Tell us about your cycle today part III

Wildly Boaring

Been off the bike lately with time constraints and other things on.

Was running a good bit.

So got out for about 50k, started dry ended in a storm.

Nice quiet spin on the backroads and due to the running my lungs were a lot more about for it than the cycling muscles!!

There really are some knobs out there in cars unfortunately. Twice oncoming cars had to slam on to avoid dopes overtaking me.

One little boy racer in a Starlet obviously did it on purpose too!

cletus

Out for a spin for the first time in 2 weeks. Got to try out the new Edge 1040.

The touch screen is excellent, and the interface is much easier to use than the old 520+.

All in all, very happy with it.

Mate of mine was with me, and we came back up the canal from Athy. He was on a carbon road bike, 28mm tyres, and was a little nervous about the surface to begin with, but had no issues, other than he felt cycling on the gravelly/gritty surface was more draining than being on the road

devonp

2 cycles today, first attempt 2 punctures within 1 km of each other ,,didnt fancy heading further with no more tubes so got a lift back to base in the team car 😉 (only 7Km out)

got the offending tiny metal spike out of the tyre in the warmth and comfort of home and headed out again for take II

did the full Ballinascorney from the crossroads but on my way there via Cromwellstown/mcDonaghs lane nearly got taken out by a Deer jumping from the farmers field across into the Woods...heard the rustling and bingo out he/she popped ..missed my back wheel by about 2m (distance ) I was picking up speed at that point as well on the descent to Brittas.. heard the squeal of the car brakes that was behind me ..no contact so all good 🦌🦌

JMcL

Took advantage of the confluence of it not sheeting down rain outside and not having to ferry the kids about to get away from the hamster wheel and out on the road. Did a loop of the (lumpy) coastal route around by Dunmore East and Woodstown beach for 50km with 520m climbing @ just under 22km/h. Had to correct the elevation as the barometric sensor in my 530 is playing up - need to see if I can get it sorted while it's still in warranty.. Also had a first spin with the Galibier Route softshell, which with the Aldi merino baselayer was perfect for the 7/8 degree temperatures and breeze

JMcL

Down in Killarney for the weekend so got the young lad out for a spin around Muckross and the national park yesterday. I must say I'm well impressed, really good quality trails - not a soul about on a damp November morning so he could bomb around them. A few of them were flooded so had to route around them. Loads of red deer as well.

About 35km all told which left him nice and tired for the toy show 😁

devonp

They’re Here !!

reg commute cc to Leixlip (cold). Traffic stopped at Island bridge jct by Gardai. Lots of blue lights in the distance then along comes Dublins newest Water Cannons (02 reg !! 😄) big lumbering noisey yokes off to the PP no doubt , where did they get them ??

beggars_bush

Baltic out this evening

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121439363#Comment_121439363

Are they the ones from the PSNI but registered in ROI as I don't think a vehicle can be driven for work by AGS if on non-Irish plates?

devonp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121439547#Comment_121439547

yeah they had Irish plates, ..ok so they're from the north

Seth Brundle

Yeah but I think we're just borrowing them (not sure how long for)

Seth Brundle

Headed out for a group spin (of just two of us!) on Saturday towards the edge of the Wicklow hills and did a loop bringing us back up to Maynooth for a coffee stop. The lad with me hadn't been out in a while and had covid a month ago so we were taking it handy enough. As a strong wind had been forecasted, I chose a route where I knew a lot of it would be sheltered and thankfully I think I made good choices which included some lanes that I hadn't been on before and which were nice and clean despite the recent weather.

Crossed the lake into Blessington - fupp me but I've never known the surface of the bridge to be as bad. Does anyone remember when it was last resurfaced?

Heading from Rathcoffey towards Maynooth (a bit further towards Maynooth from where Tonya McEvoy was killed), there was a small gap between myself and the lad I was with. A man in a Porsche Cayenne overtook the rider behind despite oncoming traffic and he pulled in behind me, engine revving and obviously upset that his day was being ruined by us two. When he was passing me, I called him a gobsh1te (which I didn't think was loud!) which must have infuriated him even more and he swung the SUV towards me to intimidate me. I'm not sure what he was saying despite his window being down but I told him to Feck Off (or the NSFW version of that!). This happened two more times and on the last one I was pissed off with his attempts at intimidation that I punched his passenger door making contact but no damage 😏.

I had thought of telling AGS but as I called him a name, etc. I'm sure more won't come of it. As it happens, I googled his reg when I got home and found that he is an estate agent based in Ranelagh and I reckon he was showing a property listed on his website out that way! I'm sure there are ways to prank him in revenge but it's really not worth the hassle.

smacl

I had thought of telling AGS but as I called him a name, etc. I'm sure more won't come of it.

I'd tend to call the AGS. Unlikely they'll do much but it could help the next person that calls up based on similar aggressive behavior. Could also be that you are that next person (i.e. someone has previously reported him) and they do act on it. Swinging a SUV at a cyclist is not on regardless of the language.

JMcL

Short one this morning. I'd been intending a longer and lumpier spin, but there was a fairly wicked headwind though the clincher was the sheer drivist muppetry in evidence. There was plenty of headless stressed out Christmas traffic, though a good smattering of supposed "professional" drivists straddling the white line on blind bends in the face of incoming heavy traffic.

In the end I cut across country to the coast (Tramore-Kilmeaden-Copper Coast via Kill and back to Tramore) for 41.5km and 480m of climbing. I'll leave the longer routes for next week when it's quieter

loyatemu

unexpected new mechanical issue on today's spin. One of the guys had a puncture and none of us could loosen off the lock nut on the valve, so he couldn't remove the tube. We then tried tearing the tube off the valve and pushing it through from the other side but there's obviously a bit of a flange on the inside of the valve to prevent that and we couldn't do this either. In the end he had to call someone to bring out a pair of pliers. One of the guys on the spin is an Audaxer and even he hadn't come across this happening before.

What are the lock nuts even for? I notice one of my valves has one but the other does not. Anyway, if you have them, check that they aren't seized.

Seth Brundle

I had that recently on my good bike with a tubeless setup on a group spin. After getting a puncture which wouldnt seal, I had to remove the tyre but the valve locknut was seized on and needed a pliers to get off. Thankfully one lad had a small set in his toolkit and another had a metal valve tool to hold the valve steady (my pink plastic mucoff tool sheared after a few seconds). I think it was sealant that glued mine and it was a right job to remove. I was glad that had company when it happened as I'd have been rightly fecked if it was a solo spin.

gn3dr

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121554742#Comment_121554742

First thing I throw in the bin when fitting a new tube followed by the plastic valve cap

dahat

Had a dangerous moment mysef with a flat during the Xmas training block. Fitted a new tube but failed to check it was seated correctly before inflating with Co2, tube exploded and a small part flew into my eye which is now badly bloodshot hit no vision impairment.

Two lessons, check I have seated the tube correctly and also wear glasses when inflating the tube.

mcburns07

Just back from 4 cracking days riding over in Tenerife.

Took on Teide twice and some other fun rides. The combination of roads and weather make it an amazing place to ride your bike.

Not great if you don't enjoy climbing mind!

Less than a year at this cycling lark and safe to say the addiction is real....

https://www.strava.com/activities/10707548524

https://www.strava.com/activities/10695696998

triggermortis

Group spin today and out of 13 riders we had 5 punctures. One was glass, and the new tube deflated immediately, but all the rest were the effects of hedge cuttings. Was hard to keep warm at times, but an enjoyable spin in the end.

Emyvale club spin - group 2 | Ride | Strava

beggars_bush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121756392#Comment_121756392

The roads, verges, cycle lanes are full of debris everywhere. I went into LBS last week and bought 5 tubes I'm going through them so quick

dahat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121756555#Comment_121756555

8hrs every weekend since October and only two punctures for me and thats riding summer racing tyres ( Tufo calibra plus).

retalivity

First up and over the featherbeds for 2024 for me yesterday, nothing really special about that, but I was amazed by the amount of cyclists that were on the road up there. Felt more like a Sunday in July than February, I'd imagine the roads will be mobbed come the summer!

beggars_bush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121756714#Comment_121756714

sure I'm doing twice that. 😂

I get two punctures on some spins, and that is with decent tyres

JMcL

Yesterday, I had to choose between a showery outdoor spin or a 2 hour endurance session on Trainerroad before moving on to kid ferrying duties. The outdoor spin won the day and despite the odd shower was very refreshing. The roads were in some state though after all the rain during the week. I took some boreens I haven't in a while and had to tiptoe through huge puddles and floods as I'd no idea whether they were hiding honking great potholes.

41km @ 23.5km/h, 380m up

Wildly Boaring

2 spins up Bellewestown over the weekend.

Plenty fellow cyclists about, even managed to overtake a couple on the way up Saturday.

Lovely weekend for a couple spins, well Sunday I was with the wind.

The daffodil farm down by Julianstown in full bloom always marks proper spring too

traco

Wish I had a go pro for my spin in along Dublin North quays from Heuston to Connolly today at approx 13:00. Cycle paths were very hairy for certain stretches with big piles of lumpy snow and slush so opted for main road for the worst bits of it. Took it handy and no drama so all good. Home safe and warm now. Not a bit of snow in Portmarnock when I got out there but the wind from the North East was something else.

Stay safe out there today boys and girls!

triggermortis

Nice and warm here in Spain - but will be home on Sunday...

115km done although my Garmin shut down at 112 while I was trying to turn navigation off, so the last 3km is on another activity..

Morning Ride | Ride | Strava

Seth Brundle

I seem to have a dose of manflu over the last few days but managed to cycle in and out of work, allowing myself to take a long way home around the hills near Lyons Estate.

This morning I really wasn't feeling the love getting on the bike. Laptop in the office, I could have driven but decided to head in on my good bike (the cassette on bike #2 is rattling and my spare rear wheel needs a new tyre). Shortly after leaving the house, as I was coming down the hill into Leixlip village at about 40km/h, my 2 month old Garmin (1040 Solar) and the Raveman light underneath it popped off and landed on the ground (the plastic part of the out-front mount broke). Panic set in thinking that the screen had smashed or that a car behind would drive over them but thankfully they were fine (phew).

Further along as I was travelling south on the Outer Ring Road from Lucan, a bus driver passes me (I'm in the bus lane and he is in lane 1 travelling uphill at a decent speed but for some reason he blasts the horn at me. I use this stretch of bus lane frequently and it is rarely used because of the short distance between roundabouts and the bus lane ending for each roundabout.

Eventually caught up with him as he was parked in the buslane adjacent to Grange Castle and I asked him what the horn was about. Hiss problem was that I was "blocking the bus lane" (he didn't see the irony of him parking in one) and came out with the usual crap about me having to use the cycle path (which would mean me yielding at each of a number of junctions and roundabouts). Telling him that I was completely entitled to use the bus lane was absolutely rejected especially when the driver was able to point at these non-legal signs...

Eventually made it to work and I feel lousy with aches and pains all over. I just want to go home to bed!

secman

What part exactly failed ? I too have a relatively new Garmin 840 and raveman light combination 😬

Speedy recovery, just getting over a dose myself, missed a week on the bike.

Seth Brundle

It was then plastic holder in the JRC out-front mount itself. I don't want to use the Garmin mount as I don't want anything on my bars (the JRC mount screws in under the bars)

I've ordered a few replacements now...

https://www.jrc-components.com/products/computer-mount-plastic-insert-kit-garmin-wahoo?variant=32019921141863