Road Cycling Essentials

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Noice. I just got cut up in a cycle lane by some fat git, tapped on his window and asked him all chipper like if he'd "mind using his wing mirrors next time he's thinking about driving over someone" to which he very kindly offered to get out of his vehicle and "show me who owns the road". To which I gawped increduously for a second before breezily waving goodbye, saying "can you actually get around your car in time?" and proceeded to beat him through every traffic lights on the way home.
 
Why on earth do the morons come out when its dark wet and miserable? Peoples driving just gets terrible and the roads seem mega busy compared to a normal dry day.

Yesterday I was sat to the very right of my lane waiting to pull across the road to turn right on the main road. A girl in a 206 decided to wait to turn right alongside me, on the opposite side of the road. When clear I set off and she almost drove into me! Completely selfish, and its not like she could say she didn't see me when she went out of her way to go around me, well try to go around me. Its hard enough as it is without people trying to run you out the way.

Then in the same situation someone kindly let me out... for a van to try and overtake her. She was waiting at a junction herself and left a cars gap between a car waiting at her junction. Dunno what the van driver was trying to do, but after letting him past a car turning into the other junction decided not to see me and nearly ran me off.

Ugh, I couldn't be any more visible, and that's the point. Being seen just isn't enough for some people. They just don't give a flying frog because you're a cyclist. Add in darkness and miserable weather and it just puts you off. It's just as well I'm resilient and very aware of my surroundings. Hopefully tonight I won't be subjected to the same crap.
 
Ugh boy do I hate servicing my bike.

I decided to re-grease the bearings in my rear wheel, and I must have spent about 3 hours doing it, getting grease absolutely everywhere. About 1.5 hours into it, I put everything back together and thought all was well. Then I realised my wheel no longer spun at all! Basically I'd tightened the cone right up which you're not meant to, and then I spent an eternity adjusting it till it was satisfactory.

Gave it a test run, then my rear mech was being a real b****** and spent ages adjusting that.

I definitely need to go on some sort of bike maintenance course!
 
BlackDragon said:
Ugh boy do I hate servicing my bike.

I decided to re-grease the bearings in my rear wheel, and I must have spent about 3 hours doing it, getting grease absolutely everywhere. About 1.5 hours into it, I put everything back together and thought all was well. Then I realised my wheel no longer spun at all! Basically I'd tightened the cone right up which you're not meant to, and then I spent an eternity adjusting it till it was satisfactory.

Gave it a test run, then my rear mech was being a real b****** and spent ages adjusting that.

I definitely need to go on some sort of bike maintenance course!
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Always good fun working on loose ball hubs :(

I had my bosses rear hub in bits today and it turned out he had snapped the bolt that holds the freehub body to the hub:confused: Messy messy job:o
 
I quite like the old loose ball hubs :)

What I actually like about them is the ability to resurrect an old bike with just a clean, re-pack with fresh grease and tighten. I haven't found one yet that needed replacing. Even when they appear to be knacked you can nip them up a little too tight and bed them back in.
 
My hubs are all sealed, but i have don't a regrease on some old wheels i had with a second hand bike just to see what it was like.

Might get a Sugino75 BB next summer for Carly.
 
Hadn't been out on the bike much over the last month and the fitness has gone to hell. Then I decide to start back in the week with the heavy winds and straight into a headwind the whole way home (14 miles). I felt like throwing up so many times.

Started to feel better towards the end of the week so done a 33 mile ride home and punctured 1 1/2 miles from home. Back to Michelin tyres - Hate Conti. So glad to be back riding again though even if I didn't feel that way earlier in the week.

Bring on next week:D
 
I've found the Mich Pro Race tyres don't last that long. Maybe a 1000 miles for the rear before replacement is due. When there is about 10mm flat spot its time to go. The compromise is excellent grip in all conditions.

GP 4000s are better for durability and more puncture proof ime.
 
I have the Durano Plus (25mm) on my winter training bike, never had a puncture on them. But they are heavy and slow, and because of the thick protective layer they give hard ride. Maybe ive been lucky with the 4000S, i keep going back to them. And i buy a lot of tyres!
 
Well I hit something big last night, and I'm still not sure what. I tracked back up the road with my torch, but it's otherwise unlit and I couldn't see anything.

Whatever it was exploded both my tyres, threw me off my bike and my lower arms/wrists still hurt from the jarring impact. Knees and shins are sore and scraped but otherwise ok.

Fortunately, I had my now usual two inner tubes, though replacing them by the roadside in the dark wasn't the most pleasant of experiences.
 
Update on the Cotic: The Magura's feel quite nice now after I bedded them in at the worst possible moment. Coming down a long hill, not sure how fast I was going (easily well over 40mph), came to a roundabout with cars turning. I had to make an emergency left turn when I had a...oh **** I have no brakes moment. :o

I miss not having suspension though. My hands were sore from the gravel/dirt path part of my commute. Maybe I should put on my spare carbon riser bars? :D
 
Goldy said:
I have the Durano Plus (25mm) on my winter training bike, never had a puncture on them. But they are heavy and slow, and because of the thick protective layer they give hard ride. Maybe ive been lucky with the 4000S, i keep going back to them. And i buy a lot of tyres!
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Durano Plus are Marathon Plus without the tread and they ride like it. The Durano S are a completely different tyre
 
platypus said:
Well I hit something big last night, and I'm still not sure what. I tracked back up the road with my torch, but it's otherwise unlit and I couldn't see anything.
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Alligator lying in the road with its mouth open most likely. Must have bolted after the impact. Happens all the time apparently.

For puncture proof yet still racey tyres I swear by Vredestein Fortezza Tricomps. Thing is you have to get the red ones. I've had black ones and they've been pierced right through the centre of the tread after just a few rides. However, the red ones keep truckin till they start to go bald!
 
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