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

Wishbone Ash · 12-09-2020 10:27PM

bilbot79 wrote: »

I know it's a bit silly but is it normal to be out on the hard shoulder of busy roads like the N11?

Apologies - I took your comment up incorrectly. I thought you believed that there were roads in Wicklow that cyclists shouldn't be on because they were either private or would be subject to attack.

I normally go to Wicklow via Rathfarnham/Stocking Lane/Military Road/Sally Gap etc.

triggermortis wrote: »

Had an hour so took off round my local area. Had a strange creak from the crank area. Unlipped left foot, still the same. Unclipped right foot, creak gone. Got out of the saddle, creak barely there, but still there at times.
Got home and had a closer look... right had crank is bolloxed. Cover plate is coming away from the outer ring. Took the rings off and the crank flexes WAY too much. Aparrently this is a known problem with 6800 Ultegra cranks..
Bike is now unrideable

The positive in that is that you were near home and not in the middle of Wicklow with no one at home.

secman · 12-09-2020 10:28PM

Headed out n81 to blessington and did lakes from Valleymount to Lacken direction. Plenty of cyclists around the lakes this morning but all heading in opposite direction to me

Back across bridge to blessington and back in the n81. Tough headwind out and a bit on the lakes, avg was only 26kph at the turn to Valleymount from n81, coming back into blessington it was 27kph, nice tailwind back in ended up with 73 km avg 29kph and 611 m.

secman · 12-09-2020 10:30PM

triggermortis wrote: »

Had an hour so took off round my local area. Had a strange creak from the crank area. Unlipped left foot, still the same. Unclipped right foot, creak gone. Got out of the saddle, creak barely there, but still there at times.
Got home and had a closer look... right had crank is bolloxed. Cover plate is coming away from the outer ring. Took the rings off and the crank flexes WAY too much. Aparrently this is a known problem with 6800 Ultegra cranks..
Bike is now unrideable

Ive seen cranks snapped in 2, the hollow one on driveside

Wishbone Ash · 12-09-2020 10:40PM

secman wrote: »

Headed out n81 to blessington and did lakes from Valleymount to Lacken direction. Plenty of cyclists around the lakes this morning but all heading in opposite direction to me
Back across bridge to blessington and back in the n81. Tough headwind out and a bit on the lakes, avg was only 26kph at the turn to Valleymount from n81, coming back into blessington it was 27kph, nice tailwind back in ended up with 73 km avg 29kph and 611 m.

I don't know how you subject yourself to that torture. The attraction of the Blessington lakes to some never ceases to amaze me. I'd rather spend the morning sticking pins in my eyeballs. Has to be the most unrewarding cycling route in the state. It has absolutely no redeeming features.

secman · 12-09-2020 10:55PM

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I don't know how you subject yourself to that torture. The attraction of the Blessington lakes to some never ceases to amaze me. I'd rather spend the morning sticking pins in my eyeballs. Has to be the most unrewarding cycling route in the state. It has absolutely no redeeming features.

The ultimate "marmite " route , you either love it or hate it. I just love the remoteness of it, the beautiful views, lack of traffic, its a great route, a bit of everything say from Tallaght out and back. On the other hand i absolutely detest cycling across the city to the northside, did it back in spring and reminded myself why i hadn't done it in 20 odd years, if i never cycle across town again it will be too soon. Yet you seem to enjoy it for God knows what reason

Lakes spin is good for the soul,

Wishbone Ash · 12-09-2020 11:11PM

secman wrote: »

... Yet you seem to enjoy it for God knows what reason....

Yea, I like cycling in heavy traffic. I think it's because there's always something happening. Rural cycling can be tedious and boring when solo. I was bored stupid at times today on my solo trip.

(We took a few from the club recently down to do the Resevoir Dog route, A few were struggling near the end and said they wouldn't do the last cimb via Ballysmutton/Gap road. We only managed to get them to continue on the proviso that we'd cut out the lake drive!)

CramCycle · 13-09-2020 08:01AM

triggermortis wrote: »

Had an hour so took off round my local area. Had a strange creak from the crank area. Unlipped left foot, still the same. Unclipped right foot, creak gone. Got out of the saddle, creak barely there, but still there at times.
Got home and had a closer look... right had crank is bolloxed. Cover plate is coming away from the outer ring. Took the rings off and the crank flexes WAY too much. Aparrently this is a known problem with 6800 Ultegra cranks..
Bike is now unrideable

What length crank, I have a few sets of Shimano 4 arm cranks lying around with little use, it was cheaper to buy the crankset than the chainrings on occasion.

13-09-2020 06:41PM

85 very windy kms @28km with 900m climbing in misty Cork this morning. I have never seen so many cyclists out on the road! Missed a few long spins of late so the quads didn't enjoy it too much.

Handed over a toddler and a six month old by my wife when I landed home - there's nothing quite as tiring as minding small kids after a long spin. Early night for me tonight!

Daroxtar · 13-09-2020 07:03PM

Had a cracking spin today. Really enjoyed it. Sunshine, mountains, good company, it was great.
I had a couple of rough spins with the club over the last few weeks. My fitness seemed to just drop off a cliff after a minor hernia operation. I thought I was going OK but got completely blown out the back last week on climbs I'd usually be attacking everyone else on.

Today I went off up the mountains to see what I was really like. I went with a friend who I hadn't seen in over 2 years so that catch up alone was worth it. He wouldn't normally be as strong as me on the climbs but I was expecting him to kill me today. As it turned out, he hasn't climbed a hill since the last time we were together so we both took it nice and steady and just enjoyed the chat and the scenery.
There was an absolutely brutal crosswind going up to the top of the gap so we abandoned plans to do Kippure and just headed down to Laragh for the coffee.

Witnessed a comical confrontation between an apoplectic midget motorist and a couple of cyclists outside the café. The purple faced loon lept straight out of the car, fists clenched, screaming at the cyclists. Then a load of other people started roaring laughing and he seemed to turn even more enraged before storming off like a slapped child.
Take a wild guess what type of car he was driving?

The tailwind going up the gap was lovely but my mate was suffering a bit so we kept it very steady. Then when we hit Ballinascorney, as it was the last climb of the day I put in a spurt and waited for him at the top. Beat my PR by over 2 minutes so I was delighted with that and my mate wasn't long behind me. It was a lovely confidence booster after the last few club spins. Then the descent down off the top of Ballinascorney and Bohernabreena.... Whoosh. Its a savage drop, smooth surface, no sheep today, dry... Perfect way to end the spin.

Bohernabreena, Cunard, Sally gap, Lugalla, Laragh. Then back up Sally with a tailwind, turned left at the crossroad and descended to the turn for the army camp, climbed Ballinascorney and back to the car in Tallaght.
90km, 1650m climbing.
https://www.strava.com/activities/4053320243

Eamonnator · 13-09-2020 07:17PM

^^^^^^
If you tell me it was another Audi, I'll seriously have to consider a change.

secman · 13-09-2020 07:28PM

Gorey, Ferns, Enniscorthy in a tough headwind, left across towards Oulart; small deviation to Ballaghdreen (spelling ?) Crosswinds and draggy to main road. Left by Wells house, Ballyedmund, Ballycanew and on to Gorey in a nice tailwind. 66km 32.4kph avg 535 meters.

Omega28 · 13-09-2020 07:41PM

I witnessed a cyclist being knocked off his bike today by a car around the Clontarf area. The cyclist looked quite hurt. Ambulance and Fire Brigade on site.

secman · 13-09-2020 07:44PM

Omega28 wrote: »

I witnessed a cyclist being knocked off his bike today by a car around the Clontarf area. The cyclist looked quite hurt. Ambulance and Fire Brigade on site.

Tell the Garda you witnessed it ?
Hopefully the cyclist is not seriously injured.

Don't Chute! · 13-09-2020 07:56PM

I went up Stocking Lane today up onto the Featherbeds. Horrible wind aside I noticed on the decent towards Glencree there were old car wheels evenly spaced on the right side of the road about 50 meters or so apart. I turned off to go down Aurora and they seemed to be still going but less evenly. Anyone any idea what they are about?

magicbastarder · 13-09-2020 08:21PM

dumped, probably.

magicbastarder · 13-09-2020 08:22PM

secman wrote: »

Gorey, Ferns, Enniscorthy in a tough headwind, left across towards Oulart; small deviation to Ballaghdreen (spelling ?) Crosswinds and draggy to main road. Left by Wells house, Ballyedmund, Ballycanew and on to Gorey in a nice tailwind. 66km 32.4kph avg 535 meters.

that's a great pace. you still working on your cadence, or did you stick with what you were comfortable with?

Chris871 · 13-09-2020 08:29PM

Don't Chute! wrote: »

I went up Stocking Lane today up onto the Featherbeds. Horrible wind aside I noticed on the decent towards Glencree there were old car wheels evenly spaced on the right side of the road about 50 meters or so apart. I turned off to go down Aurora and they seemed to be still going but less evenly. Anyone any idea what they are about?

Noticed them myself on my spin yesterday, I'd imagine theyre just dumped.
Although we did comment at the time they looked to be purposefully placed where they were, strange one.

bbuzz · 13-09-2020 08:32PM

Cycled back towards Dublin through Enniskerry this afternoon around 5 - traffic backed up in Enniskerry nearly up to powerscourt, then traffic backed up to the ski slope all the way from Golden Ball.

Filtering through the traffic put a dampener on a great ride, but delighted I wasn’t in a car!

secman · 13-09-2020 09:34PM

magicbastarder wrote: »

that's a great pace. you still working on your cadence, or did you stick with what you were comfortable with?

Nah to be honest just doing whats comfortable and wirking for me, one of the lads gave me a cadence sensor but i keep forgetting to put it on mainly cos im not sure how to

Was mainly in a group of 6 today, it helps a lot but still had to work hard, at 63 I'm giving some of the lads 20 years.

Wishbone Ash · 13-09-2020 10:08PM

Daroxtar wrote: »

....Witnessed a comical confrontation between an apoplectic midget motorist and a couple of cyclists outside the café. The purple faced loon lept straight out of the car, fists clenched, screaming at the cyclists. Then a load of other people started roaring laughing and he seemed to turn even more enraged before storming off like a slapped child.
Take a wild guess what type of car he was driving? ....

MG Midget?

Don't Chute! · 14-09-2020 08:47AM

magicbastarder wrote: »

dumped, probably.

I doubt it they are too evenly spaced out. It looks like it’s marking something out. Nobody is going to take time this took if they are just dumping.

secman · 14-09-2020 12:47PM

Usual test post to get ths thread to open for me

brownian · 14-09-2020 01:57PM

Lovely spin in Wicklow sunshine yesterday. Two friends and myself, took it nice and handy. Rathfarnham-Old Bawn - Bohernabreenagh - turn left up some pretty road I've never seen (parallel to, but lower/easier than, the military range road), into Kilbride (what a nice lady she is, the lady who runs Crawls shop, there!), Lake Drive and on to Wicklow Gap. Breezy side-winds on descent, mad traffic at Glendalough, but cafe in Laragh quiet enough. Sandwich, coffee, cake, then up the waterfall, over Sally Gap, last pop over Featherbeds (what is with all the carefully spaced car wheels??) and down to Rathfarnham for a nice cool beer. 111k total, 1800m. Lots of long stops to sit and chat in the warm sunshine, so no records broken. But a real fun ride.

puddles22 · 14-09-2020 04:52PM

Nice highly enjoyable 85 k spin around the roads of Donegal today.

https://strava.app.link/yIegYqAkM9

magicbastarder · 15-09-2020 07:49PM

glorious evening out there this evening. i lost one of my two KOMs last week (on some ****ey back road in north county dublin) so i went out this evening and bagged a different KOM (on some ****ey back road in north county dublin)

devonp · 15-09-2020 08:42PM

on an extended commute home this evening via cruagh to the line and down Cunard....that awful sudden drop in the rd coming from Cunard direction to just before the fork at the top of Bohernabreena ....
has been fixed

it used to be marked with a yellow exclamation sign and painted arrow on the rd...always had to get to the centre line to avoid it

fixed/repaired:):)

secman · 15-09-2020 09:59PM

Solo spin out n81 to blessington out to left turn for Valleymount as far as the bridge gives me 25km, back same way for a roundy 50km. Forgot my rear light tonight

, new front light worked great.
50km avg 29.3 kph 278m

68 lost souls · 16-09-2020 08:33AM

Last night did one of my regular short loops up Killakee to view point, first right on Military road and down by Bohernabreena. Fantastic day for it and some lovely fast descending. Going up the climb though just before the Hellfire club I got confused by a strange sounding wheel and engine noise behind me, expected to see an eBike come past me but music pumping like a boy racer, saw to people hovering past me for a minute and thought it was a ghost then they flew up the hill and left me for dust. Only as they passed I realized they were on electric unicycles! Surreal experience, they must have been doing at least 30kmh up the hill.

ED E · 16-09-2020 08:37AM

brownian wrote: »

into Kilbride (what a nice lady she is, the lady who runs Crawls shop, there!)

Indeed, the dog is sound too

(Bonus points if anyone remembers his name, I dont)

D13exile · 16-09-2020 03:03PM

Headed out for a spin minus the stopwatch (aka my phone) as my bike fitter suggested, so I could relax and take it easy instead of flogging myself on every single spin!!!! "Define take it easy" I said to myself as the heat and hills stretched ahead of me!

Anyways it was a nice cycle on a beautiful day heading from Clane, cross country to Knockanally Golf Club and then the hills around Newtown, down onto the old N4 before turning for Kilcock and Maynooth, to Rathcoffey and home. An hour and 28 minutes for what I think is approx 45kms-ish? Apart from the first hill from Knockanally up to Newtown (and its a looong stretch upwards with a crap surface), where I had to slip into the granny ring at the front, I felt amazingly good on my new Fizik saddle and powered home, sweat dripping to my dinner which is sizzling away as I type.

Don't think I exactly "took it easy" but with the absence of timing myself, I just have the time I left and the time I got back with a rough guess of distance. Still think I was pretty quick even with two long climbs in there.........just don't tell the bike fitter!

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

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