Fixed 61

Posted on 17th May 2015 by essiep

12°C, white cloud and one shower. Strong W.
I rode with MapMyRide+! Distance: 61.8mi, time: 04:26:08, pace: 4:18min/mi, speed: 13.9mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/988541573
Riding fixed in wind is not recommended. Wind is a weakness of single speed bikes, it turns the ride into a long steady climb up a hill. That hill can easily be ten miles long. The trick is to choose a route that crosses the wind direction as much as possible.
Speaking of hills, I got up Bannister Hill again, also after Dalton.

Joey in the woods.

Seventy-four

Posted on 10th May 2015 by essiep

11 to 16°C, brisk SSW, sunny early and later. Noon cloud.
I rode Racelite-8 with MapMyRide+! Distance: 74.25mi, time: 05:06:41, pace: 4:08min/mi, speed: 14.5mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/978943357
Longest ride of the year so far. I haven’t done enough of these in ’15 but this marks a steady build-up towards some century rides in high summer.

And Two cafe stops.

7am canal ride.

Posted on 9th May 2015 by essiep

11°C, brisk SW and grey cloud. Dry.
I rode Jake with MapMyRide+! Distance: 17.8mi, time: 01:39:10, pace: 5:35min/mi, speed: 10.76mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/977307793
Started early, 7am start and saw few people. The return via Chorley was hillier that I remember but there were no surprise traffic on the narrow twisty lanes.

Mapmyride has strange bugs. If I change the ride type to cyclocross, then the GPS fails to work, change it back to Road Cycling and it’s back to normal. Even changing the ride type after my return voids the mapping. I will hold out for an update.
home:

Another tree felled. I have enjoyed this cherry every spring, it put a magnificent show in flower and the colour glowed against the morning sun. Now it has gone and I am bereft, I hate to see a healthy tree cut down.

Evening canal 13

Posted on 6th May 2015 by essiep

11°C, W brisk, 3/5 cloud.
Evening cyclocross: did a short route on the Jake in a loop on the canal.
13.5 miles in 1h 20.
GPS failed again. It’s a bug in Mapmyride that started on the 30th April update. Again, it failed to connect to the GPS sensor mm my phone so would only record the time for the outing.
I have cleared the data for tomorrow’s commute, so it should be okay.

Breaks in the cloud produced long shadows and a blaze of colour from fields of rape. Big grin.

Which bike today?

Posted on 4th May 2015 by essiep

16°C, mostly sunny with a light SW breeze.
Which bike today? What a good problem to have- fixed gear or cyclocross?
I rode fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 50.34mi, time: 03:09:48, pace: 3:46min/mi, speed: 15.91mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/970325615
‘Rode up Bannister Hill after riding up to Dalton. The big climb felt harder than last time, but this is the first time I have climbed up both.
Good ride at a decent pace.

Venus Fly Trap plant. I like these chaps, they could star in a good animation.

Cross thread.

Posted on 2nd May 2015 by essiep

11°C light rain under grey sky.
It should have been a simple job.
For a few weeks a cracking noise came from the Arrow’s bottom bracket. This has happened before when warm weather started. It’s as if the warmer, expanded metal gap loosened the lock-rings.
It should have taken an hour to fix it. It took over two.
The threads were stripped on the left side. That is a worrying sign of possible damage to the threads in the frame; a job for a frame builder.
Eventually, I got it out, cleaned the inside threads with a wire brush and got swarf in my finger.
It’s done now, but to play safe, I have a new bearing on order.

MapMyfail.

Posted on 1st May 2015 by essiep

11°C, light NW..slight snow.
MapMyRide failed yesterday. The app refused to communicate with the GPS sensor. Other GPS apps worked as expected, but not MapMyRide. Strange because there were no updates that could be a simple explanation. Other software updates?

Eventually, I decided to uninstall the app and replace it. However, using the app manager, I noticed the Clear Data button, so tried that.
After logging in again, success!

Hard soil, Cyclocross.

Posted on 26th Apr 2015 by essiep

I rode Cyclocross with MapMyRide+! Distance: 43.6mi, time: 03:38:57, pace: 5:01min/mi, speed: 11.96mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/958793413
Developed yesterday’s route, including that trail loop. It includes a steep, short descent with am immediate right turn. I nearly lost it on that curve since the surface is loose.
Later, went north to the nature reserve near Bank. There too, the soil was dry and cracked which hammered my arms and shoulders. See the photo.

Though the ride was only 44 miles, it felt more like 60. Look at the duration for a comparison.

Disused railways.

Posted on 25th Apr 2015 by essiep

10°C, brisk NW, grey sky and the rain has finished for now.

I rode Cyclocross with MapMyRide+! Distance: 19.3mi, time: 01:41:30, pace: 5:16min/mi, speed: 11.4mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/957677509

Took a familiar route on canals and disused railway tracks. For variety, there are side tracks that are rideable including this one in the photo. It’s a rail bridge that is closed off, rather crudely with tree trunks. You can see over if you climb up, but there is only farmland beyond.
This track looks like trail bikes have hewn a route in footpaths. They undulated so that it was almost possible to propel yourself along by pushing the bars up and down like a kid’s rocking horse.
Finding places like this is the great thing about cyclocross.

That ride makes the week’s total 189 miles. I don’t feel that tired either. That means my fitness is good.

Micycle

Mike thinks b/hikes

Category Archives: Cycling