Cycling chat

[Classsix T]

3 hours ago, spikey said:

 

Nice one 

 

(speaking as an ex-professional snapper)

"Case" is so not the word I wanted to use though, but wtf do you call the little plastic lidded pots that 35mm rolls came in? You know, hold about 6-7 one pound coins?

 

C6T. 

[Nickey Line]

18 minutes ago, Classsix T said:

"Case" is so not the word I wanted to use though

 

Pot? Canister? Container?

[spikey]

In the trade, they were usually called cassette cans on account of them originally being pressed steel with a domed, threaded top.  Can't remember when they went plastic, but they were certainly still steel when I left school in 1962.   The Kodak ones were of course bright yellow.

 

We still have a dozen or so left from when we still shot weddings on 35mm, but neither of us can remember the lid colour code now other than green was Ilford HP3 and red was XP2.

 

BTW, I'm obliged to you for pointing out that AAA batteries fit inside.  Very handy to know

[Nearholmer]

Don’t put them in the old aluminium/steel ones, or you’ll have a pocketful of short-circuit.

[Classsix T]

I didn't want spare bike light batteries loose in my pocket for similar reasons Kev, the potential hazard if all the battery ends came into contact with each other...sheesh.

So yeah, 35mm film cassette or 5 AAA's, made to measure.

 

C6T. 

[big jim]

17 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Don’t put them in the old aluminium/steel ones, or you’ll have a pocketful of short-circuit.

short circuit is quite apt given classsix T avatar!

 

rode the 500M from McDonalds to the station the long way round via the south end of basford hall yard this morning to make it 7.5 mile! 
 

had to ride back to maccys as I realised I’d lost one of the fork lights and sussed it had probably fallen out in the bike rack (which it had) 

[Classsix T]

6 hours ago, big jim said:

short circuit is quite apt given classsix T avatar!

Mwa-ha!

"Need input!"

 

C6T. 

[kernowtim]

Some years ago a cyclist relation took a handful of rechargeable AA batteries with him, loose in a pocket, however they came into contact with some keys and the resultant short circuit generated enough heat to encourage a rapid stop and emptying of said pocket! 

[Classsix T]

10 minutes ago, kernowtim said:

Some years ago a cyclist relation took a handful of rechargeable AA batteries with him, loose in a pocket, however they came into contact with some keys and the resultant short circuit generated enough heat to encourage a rapid stop and emptying of said pocket! 

Well exactly, and given I'm often carrying around one or more spare ciggie lighters, you can see why I needed a safer way to cart spare batteries around!

 

C6T. 

[spikey]

Interesting video about cycling in the winter ...

 

 

[Nearholmer]

Well, apart from the snow, that looks very, very like where I live in every respect (at the moment we have a thin coating of damp, rotting leaves rather than snow).

 

But, the point about having well-designed paths everywhere is well made. It makes practical cycling practical, whereas in many towns practical cycling in practically suicidal.

[spikey]

12 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

... But, the point about having well-designed paths everywhere is well made ...

 

As is the point about the type of bicycle being promoted for commuting.

[Mark Forrest]

End of year Strava stats...

It's not been a good year for me, think this is the first time in 5 years my annual mileage has been below 2000 and elevation gain below 200,000'.  That's despite adding a gravel bike to the fleet and doing some rides on Zwift (both of which make hitting distance based targets easier to achieve than a MTB).

Motivation to ride in the second half of the year has been a real problem; resulting in a vicious circle of riding less often, losing fitness/gaining weight, then finding rides less enjoyable as a result of lost fitness and so on.

I know that, to have the best possible summer of riding in 2022, I need to start getting back in shape now - waiting until the sun is shining is leaving it too late.

[Nearholmer]

I don’t set mileage or climbing targets, but I attempt to fit in two ‘decent length’ bike rides each week, and when the weather is good that rises of its own accord to three, four, or even five. Length of each varies from about 20 miles when the weather is rubbish to about 60 in good weather.

 

This year I effectively lost January, February and a bit of March to home-schooling during lockdown, instantly followed by a back injury, and I did poorly in August because of school summer holiday (I usually make up for things with late evening rides in August, but something went wrong this year). Overall, a bit of a mixed bag.

 

Best was July, when I devoted a week to visiting family members in Surrey and Sussex by bike, doing 40-50 miles each day on paths (at least half in the rain). I always get a buzz out of going from front door at home, all the way to the seaside under my own steam, doing as few miles on road as possible.

 

Target for 2022? Derbyshire. Everyone talking about all those rail-trails has made me want to cover the ones I haven’t already, and I reckon that about two and a half days on paths should get me there. Fingers crossed.

[big jim]

I didn’t set a target this past year as I really didn’t know quite how I’d get on with cycling again so didn’t know what to aim for, I think if you would have asked me the day I got the bike I would have realistically thought I’d probably cover about 500 mile on it by the end of the year

 

bearing in mind I didn’t join strava until the end of may I surprised myself by covering 1902 miles on my own bike and 55 on Dom’s in that time when mine broke 

 

im going to look at maybe 2200 miles for next years target as I feel I could comfortably achieve that just being out there enjoying the experience without going mad trying to get miles in here and there for the sake of it 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[kernowtim]

Had a few days off work but haven't been out much, still not fully over the cold my teenage children gave me for Christmas, the asthma I had as a child makes me very wheezy!! 

No spin bike sessions in the last 2 weeks either, 

Most of the rides were done on an old and heavy Apollo mountain bike I was given by a colleague, before I bought a new trek Marlin 7 in October.. 

[Nearholmer]

Interesting that strava-type things are so popular, especially because they record climbing, which my combo doesn’t.

 

I use Cycle Streets on the ‘phone for navigation when I need it, and Polar Beat, which my good lady bought me a few years back because she was worried I’d give myself a heart attack. It’s actually very useful to understand heart-rate, although you get attuned to it after a bit without the electronics, because it seems to be the time spent above 80% of maximum that determines how tired you get, not the total distance. I find that if I have a longer ride in mind, it’s best to pace myself and keep things down, although that rather goes out of the window on stiff climbs, especially on rough paths.

Edited December 31, 2021 by Nearholmer

[08221]

Inspired by @bgman and his bike, Ive got myself a Michael Blast Greaser - what a revelation!

For a late 50's year old geezer, this has put all the fun back in cycling, just having the lowest level of power assist makes going up hills so much easier and reduces the strain on my knees - both completely shot after too many years of running and playing footie!

 

 

[Butler Henderson]

My approach to stiff climbs is if the speed is dropping towards 4 mph its time for Shanks's Pony to take over. I mix and match various apps - Strava is good for recording various data and, having the paid for version, seeing how I did against others the same day I find useful but its a pity that data is not held; look at it the next day and it shows against others that day.

[spikey]

Total for the year is 1113 miles plus maybe 5 or whatever I do later this afternoon unless the mist turns into thick fog.  Probably no more than 200 on the Sherpa, the rest on the Batavus pedelec, and all of it on the road within a 10 mile radius of base.

 

A few years back I set the only target I've ever set by aiming to still do the 17-mile hilly round trip to the next town and back on the Sherpa at age 75.  Alas, I reach 75 in the coming year but that trip's now done on the Batavus.

 

The target for 2022 is to just get back on a bike ASAP after I get my new knee

[big jim]

1 hour ago, Nearholmer said:

Interesting that strava-type things are so popular, especially because they record climbing, which my combo doesn’t.

 

I use Cycle Streets on the ‘phone for navigation when I need it

I don’t actually use strava when out and about, I record to the Apple Watch which automatically uploads to the apple health app which then in turn can be uploaded to strava 
 

As I’ve mentioned before i use Komoot as a navigation app but I find I have to double check the route before I set off as sometimes the routing can be a bit strange with unnecessary diversions off main roads or onto rough canal towpaths only to rejoin the main route 1/2 mile later! 
 

being as a few of us use strava it may be worth trying to connect to each other on there if anyone wants to share user names or avatar pics so we can find each other, I’ve just searched ‘Mark Forrest’ but there are loads, this is me on there if anyone wants to follow me 

[Nearholmer]

I like cycle streets because it is totally free, and never tries to sell you upgrades or anything. It uses the same mapping as Komoot, and I suspect that the routing algorithms are quite similar, because it too can choose strange segments if you set it for “quietest route”, jumping off a very quiet country lane onto a parallel bridleway for a few hundred metres, because that is even quieter, being its favourite trick (which I got wise to after traversing a few boggy fields for no good purpose).

 

What I think komoot can do, possibly on an upgrade, is download and store full, long routes, whereas cycle streets does need a sniff of data every now and then - not often, and it is very economical on data, but it doesn’t hold “a days worth” of route at very large scale.

 

I also carry a couple of OS maps in the saddle bag in case of need to revert to “olden days” navigation.

 

 

Edited December 31, 2021 by Nearholmer

[Mark Forrest]

19 minutes ago, big jim said:

being as a few of us use strava it may be worth trying to connect to each other on there if anyone wants to share user names or avatar pics so we can find each other, I’ve just searched ‘Mark Forrest’ but there are loads, this is me on there if anyone wants to follow me 

Great idea Jim, I've just given you a follow, so you'll see me in your followers, or this link should work:

https://www.strava.com/athletes/15189502

 

I've also just set up a Strava club for RMweb members, if anyone is interested, https://www.strava.com/clubs/1010944

 

 

[big jim]

Followed and joined the club, I’m number 1 in the leader board by 1/2 mile!! 
 

 

[Mark Forrest]

Strava (combined with a heart rate monitor and a Garmin head unit) appeals to my inner data geek, I like it for tracking fitness over time and occasionally for comparing my times on  segments to other people I know.  I'm never going to be fast enough (either uphill or down) to trouble the top end of a KOM leader board, but do like to see how I compare to a few people I know who ride locally.  In the past, setting myself a 50 mile a week target has helped motivate me to get out, but that didn't work quite so well this year.

 

Most of my route planning I prefer do on the OS Maps website, creating a gpx to load on the Garmin.  Trail Forks on the Garmin can be useful when out and about too.