Pedal Power Thread

Obviously needs more fixing!
 
I have enjoyed 'cycling' thru this thread and reading the various thoughts and experiences. TheBigYin's story is a 'good read' and I'm sure an inspiration for many.

I thought I would share some of my cycling story with you.

I am now 69 and I now cycle for exercise and pleasure. I also have a dog that requires regular walks.

I live near Richmond, North Yorkshire and with the Yorkshire Dales on my doorstep the cycling terrain is superb but there is not a lot of flat routes !

I currently have two bikes, a Boardman Hybrid Pro:-

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A super hybrid (imo) approx. 10.5 Kg on the road, carbon forks and Shimano 105 group set and the brilliant Shimano Deore Hydraulic disc brakes. I got this from Halfords end of 2015 for £700.00. A big discount as it was 'last years model'

This is my utility bike and also my shopping bike when 'er indoors' asks me to 'pop to the shops' It is a delight to ride and with the 20 speed 105 gearing and a 11/32 cassette I can manage all but the worst hills I meet.

Edit: this bike size 45/49 & 54cm is still available at Halfords now reduced again to £599.00 ! (£100 worth of free cycle accessories when you collect your bike in store*)

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/end-of-line-bikes/boardman-hybrid-bike-pro-2014

Was £995.00 when current model.

Disclaimer: I have no connection to Halfords.



My road bike is a Felt z5 carbon frame which I have owned for 2 years now. This is much upgraded, the original Shimano 105 5700 10 speed has been swapped to a full ultegra 6800 11 speed groupset inc brakes & cranks.

I have upgraded the standard Shimano RS wheels to Campagnolo Zonda's, fitted a carbon seat post and titanium Charge Spoon saddle.

Tyres are Vittoria Rubino Pro 28mm. I used to ride with 25mm tyres but there is evidence that 28mm actually have less rolling resistance than 25mm's and the increased comfort on our bad roads make 28mm's a no brainer for me.


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On the road with pedals this is 8 Kg and a compact 50/34 chainset and 11/32 cassette means an old b****r like me can tackle the 'bumpy bits' reasonably well.

I am close to 5' 9" (1.75m) and approx 156lb (70Kg) and have been around this weight as long as I can remember.

I don't belong to any clubs, never have ! maybe my loss ? hence I usually ride alone except when my daughter visits or I visit her in Scotland.

All my rides are recorded on a Garmin Edge 500 GPS and are logged on Garmin Connect.

I aim to do 100 miles a week minimum which I mostly manage, sometimes more with my biggest weekly mileage recently being 183 miles with 9000+ ft of climbing. Garmin Connect tells me I have completed 3,951 miles in the last 12 months.

I choose not to ride in bad (wet) weather when possible, this includes high winds which we get plenty of around here. I am very conscious that at my age I do not bounce anymore and if I hit the road I will probably break ?

For the bad days and regularly in winter I use my TACX Vortex smart trainer with the Felt Z5. I have a spare Shimano rear wheel and cassette with 23mm tyre that I swap for the Zonda to minimise wear.

I have the TACX trainer set up in my shed with a dedicated PC driving the Zwift cycling app:-

The laptop is for my entertainment when using the trainer.

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I have been using Zwift for a few months now and it's great for introducing a competitive element into cycling on a trainer (otherwise it can be deadly boring :(

My Id on Zwift is 'a Pensioner' should any TP members see me on there. I am currently on level 15 and my FTP (or is it FPT ?) is 207. I think I could improve this some but haven't tried. ?


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Ok, hope someone finds some interest in this self-indulgent post ? if you have any comments/questions please feel free.
 
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Nice pair of bikes there Roy, particularly like the look of the Boardman hybrid, the black and red combo is excellent in my opinion. I have just purchased a 'geared' Boardman road bike after just having a single speed (Specialized Langster) for some time. Looking forward to getting some miles in on it.

Impressive weekly mileage too, I used to cycle to work (6.5 miles each way - which I used to extend on the way home to between 15 & 20 miles), however in 2013 I changed job. The new job means I stay away from home Mon- Fri. So my daily cycle commute came to an end. My weight went from 13 stone 4 pounds, to a high of 15 stone (I'm only 5 foot 6!). Fortunately last November I discovered running, and have run at least 1 mile every single day since (today will be day 250 of my runstreak). My weight is now down to 13 stone 3 pounds, aiming for 12 and a half by the year end.

I am keen to re-introduce cycling though as I genuinely miss it so much. So much, that I am considering a career change! In the meantime I can only ride Friday afternoon and at the weekends. So will be signing up to Zwift to ensure I get the most out of those opportunities.

Cheers for sharing you post, always good to read about people who love cycling and check out their gear/ setups!
 
Good to hear from you Dalton,

I used to run in my younger days but as one gets older it is not always the best exercise for the joints ? cycling and swimming of course are much kinder.

Glad to hear you have lost some of that weight, hope you can keep it going.

A much under appreciated byproduct of a good exercise program is that it can increase your BMR (basic metabolic rate) so you are effectively burning more calories all the time not just when exercising.

I hope you find a way to squeeze in more time cycling, keep me informed ?

Cheers
 
Hi Roy, I have that Boardman hybrid and it's a great bike - looks like we had similar ideas in changing the saddle for a Charge one and the grips for some Ergonomics ones.

I don't have the Garmin gear but I can also recommend the Strava app which I use on my iPhone to good effect, I really miss my cycling and plan to get back into it but work just takes over everything :(

Being diabetic I'm on a good weight loss program at the moment so am feeling a lot fitter, reading your post has re-ignited th urge to cycle in me again so thank you :)

You bike cave is awesome!
 
Many thanks to Gsrai and Mr Bastable for their posts. It's lovely to hear my post may have ignited/revived your desire to get on your bikes. I am a great believer in " use it or lose it " in this context I mean keep exercising or you will lose the ability/fitness to exercise.

I appreciate I am lucky to be retired, fit & healthy and no time constraints (within reason) to cycling when it suits me. The scenery and light traffic around here are big factors in my enjoyment, I would find no enjoyment in cycling around/in large conurbations.

I love the terms " pain cave" and " bike cave" as you can see I do have to share with the ironing board !

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Please keep us informed here with your cycling.
 
Can you not rig up a car alternator to the roller, use that to charge some heavy duty 12V batteries then use an inverter to power the iron? :D
 
Nod said:
Can you not rig up a car alternator to the roller, use that to charge some heavy duty 12V batteries then use an inverter to power the iron? :D
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Some creative thinking there Nod, I like it. The ironing is not done in the 'pain cave' just the board stored there. :)

P.S Just had a vision of my wife ironing in there while I'm cycling and all the sweat flying about ! Grounds for divorce methinks ?
 
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On a marginally more serious note, use the above rig to power a laptop charger. ;)
 
even if you're a complete monster, pushing out 400W for a hour's session, it'd probably only just power the fans needed to stop you dissolving into a pool of sweat on the floor, my more modest FTP of around 225 at the moment - after conversion losses would barely power one of the pair of fans it takes to keep me from melting.
 
Well, if you just want a fan, rig up some pulleys and olde stylee car fans!
 
no need, I've a pair of those floor mounted "air mover" 18" jobs that I use when I'm on the indoor trainer... can barely hear myself think over the noise, but I don't end up pedalling over a small pond in the bike-cave...
 
That Felt is gorgeous
 
I have an old mountain bike which is in perfect condition (I bought it in France about fifteen years ago, and the chain, gears and sprockets have the original lube on), apart from the handlebar grips, which have rotted away (or been eaten by mice).
The bike has Shimano Deore twistgrip changers, so I was wondering if any of you expert mountain bike riders could tell me which are the best grips to use.
Bearing in mind I have carpal tunnel syndrome, I want something which is going to cancel out the vibration, yet still allow good control.
I want to start riding the bike again, because going down the gym just does not seem to shift the weight like bike riding used to.
Cheers.
 
Just ordered a new bike today, a Brompton folding bike. Not really the sort of thing I want to be spending my money on, but haven't dug my mtb out of the shed for years and the only cycling I get to do these days is my daily commute. :sleep:
 
Quite an eventful Olympic road race.

Brutal descent accounted for a lot of casualties - big shame for Geraint Thomas - I wonder if there will be an inquest about the course?
 
Comfortably Numb said:
Quite an eventful Olympic road race.

Brutal descent accounted for a lot of casualties - big shame for Geraint Thomas - I wonder if there will be an inquest about the course?
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Yeh, riveting viewing at the end there, mixed feelings towards Nabali, real sympathy for going out like that but why didn't he hold off a little on the descent? Not seen footage of the crash or the post race interviews so might've been nothing he could do. Also fair play to the Polish rider, would have loved to see him hang on, but a deserved medal for him. Don't think there should be an inquest, as Chris Boardman I think said in commentary bike racing's not only about being the best physically, you also have to be the smartest, knowing the right moment to attack, and when the conditions allow you to take risks or play it safe.
 
I doubt there will be an inquest, surely UCI must have some input and 'vet' the course ?

I wonder why Chris Froome competed today when the UK team was so strong others were capable of a podium finish. The time trial was always Froome's best chance of a gold. His exertions today must reflect on his physical condition on wednesday ? His potential main challenger Tom Dumoulin abandoned after 10 mins today. This may prove to be poor judgement by UK cycling.
 
You would think that the course would be approved, but given the number of fallers & very unforgiving kerbs, etc, I think it's lucky that no one was seriously hurt. At least I hope that's the case - I've not heard of more than a broken collarbone, for Porte.

It did make for a thrilling finish though. I don't think there's any footage, to see how anyone fell, as the camera bikes couldn't keep up!

It did seem odd for Froome to put so much into this. Was it Tony Martin he sprinted against? Perhaps to show he had plenty left for the TT?
 
Horrible crash in the women's race too. Van Vleuten high sided straight into the big kerb - concussion & three spinal fractures

Nibali has two broken collarbones
Henao a broken pelvis
Porte has broken shoulder- he said that hitting the tree stopped him from falling over the drop!

The catch netting was a bit rubbish. I realise that there won't have been loads of course options, but have to question the wisdom of having such a high price to pay for a mistake, with deep gutters, high kerbs, gulleys & eventually a tree to collect you!
 
Yeah, I guess so. Although Chris Boardman has been warning about it since they gave him a micrphone!

Hopefully all riders will recover completely, but that will be more by luck than judgement IMO
 
Comfortably Numb said:
Nibali has two broken collarbones
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Oh, I do hope they can plate them for him, rather than just letting them knit naturally... as someone who's broken clavicles 3 times (2xright, once left) the thought of not having a working hand free to wipe you're arse doesn't bear thinking about. (and yes, that was probably the worst part of the 2 times where I didn't have the plates/screws insterted. The plated one, I was back on the turbo in 3 weeks, and iirc, raced 8 weeks post surgery.)
 
what was wrong with it. they went up a hill and came down one. Do their bikes not have brakes?
 
TheBigYin said:
Oh, I do hope they can plate them for him, rather than just letting them knit naturally... as someone who's broken clavicles 3 times (2xright, once left) the thought of not having a working hand free to wipe you're arse doesn't bear thinking about. (and yes, that was probably the worst part of the 2 times where I didn't have the plates/screws insterted. The plated one, I was back on the turbo in 3 weeks, and iirc, raced 8 weeks post surgery.)
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Hmm, a very apt post. I'm 7wks into recovery from a broken collarbone, without plating. Were there any later problems with the natural repairs?
 
Comfortably Numb said:
Hmm, a very apt post. I'm 7wks into recovery from a broken collarbone, without plating. Were there any later problems with the natural repairs?
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Aside from one of them breaking again, just along from the "bump" where the previous break had joined (that was the one that was plated) I had no real problems with either of the "natural" ones - other than it took bloody ages to heal, and was much more noticeably painful to jolts etc. a couple of months down the line from the breakage. Only problem I had with the pinned one was one of the screws began to work its way through the skin 3 months down the line, so they had to open me back up and take the metalwork out again. Still, what's another zipper more or less...

but the right clavicle has more bumps and hollows than a relief map of the Himalayas...

(as an aside, 2 of the 3 breakages were from cycling, the other was from playing rugby in my teens... I remember being asked at the hospital if I'd had experience of collarbone breakages, and said "6 so far, but this is the only one that was mine..." - joys of being a prop forward. )
 
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It's good to read that she will be OK, it took two minutes for help to arrive.

They didn't even fix the fence where Porte had crashed, the day before!

As for them being pussies - the men were riding at speeds that the motorbikes couldn't keep up with.
 
TheBigYin said:
Aside from one of them breaking again, just along from the "bump" where the previous break had joined (that was the one that was plated) I had no real problems with either of the "natural" ones - other than it took bloody ages to heal, and was much more noticeably painful to jolts etc. a couple of months down the line from the breakage. Only problem I had with the pinned one was one of the screws began to work its way through the skin 3 months down the line, so they had to open me back up and take the metalwork out again. Still, what's another zipper more or less...

but the right clavicle has more bumps and hollows than a relief map of the Himalayas...

(as an aside, 2 of the 3 breakages were from cycling, the other was from playing rugby in my teens... I remember being asked at the hospital if I'd had experience of collarbone breakages, and said "6 so far, but this is the only one that was mine..." - joys of being a prop forward. )
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I was told that there was a good chance I'd have to have a second op to remove the plate, that was one of the reasons I decided to heal naturally. It's going to be a long time though.

I came off the bike at Bike Park Wales, first broken bone for me.
 
a week for the plate going in where things are "a bit sore" - and a few days of going "ouch" when I changed my shirt for the removal - frankly, it doesn't add up to anywhere near as much pain as the 2 "natural" healing ones gave me - given a choice i'd have the plates every time (though, I'd prefer it not to happen again at all in fairness, but while I keep riding the bike, it's always a possibility...)
 
It's better for the bone to heal naturally but it does take longer.

Mine was broken at the sternoclavicular joint so it wasn't as bad as most others. I had 90% movement after I came off my bike and other than a twinge now and then all I have as a reminder is the dislocation of the bone.


I was off the bike for 3 months but that was more to do with the broken ribs than the clavicle
 
Mine hasn't been that painful, except when the nerves got 'hooked' on one of the broken ends - that was excrutiating, but only brief.

It's trying not to break the bond that's tiresome. Apparently it's quite vunerable at this stage, & I'm not that patient! I hope it's not 3mths before I can ride again.
 
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