your daily bicycle log

Went 20m last night just getting to a show and back, on my new 3spd!! It's been a year or more since I rode a geared bike, and I have NEVER had one this smooth and nice; it feels inefficient per pedal stroke compared to my single-speed, but BOY I forgot how luxurious mechanical advantage is. Three cheers for physics!

3 punctures in 3 days. Gah! My tyres are fairly new, I found 3 medium size glass 'slices' that have made it all the way through the tyre. So is that it? New tyres again?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/schwalbe-ultremo-r1-evolution-coloured-folding-road-tyre/

Those are what I have. Any recommendations are welcome.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/vittoria-rubino-pro-slick-folding-clincher-tyre/

?

i've got non-folding non-slick ones and i just had my first puncture after three years. ok i only ride about once a week but still.

I had Ultremos for 18 months in between punctures, then got a whole lot at once. They're bliss to ride on - I think you've just been unlucky (but, they are fancy racing tyres and will always get more punctures than harder, heavier city tyres).

Cheers, may give those a go, ledge.

And Mark, yeah, the Ultremos are lovely. I think I'd rather get the odd puncture and go faster, smoother, quieter cuz well, it's more fun. They've been fairly puncture proof until recently, it just seems bizarre that it's only 3 (that I can see) tiny little slices that seem to have rendered them useless.

Also what's the trick with avoiding punctures. Better to be slightly less pumped, or pumped to the max? I think I just have to accept that I'll get punctures, the roads on my commute and regular journeys are full of Hackney

Fwiw I use Conti GP4000S

i pump the tyres fairly high tbh, unless it's wet, in which case a little more squish is advisable. a lot of potentially puncture causing objects tend to ping out from under the wheel, unless you get a direct hit, whereas with lower pressure tyres they will go in - greater surface area in contact with the road. that's my experience anyway. I can't remember what I've got - hang on...

continental hardshell on the front and i think a schwalbe on the back - both complete thumbfucks to get on and off (or wrists, depending on yr method) but i hate punctures so much.

Speaking of Tyres I have worn through my rear Schwalbe Lugano so quickly. It's been about a month since I put it on and I've already worn through the tread, there's about an inch of the puncture protection material showing and a spot where the threads are showing. Not too impressd, I know I'm heavy and it's hot but its only been 1000kms or so.

How often do you usually replace yours? I tend to find that somewhere around the 2,000 mile mark I suddenly start getting punctures and decide it's time to call it a day.

At this time of year I seem to go through them faster. It's hotter so the rubber softens. I'm also heavier, which is harder on them. I've been group riding more which means I'm locking the rear wheel more.

I'm guessing I'm averaging somewhere int he 1500-2000km range but this rear has lasted a lot less

xp ditto

checkin back in from nobikeistan to say i rode cruiser bike one handed to railstation today, 1.2 miles woohoo. back in tha game.

i've been walkin it but walking 18 mins each way seems so...pointless.

great out the back of the saddle fart half an hour ago, ftw, fyi

Rode with someone way better than me today, 87km and 1191m of climbing got some great PRs on strava, probably my fastest long ride to date.

Why walk anywhere when you can bike, even one-handed? So slow, so much wasted effort.

Staten Island is very hilly.

got out for an hour in the sunshine around 1pm. spring!

might try for a longer one tomorrow morn.

Man on Brighton beach riding a new Pinarello Prince with toe clips and Vibram Five Fingers, ur doing it wrong.

thank you nick for that priceless mental image!

Lysol in my eyes

I too use Conti GP4000S tyres. I'm on my third set in a year, so probably about 4000 miles a time, with no skidding.

I've had some bad luck punctures on this new set though already, so they may not last as long.

luv GP4000s, 25s especially

Yep, rolling the 25s here.

23s for me

When I was into cycling first time around (88-91 ish) tyres were much narrower, iirc. I think 21 was standard for racing and you could even get 19 or 18. Now 23 seems to be as narrow as it goes.

Went out today for the first time in a week due to some minor surgery. I was absolutely flying, like I'd had a brake rubbing for the rest of the year. Unfortunately my ride was cut short by breaking a spoke on my rear wheel, the second in three weeks. I'd run this wheel into the gap between concrete slabs and I guess that didn't do it too much good. The braking surface is looking pretty worn, the wear marker is almost gone so it may be new wheel time.

too hot here to commute in the summer. back in the saddle this am. my bum hurts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cjwidQJNGo&feature=colike

Did a race on the Hillingdon circuit on Saturday. I can be mostly seen at or near the back of the bunch in that video. The pace was quite high (average speed 25.3 mph, but well over 26mph for the opening 8 miles or so) but I felt pretty good leg-wise. I had plenty left at the end, but as usual my lack of nerves of steel meant I was positioned nowhere near the action for the sprint finish (I think I managed to nail that all-important 24th spot).

http://app.strava.com/rides/21601720

ride 85km, do 3km of PAAAAAAAIN, then ride home again. i like to think we'd have gone a couple of hours quicker but my pal had THREE flats - luckily one was like 1km from the end. also we had to take lolzy detour up over a hill due to roadworks ("the road through there's collapsing, boys!").

Looks nice.

Fancy a pint week of October 1st?

yes!

Haitch, Tuesday, wednesday, Thursday all good that week. Hit the webmail link and we can work something out

Also do you know anywhere I can rent a bike? I'm being told to amuse myselfon sunday 30th so E can prep for her class. Would like to get a ride in. Thought about bringing mine but getting it there is almost half way to buying a new one.

Did a 25-mile time trial this afternoon and got a new PB (1:05:42). Since I got the heart rate monitor I've done a PB in two out of three time trials - it really helps to try to keep me at my threshold, and neither overcook it on the climbs or go too easy on the descents (or when I start daydreaming).

I wasn't planning to ride a townie 30 miles today including 4 bridge crossings, but sometimes these things just happen.

I'll rouse the other melb peeps, ed!

re a rentabike, try these guys or this lot.

cool, thanks

I rode to Mars today. Also my first sub 4 hrs 100km, I'm more impressed because it featured 1800m of climbing

http://app.strava.com/activities/22209318

Hey, gbx, you could do this tomorrow

http://www.voiceplaces.com/ride-with-professional-cyclist-tom-danielson-minneapolis-st-paul-2584900-e/

oh man group rides with actual roadies make me nervous

Just back from 56 miles and 4500 feet of climbing over Dartmoor. Bloody windy and hard work.

Something a bit different for me tomorrow...

Glasgow's second annual Harris Tweed Ride!

I have procured Victorian cycling gent style clothing and am really looking forward to the day out. It's a friend's birthday outing too, so should be especially fun.

It was great!

Amazing coffee, bloody marys, fish & chips, great local beer, oysters, whisky, vietnamese noodle soup, Scottish gin cocktails, pulled pork rolls, whisky cocktails.

And the merest hint of cycling.

Are you going to ride in tweed for the forseeable future?

That really sounds amazing.

haitch, when where should we meet next week?

ha, i thought webmail was being flaky yesterday - tried sending something twice and no good. tuesday night FAP is a goer if you're still available for that?

Tuesday, sounds good.

I DMed my email address to you through twitter

OK, no I didn't because you don't follow me

Marshalling duties today: up at 5.45am after very little sleep, rode 10 miles from race HQ to a roundabout with the temperature just 4C - had to wear some winter stuff for the first time since the spring. Did another 24 miles after the race but there was a howling wind so it wasn't much fun.

So yes, I am the proud owner of a tank of an MTB, but as soon as I started riding it a month ago...I realised that I am woefully out of shape.

Been just doing very short rides with QGP, trying to get in shape on the ol' shared paths before "shredding" those "sweet trails". It's woefully embarrassing how I'm going atm, bottom 10% of Strava sectors...but I'm on an absurdly heavy MTB, if that counts.

Had a very good but short ride on Sunday, through. Felt quite good after it, which is promising.

Fell down stairs while trying to get bike ready for race last night - sore at the bottom of my back and brusied elbow. Slept badly. Drove up to race HQ in freezing conditions. Garmin said -1C when I got on my bike to ride to the start. Only had fingerless mitts - my hands went through pain to total numbness in the opening miles. Then my chain came off when I tried to change up on a gentle descent. The same thing happened about 5 miles later. Finished time trial in sweltering temperatures (approx 5C) with a time more than two and a half minutes slower than my PB a few weeks ago. Not a great day. Next week: the Catford Hill Climb.

cycling!

I got doc permission to road ride just in time for an unending schedule of 14 hr workdays including wknd. (and 25 degree weather) :^(