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

Fian · 12-01-2018 12:57PM

First cycle in on a new commuter hybrid today. Well I say new - it was second hand but less than a year old and hardly used, to the point that the tyres still have the "hairs" on them from the molding process. Delighted with it - hydraullic discs, sora gearset, Orbea Vector 20. Also good value, especially since my cycle to work is 4 years from being renewed.

My previous hybrid has had its day, and rear freehub had gone. So I have been cycling in on my "old" road bike. Using it in the rain & fog this week was not ideal. Also it brought home to me just how badly it fits me, I hadn't been on it in a while. I also bought that bike second hand and the seller told me it was 54cm, which would be about right for me. I suspect it may even be more than 58cm, but it is at least that. It was the first road bike i had bought and i didn't realise how badly it fit me when trying it out before buying it. I have to stretch to put my hands on the hoods. I have a son who is >7" taller than I am, so he may get better use of it, or else maybe i should just sell it and get another cheap road bike more suited to my size. This is only a fallback anyway, I do have a good road bike that fits me perfectly as well as the new hybrid.

Anyway that badly fitting bike used this week just made the spin in on the new hybrid all the sweeter.

Justwinginit · 12-01-2018 01:09PM

site_owner wrote: »

and note to self - just carry a spare tube and forget about slime and repair kits when out and about

Thinking the same thing. Picked up 2tubes 700x25 for €3.99 each in Planet X today.

07Lapierre · 12-01-2018 02:22PM

site_owner wrote: »

and note to self - just carry a spare tube and forget about slime and repair kits when out and about

Spare tube x2, a puncture repair kit (small), a mini pump, Co2 cannister,a tyre boot, and inflator and tyre levers

site_owner · 12-01-2018 02:25PM

07Lapierre wrote: »

Spare tube x2, a puncture repair kit (small), a mini pump, Co2 cannister,a tyre boot, and inflator and tyre levers

i need more pockets...

whats a tyre boot? and whats an inflator (not a pump or co2?)

07Lapierre · 12-01-2018 02:33PM

site_owner wrote: »

i need more pockets...

whats a tyre boot? and whats an inflator (not a pump or co2?)

you can get these really small puncture repair kits...they have a few self sealing patches and a piece of sandpaper and that's it! whole thing is the size of say two 2 euro coins on top of each other.

a Tyre boot is simply a piece of plastic about the size of a credit card. you use it to reinforce a torn tyre wall...very handy to have one.

inflater is a co2 cannister inflator.

I keep all the above in a tool holder in one of my bottle cages..

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/zefal-z-box-tool-holder-bottle-medium/rp-prod147331

site_owner · 12-01-2018 02:37PM

aha, cool, i have one of those tool things, didnt realise it fit in the bottle holder

although with my d-lock hanging off the frame there might not be much room.

self sealing patches sound great!

07Lapierre · 12-01-2018 02:48PM

site_owner wrote: »

aha, cool, i have one of those tool things, didnt realise it fit in the bottle holder although with my d-lock hanging off the frame there might not be much room.

self sealing patches sound great!

Buy another lock! Leave one lock in work, so you don't have to carry a lock on your daily commute.

leave the other lock at home and use it on other spins.

In short. Always travel as light as possible.

site_owner · 12-01-2018 03:08PM

i'd be leaving d-locks all over the city unfortunately.

i've actually taken to using the pannier, even on spins, so i can have as much stuff as i need with me in case i decide to do something else. i'll add a boot and a couple of tubes to the spare lights, usb battery back up, spare cateye battery, first aid kit, neck warmer, wallet, keys, phone, cable lock extension, etc etc

triggermortis · 12-01-2018 04:04PM

That headwind near killed me today...

Tough commute

Saw a guy on a Cervelo in short sleeves heading North through Blakes Cross. I'm sure I saw him similarly dressed a few days ago too. Either mad or tough as nails...

Justwinginit · 12-01-2018 08:14PM

Jaysus that was windy. Terrible cross wind this evening. No puncture though, and was warm as well. Bike shop was talking about kevlar tyres? Is that the right word? Apparently a lot stronger than the std tyres on the road bike. Reduces punctures by about 80%. Any thoughts?

BowSideChamp · 12-01-2018 10:05PM

Weird today. Phoenix Park was frozen solid this morning. But as soon as get down to Parkgate St it was balmy with a warm breeze.

pjmn · 13-01-2018 04:29PM

First spin of the year 63km - dry but strong south easterly wind against me on the way back...

https://www.strava.com/activities/1354772163

site_owner · 13-01-2018 04:44PM

Managed 30k myself earlier which went fairly uneventfully.

This afternoon I drove (sorry) to blackrock to pick up a fly6 from another user. Along the way we came across a cyclist who had fallen at the merrion gates and was having a lot of difficulty getting up due to the way the bike had twisted around her leg. At least 10 Cars ahead of me just drove past.

We stopped and helped her get untangled and back to her feet. I couldn't stick around to find out what happened as I had 2 small kids in the car who I could hear shouting, but hope she was ok.

13-01-2018 05:30PM

Fair play site_owner , hopefully she's ok. Had a fall myself last year so know what it's like to be tangled in the bike and have someone get out help me up. I'm sure she much appreciated the help.

rushfan · 13-01-2018 06:03PM

43km today. Raining steadily and gusting 26 knots when I left. Hadn't been out all week so I simply HAD to get out today. Also wanted to properly road test the Galibier Mistral, only good stuff to report there. Rain never let up but it didn't bother me.

LollipopJimmy · 13-01-2018 06:21PM

rushfan wrote: »

43km today. Raining steadily and gusting 26 knots when I left. Hadn't been out all week so I simply HAD to get out today. Also wanted to properly road test the Galibier Mistral, only good stuff to report there. Rain never let up but it didn't bother me.

Are you out in the Rush area or is it Rush of the Geddy Lee variety you're a fan of?

rushfan · 13-01-2018 07:11PM

LollipopJimmy wrote:

Are you out in the Rush area or is it Rush of the Geddy Lee variety you're a fan of?

I'm not too far from Rush, but well spotted. It's the latter.

LollipopJimmy · 13-01-2018 08:08PM

rushfan wrote: »

I'm not too far from Rush, but well spotted. It's the latter.

Good man. 2112 being one of my all time favourite albums.

50kms done tonight, freezing cold and rainy plus a headwind along the coast but I feel great after it. After over indulging with booze and food over christmas I'm back eating well and training so should loose the Christmas belly in a week or two. I did get clipped by a motorbike on the quays but managed to stay upright but even said tosser couldn't dampen my mood

rollingscone · 13-01-2018 11:03PM

1st Noteworthyish spin of 2018.

Popped out on the Singlespeed to meet someone in Dundrum in mild blustery weather then decided to test my legs by popping up to Enniskerry for lunch.

Up to Lambs Cross, dropped down Ballychorus road then up the Road from the edge of Bray to Enniskerry.

Did a fair bit of out of the saddle but the mid point of this climb was the one and only time I briefly pressured my knees before copping on and focusing on pulling up with my hamstrings.

Made it to Enniskerry, had the lasagne in Poppies, politely disagreed with a man who felt I should be wearing Yellow then back the way I came.

It's a route I do regularly with a beginners group but as always I feel like a more lively cyclist on the Singlespeed which is a lighter, stiffer frame than my proper bikes and goes like a demon on the flat or slight uphills.

Braking was a bit...finer than usual but it was duuuurty out.

As a final observation. Having overheated a lot on recent spins I was chuffed to have gotten it right today with a merino jersey and baselayer that got quite damp but stayed warm as is its USP. Threw on an insulated Gilet on the way back and it was juuuuust right.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1355185168/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-US&v=1515861947

Wishbone Ash · 14-01-2018 08:24AM

rollingscone wrote: »

... politely disagreed with a man who felt I should be wearing Yellow...

Nice compliment all the same. I've never had anyone suggest to me that I should be wearing the leader's jersey.

triggermortis · 14-01-2018 03:36PM

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

Good man. 2112 being one of my all time favourite albums.

Really hard to beat Moving Pictures though...

rushfan · 14-01-2018 03:48PM

triggermortis wrote:

Really hard to beat Moving Pictures though...

Absolutely. All time classic.

LollipopJimmy · 14-01-2018 04:56PM

triggermortis wrote: »

Really hard to beat Moving Pictures though...

I'd be more into the Pre '80 stuff, Hemispheres, Caress of Steel etc.

Anyway, another 50kms for me today around Dublin, had a a buddy along who is a lot faster than me which kept me on my toes. Headwinds and roads covered in muck were a PITA but other than that a good day to be out.

triggermortis · 14-01-2018 06:03PM

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

I'd be more into the Pre '80 stuff, Hemispheres, Caress of Steel etc.

I like all their stuff really, but prefer the older stuff too.

Wind was harder than I realised coming into work, so hopefully it stays the same direction for going home later!
If I get out before midnight, I'll top 200km for the week which puts me back on track for my year target as I did nothing in week 1.

velo.2010 · 14-01-2018 07:27PM

I now know Athlone town like the back of my hand after doing a figure of eight trying to get back to the start of the greenway.

rollingscone · 14-01-2018 10:14PM

More singlespeed adventures today.

Late start but decided to launch an attack on all of the work stress and Christmas calories and put in some hard efforts today, a group from Clondalkin CC passed me going down into Strawberry beds and I overtook them in my hubris before realising that 37kph wasn't going to be sustainable as they caught up with me I thought that the group leader might have invited me to roll in with them but no one else thought this was the case and the people rolling back cut in front of me every time so I ended up unintentionally drafting them without taking a pull on the front which didn't feel great (nor did keeping up with six strong roadies who had more than one gear mind. Speed bumps are cadence killers).

We parted way at Laraghcon presumably to mutters of who was that weirdo and why was he drafting us? And I continued on around the back ways to Maynooth trying to keep the needle on 30kph, few close passes by cars but in every case every other car following them passed properly so at least there seems to be a growing awareness (The 1st close passer of the day also had a suspiciously dirt caked number plate).

On the way into Maynooth I nearly lost the back wheel on the roundabout in front of Tescos, where a layer of Grey slime eliminated any hope of traction and "enjoyed" another slide on the slime down Main st but thankfully stayed upright.

Coffee stop at the Mill cafe in Maynooth where the staff were as friendly as ever but I guess I'd missed cycling O'Clock and the rest of the customers didn't look pleased to see me so I sat outside for fear of next weeks Late Late show being about smelly cyclists ruining Sunday lunch.

Left through the Dunnes Stores end of Maynooth and headed towards Dunshaughlin then turned off for Dunboyne, I briefly entertained the notion of continuing across to the coast and returning Triumphantly home via Clontarf but the wind was picking up and it was already after 14:00 so I cut and run for Clonsilla, Blanch and the Park where I did two laps that totally killed my average (Not helped by the group of 5 or 6 Spaniards walking three abreast in the cycle lane past the Magazine fort). Somehow I got my maths wrong and my 2.5 laps saw me getting home with 2km short of the first 100k of the year so I ended up overshooting home and heading back once the Odo had been properly fed.

Nice to have the first one of 2018 ticked off and a good cycling weekend overall...got me wondering if the Kings Mountain 200 would be Singlespeedable.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1357224854

NamelessPhil · 14-01-2018 11:17PM

The King's Mountain is single-speedable. A few lads have done it over the last few years.

Justwinginit · 14-01-2018 11:31PM

Off the main road today and headed for back roads and a few hills. New bike ate up the hills:-) Only done just over 26k, but managed over 125km for the week, (every day except Tuesday) so 100km a week back on track. Passed a good few cyclists this morning, all out before the bad weather came;-) pity it's gonna be another windy week this week, ah well, good for the lungs I suppose......

secman · 14-01-2018 11:35PM

Managed my first spin of 2018, just a short urban 40 km to test my back. Headed up towards firhouse , stocking lane, down to Rathfarnham, churchtown, taney, n11? Blackrock, back by RDS to canal, Stephens green, up cork street, back on to canal, up by bluebell ,Walkinstown ave, Greenhills road and home.
A wierd spin for me by a long stretch, but hopefully back is okay in the morning.

secman · 15-01-2018 08:05AM

secman wrote: »

Managed my first spin of 2018, just a short urban 40 km to test my back. Headed up towards firhouse , stocking lane, down to Rathfarnham, churchtown, taney, n11? Blackrock, back by RDS to canal, Stephens green, up cork street, back on to canal, up by bluebell ,Walkinstown ave, Greenhills road and home.
A wierd spin for me by a long stretch, but hopefully back is okay in the morning.

Unfortunately back to the physio

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

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