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How was your cycle commute?

DownwardDog said:
Why don't you have mudguards?
Click to expand...
I know someone who ended up in hospital through mudguard failure.
I don't ride off-road as such, but I encounter quite a lot of fallen branches and stuff - so I feel happier with a shortie front mudguard and crud-catcher...
 
:mad:

Somehow I managed to find a 17mm combi spanner to go with the cone spanners I bought last week, so I thought I would practice on a spare front wheel which also has an XT hub.
First thing, I found you have to remove the brake disc because the screw heads sit too proud.

The trial wheel went OK - though one of the cones has a curve of pits so it's fairly rough even when well-greased - which explains the bearing squeaking / chatter I had a year ago.

So I thought I would do my current back wheel which has just enough side play for the brake disc to touch occasionally and possibly making the bike a teeny bit unstable.

Having removed the brake disc, I find that though this was a pair with the other one, the top nuts on this wheel have recessed flats so need an actual cone spanner. I was tempted to use a monkey wrench, but I'll order up a 17/18 spanner to go with the 13, 14, 15, 16 ones I bought last week. :mad:
 
Just what was wrong with the old bike ?

It takes me 25 minutes to do 3.5 miles on my morning commute and about the same to do 5.5 miles on the way home - and that's pushing it. The timings have been pretty well the same for the past 25 years and 5 different bikes.
 
gentlegreen said:
Just what was wrong with the old bike ?

It takes me 25 minutes to do 3.5 miles on my morning commute and about the same to do 5.5 miles on the way home - and that's pushing it. The timings have been pretty well the same for the past 25 years and 5 different bikes.
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My times have improved continually over the last three years that I've been riding regularly - mainly due to bike modifications (such as a bigger chain ring and cleats) and maintenance, plus the fact I've lost about 12kg in the process. 40-45 minutes was once the norm, on a good day I can just about manage under 30 on the way in, and have recently started breaking this barrier on the slightly shorter return journey quite often. I ride an old Falcon tourer and have taken off quite a few bits to lower weight such as the rear pannier (I use a rucksack instead, usually just on a Monday to take in clothes/food for the week, riding light the rest of the time). No mudguards, no changer for the front cogs (don't need anything other than the big 56 - none of the hills are that steep). Times tend to get hit by traffic lights, hold-ups at junctions and strong headwinds. Occasionally the council is kind enough to resurface a bit of the route so I can go full pelt rather than having to do the pothole slalom.

I have an old racer I'm trying to get back on the road which I reckon will strip a bit more time off, though I might get shaken to pieces on the track sections.
 
fredfelt said:
I'll be guiding people around Oxford on bikes - with a quick pub stop included in the tour!
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Sounds good. I was supposed to have been organising a birthday meal for some peeps in the Midlands. A bike ride round Oxford followed by a meal in a pub could be a contender. PM me details of the FredFelt tours...
 
That's two years' worth. ;)
Now I have a work stand, I don't see the underside much :D
At least it's largely lube off the chain.
 
Probably knocked another 30 seconds off my best time overall today - I really must get out for a decent ride soon.
Makes a change having all my gears - the front dérailleur is now as snappy as a rat trap.
 
Took a different route home and ended up riding a section of road that only minutes before been "dressed". Result is both the tyres are now sticky black tarry things with enough gravel stuck to them to dress another entire road. :mad:
 
The traffic was in my favour this morning, but I somehow knocked another minute off - something to do with the number and spacing of slow path users - I found myself pushing harder into the pain zone.
 
gentlegreen said:
The traffic was in my favour this morning, but I somehow knocked another minute off - something to do with the number and spacing of slow path users - I found myself pushing harder into the pain zone.
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It's difficult to know what 'zone' you're really in until you get a HRM. I thought I was pushing myself pretty hard but until I joined a club and got a HRM I realised I was just pissing around at about 70-80% of maximum.

Heart-zones.png
 
As it is my birthday today my colleagues at work organised a meal at lunch time at a local hostelry. As they know me well they clubbed together to buy me a very fine bottle of port too :)

So, fuck Exercise Zone "VO2 Max", "Anaerobic@, etc. I've ridden home on Exercise Zone "Vintage Port". :D
 
I've just calculated I've committed about 9,000 traffic offences since I started cycling.
It's actually the same offence in the same place 9,000 times - i.e. pretty well every day for 26 years.
 
gentlegreen said:
I've just calculated I've committed about 9,000 traffic offences since I started cycling.
It's actually the same offence in the same place 9,000 times - i.e. pretty well every day for 26 years.
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I wouldn't even know where to begin with mine..
RLJing, oneway streets, drunk/drugged, no cycling areas, speeding, no lights, no reflector, damaging other vehicles, two people on a bike..
 
a_chap said:
As it is my birthday today my colleagues at work organised a meal at lunch time at a local hostelry. As they know me well they clubbed together to buy me a very fine bottle of port too :)

So, fuck Exercise Zone "VO2 Max", "Anaerobic@, etc. I've ridden home on Exercise Zone "Vintage Port". :D
Click to expand...
Happy Birthday
Sounds like you have some nice colleagues, my last birthday I got a bar of Lavender chocolate at work, it tasted revolting, would have much prefered a bottle of port, lucky old you.;)
 
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