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Cycling log - random events in the day of a cyclist II

I had a lovely ride earlier with a couple of pals, very hot so we just tapped along. Happy days.

I'd have been better off taking the Roubaix out for a gentle ride - probably wasn't an ideal night to take the TT bike out and I'm definitely not doing it again until it's a bit cooler!
 
I decided I hadn't suffered enough recently so, despite the heat etc., I dug out my Transition and give it a bit of a test ride tonight. I've not ridden a TT bike at all since 2017 and never since returning to Edinburgh so I was glad to see it had a decent range of gears on it (52:36 on the front and an 11-32 cassette on the back) as it's a bit hillier round here. I barely used the aero bars at all as I was very wobbly on them so it didn't feel safe with traffic around, so it wasn't particularly fast although I wasn't quite as bad on the climbs as I feared I might be.

My other TT bike has a less radical riding position so I think I'm going to have to dig that one for some practice before it'd be worth riding the Transition again. At least the drivetrain (which is a wierd mix of Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105) was working fine and I enjoyed hearing the sound from the aero wheels as well.

170823237.FY10V1X6.tt01.jpg

For me the worst aspect of riding a TT bike is neck/shoulder pain due to having to look "up". On longer hauls (25m) a double pair of bike shorts can help with wedding tackle numbness - though I see you have the split nose saddle, which is supposed to be good. I'm hoping to do my second TT of the year next week - but only 7.8 miles / 21 minutes so not long enough to get really uncomfortable.
 
And not too expensive!
France is lucky as it has the best sports store going, in Decathlon. They have their own home brand clothes, shoes and so on, plus those made by designers, and often the prices are so low you wouldn't believe. That's why I have the brand names I mentioned, because a) they fitted perfectly and b) they did what they said on the box. The c) you can guess ;) Their cycling shoes as I've mentoned are the most comfortable I've tried.

Didn't cycle today, not because of the heat, but the market where I currently have a stall. I sold some dresses and a jumper during the day, when my neighbour asked if I would mind looking after the stall while she had a piss. My own stall is selling Iittala and Tonfisk Design stuff, left over from my Finnish days. I sold big, fat, zéro.

Is it true about Olympus, by the way?
 
For me the worst aspect of riding a TT bike is neck/shoulder pain due to having to look "up". On longer hauls (25m) a double pair of bike shorts can help with wedding tackle numbness - though I see you have the split nose saddle, which is supposed to be good. I'm hoping to do my second TT of the year next week - but only 7.8 miles / 21 minutes so not long enough to get really uncomfortable.
The split nose saddles work ok but you have to get the saddle height right, from memory slightly lower otherwise, err, bruising occurs on the sit bones.
 
I popped into ASDA at lunchtime and bought a long-sleeved pyjama/lounging top. It was the closest thing I could find that was light enough not to make me feel like I was wearing a jumper. It was only £4 and best of all, no-one seemed to notice I was wearing evening/nightwear!
 
France is lucky as it has the best sports store going, in Decathlon. They have their own home brand clothes, shoes and so on, plus those made by designers, and often the prices are so low you wouldn't believe.

I have a Quechua sports backpack I bought from decathlon in Paris 20 years ago. It's had heavy use over the years and it's finally wearing out so I'm looking to replace it.
 
For me the worst aspect of riding a TT bike is neck/shoulder pain due to having to look "up". On longer hauls (25m) a double pair of bike shorts can help with wedding tackle numbness - though I see you have the split nose saddle, which is supposed to be good.

It was a big improvement on having a road bike saddle and it is quite comfortable. I've not done more than 25 miles in one go on that bike but saddle comfort was fine. As you said though, neck comfort is more of an issue.

I'm hoping to do my second TT of the year next week - but only 7.8 miles / 21 minutes so not long enough to get really uncomfortable.

I won't be TTing this year but once I find a club I want to join up here I'm planning to do the occasional one. Need to find somewhere with a nice flat course though as the club I was in in London had very hilly TT's. Hill enough that I'd be better on the road bike. One of our TT series used the Redbridge circuit and that has a climb on it that over 14% in places. First lap you're up it in the big ring thinking you are a riding god, a few laps later you're in the granny and a couple more laps and you're wishing you were on an Ebike! That's probably why my aero wheels have an 11-32 cassette fitted.
 
France is lucky as it has the best sports store going, in Decathlon. They have their own home brand clothes, shoes and so on, plus those made by designers, and often the prices are so low you wouldn't believe. That's why I have the brand names I mentioned, because a) they fitted perfectly and b) they did what they said on the box. The c) you can guess ;) Their cycling shoes as I've mentoned are the most comfortable I've tried.

We have a Decathlon here in Edinburgh and it's great, although I tend to use if for running stuff more than for cycling. Our folding bikes are from Decathlon though, and they were great value at something like £200 each. That's probably my wife's favourite of her bikes as she really likes the sort of riding we use it for e.g. slow and easy jaunts around interesting places in Europe. This is them in Quimper a couple of years ago:

166024805.1T7u6mGs.qu07.jpg
 
Just the turbo this morning, hour and a half. A) too hot and B) was expecting a call so thought better to stay in.
 
Strong recommendation for Lusso here. I've got loads of their kit - they make our club kit too. It's all well made and sensibly sized - the size guide on the website is accurate. If you have any problems or need a repair you can, in normal times, drop in to the workshop in Radcliffe. Plus they sponsor several riders I know!
 
Quick update: finally did it, and returned my Bianchi to its original Butterfly bars, and removed the brooks saddle, now replace with the original.

Only been for one ride, but have to say, much to my surprise, the handlebars add much to the practicality of the bike*, while the the Brooks, which I always found a bit uncomfortable, is much better than the Selle Royale. At least, that's what a 3km ride says, and I spent some time adjusting the Selle.

The upshot is that I'll be giving the Bianchi a fair amount of work next week, after which it may well be returned to its No1 touring bike status, while the other - I don't know, beginning to think 4 bikes might be enough...

* You can add heap of gadgets on the handlebars which don't get in the way, use lots of different hand positions, and generally seem to add postively to the général smoothness of the bike. Mine have the wide forma rubber grips, so that must help.
 
Thunder storms here so jumped onto Zwift instead, seems that I'm making progress I'm actually happy with which is refreshing. Tried out the Epic KOM route for a laugh, didn't go too bad up the hills for me and managed a green jersey on one of the sprints which I've no idea how that happened, i kicked but didn't expect top 100 never mind 1st. I should probably try an FTP test to see where I'm at really but I know they aren't very accurate without a proper power meter.

All I need now is a decent bike lol.



 
No cycling for me today but I did spend a bit of time doing some maintenance etc. One of the bikes in the garage that hadn't been used in a while was a small framed Specialized Hardrock that I originally built up for my son when he was around 13 or 14 but has been hanging on up unused for probably the best part of 9 or 10 years. At some point I'd pinched the cassette and rear mech off it for use on another one of my projects, but as I've now loads of spare 9-speed drivetrain bits it seemed sensible to put it back together again and put it up for sale. It's not a bad spec (definitely miles better than any cheap new bike) with a few nice bits including a set of adjustable travel (85mm or 105mm) Marzocchi Bomber mx comp eta forks, the Specialized chainset that was originally on my Epic and a 3x9 Deore drivetrain. It even has a very light set of Schwalbe Racing Ralph tyres on - I wish I'd remembered that when I was looking for lightweight 26" tyres a few weeks back.

I've no real idea what it's worth but have listed it for £125 on Facebook Marketplace so we'll see what happens.

170828077.C4rUNYWI.hs01.jpg


My next project is going to be a rebuild of my ancient Specialized S-Works Enduro. The frame is from 2004 and, being an S-Works, would have been Specialized's top of the range full-suspension bike at the time. I last re-built it in about 2011 when I ditched the old brain shock (which I still have, as I noticed it in the garage earlier) for a more modern Fox Float with adjustable pro-pedal and the forks for some adjustable Fox Talas ones. It's on a 2x9 drivetrain with a mix of XT, SLX and LX and it has LX dual-control shifters (where the brake lever is also the gear shifter - a bit like on a road bike). I've also got an alternative coil suspension set-up for it (with Pike forks and a Fox coil shock and with an aftermarket suspension like that gives more travel) although I've mostly run it with air suspension.

Some of the drivetrain bits are somewhat tired now (it's still on an Octalink BB and chainset) but I've got some 11-speed stuff coming and will probably go to 1x11 with either a 32 or 34 on the front and an 11-46 (or maybe even an 11-51) cassette on the back. As it's on dual-control shifters the brakes will need replaced as well. I was thinking about given 12-speed a try but it'd mean replacing the rear wheel, which would be a shame as the wheels that are on it are quite nice (with Hope hubs).

Even though it's ancient it's still a fun bike to ride and not too heavy, so pretty good for train centres as it climbs reasonably well.

170828069.gotxwVEZ.swe01.jpg
 
No cycling for me today but I did spend a bit of time doing some maintenance etc. One of the bikes in the garage that hadn't been used in a while was a small framed Specialized Hardrock that I originally built up for my son when he was around 13 or 14 but has been hanging on up unused for probably the best part of 9 or 10 years. At some point I'd pinched the cassette and rear mech off it for use on another one of my projects, but as I've now loads of spare 9-speed drivetrain bits it seemed sensible to put it back together again and put it up for sale. It's not a bad spec (definitely miles better than any cheap new bike) with a few nice bits including a set of adjustable travel (85mm or 105mm) Marzocchi Bomber mx comp eta forks, the Specialized chainset that was originally on my Epic and a 3x9 Deore drivetrain. It even has a very light set of Schwalbe Racing Ralph tyres on - I wish I'd remembered that when I was looking for lightweight 26" tyres a few weeks back.

I've no real idea what it's worth but have listed it for £125 on Facebook Marketplace so we'll see what happens.

170828077.C4rUNYWI.hs01.jpg


My next project is going to be a rebuild of my ancient Specialized S-Works Enduro. The frame is from 2004 and, being an S-Works, would have been Specialized's top of the range full-suspension bike at the time. I last re-built it in about 2011 when I ditched the old brain shock (which I still have, as I noticed it in the garage earlier) for a more modern Fox Float with adjustable pro-pedal and the forks for some adjustable Fox Talas ones. It's on a 2x9 drivetrain with a mix of XT, SLX and LX and it has LX dual-control shifters (where the brake lever is also the gear shifter - a bit like on a road bike). I've also got an alternative coil suspension set-up for it (with Pike forks and a Fox coil shock and with an aftermarket suspension like that gives more travel) although I've mostly run it with air suspension.

Some of the drivetrain bits are somewhat tired now (it's still on an Octalink BB and chainset) but I've got some 11-speed stuff coming and will probably go to 1x11 with either a 32 or 34 on the front and an 11-46 (or maybe even an 11-51) cassette on the back. As it's on dual-control shifters the brakes will need replaced as well. I was thinking about given 12-speed a try but it'd mean replacing the rear wheel, which would be a shame as the wheels that are on it are quite nice (with Hope hubs).

Even though it's ancient it's still a fun bike to ride and not too heavy, so pretty good for train centres as it climbs reasonably well.

170828069.gotxwVEZ.swe01.jpg
Too many bikes;)
 
A Hardrock is a nice bike, esp with Bomber forks. It should fly out of the door at £125 in the middle of summer.

I suspect I might have under-priced it (and I know if I'd broken it for parts it'd have made way more than I'm asking for it) as I've had about a dozen enquiries and someone is on their way to see it. Just need the space though, and can't be bothered selling bits via Ebay!
 
I had a V brake hardrock like that, but with cheap shocks, the only bike I've bought new. Good bike and my mate is still riding it 13 years on.

I bought the wheels with the white industries hubs, and they're really nice. The only thing I'm not really happy with on the Lemond now is the ergo bars. Comfy in the drops but not so good in the hoods. My OCR1 had ergo bars too and I didn't like them so maybe they're not for me. I'm thinking of putting on some classic drop bars, but also interested to try this style :
How-to-set-up-drop-handlebars-5.jpg

Anyone have experience with them?
 


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