Cycling chat

[PMP]

Going tubeless on the front. The rear is already tubeless, since then Ive had two  on the front. One gravel bike is tubeless the other with inners. Yet I’ve only had punctures with the tubed one. I doubt that’s coincidence.

[BR traction instructor]

[BR traction instructor]

Testing this method (from Nautica and includes chain) of alerting inattentive, walking out in front of you without looking, earphone wearing/hood up, walking 3 & 4 abreast pedestrians just now. Considerably louder than the sad range of bells on offer…will advise on effectiveness.

 

Todays Betley circuit included a diversion via Chorlton from Englesea Brook due to roadworks as utilities are supplied to new houses.

 

BeRTIe

Edited February 25, 2022 by BR traction instructor

[jcredfer]

27 minutes ago, BR traction instructor said:

Testing this method (from Nautica and includes chain) of alerting inattentive, walking out in front of you without looking, earphone wearing/hood up, walking 3 & 4 abreast pedestrians just now. Considerably louder than the sad range of bells on offer…will advise on effectiveness.

 

BeRTIe

 

You might attract some unwanted attention from groups of hunt saboteurs...    

 

 

[big jim]

5 minutes ago, jcredfer said:

 

You might attract some unwanted attention from groups of hunt saboteurs...    

 

 

i was going to say the same thing, especially around the Cheshire countryside 

[Nearholmer]

Novel!

 

My fancy American bell seems to work, and I’ve actually had people say they like the sound of it.

 

I took the touring bike out for a couple of hours fresh air this morning, not a very long ride, but at least it was a ride, rather than just “errands”, which is all I’ve cycled for the past two weeks.

 

Was wrong about the downed trees: some of them were healthy specimens.

 

Spring is very definitely putting in an appearance now, even if it is pretty chilly this morning.

 

[BR traction instructor]

I did think that when you commented about just dead trees falling.

 

BeRTIe

[BR traction instructor]

1 hour ago, jcredfer said:

 

You might attract some unwanted attention from groups of hunt saboteurs...    

 

 

Very seldom needed on my remote circuits, haven’t used it yet. Borrowed it from the boat.

 

BeRTIe

Edited February 25, 2022 by BR traction instructor

[37114]

We were up in the Peak District staying in Bakewell so decided to do the Monsal trail with the kids. My son is not a big cycling fan which I put down to his bike being a second hand jobbie that is not in the best of health and him being slightly unfit so cycling on the flat on a hire bike might win him round (which it mostly did). We only did Hassop to the Northern end of the trail but was good fun, definitely recommend doing it early, by 10.00 there were walkers and dogs everywhere 

[jcredfer]

9 hours ago, BR traction instructor said:

Very seldom needed on my remote circuits, haven’t used it yet. Borrowed it from the boat.

 

BeRTIe

 

Blimey...!!  That's the biggest Bosun's Pipe, I've ever seen.      

 

.....   must have been for the visit of the Admiral of The Fleet - {Too many firings of the full broadside ye know, didn't do much good to his hearing.}

 

[jcredfer]

What a sunny day it was, to be sure. A good day for a pedal round...   an easy going day, to get back into it after the lousy weather and take in some of the river valleys round here.

 

 

... but not quite such a good day for one young driver, on the narrow, poorly maintained lane to Woodford. He seems to have hit the left hand bank twice, looking at the debris, on the road.  Fortunately, he was completely unhurt and quite calm. It is a horrid bit of road to negotiate, being very narrow and poor surface, best passed through without hesitation, with eyes / ears on the alert. The picture makes it look a lot wider than it is, because of the wide angle lens, but that's only a very little car, which covers the width.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by jcredfer
One day I'm going to learn how to spell correctly, first time.

[big jim]

Not got the electric bike back yet but went out for a ride on my way into work on the road bike, did the old trackbed from Newport (Shropshire) to Stafford and back, just over 20 miles round trip 

 

not a particularly spectacular ride, nice countryside but not a lot to see really

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And it ends rather unceremoniously in a new build estate in the edge of Stafford 

 

 

longest ride I’ve done on the non electric bike, not too bad on the compacted gravel surfaces really, even clipped myself in with my cleat shoes! 

 

 

[Mark Forrest]

After a good start to the year in January, the amount of riding I've done in February really tailed off, thanks to the recent storms and a particularly busy period at work.  Good news though, I've got a week off, so we got that started today with a ride over the Long Mynd.

 

Starting out from the NT car park at Carding Mill Valley, we can usually manage four ascents/descents of the Mynd, but in a stark reminder that my fitness isn't quite where it should be, we called it a day after three - first ride on the big bike for a while too.  Still, that's over 3000' elevation gain in a 20 mile ride and some decent weather, so not a bad day out.

[Butler Henderson]

Cheap genuine 11 speed chain https://hopkinsoncycles.co.uk/product/sram-pc-1110/

 

[Nickey Line]

53 minutes ago, Butler Henderson said:

Cheap genuine 11 speed chain https://hopkinsoncycles.co.uk/product/sram-pc-1110/

 

 

Have used these for years, excellent value, and last just as long as chains costing twice as much, and more...

[Mark Forrest]

Second ride of our week off: Pendle Hill (gravel bikes).

The weather forecast suggested our best chance of a not-too-wet ride was to head north, so that's what we did, up to Clitheroe for a ride from Jack Thurston's "Lost Lanes North" book.  The route started off much more urban than we're used to with a ride through Clitheroe town centre, but with that behind us the climb up past the dry ski slopes at Pendleton Moor was soon looming ahead of us, along with a head wind as if it wasn't tough enough already! From there the loop was Sabden, Newchurch in Pendle, Barley, Downham, then East towards Barnoldswick for a short stretch on the Penine Bridleway to Gisburn. From there we started to work our way back on quieter lanes through Bolton by Bowland, Grindleton, West Bradford, Waddington and back into the outskirts of Clitheroe where we'd parked.

The route was almost entirely on roads, except for a couple of sections of bridleway than I added to spice things up a bit, one of those was a bit too chunky for the gravel bike (but would have been fine on a hardtail). Roads were busier than we're used to and I'm not entirely sure that news of the new Highway Code rules have reached the good folk of Lancashire yet; reinforcing the view that we'll never go full roadie. A tough ride (just under 4000' of elevation in a 33.6 mile ride) and not the best conditions to be out in, but type 2 fun; definitely times when I had to remind myself that I'm not going to get any fitter just sitting on the sofa.

[Nearholmer]

You certainly get about a bit!

 

That looks both challenging and spectacular.

 

Do you drive to these places with bikes on top/back?

[big jim]

Defiantly not the best conditions today but felt I needed a ride out somewhere so decided on the Wirral way from hooton to new Brighton, I’d planned to do 35 mile by taking my time and doing a loop around the coast heading back south toward Birkenhead then heading over to port sunlight and back to hooton but by the time I got to new Brighton and headed south the coastal wind had turned into a headwind and it began to rain so I gave it up as I was struggling a bit and began to feel I want actually enjoying it any more so I caught the train back from there!

 

still managed just short of 22 mile which I’m really pleased about as again it was on the road bike and all

my own power!

 

hooton 

 

Muddy track

 

Hadlow road 

 

 

Dropping down into Neston, quite an impressive cutting and a good decent 

 

 

Dee marsh to bidston line passing over the top at Neston 

 

Overlooking the Dee estuary 

 

 

 

And into the coast at west Kirby, the light head wind was just enough here to take the wind out of my sails as it were! Speed dropped from about 13-15mph to below 10 

 

 

 

Not much shelter, first view of rhe top end of Liverpool though, seaforth dock cranes in the distance 

 

 

Leasowe lighthouse

 

New brighton

 

 

The 90 degree turn here put me straight into a strong headwind and as you can see it was getting wetter 

 

So that’s where I ended the trip!

 

 

I then caught the train back to hooton from new Brighton station (pics in my work thread)

 

Had to jet wash the bike when I got home 

 

And jet wash my shoes as I didn’t put my waterproof overshoes on until after 8 mile! 

 

In all an enjoyable day.

 

I’m having 2nd thoughts about upgrading my e-bike to one with a bigger range now as I’m finding doing 20+ mile rides on the road bike quite easy and I’m planning longer rides based on using rhe non electric bike, as I say today would have been 35 mile with a break in the middle had the weather been more favourable so I’m actually wondering whether to go for a lot lighter hybrid type bike for some of my adventures as the road bike is obviously a bit harsh at times on old trackbed type rides (but not unbearable) 

 

i’ll still keep the e-bike for shorter commutes between the likes of bescot and Wolverhampton and kings norton etc if I do go for a hybrid 

[Mark Forrest]

40 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

You certainly get about a bit!

 

That looks both challenging and spectacular.

 

Do you drive to these places with bikes on top/back?

We used to hang them off the back of wifey's Ford Kuga on a towbar mounted rack, but got ourselves a van last year.  With the bikes, two Rottweilers, and various house/DIY projects on the go (plus, if I start exhibiting my layout again exhibitions) it gets used more than our cars and is significantly less thirsty than the Kuga.  It's an ex-Sky long wheelbase VW Caddy; no problem getting two 29er full suss MTBs in the back, wheels on and ready to go.  Also has the benefit of being easier to get changed in after a ride.

 

Must admit though, even with the better MPG, the environmental impact of doing a 200 mile round trip to go and ride bikes does play on my mind sometimes.

[big jim]

I missed out on a LWB Peugeot partner last month that someone was selling in a mini forum that I’d have bought to move the bike about, I had plans to also make it into a bit of a day van/camper with plugs etc so I could charge the bike on the go but unfortunately he sold it to we buy any van before I had a chance to have a look at it

[Nearholmer]

Oddly enough, I’ve never really been happy with my car since I bought it, and would prefer something closer to a small van, maybe the smaller caddy with rear seats and windows. More for schlepping a layout than bikes though, because I have a weird thing about wanting to start all bikes rides f from home.

[Mark Forrest]

I gather that there's something of a shortage of used vans at the moment, have heard of people been quoted 12-18 month wait for new ones which is having an impact on the secondhand market.  My only regret is not getting one sooner, I can't imagine us being without one in future.

 

We're fortunate enough to be able to do a lot of our riding from home, living within riding distance of the trails on Cannock Chase, but the days out certainly add to the variety and help to improve both fitness and technical skills on the MTBs.

[Nearholmer]

The folks who live opposite us are heavily into cyclocross, and they seem to spend every weekend in winter living in a mud spattered third-hand Transit van, husband, wife, and two teenage daughters, all into it.

[big jim]

47 minutes ago, Mark Forrest said:

I gather that there's something of a shortage of used vans at the moment, have heard of people been quoted 12-18 month wait for new ones which is having an impact on the secondhand market.  My only regret is not getting one sooner, I can't imagine us being without one in future.

 

that's what happened with the van I was looking at, it was a bargain for its age, mileage etc, just surplus to the guys requirements but he was offered over the odds for it a few hours after he put the ad up on the mini forum from elsewhere and it went the next day, shame as he was local to me too and I was planning to go and see it the same morning as it went 

 

my trainee uses an estate car rather than racks as he says its not uncommon for cyclists get followed home when the bike is visible on a rack and then it gets nicked 

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by big jim

[njee20]

I’ve never been a fan of bikes being outside the car. Front wheels out I can fit two bikes easily in my Golf. No impact on fuel economy, no advertising expensive bikes, no damage to bikes being grit blasted on wet roads.