Tell us about your cycle today part III

Liam2021

LLooking For some advise . Im looking to upgrade my road bike but not looking to spend a fortune, currently doing 50 km per week but want to increase this. What would you recommend

MojoMaker

A solid 2nd hand purchase that meets your criteria for size, spec, weight etc.

Lots of value out there at the moment.

sbs2010

I'm doing the Ring of Clare this coming Saturday so today was part 2 of my training - 100km Dublin-Sally Gap-Laragh-Enniskerry-Dublin

A bit of a disaster puncture-wise 😕

First one was in Rathmines - just 20mins in. Swapped out tube for a new one (only spare) but putting in new one I had a hell of a time getting tyre back on. So I resorted to using the tyre lever. Of course that punctured the new tube!!

I had a few self adhesive patches so stuck one on (to the original tube) and got going. I used a co2 cartridge for first time ever, that did the business and got going.

Fell in with a nice fella for a chat between the viewing point and Sally Gap. He went left and I headed on straight. Around 10km from Laragh, the repair gave out - I think maybe the pressure from the co2 was too much.

So this time I patched the second tube (the tyre levered one), got the tyre on again after a major struggle and pumped manually.

All good for another 40km when that patch gave out.

This was really p1ssing me off now.

Patched the original tube for second time and that actually got me home!!

But was very nervous the whole way - just waiting for the bumping where you know it's gone. And I was down to my last patch.

Not the gate photo I wanted 😀

Gorgeous day though!!

MojoMaker

Stick up a regular pic of that bike? Looks like a very sweet 'Nag?

saccades

@Seth Brundle great write up and good lap times!

I've done some endurance MTB events and you'll always find someone flying, it's either they are a savage or they are fresh for some reason (mechanical, long sleep or get to the event late).

Laps strategy is always hard, fastest on MTB is generally lap on/lap off in pairs but it ruins you as there is little rest. You'll be thinking over the next few weeks about things you could do for next time (dry robe is a godsend for hanging around in kit), more powerful lights, change bar tape/shoes/hair parting etc.

Missed out on the nine stones, was really nice btw.

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123638768#Comment_123638768

Hair parting?? Please explain!

saccades

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123638841#Comment_123638841

Just trying to highlight the things running through your head for next time, all the marginal gains stuff, very tongue in cheek.

As an example, having lock on grips was murder after about 8 hours, the lockring started to dig into my hands and it was a relief when my hands went numb after about 18 hours (but I was so much slower over the tech stuff). I bought ergon built in bar ends for next event. Ended up with a bar width of 860mm of grip goodness and no pain for the duration.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123638768#Comment_123638768

One of the lads created a video of the event which is now on the Mondello 24 Hr Facebook page…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHh_tHQ6AX4

pjmn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123631176#Comment_123631176

Have decent tyres and tubes on for this - road surface for lots of this route is terrible…

sbs2010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123645620#Comment_123645620

Yeah, after last weeks fiasco I knew i needed new tyres. I got a pair of Conti 4 Seasons yesterday in a cool little bike shop in Loughrea, Galway.

The spin was the Ring of Clare - 160km of rolling countryside. Made it in 6h50m so very happy with that.

There were lot's of stretches in groups - saving energy there was key to getting the time I did. But plenty of stretches on my own when the group was too fast or too slow for me.

Loads of people were happy to cycle without any shelter/drafting - even when they were in a group, which was a bit strange.

Food stops and marshaling were excellent and weather held dry until last 30km and even then the rain wasn't awful so a good day out overall. I'd highly recommend.

And scenery was fab too.

And no punctures!!

Someone requested a pic of the bike the right way up -

Wishbone Ash

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123651766#Comment_123651766

That's a gorgeous bike. Brooks saddle?

sbs2010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123652010#Comment_123652010

Yeah, Brooks Swift.

And it's not there just to be as retro as possible - i never got comfortable on any "modern" saddle.

cletus

This morning I saw, in order;

Two herons,

A stoat,

A buzzard.

cletus

Better morning for a spin this morning. Still a bit blustery, and initially I thought that it felt like time to get the winter leggings put, but once the sun came out, it was lovely.

Stopped for a coffee at the halfway mark, had the place to myself, and enjoyed a coffee while listening to Jeff Buckley on the stereo in the cafe.

Peeling1979

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123879458#Comment_123879458

Need to know what coffee shop plays the great man

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123836877#Comment_123836877

three buzzards for me today. plus i think i might have seen a pheasant being hit by a truck, but it was a couple of hundred metres away so can't be sure.

first time on the bike in i think four months. happy with fitness levels.

loyatemu

it's rare that I don't see a buzzard when out for a spin these days, often kites too. I've seen deer the last couple of spins too, I'm not sure why I don't see deer more often when apparently there are 100k of them in Wicklow but seem to be elusive.

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123883255#Comment_123883255

I was cycling in the Wicklow mountains twice this summer, saw deer both times. They were too quick to be photographed.

@magicbastarder glad to hear you're back on the bike

cletus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123880498#Comment_123880498

It was in the new cafe in Vicarstown the Barrow Blue way. Just one song (Lover, You Should've Come Over), and I got the distinct impression it was just a song on whatever Spotify generated playlist happened to me on at the time.

JMcL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123883255#Comment_123883255

Over the summer I was seeing one or more buzzards every spin, but this past month I haven't seen a single one. There had been one that was a permanent fixture on a minor road I take regularly. Hopefully he hasn't fallen foul of a shotgun/poison/car

secman

Spin from office out N11 and turned left down Red Lane and back via Manor Kilbride. Again no pics, what i thought was a very large dog running out of a garden turned out to be one of three deers, frightened the bejaysis out of me, mind you he was equally bricking it. Happened on the road this side of lake from blessington to Manor Kilbride .Later on I had a stand off with a ram who eventually stood down and tried to jump through a farm gate that he had absolutely no chance of getting through, bent the bar on the gate though !

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123885891#Comment_123885891

one place i often see a buzzard is inside the M50 - quartering over the 'waste' ground beside decathlon in ballymun. there was one there today, and one over dunbro (i.e. between the two runways at the airport)