How was your cycle commute?

[tommers]

I don't race against other riders.
I just go as fast as I can and the GPS data is logged and compared against other riders.

That's racing. Going as fast as you can, compared to other riders.

Surely it just depends on who gets the lights, gets stuck behind somebody, get a lorry in front of you etc etc? London is stop, start, stop, start.

 

[Onket]

Couriers know how to race in London!

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Targets for 2015:

• Put on the 6th edition of The London Classic - and get ChrisFilter to participate
• Restore Pinarello Asolo currently in shed
• Actually sell some of the surplus cycling shit I have accumulated at a Bike Jumble
• Starting club runs again - kids permitting
• A UK sportive, Castle Ride (Kent) most likely
• Continue commuting by bike

 

[ChrisFilter]

Target for 2015: lose a couple of stones, qualify for and complete PBP on the Pashley.

Now that's a proper ride. I'm planning on riding the Fred Whitton course, the Dragon ride course and probably the castles ride itself. Not sure I'll ever have PBP in me!

 

[ChrisFilter]

Targets for 2015:

• Put on the 6th edition of The London Classic - and get ChrisFilter to participate
• Restore Pinarello Asolo currently in shed
• Actually sell some of the surplus cycling shit I have accumulated at a Bike Jumble
• Starting club runs again - kids permitting
• A UK sportive, Castle Ride (Kent) most likely
• Continue commuting by bike

Ha! Let me know a date and I'll block it out.

 

[Onket]

Has tommers managed to turn up for a London Classic yet?!

 

[Utopia]

Subsequent analysis of GoPro video from another rider has revealed that my frame snapped when it hit someone else in the head!

Is it wrong of me to want to see that footage?

* Hope all involved are recovering and your all back on the road sharpish!

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Has tommers managed to turn up for a London Classic yet?!

tommers is a regular and has done most if not all of the Classics thus far (from memory)
ChrisFilter - Sunday April the 12th 2015

 

[tommers]

Has tommers managed to turn up for a London Classic yet?!

Haha, fuck you Onket. I've done 3 or something. I didn't do the last one (and I struggled with the one before because I am a fat bastard these days )

More to the point... have you?

 

[tommers]

Couriers know how to race in London!

I used to be one and I thought it was dangerous then.

 

[ChrisFilter]

tommers is a regular and has done most if not all of the Classics thus far (from memory)
ChrisFilter - Sunday April the 12th 2015

I'll be there. 40 miles or so, right? Pondering cycling there and back from home, making it a century.

 

[tommers]

Fuck yeah.

 

[ChrisFilter]

 

[Onket]

Haha, fuck you Onket. I've done 3 or something. I didn't do the last one (and I struggled with the one before because I am a fat bastard these days )

More to the point... have you?

I did one before I moved out of London. You were supposed to meet me there but came up with some excuse.

 

[Utopia]

Quick question as there seems to be quite a few knowledgable & helpful cyclists on here, i'm selling my mountain bike & my Cyclocross bike (sticking to the roads these days).....where's the best place to sell them?, apart from the obvious eBay & Gumtree of course, thanks!

 

[ChrisFilter]

Those two, tbh. Also the road.cc/bikerader/etc forums.

 

[tommers]

I did one before I moved out of London. You were supposed to meet me there but came up with some excuse.

Sorry.

 

[plurker]

Looks good - I also ride a vintage Pug, but not as old as this one. Levers are a bit high, how do you brake in the drops? All the steel Peugeots are descended in geometry from the multiple TdF winning PX10 of the 60's - they all ride really well, even the ones made from gas pipe 'Carbolite' tubing.

Thanks, good to know. Limited knowledge of this bike tbh, bought it very cheaply off a colleague who - when she bought it - got given a big pile of paperwork, reciepts etc by the original owner, but lost it all All I know is it's late 70s &, I believe, a PR10 frame.

Re levers- I ride with hands on the hoods of the brakes - I don't ride in the drops, never seen the need...should I reconsider that? What's the advantage - I thought that was for going up[ hills. I'm probs going to have the entire brakes replaced again, to bring them more up-to-date; it';s all original sotck atm, but with some new pads, which don't seem to sit right and wear to one end. Suffice to say they need work.

That's racing. Going as fast as you can, compared to other riders.
Surely it just depends on who gets the lights, gets stuck behind somebody, get a lorry in front of you etc etc? London is stop, start, stop, start.

You know what I mean! It does depend on who gets the lights/drafting etc - all part of the fun.

 

[ChrisFilter]

Re levers- I ride with hands on the hoods of the brakes - I don't ride in the drops, never seen the need...should I reconsider that? What's the advantage - I thought that was for going up[ hills.

Downhill, more like. It's for getting into a more aerodynamic position. Wind resistance has a major impact on speed, so, in theory, the lower you tuck, the less effort required.

I'm too fat to use them on the flat and you won't have much need for them in town.

 

[Dogsauce]

I'm targeting 4000 miles this year, which I think is doable mostly with commuting miles. I'd have gone for 5000 (my initial target last year, scuppered by various health issues) but I have a six week holiday lined up (which might include a few miles on rented bikes).

Other goals/plans:

Upgrade the brakes/gears on my regular bike;
Get the Raleigh Record road bike up to a rideable condition;
Leeds-London in a day (depending if I can get my fitness up to it!);
Try and make it to the Pashley Picnic to lower the tone a bit on my shabby works bike (I have blue overalls to complete the look);
Get out on a few club rides (there's a bike shop about half a mile away that has started doing weekend socials as well as the regular club a few miles north);
Get the girlfriend riding a bit more!
Possibly look at getting a new bike, a reward if I can manage the Leeds-London run;
Maybe do the London-Brighton night ride again, and possibly the Dunwich Dynamo;
Keep battling for the Strava segments on my commute, taking the two KOMs on my old 'classic' commute route that I've never held (unfortunately the new bike shop half a mile away sits at the start of one of them, and there's been a considerable raising of standards on that segment - don't think I'm even top ten).

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

All I know is it's late 70s &, I believe, a PR10 frame.

Still on French bottom bracket and headsets then - they swapped over to the rosebeef ISO standard in the early 80s. You might also have French threaded pedals if you are on OE cranks...you can get replacements for all of this kit but its not readily available in the LBS.

Re levers- I ride with hands on the hoods of the brakes - I don't ride in the drops, never seen the need...should I reconsider that? What's the advantage - I thought that was for going up[ hills.

Its for the speed you crave...but tbh riding the drops on an old racer is like riding on the tops on a modern racer, the cockpits used to be setup higher.

I'm probs going to have the entire brakes replaced again, to bring them more up-to-date; it';s all original sotck atm, but with some new pads, which don't seem to sit right and wear to one end. Suffice to say they need work.

I worried about losing the purity of the OE Weinman 500 side pulls but Shimano Tiagra long drop brakes fitted straight onto my frame so I went with them, you don't die as much I find. There is also the super tasty but expensive option of fitting dia compe 610 centre pulls which look period but are made from cast sections and work very well apparently.

 

[plurker]

Downhill, more like. It's for getting into a more aerodynamic position. Wind resistance has a major impact on speed, so, in theory, the lower you tuck, the less effort required.

gotcha.
I keep my saddle high, so am already quite head-down riding on the hoods...

Still on French bottom bracket and headsets then - they swapped over to the rosebeef ISO standard in the early 80s. You might also have French threaded pedals if you are on OE cranks...you can get replacements for all of this kit but its not readily available in the LBS.

Its for the speed you crave...but tbh riding the drops on an old racer is like riding on the tops on a modern racer, the cockpits used to be setup higher.

I worried about losing the purity of the OE Weinman 500 side pulls but Shimano Tiagra long drop brakes fitted straight onto my frame so I went with them, you don't die as much I find. There is also the super tasty but expensive option of fitting dia compe 610 centre pulls which look period but are made from cast sections and work very well apparently.

Everything's OE expect the forks, they got fucked when the brakes failed to stop me in time, and I was wholly reliant on faceplanting the car in front. You've lost me a little in the last paragraph, I'll admit, but I might print it out and take to LBS

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

You've lost me a little in the last paragraph, I'll admit, but I might print it out and take to LBS

You have deep drop centrepulls. To really improve braking you could fit shimano tiagra 57mm deep drop brakes with a little fettling or go for something like the diacompe 610. Depends how much reach you need, particularly from the rear brake bridge to the rims braking surface.

You will probably be able to dramatically improve your current brakes by fitting better pads and giving the brake bodies a clean. If you have access to an ultrasonic cleaner the difference can be profound. Then apply a little GT85 to the where the spring hits the brake body.

If you do decide to fit modern allen key fitting brakes you can do so with the sheldon brown method, namely enlarge the back of the fork crown hole with an 8m drillbit then put ithe back caliper on the front, using a longer allen nut and use the front caliper on the back and used use a nut to hold it in place.

But if it were me I would find it hard to resist these bad boys:

 

[The Boy]

In the absence of a more general cycling thread, does anyone have any targets for 2015?

I've started this year as I've started the last three: with a promise to myself that I will go out and do an Audax or two. i probably won't.

 

[Onket]

Double post from train.

 

[ChrisFilter]

I've started this year as I've started the last three: with a promise to myself that I will go out and do an Audax or two. i probably won't.

I'm not sure I quite get audax. I mean, I understand the appeal of long distances, but I don't understand why you wouldn't just do a long distance of your own planning. It's my understanding that audaxes are pretty spread out so it's not for being part of a crowd.

I suspect I'm missing something obvious.

 

[Sigmund Fraud]

Headset fucked - centre notching due to brinelling metallurgy fans. My bike is really Triggers broom, the original bits now are the frame, seatpost, stem and bars.

 

[Dogsauce]

That sounds familiar - I sometimes describe my bike as '57 varieties'. It came from a friend who pulls old bikes out of binyards and makes functioning ones out of the parts, so was mostly unoriginal to start with. Since taking it on about five years ago I've replaced the crank, both wheels, derailleur, back axle, bottom bracket, gear block, back brake mechanism and all the cables. Bars (wide, not drops), saddle, seat post (seized) and gear changer that it came with are non-original. I guess the frame and possibly the front brake are the only original pieces. It ain't pretty, but that's partly the point, I don't really have to worry much about theft.

 

[Dogsauce]

This is my ex-lodger's Peugeot that I mentioned upthread, he's been tidying it up to stick on ebay and sent me a picture. The chainguard is pretty stylish but he tended to ride without it.

 

[Ted Striker]

But if it were me I would find it hard to resist these bad boys:

I have those on my nu-oldy bike. My wheels are heavier than a tanks caterpillar tracks though it always manages to grab them well enough