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If its road rash on the face
If its road rash on the face (no stitches) then it probably won’t scar. Remember that lovely pink gravel stuff they used to chipseal roads with in the 80s? I scraped the whole left side of my face off on that as a kid. Massive scab from hairline to jawline, no lasting damage or scarring.
30 years on and I degloved my right index finger from the knuckle backwards on a Garmin out-front that broke in a crash. All I’ve got from that is a very faint hairline scar that only shows up in summer because it contrasts against the tanned skin. That was 5 or 6 stitches. Top tip – don’t have a helmet debate with the sadist putting the stitches in, it’s neither the time nor the place.
Another vote for Bio-Oil here and there is also some evidence that Serrapeptase can help
Loved Kick Start (and Junior
Loved Kick Start (and Junior Kick Start). Quality ’80s TV – in the dark days of three channels and bugger all else to do it was, unbelievably, event TV in our house. The game was pretty good too, would make a good mobile reboot as a side-scroller.
That sounds like the early
That sounds like the early stages of a saddle sore. Is it the same side as you dress? Do you shave/wax the area? Trapped hair can be the culprit but you’ll need a non-squeamish friend/partner to investigate further (I’m now reminded of Paul Rudd in This is 40)
Can you try shifting your weight to the other side of the saddle (if that makes sense?). Possibly worth experimenting with tilt and rotation of saddle too, small changes can make a big difference.
I tore a Gravelking SK (tubed
I tore a Gravelking SK (tubed version) within about 50 miles of installation. Sidewalls aren’t that well-protected on them so they need high pressures or to be set up tubeless.
As to alternatives, WTB Exposure? Schwalbe also do tan (well, fawn) sidewall versions of a lot of their tyres now. Also look at Hutchinson & Donnelly.
Should add – if you run a lot
Should add – if you run a lot of seat post just check the clearance between the suspension mounts as depending on position/car they can be in just the wrong place and cause problems. Lots of modern estates have intrusive suspension because the market seems to demand full strut independent multilink suspension when it isn’t really necessary on a barge. My Mondeo doesn’t have it and is one of the best handling mass-market estates ever built.
That should work fine. I had
That should work fine. I had a Passat estate when I was commuting and my 56cm bikes went in no problem with the seats down and mudguards fitted. Plus I’m 6 foot so my drivers seat was a fair way back.
Used to get the same bikes in a Mk4 Golf hatch but that required the front wheel to be propped at an angle against the back of my seat, no big issue.
When loading the bike make sure you lay it drive side up to protect the rear mech. Oh and turn your lights off before you drive off.
Support srchar’s comment re Mondeos – cheap as chips to buy and run, massive, and the Ghia X or Titanium X versions have trim levels to rival anything a German manufacturer turns out. Leather, heated and cooling seats, premium audio, and an invention that’s probably saved countless cyclists lives – quick clear front screens.
Listing says it comes with an
Listing says it comes with an adapter from QR to 12 x 142 so that’s all good, and should be the same for the front wheel. Yes, you’d just need discs.
No experience with riding 50mm rims but I don’t notice any significant problems on my 35mm rims .
I used to swap wheels with no
I used to swap wheels with no issues. If you run the same cassette you might even get away without having to tweak the rear mech indexing when you swap. Worked very well for me – go with full hydro brakes if you can as they’re less faff for wheel changes than cable operated.
I guess the only thing against the Crux for me would be whether it can take mudguards – I looked at what was probably the 16 or 17 model and I know it didnt at that time
Early morning ride to Cap
Early morning ride to Cap Formentor is best – but in April you’ll be setting off in arm warmers.
If you’ve got a trainer and want to see what it’s like it’s on Rouvy & RGT
Alcudia is cheaper than
Alcudia is cheaper than Pollensa potentially, but Pollensa is where it’s at
+1 for Tolo’s – I remember when it wasn’t bike mecca, and obviously now it’s even better. Legendary whole shoulder of lamb dish among others. Pollensa town itself is a good option, particularly on market day.
Parking can be a bit of an issue, particularly as there are six of you which would mean a big MPV, or two cars. I’d just take a transfer – airport is less than an hour away. There’s plenty in Puerto Pollensa to keep you occupied and both Alcudia and Pollensa town are short flat rides away.
Just a word of warning on April – it can be cold and wet, certainly not guaranteed sunshine. I’ve been there in mid-April and it’s been well south of ten degrees.
What shifters do you have? I
What shifters do you have? I’m assuming they’re 9-speed only which restricts your upgrade options a little – you can select from Sora components (https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/sora-r3000.html)
There is a wider range cassette available (11-30T) if you fancy having an easier bail-out gear but need to double check that your rear mech can handle it (looks like it’s fine for the latest version of Sora, but not might be the case for your 2011 spec mech). Cassette and mech change would be around £50 for parts plus your time to fit it.
You should be able to get a replacement ring for your chainset, but there’s also the option to upgrade to the current Sora triple. Would also need a new BB I’d imagine (and if not, worth replacing anyway). £70 for chainset and BB, particularly if you can wait and pick up a nearly new on eBay. It’s new bike/winter build season and so you’ll find a load of Sora parts stripped off brand new bikes for sale. For example £43 for a complete ringset here (and they’ll sell you the middle ring on it’s own if you want it) – https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shimano-Sora-3503-Chainrings-Triple-Speed-30T-39T-50T-5-Bolt-130BCD-74BCD-eb5/132733239487?hash=item1ee78480bf:m:mQW6WA04C_XrWoQ5V4rj9GA
I reckon you could replace the entire drivetrain for around £120 if you’re not in a hurry and can do the work yourself.
I saw this in Melbourne
I saw this in Melbourne recently. Local framebuilder, utter weaponRe winter shoes – please can
Re winter shoes – please can you research the market for waterproof flat pedal shoes? Am I the only gravel rider riding flats in the winter? There are plenty of SPD options but none of them are truly compatible or secure for riding on a wet flat pedal, even with aggressive pins.
the cabling dosent need to be internal, just the battery. I am wondering if I can rout the cable through the hole that is just above the rear mech to the battery. Id there Is a better way, Id love to know it.That might work, but you’ll probably need to make it bigger because annoyingly Di2 cable ends are thicker than standard gear cable outers. I know this because I’d hoped to use my old cable stops when I did an external wire Di2 install on my bike. Hole needs to be at least 6mm diameter.
If you’re handy with a soldering iron/electronics fettling it might be possible to cut the terminal off the cable, feed it through the chainstay and then reconnect it but you risk destroying an expensive cable in the process.
Grommets will just need to be big enough to accommodate the main part of the Di2 cable. Probably easier to buy them – e.g. https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/shimano-ultegra-di2-grommet-pack-of-4/
Looks like frame holes need to be 6mm to take off-the-shelf grommets…
Well the easiest and cheapest
Well the easiest and cheapest option is to stick with external cable routing and use the SM-BTC1 battery case that sits under your bottle cage mount (that also replaces the JC41). For internal routing the BB will have to come out.
You say no holes in your chainstays. If that’s an absolute requirement then you’re going to need to have the rear mech cable exiting from the BB.
If you’re absolutely set on internal wiring then I would do the following:
Hole at top of down tube to take the wires from the shifters/Junction A
Hole in front of seat tube for the front mech cable
Hole in base of BB – you can potentially just widen whatever is already there for the BB cable guide for the rear mech cable. And then run the rear mech cable along the bottom of the chainstay
Place the JC41 in the seat tube above the BB. I assume you’ve got the necessary adapter to fit the battery inside your seatpost.
If you do the above everything is then internal bar the rear mech cable which will need to be cable-tied to the driveside chainstay.
All Di2 kit is inherently waterproof so no need to worry about that. You will need to make/buy grommets for the frame holes to minimise any chafing and stop water getting inside your frame.
Remember – it has to wired as follows
Shifters -> Junction A -> Junction B and then split out to the mechs and the battery.
