My new bicycle

[Tony L]

The part I use as a descent (Blackstone Edge Reservoir down to Mytholmroyd) was actually part of the Tour de France route this year, though they rode it the other way as an ascent and then turned right at the top to go to Halifax.There's still a load of fan messages sprayed on the road, though the council seems to be cleaning it up a bit now.

 

[merlin]

I've attached a screen shot of my mate's strava from a fortnight ago. The sudden deceleration is due to a wall that he went through causing amongst other things broken neck, broken ribs, loss of some teeth and gashes all over.

A good reason why downhill segments on Strava really shouldn't be allowed to have "leaderboards" in the UK IMHO.

These are public roads not race tracks and I'm afraid the surfaces and drivers are nowhere near the standards that I encounter in France and elsewhere.

Sounds like I'm a bit of a kill joy but I think Strava in the UK is getting very silly and also causing issues on the roads.

Having said that I hope your mate recovers fully and get's back on the bike soon.

 

[demotivated]

I remember when I was about 17 going past some cars going downhill on the West Road out of Newcastle (about a 1:6 hill), and looked through the window of one of the cars and it was doing over 40 as I went past it. My bike was a nothing special racing bike with 5 gears. I reckon a modern XC bike like my Specialized Epic Comp would be pretty stable at 50mph, albeit rather scary.

My claim to fame: goinng down Two ball lonnen [no really...] which as Cliff might remember is in that vicinity, I was pulled to one side at the lights and told by a rozzer that I was 'cycling too fast to safely stop'. Perhaps he had seen me going down Westgate hill that month with a bottle of Merrydown in each hand...those were the days. Come to think of it - how did I stop??

 

[cliffpatte]

My claim to fame: goinng down Two ball lonnen [no really...] which as Cliff might remember is in that vicinity, I was pulled to one side at the lights and told by a rozzer that I was 'cycling too fast to safely stop'. Perhaps he had seen me going down Westgate hill that month with a bottle of Merrydown in each hand...those were the days. Come to think of it - how did I stop??

My ride that day involved Kenton Lane, Cowgate, Two Ball Lonnen, Wesgate Road, a trip to Blaydon Rugby Club, 400 words written for the morning paper on the game, then the ride home and phoning in the report. You had to go fast when you have deadlines to meet

 

[gordon]

A good reason why downhill segments on Strava really shouldn't be allowed to have "leaderboards" in the UK IMHO.

These are public roads not race tracks and I'm afraid the surfaces and drivers are nowhere near the standards that I encounter in France and elsewhere.

Sounds like I'm a bit of a kill joy but I think Strava in the UK is getting very silly and also causing issues on the roads.

Having said that I hope your mate recovers fully and get's back on the bike soon.

This has already happened in San Francisco, where a cyclist went through a red light, hit and killed a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The cyclist was trying move up the strava leaderboard.

 

[merlin]

It's becoming a plague here too Gordon and it's only a matter of time before some idiot is killed.

The amount of silly little "segments" you encounter on a ride in SE England these days has to be seen to be believed. I love the general concept but it needs some policing and eligibility criteria applying IMHO.

 

[Paul R]

Strava is not that important, but there are some daft segments, and perhaps a way of identifying creators and taking ownership would be a way forward. There's also the phenomenon of nonsensical marking as hazardous. But downhill segments that go through junctions and all segments that go through lights need to be excluded.

I rode the ToB London stage today. Not quite three laps. Someone pointed out that in less than 16 miles I scored 107 personal top three positions on segments. Which, however you figure it, is a bonkers density. Fun to break the speed limit on a bike though.

Overall, IMO, Strava is a fine resource used sensibly and Tony should sign up at once. It will even keep his chain clean and his tyres intact.

Paul

 

[andrew d]

^ I rode TOB as well! Fun drafting the motorbikes! KOM's on Strava are pretty hard to get in central London. Lots of segments have e.g.20-30,000 riders. Then there's the vexed question of Strava doping! ( doing it in a car / motorbike)

 

[merlin]

I rode the ToB London stage today. Not quite three laps. Someone pointed out that in less than 16 miles I scored 107 personal top three positions on segments. Which, however you figure it, is a bonkers density. Fun to break the speed limit on a bike though.

Overall, IMO, Strava is a fine resource used sensibly and Tony should sign up at once. It will even keep his chain clean and his tyres intact.

Paul

That's twice as many segments as in a 120 mile loop around Barcelonette - and most of those were created (duplicated) by tourists from here or Holland !

Where I used to ride you were lucky if there was 25 segments in a 120 miles of lovely mountain roads - and your time up a 14km climb actually meant something.

For me, Strava is as capable of destroying a good ride as it is of enhancing one for some. I'm in two minds but I do think in the South of England it's a menace and causes hazardous conditions on the road.

Having been that grumpy mind, I agree that if Tony has an iPhone he should definitely give it a go and sign up. Just don't start taking it too seriously.

 

[Tony L]

I have to admit I don't even know what Strava is, I'll google it later!

PS FWIW I've never had the slightest interest in competition other than with myself - my only targets when cycling are to remain somewhere close to the median of my 'healthy' BMI range (keeps diabetes in check) and ideally to improve my cardiovascular fitness in the process. That's it. The only spec on Cyclemeter I actually monitor is milage, I find if I cycle 80+ miles a week I have no issue with my weight so don't really need to count calories, can have the odd 'treat' etc. This year I'm at 2895 miles at preset, so look set to smash last year's total of 3050 miles given we are only in Sept.

 

[merlin]

Strava uses GPS to record your rides and then allows you to compare your times with your own previous efforts and those of others. It's a free ap Tony so download it for some fun.

If pure enjoyment and weight loss/control is the aim though it can be counter productive as it seems to encourage many to ride above their FATmax threshold.

In all seriousness, if you wanted to maybe improve your cardio, looking at mileage is of next to no use. These modern programs try to give a metric that utilises a combination of duration and intensity to tell you how much real work you have done (and how many cakes you can have when you get home!).

 

[Paul R]

I have to admit I don't even know what Strava is, I'll google it later!

PS FWIW I've never had the slightest interest in competition other than with myself - my only targets when cycling are to remain somewhere close to the median of my 'healthy' BMI range (keeps diabetes in check) and ideally to improve my cardiovascular fitness in the process. That's it. The only spec on Cyclemeter I actually monitor is milage, I find if I cycle 80+ miles a week I have no issue with my weight so don't really need to count calories, can have the odd 'treat' etc. This year I'm at 2895 miles at preset, so look set to smash last year's total of 3050 miles given we are only in Sept.

Strava can be about informal competition, either with yourself or with others. If you ride the same route, or repeat the same climb, then it makes it easy to see how you are doing relatively.

But I think mostly it's the social aspect, you start to find other riders in your area doing similar things, and even if you never actually want to talk to them, let alone ride with them, you may at least find new routes to ride.

On the one hand it can expand horizons, on the other it's a place where people who fancy themselves a bit as cyclists can accumulate status without having to pin a number on and find out they're actually not as good as they'd thought.

Paul

 

[Rasher]

I am extremely lucky to live on the outskirts of Brighton and have a cycle lane 200 yards from my house that takes me a mile to the entrance to the woods, where there are several great routes that lead eventually back home.

Even better than this is having a 12 year old son that is mad for going for it on his Raleigh MTB at any opportunity.

We will feel the seasons creep into one another and go from hardened ground to autumn leaves, and then the crispness of winter, and eventually snow. What's more, it's sort of good for us. It's all off-road and safe for him, and it's such a joy.

(I may treat his Raleigh to some suspension forks - I know he'd like some - but the weight)

 

[Coda II]

Not pocketable by any stretch, but I bought a Lezyne track pump a couple of months ago. It's a superb bit of kit, beautifully engineered with a nice clear and stable pressure gauge, mine is silver in colour with a light wood handle. It almost makes pumping up tyres enjoyable! At present I'm not taking anything out with me so I'll have a long walk back should I get a puncture. I try not to be more than a few miles away from a railway station, but sometimes that isn't possible. I have got one of those tiny little CO2 bottle pumps I was planning to carry with a set of tyre levers and inner-tube just to get me home, but I've never got round to buying a tube or working out where to carry it on the bike!

Has yours got a screw on (rather than push fit) connector? I have a similar model and something that has happened a couple of times is that the top of the presta valve unscrews with connector leading to an instant (and dramatic) loss of tyre pressure.

 

[Paul R]

There's a thing you do to release the pressure between the pump and the valve, then there should be (IM limited E of Leyzne pumps) no problem.

Paul

 

[Tony L]

Has yours got a screw on (rather than push fit) connector? I have a similar model and something that has happened a couple of times is that the top of the presta valve unscrews with connector leading to an instant (and dramatic) loss of tyre pressure.

Yes, I've had that happen once. As Paul says there is a pressure release button which helps, but if the top of the valve is loose / works loose you'll find yourself pumping up from scratch! Mine also came with a push-fit adapter too, though I've not used it yet as I find the screw on method fine.

 

[zippy]

You're making me jealous !

I have my trusty old (ancient) Marin Mount Vision gathering dust in the garage but sadly cannot ride it any more due to back problems.
It's right about the riding position being too much 'head down'. I've tried various means to raise the relative position of handlebars to saddle but with no real effect.

Oh the burdens of old age !

 

[Coda II]

There's a thing you do to release the pressure between the pump and the valve, then there should be (IM limited E of Leyzne pumps) no problem.

Paul

Yes, I've had that happen once. As Paul says there is a pressure release button which helps, but if the top of the valve is loose / works loose you'll find yourself pumping up from scratch! Mine also came with a push-fit adapter too, though I've not used it yet as I find the screw on method fine.

Yes there is - though from memory it functions slightly differently with presta vs schrader - anyway will give it a go next time, thanks for the reminder.

 

[Paul R]

Schrader internals cannot unscrew along with the adaptor, and with Schrader I think the adaptor holds the valve open, so you can adjust the pressure down to taste with the release button.

Paul

 

[Paul R]

^ I rode TOB as well! Fun drafting the motorbikes! KOM's on Strava are pretty hard to get in central London. Lots of segments have e.g.20-30,000 riders. Then there's the vexed question of Strava doping! ( doing it in a car / motorbike)

Being a bit slow off the mark after watching the latter stages of the TT I didn't get to the front of the queue for motorbike fun. No matter...

It was a bit disappointing not to finish the third lap at the line but it's always good to ride closed roads, and for the price of a train ticket...

I entered Velothon Wales today. That should be what Ride London isn't.

Paul