your daily bicycle log

Would this kind of thing be useful?
http://www.funstufffordogs.com/Qstore/uploads/trek

A dog?!

just the thing for the nordzeefietsroute. Mark and I are doing 3 days in Holland at the end of the month, cycling about a bit in lovely, *flat* holland. I will need to learn to draft properly.

that pic is actually a winter training bike. dogs are notoriously heavy and heavier bikes are better for training, as you well know

At this time of year you can probably get away with a lighter breed like a Jack Russell, but by December you really want to be hauling around a labrador.

Nothing in a week now. Physio appointment booked for later today. http://sickmouthy.com/2011/09/10/out-of-the-saddle/

Tomorrow I am riding 100 miles from Glasgow to Edinburgh, on fixed-gear, in this...

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/krakow81/Screenshot2011-09-10at102043.png

I am a little worried, not so much about the distance, but about the horrific weather.

good luck!

Have fun!

Thanks folks, it'll be quite something!

sick, much respect

i was going to do the fifty but i want to change the pedals on my bike (can't get along with cages) and also i'm probably not even fit enough to do 50, plus i'm working, plus it's raining excuse excuses, etc.

100 miles in the pouring rain sounds like a miserable experience.

All life is suffering.

We should grab a ride on a better day jim. It is likely to be tough going tomorrow.

I did that race today. Kind of. I rode over to Hog Hill through the swirling wind and dark grey clouds that seem to pass for an English summer nowadays, thinking I could just use the race as a) training, b) checking my leg is ok, c) to 'get back on the horse' as soon as possible psychologically (i.e. to race in the middle of a fast-moving bunch trying not to fear another crash, rather than leaving it till next season). When I got there I found that the race was part of a league that I wasn't affiliated to: to race I needed to join the league first and it cost me £30! Thirty quid for a 75-minute crit seemed insane, especially as I had no chance of even finishing it, but I paid anyway as it was my last chance of a road race this year and I'd already wasted my afternoon riding over there.

It started raining while I was warming up. The race started with a fast (37mph) downhill section with a sharp bend at the bottom. As we were on this the guy whose wheel I was on skidded and nearly lost control and I almost had a heart attack. The last thing I needed was another crash after just 20 seconds. I tucked in towards the back, but tried to stay on either side rather than in the middle of the pack so I had more chance of an escape route. The race was the usual attritional affair with the hill gradually thinning out the bunch. I lasted 20 minutes, then started to lose contact. I chased for a couple of minutes trying to narrow a gap of about 5 bike lengths. Eventually I sprinted as hard as I could and regained the back of the bunch just as we hit the hill. I then completely blew up on the hill and wobbled my way to the finish line to retire. I could have waited for the stragglers group to catch me, but I wasn't in the mood. Useful practice, but ludicrously expensive.

Well done for getting back out there on the bike, it is no small feat at all, in my experience.

hilly 60km 'group' ride which saw one depart for home before we'd even started (htfu!!) and another suffer so much on the 'warm up' section that he bailed too. intermittent pissing rain and headwinds - perfect spring training ride, haha.

I more than made it!

One gear, seven hours, one hundred miles.

It went amazingly well, even though the weather was dreadful for a good 50-60 miles of it (constant rain and pretty heavy headwinds). All three of our three-man fixed-gear team made it without any serious issues at all, and in very good time. I suspect we will be legends within the Glasgow cycling community now, given the encouragement and respect felt from the road bike riders along the way.

Brilliant times!

nice one! my walk to tesco in this weather was unpleasant enough.

Well done Krakow. A hundred miles is challenging enough without those conditions (and lack of gears).

Congrats Krakow! In a similar vein yesterday I cycled to Brighton on my single speed and managed to make it up The Beacon. Although I had to stop a couple of times I didn't walk a step which, given that when I rode last year I didn't make it as far as the first bend, I was pretty pleased with.

It didn't rain though.

This happened over a week ago but I've only really been calm enough to write a letter of complaint about a pittsburgh LBS where I had a service done:

Dear Sir/Madam
I am writing to register my complaint at the terrible service I have recently received from Pro Bikes Squirrel Hill location. I still can’t believe how badly I have been served and treated, I shall recount the interactions I had.

I brought my bike in for a major tune up. I was going away for a couple of weeks and thought it was a good time to get my bike cleaned and adjusted, wheels trued etc. Upon returning I picked up my bike but when I took it out I discovered some things had not been done properly. The first fault I identified was that the stem bolts hand not been tightened, only the stem cap so a little bit of pressure on the handlebars spun them round. This led to a more thorough checkup of my bike. I then found that the front brake had been loosened to prepare for adjustment but then not tightened.

Finally I noticed a small tear in the sidewall of the front tyre, which may well have been there when I dropped the bike off but which the mechanics had not spotted or notified me of. Subsequently I have come to the conclusion that no attempt was made to true the rear wheel.

I took the bike back to Pro Bikes to register my complaint and the response I received was that I shouldn’t have brought my bike in during the summer as they receive less attention then. I asked for a torque wrench and the “chief” mechanic came upstairs, he did apologise but only to say that he didn’t know who had done the work. No taking ownership of the poor work going on in his workshop.

Needless to say since this incident I have decided never to shop at Pro Bikes and to advise any and all individuals to steer well clear of this rude, sub-standard workshop. You seem happy to take your customer’s money and put their lives at risk.

How has your LBS failed you today? that sucks, Ed, hope you find a better shop.

I'm told the Trek store does better cheaper maintenance; Trek I know but apparently a friend of a friend works there and can take care of me.

Thanks all! Definitely feeling it today.

12 miles in 45 minutes, may not sound a lot but it's my first ride in ten days since my shoulder flared up. Felt so good. Hope the shoulder is still ok in the morning.

Shoulder improving fast now I'm exercising: did another 14 miles in 50 minutes this morning, pretty much all flat to avoid hills and therefore strain on the shoulder, but I feel so, so much better already.

btw here is my bikin weekend: http://tinyurl.com/gf-ocho

def NSFW in a few places, fyi

I dunno, that all seems pretty saf HEY WHAT THE HELL

I did actually bike btw, just didn't bring my cam on the rides

19 miles tonight. Very happy to be back.

After a summer of fighting tourist traffic across the Golden Gate Bridge, they re-opened the west span for bikes only, at the same time they finished road work on the gorgeous hill climb right off the bridge. Fifty of us celebrated with a pre-dawn raid, donuts and coffee at the top.

At the end of the ride I glimpsed a dude with four circles on his kit and some attention-grabbing shades ...

Hahaha, you never say hi anymore... :D

I was overgeared on my flatland cassette and died on the top of the hill. Gonna try again in a few weeks on my 12/25.

RIP Shasta

its sad he was a wakeboarder

what a hill to die on :(

An absolutely glorious day here in Glasgow today! Wonderful sunshine all day, but nicely cool because of the time of year. I went for a brilliant blast up onto the moors south of the city, where the 360 degree views were stunning, and then back down into town, with my best friend, who has recently caught the cycling bug from me and become my regular riding partner. Pretty much the best of times!

just for the record, dying = "soft"-pedaling at 350W for 2.5 minutes in my 23t "granny" (sic)... like 50rpms. this hill has stretches of 9-10%.

will come back for a quality VAM soon...

and bring pie too.

hello glasgow!

last time i rode that same hill w/shasta, the rest of the crew we were riding w/told me they were scared of him and then, when he reached the top, he came back down to where i was and rode back up w/me as support

Are any of you guys in NYC? My bro-in-law is there this week.

well he _was_ riding a wheelie the whole the time, shits disturbing

"soft"-pedaling at 350W

how can i say hello when i can't even see you?

my soft pedaling mashin you to pulp

Man I want a power meter to see how pathetic I am. Maybe I will reward myself with garmin power pedals if I can shift another 5 kilos by the time they ship.

http://www.power2max.de/shop_start.php?kat=race

these are ...sorta within reach!

Use a wattbike in a gym, Ed! I struggle to maintain over 200W for more than a few minutes.

i'd think the strava calculated watts is probly +/- 5% for long climbs (over 4% for 300+ ft of vert?).