Saturday Spin 29th November

Chips Lovell

It should be a barrell of laughs, according to Met Eireann:

Extremely cold Friday night with a very severe frost and perhaps some freezing fog, leading to icy roads in many areas. Air temperatures are likely to fall as low as minus 4 C or minus 5 C in many inland parts. Scattered showers of hail, sleet and snow also, mainly in coastal areas, where some could be thundery. Saturday will be very cold with highest temperatures of only 3 C to 6 C at best, though frost and fog could linger in some areas. Much of the country will be dry, with bright or sunny spells, but there will be further wintry showers, mainly near coasts. Winds will be moderate to fresh north to northeast.

Caroline_ie

I am in and I also have the wimp list with me ... and a pen.

Chips Lovell

Well, you heard it folks, better get the snow chains on your tyres, unless you want to get on Caroline's wimp list.

9:30 Dundrum OK for everyone?

Lumen

Cycling through falling snow, particularly in the dark, is a magical experience (as long as it's not too windy or icy).

I can't make it out after 9am this Saturday (child minding duties), but I might go out at either midnight or 5am, if it looks nice.

Chips Lovell

Lumen wrote: »

I can't make it out after 9am this Saturday (child minding duties), but I might go out at either midnight or 5am, if it looks nice.

Good luck with that... you crazy lunatic.

kenmc

Is Blorg being outBlorged? :eek:

blorg

Ha, I should be along on Saturday. Will have to take it easy though, my knee is still playing up.

DirkVoodoo

I think "Blorg outshone by Lumen" would be more accurate :rolleyes:

I am in, thought my usual careful descending may be slower with increased risk of slippage.

I hope my wiggle bib-tights arrive by saturday...

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Blorg, you are nuts. In a good way

kenmc

If there's snow on the ground I think hot port is called for, in every pub that is passed.

blorg

Raam wrote: »

Blorg, you are nuts. In a good way

Emty was pushing that one, I was ready to give up.

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Emty was pushing that one, I was ready to give up.

Class photos, proper hard asses.

niceonetom

i'm in

those photos have reminded me that i am feckin deadly.

thanks for the photos blorg . i would again like to emphasise that it was emty that was the crazy one on that day. i was ready to cave, blorg was ready to accompany me. only emty was hard enough to convince us to keep going up (and we had already just done 1000m or so of climbing :P). bloody fantastic day thanks to him.

Gavin

Yeah I'm in. And I'm wearing my baggie shorts. So there.

kenmc

Depends on how drunk I get on friday night vs the temp difference between the real world and my goose-down duvet covered dream palace

Verb wrote: »

Yeah I'm in. And I'm wearing my baggie shorts. So there.

No way dude, you'll defo need tights unless you're also attempting an outBlorging...

Chips Lovell

Verb wrote: »

And I'm wearing my baggie shorts. So there.

Gavin

kenmc wrote: »

Depends on how drunk I get on friday night vs the temp difference between the real world and my goose-down duvet covered dream palace

No way dude, you'll defo need tights unless you're also attempting an outBlorging...

Well, I'll wear leg warmers. And plenty of other clothes too.

barrabus

should be in. I assume as we a fool hardy types that inspite of the very cold forecast we will be going to the DUblin / Wicklow mountains?

Chips Lovell

barrabus wrote: »

I assume as we a fool hardy types that inspite of the very cold forecast we will be going to the DUblin / Wicklow mountains?

Until the snow turns us back, as happened a few weeks ago.

DirkVoodoo

can I divert the topic of this thread for a second?

What are, in the cycling world, regarded as the best tyres for icy/winter conditions?

I have this semi-irrational fear of losing traction and slipping off coming round a bend. I know a lot of it will come down to technique, but is there any tyre that meets this criteria? Or perhaps some kind of placebo tyre? My back wheel is a Vittoria Corsa, which I like. The front one is some Ridley piece of junk which doesn't hold the road well at all.

blorg

Just got two pairs of these Descente Coldout tights in the post this morning. I heartily recommend them BTW, they are very comfortable and that price on PBK is great (I had one pair already.) I take a large in these but generally an XL in "continental" short sizing if that helps any with sizing.

blorg

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I have this semi-irrational fear of losing traction and slipping off coming round a bend.

In icy conditions this is in no way an irrational fear, you definitely can come off quite easily, bike has slid out under me in the past and I wouldn't think any tyre would have changed that. I would take bends carefully. Beyond that I don't know if there is such thing as a tyre that is "better" in the realm of normal road tyres (as long as you are NOT on Armadillos.) For mountain bikes you can actually get snow tyres with metal studs in them.

Lumen

blorg wrote: »

For mountain bikes you can actually get snow tyres with metal studs in them.

If I had a cyclocross bike, this guide would help:

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/studdedtires.asp

Planet X

Black ice will take you down no matter what you do, unfortunately.

TinyExplosions

I'm possibly in, depending on back/houseguest.... haven't decided on tights or belgium knee warmers for the spin though -tights and embrocation arrived today!

rogerb

I'm in.

Raam

Me too.

DirkVoodoo

oh, sorry to skew this thread in a different direction again, but:

Maybe next saturday we could have that "boards christmas spin" that people were interested in? I imagine it would be like a regular spin but everyone stopping off either in Enniskerry or Johnny' Foxes for some food and chat??

I will stop flogging that horse now.

Raam

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

oh, sorry to skew this thread in a different direction again, but:

Maybe next saturday we could have that "boards christmas spin" that people were interested in? I imagine it would be like a regular spin but everyone stopping off either in Enniskerry or Johnny' Foxes for some food and chat??

I will stop flogging that horse now.

Sounds good. When you say next Saturday, do you mean this Saturday the 29th?

DirkVoodoo

No, the one after that...would I be correct in saying that is saturday week??

EDIT: Unless people prefer this saturday of course.

Gavin

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

oh, sorry to skew this thread in a different direction again, but:

Maybe next saturday we could have that "boards christmas spin" that people were interested in? I imagine it would be like a regular spin but everyone stopping off either in Enniskerry or Johnny' Foxes for some food and chat??

I will stop flogging that horse now.

Why don't we save it for closer to christmas day, when we can get away with wearing santa hats

DirkVoodoo

Fair enough so, I just assumed people might be busy with family and stuff.

Gavin

Family, Schmamily !!

Caroline_ie

I will probably be out on xmas day myself for a real xmas spin ... ( is that a bit sad ...?)

Raam

Caroline_ie wrote: »

I will probably be out on xmas day myself for a real xmas spin ... ( is that a bit sad ...?)

Not at all enjoy it.

Chips Lovell

I went out on Christmas Day last year too.

And I did this on Stephens Day.

Caroline_ie

el tonto wrote: »

I went out on Christmas Day last year too.

And I did this on Stephens Day.

... and what Eurocyclist rule is that ?

Chips Lovell

TinyExplosions wrote: »

...embrocation arrived today!

You know shaving your legs makes rubbing that in easier.

TinyExplosions

el tonto wrote: »

You know shaving your legs makes rubbing that in easier.

One of the reasons I shave (or use depil mousse -that arrived today too!)

Chips Lovell

TinyExplosions wrote: »

One of the reasons I shave (or use depil mousse -that arrived today too!)

Aha, another member of the brethern. Soon we'll out number those hairy philistines.

kenmc

el tonto wrote: »

Aha, another member of the brethern. Soon we'll out number those hairy philistines.

He's only shaving it off his legs to add it to his mo

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

Aha, another member of the brethern. Soon we'll out number those hairy philistines.

What's the secret handshake?

TinyExplosions

kenmc wrote: »

He's only shaving it off his legs to add it to his mo

Absolutely... though strangely, I'm starting to like it (the mo that is), and may keep it for a while....

TinyExplosions

Raam wrote: »

What's the secret handshake?

It's more of a secret leg rub....

Raam

TinyExplosions wrote: »

It's more of a secret leg rub....

You are not rubbing my legs....ever.

TinyExplosions

Raam wrote: »

You are not rubbing my legs....ever.

Raam

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Well, OK, maybe just the once

TinyExplosions

Raam wrote: »

Well, OK, maybe just the once

Made my day sir .... erm, I mean...

Can I propose a Festina day tomorrow?

Raam

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Made my day sir .... erm, I mean...

Can I propose a Festina day tomorrow?

It's gonna be freezing tomorrow and my jersey is only a short sleeved summer one.

TinyExplosions

Raam wrote: »

It's gonna be freezing tomorrow and my jersey is only a short sleeved summer one.

You wanting to go on Caroline's list... it's what base layers and arm warmers are for!

Raam

TinyExplosions wrote: »

You wanting to go on Caroline's list... it's what base layers and arm warmers are for!

Ah here, no one said excess clothing puts you on the wimp list.