Pedal Power Thread

POAH said:
snow bike

p4pb10254842.jpg
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That is so cool, it looks like something Graeme Obree would have invented.;)
 
Enjoyed the tail wind this morning! It was a bit of a surprise how fast I dawdled in!
 
menthel said:
That and the can of deodorant I have at work! ;)
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Ah! The good old "Russian shower"! (Although they tend to just splash on loads of cheap perfume rather than actually use deodorant...)
 
Nod said:
Ah! The good old "Russian shower"! (Although they tend to just splash on loads of cheap perfume rather than actually use deodorant...)
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Just to join in the casual racism, we always used to call it an "Italian Shower"! ;)
 
I remember BITD riding into work a couple of times, and as there were no showers it was a case of using the washbasins in the staff loo.

Strip down to the waist and wash as far as possible.

Peel up the shorts and wash up as far as possible.

Check there was nobody in the cubicles, wedge the entry doorway and quickly wash possible.

:lol:
 
No posts since 2.0???

Commuted in this morning and the weather gave me a further opportunity to wear the gabba. They are so good! Mind you the northwave celsius boots are good too.
 
I've had a pretty horrible head-cold Jim, so little or no riding outdoors, just on the indoor trainer at easy levels to keep the legs from seizing up - which has resulted in my worst months distance since January of under 350 miles (if i'm only counting road-miles - which I am!) - just hoping it's gone by the time the new 'crosser turns up, so I can do it justice...
 
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ive got a load of drivetrain upgrades on their way...

SLX Shadowplus rear mech (going to try the shimano 10sp on SRAM 9sp shifter trick)
SRAM PG990 cassette
SRAM hollowpin chain
Hope Bash Guard

Blackspire chain device is going.

Good upgrades I reckon and should save a bit of weight (meh).
 
TheBigYin said:
I've had a pretty horrible head-cold Jim, so little or no riding outdoors, just on the indoor trainer at easy levels to keep the legs from seizing up - which has resulted in my worst months distance since January of under 350 miles (if i'm only counting road-miles - which I am!) - just hoping it's gone by the time the new 'crosser turns up, so I can do it justice...
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Admit it Mark - you've been on the indoor trainer wired up to the hamster's wheel (or is it hamsters' wheel?) to provide the extra power during the upgrade.
 
TheBigYin said:
I've had a pretty horrible head-cold Jim, so little or no riding outdoors, just on the indoor trainer at easy levels to keep the legs from seizing up - which has resulted in my worst months distance since January of under 350 miles (if i'm only counting road-miles - which I am!) - just hoping it's gone by the time the new 'crosser turns up, so I can do it justice...
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Hope you feel better soon!

In other news I clocked up my 3000km for the year today. Not bad as I started my first tentative steps back into it in Feb on my now defunct hybrid. Not sure what my total will be for the year but with a 200km coming up in December and the commuting I hope to get as far as possible!
 
neil_g said:
ive got a load of drivetrain upgrades on their way...

SLX Shadowplus rear mech (going to try the shimano 10sp on SRAM 9sp shifter trick)
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I might have to try that, 6 mm spacer is it?

I've lost almost a pound

p4pb10275894.jpg
 
I am never going to take up cycling now but I really enjoy the pictures of new shiny bits and bling that are available.

Please keep posting it is most interesting.

Col
 
well - not strictly Bike Bling, but seasonal, and bike related (at least for me...)

It's good to tell it was raining yesterday,


Good to see that it rained on Halloween by The Big Yin, on Flickr


Leftover Haribo from the unexpectedly low footfall of trick-or-treaters resulted in overstocks of Haribo. That's my mid-ride snackage needs sorted for a few weeks :woot:


(excuse the horrible instagrameyness, and YES that bowl IS on the windowsill near the back door as I leave for my rides...)
 
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Now that looks an impressive bit of kit! If it works as well as it looks then great.

Take it that the frame has a swing arm to the rear wheel?


Col
 
Today or tomorrow, will be ordering some winter gear...
am not a cold person so do not want to go to warm and thick...
so need to find a good combo for myself...
have altura rain jacket which stops fair bit of wind as well and is good for commute - not sure if that would work well for long distance so am looking in to that option as well.

am thinking about merino wool base layer but still have some HH LS base layers [URL]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001N2MLUQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1[/url]
could just get a winter LS jersey on top and should be fine...and some compact rain jacket for it to keep in saddle bag ?

never had bibs...have good NorthFace shorts with padding , but maybe time to try some. have leg warmers so can get short bibs.

will look in to DHB as am on the budget...

oh, and need good warm gloves!

if you have any suggestions as for what I should be looking for please do share :)

Thanks,
 
The DHB bibs are fine. Go for their "best" ones as the pads are good. I have normal bib shorts from them as well as the winter tights- the tights are deffo worth it in my opinion, very warm indeed!
 
The only thing I'd say against the DHB Bibs is that the pads (especially the fancy "cytech" ones) are a little - how shall I put it - sensitive/fragile regarding laundering... which, for bibs, which end up getting washed EVERY time they're worn as they are caked with road-mire everywhere, can be a problem.

Buy one of those mesh zip up bags to put them in, in the washer, launder 'em inside out, in the mesh bag, on as gentle a program as you can get away with, and with as little heat in the process as you can, either in the water or in the drying process... I've had the pads "de-laminate" in the space of 2-3 months when i've been less than careful - the pad is made up of lots of layers of foam and fabric, held together with stretchy glues so that they can minimise the number of sewn through seams and keep the pad comfy and stretchy. Problem is, if the glue breaks down, you can end up with little bits of the foam "roaming around" inside the perimiter of the padding - causing lumps and bumps generally just where you don't want lumps and bumps to appear...

For stuff under a couple of hours, tbh, I'm as happy on the cheaper padding anyway - indeed, I've a couple of the bibs where the padding's gone pear shaped and I've actually removed the pad and wear 'em over a pair of normal lycra bibshorts...

But as far as the actual fabric of the bibs, the DHB Roubaix stuff is great...
 
TheBigYin said:
The only thing I'd say against the DHB Bibs is that the pads (especially the fancy "cytech" ones) are a little - how shall I put it - sensitive/fragile regarding laundering... which, for bibs, which end up getting washed EVERY time they're worn as they are caked with road-mire everywhere, can be a problem.

Buy one of those mesh zip up bags to put them in, in the washer, launder 'em inside out, in the mesh bag, on as gentle a program as you can get away with, and with as little heat in the process as you can, either in the water or in the drying process... I've had the pads "de-laminate" in the space of 2-3 months when i've been less than careful - the pad is made up of lots of layers of foam and fabric, held together with stretchy glues so that they can minimise the number of sewn through seams and keep the pad comfy and stretchy. Problem is, if the glue breaks down, you can end up with little bits of the foam "roaming around" inside the perimiter of the padding - causing lumps and bumps generally just where you don't want lumps and bumps to appear...

For stuff under a couple of hours, tbh, I'm as happy on the cheaper padding anyway - indeed, I've a couple of the bibs where the padding's gone pear shaped and I've actually removed the pad and wear 'em over a pair of normal lycra bibshorts...

But as far as the actual fabric of the bibs, the DHB Roubaix stuff is great...
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I have been riding in wearing the vaeon roubaix tights the past few days and they do seem comfy and nice and warm. Pad is fine (but not been washed many times!) and they fit me well. However, the best bottom halves I own are the nanotech knickers from castelli- the pad and fit of those is just amazing.
 
Ah, now you're talking - i've the Nano Shorts and Legwarmers for this season, and the Velocissimo Due Bibs for the real frigid stuff... The Velo's are wierd though - the thermoflex stuff is bright red and fleecy on the inside, and as you ride, and the knees flex you keep getting a sort of red flash effect going on. I'm told it also happens around the backside, which must be a terrible sight for anyone following me...
 
TheBigYin said:
Ah, now you're talking - i've the Nano Shorts and Legwarmers for this season, and the Velocissimo Due Bibs for the real frigid stuff... The Velo's are wierd though - the thermoflex stuff is bright red and fleecy on the inside, and as you ride, and the knees flex you keep getting a sort of red flash effect going on. I'm told it also happens around the backside, which must be a terrible sight for anyone following me...
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A light show whilst you cycle? ;)

I have had another wiggle/castelli accident, ordered a espresso due jacket whilst the spend £200 get £40 thing was going on...

Mind you for tops I am loving torm at present- such good value for what you get. As good as rapha quality wise from my experience too.
 
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Now put my Brompton up for the chop. Operating a strict (wife imposed) one in one out policy from now on :whistling:
 
bastic said:
Today or tomorrow, will be ordering some winter gear...
am not a cold person so do not want to go to warm and thick...
so need to find a good combo for myself...
have altura rain jacket which stops fair bit of wind as well and is good for commute - not sure if that would work well for long distance so am looking in to that option as well.

am thinking about merino wool base layer but still have some HH LS base layers http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001N2MLUQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
could just get a winter LS jersey on top and should be fine...and some compact rain jacket for it to keep in saddle bag ?

never had bibs...have good NorthFace shorts with padding , but maybe time to try some. have leg warmers so can get short bibs.

will look in to DHB as am on the budget...

oh, and need good warm gloves!

if you have any suggestions as for what I should be looking for please do share :)

Thanks,
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I have the Pearl Izumi 180 soft-shell jacket and it's incredible. I'm not sure they still do that particular garment but their equivalent should be equally good. Fine on a wet day when it's 15 degrees with just a jersey underneath. Equally comfortable when it's -5 degrees if you add a standard base layer and some winter gloves. I can't recommend it enough. It really is amongst the best £80 i've ever spent (should have been more, I got in the sales).

Edit: Looks like they still sell them http://www.pearlizumi.co.uk/ride/road/jackets-and-gilets/p/mens-pro-softshell-180-jkt
 
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Col said:
Now that looks an impressive bit of kit! If it works as well as it looks then great.

Take it that the frame has a swing arm to the rear wheel?


Col
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pivot at Bb, pivot at end of chain stay and then the pivots at the rocker. called a Horst linkage
 
POAH said:
pivot at Bb, pivot at end of chain stay and then the pivots at the rocker. called a Horst linkage
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Thanks for the info. Informative and whilst I can appreciate the engineering must confess to having no knowledge previously. Thank you.
 
I'm having one of those periods where everything goes wrong.

3 weeks ago - Crashed into a pedestrian.
4 days ago - Bought some Crud Roadracer Mk2 mudguards but can't for the life of me fit them without them rubbing the wheel so I've given up. I just don't think there's enough clearance on my bike.
Yesterday - Bought a Kryptonite mini-7 lock to secure my bike at work, only to get home and find it was far too small. Fortunately it was effortless to exchange it at Evans for a much longer version this morning.
Today - Decided I should stop spending money and just go out and ride despite the horrible weather. Got 200 yards from my house when my foot pops out of my cleat. I look down and see that cleat and pedal are still attached. Pedal and bike, however, are not. Fortunately I was so close to home I could pedal with one leg back. Somehow both pedals have worked loose. I've taken the pedal spanner to them and tightened them but I am slightly fearful it could happen 20 miles from home next time!

So do I hop on the indoor trainer instead or say that it's just not to be this weekend?
 
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Hopefully there won't be space for a bottle jack once it's got a frame, wheel and post in there. It's going to be in work's basement car park which has a security gate to get down to as well.

Obviously no bike is ever completely safe if someone has the access, time and correct tools to do the job. That's where insurance comes in!
 
got my CX bike last week, suffering from a chest infection at the moment so struggling to get out on it, but it's a lovely bike...front shifter needs a slight adjustment and some spd pedals needed, other than that, happy days!


oct29 052 copy by AlternatePixel, on Flickr
 
well - that's another £45 down the drain...

Vittoria Open Pave Evo II - complete with quaver-packet "tyre boot" - fortunately, only about 25 miles from home, so just "turned tail and fled..." - Annoying really, there's still a decent amount of tread on it too... might have had another month at least out of it - it'd only done maybe 2000 miles on the front, generally get 3K :(



Quaver Packet Tyre Boot by The Big Yin, on Flickr
 
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That's a mess. As most of my cycling is in London I have resigned myself to gatorskins. They are better than the durano pluses I had before.
 
Am in Adelaide at present and it seems to be a big cycling city. Lots of MAMILS on super expensive bikes going very slowly indeed. Shame I can't get some time to hire a bike as there are some mean looking hills on the other side of the city, which is otherwise so flat you wouldn't believe it!
 
My mountain bikes, Giant NRS-1 for XC and Norco sight 3 SE for trail centre's, brecon Beacons etc. Bought the Norco as Giant only has 75-80mm of travel and got a bit lively on tree roots and the like. Norco has 140mm of travel and soaks up almost everything I've thrown at it.

View attachment 859View attachment 860
 
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Anyone considered buying replica gear from eBay?
There's plenty castelli gear for fraction off a price of original...tempted...
 
Bought a road bike recently. Went to top up the tyres earlier but the valve is different to my old MTB (which is the same as the wifes and kids bikes). The valve on the road bike seems thinner and longer... not the most technical of help but any ideas what that may be called so i can get a pump that fits!
 
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