Isn't winter great??? ;)

godihatethehils

I know it sucks really but I was out for a spin last night and I noticed a couple of things....

-there are no midges
-there's something spectacular about the lights of the city when you're coming down from howth/the viewpoint/glencullen etc.
-wicklow isn't packed with freds who have been watching the tdf and decided to give the sean kelly tour a go....
-maybe it’s just me but I think the cars give me a wider berth with my lights
-and lastly (i know i'm clutching at straws now....) there's no need for suncream these days

there you go, my attempt at a positive thought for the day.....

morninwood

i personally can't wait for temperatures to drop close to zero as the weather will turn bone dry then and i'll have much more opportunities to go out on spins (i'm a sissy and don't like cycling in the wet). now bring on them HTFU replies ;-)

redmenace1

Whats wrong with "freds" enjoying Wicklow.
Isn't it like an experienced driver giving out about learners.

Caroline_ie

- You are losing your tan and becoming pasty again ( I look much better with a tan )
- You are trying your best not to come home and jump on the biscuits because they're so nice with a cup of tea after a cycle home
- You only have so much winter gear, because it's so expensive and noone gets to see it anyway so you have to wash it every second day
- You keep losing your gloves and when you do it sucks because you only have 1 pair of good gloves
- There is no such thing as white winter booties
- Bones break when the road is slippy if you accidentally collide with the road at great speed
- There are only so many episode of Law and Order you can watch on the turbo
- Nose drips
- Your Cycling budget is decreased because Santa doesn't really exist.

Autumn FTW ... Winter to the Bin

PS: You hav to tell me what drugs you use to find everything so great ... Is Ferrari a close friend of yours?

Lumen

morninwood wrote: »

i personally can't wait for temperatures to drop close to zero as the weather will turn bone dry then and i'll have much more opportunities to go out on spins (i'm a sissy and don't like cycling in the wet)

It gets bone dry when the water is frozen on the ground. Road rash hurts.

Lack of winged beasties seems a good thing, except I definitely feel slower when I'm not slathered head to toe in Jungle Formula and Riemann P20.

Eoin D

Caroline_ie wrote: »

- Nose drips

Oh god yes, that annoys me

godihatethehils

redmenace1 wrote: »

Whats wrong with "freds" enjoying Wicklow.
Isn't it like an experienced driver giving out about learners.

I didn't have a lot to work with....the freds had to take a hit (anyway...don't experienced drivers always give out about learners??!

Caroline_ie wrote: »

- You are losing your tan and becoming pasty again ( I look much better with a tan )

I'm Irish Caro, I'm that sort of pale blue colour all year round.....

Caroline_ie wrote: »

-PS: You hav to tell me what drugs you use to find everything so great ... Is Ferrari a close friend of yours?[)

my money was just resting in his account....

briano

As a fred, it allows me to pretend that I am not actually a fred when I am out on spins and don't see another soul.

Of course, it will all change come spring time as I blend seamlessly back into the swarms of fred.

thebouldwhacker

I love running at this time of the year... did a 10k last night in the dark, I love it:)

ROK ON

+1 on a proper cold dry winter.

It is easier to climb (for me) in cold weather. My HR just stays lower, and I find it easier to breathe on steep inclines.
However, descending on a warm dry summer day takes some beating. Buzzing along at 75-85km, just fantatsic. This rarely happens in the winter.

Jip

Horrible for me, I've had a cold for 2 weeks now so I'm unable to get on the bike or go for a run. I feel yucky having been sitting around doing nothing nigh on 2 weeks.

But when I am better I do love the crisp evenings and nights.

el tel

Are freds people with nicer bikes than oneself?

Jip

Just cleaner.

godihatethehils

ROK ON wrote: »

+1 on a proper cold dry winter.

It is easier to climb (for me) in cold weather. My HR just stays lower, and I find it easier to breathe on steep inclines.
However, descending on a warm dry summer day takes some beating. Buzzing along at 75-85km, just fantatsic. This rarely happens in the winter.

yep, +1 that the big efforts are easier in cold weather. there's something great about cycling up hills (and indeed running) in crisp weather.

....but seriously....85km :eek: wow, I once got to 77 and i freaked out

Caroline_ie

fairweather cyclists are not freds though, you have Freds are year round.

victorcarrera

Winter can be wonderful for competitive cyclists because it is a time to take it easy and slow and get back to enjoying cycling without the rigours and strains of racing. A time for rest, recouperation and coffee stops. A time to enjoy the simple pleasure of riding your comfy hack either on your own or in a group where mudguards are compulsory. A time to enjoy the odd winter epic, sportiv or happy bikers weekend away. Looks like that time arrived last Sunday morning for me.

Raam

One of the small pleasures I like to indulge in during winter is hot chocolate. Fill an insulated bidon with one as you leave. Sip as required. Marshmallows optional.

lukester

There's a certain pleasure in saying fukc you to the elements on a pissy wet, windy day, as I found out on Sunday morning. I prefer dry and cold though.

Captain Havoc

LMAO at my boss out having a fag and coming back in shivering. (he's gone away for 30mins at the mo so I thought I'd check in). Oh yes, those days are behind me.

Captain Havoc

Raam wrote: »

One of the small pleasures I like to indulge in during winter is hot chocolate. Fill an insulated bidon with one as you leave. Sip as required. Marshmallows optional.

I like your style

Jawgap

Cycling into a cool dry winter dawn is lovely - nose drips are not!

The warm post-spin glow is lovely - ice on a manhole cover on a fast bend is not.

The sense of achievement having completed any length of spin in driving rain is great - having to clean and lube the bike more often is not.

On balance, I prefer summer, but winter ain't the end of the world either.

dario28

Jawgap wrote: »

The sense of achievement having completed any length of spin in driving rain is great - having to clean and lube the bike more often is not.

What ya recommend for this ? This is my first winter commuting and my bike is manky

blorg

dario28 wrote: »

What ya recommend for this ? This is my first winter commuting and my bike is manky

To clean it, Fenwicks FS-1. This is basically concentrated Muc-Off you dilute yourself and is a lot cheaper. You can use it neat as a chain degreaser.

For lube, just about any wet chain lube will be fine, I use Finish Line myself (green bottle.)

SEORG

I know this is probably a stupid questions but how do ye clean your bike? Is it just a case of getting a sponge with the diluted muc-off and then rinsing or is there a better way?

lukester

Cleaning your bike

DirkVoodoo

I hate winter:

- My winter wardrobe is much less euro than the summer one.
- It's too darn cold and the cold air burns the lungs.
- No chance of a tan.
- Bike takes much more of a beating and cleaning it becomes torture (literally, blue hands!).


Oh, and I hate to tell you, but the bike equivalent of a learner driver usually tends to be around 5 years old and has stabilisers. Thankfully, not too many of these in the wicklow mountains. A better "Fred" analogy is the 60 something business man driving a Ferrari 599 GTB at 50 km/hr down the dual carriageway as he commutes into town (yes, I have seen this).

Lumen

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

A better "Fred" analogy is the 60 something business man driving a Ferrari 599 GTB at 50 km/hr down the dual carriageway as he commutes into town (yes, I have seen this).

What's wrong with that? A 599 is a nice comfy road car that happens to be capable of 330kph; the perfect tool for popping out for a carton of milk.

Fredness is close to godliness.

DirkVoodoo

Lumen wrote: »

What's wrong with that? A 599 is a nice comfy road car that happens to be capable of 330kph; the perfect tool for popping out for a carton of milk.

Fredness is close to godliness.

You see, I think when you reach a certain age the midlife crisis beckons and what seemed stupid when you were younger is suddenly a great idea. If you go out and buy that Wilier with the lightweights, I'll know it's happened.

I know you don't believe that last statement, otherwise it would be engraved on your newest ipod/helmet/oakleys.

redmenace1

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I hate winter:


Oh, and I hate to tell you, but the bike equivalent of a learner driver usually tends to be around 5 years old and has stabilisers. Thankfully, not too many of these in the wicklow mountains.


Good analogy - Plenty of room for everyone, I say:cool:

cosmic

I like Winter, it separates the men from the boys (even though I am neither a man nor a boy...) I enjoy locking my bike in the bike shed in work when it's snowing outside and there's only a couple of other bikes in there. When it comes to Summer then and the bike shed's full up I can feel superior. Yep, I am petty and I am small, but I don't mind!

niceonetom

Nearly there Lumen, I like it.

Maybe needs more liberal use of the words 'pro' and 'carbon' - all the best stuff has that written on it many many times.

edit: wtf happened there?

lukester

Delete? Confuddles the shit outta me every time.

seamus

ROK ON wrote: »

It is easier to climb (for me) in cold weather. My HR just stays lower, and I find it easier to breathe on steep inclines.
However, descending on a warm dry summer day takes some beating. Buzzing along at 75-85km, just fantatsic. This rarely happens in the winter.

+1 on that. I find stamina increases in the winter because I'm kept cooler for longer. Or maybe I don't drink enough water in the summer. Descending in the cold though is very bittersweet. You want to go faster, but every extra km/h feels like another 10 degree drop in temperature.

Lumen

Sorry, this was it. I was fiddling.

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I know you don't believe that last statement, otherwise it would be engraved on your newest ipod/helmet/oakleys.

Logo for my (future) deep section carbon clinchers.

Jawgap

dario28 wrote: »

What ya recommend for this ? This is my first winter commuting and my bike is manky

Someone else posted this before - http://worldwidecyclesblog.com/2007/06/11/tip-of-the-week-bike-washing/

....but a bit of revision never hurt anyone!

victorcarrera

dario28 wrote: »

What ya recommend for this ? This is my first winter commuting and my bike is manky

Five minutes once a week and ecofriendly.
Hose and soft brush ( I use a carwash brush) everything except chain set and derailers.
Wipe clean chain, derailers and front rings with cloth and relube chain.

sy

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

You see, I think when you reach a certain age the midlife crisis beckons and what seemed stupid when you were younger is suddenly a great idea. If you go out and buy that Wilier with the lightweights, I'll know it's happened. .......
.

Didn't realise el tonto was that old!

BikePure

Lumen wrote: »

Logo for my (future) deep section carbon clinchers.

It took me a while for me to get the 410 part! Haha, very clever...I likey!

Bikerbhoy

Raam wrote: »

One of the small pleasures I like to indulge in during winter is hot chocolate. Fill an insulated bidon with one as you leave. Sip as required. Marshmallows optional.

Ah yes ...we had that.... marshmellows included in one of the cosy little coffee shops in Enniskerry last sunday after coming down from the Gap... runny noses, cold hands and frozen feet......it was the Business....war over the marshmellows tho... I tell ya .

Victor

All well and good, but its difficult to see things in the dark.

blorg

Hooray for cut and paste Victor.

I was up the mountains this evening and there was a bit of rain, my jacket worked well, my shoes less so... a lot more fun than the trainer anyway.

Need to start a serious night series.

not bakunin

Coming over a tough climb early on a cold dry morning, panting away, wondering why the fudge people put themselves through this at all....and then you reach the summit and everything is laid out in an amazing frosty wonderland, and you know you have gotten to the point where you can see all this by your own steam...

That is why I love cycling in winter

ednwireland

gale force winds and rain that soaked me the 5 yards from the door to the car (much to my shame i drove in)

got to say i wimp out these days when i get weather like that up here its just not worth it winds that would blow you into a ditch soon as look at you flooded roads not nice

Captain Havoc

Went for a spin today. I put on enough gear to keep myself warm and had a warm hat for when the temperature dipped later in the afternoon. The sky was blue, the grass was green, passed SACH Central driving giving each other a wave and if I looked hard enough there was probably cute bunny rabbits hoping around them green fields. I had my lights with me because I knew I wouldn't be home before dark.

On the way home about 20-25km from the city, the wind changes direction, an unmerciful gust straight into my face, temperature drops by I'd say 5 degrees or more and the sky just opens. This happens for I'd say no more than five minutes, I was wearing waterproof overshoes, which held up well until this monsoon my gloves were soaked through and my fingers were incresingly getting cold, by the time I got home I used my teeth to get the gloves off but I didn't realise I was biting my finger due to numbness. I needed shower to get circulation going again before I went to play soccer, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, fecking winter.

If you see someone going around the Kilkenny area dressed like the Michelin man it'll probably be me.:D

blorg

The temperature drop this evening was very noticable all right. Got rained on myself on my way home and it was coldest yet this winter.