Hi guys, I'm now back from my hols in Kos! Miss me much?
Basically - 8 days of flights/travel and all inclusive. Fantastic trip and amazing resort/food considering price. Spent most of it 'avoiding the spotty ones' (chicken pox doing the rounds in the resort and my little man hasn't had it and still hasn't! Result!). But the crazy amount of food and drink I've eaten with the reduction in exercise (nothing but some walking/exploring) my weigh in this morning was at 78.9kg (a week before I went I was 76.2kg). Hopefully most of that is water as I got caught with a bout of food poisoning from a ham&cheese sandwich eaten at the airport before departing. I'm about over that now but feeling drained I may skip any serious riding until the weekend. I'm sure my little man still being on 'Kos Time' (2 hours in front) and waking up at 4.30am hasn't helped that much with that...!
Kos was an interesting place. I really should have looked to hire a road bike as easily spotted one from a bike rentals place without even looking a day before we left. The majority of bikes there all being MTB/hybrid types and there being many many hire shops for those around. There where a lot of people riding. The island is frequented by Germans and I also heard dutch spoken on several occasions so very much their utilitarian type riding around. Most of the 'A' type roads having a dedicated cycle lane at the side. Roads very quiet regardless and drivers seemed to not be in a hurry & leave lots of room to cyclists. The road surfaces where not great when away from the main roads but certainly passable on a road bike (gravel bike would be ideal). Not many huge/long climbs there but with the island only being 25 miles long (and 5 wide) I imagine you would be doing loops around the same climbs multiple directions. Probably good for a single day or two's jaunt, but not for a specific training holiday.
This would have been easily in reach to climb the hills I could see from resort in Marmari. Even
this climb on the main road back towards the airport would've been fantastic to ride - loads of wide cycle path at the side and a great surface.
Looks like there is/was a
UCI Kos Race?
That would be me mate, have accepted your request
No worries, can't remember if I accepted you or denied you and now can't find it, send again!
I'm ready to launch my bike out the window. The front derailer is massively rubbing and no amount of adjustment to the FD is doing anything. Also, can't get the rear indexed but, think this is due to the extreme chain rub at the front.
Double check it's not moved on the frame mount - it could have been caught by something and bent or just pushed out of position.
I'm actually really curious to try one of the E road bikes. Some of them are pretty light considering the motor/battery too. Though, I feel like a legal one would be boring apart from uphill. 15.5mph and the motor cuts out :/
Before I went on hols I did a group ride with a guy on one. A Bianchi Aria. The guy was now-retired paralympian
Sascha Kindred, he's partly paralyised down his right hand side with very little power in his right arm and right leg. He actually has a bar end shifter fitted to his left drop so he doesn't need to change hand position with his right hand, only needing to use it for braking. The mode he had his motor on (medium?) 'cuts out' at over 25kph but was giving him +160W assist on the slower stuff. I spent some time chatting with him, very interesting guy, so matter of fact and so modest. I knew who he was but hadn't really appreciated just how much he'd won until looking afterwards! Also helped him out as much as I could as found with the terrain around here and it being a fast-ish group ride he'd get dropped on the rolling type stuff, he just wasn't getting any assist into the base of any gradient so really like he had no 'momentum' to carry him up them, the assist only kicking in when he was already dropped from the group. Really was like he had a brake on at times, really difficult to help him with a wheel! The climbs he fared fine with, anything to drop the speed of the group or string it out enough he could close his own gaps.
Good fun and training for me.
That is completely fine with me, and the reason they should be made/used.
For fat and lazy people, no. Just no.
I like the idea of 'assisted' on the stuff they struggle with - the slow stuff (commuting) and climbs. I'm of the opinion of whatever gets people out on bikes - I really like the idea of them assisting people to ride further, opening up more opportunities for them. Making them enjoy cycling more and riding more!
Shropshire Cycling Clubs Association run a TT series and last week they had a 25 miler...
https://shropshirecca.uk/friction-hydraulics-series-r5-nova-raiders-25/
Some bloke called Steve Cummins turns up and wins by 5 minutes (with a 3 minute course record)
Love the quote from the guy who came 3rd:
Haha amazing!
Gents, I have having a nightmare finding a decent pair of bib shorts for a reasonable price, can't stretch to the price of Rapha or Assos.
I have tried the decathlon shorts, even on a 1hr ride my sit bones hurt, tried the dhb classics from wiggle - these were no better than the decathlon and I would say a thinner pad, I returned them, not sure what all the great reviews are for those but the pad is rubbish.
budget is under £100 if possible.<snip>
I've been through much of this and have a particularly sensitive rear end. I've been through DHB, Northwave, Santini, Gore, Altura, Castelli, Sportful, Rapha & Nopins shorts. For myself the only ones I rate would be Rapha, Sportful and Castelli. With that budget and for multiple hours in the saddle I'd suggest the Rapha Core (maybe even the Rapha Brevet if you can find in a deal or SH) and anything Sportful with the 'BodyFit Pro' pad. I can go into more individual indepth if you really want but pads are a very individual thing. I sit quite heavy on the saddle and do rock/roll in the saddle more than others, probably where my particular 'sensitivity' to pads comes from.
On another note, without a cycle computer/HR/cadence monitor is the Strava upgrade worth it?
If you mean 'Summit' then totally down to you, doesn't really give you much when out on the road ('Live Segments' are about it?), it's more the data analysis afterwards it gives you more.
Well done to all of you who did Velo Birmingham, hope you all escaped unscathed from what sounded like an utter idiotic chopping crash fest. Two of the people I know who rode it where knocked off by other idiots overcooking descents/half wheeling and coming down in front of them. All of the comments I've read make it sound like utter carnage! Such a shame.
