Road Cycling
- Thread starter Zefan
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Good ride & get out more! Summer is getting shorter!
I'm doing a 63 mile Sportive from Stratford on Avon to the Cotswolds today with about 1,200 meters climbing.
The conditions couldn't be any better : about 18C with a 1 to 3mph wind - perfect!!!
So makes a change from driving rain and 30mph+ headwinds.
Hope it went well! Was perfect weather this weekend, kinda gutted I went out hard on saturday and had too much to do on sunday...
Great ride & well done on the 1, 2 in the non-race!
Time in the saddle really will play with your back, certainly when you're new! I still get a sore back after 2 hour+ rides but I know mine mostly comes from pushing hard and not being relaxed enough (I get sore shoulders and occasionally hands too!). Toying with your positioning while riding may help slightly, sitting up/using drops just to vary things.
I grabbed one of these from Wiggle as the lock I'm using at work the key is getting a little iffy. Cable lock but quite heavy duty, It weighs over 1kg though so my thoughts to carry it every commute (as current) are changing... I do have an old D-lock I could use (and leave at work).
Let me know how you get on with the hiplock!
Went out for the shop ride on saturday, great turn out of 22 riders! Thankfully 2 groups as I was struggling after a hard ride on thursday night after work. Good fun ride, couple of new-ish guys and several of the Staff out which is always good fun! Puts me at 99.7 miles for the week which I'm happy with.
'50 mile' shop charity ride next weekend I've put my name down for so going to have a fairly easy week in preparation...
Did a full service on my mrs' city bike (cheap Apollo) on sunday, including taking wheel hubs apart and servicing them. First time I've done it and fairly pleased with how it went, only gripe was no way of removing the cassette/freewheel so the back wheel was only 50% done as couldn't remove the axle. When tightening 'caps' using cone spanners it's a case of getting them moving freely, not getting them as tight as possible isn't it?
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Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Dec 2004
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- 17,072
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- Shepley
I did a Polocini sportive yesterday after a mate of mine dropped out. You can't beat their events for value really, £15 gets you pre-ride porridge, post-ride curry and a decent feed station halfway round on top of decent signposted routes.
Route itself was very pleasant until about halfway, then the real climbing kicked in. I ended up walking up the 20% section of Gorsey Brow as a 34x25 was not enough at that stage, I was knackered and wishing I'd brought a 30t! 1 second off my PR up Holme Moss though and that was with 80 hilly kilometers in my legs so I was happy with that.
https://www.strava.com/activities/370306649
Route itself was very pleasant until about halfway, then the real climbing kicked in. I ended up walking up the 20% section of Gorsey Brow as a 34x25 was not enough at that stage, I was knackered and wishing I'd brought a 30t! 1 second off my PR up Holme Moss though and that was with 80 hilly kilometers in my legs so I was happy with that.
https://www.strava.com/activities/370306649
I wondered when Rob S was going to attempt a hot lap considering he's won every RP TT since time immemorial.
Thomas smashed his way into the top 30 for that segment too.
Maybe he'll go for the 3-lap challenge KoM next?
I only did 35 miles yesterday. I don't think my saddle was quite right - perhaps tipped a shade backwards. I did get off after about 1.5 miles as it was clearly too far back and adjust it, which made it much better... and only when I got back did I tweak it again. Should be about right now.
Was a nice ride but my lack of geographical knowledge (Where little villages actually ARE vs where I think they are) didn't help, so ended up sticking to main road on the way back, which wasn't my original intention.
I thought cycling would allow me to see more of the countryside compared to driving, but it doesn't really - end up staring at the tarmac even more looking out for potholes
Motorcyclists are ****ing idiots, though.*
*two of them, out of about the 50 I encountered. I'm sure one of them actually brushed me with his shoulder, overtaking on a corner he could clearly see around, and it's not like I wasn't tucked right into the left as I heard him coming. Nobber.
Was a nice ride but my lack of geographical knowledge (Where little villages actually ARE vs where I think they are) didn't help, so ended up sticking to main road on the way back, which wasn't my original intention.
I thought cycling would allow me to see more of the countryside compared to driving, but it doesn't really - end up staring at the tarmac even more looking out for potholes
Motorcyclists are ****ing idiots, though.*
*two of them, out of about the 50 I encountered. I'm sure one of them actually brushed me with his shoulder, overtaking on a corner he could clearly see around, and it's not like I wasn't tucked right into the left as I heard him coming. Nobber.
What did you order? My saddle and other small bits came via RM last Friday.
He got 6th National 25m too. Really looking forward to see how he gets on in the 10. Rumour has it that Wiggo will be there too.
Have you done the plumb line test? My positioning is way off right now. I took the saddle and seatpost to pieces as it has developed a random creak. Gave it a clean and re grease and reinstalled. Over the weekend it has felt wrong. The positioning mainly, but I took measurements and put it back what I had measured.
Then mid ride yesterday the saddle had slipped and destroyed the tape I use to make the correct height. So now that is way off. Need to give myself a mini bike fit tonight.
Not really had a problem with them directly. But I notice that speed limits rarely apply to them.
Man of Honour
- Joined
- 16 May 2005
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- 31,297
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- Manchester
How was the ride?
No. What's that then?
That sucks! Worth messaging them to ask why?
He's over in Oz, not even Royal Mail postie's go that far...!
Similar though...
12/08/15 #A - AM Ordered items from wiggle, expedited '2 day' delivery as wanted something by the weekend.
12/08/15 #B - PM Ordered more items, normal free postage.
13/08/15 #C - Previous Returns received and replacements sent by Wiggle.
14/08/15 #C - AM Returns replacements received.
14/08/15 #A - PM, 80% of expedited order received.
15/08/15 #B - Delivery failed (work, redelivered 17/08/15).
17/08/15 #A - Remainder delivered along with #B.
Basically, my returns order arrived almost faster than 'next day' via DX, my delivery I paid for fast delivery on took 2 days. Normal delivery taking 3-4 (about right). I can't quite get my head around how they turned around a replacement (with free postage) twice as fast as a delivery (with a paid for postage).
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Got a couple of guys I know who have gone to Ventoux on 'holiday'.
Day 1: Climb Ventoux '1.5 times' (more like 1.3) from the south, 5 hours, 54 miles, 7867ft.
Day 2: Climb Ventoux once from the north, 5 hours, 46 miles, 6417ft.
Day 3: Climb Ventoux from the east including riding around, 8.5 hours, 68 miles, 8000ft.
I'm awaiting to see today's 'escapades' although I won't be surprised if they take a rest day!
Needless to say they'll smash the Strava climbing challenge lol
Quite tempted to do it, once...!
Day 1: Climb Ventoux '1.5 times' (more like 1.3) from the south, 5 hours, 54 miles, 7867ft.
Day 2: Climb Ventoux once from the north, 5 hours, 46 miles, 6417ft.
Day 3: Climb Ventoux from the east including riding around, 8.5 hours, 68 miles, 8000ft.
I'm awaiting to see today's 'escapades' although I won't be surprised if they take a rest day!
Needless to say they'll smash the Strava climbing challenge lol
Quite tempted to do it, once...!
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Soldato
- Joined
- 29 Dec 2004
- Posts
- 17,072
- Location
- Shepley
I do feel that motorcyclists get off relatively lightly for their behaviour on the road, but I think that's because they don't delay peoples journeys by 10 seconds so the fact they do 3 figures on twisty single carriageways is less relevant to the general public.
Doing the Cat and Fiddle the other week, the number of them pulling wheelies and massively flouting the speed limit was ridiculous. One wrong move and they'd be through someone's windscreen or up the rear end of a tractor.
You know all about gear ratios, because you're dead clever 'n' stuff 
I have just read a review of my bike (2012 CAAD 10 105) and apparently I have a 12-27 cassette.
I haven't actually checked what I have fitted - but since it's standard I'm going to assume I have that.
Apparently the one I've ordered from Merlin is an 11-28. A one tooth difference at the top/bottom end.
Looking at some online gear/speed calculator thing I'll get an extra 3mph for any given cadence and something like one less (or more?) gear inch. I have no idea what that will translate to in the real world.
It'll be interesting to see if I can go faster/any easier up hills in my top and bottom gears, though.
I shouldn't have any issues with the length of my RD cage, say, if i went to a 32 at the back... in which case I'd need a long cage RD and probably a longer chain?
But one more/less teeth shouldn't be a problem?
Thanks
I have just read a review of my bike (2012 CAAD 10 105) and apparently I have a 12-27 cassette.
I haven't actually checked what I have fitted - but since it's standard I'm going to assume I have that.
Apparently the one I've ordered from Merlin is an 11-28. A one tooth difference at the top/bottom end.
Looking at some online gear/speed calculator thing I'll get an extra 3mph for any given cadence and something like one less (or more?) gear inch. I have no idea what that will translate to in the real world.
It'll be interesting to see if I can go faster/any easier up hills in my top and bottom gears, though.
I shouldn't have any issues with the length of my RD cage, say, if i went to a 32 at the back... in which case I'd need a long cage RD and probably a longer chain?
But one more/less teeth shouldn't be a problem?
Thanks
Well, 4 weeks & 750 miles into the new bike & I have a bit of a problem.
Seems to have developed a creak & small amount of play in the headset.
Haven't looked into it properley yet, but applying the front brake & rocking the bike you can hear it & see very slight movement around the head area.
You think this just needs adjustment, or a sign of something more worrying?
Seems to have developed a creak & small amount of play in the headset.
Haven't looked into it properley yet, but applying the front brake & rocking the bike you can hear it & see very slight movement around the head area.
You think this just needs adjustment, or a sign of something more worrying?
Bike was built up from parts I supplied, so it's not a "new" bike as such but parts such as headset, frame, forks etc are all new.
Groupset was taken from my old bike, & had a new chain, cables etc added.
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