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What about bees and wasps?
What about bees and wasps? One got stuck in my helmet and then promptly stung me because it wasn’t happy with it’s situation. Queue an emergency stop and rapid removal of helmet. May have to use a bandana under the helmet as a precaution!I had occasion to claim for a
I had occasion to claim for a stolen bike a few years ago. The LBS did the paperwork, listing the bike and all the ‘extras’ that were needed (mudguards, rack and lights, lock etc as the mounts were all on the bike – quite a bit when you add it all up). The insurance co claims department (house insurance) questioned the ‘extras’ and said I should have included that in the value of the bike. They ‘cut me some slack’ and paid up (£900 in total) but hiked my premium up at the next renewal. I think my house policy now allows for multiple bikes with a max value per bike (not sure, but possibly a £1000 max – don’t have to itemise the bikes), so quite flexible. The ‘T&Cs’ on bike specific policies are so prescriptive that you could get nothing back, but then if you have a mega-expensive bike, it’s not going to work on a house policy. I even lock my bikes up at home (inside the house). Conversely, I also do dinghy racing and have to insure my boat (3rd party min – club rules). For a £2500 boat it costs £70/year and I can’t stick it on a house policy, so having specific insurance is part of owning an item of expensive sports equipment.Fixing a chain ‘roadside’ was
Fixing a chain ‘roadside’ was definitely a skill well learn’t for me and earned me some ‘kudos’ from fellow riders who didn’t know how to do it. If it’s the magic link that’s gone, I replace it, but if a regular link in the chain has gone I usually ‘bin’ it at the earliest opportunity as it normally breaks again in the near future. Not sure how you replace a link and maintain the strength, but to save hassle, a new chain seems the best option.I’ve just been in France for
I’ve just been in France for 2 weeks and did 8 rides of varying distance (climbs, flat, heat!, altitude all included). Was on my first day back of commuting and was absolutely flying!…and I’m on a steel bike so nothing special in the weight/aero ‘department’. Got into the top 50 (out of 1000) on a Strava segment so was pretty pleased. <:PLezyne Femto set. Plenty of
Lezyne Femto set. Plenty of flashing modes, but to be really effective in daylight you need to watch for the batteries starting to fade (that LED ‘half-way’ phase that seems to last forever!).Lezyne Femto set. Plenty of
Lezyne Femto set. Plenty of flashing modes, but to be really effective in daylight you need to watch for the batteries starting to fade (that LED ‘half-way’ phase that seems to last forever!).I use SPDs (Shimano M520
I use SPDs (Shimano M520 pedals) with Touring Shoes (Shimano RT32, but plenty of other options). Look like road shoes but have recessed cleats and you can walk around in them reasonably well without feeling you’re going to twist your ankle. Really good bit of LBS advice as I was all set to buy road shoes/cleats. Saw a interesting custom built carbon road bike the other day with disc brakes and geared up for climbing. It had Crank Brothers Candy 2 pedals on it which looked quite smart.My wife decided she needed a
My wife decided she needed a road bike earlier this year and tested a range of bikes in the £1000-£1500 bracket. The LBS put her on a carbon Specialised and she said she didn’t notice any difference from the alloy bikes. She settled on a Trek Domane (mens frame), with the seat damping, which had a 105 groupset (not so on the carbon bike). She just ‘caned’ other people on carbon bikes up Alp d’Huez, Col d’Ornon and Ballon d’Alsace (incl me on steel). It’s all down to the ‘engine’ in the end.I quite like the CX bikes
I quite like the CX bikes with some ‘chicken’ brake levers for urban riding. Add mudguards and a pannier, although then you’re into Tourers. I’ve got a 2000 Cannondale H700 hybrid which, although it’s heavy, just does ‘everything’. Bit of an ‘old friend’ but just did a carbon fork/disc brake upgrade which has lightened it up a bit. The other snag with urban bikes is you need to lug a decent lock around which just adds to the weight. That said, I do an 18 mile commute and log my rides. Nominally it’s an hour but the hybrids average journey time (mainly winter) is only 10min slower than my road bike. In the sections of the ride where you’re stopping at lights/junctions, the type of bike makes no difference as the hybrids/MTBs just catch up with you when you’re stopped.Trek Crossrip? Not ridden
Trek Crossrip? Not ridden one but it was a best-seller in my LBS. There’s probably a model that fits in your price range. One I saw in the LBS had a triple (good if it’s hilly where you live), 2nd set of brake levers on the flat section of the bars (good in town if you need to brake quickly) and disc brakes. I think you can fit mudguards and a pannier easily if necessary. Genesis CdF as well if you fancy steel – disc brakes but no 2nd set of brake levers. Compact crankset.Many thanks for the comments
Many thanks for the comments which were all very useful. Thought I’d finish this topic off with my own tips now that I’ve completed the climb. Fantastic day and I urge anyone to get out there and do it; reminds you why you love cycling. Thought I was in some parallel world as I was cycling up with a vintage car club (Ferraris, E type Jags etc) coming the other way, passing an english couple in a recumbent tandem and was met by masses of cyclists at the top all celebrating their achivement. A good tip was to start early before the heat gets going (we started around 0830) as I’d been in the Vosges in the run-up and had made the mistake of cycling later. Doing a Cat 2 in a 45 mile ride with melting tarmac really isn’t fun. We stayed at Chateau d’Oz which is a few miles up the road from Bourg (shorcut back to there from around turn 6). It’s a great Chalet Hotel style place geared up for cyclists. When we got back from the Alpe, Andy (owner) greeted us with a tray of beers and said the Dauphine was all set up on the huge TV. The hairpins are great places for a 10 sec ‘coast’ and a swig of water which sets you up for the next leg. Gearing wise, a standard compact and 12-28 cassette was fine for me, although I did spot a lot of triples and people who had tuned their gearing to suit the climbs. In the general euphoria of the Alpe, watch out for the locals who fairly belt around in their vehicles and assume you’ll get out of their way. Nobody bothers with bike security but a French group did have a bike stolen while we were up there. On our other day we went up the Col d’Ornon which is a pleasant 8 mile climb with a coffee stop at the top.Firstly, don’t get some with
Firstly, don’t get some with built-in liners as you’ll live to regret it; it’s just uncomfortable. Make sure the liner is detachable so you can use a different padded liner or normal underwear. The padded cotton liners (aimed at commuters) are pretty good as a ‘half-way’ between normal underwear and padded lycra.
Endura Humvee shorts are really good. Lightweight, bit of extra material where you need it, zip up pockets, vents and they look normal. They’ve been my summer commuter shorts for 5 years and still going strong. That said, I’ve got different pair of Endura shorts that are rubbish.I recently got a Rapha
I recently got a Rapha Lightweight Jersey as a birthday present and I’m pretty impressed (it has 2 zip up pockets on the back). All my other jerseys are Large, as is the Rapha, but it’s way more ‘fitted’ and has more stretch (should be, given the price!). The other jerseys all have a little bit of loose cloth somewhere but if you drop a size they’re usually uncomfortable. As the Rapha was a present I haven’t tried an XL, but I’m a Large on their sizing chart and, as I’m told, a good cycling jersey should be nice and snug (possibly slightly unflattering depending on physique!). Rapha have probably got me ‘hooked’ now and I’ll have to resort to petty crime to fund my habit.Tyres; the debate goes on
Tyres; the debate goes on forever. I went for some Continental GP 4 Seasons (25) as an ‘all year’ tyre. I was in the LBS and one of the staff remarked that they were the best tyre for UK conditions.Top Tip (from experience).
Top Tip (from experience). Sacrifice a cylinder and have a practice at home, or else ask the LBS (if they’re a good one) to demonstrate it. Mine was defective which I only found out when I had to use it in anger. The other lesson from that event was to carry a pump as well. CO2 inflators only work with however many cylinders you carry; pumps go on forever!
