Aren't Bicycles Great.

Retrogamer

That's some great scenery there Brat.

I'm going to sign up to the cycle from Glasgow To Edinburgh event coming up. It's 47 miles but i think i'm fit enough for it now.
Will be using the mountain bike for it though with road tyres

Retrogamer

I've ordered an Airzound air horn for the bike as well now.

I've a lot of issues down my way with dogs off the leash on cycle routes. The owners see the dog running towards me a lot of the time and don't even shout for it to come back. They just stare at me whilst their dog plays chicken with my bike or tries to nip at my ankles.

Hopefully a small toot of the horn will help

esuhl

Retrogamer wrote: »

I've ordered an Airzound air horn for the bike as well now.

I've a lot of issues down my way with dogs off the leash on cycle routes. The owners see the dog running towards me a lot of the time and don't even shout for it to come back. They just stare at me whilst their dog plays chicken with my bike or tries to nip at my ankles.

Hopefully a small toot of the horn will help

I've been thinking about getting one of those horns too. Funnily enough I don't have a problem with most dogs/owners -- it's drivers (who wouldn't hear a bell or my voice) driving recklessly that I have a problem with.

A horn would make it easier to remind drivers that I'm still there when they try to cut me up, and would warn oncoming traffic when I get overtaken on blind bends or hills. Drivers seem to love the mystery and excitement of overtaking when they can't see what's coming.

Thing is... I don't think I've got enough space on my bike to install one... :-/

Ah well... I've had a couple of 45-mile rides recently (one between 3am and 5am on blissfully deserted streets), and have just finished servicing my bike so it's (almost) like new again! Can't wait to test the smooth sexiness of some crisp gear-changes... phwoooar!

Ain't bicycles great?!

armyknife

Haven't been doing much, though have been using bikes with public transport last couple of weeks.

So coming into Salisbury railway station late one evening, thought I can stick on this train till Southampton, wait, change there for Xchurch and arrive there just gone ten and then have to cycle home or get off now.

I choose to get off then and there, unfold the bike and head home partially over the downs. Ended up getting back just as it was getting dark and only ten minutes after the train would have arrived at the station 10 miles away; Aren't bicycles great.

IronWolf

Brat where do you get good cycling routes from, or do you just make your own?

My road bike arrives tomorrow, hoping to take it out this weekend but not too far as Ill need to work on my fitness and get used to riding an uncomfortable road bike for now.

brat

I just make my own. I avoid busy roads and throw a few hills in if I can. I know all the roads in my area well, so I know what roads are too busy, or too narrow to cycle comfortably and enjoyably. I use Strava to create routes which I can save to my Garmin if I need to, to get an idea of how long the route will be.
I follow a lot of local riders on Strava, and if they cycle a route I haven't tried before, I'll give it a go.

I do occasionally ride with others but because I work shifts I tend to nip out when I can, which is not usually convenient for others. If you ride in groups, you quickly pick up different routes that you wouldn't normally consider.

If you need to build up fitness and distance stamina, I'd try to keep your rides flatter and more local to start with, then develop them steadily.

sdavies13

I rode the British Heart Foundation London to Brighton bike ride Sunday gone, was great fun (even with my bike commute to and from Clapham Common). Bit of a change from my usual commuting and plan to undertake more long distance cycling.

Johnmcl7

I had a friend doing that ride as well, 22,000 riders taking part?! Wow...

I managed to get a very late solo entry into Ten under the Ben which is a ten hour endurance MTB race at Ben Nevis consisting of ten mile laps. I'd wanted to give it a go for a couple of years but never managed to get a team together, this year on Thursday night someone had to pull out due to injury and offered me their place for the race on Saturday.

I didn't fancy doing it solo as I knew there's no way I'd managed 10 hours on a tough off road course but actually quite enjoyed it in the end as there was no pressure, if the bike broke or I'd had enough I could just stop plus I could ride as I felt like it and take breaks as needed. I decided to go with the rigid fat bike knowing it wouldn't be a great choice as it would be proper MTB trails but on the other hand the fat bike is a safe choice as on downhill and/or slippery conditions the immense amount of traction just gives lots of confidence.

I was hoping realistically for three or four laps but managed five in the end, well short of the leaders but good for me - the most I've ever been on any bike in one day and by far the most climbing as well. I was careful to go slow on the uphills rather than caning it and killing myself as usual which worked well and in the end it was the downhills I was struggling on as my arms and parts of my legs were getting a bit sore in taking the bumps and strains the suspension normally would.



I'm really impressed with the photographers they had on the course, with these events it's a bit annoying to pay a tenner for a fairly low resolution shot that isn't very good but I pay it as I have few cycling pictures. This company took 31 photos in total with me on the bike (goodness only knows how many thousand they took in total) on a few different points round the track and the charge to download all of them in high resolution was just £16 plus 19 more general photos they'd taken to show parts of the track, the start etc.

John

armyknife

Johnmcl7, that's pretty impressive. :beer:

For myself, today I'm happy because I got my shopping bike back on the road, thanks to an 8 quid 2nd hand drive train and ten quid on a new chain.

Highly useful to have single speed bike I can do 10-20 mile local shopping trips on and if some idiot nicks it I've lost the price of a new tyre.

Johnmcl7

Time to bump this topic back up to the top, I hope everyone's been able to take advantage of the fine weather for a change

My Mum has been thinking of getting into cycling and has revived a classic Raleigh bike but won't go cycling with me as she's convinced I'll go too fast with her even though I go on social cycles for people like her. There's a scheme in the city centre here where you can hire out an electric bike for a few hours, when you book it out you get a code to unlock the locker and take the bike out, I thought this ideal for my Mum to give a go.

The weather was good on Monday so she booked the bike and we went out for a cycle down to Loch Ness, I don't mind going slower but the faster pace was definitely better for me although I was caught out a couple of times as it accelerates fast and it powers up the hills fine so I was having to push a lot harder on my bike than I expected which resulted in a couple of personal bests

The bike was this one here which seemed a well designed hybrid:

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/giant-prime-e-2-lds-electric-bike-id80985.html?gclid=CPvQmvnqs8cCFa-WtAodoTEHRw



My Mum loved it and was keen to get it out again today but the weather wasn't great but was pleased to see her enjoying it. Just at the end of the cycle I got a puncture on the rear wheel, my first on the road in nearly four years of daily cycling. Popped into a local community workshop to sort it since I was a few metres away and a friend there had a new MTB he fancied trying out so ended up going back out to Dores off road going from the super skinny road bike to the super sized fat bike:



I'm not having much luck with mudguards though, the current one wore out on Thursday night so stuck the new replacement on and the tab broke on it straight away so it was no use. Ordered up an SKS one designed for fat bikes so I'm hoping it will last a bit longer, the matching one on the front has been fine.

John