The Get fit club! [Archive] - Page 3

Iain

26th February 2013, 13:09

I hate hills, mainly because my bike is too heavy! Was supposed to do a 46 mile return trip along the Union Canal on Saturday, but we had to wait until lunchtime for the snow to go off. In the end we did a 26 mile return trip, which was good fun along the towpath, past the Falkirk wheel, then stopping at a pub for a quick snack before returning. The worst part was the hill up to my mate's house at the end! Currently looking at where I can go today. Endomondo says I've done 84 miles of walking and mountain biking this month. :D

It's definitely having an effect. Lost some weight and my legs feel fine the next day.

J4MIE

26th February 2013, 23:23

Well done Iain (and Mark). I have been invited to a five a side tomorrow evening after work which I fear will be quite painful :( Really need to get back into the cycling but still waiting for it to warm up a bit.

At least I bought a new set of brakes the other day, just need to fit them, probably on Sunday.

Mark

27th February 2013, 11:58

I'm hoping to get into things properly this year. As ever having time to do things is the issue as wife and child will always come first. But I can usually spare an hour in the evening/morning a couple of times a week and either Sunday mornings or ride somewhere to meet up. Can get quite a bit done in that time!

I've found that training for the likes of the ride I did on Sunday is a great motivation to get out of the house when normally you'd just think it's too cold!

Jamie - should be nice this weekend, not shorts weather yet but I'm considering going out wearing only 2 long sleeved jerseys instead of my usual 3!

J4MIE

27th February 2013, 20:33

Off to a rally on Saturday and will spend Sunday swearing at my bike while trying to change the brakes.... ;) Gonna get a new bike through the cycle to work thing but not sure when I would get it, probably start of April.

But looks like I have joined a gym, so can see myself going there during the week particularly in the mornings. Getting discounted membership with work (knew they were good for something) and was thinking of swimming in Durham but this seems a lot more value. Again think it starts in April but might be able to negotiate a couple of weeks free before that with a bit of luck...

Plus I am in for the Great North Run :s

Mark

27th February 2013, 20:39

You're getting cycle to work eh?! Wish we could. I've asked but been basically been told don't even bother because you'll go to a lot of hassle and then it'll get dismissed out of hand :(

What bike you getting then? Road bike? ;)

J4MIE

28th February 2013, 18:09

Will get a proper mountain bike, plenty mountains to cycle over on my daily commute ;)

ioan

10th March 2013, 22:41

Finally managed to get out on the bike, the old one, first time since 4 months.
Just a short ride, about 45 km. Averaged 25 km/h, started in the 28's finished in the 22's. Had to sleep 3 hours in the afternoon to recover.
Hopefully the weather will improve soon and I can again go for 2 rides a week at least.

Mark

11th March 2013, 19:11

My bike is currently in bits after being soundly beaten by a car.

As it goes; I wouldn't have been able to do any more cycling since last Monday anyway as the weather has turned back to mid winter again. Shame as the weekend before was really lovely.

I'm hoping that Direct Line will pull their finger out of their arse and process my claim so I can get back going again. Probably a week on Saturday -- weather permitting!

ioan

11th March 2013, 20:23

J4MIE

12th March 2013, 02:23

You are welcome to borrow my bike in the meantime Mark, I'm not using it!

Mark

12th March 2013, 08:59

:eek:
You and Jalabert! Just that you were lucky and didn't end up in the hospital.
If I may be curious, what happened?

Weather going bad around here also. It seams that some snow my yet be in the cards in the coming days.

Classic case of a car pulling out without properly looking. They approached the roundabout, for whatever reason didn't see me and I ended up going into the side of them. Landed on my eblow and leg and apart from a light bruising I'm ok. My knee a week later doesn't feel completely right but it's getting better every day.

However dealing with the insurance claim makes being knocked off my bike seem comparatively fun.

Mark

12th March 2013, 09:00

You are welcome to borrow my bike in the meantime Mark, I'm not using it!

I might have to have a go of your exercise bike if the insurance drags on much longer!

Big Ben

12th March 2013, 10:08

Anyone getting fit using something else than a bike?

EuroTroll

12th March 2013, 10:12

Anyone getting fit using something else than a bike?

I use this to keep (relatively) fit:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xJjMYhhDWrI/UPkRPgTSGbI/AAAAAAAAAo4/7Ivy9D9qW2M/s1600/1319_orbitrek_15891216.jpg

45 minutes every morning! :)

Mark

12th March 2013, 10:20

That's your wife? :p

EuroTroll

12th March 2013, 12:24

That's your wife? :p

Unfortunately, no. :laugh: Just some photo I found, googling. :)

ioan

12th March 2013, 20:08

I use this to keep (relatively) fit:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xJjMYhhDWrI/UPkRPgTSGbI/AAAAAAAAAo4/7Ivy9D9qW2M/s1600/1319_orbitrek_15891216.jpg

45 minutes every morning! :)

If she would drop by every day I would never ever go biking again! :D

GridGirl

12th March 2013, 20:13

Anyone getting fit using something else than a bike?

I get fit by walking, hiking, running (although not much lately) but I love my bikes. I haven't had a gym membership for two years but I did used to love going to the gym.

Seriously, that woman looks too happy. Exercise should make you look like death if your trying hard enough. :p

Big Ben

13th March 2013, 07:46

I love my bike too but some a$$h01e stole my wheels and somehow I managed to postpone buying another pair of them for almost an year now... I guess I'm not loving her enough though.

donKey jote

13th March 2013, 08:00

I've been doing all the housework for the last 5 days and I'm absolutely knackered ! :dozey:

gadjo_dilo

13th March 2013, 12:59

I've been doing all the housework for the last 5 days and I'm absolutely knackered ! :dozey:

Have you been punished? :devil:

SGWilko

13th March 2013, 13:26

Have you been punished? :devil:

Not yet - but if he's missed a bit he will be! :p

donKey jote

13th March 2013, 14:34

Have you been punished? :devil:

no, the missus did her back in and can barely sit for a minute, let alone walk. :dozey:

donKey jote

13th March 2013, 14:35

Not yet - but if he's missed a bit he will be! :p

she can't make it downstairs yet, fortunately :erm: :andrea:

J4MIE

14th March 2013, 01:14

I might have to have a go of your exercise bike if the insurance drags on much longer!

My brother bought it off me after Christmas and I felt he needed the exercise even more than me ;) So I am waiting for warmer weather (still feels a long way away :( ) and gym (sorry, the Health and racquet club :p : )membership should start in 2 weeks....

rjbetty

14th March 2013, 02:48

:monster: :monster: :hot: :grenade: :s mash:

We've gotta kill these things before they take over all of us!

Mark

14th March 2013, 08:42

My brother bought it off me after Christmas and I felt he needed the exercise even more than me ;) So I am waiting for warmer weather (still feels a long way away :( ) and gym (sorry, the Health and racquet club :p : )membership should start in 2 weeks....

No need anyway as the insurance is settled and I pick up my new bike on Saturday :D

ioan

14th March 2013, 19:38

No need anyway as the insurance is settled and I pick up my new bike on Saturday :D

Good to hear!
Did you go for a different bike? If yes, which one?

Mark

14th March 2013, 19:53

Yep, road bike which I've been after for ages Trek 2.1.

Never ridden a road bike before so should be interesting!

ioan

14th March 2013, 22:52

Yep, road bike which I've been after for ages Trek 2.1.

Never ridden a road bike before so should be interesting!

Looks good!
It is different and you will like it.
Most important thing is to find a good stance on it as soon as possible. Also lots of flexibility can help, so start doing some stretching exercises on a daily basis.

Mark

18th March 2013, 10:11

Looks good!
It is different and you will like it.
Most important thing is to find a good stance on it as soon as possible. Also lots of flexibility can help, so start doing some stretching exercises on a daily basis.

Very different yes! I've found a couple of issues with it, having only ridden it 20 miles.

Firstly I'm finding it really difficult riding on the hoods, my arms are really stretched out - think trying to reach for a cup which is too far away. As a result gripping the ends of the hoods is painful for my hands and elbows, as is braking. I'm considering swapping the 90mm 7deg stem for a 75mm 17deg stem which should bring the lot 2cm closer, but it's a minefield to say the least, everyone seems to have a different opinion!

Braking; everyone has said brakes on a road bike are terrible - they weren't wrong! Coming down a very slight incline towards a roundabout and I was like ok, brake, brake! BRAKE!!!!, I was braking from ages out and hardly got slowed down, I hate to think if I was coming down a hill at 30mph and someone pulled out..

schmenke

18th March 2013, 17:06

she can't make it downstairs yet, fortunately :erm: :andrea:

Keeping her locked up in the upper tower...? :p :

schmenke

18th March 2013, 17:10

...Braking; everyone has said brakes on a road bike are terrible - they weren't wrong! Coming down a very slight incline towards a roundabout and I was like ok, brake, brake! BRAKE!!!!, I was braking from ages out and hardly got slowed down, I hate to think if I was coming down a hill at 30mph and someone pulled out..

Road bikes are typically equipped with “V” type brakes which don’t have the same stopping power as disc or side-pulls found on mountain bikes. The trade-off for V-brakes is light weight and aerodynamics :mark: .

janneppi

18th March 2013, 17:46

Road bikes are typically equipped with “V” type brakes which don’t have the same stopping power as disc or side-pulls found on mountain bikes. The trade-off for V-brakes is light weight and aerodynamics :mark: .
Actually, the most common(cheap) brakes in mtb's are called v-brakes and side pull brakes are more common with road bikes. :)

There are some good brakes for road bikes, apparently, mine aren't even close. I dobt I have ever gotten the rear wheel completely locked on tarmac.
My next commute bike will most like be a cyclocross bike with disc brakes, with skinny wheels in the summer and studded thingies in winter it will be easier to commute than with my current bikes.

It's been unusually cold for the last few weeks, especially during the night. I'm not hardcore enough to ride to work when it's -15C. :(

schmenke

18th March 2013, 19:08

Actually, the most common(cheap) brakes in mtb's are called v-brakes and side pull brakes are more common with road bikes. :)

Thanks for the clarification. It’s been a while since I’ve sourced any components for my (aging :uhoh: ) mountain bike. It’s equipped with, what I think are called, linear brakes.

I too am waiting for warmer weather and for the snow to melt :(

janneppi

18th March 2013, 19:37

Linear pull is the same a v-brake(which was Shimano's maketing name for them) The Finnish translation for direct pull never really caught on here, they are always called the equivalent of v-brakes.

Mark

18th March 2013, 20:09

My old bike had linear pull brakes. This one has dual-pivot brakes.

GridGirl

18th March 2013, 22:11

Braking; everyone has said brakes on a road bike are terrible - they weren't wrong! Coming down a very slight incline towards a roundabout and I was like ok, brake, brake! BRAKE!!!!, I was braking from ages out and hardly got slowed down, I hate to think if I was coming down a hill at 30mph and someone pulled out..

Meh, you get used to it. :p Luckily you only have one bike. Try going from a road bike to disc brakes on a mountain bike. For me that usually translates to locking up on my mountain bike as I forget my brakes will actually work. Varying degrees of bruising and pain often ensues.

ioan

18th March 2013, 23:34

Very different yes! I've found a couple of issues with it, having only ridden it 20 miles.

Firstly I'm finding it really difficult riding on the hoods, my arms are really stretched out - think trying to reach for a cup which is too far away. As a result gripping the ends of the hoods is painful for my hands and elbows, as is braking. I'm considering swapping the 90mm 7deg stem for a 75mm 17deg stem which should bring the lot 2cm closer, but it's a minefield to say the least, everyone seems to have a different opinion!

Mark, what's your inseam length and what size frame did you get?
Swapping the stem can help you with the reach for the hoods, the 17 degrees rise will also help a bit especially if you back is also under pressure.
You can also consider swapping the handlebar for one with shorter reach. What kind of handlebars you've got? Do you have the specs (reach and drop)?

I have set up my new bike with a 75mm stem and with a Shimano Pro PLT handlebar with 65 mm reach and only 125mm drop.

Did your bike store help you find the right fit and size before you ordered the bike? They should have done it cause a bad fitting bike is a real pain in the rear.

Braking; everyone has said brakes on a road bike are terrible - they weren't wrong! Coming down a very slight incline towards a roundabout and I was like ok, brake, brake! BRAKE!!!!, I was braking from ages out and hardly got slowed down, I hate to think if I was coming down a hill at 30mph and someone pulled out..

What make of brakes you've got? 105s or Ultegras?
While generally more expensive brake calipers like Dura Ace are stiffer and as such more effective, the biggest difference will be made by the brake pads, so before doing anything else I would try out different brake pads, SwissStop makes some good ones, check with you local bike store for a set adapted to you rims.

Mark

19th March 2013, 08:43

Mark, what's your inseam length and what size frame did you get?
Swapping the stem can help you with the reach for the hoods, the 17 degrees rise will also help a bit especially if you back is also under pressure.
You can also consider swapping the handlebar for one with shorter reach. What kind of handlebars you've got? Do you have the specs (reach and drop)?

It's a Bontrager Race VR-C (I think the C standing for compact drop)

What make of brakes you've got? 105s or Ultegras?
While generally more expensive brake calipers like Dura Ace are stiffer and as such more effective, the biggest difference will be made by the brake pads, so before doing anything else I would try out different brake pads, SwissStop makes some good ones, check with you local bike store for a set adapted to you rims.

I don't have branded brakes, just "Bontrager approved" which could be anything but probably Tektro. I've ordered some Ultegra pads, hopefully they will help.

janneppi

19th March 2013, 16:35

Firstly I'm finding it really difficult riding on the hoods, my arms are really stretched out - think trying to reach for a cup which is too far away. As a result gripping the ends of the hoods is painful for my hands and elbows, as is braking. I'm considering swapping the 90mm 7deg stem for a 75mm 17deg stem which should bring the lot 2cm closer, but it's a minefield to say the least, everyone seems to have a different opinion!
.

That sounds that the frame is too long.(or you're just not used to a efficient riding position) I'm 188cm and my road bike's frame is a size 60cm, stem is 110mm. And i'm very far from being flexible. There are some good fit calculators on the web, I think I used this last time I checked my riding position.

Fit Calculator - Competitive Cyclist (http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO)

Mark

19th March 2013, 16:52

That sounds that the frame is too long.(or you're just not used to a efficient riding position) I'm 188cm and my road bike's frame is a size 60cm, stem is 110mm. And i'm very far from being flexible. There are some good fit calculators on the web, I think I used this last time I checked my riding position.

Fit Calculator - Competitive Cyclist (http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO)

It's a 52cm frame which should be about right for my height of 5'6" Some people have suggested that I just have a short upper body / arms for my height. They may be right, I don't know.

ioan

19th March 2013, 17:50

It's a Bontrager Race VR-C (I think the C standing for compact drop)

According to the info that I found these handlebars have a reach of 85mm, for size a size 42 (I guess you've got 40 or 42 size bars). That is 20 mm longer then my pro PLT compact bars reach.
So changing the handlebar might also help you a bit, however this also depends on the size of your hands as they have to fit well on less space, I really suggest you visit the shop where you bought the bike and ask them to set it up with the right parts for you.

I don't have branded brakes, just "Bontrager approved" which could be anything but probably Tektro. I've ordered some Ultegra pads, hopefully they will help.

Let's hope those will help you get a better feel for the brakes as well as help you stop faster.

As mentioned before these are rather good, not cheap though:

Wiggle | Swissstop Flash Pro Black (Brake Compound) Blocks | Rim Brake Pads (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/swissstop-flash-pro-black-brake-compound-blocks/)

ioan

19th March 2013, 17:56

It's a 52cm frame which should be about right for my height of 5'6" Some people have suggested that I just have a short upper body / arms for my height. They may be right, I don't know.

Indeed a size 52 is generally well suited to your height.
The issue is that some manufacturers will refer to different frame parts when they give the sizing. In some cases, it is the top tube length, in other is the effective top tube length and in other cases it is the seat tube length.
On top of it, as you say, we are all different, with different proportions of our body parts, so there is no one rule to size a bike for any individual. Best thing is to test and change parts on the bike before you order it, all this together with your local bike store. If this is not possible due to buying online then it will take some testing of different parts until you get it all right.

Anyway, the easiest is to shorten the stem and if needed also the bars reach and see what it gives.

Tazio

19th March 2013, 18:14

Meh, you get used to it. :p Luckily you only have one bike. Try going from a road bike to disc brakes on a mountain bike. For me that usually translates to locking up on my mountain bike as I forget my brakes will actually work. Varying degrees of bruising and pain often ensues.LOL, when I got my first mountain bike with (Juicy) disk brakes, I was going down a very steep hill off the trail at Mission Trails Regional Open Space (http://sdmba.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63) and was accelerating with my rear wheel in full lock when I realized that I was heading to an almost shear drop off. I decided to ease my front brake on which in turn gave me an instantaneous flying lesson over the handle bars and well down the hill. Luckily I only sustained some cartilage damage in my ribcage (painful as hell) and a sore shoulder :crazy:

Mark

19th March 2013, 19:51

I might give the Swisstop brakes a look then. There's one particular road near me - Peth Bank -which is 20% grade with a corner which was scary enough going down on my hybrid with good brakes never mind with brakes which hardly work ;) . But I don't want to avoid it because that's the best way to the good cycling roads ;)

Mark

20th March 2013, 09:14

With relation to the 'making plans' thread and how I tend to go for things too quickly..

I'm hoping to upgrade this bike in due course, but then 'plan', is within a couple of years to have the groupset entirely changed to Ultegra, and upgrade the wheels etc, but I'm saying to myself that I need to do 1,000 miles at the very least before I consider spending any more money.

I'd like to have Di2 eventually of course, but the price would have to come down somewhat!

Robinho

20th March 2013, 09:42

I've only been riding a road bike for a couple if months but I've been pleasantly surprised by the brakes, although I've not needed an emergency stop I've been able to scrub off speed when required with no particular difficulty, the brakes on mine I think are tiagra or 105, but not sure about the pads, the guy who owned the bike looked after it well so I'd expect they are pretty decent

Sent from the moon using a shoe

janneppi

20th March 2013, 15:32

First bike rides in spring time. :D
I decided to cycle to work it was on -8C in the morning instead of the usual -15 we've been getting here this March.
I forgot that today was windy, a 7m/s headwind pretty much killed any hope of getting a easy workout. 55 freezing minutes to work.

On my way back home I decided to scout some local trails along the route, pretty good fun, only flew over the handlebar twice. :D
Second time was bit hard though, I hit an icy snow bank pretty hard, my back and left shoulder are still a bit sore.

Maybe I'll try again when temps are closer to 0C.

Mark

20th March 2013, 19:36

Well'ard ;) . Temperatures less than 2C are too low for me!

J4MIE

20th March 2013, 20:41

Anything below +15C and I'm just not interested ;)

Mark

20th March 2013, 20:46

Fair play. Might have a bit of a wait for that unless your off abroad again ;)

rjbetty

20th March 2013, 22:33

Well it's nice to see there are plenty of people here who also like their cycling (more than me it seems)!

I just did a 40-miler today to Windsor, which I'm really pleased with considering I'd been ill for quite a while. :)

Maybe I can post a pic of my steed too - it's not the most amazing thing but I'm really proud of it. :)

rjbetty

20th March 2013, 22:39

I love my bike too but some a$$h01e stole my wheels and somehow I managed to postpone buying another pair of them for almost an year now... I guess I'm not loving her enough though.

I'm sorry to hear that Ben; it's really horrible when that happens. :(

I've lost a seat, back wheel and handlebars from my nice current bike, which was locked up outside. I'd forgotten to bring it in for the night. The thief even left me their existing wheel and connecting skewer for me to use, by the wheely bin. I had to smile even though that appeared to be completely taking the biscuit. :)

rjbetty

20th March 2013, 22:46

Tazio

21st March 2013, 03:06

Perhaps you have an awkward gait. :angel:

henners88

21st March 2013, 07:52

Perhaps you have an awkward gait. :angel:
You've changed your name again! Are you trying to lose us? :p

Mark

21st March 2013, 09:06

Has anyone noticed that you can be pretty fit in one way and not much at all in another...?

Oh absolutely, a great deal of fitness is very specific.

Like with me, I can cycle pretty good distances quite quickly. So I thought I wouldn't really struggle too badly at running when I started really trying it properly a couple of years back. It was terrible: I just couldn't do half a mile - DOWNHILL - it was just so much!

Yep, I've given up on even trying to run now. But on looking on the internet about this I've found lots of people who class themselves as good cyclists who can't run worth anything at all. Conversely it's often said runners are usually pretty good at cycling!

janneppi

21st March 2013, 14:48

But on looking on the internet about this I've found lots of people who class themselves as good cyclists who can't run worth anything at all. Conversely it's often said runners are usually pretty good at cycling!
You can be quite a lot heavier to do cycling than to run properly. Running at least for me tends to get the heart rate through the roof in minutes, where on a bike as I can keep a constant 140bpm for a long time.

Mark

24th March 2013, 19:26

Changed the pads to Ultegra branded ones. Unfortunately they are no better, a lot of braking required today due to the wind.

rjbetty

24th March 2013, 23:15

Perhaps you have an awkward gait. :angel:

Oh yeah I most certainly do: I am a bit... lanky... :)

rjbetty

24th March 2013, 23:17

Oh ah' hate cycling in the wind when you are trying to get somewhere! It's also time for things to warm up a little around here. My poor fingers and knuckles have been getting sore cuts all over them these last 3 winters, simply from being exposed to the cold while wrapped around the handlebars... :(

janneppi

25th March 2013, 15:08

Changed the pads to Ultegra branded ones. Unfortunately they are no better, a lot of braking required today due to the wind.
I've used mtb v-brake pads on my roadbike for years. I read somewhere that the pad compound would be softer on them.

Tazio

25th March 2013, 15:57

Oh yeah I most certainly do: I am a bit... lanky... :)
Could you email me some pictures ;)
Actually I can relate to this running issue as I have recently taken it back up to augment my biking, hiking, and other sundry athletic activities. Unless you have a very challenging cadence it is far too easy to relax while cycling as opposed to running where cheating is harder. Did I mention that getting old sucks in this arena? :mad:

tfp

25th March 2013, 19:05

Has anyone noticed that you can be pretty fit in one way and not much at all in another...?

Like with me, I can cycle pretty good distances quite quickly. So I thought I wouldn't really struggle too badly at running when I started really trying it properly a couple of years back. It was terrible: I just couldn't do half a mile - DOWNHILL - it was just so much!

Keep it up, it's surprising how quickly your stamina builds!

Oh absolutely, a great deal of fitness is very specific.

Yep, I've given up on even trying to run now. But on looking on the internet about this I've found lots of people who class themselves as good cyclists who can't run worth anything at all. Conversely it's often said runners are usually pretty good at cycling!

Don't give in! But yeah, I can completely believe about good cyclists not being able to run. Good cyclists have legs like tree trunks, whereas runners are really skinny.

You can be quite a lot heavier to do cycling than to run properly. Running at least for me tends to get the heart rate through the roof in minutes, where on a bike as I can keep a constant 140bpm for a long time.

slow down a little ;)

Could you email me some pictures ;)
Actually I can relate to this running issue as I have recently taken it back up to augment my biking, hiking, and other sundry athletic activities. Unless you have a very challenging cadence it is far too easy to relax while cycling as opposed to running where cheating is harder. Did I mention that getting old sucks in this arena? :mad:

^ and this is the reason. Not the getting old part :D but it is really easy to relax whilst bike riding. But this is why it's so good for entry level fitness.
When it becomes harder to reach the required heart rate when cycling, switch to running, it's a worthy step up :)

also, I believe cycling is good for building muscle, and running can actually burn muscle.

Mark

25th March 2013, 19:34

Yep. On all but the steepest of climbs its easy to rest on a bike. Even a few seconds lift off can allow you to get your breath back. And of course the terrain will usually allow you a break with a bit of downhill or flat anyway.

Which is why the climbs I've found the hardest aren't the steep ones but ones with relatively shallow gradient but go on for miles and miles.

J4MIE

25th March 2013, 19:44

Well I have an intro evening at the gym tomorrow, so in around 24 hours I will be very, very dead. But then starting next week will be going regularly which will help. Looking forward to playing a bit of tennis!

janneppi

7th April 2013, 11:03

First proper mtb ride this year, hour and half of trying out local trails. There is still lot of snow but trails themselves are in good condition in the morning when it's cold. In the afternoon they become too soft for riding.
Really good fun. :D

J4MIE

7th April 2013, 11:13

Good stuff janneppi :)

I finally got round to replacing the back brakes on my old shed (first bit of TLC it's had in 15 years) yesterday and am going to head out for a ride this afternoon as suddenly it's like spring :D Still no sign of my new bike though :(

Played tennis a couple of times last week and really enjoyed it even though I'm rubbish :bounce:

pino

7th April 2013, 11:30

My little dachshund and I have just walked 10 km in 2 hours and 23 min...

:D

Mark

9th April 2013, 10:06

Good stuff janneppi :)

I finally got round to replacing the back brakes on my old shed (first bit of TLC it's had in 15 years) yesterday and am going to head out for a ride this afternoon as suddenly it's like spring :D Still no sign of my new bike though :(

Which is why I gave up on the Cycle to Work scheme, getting the company to take it up in the first place would have taken months, then potentially months to wait for my new bike. Hope you get it sorted soon :D .

Robinho

10th April 2013, 05:59

I have my first Triathlon at the weekend, only an entry level one, 400m swim, 10km bike and 4km run, which could be interesting.

I've always been a runner, although I tend not to train much now as my knees are not my best friends, but I can still comfortabley manage 5-10km at a reasonable pace. I've been cycling 4 days a weeks since January, between 90 and 120km a week and can fairly comfortabley average over 30km/h on a 17km ride with plenty of undulations in it, its not hilly per se, but it is very rarely completley flat either. The swimming is going to be the intersting part, given that I can't swim freestyle for more than about 30-50m, although I can happily swim breastroke for over a km without too much problem, it is not the ideal stroke for the Tri, and also I'm swimming in a river that is stuffed with Jellyfish (non stingers). Looking forward it though, and then I plan to get some swimming lessons to improve my technique so next time I am able to do all 3 legs justice

J4MIE

10th April 2013, 21:54

Wow Robinho, I've broken into a cold sweat just reading that..... Good luck with it!! :)

janneppi

19th April 2013, 14:38

The road/commute bike should be ready for the summer, cleaned brake pads and cables, changed shifter cables, bought a new and hopefully more comfortable saddle. New tyres are still in the shelf until bike lanes are cleared.

The mtb is almost in summer trim too.

Now all I need is few hundred kilometers to get back into shape. :D

Robinho

20th April 2013, 06:53

I survived the triathlon, managed 54 minutes, which was pretty good considering my very slow swim. Next year should be able to get under 50mins with a decent swim and pushing a bit harder in the run

Sent from North Korea using the dark network

ioan

20th April 2013, 21:23

Well done.
PS: you sure you will improve until next year while living in NK?!

GridGirl

21st April 2013, 16:34

ioan

21st April 2013, 16:58

Did my 3rd 50 km ride yesterday, on my new bike, and even though there was a 20+ km/h wind I still managed to get a 30 km/h average which is almost the same level as I was last year in Fall. Quite pleased.

Big Ben

22nd April 2013, 09:27

Since good weather has come back to this part of the world I've started running again. It was long overdue. I did last night (did one the Sunday before too) a 10km run in just under an hour (I know it's not a great pace but it's good enough for myself so far). I didn't bother much timing my runs since I used to be pretty satisfied with just surviving but thanks to the mapmyrun app I'm more informed now :p :. One of the latest features they've added is that it keeps you informed after every km about distance covered, total time and pace. I really like it. it really stimulates me too push harder... or shall I say to keep pushing. I also found out that 7km is where I start breaking. I kept a good pace (by my standards) up to that point but after that I had to slow down a little.

Mark

22nd April 2013, 17:36

Just finished my cycling in Mallorca :D .

I wasn't as fit as I would have liked but still did the rides I was planning including Cap de Formentor and Pollenca to Port de Soller via the Puig Major tunnel (supposedly the highest road in Mallorca)

Nice bike too. Carbon with ultegra. Will be disappointed to go back to my Aluminium 105 bike ;)

ioan

22nd April 2013, 18:31

Well done Mark! :up:
How were the brakes on that bike compared to yours?

J4MIE

23rd April 2013, 22:21

I am feeling slightly fitter now I'm playing (trying to?) tennis for a few hours a few times a week. Just a shame GPS doesn't work so well indoors to pick up the actual distance I'm moving :( Just need to do a lot more running. And should get my cyclescheme voucher any day now so hoping to get a new bike at the weekend..... :\

Robinho

24th April 2013, 05:47

Well done Robinho. I have long fancied the idea of a triathlon sprint but don't much relish the idea of swimming outdoors.

In other news, having ditched my winter jacket and winter gloves last week I decided to officially embrace spring on my 68ish km ride today and wear cycling shorts. As I tan quite easily I applied sun cream but probably didn't really need to use factor 50. There were only 4 other guys I saw who'd taken the same leap of faith as me but I could tell that we were the happy ones. :D

I don't think I could have made the step to the outdoor swim if I was still in the UK. When the event is in Perth in Autumn, which meant air temp of 21 degrees at 7.30am and a water temp in the river of 23 degrees, it meant it wasn't unpleasant, although a bit murky and jellyfishy in the water.

On the change in weather, this week was the 1st mornings I've had to employ a long selleved top under my cycling jersey to combat the cold - it was 13 degrees. I've only been in the country 9 months, but already 13 degrees seems really chilly!

J4MIE

24th April 2013, 06:45

Yet it's just about hit 13 degrees here and people are out on the streets celebrating that summer has arrived :D :laugh:

Mark

29th April 2013, 09:16

Well done Mark! :up:
How were the brakes on that bike compared to yours?

Better! At least subjectively, it was Ultegra levers with 105 calipers (mine is 105 levers with unbranded calipers), slowed me down nicely, even going down a hill classed as 'HC' - however the road surface was excellent which was a big thing, mostly in the UK when I'm slowing it's because the road is littered with potholes! I'm now considering putting proper 105 brake capilers on my bike - I'm due to take it in for a service next week so I'll see what they say.

Very nice bike, (Trek Madone 3.5 2012) I didn't expect a massive difference between my Alu bike and base level carbon, but there was, felt much faster right off the bat, and even though the bottom gear had two teeth less than my bike it climbed much better too.

Big Ben

29th April 2013, 12:19

I did another 10km run last night. I really have to find a better time to do it. I was so pumped up by the time I got home I couldn't sleep for hours.

Mark

29th April 2013, 14:09

I did another 10km run last night. I really have to find a better time to do it. I was so pumped up by the time I got home I couldn't sleep for hours.

That's why I liked cycling in the morning before work. It does leave you pumped up with more energy going into the working day.

Big Ben

29th April 2013, 14:30

That's why I liked cycling in the morning before work. It does leave you pumped up with more energy going into the working day.

That's been on my mind for some time now but the idea of getting up at 6:30... tough... but it must be done. It's also a better time time get rid of the bacon which is my main goal.

Mark

29th April 2013, 16:00

That's been on my mind for some time now but the idea of getting up at 6:30... tough... but it must be done. It's also a better time time get rid of the bacon which is my main goal.

LOL, 6.30am is the normal getting up to drive into work time for me, if I want to do cycling too I get up earlier.

J4MIE

29th April 2013, 19:13

Ha, I struggle to wake up at all in the mornings even leaving the house at 8.30 is a struggle sometimes so no idea how I'd fit a cycle in....

In other news, I have a bike on its way to me and should pick it up on Wednesday or Thursday - so just in time for the bank holiday weekend :bounce:

Watch out Mark, I'll be catching you up on the Endomondo challenge....... well maybe not ;)

ioan

29th April 2013, 22:14

Better! At least subjectively, it was Ultegra levers with 105 calipers (mine is 105 levers with unbranded calipers), slowed me down nicely, even going down a hill classed as 'HC' - however the road surface was excellent which was a big thing, mostly in the UK when I'm slowing it's because the road is littered with potholes! I'm now considering putting proper 105 brake capilers on my bike - I'm due to take it in for a service next week so I'll see what they say.

Very nice bike, (Trek Madone 3.5 2012) I didn't expect a massive difference between my Alu bike and base level carbon, but there was, felt much faster right off the bat, and even though the bottom gear had two teeth less than my bike it climbed much better too.

Agree about the difference in feeling from the frame.
I went from my old Alu frame to a TI frame and it feels better, I'll have to test a carbon frame next to see how it feels.

105 brakes have a good price vs performance, you will be happy with them.

ioan

29th April 2013, 22:18

Endomondo app doesn't work on my update BB OS, I have to see if I can find some workaround.

Big Ben

30th April 2013, 09:11

LOL, 6.30am is the normal getting up to drive into work time for me, if I want to do cycling too I get up earlier.

Like what? 5am? I didn't even know there is a 5 o'clock in the morning too. :laugh:

Mark

30th April 2013, 09:22

Like what? 5am? I didn't even know there is a 5 o'clock in the morning too. :laugh:

Nah it was 6am, getting up first and getting the wife to bath the bairn bought me another half hour, so enough time to get about an hours ride in. But that was only because it was light in the mornings but not in the evening after I get back from work - much better, and warmer cycling at 7pm than 7am!

Mark

30th April 2013, 09:24

Agree about the difference in feeling from the frame.
I went from my old Alu frame to a TI frame and it feels better, I'll have to test a carbon frame next to see how it feels.

In some ways hiring a carbon bike has done me a disservice. A month ago when I got my new bike it felt really quick, but now, it feels like I'm trying to pedal a block of lead :( , so my lovely new bike doesn't feel as good any more!

Mark

30th April 2013, 09:26

In other news, I have a bike on its way to me and should pick it up on Wednesday or Thursday - so just in time for the bank holiday weekend :bounce:

Watch out Mark, I'll be catching you up on the Endomondo challenge....... well maybe not ;)

This is the one you were getting isn't it? CUBE*LTD Pro 26 (http://www.cube.eu/en/hard/cross-country/ltd-pro-26/)
Looks like a seriously awesome bike! :up:

GridGirl

30th April 2013, 14:41

In some ways hiring a carbon bike has done me a disservice. A month ago when I got my new bike it felt really quick, but now, it feels like I'm trying to pedal a block of lead :( , so my lovely new bike doesn't feel as good any more!

That's why Ibby daren't try a Roubaix as its the carbon equivalent of his Secteur. It's all OK when you don't know what your missing. :)

ioan

30th April 2013, 15:05

In some ways hiring a carbon bike has done me a disservice. A month ago when I got my new bike it felt really quick, but now, it feels like I'm trying to pedal a block of lead :( , so my lovely new bike doesn't feel as good any more!

The bike will only go as fast as you can pedal. The rest is all about comfort.
I went from an Alu bike to a Ti bike that is only half the weight, and the difference is 1-2%. Before I could do 90 kms with 30 km/h average, now I am at about the same level, with a newer and lighter bike. The only difference is that it feels faster because it is more comfortable.

Don't be downbeat with your Alu bike, it is a good one and has the advantage that you will ride it no matter the weather, while if you had a CF one you would be out taking care of the bike instead of riding it. And the day you will get that carbon bike you will have a back up bad weather/winter Alu bike available. So don't wory.

Mark

30th April 2013, 15:20

The bike will only go as fast as you can pedal. The rest is all about comfort.
I went from an Alu bike to a Ti bike that is only half the weight, and the difference is 1-2%. Before I could do 90 kms with 30 km/h average, now I am at about the same level, with a newer and lighter bike. The only difference is that it feels faster because it is more comfortable.

Don't be downbeat with your Alu bike, it is a good one and has the advantage that you will ride it no matter the weather, while if you had a CF one you would be out taking care of the bike instead of riding it. And the day you will get that carbon bike you will have a back up bad weather/winter Alu bike available. So don't wory.

I'll get over it ;) . As there's no carbon bike on the horizon for me, yet ;) .

What is it about bad weather that is no good for CF bikes?

J4MIE

30th April 2013, 18:57

Yep that's the one Mark. Have got my name on one and should arrive tomorrow, maybe Thursday. Can't wait :D

Mark

30th April 2013, 21:06

You should post a 'new bike day' thread on reddit :D (and here too of course!)

Mark

1st May 2013, 10:02

April was a pretty good month, as expect with 2 weeks holiday from work!

Did my most miles ever cycling in a month; 228 miles. (216 last September being the previous best) and did by far the most climbing I've ever done 17k ft as opposed to the previous best of 11k ft.

May will be more difficult, no holidays from work but there will be two bank holidays, one this weekend where apparently I'm cycling part of the route which is going to be used for some sort of bike race...

PS I just realised this month saw me do my 1,000th mile cycling (in recent times) so happy with that too :)

Iain

1st May 2013, 12:56

This is the one you were getting isn't it? CUBE*LTD Pro 26 (http://www.cube.eu/en/hard/cross-country/ltd-pro-26/)
Looks like a seriously awesome bike! :up:

I think one of the guys I've been cycling with has a similar model. He takes it to Glentress regularly for a thrash. Got my new Jamis Durango on Friday. Love it. It's so effortless, I could pedal for miles! Such a difference to be on a bike that isn't about 5 stone heavy. Got an email from Evans saying they've rewarded me for my custom with free entry to a Ride It event. Think that may be beyond me at the mo.......

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Mark

1st May 2013, 13:34

Got an email from Evans saying they've rewarded me for my custom with free entry to a Ride It event. Think that may be beyond me at the mo.......

Nonsense! I've seen your Endomondo's! Get to the Ride It! in Langholm on the 18th May. 15 miles is the medium route, you should be able to do that no problem, doesn't matter how long it takes you.

You'd better do it, or we'll have words.. :mad: ;)

http://www.evanscycles.com/ride-it/langholm-mountain-bike-ride-18th-may-2013

Mark

1st May 2013, 14:51

BTW While Endomondo is good and I still use it. I do find Strava better for cycling, not just for the segments ;) . I just wish there was some way to auto update both of them without having to faff on exporting and importing GPX files.

Iain

1st May 2013, 16:20

Nonsense! I've seen your Endomondo's! Get to the Ride It! in Langholm on the 18th May. 15 miles is the medium route, you should be able to do that no problem, doesn't matter how long it takes you.

You'd better do it, or we'll have words.. :mad: ;)

http://www.evanscycles.com/ride-it/langholm-mountain-bike-ride-18th-may-2013

We shall see! Are you doing that or am I imagining things?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Mark

1st May 2013, 16:25

We shall see! Are you doing that or am I imagining things?

Well I wouldn't be doing the MTB course on Saturday, I might be doing the Sportive on Sunday, but we'll see cos I have quite a few rides this year and don't want to go on too many ;)

GridGirl

1st May 2013, 18:23

Evans ride it's have people of all abilities taking part. Also, you dont have to do the ride you sign up for but they just ask for you to let them know if you change your mind as they publish rider times a couple of days after the event has taken place. I have found them to be good rides.

Mark

1st May 2013, 19:24

I suspect the MTB ones will be even better as they'd take you over terrain you'd not otherwise see. Whereas with the sportives you could just go out and cycle it yourself any day if you were so minded

J4MIE

2nd May 2013, 01:11

Iain if you do it I will too, I don't have any plans that weekend :s

Really fancy entering the mountain bike orienteering event in Crieff on the 26th.

No bike today - hopefully tomorrow.....

J4MIE

2nd May 2013, 13:12

No bike today, it has been delayed due to a bank holiday in the Netherlands :( "Hopefully" tomorrow :bigcry:

Mark

2nd May 2013, 15:03

No bike today, it has been delayed due to a bank holiday in the Netherlands :( "Hopefully" tomorrow :bigcry:

Bad luck, where you getting it from or is it being delivered to you?

J4MIE

2nd May 2013, 21:50

Bad luck, where you getting it from or is it being delivered to you?

Getting it from Infinity Cycles near Durham, presume they are getting one in from Germany.

Will have to leave work a bit early to pick it up, then straight to Carlisle for the Pirelli Rally so hoping the rain will stay away... Depending on how the rally is going might go for a ride on Sunday and then Hamsterley on Monday.

ioan

2nd May 2013, 23:43

I'll get over it ;) . As there's no carbon bike on the horizon for me, yet ;) .

What is it about bad weather that is no good for CF bikes?

Rain is not bad to CF bikes, the issue is that rain=slippery roads=likely that CF bike will make contact with tarmac!

Mark

3rd May 2013, 08:59

Right; I had thought it might have been something to do with some carbon bikes not being able to fit mudguards.

J4MIE

3rd May 2013, 18:51

Well. No phone call today from the shop, so I went in when passing, the guy had a look and the bike had come in this morning but they hadn't built it! :( Could've had it tomorrow but I'm away and they are closed Sunday, so got to go in Monday afternoon.

Should've agreed to go in tomorrow as it would be ready first thing on Monday :(

:bigcry:

Mark

3rd May 2013, 19:55

Just passing eh? :laugh: Bad luck. You were going to be away this weekend anyway so. Just have to have your first proper ride on it next weekend :D

J4MIE

3rd May 2013, 19:59

Well I have Monday afternoon - got a BBQ next weekend so no time then.

ioan

5th May 2013, 13:24

No time to ride during a week end because of a BBQ?!
You should it less and ride a bit on your bike.

Mark

5th May 2013, 15:30

Nice ride this weekend up one of the Tour de France climbs! However my fitness still has room for improvement :D

GridGirl

5th May 2013, 19:32

Seven category 4 climbs and one category 3 climb today. Good ride. :D Better than woman coming the other way that lost her back wheel and came sliding down the road sideways and stopped half a meter from my front wheel anyhows.

ioan

5th May 2013, 20:33

Looks like everyone is in full swing!
Today I did my first serious ride of the year, 86 km in 3 hours, mostly flat though so nothing special. However it is the same time I was doing last year after a few months of training. Hopefully I can improve by about 15 minutes within the next 5 weeks.
A pity that the Endomondo app wouldn't work on my update BB OS, it was helpful for me to track my workouts.

GridGirl

5th May 2013, 20:40

I use Endomondo and Strava these days to track cycling. You can track cycling on Strava although I use a GPS and upload to both.

ioan

5th May 2013, 20:47

I use Endomondo and Strava these days to track cycling. You can track cycling on Strava although I use a GPS and upload to both.

I know :) , the issue is that the only gadget that I have is a Blackberry Bold 9900 phone. Endomondo used to work on it before I updated the OS, and Strava doesn't have an app for BB. :(
I will probably buy a GPS as I want to start training seriously and would need a more precise device with more functionality, most probably a Polar device.

Robinho

6th May 2013, 07:06

I'm using Strava and Endomondo on my phone, I find it amusing how they can come up with different distances when running at the same time, using the same GPS and apparently the same google maps.

I did the full ride into work today, 38km in 1hr 22m and might do the return journey today as well

tfp

6th May 2013, 12:49

Mark

6th May 2013, 17:04

A ride where you don't fall off is always a good one :D

janneppi

6th May 2013, 17:23

Unless it's winter and there's 40cm of snow. If you don't go over the bars at least once, you haven't been riding fast enough. :D

Commuter bike is still waiting on the wall, just as the weather warmed up a bit, I got sick. I haven't been able to ride for a week now. And it seems I won't be able to ride until next week due to a work trip and farm work on Friday and car maintenance on weekend.

GridGirl

6th May 2013, 18:52

My road bike fell after I lent it up against the car yesterday and a gust of wind blew it over. I then dropped it today (and took a nice chunk out of my leg) when trying to fix my GPS on it. Not sure when I lost gears but I think I'm pretty sure I had all 30 yesterday. I went down to 9 gears having only three on each ring on todays ride before my other half made me choose which gear I wanted to ride home in and gave me orders not to change. He had a look at the rear derailleur when we got home but I think I might have broken the shifter. Looks like I'm on the mountain bike until its fixed. No more Queen of the Mountain titles either. :(

J4MIE

6th May 2013, 18:56

Mark

6th May 2013, 19:15

Picked my bike up today and went straight to Hamsterley and there is a massive difference to my old bike, very happy with my purchase. Just need to get fitter now so that I can ride for more than an hour at a time :(

Congrats! It's a nice feeling having a new bike isn't it! The fitness will come quickly; even if you can't get to the forest then riding it on the road and tracks will help. There's a cycle route just North of you that you could try.

Mark

6th May 2013, 19:17

tfp

6th May 2013, 20:17

Iain

7th May 2013, 11:50

The fitness will come Jamie. I did about a week or so of rides on the local cycle path and felt better for it. Not any longer than 8 miles at a time, but I felt the benefit.

Had a good ride last night. I'm bored of doing point-to-point stuff, so went to explore the back roads around here. Plan to do the same tonight, find another circular route. Just have to find one that doesn't require me lifting the bike over three stiles!

Mark

7th May 2013, 11:53

Iain

7th May 2013, 15:50

Authorised? I took a gravel public path that I was probably last on 25 years ago, only to find it had stiles and gates on it!

Sent from my Nokia 3210 using BT Cellnet

Mark

7th May 2013, 20:34

Well I'm sure your bike could get down routes which are footpaths rather than bridle ways / marked cycle routes.

J4MIE

7th May 2013, 22:21

Went out for 8km earlier in a quick loop around here, there seems to be quite a few bridleways around that can be used so will have a bit of exploring to do. Found myself driving to/from work looking at signs for footpaths or bridleways :laugh:

Don't think I'll be able to do the Evans event on 18th though as my little brother's decided to visit for two weeks and that weekend will be the only time I can see him. Gutted :(

Iain

7th May 2013, 22:49

Well I'm sure your bike could get down routes which are footpaths rather than bridle ways / marked cycle routes.

Oh definitely. I don't stick exclusively to cycle paths. It's just handy having the main Glasgow - Edinburgh one right on my doorstep for a quick blast. :)

Went out for 8km earlier in a quick loop around here, there seems to be quite a few bridleways around that can be used so will have a bit of exploring to do. Found myself driving to/from work looking at signs for footpaths or bridleways :laugh:

Don't think I'll be able to do the Evans event on 18th though as my little brother's decided to visit for two weeks and that weekend will be the only time I can see him. Gutted :(

I don't think I'd manage to do 15 miles of MTBing anyway! Decided to follow a route I checked out to a country park, which said it was suitable for cyclists and horses. Unbelievably steep hills which were grassy. I was knackered. I eventually gave up and went back down the hill, getting a face full of midges......I did get a good run out the Union Canal towpath after that though.

Mark

8th May 2013, 09:08

Went out for 8km earlier in a quick loop around here, there seems to be quite a few bridleways around that can be used so will have a bit of exploring to do. Found myself driving to/from work looking at signs for footpaths or bridleways :laugh:

Oh yeah there's tonnes of them! Pro tip: Bing Maps - Driving Directions, Traffic and Road Conditions (http://maps.bing.com) and select OS mapping or goto Google Maps and select Bicycling.

Yeah you theres route 14 which goes through Sherburn off to the coast meeting up with Route 1or back through Durham to Consett, further along there's Route 7 (usually referred to as 'the lines') which goes from Birtley up to Beamish and Consett to meet route then route 7 continues across the Pennines.

Damn, I want a mountain bike now! :laugh:

J4MIE

8th May 2013, 20:11

Go for it Mark, you know you want to. The brakes are excellent :D

Mark

8th May 2013, 20:17

haha. Despite the fact that the wife would murder me. We don't have space in the house for 2 bikes! I would have to keep it in your garage :o ;)

Iain

11th May 2013, 21:29

A 44 mile ride today from Falkirk to Edinburgh on the canal path. Took 2 hours going in, but 3 and a bit coming back due to the wind and my riding companion being a bit saddle sore. I feel good, could have done it quicker going there, but my friend hadn't ridden since February. Had a 15 miler as a warmup yesterday!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

J4MIE

11th May 2013, 22:55

Seriously impressed Iain, seriously impressed!!

Iain

11th May 2013, 23:42

All flat ground, if a bit bumpy and muddy in places!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

webberf1

12th May 2013, 09:51

All of you who are interested in working out at home should check out this very good youtube channel youtube.com/user/FitnessBlender

Mark

12th May 2013, 19:22

janneppi

13th May 2013, 13:44

Pih, first commute ride in summer kit. 28 minutes back home on a 11km route. It should really be few minutes more as there was somewhat of a head wind, i'm fatter than last year, I feel a bit sick/ or have allergies and it's only the beginning of a season.

Either the brand spanking new Schwalbe Ultremo tyre's are spectacularly fast or underneath all this blubber, I'm secretly in good shape. :D

Iain

13th May 2013, 15:01

Ditto. 44 miles is really good. Even if it was on the flat.

I was pleased with it. I could have gone out again yesterday, had I not had things to do. The weather looks rubbish this week, so not sure when I'll get out next. :(

ioan

13th May 2013, 22:49

Either the brand spanking new Schwalbe Ultremo tyre's are spectacularly fast or underneath all this blubber, I'm secretly in good shape. :D

You are in great shape.

Mark

15th May 2013, 12:20

Getting frustrated with the weather. After one of the coldest springs on record, the rain has set in, the forecast for this weekend looks like a washout :(

J4MIE

15th May 2013, 20:14

Mark, get your cheque book out ;)

The Silverstone 24 Hour Cycling Grand Prix (http://www.thesilverstone24.com)

Gregor-y

15th May 2013, 20:28

I need to get myself amped up for this ride (http://www.bikely.com/listpaths/by/marchman321) in two weeks. See if I'm cut out for touring. Glasgow to Edinburgh looks like it would be a nice day-long ride, too.

ioan

16th May 2013, 19:26

Another 45 kms covered yesterday with very strong wind, up to 30+km/h. Luckily I was with a colleague, we still managed to have a 32 km/h average, however at the end I could barely move my legs, and this morning it felt like I will not be able to get off the bed.

Mark

16th May 2013, 20:26

LOL lapping the Grand Prix circuit. As a venue I could think of little more boring!

Iain

16th May 2013, 20:53

Mark, get your cheque book out ;)

The Silverstone 24 Hour Cycling Grand Prix (http://www.thesilverstone24.com)
There was a Knockhill one last year, I'm sure it's on this year too. That guy Mark Beaumont who cycled South America was trying to break a 3 min lap at the BTCC meeting to promote it.

Glasgow to Edinburgh looks like it would be a nice day-long ride, too.I'm planning on doing a charity ride between Glasgow and Edinburgh in September and that's 47 miles in total. You could easily cover that in around 4 hours, depending on the route you take. There are several different options to choose from. Of course you could go slower and enjoy the scenery once you're out of Glasgow, as both the cycle path and canal paths aren't very scenic around there.

tfp

16th May 2013, 23:02

Ditto. 44 miles is really good. Even if it was on the flat.

Did 28 miles today but quite a hilly route. Couldn't do more because I needed to be back at home but to be honest I was quite tired towards the end.

But I need to up my milage. It's a niggle that the most distance I've ridden in the UK is 33 miles -- which is rubbish!

Pits pretty good for a mountain bike though! I did 44 miles in a day once. Granted, I did 24 first thing in the morning and the other 20 at about 6 at night. Reaping the benefits of long British summer days!

Iain

17th May 2013, 22:24

I did 25 miles today. I was heading home and didn't feel tired, so I kept going on for longer, past the village, before I turned back to the house. I know cycle paths aren't exactly MTB territory, but our main one has a mixture of surfaces from smooth tarmac to broken and bumpy stuff and some gravel sections too. That bike flies on the smooth sections. I did a 3 min mile at one point. :D Due a complimentary service in the next few weeks, so I'm going to see if they can stick a couple of spacers into the handlebar stem, as I feel it's too low and it's giving me sore shoulders and a sore neck. The problems with being tall!

J4MIE

18th May 2013, 00:18

Iain

18th May 2013, 01:14

Not been out for a few days, brought the bike up to Fife and the family is drooling over it... Looks like rain tomorrow so probably won't head out, but Sunday looking ok.

I put an entry in for a mountain bike orienteering event on the 26th in Crieff, will need to get out quite a lot next week in preparation so may even cycle to work! :\ Looks a tad on the moist side for Saturday. :( Sunday looks pretty decent though. Having said that, today wasn't to be so great and it turned out very nice. Sometimes it's better off not listening to the weather!

GridGirl

19th May 2013, 19:41

Went out on a 116km flat ride today and got a few personal bests times. Most proud of finally cycling 50km in under 2 hours with a 1hr 59min and 48sec split which was about a 7 minute improvement. :)

pino

19th May 2013, 19:52

Wow GridGirl impressed :eek: :up:

Mark

19th May 2013, 20:04

Flat. What is this, flat? :D

Mark

19th May 2013, 20:06

Iain

20th May 2013, 02:20

Iain. Are there spacers between the top of the stem and the headset cap? If there are then you can raise the bars. However if there isn't, which is likely, then you'd have to replace the stem for something with a steeper angle.

Edit: saw a pic of your bike on Facebook. To raise the bars you'd need to change the stem. Which is easy to do!

Ah I see. I'll suffer it for now, it's not too bad on some rides. Too many other things to pay for this month!

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

Big Ben

20th May 2013, 10:11

Still with the bikes? :p ... noone running? I've started training for a 10k race. There's no actual race.. just me against my very powerful lazy self... it motivates me a little bit more than just running to burn the bacon. I did 29km the previous week and 36km this last one. I'm a always tempted to do more than the schedule says. I don't know if it's a good thing. I don't want to get burnt out halfway through the program.

GridGirl

20th May 2013, 13:55

I followed a plan to run 10km last year which also involve core training. I got up to running 10K but gave up on the core training as it hurt too much. :p I have now decided that I should try to build up my core strength so did a body bootcamp class last week. Bloody hell did I hurt the next day. I didnt go this week as cycling 116km hurts far far far far less.

ioan

26th May 2013, 21:06

Did a ride up a couple of hills tonight, not much fun as it was freezing cold and on downhill sections my fingers were freezing on the brakes.
Also I have to admit that the feeling of not being able to stop while approaching those hairpins at 60 km/h was rather unpleasant this time, never had this issue before.

J4MIE

26th May 2013, 22:20

Went and did the mountain bike orienteering today, did 35.5km which is the furthest I've ever gone on a bike. Unfortunately picked a very poor route and spent hours going uphill :( However very pleased with the day and keen to give it another go, just need to spend the next month getting a lot fitter before the next one!

Mark

27th May 2013, 13:41

Did a 44 mile ride today. And got back feeling good :D . Just takes me planning a route which takes me a decent distance otherwise I would have turned back sooner.

pino

27th May 2013, 14:49

Mark can you post a pic of your bicycle here or on Facebook...just curious ;)

schmenke

27th May 2013, 15:33

For the first time in a while I took my (aging) mountain bike for a spin this weekend. I noticed the rear trigger shifter is a bit dodgy and might need a replacement. The upshift trigger is “loose” and often doesn’t shift at all. When it does, considerable thumb pressure is required to “push” it. It’s hard to explain but it feels like it’s on the verge of snapping :s .

It’s an 8-speed bike and my on-line browsing results in few options for a replacement shifter, as 9 or 10 speed systems seem like the norm for most bikes these days.
I noticed SRAM offers 8-speed trigger shifters at a reasonable price but I don’t know much about this manufacturer as most of the components on my bike are Shimano.
I’ve never replaced shifters before. Would this by a reasonable DIY job (it strikes me as a rather fiddly job), or should I have a shop do it?

Firstgear

27th May 2013, 16:48

Mark

27th May 2013, 16:55

SRAM is just as good as Shimano and most of their stuff will interoperate with Shimano components. However not all and I know e.g. Shimano road and MTB have incompatibilities.

GridGirl

27th May 2013, 20:05

Have you already re-indexed front and rear gears? I would do that first before thinking about changing shifters. My other half changed the shifters on his old mountain now converted to hybrid bike. There is hardly and choice in 8 shift these days but on the plus side the spares are cheap. :)

I did two 67km rides this weekend. Need to do another 83km by Friday night to meet my 500km target for this month though.

schmenke

27th May 2013, 21:08

Are you sure it's the shifter that's buggered, and not just the cables starting to seize up? Dripping some oil, or spraying some WD40 into the cable jackets at all the points where the cable enters them (and then putting the shifter through the gears a few times) might free things up.

No I'm not sure FG, but it sure feels like something mechanical. I'll try your suggested lube job before diving into more drastic measures.

SRAM is just as good as Shimano and most of their stuff will interoperate with Shimano components. However not all and I know e.g. Shimano road and MTB have incompatibilities.

Thanks Mark, good to know.

Have you already re-indexed front and rear gears? ...

What the heck does that mean? :cornfused: :p :

GridGirl

27th May 2013, 21:16

You will get cable stretch on your gears over time which will affect shifting; this can be fixed by re-indexing the gears. It's easier to do with a bike stand but you can do without and it should only take a few minutes. There are plenty of YouTube video's that will show you how to do it better than I can describe. All you will need is an allen key. If it doesn't work and you do end up changing your shifters yourself you will need to index them anyway. :)

TyPat107

27th May 2013, 21:49

SRAM and shimano have different ratios for the rear derailleur so a SRAM derailleur is not compatible with a shimano and vice versa. SRAM is 1:1 and shimano is 2:1.

sorry I meant to quote Marks post.

Gregor-y

28th May 2013, 16:48

For the first time in a while I took my (aging) mountain bike for a spin this weekend. I noticed the rear trigger shifter is a bit dodgy and might need a replacement. The upshift trigger is “loose” and often doesn’t shift at all. When it does, considerable thumb pressure is required to “push” it. It’s hard to explain but it feels like it’s on the verge of snapping :s .
Older Shimano 'rapidfire' shifters will just wear out the ratcheting mechanism. Mine did on my Trek from 1994 with STX components. I replaced them with some slightly older but more reliable thumb shifters.
http://imageshack.us/a/img23/9046/93002.jpg

I haven't ridden it very much lately. I did take my commuting bike on a three day trip this weekend from Chicago to Madison, Wisconsin, though. It held up well and - suprisingly - so did I over about 200 miles. If anything I feel a bit crampy this morning from not riding.
http://imageshack.us/a/img515/2999/tou3.jpg

schmenke

28th May 2013, 17:01

Thanks Gregory. Do thumb-style shifters have to be indexed, as GG states above?
Also, is replacing shifters a reasonable DIY?

200 miles! :s hock:

GridGirl

28th May 2013, 19:03

Schmenke, its is good maintenance to re-index gears on any type of bike whether road, mountain or hybrid as the cables with stretch over time which will can result in gears slipping and shifters not functioning well. The amount you use your bike and number of miles you ride will affect the frequency you need to do this I.e re-indexing is done far more frequently on my road bike than my mountain bike (which does have thumb shifters). I would also try spraying WD40 as someone else said.

My other half does all if our bike maintenance although I did get a brief promotion to number one mechanic last year when he broke his wrist. He has built up a wealth of bike tools including a stand to help us do this. At a guess Schmeke, I would be inclined to say you should just take the bike to the shop, get it serviced and let them sort it although if it was me I'd try re-indexing first as this is a task you can do yourself which might fix the problem without the need to buy tools, spares or requiring you to take things apart or to a shop. :p Always try the simple fix first. :)

Firstgear

28th May 2013, 19:56

Indexing or re-indexing is just a fancy word for adjusting, in this case cable length, and there's really almost nothing to it. The cables leading to/from your shifters (and brakes) are going to stretch with use. When we're talking about cables, it's only the metal part that looks like a guitar string. The cable is inside of a cable jacket (white in Gregory's first picture), and it's basically just like a plastic covered, metal hose that the cable sits in. So if your cable stretches 1mm (for example) you'll want the jacket to be 1mm longer as well, otherwise: your chain will click between sprockets or skip gears, or in the case of brake cables you'll have to pull way up on the brakes before they start to work (kind of like having too much travel in a clutch). If you look at Gregory's picture, you'll see the little black piece where the cable enters the brake or shifter. That little piece can be spun in and out (by hand or pliers), effectively lengthening or shortening the cable jacket. On some bikes, this piece will be at the other end (near the brake or derailer). But, after all that, the problem you're describing doesn't sound like an adjustment issue (if the cables were out of adjustment the shifter should be just as easy to work - it would just leave you with clicking at the sprocket because you'd be between gears), it sounds more mechanical or like a cable seizing inside the jacket. If you do get new shifters, you should probably replace the cables & jackets too, or at least drip oil into them. And yes, to replace the shifter you'll have to remove the cable - so reindexing/adjusting will be required.

Firstgear

28th May 2013, 20:15

Sorry for the long paragraph. For some reason the 'enter' on my keyboard no longer works on this site.

Gregor-y

28th May 2013, 22:03

The description of the problem sounded a lot like my trigger shifters when they stopped working. It's not that the cable is out of line as much as the triggers aren't grabbing.

But when in doubt, let the shop look at it. And if it's not important to have the latest gear start looking at bike salvage shops and craigslist for parts.

schmenke

28th May 2013, 22:08

...the triggers aren't grabbing...

Yep, that's what it feels like.

Mark

29th May 2013, 12:40

I'm linking recently how my horizons are slowly expanding. A few months ago 30 miles was about my limit otherwise I'd be exhausted on returning. But after doing a 60 mile sportive, and 45 miles last weekend, it means I can now think of 50 mile rides a realistic for a Sunday morning run, which means I can pick new places to go. :D

But I do need to work on my average speeds, I'm still hovering around 11mph, whereas most local riders seem to average 15mph at minimum!

schmenke

29th May 2013, 14:51

The schmenke trail :D

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2881/8878014465_4fdbdb2e0e_c.jpg

J4MIE

29th May 2013, 15:53

Looks good schmenke, but where are the mountains? ;)

Gregor-y

29th May 2013, 16:24

The schmenke trail :D

That would shake your teeth loose, and you'll burn to a crisp out in the sun. Even though it was very overcast I still got a burn on the first day since the paths were out in the open. On the second day we reached an older trail that had time grow a bit.
http://imageshack.us/a/img163/6307/tou2.jpg

I wish there was something like this closer to home.

schmenke

29th May 2013, 19:37

Looks good schmenke, but where are the mountains? ;)

Thanks. Need to first sort out the dodgy shifter before tackling the nearby mountains :D :mark:

schmenke

29th May 2013, 19:38

That would shake your teeth loose....

Shakes something else loose too... :erm: .

Mark

31st May 2013, 15:41

Gregor-y

31st May 2013, 15:56

So how did everyone do in May?

My aims at the moment are just to do more than the month before, so I've done 249 miles cycling this month, compared to 228 the month before, which is good going because in April I had that week cycling in Mallorca! I've done 76 miles walking too giving 325 miles for the month, my best ever monthly total.
With the trip I biked 540 miles this month. But at lunch yesterday I leave my office to find this:
http://imageshack.us/a/img811/2408/hit1v.jpg

I'm having the frame checked and hopefully that's still straight. The fork, wheel and strangely the crank are all done for, however. :(

janneppi

31st May 2013, 15:57

I've managed only 195km on bikes, first two weeks this month I was sick , and this week work stuff prevented half of the inteded commuting on the bike. I really should be doing double/triple distances per month, like I managed last summer.

At least I got new cycling stuff. :D

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11791273/thu.jpg

No more stuffing a dirty bike into the boot.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11791273/thu_b.jpg

ioan

31st May 2013, 17:06

With the trip I biked 540 miles this month. But at lunch yesterday I leave my office to find this:
http://imageshack.us/a/img811/2408/hit1v.jpg

I'm having the frame checked and hopefully that's still straight. The fork, wheel and strangely the crank are all done for, however. :(

Man that's heartbreaking. looks like the bike fall and something drove over it.
I see this a lot around here. People don't care and push other people's bike to ground. Every time I go by a bike that lies on the ground I pick it up and leave it in as stable a position as possible.

Your front wheel, fork and the crank are done, not cheap to replace. :(
Can't say much about the frame from that view, however if the crank arm has been bent then the frame might be affected too, hopefully not.

ioan

31st May 2013, 17:10

ioan

31st May 2013, 17:13

Weather has been crap here since a couple of weeks.
I had planned to bike last Tuesday and yesterday, nothing happened. Tuesday I had to work very late and since yesterday morning it has been raining cats and dogs.
Hopefully tomorrow and Sunday I can do a couple of hundreds of kms. Next week Sunday there's a race I want to ride in, hopefully the weather will allow for it.

janneppi

31st May 2013, 19:41

Your license plate is covered, there's a fine coming your way.
Actually my additional license plate is being processed through the Finnish bureaucracy. But police aren't too fussed about this in Finland so I most like wouldn't get a ticket with this setup. Most people use the more simple carrier which don't have extra lights.

Mark

31st May 2013, 20:24

Glad to see you have the port and starboard colours present and correct!

Hope you are back on the road soon.

GridGirl

1st June 2013, 10:57

I managed 444km on the bike and 50km walking and a couple of body Bootcamp circuit training sessions. I was on 418km cycling with a week to go and had been hoping to do 82km this week but its been to wet to go out with the exception of yesterday. Well, when I say too wet I only mean too wet when I've been keeping three bikes in my kitchen for almost three weeks. Hopefully I will do 500km on the bike in June instead. :)

ioan

1st June 2013, 22:01

Managed to ride 90 kms tonight, took me a bit over 3 hours though, this is worse then 2 months ago. :(
Reasons for that are a lack of training due to crap weather as well as the bloody wind that was blowing strongly today, still not happy I was hoping to be in the 2 hours 40 minutes bracket before next week end's race.

Iain

2nd June 2013, 00:14

182 miles done in May. Compare this with 64 in April, 50 in March and 86 in February. Maybe it's because I got a new bike.... I saw this nice bike earlier today. Far too clean looking! I can only imagine the owner has it up there as some sort of expensive ornament. :p :http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3717/8917874158_d6905d6c48_b.jpg[/img]

2nd June 2013, 04:46

uppppppppppppppppp
MÃºi giá»

GridGirl

2nd June 2013, 10:36

All three bikes that have lived in my house for three weeks have more muck on than that. :p

Mark

2nd June 2013, 11:26

Or perhaps like me he cleans it after every ride?

Iain

2nd June 2013, 11:47

Or perhaps like me he cleans it after every ride?

I was speaking to Jamie yesterday. I'm just winding him up :)

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

janneppi

2nd June 2013, 12:38

Just came back from a three hour bike park session with my brother. 15 minutes of pushing bikes up a hill at 26C, rest for 10 minutes :D and 5 minutes of riding down enduro trails with knee pads and a fullface helmet.
Three liters of water was barely enough. :D

Even with two punctures in the last two runs and a broken spoke for my brother in the last run it was a very much positive day. Good fun.

J4MIE

2nd June 2013, 15:05

I think I did about 80km in May, must do better!

Just would prefer to get a puncture on the bike rather than the car :s

GridGirl

2nd June 2013, 21:49

Or perhaps like me he cleans it after every ride?

Nah, you can't keep a mountain bike THAT clean. :p

Big Ben

3rd June 2013, 07:22

I ran 135km in May. Last week I did almost 45km... if only I knew I would have run those last 200m too :laugh: . I found a better place to run now.... can't wait to go there again. That's all. Stay/get fit :) . See you around :p

schmenke

3rd June 2013, 20:20

Mark

3rd June 2013, 20:46

We mostly use Endomondo and Strava. Add me as a friend on either of those.

I use Endomondo for all and Strava just for cycling.

J4MIE

3rd June 2013, 23:40

Yup, I use Endomondo for everything and import cycles into Strava. Really not interested in running at the moment but should do a bit I guess :s

Went out on my bike earlier and did 14km, quite pleased and went through some woods and lots of mud, so the bike is dirty eventually :D Aiming to get out every evening this week (apart from Wednesday when I have a speed awareness course.....) and then maybe do another orienteering event on Sunday, we'll see how fit I'm feeling by then :)

J4MIE

3rd June 2013, 23:40

J4MIE

4th June 2013, 00:15

BTW schmenke, join Mark's challenge on Endomondo :up:

Big Ben

4th June 2013, 07:22

Hey BB, just curious, how do you keep track of you mileage? Do you use one of those GPS units?
Recently I’ve tried the MapMyRun app but since it uses the google map engine, I’m not convinced it’s providing accurate distances (it seems its calculating high).

Yeap... I use mapmyrun. I can't say it's 100% accurate... most likely not... but it seems to be close enough. I've used their site to draw a route (I guess that should be closer to reality) and it was pretty much close to the actual measurements via GPS.
I also went the other day for a run with someone and she told me I don't need to start the app because she can tell me that the track has 1.2 km... After 11 laps and some meters off track the app said 13.65km... so I incline to say it may be almost accurate.

schmenke

4th June 2013, 14:46

Thanks BB. Good to know :up: .

Gregor-y

4th June 2013, 22:25

I rode my old school bike to work yesterday and it was all right, but I can't get used to carrying all my work clothes on my back. Tomorrow the rear rack from my wrecked bike will go on this and it'll be my commuter until I figure out what to do for a new touring/commuting bike.
http://imageshack.us/a/img20/1927/2013930.jpg

1994 Trek 930. The tires are 12 years old and I'm surprised they're still holding air.

ioan

4th June 2013, 23:01

I rode my old school bike to work yesterday and it was all right, but I can't get used to carrying all my work clothes on my back. Tomorrow the rear rack from my wrecked bike will go on this and it'll be my commuter until I figure out what to do for a new touring/commuting bike.

1994 Trek 930. The tires are 12 years old and I'm surprised they're still holding air.

The tires will hold air as long as the air chambers are OK. ;)
Just being pedantic.

J4MIE

4th June 2013, 23:12

http://imageshack.us/a/img20/1927/2013930.jpg

Like the pacenotes :up:

Robinho

5th June 2013, 06:18

I managed 412km (according to Endomondo, 418km according to Strava) cycling in May, plus about 10km running (excluding once a week soccer for 45mins)

Big Ben

5th June 2013, 09:52

Thanks BB. Good to know :up: .

I guess it depends also on the device you are using. I first tried this app on my previous phone, an iPhone 3G, and I wasn't impressed at all with how it worked. I'm sure both the fact that the app was at an earlier stage of its development and that the device was quite old counted. If I were to believe it I was running on water too. I'm not that fast just yet :p :. It had the habit to round the corners I was making pretty badly but that actually made the reported distance shorter than the actual one.

schmenke

5th June 2013, 14:33

I guess it depends also on the device you are using. I first tried this app on my previous phone, an iPhone 3G, and I wasn't impressed at all with how it worked. I'm sure both the fact that the app was at an earlier stage of its development and that the device was quite old counted. If I were to believe it I was running on water too. I'm not that fast just yet :p :. It had the habit to round the corners I was making pretty badly but that actually made the reported distance shorter than the actual one.

I plotted my course the other day with MapMyRun indicating a total distance of 7.9kms. Tracing the same route on Google maps indicated 7.8kms. When I ran it MapMyRun (on an iPhone 5) indicated 7.7kms. That's an acceptable margin of error for me.
I think in general the plots on both Google and MMR will indicate high because they default to the centreline of roads when calculating distance.

Mark

5th June 2013, 15:52

schmenke

5th June 2013, 16:54

My Strava Activity Heatmap (http://x.raceshape.com/heatmap/view.html?id=4e76301d126252548479ad835a8e3afa94f96 771)
Map of everywhere that I've ridden by bike, red indicates ones that I've ridden the most.

Very cool! Some of those routes look quite hilly. Good for you Mark :up: .

Alas, my time (along with a dodgy bike :erm: ) won't permit me to ride extended routes like that. I've only recently started biking more to alleviate the pounding exerted on my aging knees when running :s .

J4MIE

6th June 2013, 20:59

I've just done an hour of "cardio tennis" and the world is spinning :mark:

ioan

10th June 2013, 18:54

Yesterday managed to finish the 97 km bike race. Surprisingly enough, only about 500 kms of training this year, I managed to improve my time by almost 15 minutes, lowering it to 2 hours and 50 minutes, or an average of 34 km/h. I hope I can reach the 2 hours 40 minutes mark next year.

Mark

10th June 2013, 20:06

Excellent stuff :D . You mean race or sportive?

Mark

10th June 2013, 20:07

Announcement now on the Apple site http://www.apple.com/

ioan

10th June 2013, 20:36

Excellent stuff :D . You mean race or sportive?

Not sure about the difference. It's the only one I take part in every year, since 2011.
It's this one:

Maraton Franja (http://www.franja.org) (the short one ;) ofcourse).

Mark

10th June 2013, 20:42

A race as in Paris-Roubaix type race or a Sportive is the equivalent of taking part in a marathon which isn't really a race but you are timed over the course.

ioan

10th June 2013, 20:44

To be honest I am not very passionate about taking part in it, as it is rather dangerous to cycle in a pack with other 3000+ people on bikes, most of them as amateurs as I am.
I am invited every year by our very friendly Slovenian colleagues/friends, who are very passionate about it, and I have to say that I enjoyed it every time even though I always ride under a certain stress due to having to take care and avoid all kind of incidents. This year for the first time someone from our group had a relatively bad crash and managed to broke a bone (arm), so I was rather happy to make it through to the end unscathed.

For my part I prefer riding alone against the clock for a few hours every few days and keep my engine ticking reliably.

ioan

10th June 2013, 20:45

A race as in Paris-Roubaix type race or a Sportive is the equivalent of taking part in a marathon which isn't really a race but you are timed over the course.

As you probably realized I am no Paris-Roubaix level! ;)

GridGirl

10th June 2013, 23:39

I had two rides out this weekend, a 70km and a 50km ride. I was planning on a relatively easy week as I'm doing a charity ride on Saturday but I'm now having to work away so will have to settle for a spin of the legs in my hotel gym.

34km/h average is pretty damn good! I aim to cycle at around 24km/h but that average drops when I add in hills. I'm generally happy if I can average in excess of 20km/h but I am a feeble girl.

Mark

11th June 2013, 09:24

I am a feeble girl.

One with 48 QOM titles! ;)

ioan

11th June 2013, 18:45

34km/h average is pretty damn good! I aim to cycle at around 24km/h but that average drops when I add in hills. I'm generally happy if I can average in excess of 20km/h but I am a feeble girl.

In the peloton everything is faster. I usually manage 30 km/h hen riding alone on the flat. Still I was surprised to reach 34 km/h during a ride involving a medium (at least for me) climb. In the end it depends if one is lucky enough to be in a good group of riders.

janneppi

13th June 2013, 17:52

Lately I had trouble getting down power to the pedals and my thighs were getting knackered too soon. Finally figured out that the culprit was a too low saddle. It had slid down over the last few weeks.

I raised it for about 1,5 cm and the world was a better place. :)

schmenke

13th June 2013, 18:55

Lately I had trouble getting down power to the pedals ...

Do you use clipped pedals?

janneppi

13th June 2013, 19:02

Clip and strap free since 1997 :)

With all the power and stability advantages of clipless pedals, one small thing is bothering me with them.
riding on flat pedals does force you to use more technique when bunny hopping. I don't really do it properly and it shows when doing a bunnyhop on the road bike.

GridGirl

14th June 2013, 13:09

Sod cycling with Mark. :p I have moved up in the world and will be cycling with Sir Chris Hoy next week. It's not on a velodrome but I still don't fancy my chances on beating him on a sprint finish. :D

Mark

14th June 2013, 13:57

I hope it goes better then when Ibby cycled with Wiggins!

GridGirl

14th June 2013, 14:15

Indeed, there is that to think about. I don't fancy repeated emergency room visits. First thing he asked was how far. Fortunately he perked up a bit when I told him it was only going to be about 15 or 16km. :D

GridGirl

16th June 2013, 16:35

I did 115km in the bike yesterday and attempted the Strava 10km challenge this morning. I was pleasantly surprised after yesterday's ride and it being only the third time I've run all year to complete it in around 74 minutes. I didn't run the whole way and most likely ran more than I have all year so it was a nice surprise as my fastest ever 10km time is 65 minutes and that was done when I was regularly running and never after a bike ride.

Big Ben

25th June 2013, 11:00

I have run so far 143 km this month. I hope I'll get to 175 by the end of the week. I also did a 18 km run last Thursday, my personal best in terms of distance. I'm getting close to a semi-marathon. Now such are the circumstances that I feel sort of burnt out and really down beat... so my modest goal for the week will probably end up being quite a challenge.

Mark

25th June 2013, 11:27

I know how that is, stuff going on which means you can't get out, so you end up feeling bad about it, so are less likely to go out, and on it goes!

Big Ben

25th June 2013, 12:28

something like that... I also have trouble sleeping... to make things even more interesting.

schmenke

25th June 2013, 15:33

I have run so far 143 km this month. I hope I'll get to 175 by the end of the week. I also did a 18 km run last Thursday, my personal best in terms of distance. I'm getting close to a semi-marathon. ....
That's awesome. Hope you can keep it up. I'm only averaging about 25 - 30kms a week right now, but I'm also doing some cycling in between. Also, I've recently started some trail running which has its own challenges.

GridGirl

25th June 2013, 16:55

I've had a record month for mileage in June with just under a week to go. I've completed 553km this month with over 500km of that cycling. I was hampered by being knocked off my bike last week by a taxi who decided that he would overtake me and turn immediately left. Apparently, I was supposed to stop and give way to traffic behind me because my cycle lane had ended. :confused: My GPS data showed me at 33.5kp/h before coming to a sudden stop. Despite a shoulder injury and some bruises I managed to get back on the bike and go cycling with Sir Chris Hoy and go on a couple of other short rides. :) I think watching sport in the next few weeks will be more of a hindrance to actually getting out and getting fit myself.

J4MIE

25th June 2013, 23:18

Mark

26th June 2013, 08:46

Hope you're not too badly injured GridGirl!

Im still struggling with any sort of uphills on my bike, wish I had more determination to keep going rather than bailing and pushing up :s Did another mountain bike orienteering event on Sunday and went 39km which is the furthest I've ever ridden in one go so a bit happier with that. Still dead last though!

Don't push up the hill then ;) . Just have a rest if you need to. Mountain Bikes aren't the best for climbing hills - unless they're off road of course. Despite what Ibby says, the best bike for climbing is a road bike ;)

Will be starting to cycle to work next week (13 miles each way :s ) so hoping that will really improve my fitness, as long as it stays dry...

130 miles a week will certainly sort you out! Which way are you going, what sort of surfaces?