ChrisB

Happens to all of us when you're new to SPDs. I ended up on the floor and had to take my shoes off to free myself from the bike

SJ_Skyline

I remember my first time falling off with SPDs. Uncliped the left foot as I fell over to the right - face down in 6" of mud. Mrs was laughing so much she fell off as well

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

In the car today, wind, rain, felt crap and the car hadnt turned a wheel for over 2 weeks so I thought I should give it a run.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Pathetic excuse

I've got horizontal rain here at the moment - 30mph gusts and I'm going to be cycling INTO it on the way home.

God help me... I'm going to be in 1st gear most of the way. If I haven't posted any of my usual bolox by 9pm send out the search parties

SiPie

Not even enough to ruffle your nasal hair

davegtt

Already had our downpoor at midday today. Made it into work dry and hoping I can get back in the dry too

Mogsi

Our downpour started at about 6am this morning and is still going... :S

Thank god the radiators are on and my clothing is dry ready for the ride/swim home...

davegtt

Found on Hotukdeals but thought you guys might find it of some interest. Loads of cycling stuff at Lidl for decent prices.

ALDI - Thursday Special Buys 18th September 2008

austinwrx

I quite like earphones, not too loud though.

sounds daft- but it keeps the wind out of yr ears? maybe its me !!!

ChrisB

That's Aldi and was a couple of weeks ago

The cycling stuff at Aldi all tends to be sold the morning it arrives - it's a right scrummage.

davegtt

Doh, my bad but either way, Aldi or Lidl. Same place, just in a different store

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I stand by todays decision, I will take the reduction in HBP's (Hard B4stard Points), still feel sh1te as well, will cycle in tommorrow and I am off on Friday.

I reckon SiPie actually drives a Range Rover everywhere and just likes goading gullible idiots like myself into cycling in inapproriate weather.

Bonehead

Didn't cycle today as I'd had my knee twisted in me Krav Maga class last night.
I wish I did though, then the lad in the white Astra wouldn'tve rear ended the Scoob
The only thing that stopped me from killing the driver was "dont worry mate, my fault, I'll pay for it, me brakes locked"
His bonnet was up in the air and although I thought I'd got away with a scratch turns out the bumper's slightly bent
Got repairs organised with a guy who knows his stuff and so far it looks like it'll get sorted without any hassle.

Just got off the phone with the insurance company as back up No1.

Still wished I cycled though..........

SiPie

I've been rumbled

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I would rather have an Astra smash into the back of my car than my bike, but I suppose you are saying he would have probably gone sliding past.

Should check his tyres, probably bald.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I made it. I'm alive. It took bloody AGES to get home. Holy Cow that wind was something else!

At least I got to see the clearest double rainbow I have ever seen Oh Yes. Horizontal rain was just one of the pleasures

That took some doing - I was pedalling DOWNHILL at one point and when you got to a clear bit... hells teeth! I was 3 gears down from my normal on a flat.

dunx

iTrader: (3)

LOL SPD's mine was at work and the choice was bosses brand new Vectra V6 Sri or tarmac.... you choose ?

I got my knee down, but that did smart.

And I had an audience....

DunxC

SiPie

Until you've had to remove the bike chain and all the gear cables and used them to shackle yourself to a nearby lampost to prevent being blown away, then you haven't experienced cycle commuting in the wind

<Si reaches and turns climate control up a degree in his Range Rover>

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I was out in a storm one time... turned into a thunderstorm (which was fun!) when the wind was so bad that it blew an Oak tree over. Bad in itself, except I'd passed under the tree no more than 30 seconds before. It landed on the road and near killed a guy in a car. I heard the crash as I went 'round the bend and went back to have a look.

I decided that was the point to go home... which was fine as I had the mother of all tailwinds the whole way back

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Eventful ride home, going down the singletrack road, I pulled in for a car coming the other way, I set off and just felt like giving it a little Wheelie, so I did, a good distance and the Punto woman arrived smirking having clocked me, she is actually quite nice, I think my special needs display impressed her....

Later in the journey, riding primary through roadworks to avoid mud, cones and barriers and a badly driven old E class was on my tail, he went for his gap that wasnt there and hit the kerb, blew his horn and drove alongside me, I just braked and let the **** through rather than have him kill me, it was a little fat Asian guy with a tache gesticulting wildly at me, rather than waiting like other drivers do he endangered me to get through 100 yds of roadworks before me where there wasnt room, I could have followed but didnt, he would have got stuck in the town centre but whats the point, most drivers are courteous but not it seems Merc E class drivers, its funny as my uncle got knocked off his bike (motorised type) by an Asian guy in an E class, coincedence ? driving involves a lot of preconceptions and snap stereotypes about cars and their drivers to avoid accidents and I am sorry if this sounds racist but I will be avoiding areas of predominantly Asian people when on a Bike, they seem to have a different attitude to cars and driving than the rest of the population, Bradford isnt high on my list of touring destinations anyway.

LanCat

Second puncture of the week today. Some of the farmers are trimming the hedgerows now and the thorns get spread everywhere. I hate punctures.

Anyone use those self-sealing inner tubes? Any good?

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

LanCat, been lucky since a day with 3 punctures, good tyres, pumped up hard seem to help.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

LanCat - I have Continentals on my bike which have a 1 year puncture guarantee on them - I've been over some pretty rough track and right through a patch of broken glass with no issues.

I do however carry a spare tube and tyre levers just in case (who wants to repair a puncture at the side of the road?)

Oh, and apparently those tubes are very heavy.

LanCat

I always carry a spare tube (it's now the one i fixed the day before ) I'll be having a bad day if I end up using my patches at the side of the road.

Maybe just unlucky this week then. If it carries on I'll have to make some changes tho'.

Not too worried about the weight - I carry enough under my jumper

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Yep, same here, 230 lbs, plus 30 lb bike plus add ons, same as a small car

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

and worse emissions



Struggled home last night - got a head cold coming so the energy was low. Mind you my own stupidity didn't help:

The last hill on the way back is not huge but goes on for some way. I used to struggle up it in 4th, now I cruise in 5th... Or at least I normally do. Last night I had a nightmare. I expect the bridlepath to be slower with the wet mud, but I couldn't get my cadence up on this hill and really had to work to get up.

Got to the top and recovered on the flat, get to the roundabout and shift down a gear so I can pull off quickly and realise the flaming thing is one gear higher than it should've been! I suppose I should be pleased I can DO the hill in this gear but hells teeth you do take it out of yourself when you pick the wrong gear.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I think half of how you feel and perform is down to eating, I didnt eat enough yesterday, missus was in a mood and tea was yak so it got binned, she went out and I thought I wouldnt need anything else, come Ten o clock, starving, nailed a 2 egg omlette, 2 rounds of toast and a can of beans and sausages, woke up, hungry but had to go out, gets full breakfast barm and a Flapjack as was ravenous again.

Have to say, cycling is ace for the appetite, I dont get bloated the same, food doesn't seem to sit on my stomach and pants are getting a bit looser.

I feel like I need to do some weights again, I have gone reverse of my previous way of doing things, was all into weights and swimming so big top half but now getting big thighs and loosing what tone I had up top.

Getting the Mutt at the end of the month so should be walking and running more, so even more opportunities to justify huge ammounts of food.

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I'm going to get some of those nature bar thingies at lunch today and eat one 30 mins before I go home and test the theory

Either that or a BIG Yorkie bar

Mogsi

Bananas do the job for me..

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

i love the taste of bananas but hate the texture... hence my fave milkshake being banana

i think i might try a quick energy fix to get me over the initial hump on the way home. It takes 30 mins for the first 5 miles and 30 mins for the next 9!