La Flamme Rouge **off topic discussion**

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121947336#Comment_121947336

I've been unable to cycle for the last three weeks with a kidney infection (due to see consultant tomorrow 🤞). Not sure how you can stay sane after seven months 😲

Weepsie

I'm at about 10-11 months due to baby and work. I've more bikes now than before he was born thoug

Think I've managed 3 1 hour spins. I've a shirt commute too

smacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121947336#Comment_121947336

Wow, same here. Doctor said it is very widespread at the moment and currently on an asthma type inhaler. Ears and chest are in agony if I get up to any level of aerobic stress, balance also not great if I turn by head suddenly. Also based in Florence at the moment and, to be fair, was vaguely terrified of the Italian roads and traffic even before the long covid got diagnosed. Hoping the warm weather will burn it off and I can start getting back out again when I return to Ireland in the Summer. Doing some light conditioning but imagine the first trip up the hills when I'm back in form will be a total shocker.

magicbastarder

thankfully i'm not quite as bad as that, but my blood pressure is high and i'm currently wearing a 24 hour blood pressure monitor. when the nurse at the GP took the first reading she said 'yeah, i can see why you're here'. but i reckon i have white coat syndrome - my heart rate was 125!

CramCycle

Anyone any tips for waterproofing a bag? I have a Chrome Messenger bag for 20 years but it has finally started letting water in. Need to do some stitching but wondering is there any treatment I could put on the inside or outside to improve water resistance like a duck fat rub or similar?

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952101#Comment_121952101

There's loads of waterproofing sprays, but a make of mine swears by Nikwax. You can use it on bags, jackets etc.

You'll find in on Amazon, and in some outdoor/adventure shops

Out of curiosity, where abouts is the water getting in? The inner lining of those bags is the waterproof part (think they're some sort of tarp material), rather than the outer.

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121952210#Comment_121952210

Tarp is cracked in places, but the outer used to be water resistant as well. I am tempted to take out the liner, and melt some plastic to it on the outside. To be fair it had a rough few years of commuting in Irish Weather and got used 2 hours a day for at least 180 days (greatly under exaggerated) a year for 15 years.

Weepsie

I have some sort of waterproofing spray. Think it's intended for jackets and tents. I have 2 of them if you want to take one

I use nikwax washin stuff on jackets

griffin100

Anyone know if Sean Kelly is around Dublin at the minute? Saw a chap in old full set of An Post gear on a purple Vitus bike in Foxrock this week and could have sworn it was him given the kit and the profile.

buffalo

I got a call from the local Garda station today, asking if I wanted to claim back the bike I had handed in a year ago - one I had found abandoned in the bushes near my house. Otherwise the Red Cross would take it as part of an initiative to refurbish bikes and pass them on to individuals in need. Nice to be able to do an act of charity without lifting a finger! (except when I pressed the green 'accept call' button)

Seth Brundle

Hopefully the paperwork will be filled out fully and your garda won't spend the next three years being investigated

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974564#Comment_121974564

First thing that crossed my mind, don't take the bike, you will be putting the Garda that gives it to you behind bars.

magicbastarder

another cyclist knocked down at a junction near my house, at a guess i'd see the aftermath of a collision once every two years there, so it probably happens at a rate several times that. every single one i've seen has been a motorist coming out of the side road onto a major road and ploughing into a cyclist who 'came out of nowhere'. and it's not like sightlines are bad.

loyatemu

How can I be expected to see cyclists when I'm not looking!

magicbastarder

this is the junction in question; i've chosen the camera position where the motorist would be, and the direction they need to look to check for traffic. it's not as if there's a massive black spot there.

https://www.google.com/maps/@53.3872473,-6.2649406,3a,75y,315.24h,70.52t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s6HTank4iN-d_057qHzcqwQ!2e0!5s20180501T000000!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

buffalo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974895#Comment_121974895

I'd bet if you saw a collision, it would be a classic example of a motorist quickly scanning with saccades for cars as they approach without coming to a complete stop.

tomasrojo

Corners maybe need to be squared off to make turns more deliberate. I tend to move towards the middle of the lane approaching junctions like that, if there are no cars near behind to make inattentive people emerging pay attention.

(Think "reduce turning radius" is the technical way of putting it?)

CramCycle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974936#Comment_121974936

I had a post in the near misses thread where a car just took the turn as fast as possible, never looked sidewards, not even a glance. It was simply a leap of faith manoeuvre, they came out without slowing and got lucky. If a car was tipping along the main road, their passenger would have been killed. If I was another 20 m along I'd have been thrown into oncoming traffic on the other side of the road. I'm not sure the mind filling in the gaps covers it if they don't even glance.

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121975923#Comment_121975923

…and there are loads of motorists who take a left turn onto a major road and only look right to see if there is anything approaching in the lane their turning onto. It never occurs to them that there may be a motorist overtaking coming from their left and in their lane. Not a pleasant experience for the overtaking motorist.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121975530#Comment_121975530

in the example i posted, i'm not sure it'd make much difference, as the motorist pulling out would not be hugging the kerb, they'd be aiming for the lane outside the bus lane so would have a 'virtual' kerb of a radius much greater than the concrete kerb.

Squidgy Black

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121974767#Comment_121974767

Had a taxi driver the other morning just not bother braking at all coming into the roundabout at Artane castle, I went straight into the side of him (luckily nothing damaged).

His response was “I didn’t see you at all”, and proceeded to tell me how he then tried to swerve (for my benefit) once he realised I was flying into his driver door

wheelo01

II was also off the bike for 9 months or so, got back on the rollers a few times, thought this is great.

Went to optician last Thursday week, only to be sent straight to the eye and ear hospital, turns out I'd a fully detached retina, have had surgery, but won't know for 6 weeks or so how much, if any sight will return to the eye ~ the las 12 months have sucked the fat one.

I'm going around the twist with worry

Seth Brundle

Ouch - hope that goes OK.

Is that from the incident last year or just one of those things?

magicbastarder

****, that's not good news for you job wise either.

cletus

Folks, have my first organised bike race/event coming up in a fortnight (Gravel Grind West).

I've done plenty of running events (10k ½ marathon etc), but usually you pick up a race pack the previous day, then turn up for your start pen the next morning.

Was wondering what to expect the morning of the event? Not that it's a big deal, but I'm curious more than anything

eeeee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121994502#Comment_121994502

Yikes, did you have any symptoms? That's terrifying. Get well soon Wheel01.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121995043#Comment_121995043

I've only done 1 leisure event 10 years ago, but race wise there are no packs, you enter, turn up, pin your numbers onto your jersey and roll out in your correct race.

If it's a non race/sportive I haven't a clue I'm afraid.

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121995043#Comment_121995043

99% of the time you just turn up and they check your name off the register. Occasionally you are required to sign on. Then usually a paper bracelet or card with food voucher, emergency number and/or mechanical assistance number. Sometimes there is a 'goodie bag' which is usually useless sh!te.

(In my experience the WW200 is the only one which has an advance pack with jersey number etc.).

smacl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121995043#Comment_121995043

Enjoy, my all time favorite day on the bike was an off-road half audax in Mayo, fantastic countryside for gravel riding and should be a great event. A few other gravel events have been cancelled SFAIK due to Coilte not allowing use of the fire-roads.

As with WA, any sportives I've done other than the WW200 you just show up on the morning. If you don't have CI membership there was usually an extra few euro for insurance on the morning, not sure if this is still a thing.

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121999716#Comment_121999716

That 'few extra Euro' for the one day CI licence is now €20. Probably an attempt to get everyone to get an annual licence.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122003052#Comment_122003052

Yeah, I bought the one day licence, then they offered me a reduction for the year, as well as taking the 20 for the day off the cost of the year. I think I figured if I did one more event it would basically pay to have the yearly sub. Can't remember now, must look again.