The Cycling Chat Thread

[han]

I'm going to do a 100 mile ride in a couple of weeks, with some friends. Aiming to do 70 on Friday.

 

[a_chap]

All these long distances you chaps are riding makes me feel quite inadequate

And I'm only doing a 600 this weekend

 

[Dogsauce]

The cycle superhighway in Leeds is getting a bit of justified stick for shit design in various places today. £30million spent and I'll probably stay on the road looking at what's been done so far.

It's prompted someone to post this on the local cycle group's page:

 

[fen_boy]

Put 28mm tyres on my road bike this morning for extra comfort. They're too big and rub on the fork crown and rear caliper when I sit on the bike.

 

[tommers]

Put 28mm tyres on my road bike this morning for extra comfort. They're too big and rub on the fork crown and rear caliper when I sit on the bike.

I have done the same.

I don't know whether it was them but it was noticeably more effort getting going. The Thames Path was brilliant though.

 

[Boycey]

Sorry to hear that fen_boy, back to 25s?

tommers, I've not noticed too much decreased acceleration, it rolls much better though. Are you using marathon pluses?

 

[ChrisFilter]

Am I the only person still running 23s?

 

[fen_boy]

Sorry to hear that fen_boy, back to 25s?

I've still got 23s with some life in them so will probably put those back on. Much prefer the 25s on my winter wheels and thought I'd try 28s out.

 

[fen_boy]

Am I the only person still running 23s?

On the shitty fen roads we have round here the difference between 25s and 23s is noticable in comfort terms without losing much, if any, speed.
At least that's what it feels like to me.

 

[sim667]

I haven't cycled for a couple of weeks, because I twisted my ankle really badly (ended up on crutches).

Looking forward to getting back to it in the next week or two.

 

[Dogsauce]

Am I the only person still running 23s?

Mine will be something like that, they're dead narrow. Might even be 19s, it's a Durano on the back and some other cheap puncture-resistant one on the front. The crash-damaged commuter has 28s and that was still pretty nippy.

 

[tommers]

tommers, I've not noticed too much decreased acceleration, it rolls much better though. Are you using marathon pluses?

Yeah. They're quite heavy. But that's fine if it means no more punctures.

I've only done one journey on them so maybe there was a headwind, I'm knackered etc etc. I'll see how they go.

 

[dogDBC]

I live in Thailand. I like to tour. Sometimes my accommodation veers toward sleazy but cheap. Bike sleeps with me every time.

 

[The Boy]

So how does one choose mudguards? Is there anything that needs measuring or that?

 

[idumea]

Now mine - I'm in love

 

[The Boy]

Also, panniers: recommend me up.

 

[Boycey]

Also, panniers: recommend me up.

ortlieb or vaude all the way.

 

[Dogsauce]

All these long distances you chaps are riding makes me feel quite inadequate

And I'm only doing a 600 this weekend

Strava tells me Steve Abraham was out for this jaunt too - did you spot him in the wild and did he really do it with one leg?

 

[braindancer]

Strava tells me Steve Abraham was out for this jaunt too - did you spot him in the wild and did he really do it with one leg?

I saw that on Strava too - 423 miles - what the fuck! I did a paltry - Walthamstow to Whitstable - with two legs.... excellent ride though, with fish and chips on the beach to finish. Nom nom nom.

 

[a_chap]

Strava tells me Steve Abraham was out for this jaunt too - did you spot him in the wild and did he really do it with one leg?

Steve had completed the "helper's ride" the weekend before so didn't have to do the ride again. But he did.

I saw him before the start - he's lost quite a bit of weight, has recently caught the sun a lot(!) and is limping. He was riding two-legged and was on the Raleigh (as opposed to one-legged on the recumbent trike). I saw him again briefly at the first control - he was leaving as I was arriving - but I do not have any further info about how his ride went.

However - and thanks for asking - my ride went fine; I completed it in 36 hours. One highlight, during the second stage, was another rider asking my how foot was. This puzzled me no end until I realised he'd mistaken me for Steve Abraham!

 

[Artaxerxes]

I'm getting fitter, used to have a heart attack getting even a quarter way up the hill, this time I managed at least half way and barely stopped once I was going after that.

Also I has figured out gears somewhat

 

[Dogsauce]

The Leeds-Bradford superhighway scheme is coming in for a lot of justified stick for it's piss-poor junction designs, £30 million quid and they're pissing it away:

https://departmentfortransport.wordpress.com/tag/dick-lane-grange-avenue/?order=asc

The main problem seems to be a refusal of the backwards dinosaurs that work in highways to accept any proposal that removes capacity for motorised traffic. This is the first completed junction, but there's already several others that people have picked up on that fall well short of what was promised. The local cycle campaign group has put in loads of hours responding to consultation on this scheme and are rightfully pissed off that promises have been broken and agreed proposals amended after a secretive 'safety audit' that took place after the designs they were presented with were seen. This route covers about 70%, yet I'm pretty sure I'll be staying on the road (which is a wide and not particularly busy bus lane) for most of it. Twats.

 

[Orang Utan]

Has anyone seen this?
http://www.dailyliked.net/BACKWARDS-BRAIN-BICYCLE/

 

[a_chap]

That's barmy OU

 

[weepiper]

Payday today and I have been thinking about a new frame and forks for a while (my current ones ancient - forks are from, errr, about 2000 and the frame was not that great in the first place) so I spunked a few hundred that I've been saving up on these.









Saved a total of about £210 off the total RRP so almost as good as staff discount (not things we sell)

 

[angryfaceman]

Afternoon

I run a Scott speedster s50 with a un55 bottom bracket. It's a triple.

I've just bought a compact group set setup to fit to make it similar to my other bike.

The new chainset is a sora hollowtech. Can anyone recommend which bb to get? Can I just swap it for a shimano tiagra 68mm English thread?

 

[sleaterkinney]

Is there an easy way of getting continental gatorskin tyres on?. I'm going through more spoons than Uri Geller.

 

[sleaterkinney]

The internet is so useful:

 

[tommers]

The internet is so useful:

Yeah, I struggled with them until I learned to hold on really tight (like crush the tyre onto the rim) with one hand and use the other to put the other side in. I also found it easier with the wheel lifted up onto my lap so it was level with me.

 

[weepiper]

My frame has come but the forks have been sat in the 'national processing hub' since 1pm yesterday according to the tracking bloody Chain Reaction. I was hoping to get it built up today and out for a ride tomorrow while the kids are away.