Thanks man, you ve been very helpful. Based on your explanation, i think what i want is Merida Ride Series, rather than Race.. Will keep looking then!

On separate note, can i depend on the measurement method found on this website for my bike sizing?

http://www.ebicycles.com/bicycle-tools/frame-sizer/road-bike

I am 172cm tall, so based on that, the frame range i should be looking at is "53cm, 54cm, 55cm, 56cm"

This post has been edited by azeL_Inc: Dec 16 2012, 01:45 PM

personally, no.. i don't think you should base your measurement on that..

currently, height measurement does not equate to a pre-determined frame size and neither does your inseam as the height of saddle can be adjusted more variably with the introduction of more compact - sloping top tube frames...a bike fit should however take into account the riders torso length, arm length and also their flexibility alongside their measurements of the lower body like inseam... which is why fit calculator starts off with 3 types of fitting to first find out what sort of riding posture you can or prefer to be riding on your new frame...

if you have the time and the help of another person.. try this instead
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?P...ALCULATOR_INTRO

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Added on December 16, 2012, 3:25 pmuhh? wats the definition of your oversize stem... our ones currently are already oversized... same as our 31.8mm bars

This post has been edited by butthead: Dec 16 2012, 06:39 PM

The other day, I couldn't handle the task of adjusting my rear derailleur despite the google sifu. So send to unker's shop. The pro technician did a flip flip flip, flap flap flap, every thing cums out alright quicker then a virgin.
To be a serious rider, what are the technical skill DIY to be acquire over time? Or at the least, a cyclist should know- in level of importance or rather usefulness.

2nd question. The must have tools?

This post has been edited by Mac Wai: Dec 16 2012, 05:46 PM

seriously.. as far as technical stuff goes... only the stuff that is essential to get you back on the road or home when you are out and riding... i.e replace a flat tube or fixing a flat, deal with a broken chain, or anything that gets loose... those are the essential stuff..

adjusting a derailleur until it is spot on is not one of it, if shifting breaks down.. you can fix cut the cable and let it run at the smallest cog or if you have a screw driver with you.. adjust the limit screws so the chain stays on 1 cog only.. at least it gets you back home..

as for tools... any of those multi-tools is a good thing to have... it doubles as your tool at home while you can bring it out as well..a chain breaker is a nice addition... but my survival kit contains mainly of my tube, patch (not too big or heavy, good fail safe to a replacement tube puncture), tyre lever and of course the inevitable mobile phone and $$$...

if you have those old style quick release that is not from KCNC, Zipp or any of those super light weight ones... you can omit the Tyre lever...in fact, if your tyre is easily unmounted and remounted.. you can make do without one as well..


multi tools is up to you.. if you have mates bringing one on a group ride... maybe you can leave it in the car or home.. punctures are more of the common failures during a ride...

at the end of the day.. it's a test of your survival skills when you are out alone... like suffering a puncture without a tube for instance, you can stuff the tyre with grass and ride slowly back or you can do it the smart person's way and start pressing on the phone for help...

I have to give it to you, a ten for your ingenuity and creativity- stuffing grass into the tyre. Crank it up another level man, love it!

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Added on December 16, 2012, 7:18 pmTherefore, I never venture out more then a couple of kilos from the radius of my home for the time being.

This post has been edited by Mac Wai: Dec 16 2012, 07:18 PM

thanks for the tip. looking for a flat n lightweight option n at least 130mm wide. maybe prologo zero II, selle italia SLR, or fizik antares

I m not sure how to define my intention, i guess it s leisure, coz i m planning to ride everyday after work, for an hour or two, and once in a while, gonna go for group cycling for a long journey ride on the weekend? definitely not planning to be into race or something, haha...

but could you elaborate more why u re suggesting for race series?? coz i m definitely thinking to buy ride series, as it is more comfort, i suppose, rather than 'ready-to-race' with race series?

This post has been edited by azeL_Inc: Dec 16 2012, 07:54 PM

it's actually a real trick learned from mountain bike magazine back in the days riding MTB...it was tried and attempted before.. but i think it was easier to stuff MTB tires than road tires if you don't get fed up of pulling grass off the ground especially the short ones...

130mm is like quite narrow... i think my spez is already the narrowest at 134 or was it a 137mm... there is a 143mm and i think maybe an even wider one...

for lightness, i think i'll put my bet on selle italia being a better saddle than the fizik..

i think either one is OK... you might be sacrificing some weight, quick handling or stiffness on the ride but you gain comfort and stability on the ride series...

best is for you to go and try out both bike preferably between sizes and then decide which one you like better.. maybe you might find the race to be acceptable to you in terms of riding position and then you can take it from there.. you won't know until you hop on one..

When we go out for group rides, how much disadvantage of a ride bike compare to a roadie, especially during max out or during climb?
Being dropped because of bike disadvantages may cause for regret..no?


This post has been edited by Mac Wai: Dec 16 2012, 11:39 PM

it is very hard to quantify any losses on either bikes... you have to include factors like how strong the rider is?

if you have a gorilla riding the ride series, maybe the extra slight flex might waste energy on the climb while a slender less muscular rider spinning his way up the climb on the same bike might not feel any difference....

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Added on December 17, 2012, 12:04 amlet's just be fair that most of the time... you don't get dropped because of equipment inferiority.. buying myself an SL4 today will not make me drop 30 seconds over my favorite short climb immediately... neither does it make me an ace climber overnight...

it's usually all in your mind...

This post has been edited by butthead: Dec 17 2012, 12:04 AM

Just got back in from doing some rounds around DPC, 26km in an hour or so. Looking to make this a daily thing (ideally, twice a day!) been too long without exercise.

I'm a T1 diabetic , interesting to see how this will affect insulin need - should reduce it quite a lot!

my sit bones measure 110mm. so at least my saddle has to be 130mm wide. 134mm should be fine.

about selle italia vs fizik, which one you'd think can't go wrong in terms of comfort? i know saddles are very personal, but between those two, which one is widely accepted?

selle italia SLR kit carbonio vs fizik antares 00

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Added on December 17, 2012, 12:40 ami've heard some guys apparently no longer diabetic after consistently working out on their bikes!

This post has been edited by miaopurr: Dec 17 2012, 12:40 AM

Type 2 possibly, Type 1 doesn't disappear - it's not caused by unhealthy lifestyle, just bad luck and need to inject (or pump) insulin forever

When I was diagnosed 4-5 years ago I was cycling every single day to and from work (around 15km per day) !

i see. well, just fate i guess. hope you'll be able to keep ur health in check

i'm talking about this stem..I believe it much more bigger than my current merida one. pardon my lack of bike technical know-how but the one I saw at the lbs is pretty huge or issit the same?



OTH, since i will be buying some stuff from wiggle and i'm still would like to slam my stem without any hesitation (despite whatever craps the lbs told me about how unsure he is whether my merida can use a zero stack headset or not and asked me to contact merida official, and a possibility that my head tube maybe damaged in the process, wut the heck), I'm still wanna buy that zero stack online.

so butthead, I need your input on this..is this the correct one?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/fsa-orbit-zs-3-black-aheadset/

Please also read this forum..can i safely ensure it will be the right one for my bike?

http://forums.mtbr.com/beginners-corner/he...ize-604484.html

which lead to this

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/18951-205...ack-Headset.htm

*my bike headset is BB410 neck, which in your recent post mentioning it is using 1 1/8" in size.

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Added on December 17, 2012, 1:35 am

Hurm this looks easy..any other tips before my shifting goes totally haywire? I plan to change my casette interchangeably depending on the course..apparently there are some mountains with total elevation of more than 1000m here.

So one cassette is Ultegra 11-23T, another one is Force 11-32T. Chain length remains the same, and as shown in the video, we only adjust the rear gear, what about the front? is it automatically follows what we played at the rear?

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Added on December 17, 2012, 1:44 amMy friends who are beginners fallen into this cycling madness and IMO is making unwise decision. They bought a beginner alloy bike, and ended up buying a more expensive carbon bike 3-4 months later. It's their money so they can buy what they want but it is unwise to do so. Cycling isn't motorsports. Hence it won't improve your performance but rather your appearance

Best bet is to use your current bike until you feel that your current bike is no longer be able to cater for your speed, performance, or whatever, then only your bike upgrade will be significant. (A reminder for myself too)

This post has been edited by mrjgx: Dec 17 2012, 01:44 AM

actually for diabetic people in sports... they just have to know how to handle their own conditions... like when to call it stops and when to continue...

the only real danger is hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia when you engage in sporting activities... which is why it is important to try and measure you blood sugar level before and after each session in the begining to know how your body reacts to sporting activities...

once you sense any signs that you want to faint, cold sweats, palpitations... it's time to stop and take a rest as you might be suffering from low blood sugar...

there might be quite a lot of diabetic riders out there.. but you won't know until they tell you about it...

isn't the slr a pure carbon shell only??? no comfort on that rite??? i haven't seen a 00 before... what difference is that compared to the carbon railed antares?

but usually.. i do feel that the selle italia is a bit more comfortable than the fizik..maybe it is for me.. i do mean in general taking into account of the shape, padding...

Just an update on my cycling attempts Some time back I was looking around for a pair of cycling shorts and asked for advice here but because of the many brands and choices it was hard to narrow down to a single choice. In the end I just went to my LBS and got something that was on sale, which was a Limar bike shorts.

It was a huge difference cycling with a proper bike shorts compared to just normal shorts and I managed to do a 20+km ride, which was a big deal considering it was pretty difficult to hit 10km without feeling loads of pain where the sun don't shine. That was two weekends ago.

Last weekend took the bike for a commute more than a proper ride and managed to be on the saddle for 2-3 hours off and on and travelled almost 40km . 2 bottles of water was definitely not enough and had to refill a number of times along the way Met a few hills that killed me but had fun.

Also dropped by another LBS and got another pair of cycling shorts, this time it was Netti and after owning and wearing one I can totally see the difference in the chamois as the Netti had much better chamois which had different thickness on certain parts of the chamois. Wore it yesterday and managed to clock in another 20+ km. My ass was thanking me for the new shorts



I'm definitely enjoying my ride more and more as time goes by. Still working on distance and endurance and increasing the distance on one long ride

Question : How does one keep hydrated over a long distance ride ? I don't think I can survive on two bottles on water

This post has been edited by yolk: Dec 17 2012, 11:50 AM

if you are on diabetic medications.. it might still be possible... but once you are on insulin injections... i believe you are on for life...it's too late

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Added on December 17, 2012, 9:34 amis your roaming charges there expensive... if not, you can give your shop a call and re-confirm if 1 1/8" is the correct size for your frame... i believe it is after checking around cause i remember CK don't have headsets for your frame if i am not wrong... which is co-incidentally 1 1/8" internals...

that stem is a normal stem lar... the clamp on the steerer on all current bikes are already oversized... many many years back, it could still be the older 1" clamps.. but now already oversized like all handlebars...you are safe to get that... you can even consider the super steep one if you are getting the 3T... just hope you don't regret it as it will get super low...

This post has been edited by butthead: Dec 17 2012, 09:34 AM

thanks bro..just called Kent from my lbs...he confirmed the size to be 44cm and as a reference he asked me to go to CK website and find for inset 1 type.

so I guess I'm all set..need to order one.