On your Bike

[CitroJim]

or a fatter 4rse

I could do with one of those at times too I find bibshorts pad thickness is critical. I get on much better with a thin, small one as in my trisuits. I find the really thick ones cause me the same problems as you... Lots of lube is to be recommended too...

[myglaren]

https://pin.it/2RuJg7zt8

[CitroJim]

Today has been nothing but parkrun, socialising with like-minded friends and most special of all, introducing a good friend of mine to the magic of multisports and duathlon in particular

She'd never done a duathlon and knowing I'm well into them, she was keen to experience one. We could not find a formal event to do - either to far away or sold-out - so we did our own very special one around Salcey Forest this afternoon. A 5K first run, a 16K bike ride and a 2.5K second run which roughly equates to a sprint duathlon although the bike leg is a little short to be a true sprint...

We used my Picasso as the transition area

Steph is an ex-bike racer and still a very competitive veteran TT rider. On the bike leg she really made me chase her hard, riding it like a TT... I got my own back on the run legs

She loved it and so did I. It may have been Steph's first although it's very unlikely to be her last

We're now planning to learn to swim well enough to be able to do a triathlon together; that'll be a first for both of us

[bobins]

You think you've got great stamina and endurance, eh ? Well I can beat the both of you. I spent an hour in Ikea this morning and I survived relatively unscathed. So there !

[mickthemaverick]

In terms of endurance I have to award that medal to my late father who never owned a car and went to work on his bike. He was an active supporter of the Liberal party and always volunteered to assist at elections. In the February 74 general election he and another supporter were scheduled to do the telling, standing outside the polling station at North Watford library with a clipboard. They were scheduled to cover the entire day between them in a 2 hours on 2 hours off rota with Dad taking the first shift. At the end of that shift he waited to be relieved but the other guy didn't turn up so he carried on expecting him to turn up at some point and rearrange the day from there.

Well the chap didn't turn up at all as he had fallen on ice in the morning and been taken to hospital so Dad stood it out for the entire day, only leaving his post for loo breaks as and when. He managed to get a voter from our road to let Mum know and she took him sandwiches and a flask of tea which he consumed at his post!! Oddly enough he didn't volunteer for the October election that year and passed away in February 76 just six weeks after my first daughter was born. Hence within the family that day is remembered as Jim's last stand!!

[CitroJim]

You think you've got great stamina and endurance, eh ? Well I can beat the both of you. I spent an hour in Ikea this morning and I survived relatively unscathed. So there !

That's got to be worth double points on your IKEA Family Card

Hence within the family that day is remembered as Jim's last stand!!

Gosh, that is truly epic

Makes my plan to run an ultra on the 20th look a bit pathetic! That's only six hours-worth of endurance...

[RichardW]

My paternal Grandfather was born in 1919. In 1938 he had 2 weeks off for the summer factory shutdown, so decided he would go to the International Exhibition in Glasgow. From Southampton. By bike! Somewhere on the return journey he fell off and hurt his leg, so pedalled the last 3 days one legged to get home in time to get back to work. He got married in '47 and they managed to get a house and job in Corby - but only had a tandem so rode up to Corby to start new life. Seemingly they also visited Southampton regularly on the Tandem, and toured France on it, probably summer '48 before my Dad was born in June '49. Different times!

[CitroJim]

Gosh Richard That's awesome!

[RichardW]

Trigger's bike gets some new parts!

Had to put in a new front wheel as the old rim was very worn and had developed a spot where braking was much heavier than elsewhere. Not sure exactly what was going on, didn't really seem to be out of true, but the rim looked suspiciously like it was cracking round one of the spokes.

Then a new rear tyre, chain and cassette. This tyre definitely down on the wear markers

Interestingly Michelin use the same date stamp on their bike tyres as car tyres, the replacement is not freshly made

Had a bit of trouble with cassette as it would not freewheel when first fitted. On comparing the design of the new with existing, the recess in the bottom sprocket was smaller and catching the spoke heads. Took them apart planning to fit the old sprocket to new cassette, but there was a very thin spacer behind it, and with this recovered from the old cassette and fitted to the free hub first there was enough clearance - and it doesn't seem to have upset the gear indexing

Strava says I've put 13,953km on this 'bike' (that's for my reference for when it needs another chain...).

Only brake levers, calipers, mudguards and front mech remain of the 'original' bike

[CitroJim]

Good work Richard! Nobody can accuse you of not getting the maximum life out of your bike components

Good mileage too

[RichardW]

Shake down ride of the new parts this morning

All good, nothing fell off, gear indexing fine, chain runs OK on the big ring Feels like less drag, but that may be placebo affect....cold and windy today, but calm ahead of the weekend (although mostly due to miss us).

[CitroJim]

Excellent! That's a quality ride Richard

[momag46]

In the late 50’s I was a member of the local cycling club where some of the members were in their 70’s. One of them once turned up with a fixed wheel bike that we all tried and failed to ride. A few weeks later he bought along a racing tricycle, I think everyone failed to turn that round in the road. Great times when I was fit and could cycle all day a my pace, not the time-trailer’s pace!

[CitroJim]

It's been a while since I've enjoyed a long'ish ride. Today we went out in the mizzle and did a good and hugely enjoyable 50 miles, taking in one of our favourites cafes

Only problem was my gloves. They're not waterproof and the mizzle soaked right through them and my hands suffered seriously. So much so that when we got to the cafe I'd lost all feeling in them

One of my ride partners have some that come highly recommended... His hands were, in his words 'beautifully toasty'...

I'm going to get a pair They are not cheap but if they do the job then money well spent...

[CitroJim]

I had a slightly embarrassing incident happen today... Chasing my girlfriend - who was once an elite TT racer - I accidentally set off my Garmin Crash Detect system under heavy braking when I caught up with her at some red traffic lights and came to a rapid halt

Under ideal circumstances you have 30s to cancel it but that means gloves off, retrieve 'phone, unlock it and press a button. No chance of that today in freezing cold with heavy gloves on

And poor Steph had to hear me utter some very naughty words...

Crash Detect contacts my girls by SMS text with the location of the incident... Robyn, to her credit, was on the phone immediately asking if I was OK... I was happy to report I was

Both my girls and I took some happiness from this impromptu test of the system. It definitely works although it is a bit too sensitive for its own good sometimes.

I've set it off before under heavy braking but always managed to cancel it as it's usually a result of heavy braking right outside my front door at the end of a particularly energetic ride.

It was, in all other respects, a very good and very enjoyable 30 miles out in some very fresh air... We got home just as dusk was setting in...