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

Utter Consternation · 25-11-2019 2:18pm

Pigeon Reaper wrote: »

The buzzard has been in the same spot three times in the past few mornings. I'm always amazed how much wildlife you can see cycling into work in the middle of Dublin.

I've spotted plenty sh1tehawks alright.

Alanstrainor · 26-11-2019 11:24am

Wew that was some craic. The wind blowing hard, but ended up blowing me into work for the majority. I guess that makes up for the lashing rain. Currently trying to dry all my gear in the office, I don't have much hope.

mr spuckler · 26-11-2019 12:01pm

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Wew that was some craic. The wind blowing hard, but ended up blowing me into work for the majority. I guess that makes up for the lashing rain. Currently trying to dry all my gear in the office, I don't have much hope.

Was nice to be blown in along the coast alright, especially seeing the length of the queues of traffic! My gear is in a drying room in work, I'm hoping it can be effective enough as I was able to wring water out of some of the gear when I landed in!

magicbastarder · 26-11-2019 5:35pm

by gum, i think i prefer cycling in rush hour traffic than through 'school pick up time' traffic. you can be almost guaranteed someone is going to pull out on you without looking. four times in two cycles, in two days. all four in SUVs.

anyway, a 50km spin out over howth. was a bit blustery up the top, but at least i could actually see dublin bay from the car park today.

mr spuckler · 29-11-2019 3:39pm

Had lined up today for a spin since last weekend, all week it showed as being the best day midweek. Last night my weather app showed this morning as being dry - it wasn't

So I did less than I'd originally planned, 3 laps of Howth for 53km of cold & constant rain! Temperature hovered between 3 & 4 degrees all morning and water got into my right shoe, shelving any thoughts I had of a 4th lap or stretching out the spin on my way home. Still good to get out!

triggermortis · 29-11-2019 7:55pm

https://www.strava.com/activities/2897428526

Did a group spin in the morning and then home for a quick sandwich and off to work. Didn't reset the Garmin so I could do my November Fondo on Strava.
Weather was pretty miserable and I was struggling a few times, but managed it in the end.
Main talking point was the dumb@ss in the boxtruck who stopped in the middle of the road, just after a bend (with a manhole cover badly placed on it) to ask directions from a car driver who was blocking the other lane. We all managed to stop in time so no harm, but seriously...

Kevhog1988 · 30-11-2019 6:09pm

Really struggled today on the group cycle. Pace was a bridge too far for me. Even with us stopping for 3 punctures it was still an average of 23 km/h and we were hitting 30 for the majority of it.

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/8db00n7F21

dahat · 30-11-2019 6:45pm

When your mudguards break before leaving those the gods are telling you something...

4hrs with a few efforts in the last 2, first two hours nice, had a buzzard type bird fly beside me for near 100 yards over a ditch and of course no camera to catch it.
The last 2 hrs ruined by 4 punctures from hedge trimming, sickened plus I also left an empty tool bottle on a wall which is now lost. A quick visit to lbs to restock tubes & gas for tomorrow's drama I'm sure.

105km @ 27.5 & 1200m elevation, nothing went right bar the efforts.

Weepsie · 30-11-2019 6:48pm

Plan today was out to Howth and back for 50-60km and have lunch and then top it up with another 40-50.

On the way to Howth I saw that a big chunk of the cycle path was closed for a half marathon. Never seems to be an issue closing facilities for running which can be done literally anywhere pretty much.

Forged on, went up Howth from the Sutton side. Punctured on my way back, third time this week on 2 bikes. Changed tube, noone stopped to ask if I wanted help other than a walker who was wishing me luck. Think I need to change the rim tape.

Cut the cycle short and went for home. Did 40k, and then took the good weather bike and did another uneventful but enjoyable 40km.

Stopped to offer someone with a puncture a hand. They were happy to work away.

80km, 3 hours.

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/xy5Opt9I21

velo.2010 · 30-11-2019 8:55pm

Nice new road surface on the N81 for a few km's as you head north from Blessington. Only gripe was the cement and muck mix that formed a blob on the seat tube where it's unprotected from the Raceblades.

Passed by that Luggwoods 'Christmas experience' on the way back. €70 for a family of 4 to ride in a tractor trailer up a hill to see Santy in a barn! Good luck with that.

Kevhog1988 · 30-11-2019 11:07pm

I went out with the c group from the cycling club today. Really struggled with the pace as it was about 5km/h faster than usual. average was only 23 as we stopped 3 times for punctures but it was mostly 30 and above. Got dropped a good few times and was completely wrecked by the end.

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/kumWPOG121

01-12-2019 12:20pm

Got out for 2 and a half glorious hours in brilliant sunshine this morning. Between two colds and a vomiting bug it's been too long since I got out. Wasn't sure how fit I was so just took it easy and enjoyed every minute of it. I'd say about 60k @ 27kph but didn't even bother to check.

Started out at first light in about 2 degrees and took a while to warm up but the fresh air and the blue skies were a tonic after what was an awful November.

magicbastarder · 01-12-2019 2:50pm

Not quite as dry this morning in NCD/meath. Got rained on reasonably heavily for about 20 mins, but the rest of the cycle was dry, rain wise. Cool enough, 4 or 5 degrees.

wirelessdude01 · 01-12-2019 3:32pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

Not quite as dry this morning in NCD/meath. Got rained on reasonably heavily for about 20 mins, but the rest of the cycle was dry, rain wise. Cool enough, 4 or 5 degrees.

Some amount of ****e on the roads today. Use of mudguards in our group would be a godsend but not to be.

ednwireland · 01-12-2019 4:32pm

50km on the main roads noticed a loose spoke on the bike,

expensive month

took a while to thaw out after the spin though

Oberkon · 01-12-2019 6:09pm

magicbastarder wrote: »

Not quite as dry this morning in NCD/meath. Got rained on reasonably heavily for about 20 mins, but the rest of the cycle was dry, rain wise. Cool enough, 4 or 5 degrees.

Have you seen the floods there recently ? Some pretty bad ones . I went through one and it wasn’t a good idea !

bingobars · 01-12-2019 6:37pm

7-8 pints of Guinness last night. In knots this morning but put myself out for a punishment ride of 20km.

magicbastarder · 01-12-2019 9:35pm

Oberkon wrote: »

Have you seen the floods there recently ? Some pretty bad ones . I went through one and it wasn’t a good idea !

nothing today anyway, main issues i've had to deal with over the last few weeks on the roads were some overflowing ditches, but that was basically just shallow moving puddles.

though there was some serious flooding just north of the three sisters recently, but on land with no public roads crossing it AFAIK. a temporary lake of 10-15ac was visible.

saccades · 01-12-2019 11:33pm

Changed plans meant a late start to the day.

33km, 550m of climbing up Croghan on the wicklow/wexford border.

Was in shorts and arm warmers so decided to turn back when the weather turned wet (was only 1 degree up there). Caned it up the new line, 2 minutes slower on the mtb at the start of the day than end of the day on the road bike.

saccades · 01-12-2019 11:43pm

Pigeon Reaper wrote: »

The buzzard has been in the same spot three times in the past few mornings. I'm always amazed how much wildlife you can see cycling into work in the middle of Dublin.

Apt user name.

Kevhog1988 · 02-12-2019 12:15am

Easy 30k today with my father

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/WKymljKL41

68 lost souls · 02-12-2019 11:44am

First spin in 3 months yesterday, choose a cold day for it. 50km out to Blessington. Glad to break the duck and need to stick to it again now. Just about to tip over the 3000km mark for the year, 1300km total each of the last 2 years so its been a big improvement

magicbastarder · 03-12-2019 4:20pm

nice lunchtime spin up over howth. beautiful day for it.

Mercian Pro · 03-12-2019 7:06pm

Despite the fact that much of our outbound route to Drogheda was on the horrible R132, we had a really enjoyable club spin this morning. Coming back we turned for Skerries at Balbriggan and then back over to Man O'War. Getting into Swords I decided to add a loop over to Baldoyle via Broadmeadows before heading home along the S2S.
After a pretty miserable November, it was great to cycle in sunshine again. There were a couple of downsides though - heading south on narrow roads I was conscious that anyone approaching from behind mightn't see us due to the blinding low sunlight and the temperature was pretty close to zero leaving Swords. Fortunately, my new "extra warm" Roeckl gloves had arrived from Bike-Discount and they did what it said on the label. Two base layers and two pairs of socks combined with a Mistral jacket and bib tights kept everything else toasty

Oberkon · 03-12-2019 8:42pm

Mercian Pro wrote: »

Despite the fact that much of our outbound route to Drogheda was on the horrible R132, we had a really enjoyable club spin this morning. Coming back we turned for Skerries at Balbriggan and then back over to Man O'War. Getting into Swords I decided to add a loop over to Baldoyle via Broadmeadows before heading home along the S2S.
After a pretty miserable November, it was great to cycle in sunshine again. There were a couple of downsides though - heading south on narrow roads I was conscious that anyone approaching from behind mightn't see us due to the blinding low sunlight and the temperature was pretty close to zero leaving Swords. Fortunately, my new "extra warm" Roeckl gloves had arrived from Bike-Discount and they did what it said on the label. Two base layers and two pairs of socks combined with a Mistral jacket and bib tights kept everything else toasty

Ah the good old R132 - the very worst road I’ve ever had the misfortune of cycling . How could anyone commute on that road daily . A 50/50 chance of making it alive past the Lusk turn at Blake’s cross Swords bound .

magicbastarder · 05-12-2019 9:38pm

windy out there this evening coming home. managed to puncture on strand road and it was the first 'honest' puncture i've had in years, in that it was obvious and easy to find, something penetrated the tyre. it's only my fourth in about five years; two of the others were pinch flats, because of my own laziness, and i never found the cause of the other one, i think the tube just got old and tyred and failed.

Alanstrainor · 05-12-2019 10:27pm

Brutal going into work, and great craic coming home. So it balances out! That wind was intense!

Oberkon · 06-12-2019 12:53am

magicbastarder wrote: »

windy out there this evening coming home. managed to puncture on strand road and it was the first 'honest' puncture i've had in years, in that it was obvious and easy to find, something penetrated the tyre. it's only my fourth in about five years; two of the others were pinch flats, because of my own laziness, and i never found the cause of the other one, i think the tube just got old and tyred and failed.

I actually feel sad for that tube after serving you so well, please fix it . Don’t throw it away . Old tubes need loving too .

Alanstrainor · 06-12-2019 11:09am

Much warmer this morning, and I was on the road earlier than usual. There was a strong wind out there, but it was dry so I'll take it.

Utter Consternation · 06-12-2019 11:32am

Yeah, very windy out there this morning. Very blustery. There's definitely no more leaves on the trees now.

Going home is going to be a pain in the ass.

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

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