yes...and there is a Go Pro camera inside

I still use a Garmin 500 and a Garmin 800.  If for some reason either of them decided to shit the bed I guess I would replace with a newer model.  Until then, it is hard for me to get a new computer as it seems the old ones are more than capable of showing really small and inadequate numbers.  Only difference with a new one is that more, smaller pixels would be telling me how slow I was going.

On an aside, last night I pressed some BB30 bearing cups into a frame with an actual bearing press as opposed to whacking them in with a wrench wrapped in a rag.  That, ladies and gentlemen, is a move forward in technology.  Can't recommend enough.  Although, the press was expensive at $150  What can I say, I do love a cheeky bit of Park Tool.

to be clear, I am on a Garmin 500.

All - I checked with Redbeard about our club deal on the Garmin 820 and they asked me to share. The details are:

It's true Adam a proper bearing press completely changes the equation.

JohnOlsson said:

Dan Reiners said:

i believe this is the cycling equivalent of Truck Nutz

Dude, are these real?!

Yes they're on eBay. 

http://m.ebay.com/itm/Cycling-Night-Camping-Warning-Taillight-Bike-Rear-Light-Bicycle-MTB-Heart-Shape-/351759235904

Hijacking your serious discussion of bearing presses with silliness. 

can anyone expound on the ride quality of a caad10 vs. a giant tcr advanced?

(or just the tcr advanced)... Some reviews claim it is a harsh ride 

I would not call it harsh compared to the two other carbon frames I've ridden fairly extensively. Definitely more comfortable than my litespeed C3 and Ridley Damocles. I have never had back pain, and never had to do that thing I see a lot of folks do where they are shaking their hands to get the numbness out on any ride, ever.

Note that I've been running sworks turbo 26's at about 100 and 90 psi.

CAAD 10 is one of my favorite bikes I've ever ridden. AWESOME, especially with nice wide rubber you can get down to 80/85psi. Probably the best AL bike you can get.

I've done a test ride on the TCR Advanced, and I REALLY like it, not super harsh, not plush, more like a wound up racing bike that wants to haul ass. I rode it on cobbles and it was stiff but not terrible or buzzy, I can imagine some folks who are used to carbon bikes that have more dampening would think it was harsh, but as somebody who likes a bike that is responsive I quite like this bike.

Go to Redbeard and try out the TCR they'll let you take one out some day, and see what it feels like to ride that bike on your own.

Can confirm: Latex tubes made my CAAD10 ride noticeably more plush.  Used the same Conti GP4000S tires and filled up to around 90/100psi the night before (prob a few PSI lower by the time I hit the road and by the end of the ride).  No idea if they improve rolling resistance.

My TCR is the first carbon bike I have ridden (unless you count a carbon tubed/aluminum lugged Allez) so I don't have anything to compare it to there, but it is definitely a more comfortable ride than my aluminum Hellafaster which may be comparable to the CADD10.

I did a 200k ride on the TCR a few weeks ago and only my butt was complaining from so much saddle time. Like Sean's experience, no hand numbness and I never feel like the bike is beating me up. I've even done a fair bit of gravel road riding up in MA with no issues. I've been running the 25mm Conti 4000s.

And like Dan said, check with Redbeard and take a test. It's definitely a go fast bike but I've also found it fine for long days in the saddle.

Brendan Rigby said:

can anyone expound on the ride quality of a caad10 vs. a giant tcr advanced?

you might want to look at a geometry chart, or rather two, one for your cannondale, one for the Giant.  

1. Make sure you can work with the stack.
2. check the chainstay length and the trail.  I wouldn't be surprised if these are shorter on the Giant. 
3. Somewhere, we discussed vertical compliance and that just a tiny drop in tire pressure can totally change this number.  That written, the less-expensive Giants, with the non-integrated seatpost, probably have more compliance.
4. You can always move on to 25-26mm tires (as has been suggested)

I rode the Giant at Interbike.  It felt a bit twitchier.  But it was comfortable enough.

Wheels make the biggest difference....so's I thinks...I've been riding my carbon clinchers for months and they make my aluminum Spooky feels stiff....little hand numbness after awhile.  When I put on my flexy 1300 gram aluminum wheels = super plush (both wheelsets ridden at 75/82 psi)  I think you can't go wrong with either bike...I'd go with the one that fits best as this is the most important feature of any frame....good fit = comfort...comfort = performance

SeanMiles said:

Note that I've been running sworks turbo 26's at about 100 and 90 psi.

Dan Reiners said:

CAAD 10 is one of my favorite bikes I've ever ridden. AWESOME, especially with nice wide rubber you can get down to 80/85psi. Probably the best AL bike you can get.

David Yang said:

Can confirm: Latex tubes made my CAAD10 ride noticeably more plush.  Used the same Conti GP4000S tires and filled up to around 90/100psi the night before (prob a few PSI lower by the time I hit the road and by the end of the ride).  No idea if they improve rolling resistance.

twoyacks said:

Wheels make the biggest difference....so's I thinks...I've been riding my carbon clinchers for months and they make my aluminum Spooky feels stiff....little hand numbness after awhile.  When I put on my flexy 1300 gram aluminum wheels = super plush (both wheelsets ridden at 75/82 psi)  I think you can't go wrong with either bike...I'd go with the one that fits best as this is the most important feature of any frame....good fit = comfort...comfort = performance

Seems that there's an agreement: tire pressure makes a noticeable difference in ride quality. (and tests indicate rolling resistance as well)

I used to just pump my 20mm tires up to 120psi and go.  Now, I'm flirting with ever-lower numbers on 23 and 25mm tires.  

Yang, I'd check the bleed rate on the latex.  I wouldn't be surprised if it dropped at least 5psi if not 10 over the course of eight hours.

JP, yeah within about 5 days (pumped up Saturday night then checked on Thursday night) the latex tubes lost around 80psi in the rear wheel.  If you average it out, it comes to about 16psi/24hrs.  I'm unsure if riding on them "forces" the air out any faster than if you leave them alone, but I was on that rear wheel for about 5hours of riding on Saturday.  The front wheel was similar though I didn't note how much that one lost, but it was comparable.

So by the power of guesstimation, your 5-10psi by the end of the ride sounds about right!

FYI I've run my butyl tubes at 80/90psi because that's what Hed recommended with the wider rims + 23mm tires, but I don't remember them feeling as soft as the latex at approximately the same pressure.  I guess if I find myself with lots of spare time one day (...ha...ha...ha...sob...), I'll do a back to back test to see if it there is truly a difference.

I must be the only guy on the planet that still ride 23mm at 120psi,... sigh

Different latex tubes = wildly different bleed rates.  Michelin Green = massive air loss overnight   Challenge Red = slight air loss overnight.....this by way of grab the tire and squeeze test

I'm using the pink Vittoria dealios.

https://www.vittoria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/road_cycling_UK_novembre2010.pdf

i run my tubeless schwalbe one 23mm tires at 70-85 PSI; they are on wide pacenti sl23 23mm (or 22.9999 or something) rims.  70 is manufacturer's min rated pressure to keep it on the rim.  i do notice a huge difference in plushness.  i haven't gone over 100 PSI in recent memory.  i weigh around 160.

not at home right now but my rear tire currently has a big old nail embedded in it, didn't notice until i was home!  no flats or meaningful loss of pressure.  love the tubeless.  

i haven't tried latex tubes though...

I think the lesson here is that unless you're like Phil who has a steel belted taint, most of us are riding less that 100PSI and recognizing it makes a positive difference in ride quality; maybe more than frame material. 

Maybe we have all swallowed the line of Silica and the sinister Big Air lobby that air pressure is the biggest determining factor in ride quality. 

Phil Maronilla said:

I must be the only guy on the planet that still ride 23mm at 120psi,... sigh

Phil,
     Drop that pressure!  You'll only gain comfort and speed.

BTW, I figured Yack is among the heavier riders to post his pressure numbers and he's running the lowest.  Kinda interesting.

What do you think would happen if I uncorked a sprint on this thing?????


I'm thinking this...

To get more climbing gears, does it matter whether you use compact chainset with a "normal" cassette that tops out at 28t or a standard chainset long cage rear derailleur & like a 32t bailout cog?  

A 34t chainring and a 28t cassette will give you a 32.0 Gear Inches while a 39x32 will give you 32.2 Gear Inches, about the same. So you'll go about the same speed at the same RPM on either of those. The smaller chainring/cassette combo may be lighter (less material) so there may be some slight gains that way.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html

don't forget to think about it in the other direction too...you'll spin out faster on a downhill!  (not going to offer you the maths atm)

Don't worry Rigby, Sheldon Brown has you covered there for the math. With a 50x11 @ 120rpm you go 42.8mph and for a 53x11 @ 120rpm you go 45.4mph. I usually stop pedaling at 40mph so its kinda moot, I can leverage my greater mass to surface area to improve my aerodynamics (AKA a fat ass helps you descend faster).   

Cool, so there probably isn't any actual marginal gains in function or power going with either route.  I think I'll try the long cage RD & cassette route since it's marginally cheaper and more flexible than a compact chainset.

I did a charity ride up in the hills of CT this Saturday and some of those hills were killer. On a 39x28, I was pedaling squares at like 30rpm or something stupid, but on some of the downhills I was spinning completely out at 120+ rpm on 53x11.