Wheels weighed.

Posted on 14th Mar 2015 by essiep

7°C. Light cool wind. Grey overcast.
New wheels, for the cross bike when commuting. I had them built up with Schwalbe tyres which promise resistance to punctures.

They are not especially light, and don’t need to be. They simply have to be reliable.
This Thought prompted me to weigh some of my wheelsets. I decided to weigh the front wheel since the gear cassette makes quite a difference when the ratios are not similar.
•CX disc with cross tyres: 1.83Kg#
•Raleigh disc with Schwalbe: 1.69 Kg
•Shimano Deore with Mavic A319 rims: 1.55Kg
•Shimano STX with Alexia: 1.26Kg
•Shimano R500 wheelset:1.23 Kg
•Mavic Aksium: 1.21 Kg

#These wheels are currently fitted with Slime inner-tubes which are considerably heavier than plain tubes.

Simply putting wheels on the scales is naive, the rotational momentum is often more important. I expect the CX wheels will fare worst on this score too. But with 11 punctures in their first month, I see no choice. It looks like both disc wheels have heavy hubs, but I am not troubled by that.
As expected, the Aksium came out best, but not by a huge margin.

A badger.

Posted on 10th Mar 2015 by essiep

6°C, still, dry and clear.
I rode Arrow home with MapMyRide+! Distance: 30.4mi, time: 02:00:10, pace: 3:56min/mi, speed: 15.3mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/899478955
After an annoying afternoon at work trying to get mailmerge to work properly, I rode home. Conditions were ideal, very dry, no real wind and not too cold.
Legs were full of energy, and I enjoyed the feeling of speed in 0in cool dark air of evening. In these dry conditions, the dust on roads is white. This is great, the lights have more effect, they reach further.
Today, despite a slow puncture, I totalled 40 miles. Result.

To cap it all, I caught a badger in the headlights. He scurried along the edge of a hedge. Curiosity, this was the same stretch of road that I encountered the bat last year.
Remember, I rode there and a bat flew along immediately in front of me in the same direction. Remember how enchanted I was?
The badger was charming too.

I like riding at night.

1,000th mile.

Posted on 9th Mar 2015 by essiep

I rode fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 34.9mi, time: 02:16:11, pace: 3:59min/mi, speed: 15.1mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/896676871
Rain held me back for the morning, leaving less time to build some miles today. That means that on paper, the ride is unremarkable. But at least it marks the thousandth mile done before easter.

All those rides on the cross bike mean I had almost forgotten how comfortable the fixed gear bike is, especially on long rides.

Chamois cream

Posted on 7th Mar 2015 by essiep

13°C brisk SW. Sunny and dry.
Chamois cream Is a little secret held by cyclists. It’s not something to rub into the Chamois in your shorts, so a misnomer really. It’s rubbed around your arse. A cream that is mild anti-septic to reduce saddle-sores. Are you thinking it should be re-named? If it were called arse-cream, do you still think it would sell? A tube of whiteish arse cream? No!

In small print on the back, are the ingredients and a product warning:
Product Warning there are no product warnings with this product.
Lawers have left their footprints here haven’t they?

Slime and silt.

Posted on 1st Mar 2015 by essiep

8°C, strong SW, Clear start but clouding over.
I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 37.3mi, time: 03:00:08, pace: 4:50min/mi, speed: 12.4mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/889388491
Again, rode the cyclocross bike in the strong wind. The fixed gear is daunting on exposed roads like these, an easy decision.
After only three miles, a puncture. By the canal, there was signs of recent hedge trimming, and it was blackthorn. The have especially long thorns that do not know about Challenge Grifo tyres. I have given in to desperation. Eleven punctures in one month, can you blame me? So, I bought Slime inner tubes. Anyway, the puncture. Those tubes have self-sealing goo inside. So I stopped canal-side and got the pump. I blew the tyre back up, and almost unbelievably, it stayed up.
Riding on the beach seemed appealing this morning. Last week it worked well, so why not again?
I will tell you why not, silt. First it gummed up the chain-stays then the gears and finally, it shed the chain. Even the wheels were hard to turn.
There was plenty of driftwood to use. It took quite a bit of prodding before the biggest lumps dropped out. I must have looked like one of those crows doing IQ tests on TV. Well, a florescent crow, you know the ones.
The tyre pressure remained! In fact, I added more for the tarmac section, and return.

This is the rear stays with most of the gunk removed.

Icey crust below, canal woodpeckers above.

Posted on 22nd Feb 2015 by essiep

4°C, SW brisk, rain/sleet.
Rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 21.4mi, time: 02:25:57, pace: 6:50min/mi, speed: 8.8mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/882936239
Eventful short ride.
Took the reverse canal route from Friday, my own tyre tracks are still there. The tyres broke a crispy thin ice on puddles and mud. After only 3 miles though, two punctures, both thorns. I then went to a cafe to warm up and patch the tubes.

Another cyclist suggested Slime Tubes, it’s got to be worth trying.
Later, headed towards Cannock Chase through Armitage. That’s where the rain started.

Then, something strange. Riding under a low bridge, I had to duck down against the bars. But on emerging, suddenly ouch a stiff back- I pulled a muscle. That decided it, turn home. That’s when the sleet came down and wind picked up. So I put my head down and slogged on. Woodpeckers must live near canals, one sounded very close. There were also many dogs to give way to. Will it get too busy to use these routes in the summer?
With a wind like this, there should be a good draw on the fire at home. Though the miles are low, I looked forward to a warm log fire.

The patches held.

Cherry.

Posted on 21st Feb 2015 by essiep

7C, hail showers, sun too.
Started cutting the cherry tree. It’s sad to do this to a beautiful tree but it’s growing into telephone wires and I don’t want to be liable.
Since its quite a big job, I have only cut the branches that affect the wires today If there’s time tomorrow, I will finish the rest. My main hope is that it doesn’t kill the tree.

My camellia appears to be using last year’s calendar.

Single camellia in February.

It’s a buzz to work in the garden all day. Dodging the hail showers was not troublesome and I got a good workout chopping logs.

Canal gloop.

Posted on 20th Feb 2015 by essiep

I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 18.9mi, time: 02:15:16, pace: 7:10min/mi, speed: 8.4mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/881230961
Yesterday’s rain is soaking slowly into saturated ground. It’s deepest by gates and stiles where walkers have trod. These cycling shoes didn’t let me down. The only skid was on a wooden bridge all covered in slimy moss.

The best bit was along a bridle path towards Wychnor. It looks like cattle land, though none were visible. Most of it was wet but rideable. Crossing points were deep mud, which on flat ground is more stable.
Weather looks unfavourable tomorrow.
Only 18 miles but it felt like more.

Ribble Estuary nature reserve.

Posted on 17th Feb 2015 by essiep

I rode CX with MapMyRide+! Distance: 60.5mi, time: 05:35:56, pace: 5:33min/mi, speed: 10.8mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/878561051
Had a grand day out in Lancashire. Saw many kestrels and oyster-catchers. That area by the Ribble estuary is utterly beautiful. In today’s light, it couldn’t look better.

To the right, farmland, and left is a nature reserve. That’s where the oyster-catchers were in huge numbers, and other flocks that I didn’t recognise. On the north west horizon was Blackpool Tower; north, Lake District; and east, the Pennines.
I don’t really know how to compare the day’s ride with one on the road. 60 miles in five and a half hours is quite slow, but this wasn’t on tarmac. Riding cross is perhaps less demanding of the legs, but takes far more concentration.

Fixed sixty.

Posted on 15th Feb 2015 by essiep

I rode fixed with MapMyRide+! Distance: 60.0mi, time: 03:54:58, pace: 3:55min/mi, speed: 15.3mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/876416783
Spring soon. Rode familiar routes on the road at the best pace so far this year. Winter seems to be drawing to a close with all the usual clues appearing about now.

Only drag is another puncture, again, a thorn. Eight flats in six weeks.

Micycle

Mike thinks b/hikes