[notfastenough]

At the end of day, he offends
At the end of day, he offends many people, it’s got to the point where he couldn’t be taken seriously if he wanted to.

Being cut up and spat at is obviously bad news, but I think that’s more of a general attitude from drivers being delayed for whole (shock-horror!) milliseconds.

[notfastenough]

I tried it when I was 17.
I tried it when I was 17. First time, I shaved all the way up my legs, then a day later when the stubble started, it made my balls sore. I walked like John Wayne for the next couple of days until the hair was long enough to soften. :”( 😀

Disclaimer: Rather like Farky’s chamois cream thread, this may be a rather candid conversation! Perfect for the Internet…

Seemed to take ages to do properly, or there were leftover bits round the knees, or worse, rush that bit and cut myself.

I tried a cream instead, can’t remember what they’re called (ask your missus!) but it’s a paste that takes the hair off. Never seemed to get smooth legs though, so constant stubble.

Prepare for cold legs even under trousers! Just until you get used to it, obviously.

All that said, massages work fine without shaving, and crashes are hopefully mercifully rare. The other reason (as I see it) for shaving is the ‘furry Lycra’ look when the hair pokes through on a long ride. Mind me asking what your reasons are?

[notfastenough]

Looks smart. Good luck.
Looks smart. Good luck. Remember to take tools with you, no doubt once the cables start to loosen you’ll be adjusting the mechs a few times.

[notfastenough]

Rats – was hoping for a good
Rats – was hoping for a good deal on a work stand, but they aren’t doing one.

[notfastenough]

I don’t know if the guy at
I don’t know if the guy at the velodrome is any good because he didn’t reply to my email, so I went elsewhere. 😐

I had some aches and pains I was trying to address, so I went to njd sports injury clinic in Clitheroe. It is admittedly a bit of a trek from Sth Mcr, but it was worth it. They are a Father/Daughter team of Sports Therapists who work on the basis that for a bike fit to be effective, your body has to be in reasonable shape beforehand, otherwise you will carry any problems onto the bike. So things like joint alignment, muscular issues, old injuries, niggling aches and pains etc are ironed out via a physical exam from Nicola. She asks all sorts of questions.

Then Nick (Dad) puts your bike on the turbo and has a look at your riding position, taking into account all the stuff you discussed with Nicola. There’a lot of info to take in, and pieces of paper with exercises that you have to go away and do, but it gets your body into a more suitable shape for bike riding.

I think I paid around £100 for that. Given that I was there over 3 hours, and there was definitely no rush to get me out the door, I thought that was good value. The main knee issue I was trying to sort is something that they had an answer for, but admittedly it was in amongst a load of info and exercises, so it was a few weeks before the penny dropped.

If you just want to go to a bike shop and get fitted, I believe Royles cycles in Wilmslow do a decent one, but I don’t have experience of it.

[notfastenough]

This is a joke right?!
Man up
😀 This is a joke right?!

Man up and pedal harder. Or upgrade your wheels.

[notfastenough]

Good to see you’ve got a
Good to see you’ve got a result. Just out of interest, what was the elapsed time for the sportive? I’ve not done one yet, and am curious to know how quick the faster groups go round. Was it a very hilly course?

[notfastenough]

Yay! Let us know how you get
Yay! Let us know how you get on! 😀

[notfastenough]

Speed-wise that’ll probably
Speed-wise that’ll probably be fine to get you going. Your legs will hurt, but it’s all part of the fun! Bite the bullet 😀

[notfastenough]

A quick google ‘shopping’
A quick google ‘shopping’ search shows Ribble selling the RS80 wheelset for £336.

[notfastenough]

All good advice here. I rode
All good advice here. I rode alone for a few months to reach the fitness for 30-40 miles in 2-3 hours, then used the british cycling link above to find a local club just over a month ago. Although I had already decided to do this, my choice was re-affirmed when I went past a group that was so lacking in experience that they were downright dangerous to themselves in traffic. (This appeared to be a club, so like anything, there are good and bad ones) This forced me to realise that a large part of Sportives may be like this. Riding in a bunch where no-one warns of obstacles, calls out the oncoming car, or even bothers to position themselves safely on the road.

Sorry, this is slightly cynical, but you get the idea.

I deliberately chose a small club so as to focus on riding my bike as opposed to Annual General Meetings or fundraising for a new clubhouse roof or some such. I’ve been on maybe 5 club runs now on consecutive weekends. I’m definitely getting fitter, and seeing some great countryside that I would never have found on my own. I was nervy about holding a wheel at first because I couldn’t see the upcoming potholes for myself and had to trust other riders calls/hand signals, but I’m improving.

I suppose riding alone gives you fitness, but riding in a group gives you skills as well as fitness.

You may want a bigger club with multiple groups so you can move up them. If you go out with the ‘social’ group first, they will probably have an agreement to not leave anyone behind.

Good luck! 🙂

[notfastenough]

Hmm, fair point, thanks.
Hmm, fair point, thanks.

[notfastenough]

Cool stuff, do post some pics
Cool stuff, do post some pics when done. I’d love to see a proper write-up as well if you can, I think a lot of people are interested in seeing how this turns out. Chapeau to you for having the balls to go for it!

[notfastenough]

Ah, now that’s little more
Ah, now that’s little more like it. Still overpriced, but doesn’t make me choke on my drink! Thanks.

[notfastenough]

Sorry, I should have been a
Sorry, I should have been a bit clearer. I’m referring to the little grease port that is on the side of Speedplay pedals for bearing lubrication without disassembly.

I’ve seen the lube itself for about £11 (thanks Jimmo) but the gun is another £30! It’s a proprietary size I think, as well.

Presumably you can just get bearing grease in a little gun?

(Grease is already on the spindles, but not needing a gun, that is easier to apply. I use dry lube on the cleat, since that is the moving part, not the pedals.)

EDIT: Ah, you beat me to it Ashley, thanks for the pointers.

[Author]

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