The cycling thread

[Cav]

Went up the Long Mynd and back down Minton Batch. Not a big ride but one hell of a long climb to the top!

Always a sign of an enjoyable ride

[Perkles]

The Long Mynd is beautiful and hard roads/tracks

[Cav]

Yeah it's really something to see. I kept falling into ruts on the climb because I was looking at the scenery.

Really bloody rocky descent.. I'm amazed I didn't rip a tyre

I'd like to explore more of it but I don't think it's worth a dedicated 4 hour round trip

[Cav]

So Strava lost my data upon requesting an upload but I checked with the trails and worked out how much I did.

32.8km
1132m climbing

This was 2 full runs of the Verderers Blue XC trail and 6 laps of DH.

The recently refurbished blue-rated Countdown and Launchpad trails are epic. You drop 20 or 30m into a 6ft berm in places. It's just plain FUN!

[Cav]

Hopefully going to my mate's local trails with him tomorrow along with another friend. I'm sure it will end in tears for one of us - hopefully that's not me.

I'll be stripping, cleaning and greasing my headset too because it's creaking far too much.

[Cav]

Great ride on Friday at my mates local.. awesome trails and did my first super steep 12ft roll in.

Today I found a couple of hours to get up to my local. Was super relaxed and ended up going really quick. I just had a hoot.

[Cav]

New saddle fitted and it feels much better after a quick blat trying to bed my brakes in.
SPD pedals fitted too.... that's a palava to setup isn't it! Trying to get cleat position correct is slow progress.
Commuting by bike tomorrow so will see if I have to stop after 20 minutes to relieve my crushed appendages.

[Cav]

That saddle.... even if I end up hating this one, it's infinitely better than the stock unit. My only discomfort by the end was on my sit bones. I need to bring the nose up a little to get the weight off my wrists though.

SPDs... I didn't crash yet. I didn't have them setup right either but one was nearly right (just slightly off angle) and one was way off... pedalling through my toes it felt like.

[Perkles]

That saddle.... even if I end up hating this one, it's infinitely better than the stock unit. My only discomfort by the end was on my sit bones. I need to bring the nose up a little to get the weight off my wrists though.

SPDs... I didn't crash yet. I didn't have them setup right either but one was nearly right (just slightly off angle) and one was way off... pedalling through my toes it felt like.

should be on the ball of your foot ankle slightly angled out, SPDs have lateral movement they dont need to be positioned mega accurately

[ket]

I fell off and cracked 3 ribs hit a small pothole going into a corner in the wet couldn't make the corner and head butted a railway bridge wall.

Ok now though. its strange I was quite concussed but you dont know it at the time. I distinctly remember seeing a manhole cover and I thought it was that, but ive since been and theres no manhole cover there at all.

Hospital goes did you lose your memory at all, said no, well you cant remember what you cant remember can you. turns out though I did as the couple that found me told my mate that picked me up I was incoherent and talking nonsense. (which I cant remember).

stay safe

But I since did a race at Thruxton surrounded by 40 other bikes and didn't fall off !! despite the efforts of the rest. And didnt get dropped either

oh and also - Scott Redding goes up there, has gone from a cat 4 to cat 2 in one season, he won the elite mens race, 2 of his mates with him race in super sport or superstock I think and they were in my race. All kitted out in muck off skin suits

[D41]

Ouch!! Hope you heal up quickly.

[ket]

Ouch!! Hope you heal up qui

hi mate all fine now was 3 months ago. bugger to sleep with broke ribs though

[ket]

Get a good helmet - mine was very compressed on the temple, had bruising behind my ear for a week. since upgraded to a MIPS one

[Kwacky]

You don't do things by half, do you Ket?

[Cav]

Jeez.. I'd describe all of that as unpleasant.

[Perkles]

I fell off and cracked 3 ribs hit a small pothole going into a corner in the wet couldn't make the corner and head butted a railway bridge wall.

Ok now though. its strange I was quite concussed but you dont know it at the time. I distinctly remember seeing a manhole cover and I thought it was that, but ive since been and theres no manhole cover there at all.

Hospital goes did you lose your memory at all, said no, well you cant remember what you cant remember can you. turns out though I did as the couple that found me told my mate that picked me up I was incoherent and talking nonsense. (which I cant remember).

stay safe

But I since did a race at Thruxton surrounded by 40 other bikes and didn't fall off !! despite the efforts of the rest. And didnt get dropped either

oh and also - Scott Redding goes up there, has gone from a cat 4 to cat 2 in one season, he won the elite mens race, 2 of his mates with him race in super sport or superstock I think and they were in my race. All kitted out in muck off skin suits

why dont you try flower arranging or something more gentle

[Cav]

I've ordered some lights.

Lezyne Zecko Front250/Rear80 set
MagicShine Ray 2600

The set should help me be seen, the Ray should help me see. I also have a 1200lm torch which I'm going to try mounting to my helmet for night rides.

[kiwikrasher]

I've ordered some lights.

Lezyne Zecko Front250/Rear80 set
MagicShine Ray 2600

The set should help me be seen, the Ray should help me see. I also have a 1200lm torch which I'm going to try mounting to my helmet for night rides.

I used to do a lot of night MTB riding and you do need a handlebar and helmet mount light of similar brightness to maintain depth perception and contour recognition. I had a wide beam on the bars and a spot beam on the helmet. This was 15 yrs ago when LED lights were only just coming out and expensive, so I home built a couple of sets and got heat sinks machined up for them. Can't remember the ratings now but the guys I rode with used to make me go first as there old bulb lights were so much dimmer I cast shadows on their line of sight if i was behind them

[Cav]

Haha.. that's been the feedback on the Ray 2600 - that it cast shadows in other peoples light.

My torch will pair up fairly well and I'll trial them in both places to see which I prefer. Most people seem to like the powerful light on the bars and the lower power on the helmet but I'll see which one I like most.

The big one has been dispatched already

[Cav]

Ordered 3 sets of main pivot bearings. 6 months and 400km has notched the crap out of the stock ones. I'm hoping I can get them through Winter before changing but we'll see if that's possible.

I was going to order a new top headset bearing but only the stock one is in stock... the stock one has completely disassembled itself so no thanks.