Bloddy typos! Corrected now.

 

Nope, no padding at all.

 

Until now I've always ridden in jeans.  If the truth be told I think this has just been vanity/self esteem.  So yesterday I did 19 miles in joggies (still no padding) and unless it's a placebo effect, I think I was more comfortable 

 

I agree but the advantage of cycling shorts is that you can wear them underneath normal trousers and shorts so no-one else sees them but you get the benefit of the padding.

 

John

Alex Dowsett on Eurosport 2 live on his world hour record attempt, on now!

I use mountain bike pedals and shoes on my road bike - you still clip in and get any benefits, but you can walk just fine as the cleats are recessed into the shoe.

I've used SPDs, on my various commuter/training-bikes since about 1991

Plus, of course, for MTB racing (circa 1990-1996), & Cyclo-Cross (up to 2009)

Used a variety of shoes too, over the years, from the original Shimano SPD shoe

This style

 

Nike, when they were a blue/purple suede (early-mid 90's)

Alpinestars (white, with various coloured flecks on them)

Sidi Dominators (blue, with flouro-yellow accents

(I've even got a pair of the original Sidi CX shoes somewhere, that are lace-ups, in blue/black, with the Velcro flap over the laces)

 

 

Diadora (soles cracked eventually)

Now, I'm back in Sidi  (also wear Genius 2, on my good road-bike), they're 20 years old & still extremely wearable

 

Edited 27 May, 201511 yr by Richard A Thackeray

Going back a few weeks
Did anyone ride out to see the 'Tour de Yorkshire' (& incorporate Skoda spotting)
 

I competed in triathlon for 8 years (all distances from sprints to Ironman) and then dropped the swimming and running to pursue my love of cycling. I retired from competitive events in 2010 and haven't ridden a bike for some 3 years. That said, I currently have 4 bikes, although one is an unbranded road frame that does nothing but sit on the turbo trainer. My main bike is a Litespeed Avior with custom paint job (Italian Pearl White Metallic with silver decals), Ultegra SL groupset and Hed Ardennes wheels - a really lovely bike to ride. My second bike is a Planet X Carbon Superlight in blue, again with Ultegra SL groupset and with Mavic Ksyrium SL wheels - very nice for a training bike! My third bike is a Scott Expert that has been converted to a flat bar commuter, again with Ultegra SL and Shimano 16-spoke wheels. 

 

I've just looked for some photos and don't have any on this computer. I do, though, have one of me when I raced the Outlaw Ironman distance triathlon as the cyclist in a relay team:

 

 

5 hours 14 minutes for 112 miles.

Mick, a good friend of mine is a very good Triathlete, he's worn a GB suit, in his age-category (& a Fire Service suit too)

I'm sure, a couple of years ago, when there were team places going at the London event, given by finishing places at a certain event when Brownlee won, he finished 8th(10 places for grabs)

I think he also holds every distance record for his running club

His other half is (or was - her 'reign' may be up?) a National Duathlon 'W40' Champion (MTB, run, MTB)

All I can say, he takes some damned keeping up with, when he's on a bike, let alone on foot

Angela is a 'sub 20' ParkRunner too

 

Edited 27 May, 201511 yr by Richard A Thackeray

Anyone here this weekend?

http://tweedlove.com

Might go down for a look.

Going back a few weeks

Did anyone ride out to see the 'Tour de Yorkshire' (& incorporate Skoda spotting)

 

I did the Sportive ride then watched the pros finish at Roundhay Park.  Great atmosphere all around the route and at the finish line.  Had a bit of a chat with Thomas Voeckler.

Did you enjoy some of our Yorkshire hills, like East Chevin??

That was my second viewpoint, first was outside Wakefield Cathedral (got taken into VIP viewing area)


 

Did you enjoy some of our Yorkshire hills, like East Chevin??

That was my second viewpoint, first was outside Wakefield Cathedral (got taken into VIP viewing area)

 

I'm from Leeds - so have ridden a few of the hills before.

 

I enjoyed it a bit, the weather was awful.  For the first 50 miles it p155ed down and after that it just rained.  Haworth Main Street and Cow and Calf were good as there was a nice crowd on each.  Goose Eye was horrendous.

Goose Eye is not a nice climb, no matter what the weather

This ought to be a 'nice' loop, in good weather (nightmare in the rain)
http://thehelloftheworth.blogspot.co.uk/



 

This seems an appropriate place to ask, how are Skoda so deeply involved with cycling?

 

John

Skoda used to make bikes before cars

Did a sponsored ride for 'cancer research' when in my early 20's. Ilkeston to Skegness Rugby Club. 92 miles completed in 4 hours and 10 minutes, on a 'Raleigh Winner'.

 

I finished 11th out of around 70 riders, and have never been in a club. Just me and a mate with regular round trips to Matlock, and riding to the Duke of Devonshire, in Belper to get drunk and oggle the barmaids in their skimpies, who also exposed themselves in the Sunday Sport Newspaper. :p .

 

Toured the west coast of Devon, and into Cornwall on this bike too. I forgot my bank card had a £50 limit and ran out of money, so spent two nights in a bus shelter. Good times. I do miss a road bike and hoping to get one soon.

 

Enjoy a bit of off roading now and the best ride I have had so far was in Dalby Forest. New Years Day a few years back, arriving with 3" of snow, about 12 of us in a pub car park freezing us nuts off. A few even started with a beer in the pub, nutters.

Once we got into the forest and out of the wind, it was fantastic though. Other rides in Cannock Chase, Sherwood Pines and Burntstump Woods (nr Southwell).

One of the guys, Pete, runs a website, mountainbikerides(dot)co(dot)uk

 

My bike          

 

 

 

 

A friend was wiped out by an overly zealous inexperienced MAMIL on the T de Yorks. Wrote his Di2 equipped venge off, the other rider who caused the crash had no insurance. I heard the organisation of the sportive was a shambles. Nothing as big a shambles as velothon Wales is going to be. The organisers seem to have forgotten to tell the locals that their roads are shut for 6-7 hours. When cyclists are ****ed off at it, you know somethings wrong. I'm expecting to be pelted with eggs and flour by understandably irate public who are trapped for the day without any warning.

A friend was wiped out by an overly zealous inexperienced MAMIL on the T de Yorks. Wrote his Di2 equipped venge off, the other rider who caused the crash had no insurance. I heard the organisation of the sportive was a shambles.

I rode out to watch the 3rd stage, going up to Oley, via Leeds/Kirkstall Road/Horsforth/Yeadon

Once I'd passed under runway extension, at Leeds-Bradford Airport, & was heading towards Pool Bank, I had the misfortune to get caught up in the Sportif

It joined the Pool Bank New Road, from the left, off Bramhope Old Road (after their climb of East Chevin)

The Chimps in the old PG Tips adverts rode better than some of them, & certainly less dangerously!!

Undertaking, pavements, overtaking on a solid double-white (no handed in one case!!)

I'm ashamed to be riding a bike at times like that - 'tarred with the same brush' is an expression that springs to mind, as was 'some of you will be scraped off the road, by the end of the day, unless you're very lucky'

I was very happy to have to turn left at the 'Dyneley Arms cross-roads' towards Otley, & my own climb up East Chevin Road

 

I'll bet. It sounded horrendous. Worse than a bunch of newbie 4th cats at a crit.

And so it begins. Another season of disappointment!

I rode out to watch the 3rd stage, going up to Oley, via Leeds/Kirkstall Road/Horsforth/Yeadon

Once I'd passed under runway extension, at Leeds-Bradford Airport, & was heading towards Pool Bank, I had the misfortune to get caught up in the Sportif

It joined the Pool Bank New Road, from the left, off Bramhope Old Road (after their climb of East Chevin)

The Chimps in the old PG Tips adverts rode better than some of them, & certainly less dangerously!!

Undertaking, pavements, overtaking on a solid double-white (no handed in one case!!)

I'm ashamed to be riding a bike at times like that - 'tarred with the same brush' is an expression that springs to mind, as was 'some of you will be scraped off the road, by the end of the day, unless you're very lucky'

I was very happy to have to turn left at the 'Dyneley Arms cross-roads' towards Otley, & my own climb up East Chevin Road

 

 

 

I'll bet. It sounded horrendous. Worse than a bunch of newbie 4th cats at a crit.

To be fair the organisation wasn't too bad, we set off on time and there were enough signposts and marshalls.  The feed stations were a bit crap.  A nice cup of tea would have gone down lovely in the horrible weather, and a lot of the cakes and stuff on offer got wet - but they couldn't have done owt about the weather.  At the last feed station they had mini Yorkshire puds with sausages - which for me was the last thing I wanted 60 miles into the ride!

 

Some of the riding was a bit bad though, nearly got wiped out on several occasions by people half-wheeling me.  Lots of irate drivers around on the narrow roads due to poor cycling discipline

There have been so many deaths in organised road races as a result of crossing solid white lines, it's only a matter of time in a sportive before a similar fatality occurs sadly. Maybe the answer is they are only open to club members, at least then you'd expect some experience of group riding. Realise that this is risking deterring many from taking up the hobby, but there is a balance between maintaining the momentum of popularity and safety (which will only eventually deter people anyway). I'm not a "keep cycling for real cyclists" elitist either, I love the fact that everyone wants to do it. 

 

I'm having second thoughts about riding the velothon wales event next weekend. A combination of overly gifted underexperienced riders couple with an almost complete absence of publicity by the local authorities or the organisers over the road closures is surely going to result in a fracas somewhere....

My bike had me off yesterday   My trusty bike took me out  :'(

 

Actually, it's my own fault for not looking after it 

 

I was just leaving an office in the town. Was coasting out of the car park at probably less than 2mph, handlebars locked, camber of the road was agin' me and that was me off.  Not too serious and my elbow and hip took the brunt of it as it all happened really quickly - was almost like a slow (and hopefully graceful) judo throw.  First time I can recall falling off a bike since 1998.

 

Cycling slowly home I noticed a feeling like I'd got a buckled wheel, but wasn't feeling like looking at it as I was more miffed at scuffing my newest B17 

 

Didn't sleep well at all.  I generally fall akip on my right side and every time I rolled over on to it I woke with a jolt coz that's the sore 'un.  Anyway, that's an aside.

 

Out for my constitutional this morning and it didn't feel right.  About four miles out I stopped to look and my rear tyre was separating from the beading over about an 8" section.  A ginger half mile on and top marks to Kontour Cycles in Polegate who dropped everything and put a new tyre and tube on for me there and then.

 

Bad news is the chap in the bike shop told me 'You know it needs a lot of work?'.   The reason the handlebars locked is that both the headstock bearings are shot.  It needs a new chain set, brake blocks, brake and gear cables as well.  Wheel bearings might need doing too.

 

Now given it's a well used (and abused) eleven year old Claude Butler, I'm wondering if it's worth doing.  The aluminium frame has it's fair share of battlescars and the front forks are rusty.  I also suspect it'll need new rims as I can feel wear from the brake pads.  So it's a bit of a sorry state.

 

So I dunno whether to take it apart myself and tinker about, or whether to cut my losses, retire it, and put the money towards a new bike? Is it difficult to change headstock bearings? (never done it before).

 

The negatives are the amount of work needed and expense, and it's quite a heavy bike in today's terms.  

 

Positives are it's a comfy bike to do 30+ miles on and it was a short run of oversized frames for long legged 6'+ people like me (6'4" and a bit).

 

I only cycle on roads of proper cycle routes now, so don't really need a hybrid any more.  Bloke in the bike shop suggested going down the cyclocross route.

 

Decisions decisions.

 

Gaz

Been looking myself and I reckon about £300-350 for a serviceable bike (Decathlon Btwin Triban 300 gets a good write up and the 60 felt ok to me to sit on @ 6'3 - haven't ridden it though)

 

At a guess, I would reckon a full service from a trained mechanic (strip down and rebuild) excluding parts would be £150 so probably no point by the time you add all the bits on.

 

Depending how technically minded you are and if you have the tools, DIY for what is required should be pretty easy and cheap (a lot depends on the range of equipment you want to put back on it as it ranges from cheap and cheerful to "I could buy a 2 week holiday for that" expensive)

Yeah, I've been have a mosey around too and the Triban 520 flat bar caught my eye:

 

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520-flat-bar-road-bike-sora-id_8322799.html

 

Still 'umming and arr'ing I decided to take the headstock apart, and was happy to find it simplicity itself with just an allen key and circlip pliers needed.  Both bearings were dry and the cages rusted.  There was the remnants of old dried up grease in the top bearing, but the bottom one was 'orrible and collapsed as I dropped the forks out.  I'll be off to my local bike shop in the morning to see if I can get replacements.  If I can I might keep the old banger going a bit more, and if I can't then the decision's made for me.

 

Not measured 'em yet but these are the type I have, so at least they seem cheap as chips:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oversize-Precision-Little-Bike-Shop/dp/B007V2LUFO/ref=sr_1_4?s=cycling&ie=UTF8&qid=1434132727&sr=1-4

 

Gaz

It must be the muggy weather as my patience is in very thin supply 

 

Found the right sized bearings, on the shelf at Halfords, with grease, for a whopping £3.69  :sun:

 

 

Thankfully a very standard size.  Just noticed the escaped ball, but that's no bother.

 

Job for the 'morrow as I'm wilting now.  We (I) need the thunderstorms we keep being promised, to clear the air 

 

Gaz