Think I made a whole bus full of passengers jump tonight! Going down a cycle lane past slow moving traffic (10mph or so) when the bus starts veering left closing me to the kerb. Got alongside him and he is sorting and reading some papers on the steering wheel.. seriously where do they find these drivers?!
Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
- Start date
There's one bus that routinely tries to kill me on my commute home. It's always Sorry Not In Service at that point and clearly his brain is off duty by then as he always insists on passing me with millimetres to spare. Buses are crap. It also winds me up no end that they have those stickers on the back telling you not to pass on the left, but they don't seem to care about passing properly on the right. Gah.
In other news, I sold my wife's bigass shopper bike on eBay. She's not been able to ride it due to ill health and we need the room and the cash... Some guy bought it for his wife, apparently they've been hunting for a bike like it but they're hard to come by, go figure. I arranged to meet him in Chester, about an hour away from me. He text me to say he'd be in a Mini Cooper, so I'm thinking well, I hope you've got a rack or something. Nope, just the car. He gave me the cash and started fiddling some spanners to get the front wheel off but I fear even that wouldn't have been enough... I drove off and left him to it. Fingers crossed he managed to sort, but I wasn't in a hurry to drive it off to wherever he lives!
In other news, I sold my wife's bigass shopper bike on eBay. She's not been able to ride it due to ill health and we need the room and the cash... Some guy bought it for his wife, apparently they've been hunting for a bike like it but they're hard to come by, go figure. I arranged to meet him in Chester, about an hour away from me. He text me to say he'd be in a Mini Cooper, so I'm thinking well, I hope you've got a rack or something. Nope, just the car. He gave me the cash and started fiddling some spanners to get the front wheel off but I fear even that wouldn't have been enough... I drove off and left him to it. Fingers crossed he managed to sort, but I wasn't in a hurry to drive it off to wherever he lives!
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Going on my first long cycle ride tomorrow so looking for any tips to help me survive and recover! Longest ride to date was 34miles and I mostly have just done 15-25m rides. haven't don't much in the last 6 weeks. I'll be cycling a a dedicated cycle path and hope to do at least 50 miles but it is out and back so may need to be careful so I don't get stranded!
Got a spare tube, repair kit and CO2 inflator, no idea how to change a tire but hope my phone will save me. Will wear my compression short with the most padding. 2 bottles of sports drink, several gel packs and money to buy more. Any other vitals?
Will try to keep a higher cadence overall and an easier pace at the start.
Got a spare tube, repair kit and CO2 inflator, no idea how to change a tire but hope my phone will save me. Will wear my compression short with the most padding. 2 bottles of sports drink, several gel packs and money to buy more. Any other vitals?
Will try to keep a higher cadence overall and an easier pace at the start.
I just bought a new helmet, Kask Mojito, guessing a few others have them here.
Not overly impressed to be honest. There is minimal adjustability in the strap (by the ears) so I can just about get my ears through the holes, but then there's the problem of the cradle at the back interfering with the arms of my glasses?!
How can this be so over engineered and cause such a fundamental problem with such a high end helmet?
Feel like sending it back and getting something else.
Not overly impressed to be honest. There is minimal adjustability in the strap (by the ears) so I can just about get my ears through the holes, but then there's the problem of the cradle at the back interfering with the arms of my glasses?!
How can this be so over engineered and cause such a fundamental problem with such a high end helmet?
Feel like sending it back and getting something else.
If you've done 34 you won't struggle with 50 (as long as the elevation isn't incredibly different) so don't overthink it
Try to go out with a headwind and back with a tailwind if that's possible. Take it easy and eat/drink often.
Inner tube replacement is fairly easy. Give this a watch:
I just bought a new helmet, Kask Mojito, guessing a few others have them here.
Not overly impressed to be honest. There is minimal adjustability in the strap (by the ears) so I can just about get my ears through the holes, but then there's the problem of the cradle at the back interfering with the arms of my glasses?!
How can this be so over engineered and cause such a fundamental problem with such a high end helmet?
Feel like sending it back and getting something else.
I have a Mojito, the straps by the ears are fine for adjustability, you just slide it downwards which makes the triangle larger for where your ears go. The glasses thing is annoying, I had a cheapo pair which used to foul on the cradle as you say, but I bought a pair of Rudy Project glasses which have bendable arms to go round the back of the ears so they are nice and secure on your face, they dont foul.
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Sounds like you got it all covered, take it easy and enjoy it
edit: Do you have a set of tyre levers?
Damn, hope you get it all sorted out
Second tube and/or a pump.
Practise changing the tube and getting the tyre back on the rim before. If the tyres reasonably new it will be tricky, you have to kind of roll/ring it out the wheel away from you for the last little bit.
Seriously, practise it in the comfort of your own home.
Suncream.
Argh! Wet roads are not your friend!
My powertap didn't work this morning, thought maybe flat batteries, picked some up during the day.
Turns out it's got water ingress & corroded the batteries a bit... Removed them and got the hairdryer out, little bit of WD40, new batteries and it's back to life, phew!
The grit has munched one of my rear brake pads. Wear is very uneven, it's gone from fine to almost nothing on one side within three rides. Caliper is centred and the wheel is not perfectly true but it's not bad. Put some WD on the caliper return spring, maybe I'll replace the brake cables too. Any other suggestions?
My powertap didn't work this morning, thought maybe flat batteries, picked some up during the day.
Turns out it's got water ingress & corroded the batteries a bit... Removed them and got the hairdryer out, little bit of WD40, new batteries and it's back to life, phew!
The grit has munched one of my rear brake pads. Wear is very uneven, it's gone from fine to almost nothing on one side within three rides. Caliper is centred and the wheel is not perfectly true but it's not bad. Put some WD on the caliper return spring, maybe I'll replace the brake cables too. Any other suggestions?
Get a proper mini pump, or a combo co2 pump like the lezyne cfh, and some self adhesive repair patches. It's all well and good having enough co2 and whatnot for two punctures or whatever but on the day you get 3 you'll wish you had them!
Okay cheers, only really thought about carrying spare tubes rather than faffing about patching at the road side. If I'm that unlucky I'll ring a taxi!
I read a review that said I need an adaptor for the pump and that adaptor was a linked item.
Rode 'home' last night. "Make sure you go the main road as I'm cooking dinner and you mustn't be late" she says. Brutal headwind for 26 miles due to the open road. Tons of traffic, lorries and tractors. Had a long day (hassle on site with Windows 10 inplace upgrades) so hadn't eaten much and with the headwinds I wasn't in the best of moods. Especially combined with the pad on my Castelli Evoluziones causing me some grief towards the end - I think the pad is a little too 'dense' for me so I was left with a numb ar5e and sore hips after around an hour. Might be the only ride I have a chance for the next 11-12 days (house move & weekend away)
With the headwinds I sat 95% of all the climbs, concentrating on maintaining HR and cadence rather than 'powering' up them alternating stood/sat. Not sure if that's what's given me aching hips?!
Hope they throw the rule book at him/her - if anything you should get more 'support' being a cyclist from police on the continent than you get over here. Then again, you're a brit on holiday so they may even side with the local!
One thing you can be sure of with continental police is their inconsistencies - at least over here you can guess what they're going to do (path of least resistance/paperwork).
Hope it's all sorted easily and painlessly. At least with a company like Bikmo they should have experience of similar incidents/claims.
Buses are a bane, had one sat on my shoulder for ages yesterday, there were oncoming cars on the straight/flat bits of road (which were probably wide enough for him to get past), but he waited until the road narrowed around a blind corner with an incline to overtake. Thankfully nothing came the other way!
For recovery, I would point you towards something easy and quick to eat/drink immediately afterwards. Milk/chocolate milk/pre-made fruit smoothie are very good starting points but also if you can prep/pre-cook some chicken or other high in protein foods to eat within half hour of your finish then very recommended. One of the 'worst' things I used to do after big/long rides was sit infront of the TV/computer after a steaming hot bath. The bath felt good (but probably better to have a shorter ice one!) but the stationary seating would make me cramp and cease up. I now find if I take things easily but do other types of exercise that I feel better and recover better - a leisurely 20 minute walk with the dog I've found fantastic. Even something like mowing the lawn/trimming something in the garden.
EDIT: Seconding Bennys advice to at least be familiar with the process of changing a tube. It's best to 'practice' at home - makes things less stressful at the roadside when you actually need to change one in the rain/snow/a hurry.
With the headwinds I sat 95% of all the climbs, concentrating on maintaining HR and cadence rather than 'powering' up them alternating stood/sat. Not sure if that's what's given me aching hips?!
Ouch, damn & utterly gutted for your bike!
Hope they throw the rule book at him/her - if anything you should get more 'support' being a cyclist from police on the continent than you get over here. Then again, you're a brit on holiday so they may even side with the local!
One thing you can be sure of with continental police is their inconsistencies - at least over here you can guess what they're going to do (path of least resistance/paperwork).Hope it's all sorted easily and painlessly. At least with a company like Bikmo they should have experience of similar incidents/claims.
Report! Got it on camera? Local authorities like to make examples of those kinda guys (who are usually contract drivers rather than council employees).
Good result on the mrs' shopper/runaround! Much easier to get the cash, make sure he's happy, exit swiftly before you get involved! Did that with an old garden shed some guy bought - he had a hammer and was intending on dismantling it to fit in the back of a mondeo. The shed was made of cheap wood and had probably been assembled 5-6 years previously so I bet it was an utter nightmare! I exited swiftly, but I walked past where he'd parked his car the next day and there was bits of wood, nails and screws everywhere lol
Buses are a bane, had one sat on my shoulder for ages yesterday, there were oncoming cars on the straight/flat bits of road (which were probably wide enough for him to get past), but he waited until the road narrowed around a blind corner with an incline to overtake. Thankfully nothing came the other way!
Most importantly would be the route you choose, try to match the road 'types' and elevation to what you're used to riding, if anything try to avoid much elevation and certainly any long/big climbs you've not already ridden. For food/recovery I would edge you more towards natural foods rather than gels, save the gels for when you're near home. You'll find natural things (flapjacks/soreen/granola-breakfast bars) easier on your digestion and probably better for the endurance and low intensity riding you'll be doing. If you tab your drinks and found yourself getting through 2 drinks on the 34 mile ride then it'd be worth taking an extra tab with you (so you have the option of 3 drinks if you stop for water somewhere).
For recovery, I would point you towards something easy and quick to eat/drink immediately afterwards. Milk/chocolate milk/pre-made fruit smoothie are very good starting points but also if you can prep/pre-cook some chicken or other high in protein foods to eat within half hour of your finish then very recommended. One of the 'worst' things I used to do after big/long rides was sit infront of the TV/computer after a steaming hot bath. The bath felt good (but probably better to have a shorter ice one!) but the stationary seating would make me cramp and cease up. I now find if I take things easily but do other types of exercise that I feel better and recover better - a leisurely 20 minute walk with the dog I've found fantastic. Even something like mowing the lawn/trimming something in the garden.
EDIT: Seconding Bennys advice to at least be familiar with the process of changing a tube. It's best to 'practice' at home - makes things less stressful at the roadside when you actually need to change one in the rain/snow/a hurry.
Which Rudy are those if you don't mind me asking? Got a link?
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Could use it to fill up air at a petrol station I guess
Looked at TFL's website and didn't see an easy way to report. Camera is on bars anyway so can't see the fact he's reading papers.
Save yourself £15 and just get the £3 Lifeline CO2 valve, works perfectly fine.
This too, as light as possible.
£15 over what please?