Tell us about your new improved government regulations compliant cycle part II

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Deleted User wrote: »

I found it incredibly frustrating - not to mind slow! - following the tiny back roads and having to check my phone all the time, but each to their own I suppose.

Proper equipment i.e. a dedicated gps unit or a smartphone (with a decent app) mounted on bars gets rid of that issue.

It's cycling, a tiny back road is plenty big

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Large bottle small glass wrote: »

Proper equipment i.e. a dedicated gps unit or a smartphone (with a decent app) mounted on bars gets rid of that issue.

It's cycling, a tiny back road is plenty big

One of the reasons I enjoy cycling is to get away from it all for a while so I'd rather not have my phone out and don't feel like I need any equipment other than the bike itself and a few bits of repair kit. But each to their own.

smacl

Not as fast on two wheels as most here and been trying my damnedest to average 25kph on my regular Ballyboden-Enniskerry spin. Going well today until I got stuck behind a bus on Taylors lane. 32k, 350m elev, 24.9kph. Arse!

smacl

Deleted User wrote: »

One of the reasons I enjoy cycling is to get away from it all for a while so I'd rather not have my phone out and don't feel like I need any equipment other than the bike itself and a few bits of repair kit. But each to their own.

Agreed in the sense of getting away from it all and enjoy exploring, but my experience is that if you don't plan some routes in advance you can easily miss the best parts of areas you're visiting. Similarly, you can pick up routes that others have cycled. I mentioned I was going to West Cork a couple of years back in this forum and another boardsie who was local sent some suggested routes which were fantastic, but really needed GPS. The Garmin 810 pings when your approaching a junction telling you where to go or if you're off course. No interruption beyond that. Looking at LennoxR's trip for example, getting to the coast at Roscarberry and following through Union Hall to get to Skib is fantastic on a bike. Longer and slower admittedly but way more chilled.

LennoxR

Deleted User wrote: »

That road you took is not very popular as beyond Innishannon there is no hard shoulder - for the most part - and the traffic is very busy and fast. I've had a few hairy moments on it, even very early on a Sunday morning when it's much better.

Most people tend to head for Kinsale (turning off at the Halfway roundabout or turning off just before Innishannon) and on to loops around there, but I was out on Sunday morning in the same area you were in but on quieter roads and remarked to myself that I had never seen so many cyclists. I must have passed 60 or 70.

Next time you're down, make sure you ask for tips...

Ha, will do, thanks!

magicbastarder

managed to get out after the showers, 52km around NCD, just a shade over 30km/h average. quite calm out.

DaveyDave

First spin on the Michilen Pro4 Endurance v2. Unfortunately despite being 700g lighter than the Marathon Plus they replaced my average speed hasn't changed much. I'm 110kg though, the lightest wheels and tyres in the world wouldn't do much to overcome that.

Average speed aside they feel much more nimble. Taking off from junctions is done almost exclusively in the big ring now, the Marathons felt like I was riding through wet cement when taking off. Climbing a short 8-10% feels like I've genuinely gone down another gear.

Looking forward to getting the base miles in and continuing to drop the weight so I can get full benefit of a lighter tyre.

cloudatlas

Yesterday a guy stepped on to the road in front of me and I had to break heavily. He just said 'Oh at least you know your breaks work', I suspect he saw me and was just acting the pr1ck in front of his friend (I don't want to gender stereotype but in my experience sadly lads act the pr!ck especially in front of other lads) safety in numbers. Today my peddle is unsettlingly jamming a bit occasionally, I don't know why, it's a second hand bike and everytime I take it back to the shop the guy gives me a lecture about how I'm the problem and am not cycling properly then makes and adjustment and hey presto it works fine despite my 'poor cycling'. I don't have a clue how to install the bracket so I can fix the U lock to the bike.

magicbastarder

um; your pedalling style is causing the pedal to seize?
that's one i've never heard before...

cloudatlas

magicbastarder wrote: »

um; your pedalling style is causing the pedal to seize?
that's one i've never heard before...

Everytime I changed gear the chain was falling off. I went in he told me off, he adjusted it. It fell off again I spoke to another shop guy he said it's not your fault I have to adjust it but I went back to the other place because it was free the guy told me off he adjusted it, it worked, just yesterday I got on it and it is seizing a bit especially when I get out of the saddle to peddle up hill, it's a second hand bike 165 quid but I had a cheaper bike before and had none of these problems, cycled it the same way, I'm being extra specially careful with keeping the pressure constant and gentle when changing gear.

Type 17

cloudatlas wrote: »

Everytime I changed gear the chain was falling off. I went in he told me off, he adjusted it. It fell off again I spoke to another shop guy he said it's not your fault I have to adjust it but I went back to the other place because it was free the guy told me off he adjusted it, it worked, just yesterday I got on it and it is seizing a bit especially when I get out of the saddle to peddle up hill, it's a second hand bike 165 quid but I had a cheaper bike before and had none of these problems, cycled it the same way, I'm being extra specially careful with keeping the pressure constant and gentle when changing gear.

Is the chain falling off at the front or rear?

If it's the front, does the bike have a front derailleur and double or triple chainrings? If it's a single with no front derailleur, and there are no guide rings, the chain can fall off frequently.

magicbastarder

one of those days when you go out wondering why you're feeling tired, and get home to realise that the reason you were feeling tired was that you were cycling noticeably faster than usual.

Seth Brundle

magicbastarder wrote: »

one of those days when you go out wondering why you're feeling tired, and get home to realise that the reason you were feeling tired was that you were cycling noticeably faster than usual.

...except you didn't notice it until you got home?

magicbastarder

in the sense that on one segment on strava, for example, i knocked 15s off my previous PR where if you'd asked me as i was doing it, i was not near the pace required for that.

Utter Consternation

Kicked the bollocks off a few PR's this morning. Wind assisted. :cool:

smacl

Idiot fall coming down one of the narrower tracks near the hell fire yesterday evening, slaloming between an ever narrowing path surrounded by gorse and briars. Path eventually ran out with deep thicket of gorse, so put my foot down with the intention of turning around not realising that I was on a significant incline and the foot I was trying to put down was on the downhill side. No big damage as I did a slow tumble into the thicket other than briefly becoming a human pin-cushion and also having my ego severely pricked. Going off road in the summer is proving more challenging than I'd expected, great craic still.

DaveyDave

15 minutes into the spin and it absolutely lashed. Road was flooded within minutes, lots of surface water, shoes completely soaked and I could barely see with the rain on my face. I actually didn't mind the rain that much, apart from having to wipe my eyes every 5 seconds. Couldn't help but smile at getting caught in it. Tyres still fairly fresh so took it handy.

On the way home I was going to call it quits but it eased off, sun came out and ended up drying myself and most of the roads for the second lap.

Fleadh on here at the minute, so no joke driving through Drogheda. Absolute gridlock through town north bound this lunch time. I must have passed hundreds of cars between the train station and trinity street on the bike

brownian

(not what it sounds like)...yesterday evening - dry and a bit muggy, so head out for an end-of-day spin.

Silver Tassie-Brides Glen, left at the new cemetery up Sutton Lane (hardly ever been there - quiet little road, one or two nice ramps on it), left again to Barnaslingan, down the other side (fly tipping in the middle of the road!), turn right at the newly-refurbished petrol station, heading for the Scalp. Next left to Killegar - another lovely little road with no traffic, great views of the Sugarload, then winding up 8%-9%-10% between deep ditches and dry stone walls - lovely. Pop out below Johnny Foxe's, so up to Foxe's, right and down to Stepaside. V little traffice at half eight on the 'main' Enniskerry road, back to Kilternan and zip down to the Tassie.

Some great little roads around south Dublin. After a couple of weeks in Tuscany and Umbria on holidays, you learn to appreciate Irish road surfaces. Not great, but not dire!

magicbastarder

nice blustery day out there today, nice and sunny. until ten minutes after i'd finished my cycle, when the heavens opened. what timing.

Eamonnator

Deleted User wrote: »

Fleadh on here at the minute, so no joke driving through Drogheda. Absolute gridlock through town north bound this lunch time. I must have passed hundreds of cars between the train station and trinity street on the bike

I'm just back from a spin around the town, mad busy, great buzz around. West Street and Shop Street really crowded.
I'm going to walk down later for a couple of pints and a gawk.

Chris871

Lovely 60km spin this morning, first spin on the road in over 4 weeks after a back niggle. Timed to perfection weather wise too. Its good to be back.

dahat

Nice 4hrs training spin that went pear shaped after 2hrs, rear wheel blowout while hammering out a threshold rep @ 105 Rpm, not nice.
Patched the tyre up with a gel wrapper until i got to Dungarvan where O Mahoney cycles did a proper repair for so i could get home safely. The favour was very much appreciated.

This meant I left the remaining intervals in case it went again in so eased home for 60k plus on half a tyre. I'm going back to my usual Tufo tyres after today, 4 punctures plus the blow out on a 4 week old GP400II, not good.


140km @ 30.7 avg & 1300m of up.

McGrath5

Did 35KM from Rathfarnham to the Phoenix park and back again with a stop for a quick coffee in the tea room, must off got caught in 4 different showers but for once I had the raincoat on.

magicbastarder

out to summerhill and back, going the opposite way to som very sizable cycling event going the opposite direction between dunshaughlin and summerhill. thought i saw some IVCA banners, but not sure what event that was.

edit; according to strava flybys, it was the pieta house one. a little windy and wet at times for them.

pjmn

55km @ 28km avg in very windy conditions - got round dry...

https://www.strava.com/activities/2630022852

magicbastarder

just out to howth and back, was great on the way out but a slog at times on the way back. knocked a few seconds off my best on the fintan's TT segment; choppy wind on the bottom half but for the top half had it on my back. lots of blokes on TT bikes on the bike path on the way home.

devonp

magicbastarder wrote: »

lots of blokes on TT bikes on the bike path on the way home.

saw signs for Ironman at top bridge/glencullen jct Cruagh this evening

Daroxtar

What route are they doing and will the road be closed? I intend on heading up the hills on Sunday. Last chance before heading to Spain, need some altitudes

shaka

56 km with the club, windy spin.