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

Neleven · 26-03-2017 10:20pm

52km, up the coast fro Arklow to Brittas bay then inland to Rathdrum and home. 26 average. Was far breezier than I imagined it would be and was tough going along the coast. Lovely weather though and Brittas bay looked pretty busy even though it really wasn't warm. Haven't got going properly yet this year after a spill in January.

Fighting Tao · 27-03-2017 8:53am

34.5k yesterday. It included going up Cruagh Road, down stocking lane. Only my second time up Cruagh and it's still horrible. It just seems never ending. Although I managed to get up without stopping this time. Went from 25.53 to 20.55 for the climb. I have to be happy with that.

Chuchote · 27-03-2017 9:01am

Fighting Tao wrote: »

34.5k yesterday. It included going up Cruagh Road, down stocking lane. Only my second time up Cruagh and it's still horrible. It just seems never ending. Although I managed to get up without stopping this time. Went from 25.53 to 20.55 for the climb. I have to be happy with that.

I decided to brush up a couple of languages and signed up for the addictive game Duolingo. The first day, I was doing it like in school, drilling like crazy to remember words… Then it occurred to me, the hell with this. Learn like a baby - don't be trying to set goals and beat them, just let the words float in. It worked like magic, and it's a much more pleasurable way of learning.

Maybe it might be true of cycling too. Enjoy the rides, enjoy the hills, and if you don't go so fast one day, don't beat yourself up; your muscles are learning and getting stronger in any case, and a few months - or even weeks - from now you won't know yourself, you'll float up that hill that you used to think was so hard.

Fighting Tao · 27-03-2017 9:15am

Chuchote wrote: »

I decided to brush up a couple of languages and signed up for the addictive game Duolingo. The first day, I was doing it like in school, drilling like crazy to remember words… Then it occurred to me, the hell with this. Learn like a baby - don't be trying to set goals and beat them, just let the words float in. It worked like magic, and it's a much more pleasurable way of learning.

Maybe it might be true of cycling too. Enjoy the rides, enjoy the hills, and if you don't go so fast one day, don't beat yourself up; your muscles are learning and getting stronger in any case, and a few months - or even weeks - from now you won't know yourself, you'll float up that hill that you used to think was so hard.

My only goal was to get to the top without stopping which I painfully achieved. I was really surprised that I beat my previous time. I think with a challenge like Cruagh Rd (not a challenge to many but huge for my 120kg body) I'd prefer not to know what's ahead. Knowing the road plays on the mind and I prefer to cycle with a clear mind and not thinking about what's ahead. I find that I can cycle for a couple of hours without even thinking of anything at all and I love that.

The pain of Cruagh Rd pain is worth it. The view is incredible on a day like yesterday. I look forward to the day I can float up it.

Duolingo is something I have considered and I must make time for it. I don't know what language I'd like to do though.

Chuchote · 27-03-2017 12:05pm

Fighting Tao wrote: »

Duolingo is something I have considered and I must make time for it. I don't know what language I'd like to do though.

Start with one, see if you like it, if you don't then move on to another

Fian · 27-03-2017 12:52pm

Cycled from Galway to Doolin along the coast on Friday. Fantastic weather, fantastic views and an all round fantastic ride. What a country we live in when we get the weather for it. Burren was spectacular.

Then on Saturday i went for a short (8km) spin up to Cliffs Moher to have a look at them. Free when arriving without a car. lovely day for that too, though i didn't stay very long. There is a hill coming out of the cliffs, I climber up that on my way home with no bother but then when coming down the far side i found i was spinning out. The cassette had become detached from the hub somehow - the cassette is spinning but not engaging with the wheel. I had to use the bike as a scooter to get the 8km back to Doolin, fortunately alot of it was downhill.

I had no tools with me and my bike has not returned to me yet (i got a lift back to Dublin after the weekend but my (spare) bike went in a bigger boot to Limerick, it will make its way up in the coming weeks. I am guessing that the cassette lock nut probably came loose - would that be the explanation?

Really glad it happened on the way down the hill because, had it come loose on the way up i suspect i would have had a slow motion fall into the road and there was a lot of traffic.

cython · 27-03-2017 12:56pm

Fian wrote: »

Cycled from Galway to Doolin along the coast on Friday. Fantastic weather, fantastic views and an all round fantastic ride. What a country we live in when we get the weather for it. Burren was spectacular.

Then on Saturday i went for a short (8km) spin up to Cliffs Moher to have a look at them. Free when arriving without a car. lovely day for that too, though i didn't stay very long. There is a hill coming out of the cliffs, I climber up that on my way home with no bother but then when coming down the far side i found i was spinning out. The cassette had become detached from the hub somehow - the cassette is spinning but not engaging with the wheel. I had to use the bike as a scooter to get the 8km back to Doolin, fortunately alot of it was downhill.

I had no tools with me and my bike has not returned to me yet (i got a lift back to Dublin after the weekend but my (spare) bike went in a bigger boot to Limerick, it will make its way up in the coming weeks. I am guessing that the cassette lock nut probably came loose - would that be the explanation?

Really glad it happened on the way down the hill because, had it come loose on the way up i suspect i would have had a slow motion fall into the road and there was a lot of traffic.

I'm afraid it sounds to me more like something in your freehub has failed. The locknut is really there to prevent lateral movement of the cassette (i.e. it sliding off the end of the freehub body), and if it comes loose you may get a hell of a lot of rattling, but the chain should still be able to pull the wheel around, as the cassette engages with splines on the freehub body. From your description the entire freehub body is spinning too, which suggests a failure somewhere in the internal mechanism, e.g. broken pawls/springs, etc.

Mercian Pro · 27-03-2017 1:41pm

cython wrote: »

I'm afraid it sounds to me more like something in your freehub has failed. The locknut is really there to prevent lateral movement of the cassette (i.e. it sliding off the end of the freehub body), and if it comes loose you may get a hell of a lot of rattling, but the chain should still be able to pull the wheel around, as the cassette engages with splines on the freehub body. From your description the entire freehub body is spinning too, which suggests a failure somewhere in the internal mechanism, e.g. broken pawls/springs, etc.

+1 on that diagnosis. Happened to me last year on a Giant wheel with a DT Swiss hub. Opened it up and it was full of rusty gunge. Even after cleaning it out and replacing the bearings, it was never right as I couldn't get the correct pawl springs and the hub was worn. Ended up replacing the wheel but hopefully Fian will be more lucky.

Fian · 27-03-2017 1:54pm

Thanks for info above.

The Bike owes me nothing anyway, I got years of use out of it and it only cost me a few hundred second hand. Which is not to suggest i won't try and sort the problem out when it gets back to me.

ernielove · 27-03-2017 5:24pm

57km nafels to zug to work here in switzerland. Got a pb on a climb between pfaffikon and schindilegi. KOM on strava is a giant alpecin from the 2012 tour de suisse.

Unknown Soldier · 27-03-2017 6:21pm

davef1000 wrote: »

The ride was very stop/start, with punctures, stopping to let slow riders catch up etc, and I kept pausing and unpausing the device. At one point it was paused for too long and switched off, and I lost a chunk of data from the middle of the route.

I used to have auto pause set to about 6KPH but after my first W200, and it beeping at me a lot going up Slieve Maan

I reduced it to 3.5 KPH.
It works fine.

I don't have the Auto power down turned on. I know when I am stopping for a bit and once you manually pause/stop the ride, a quick press of the power button usually put it into "sleep" mode? TBH unless you are out all day or 6 hours+, you don't even need to do that.

It's handy to have the Garmin Battery charge/status on one screen btw.

Chuchote wrote: »

<snip>Enjoy the rides, enjoy the hills, and if you don't go so fast one day, don't beat yourself up; your muscles are learning and getting stronger in any case, and a few months - or even weeks - from now you won't know yourself, you'll float up that hill that you used to think was so hard.

^^ Good advice!

kirk buttercup · 27-03-2017 6:53pm

50km from wicklow to arklow little loop around arklow and back. The way back was tougher as there was a bit of a headwind ( dont know where that came from) my speed is slowly but surely creeping up. Happy days.

Techo · 27-03-2017 8:47pm

Did the Scoil Aonghusa cycle in Cashel yesterday...some weather for it. Headed out on the 100k route but branched back to Cashel at Killenaule making it a 70k spin. Time for our Mammies and sore joints dictated cutting off early. Enjoyed the curry afterwards though!

LollipopJimmy · 27-03-2017 8:58pm

I've been doing sprints between the gates on the canal from Inchicore to Lucan, it's a handy 20ish kms and not a bad cycle and beats cycling or running in the gym. Tonight though some genius decided to tie fishing line between one of the lamposts and a tree. I got it on the neck, no damage done apart from a massive fright.

secman · 27-03-2017 9:15pm

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

I've been doing sprints between the gates on the canal from Inchicore to Lucan, it's a handy 20ish kms and not a bad cycle and beats cycling or running in the gym. Tonight though some genius decided to tie fishing line between one of the lamposts and a tree. I got it on the neck, no damage done apart from a massive fright.

Very lucky not to been hurt badly, the work of a fck twit obviously with a loud echo between the ears.

Chuchote · 27-03-2017 10:37pm

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

I've been doing sprints between the gates on the canal from Inchicore to Lucan, it's a handy 20ish kms and not a bad cycle and beats cycling or running in the gym. Tonight though some genius decided to tie fishing line between one of the lamposts and a tree. I got it on the neck, no damage done apart from a massive fright.

I hope you reported it to the Gardaí and waited for them to come and take the line for testing - this could cause a death.

magicbastarder · 27-03-2017 10:39pm

At the risk of sounding facetious, there's not much testing you can do on a fishing line.

positron · 27-03-2017 11:02pm

Not today, but I went out on the bike again on Sunday second attempt (did 30 km first time two weeks ago, caught horrible tonsillitis) and it was Drogheda to Ardgillan Castle and back. Beautiful day for it, although bike was stuck in first gear (front wouldn't shift to bigger ring), the climb from coast road to Ardgillan gates were the hardest I've tried yet.. At some point, I was crawling up so slow caterpillars in the hedge were overtaking me.. ..

Anyway enjoyed the ride and back, 42 kms in total and more no flu/tonsillitis so far, so all good. Couple of cyclists overtook me multiple times, and someone shouted something that sounded like encouragement but not sure if he was warning me off poor road surface, broken bottles ahead etc - I can't see him on Strava flybys, so thanks to him anyway.

Chuchote · 27-03-2017 11:03pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

At the risk of sounding facetious, there's not much testing you can do on a fishing line.

DNA will happily nest on all kinds of things; their sweaty little hands probably left a fine track.

Boscoirl · 27-03-2017 11:18pm

Managed to get out after work, 50km, strong head wind out, got a nice push home, that's 3 days in a row now I have gotten out, the nice weather is great

davef1000 · 28-03-2017 12:09am

Unknown Soldier wrote: »

I used to have auto pause set to about 6KPH but after my first W200, and it beeping at me a lot going up Slieve Maan I reduced it to 3.5 KPH.
It works fine.

I don't have the Auto power down turned on. I know when I am stopping for a bit and once you manually pause/stop the ride, a quick press of the power button usually put it into "sleep" mode? TBH unless you are out all day or 6 hours+, you don't even need to do that.

It's handy to have the Garmin Battery charge/status on one screen btw.

Just spent a few minutes going through the menus and finally found the auto-power off function!

ernielove · 28-03-2017 9:29am

IMG_20170325_1239291 by andrew.tuite, on Flickr

CX ride near Weesen in central Switzerland on saturday last

ernielove · 28-03-2017 9:31am

IMG_20170321_0636093 by andrew.tuite, on Flickr
Mountainbike riding looking down on the town of Naefels in central switzerland early morning last Wednesday.

LollipopJimmy · 28-03-2017 11:58am

Chuchote wrote: »

I hope you reported it to the Gardaí and waited for them to come and take the line for testing - this could cause a death.

Unfortunately the Gardai in that area pay very little attention to anti social behaviour on the canal due to resources being stretched extremely thin.

Tenzor07 · 28-03-2017 12:03pm

ernielove wrote: »

CX ride near Weesen in central Switzerland on saturday last

ernielove wrote: »

Mountainbike riding looking down on the town of Naefels in central switzerland early morning last Wednesday.

Holy crud Batman, my 22" screen almost cracked with the size of those pics!

moonshadow · 28-03-2017 11:35pm

Great spin out tonight ....
Leading a beginner group out on a 30 km spin at 24kmph , 2nd spin for these folk in a couch to 200k spin over 10 weeks...they were so excited.

secman · 30-03-2017 12:38am

Headed over to Stocking Lane this evening but had rere mech problems on Kilakee road and had to stop, chain was slipping badly and was hitting the stay. Thanks to guy on Pinarello who stopped to help to loosen the rere mech. Ended up heading back a doing a loopy spin. Managed 37 km Avg 24.6 kph.

kirk buttercup · 30-03-2017 10:14am

Spin yesterday in pissy weather . down to Jack whites from Wicklow old N11 then down along the brittas road into arklow back up to Jack whites on the old N11 to Jack whites ,back to Brittas and into Wicklow along the coast. Wet and windy 57 km. with 4 of us.

triggermortis · 30-03-2017 1:18pm

Been out 3 of the last 4 mornings now I have my seat post sorted. Been off the bike for 3 weeks and really feel it now.. Today I really felt tired, and the headwind didn't help.

https://www.strava.com/activities/916422405

https://www.strava.com/activities/919843096

https://www.strava.com/activities/920464146

The weather was a little worse today - only saw one other lad out, where as yesterday there were quite a few people on the road at the same time as me. Hopefully I'll get out for longer tomorrow

Parchment · 30-03-2017 6:13pm

Commuted both ways today with my long hair in a ponytail (it was showing from under my helmet). I definitely notice i am treated much better on the road when its very visible that i am female (i would be sad if they thought i was a dude just because they couldnt see my long hair though!).

I normally wear my hair tucked into my jacket so its not flying around or in a bun under my helmet.

So ladies and gent with long hair - let it fly! I am sure i read a study a while back that showed females with visible long hair were given more space by motorists.

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

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