be rocking a nice 1900 gram set of 24mm width Alu wheels when you are too heavy. Let the light dudes use the 1200 gram wheels.
Jobst Brandt argued in his classic book on bicycle wheels that butted spokes (2-1.8-2) may be more resistant to fatigue failure, so I built my wheels that way. I’ve had a couple wheels I built this way go 160,000+ miles. I replaced only because I went from freewheel to free hubs a few years ago.
At last some sense on wheels! Too often ordinary riders are being sucked into buying big brand wheels that are for elite cyclists who are prepared to buy high cost wheels regularly or are sponsored. Many elite level wheels have low spoke counts to hit low weights and thus the few spokes in a wheel are under huge tension as each one is supporting a greater portion of rim. Ordinary riders need to consider how long they want their wheels to last before spokes start failing. The same goes for the bearings too. I had a bitter experience with some big brand wheels that cost me around £700 that I only used for summer miles and I am only 73 kg and a careful rider with very 40 years of experience avoiding potholes etc. Those wheels had only 16 spokes in the front wheel and 21 in the back wheel so ended up with spokes snapping 40 miles from home and because each spoke was doing too much work the wheel rim was hitting the frame so I had to slacken several spokes to get home. I then learnt another lesson as the spokes were brand specific with smaller hub ends than standard. I call that proprietary garbage. Since then I had some Cero wheels at 1400 Grams 28 spokes per wheel for three Summers with no problems, they feel fast and I believe they are hand built. Standard spokes no fancy lacing or patterns solid as a rock. Bespoke wheels are the way to go and not as expensive as you may think. Many do unlabelled hubs and rims with Sapim or DT spokes that are lighter and feel better to ride than many of the big brands. Hand built wheels have a completely different feel to them and just bring the bike to life. A Google search will reveal loads of independent small wheel builders.
I always wonder what the use of 11-12-13 spd casettes are, granted I do live in one of the flattest areas on earth (north of East-Flanders) but I usually only use the 3 hardest gears. Is there anybody who actually needs 2X13 gears?
It's not that going from 8 to 12 speed one extends the range - most common cassettes are 11-34 anyway - so flat vs hilly is not the primary difference. Now, optimizing cadence to absurd levels and seeking every little 0,05 km/h difference is where it's at. A very much ITT/Tri thing. And these riders are usually found grazing by the flatlands.
#askgcntech What does the industry classify as a “heavier rider”? I am 180cm and 97kg at the moment (down from 112kg) luckily I haven’t had a wheel issues and all my bikes are steel framed. have a couple of road bikes (Mercian - all L’erioca’d up - and a Ritchey Road Logic (at a meagre 8.1 kg - not bad for a steel road bike).
My experience is that good quality butted spokes are less likely to fail than straight gauge. Look closer at spoke tension as the cause. Heavier riders are more likely to get the downside spoke to unload the pre tension and cause a fatigue fracture at the j bend. Heavier riders probably should keep a closer eye on the tension....I think?
I like to climb but I’m, um, watt limited. I run 43/30 crank and 10-36 cassette. I do spin out on descents (🤷🏻♂️) but man does that setup work when the grade gets steep.
Chiming in on the Zwift (Indoor trainer or power pedals? What is more accurate?) topic as I use the Assioma pedals with my Kickr on Zwift. I also noticed a difference in my power numbers when using the Kickr for power, then saw a comment from another rider; he suggested using the pedals for cadence and power source, and the Kickr for the resistance (erg mode). That way, I'm getting a more accurate power reading across both channels, indoors and outdoors. This setup has worked perfectly for me, providing more consistent power numbers that align with Zwift and outdoors.
Jobst Brandt, author of "The bicycle wheel", would suggest that you use quality double butted spokes in a rim and then stress relieve the spokes after building the wheel. The spokes will last forever. Higher Spoke count is much more important when the rider is heavy. I am heavy rider and this advice
has served me well on my wheels.
Totally true. Double-butted spokes can make a more durable wheel. Like you, on my wheels, I never break a spoke or even need to true the wheel again after building it, and I'm also heavy. The rims would wear down (pre disc) first, and I would install a new rim reusing the spokes. Great book! I hope the guys read your comment, they would enjoy that book and update their advice. If they had seen they guy's broken spokes, they would notice that the butted spokes broke on the thick part, so they would need an explanation. As you said, stress relief needed. Thanks!
This is practical information. You need to use high quality spokes. However, high quality full through spokes will be stronger if the wheel is built properly. Most straight through spokes are low quality unfortunately.
Yeah, he was right. RIP. I rode with him a few times and discussed this very topic. It's kind of hard to explain the science in youtube comments so I won't bother. I can wholeheartedly recommend the book though.
I'm tall (1,95 m) and fat (150 kg). For many years I had been struggling with breaking straight gauge spokes (rear wheel, drive side, 36 spokes) at the j-bend. After reading Jobst Brandt's book I ordered custom wheels (36 spokes), 2,3 (j-bend) - 1,8 - 2,0 mm on the drive side and 2,0 - 1,8 - 2,0 mm on non-drive side. I've been riding on them for 4 years and with no issues. So I highly recommend double butted spokes, but 1,8 mm on the thinnest piece, not 1,5 mm.
Glad to see the power meter vs trainer question come up as I have the same issue!
Yeah, we've been watching you get annoyed!
Got to say Alex and Ollie have nailed all the names this week
Appreciated the Q/A about the wheel spokes. I'm 94kg and love to pound it out going uphill
Remember to use #askgcntech when asking your tech/cycling-related questions!
I downsized my cyclocross bike's chainring from 40t to 36t. It has an 11-36 cassette. I only use it to ride gravel, fire roads and dirt singletrack. Some climbs are over 20% in very loose surfaces. That smaller chainring makes it so much easier. I'm a pretty decent climber on road but off road steep and loose climbs require power delivery while seated on the saddle to maintain traction. A smaller chainring is very helpful in such situations. Going downhill on that bike, I'm limited by my confidence and technical ability in the kinds of trails I go on rather than any sort of gearing.
Loved the question about big chain rings. I have a friend that has been cycling for many years. She calls them knee wreckers as she has had knee surgeries couple times and downsized to smaller.
Awesome show GCN,happy festive season.🎄🎄🎄
7:25 I though the bedding in of the brakes was not just to get some brake material on the rotors, but also to mesh the specific pads with the specific imperfections of the rotor used and vice versa. The latter is probably the least impactful effect.
My favero asioma duo shi also reads 5-10w lower than my wahoo kickr v6. It’s good to know that someone else is also losing their mind about the same issue.
I end up disconnect Zwift from training peak and Strava. Now I just use garmin bike computer and garmin connect to training peaks and Strava so all my data outdoor and indoor are from the same power source.
My Assioma Pro MX2 are reading +1W the same as my Tax Neo 2T
Great vid. Tested my trainer (Tacx Flux 2) VS my Favero pedals last year. Ran them simultaneously and metered as I rode. Got generally within +/-2% of each other, which probably is within margin of error for both devices. So in general I think you can take readings for what they are. Good idea to recalibrate occasionally.
Brake bedding info (Race car mechanic here): typically pads and rotors are pre bedded, but a new wheel on a bike with a brand new brake rotor on used pads isn’t a problem. The first couple hard braking zones will get the pads flattened to the rotor. Pads and rotors on race bikes are changed often enough to not be an issue. On race cars, we actually like to only change one thing at a time, new pads and new rotors can cause a lot of heat and actually overheat in the first session out
Great informative episode!
Talking about the gearing, I just went through this exercise and as I am in my 60s, realizing that trying to push a bigger ring is not my friend any longer, and like the questioner, I live in a very flat area. I looked at my SRAM app over my last 40 rides for 2 different bikes, a 1X, the other is a 2X. I have used my small ring on the 2x , 2 times for about 3 mins. I am going to convert that bike to a 1X, reduce from the 48\35 to a 44 tooth and stick with my 10-33. The gear ratios will be better and I can slide into the 15, 14, 13 more comfortably, and still have 3 more cogs for when I am riding in a group to hang with the group. The 28 and 33 cogs will be my bailout cogs. Will also be changing the current 1X ring from a 46 to a 44 on my gravel as I am planning on some hillier gravel areas in the future and this should work out perfectly as I can run a 10-36 or 10-44 based on where I am at and still have a comfortable cadence.
Smaller chainrings, go for it. I've been using 48/32 for a few years now and would not swap back to bigger. I couldn't get that with the ultegra groupset so got a very nice FSA carbon chain set. With Ultegra 11/28 mechanical, perfect!😁👍
Favero Pedals: The latest pedals have been calibrated accurately. However, my first pair of Assiomas were about 5% out, so I did a static weight calibration.
Rolf Prima offers Clydesdale-wheel sets. Not only one of , if not the fastest wheels made, but I’m going on 15 years on two out of three wheel sets with no issues. Third wheels are only ten years old no issues.
#askgcntech I have a commute home of 3miles (5km) it all slight uphill 1-2#ish on a brompton it takes me 17 mins to get home avg speed 11 mph. How much faster would a road bike or tri bike be? Basically how much do I suck? Thank you for all the motivation to keep riding my bike.
Rolf tandem wheels have as little as 14 spokes on the front and 16 on the back, and use Sapim bladed spokes.
Strange gauge vs double butted spokes for the (cycling) “heavy” rider.
2 wheels were deep section expensive carbon wheels (factory made) with double butted DT Swiss spokes. 28 spokes on each and never out of true. The track/fixed wheel was hand made with 32 double butted DT Swiss spokes, box rim, and also never out of true. All failed about 2 inches from the bend. I also ride a relatively cheap Halo Aerorage track type wheel with “cheap” single butted (no brand) 32 spoke wheel; never failed, never out of true and more mileage on it than the 3 other wheels combined. I strongly suspect an inherent weakness in double butted spokes where their thickness is changed. I also appreciate that spoke tension/wheel build quality etc is very important.
Bring on the science! Thanks, lads.
Hunts superdura wheels are designed for heavy rugby player type build riders. Designed around a retired rugby player to ride the cobbles at Paris Roubaix. Not the fastest wheels but very durable.
Thanks for the video
if you're heavy go with 12 guage spokes. standard bike spokes are thinner, 13 guage. you can buy the spokes precut and then pay a wheel builder at the bike shop to build and true the wheels.
19 century called, reminded now 14g is standard with most performance builds around 17g butting.
Double butted spokes are always better. Always. Something else is the problem if this guy is breaking spokes. Increase spoke count or change spoke brands.
True Greg,the tensile strength on double butted spoke is supposed to be higher because they are better quality as DT and Sapim states.Maybe his spoke tension is right.🤔
Yeah, butted for the win! Nothing much wrong with plain gauge though apart from weight and not being aero.
But most importantly, wheelbuilding technique and maintenance. Braking not at the bend but 5cm away - halfway between the bend and the cross - is a definitive indication spokes got loose and started to bend.
I agree. Double butted, always! If someone complained that they were breaking straight gauge spokes, I would consider rebuilding with butted. They’re stronger and springier, which helps to prevent them going slack. Momentary slackening of the spokes, particularly leading spokes, when torque is applied, creates the worst conditions for fatigue failure. The questioner was breaking non-drive side spokes. In a dished rear wheel these are the lowest tension spokes which makes them particularly vulnerable. I would design a wheel with a particular focus on maximising the build tension in the NDS spokes. Maybe consider a lighter spoke gauge than the drive side. The quality of the build is important too - things like stress relieving the spokes are often overlooked.
He didn’t specify where the spokes are breaking, but I would bet it’s at the bend. Changing to straight spokes won’t fix it.
Huh? You do know how double-butted spokes are made? They will break easier if the issue is overweight. Many spoke snap because they are over tensioned not due to wear. Maybe an issue of corrosion is a factor as well.
I'm a large rider and solved the spoke problems' by riding on tandem wheels!
The increased heart rate in the heat is in fact a result of your body needing too cool. To do this it sends blood to the skin to interact with the outside temperature and in that way cool down the blood to keep the body from storing the heat and overheat.
If the same amount of oxygen is needed in the legs than this results in the heart needing to work harder in order tho supply the skin as well as the legs with blood. This results in a higher heart rate as the stroke volume of each beat usually tops out at 50% VO2max. So the only way to increase cardiac output is to increase the heart rate.
So possible your gear is a bit to warm for the temperature.
#askgcntech on the topic of indoor trainers, I am curious to know how often you all would suggest cleaning/relubricating the chain if using an indoor trainer for the winter (3 - 4 times a week for an hour and a half at a time)?
I’m only 6’0” 200lbs and broke 3 spokes on the rear wheel last year, so I also have to use gravel wheels on my road bike now. I haven’t broken a spoke in over 6 months now, hopefully it will stay that way.
You need a crows foot wrench to torque Garmin pedals. A video showing people how to do this would be useful to many people.
The engineers have presumably specified a torque setting for a reason.
My thoughts are that a different torque would alter the ‘tension’ in the pedal axle and hence the reading of torque inputs via the pedals.
An engineers perspective on this would (to me) be very interesting.
Thanks Alex , Dr O , and crew . What do you think about cable actuated hydraulic brakes ? I need to replace parts , on my older mechanical brakes and I was considering a bit of an upgrade ? Thanks again , be well
For SteveHoller -cox1400 I would be curious to know where the double butted spoke broke and if it is a straight spoke or a hooked spoke. If a hooked spoke that broke at the hook where the spoke connects to the hub then the double butting of the spoke does not seem like the cause of the failure. If, however, the spoke broke at the thinned part of the spoke where the narrow gauge of the double butting existed (generally uncommon to break here) then a straight gauge spoke would likely be beneficial. This assumes the spokes are quality, stainless steel spokes by a reputable brand like DT or Weinmann.
re-read the message. Spokes broke in the middle. Double butting does sound like the culprit.
@@ronaldsmith5375 two wheels were deep section expensive carbon wheels (factory made) with double butted DT Swiss spokes. 28 spokes on each and never out of true. The track/fixed wheel was hand made with 32 double butted DT Swiss spokes, box rim, and also never out of true. All failed about 2 inches from the bend. I also ride a relatively cheap Halo Aerorage track type wheel with “cheap” single butted (no brand) 32 spoke wheel; never failed, never out of true and more mileage on it than the 3 other wheels combined. I strongly suspect an inherent weakness in double butted spokes where their thickness is changed. I also appreciate that spoke tension/wheel build quality etc is very important.
Optical heart rate sensors (watches) measure inaccurately when under loads of clothes in the winter. Indeed strapsnare the way to go.
#askgcntech have you had any experience changing a Trek Emonda SL 6 bottom bracket, I believe I need a park tool BBT-35, however this exact model doesn't exist now. I'm changing out the praxis T47 BB out like for like. What tool do I need to do this?
Many thanks!
Re power pedal reading issue...is the crank length set correctly?
#askgcntech I’m a bit posh so have hot and cold outdoor taps. When washing my (certified super-nice) bike I use the hot tap and it is excellent at helping degrease the drivetrain reducing the amount of degreaser I need to use. Is there any issue in using the hot tap or should I use the cold tap and elbow grease.
You can't bed in all wheels to all bikes at the same time :) also, every bike and every wheel has some different measurements... (by 1-2mm) - That's interesting thing, are they able to match all wheels with all bikes ? (without disc rotors rubbing)
#askgcntech
Hi guys, I was waxing my chain the other day and half way through I had to answer nature's call and I came back to burnt wax (I could see the wax vapor and the wax had turned black). Is it ok to continue to use it or do I need to throw the wax away? Tks
#askgcntech I am gettimg back into ryiding after a accedent where i was hit b a car while ryiding. I am getting a new merida endurance carbon with 105 di2 first carbon bike i bave had) but I am currently around 130kg. What hould i change on the bike to help with the added weight and what wheels should I be looking at for replacement, I am not racing but do want to look at a better set. Manly flat where I am but do get a bit of wind at times.
Silka sealant remover does make life easier but only marginally. Cleaning old sealant from tubless tyres are a nightmare. Although i've rode with a plug as big as my finger for more than 40 km after a puncture...
I'll say that between my Samsung 7 watch and a cheap (less than £20) heartrate strap, there's typically only a +/- 3percentage difference in the readings. Caveat to this being that when there's a massive gap, the watch is always 30 -50 beats less than the strap. So I'm more inclined to believe what my heartrate strap is reading.
I don't need an app to tell me that I don't use gears 8,9,10 even 5% of the time :) and 9,10
#askgcntech I bought a titanium frame and all the components for my christmas. Is it possible to have a "How to build a bike" video ?
Calculating fork's length and cutting it is a bit scary. Putting all the cables seems a bit messy. And I can't find a GCN tech video about the whole process !
#askgcntech If I have a 9 speed cassette on a smart trainer, can I put on a 8 speed bike? Assuming one person has a 9 speed bike, and the other has a 8 speed bike and only uses erg mod, will there be a problem? I assume the biggest and smallest gears are pre indexed.
#askgcntech Hi Guys! Beeswax Boy is back! 😀🐝What if the rider loses 2kg of weight (not muscle mass) instead of lightening the bike? Will he/she feel the same effect on effort during regular rides, sprints, climbs, and other scenarios? Thanks in advance!
#askgcntech Is it ok to leave bikes in the mechanic stand (clamped on the seatpost) for longer durations of time (e.g overnight)?
I've looked everywhere for a little wheel builder. Every one I've spoken to have been of average height though. 😊
#askgcntech
Speaking of indoor training. Can you guys share how you set up multiple indoor trainers, with multiple sensors in the same room without having any connectivity issues.
That’s my biggest complaint with my wahoo kicker core (2years almost). I have disconnection issues like 1/3 of the time.
Im on Zwift by the way and spend 9/12 months on a trainer because im in Anchorage Alaska. So it’s very frustrating.
What no hard questions like tire pressure, seat height. Chain wax. Lmfao
#askgcntech been having a rear derailleur bolt that has become loose in recent months. Never has this before. What could be causing this? (Photo attached)
For the spokes, sounds like the tension is too low. Butted spokes are far stronger than straight spokes, since they bend easier.
If you're concerned with accuracy, Nipple right heart sensor might be for you.
Using MyWhoosh with Direto or Favero I've had more accurate readings than using Direto or Favero with Zwift, with Favero with MyWoosh giving the most outdoor like readings.
You could layer up and head outside...
My SRM also measures 10-15 watts lower compared to my wahoo or a labtest bike…
looks like you are losing too many watts in your drivetrain. Using SRAM chains?
@ no. My SRM measures straight on the cranck…
Shimano setup…
Power meters being off by 10 W in one direction and then 10 W in the other is way, way worse than the advertised accuracy. I'd expect the GCN folks to pick on this.
It's funny because the trainer gives me consistently higher (by 20 Watts) power readings than the left crank Stages Power Meter.
I have broken drive side rear wheel spokes on two bikes on the same steep hill -- around 15% at its worst -- about 1/3 mile, half paved, half gravel. I weigh around 71 kg or around 156 lbs. I was out of the saddle and so I guess the extra torque snapped the j-bend spokes. However, when I took an e-bike with a small 250 watt front hub motor, the rear wheel was fine every time. I thought that the strain through the spokes of the rear wheel was reduced a lot by the assistance from the front hub motor. Are some rear wheels better for climbing? Or what kinds of wheels are best for very hilly regions? All of my wheels had either 32 or 36 spokes. I live surrounded by steep hills. Thanks.
Sounds very much like a problem of that exact wheel built (tensioned and trued) improperly. Yes, drive side on a rear is the most stressed, yes, j-bend is where the spokes are the weakest. But no, you haven't put any unexpected strain.
If you build your own wheels, invest in a tensiometer and don't forget to calibrate it. Also - much overlooked - pay attention to how much tension is lost when the tyre is on and fully inflated. With shallow alu rims it can be a significant proportion, up to 30%
@@feedbackzaloopthis! Properly built and tensioned wheels should handle alot of stress and torque. Tandem wheels can take a beating if built correctly.
I think tahs USA at the end 😅😅😅😅😅😅 classic
Well the best gears are 52/36 front and 10/36 back on 12 speed.
As a heavier rider, I had problems with spokes breaking on my rear wheel only with my road bike, having not had this issue with a cheaper mountain bike, when I was heavier (130kg, now down to 110kg) - my local bike mechanic (during the time COVID made bike parts harder to get) ended up getting me on a larger wheel with more spokes (more like a gravel style wheel) and the problem has been solved. However, it just serves as a reminder that the recommended maximum weights for bikes should always be taken as being the total weight for the rider plus bottles, plus anything else they are carrying. it is not unusual to add 5-10kgs extra in weight with lights, bottles, water, food, camera, spares, pump,, tools, etc when going for longer rides
Hi guys! Where’s Mannon? Isn’t she in the team anymore?
Manon has departed GCN.
Mannon moved on from GCN a few months ago. They gave her a nice send off.
@ is there a video of that?
I'm a 90 kg rider myself and have destroyed loads of wheels. What fixed it for me is building my own wheels so I could tailor them for my weight and abuse. Going to straight gauge spokes moves the weak point to the rims, which means you need heavier rims as well. You will end up with a stronger wheel but at the cost of weight. Its weird that your non drive side spokes break, these spokes bear the least of the load. That would point to the spokes being not tension-ed enough. But breaking spokes at the thin part indicates the spokes being overloaded. And its quite a feat to have 3 wheel sets with an incorrect tension. I would take the wheels to a bike shop or wheel builder to get the tension checked.
If you're above 90kg just get 36 spoke rims with the 2mm straight gauge spokes. When you are that heavy the bike will be slow no matter what so you might as well just go for wheels that never need to be trued or break spokes.
lol I am 120kg rider and I race in Cat 2 on 20 spoke carbon rims. I’ve get to break a wheel despite having a 1600 plus watt sprint. Well built wheels with good components matter more than spoke count. In terms of rider weight.
@Ryan.T89 That's unsafe, if you hit a large rock the whole bike is going to explode. You want to be rocking a nice 1900 gram set of 24mm width Alu wheels when you are too heavy. Let the light dudes use the 1200 gram wheels.
Saying that they're going to be slow no matter what is absolutely ridiculous.
Jobst Brandt argued in his classic book on bicycle wheels that butted spokes (2-1.8-2) may be more resistant to fatigue failure, so I built my wheels that way. I’ve had a couple wheels I built this way go 160,000+ miles. I replaced only because I went from freewheel to free hubs a few years ago.
Will be slower up hill, is this what you mean by slow?
At last some sense on wheels! Too often ordinary riders are being sucked into buying big brand wheels that are for elite cyclists who are prepared to buy high cost wheels regularly or are sponsored. Many elite level wheels have low spoke counts to hit low weights and thus the few spokes in a wheel are under huge tension as each one is supporting a greater portion of rim. Ordinary riders need to consider how long they want their wheels to last before spokes start failing. The same goes for the bearings too. I had a bitter experience with some big brand wheels that cost me around £700 that I only used for summer miles and I am only 73 kg and a careful rider with very 40 years of experience avoiding potholes etc. Those wheels had only 16 spokes in the front wheel and 21 in the back wheel so ended up with spokes snapping 40 miles from home and because each spoke was doing too much work the wheel rim was hitting the frame so I had to slacken several spokes to get home. I then learnt another lesson as the spokes were brand specific with smaller hub ends than standard. I call that proprietary garbage. Since then I had some Cero wheels at 1400 Grams 28 spokes per wheel for three Summers with no problems, they feel fast and I believe they are hand built. Standard spokes no fancy lacing or patterns solid as a rock. Bespoke wheels are the way to go and not as expensive as you may think. Many do unlabelled hubs and rims with Sapim or DT spokes that are lighter and feel better to ride than many of the big brands. Hand built wheels have a completely different feel to them and just bring the bike to life. A Google search will reveal loads of independent small wheel builders.
I always wonder what the use of 11-12-13 spd casettes are, granted I do live in one of the flattest areas on earth (north of East-Flanders) but I usually only use the 3 hardest gears.
Is there anybody who actually needs 2X13 gears?
It's not that going from 8 to 12 speed one extends the range - most common cassettes are 11-34 anyway - so flat vs hilly is not the primary difference.
Now, optimizing cadence to absurd levels and seeking every little 0,05 km/h difference is where it's at. A very much ITT/Tri thing. And these riders are usually found grazing by the flatlands.
#askgcntech What does the industry classify as a “heavier rider”? I am 180cm and 97kg at the moment (down from 112kg) luckily I haven’t had a wheel issues and all my bikes are steel framed. have a couple of road bikes (Mercian - all L’erioca’d up - and a Ritchey Road Logic (at a meagre 8.1 kg - not bad for a steel road bike).
90kg is about where you stop damaging the racing stuff too badly when you ride it.
My experience is that good quality butted spokes are less likely to fail than straight gauge. Look closer at spoke tension as the cause. Heavier riders are more likely to get the downside spoke to unload the pre tension and cause a fatigue fracture at the j bend. Heavier riders probably should keep a closer eye on the tension....I think?
Powermeters aren't an exact science.. i wouldn't be worried about a 10w difference
I wish SRAM offered smaller chainrings ór... larger cassettes meaning they shouldn't start at a 10 tooth sprocket but make a 12/14-30/33/36 option.
My girlfriend overheard Ollie say he loves me and now she left me 😑
I like to climb but I’m, um, watt limited. I run 43/30 crank and 10-36 cassette. I do spin out on descents (🤷🏻♂️) but man does that setup work when the grade gets steep.
So you deleted my comment (I guess this will to) since I mentioned a free internet tool to calculate gearing or what? Weird.
The guys on the other show said Ollie is 39 years old. He should be wearing a flat cap instead of a baseball cap backwards!
Is there an age limit for wearing one's hat backwards? If only had known...
@chrisko6439 Sort of is but who really cares.
Can't really take somebody who can't put his hat on the right way seriously.
Thanks for letting us know who “THAT” guy is.
It's more aero
Alex is a rip off sympathizer. 👎🏼