Cycling

[hucks]

Doing London to Cambridge next weekend with my mate in preparation for London to Paris at the end of April. Quite up for some long rides this year. Went out this morning up the lea valley to Essex. Totally beautiful day for a ride, listened to last night's kode9 radio one mix. Great way to spend a couple of hours.

 

[Slothrop]

I'm loving cycling to work at the moment. Cambridge is a good town for it, I think.

I'm meaning to get into doing longer rides and touring as well, but, y'know, time constraints and stuff.

Currently loving my fluorescent pertex windproof - I actually bought it for walking and climbing, but it's just right for cycling in cold weather without actually freezing to death but without being soaked in sweat by the time you get there. I think the next purchases are going to be a new lock with a frame mount and some sort of small bag - possibly an under-the-saddle job, possibly a handlebar bag, possibly a ziplock gaffer taped to a couple of karabiners - to keep keys, wallet, phone etc in without arsing around with a rucksack.

 

[Slothrop]

Finally, a cycling club I could get down with:
http://www.tweed.cc/

 

[IdleRich]

Been riding about a bit recently after someone left their bike at my house. Really not very serious about it (no lock, light at the back but not the front) and don't know what I'm doing but it saves time when I head to football or whatever.

 

[droid]

*voice of peter griffin*

Wow, god, I mean, wow, errrrr

*regular voice*

THAT is exactly what I have been trying to find droid, I'm a mountain biker but want a transport bike to keep my fitness up and use less petrol, want discs, gears but really as little rolling resistance as poss. The mono-blade fork is just the icing on the cake.

Mind giving me a full spec list? Or a link if it's a complete ( is it!?! ).

Is it a cannnondale bad boy??

Hey You, didnt see this till now.

Yep, its a bad boy 8 complete. Full spec here: http://www.evanscycles.com/products/cannondale/bad-boy-8-2010-hybrid-bike-ec020197

The only thing Ive changed are the pedals, which are just silly. Still havent needed to swap the slicks yet, but I probably should...

 

[droid]

No2 son just seen the pic of droid's bike:

Him: "Why would you only want one fork?",
Me: "Erm...."

Why would you only want one fork?

@you thanks, it's a lovely machine - Reynolds Steel, handmade and handsprayed with hand built wheels. Single handedly stimulating the economy over here at Jenks' Towers.

Well... a few reasons in theory. Less wind resistance, lighter, easier to change tyres/tubes etc...

But, TBH, I didnt buy it for the lefty fork, I was just looking for any bike with an Alfine hub within my price range, and at the time this was the best option as I got a good deal and it was a lot more attractive than the alternatives.

The only downside is the lack of mounting points for front mudguards, otherwise you'd never notice.

 

[droid]

BTW, just read Graeme Obree's book. Its well worth a look:

 

[Slothrop]

Unrelatedly to the above, I've recently started getting a bit obsessed with vintage 70's english (or vintage 70's english style) racing and touring bikes.

I think it's the (implied) combination of craftsmanship and functionalism, and of slightly old fashioned restraint with delicately elegant futurism.

Currently wondering about getting one of these:

primarily for the lovely black and brown colour scheme, until I become unexpectedly rich and can afford a Dawes Super Galaxy or even a Mercian King of Mercia or suchlike.

Does anyone else share this obsession and want to post pictures to ogle?

 

[Slothrop]

Ooh, just spotted Jenks' bike back there. Exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about - gorgeous.

 

[jenks]

watch the cycloporn - it's a slippery slope! You can spend all day scoping beauties on LFGSS forum and over at bikeradar. Bennybars is the tifosi on here.

Glad you like my bike - it has been a real joy to ride through the winter and because it's steel it's really comfortable - 60 mile rides with no back ache! Now the weather is starting to turn i keep casting glances at my carbon bike, trying to work out when I can risk getting it back on the road without picking up punctures. I have a fixed for day-to-day riding and would really recommend it.

My older son has a lovely old Holdsworth we picked up dead cheap and the other is now agitating for something similar. http://www.yellowjersey.org/holdsw.html

 

[benjybars]

haha.. yep very easy to spend many, many hours of precious life looking at beautiful bikes.

i should have two new road bikes sorted very shortly.. will post some pics.

cycling in spring is so much fun it should be illegal.. warm enough to not wear a jacket but not all sweaty and muggy like in summer..

doing the Dunwich Dynamo again this year.. anyone else??

 

[Slothrop]

I have a fixed for day-to-day riding and would really recommend it.

What are the advantages of a fixed? I can't imagine going up and down hills on one, for instance...

My older son has a lovely old Holdsworth we picked up dead cheap and the other is now agitating for something similar. http://www.yellowjersey.org/holdsw.html

My dad's bike is an old (70's) Holdsworth racer which he bought new and fitted out for touring and has been replacing various bits of over the years. It's very nice.

 

[Slothrop]

doing the Dunwich Dynamo again this year.. anyone else??

Maybe next year - I'm doing London to Cambridge for charidee with some work folks this summer, if that doesn't kill me I might start training for the Dynamo...

 

[hucks]

Maybe next year - I'm doing London to Cambridge for charidee with some work folks this summer, if that doesn't kill me I might start training for the Dynamo...

London to Cambridge is pretty easy. You'll be fine.

I want to do the dunwich dynamo. When is it?

Edit: Ok turns out google is on the same Internet as dissensus. 16th July.

 

[benjybars]

yeah london to cambridge is very very manageable even with little to no training.

dunwich dynamo is great.. it's a long way no doubt but riding all through the night is so exhilarating you don't really notice the distance (well, that's not strictly true.. the last hour is bitch! but massively worth it once you arrive on the beach)

re riding fixed - main advantage is the bike itself.. far less things to go wrong.. less time and money spent fixing parts, bike weighs less and is less cumbersome etc.. and then there's the whole zen thing of riding fixed gear, which, whilst undoubtedly a bit wanky, also has a large element of truth about it..

also riding fixed is really good training in terms of health and riding technique.. encourages proper pedal stroke.. most pros used to ride fixed in the winter in order to train for the next season (before professional teams could afford to fly everyone out to winter training camps in california that is)

 

[Slothrop]

yeah london to cambridge is very very manageable even with little to no training.

Yeah, I should be alright but it's a bit longer than I've done before!

re riding fixed - main advantage is the bike itself.. far less things to go wrong.. less time and money spent fixing parts, bike weighs less and is less cumbersome etc.. and then there's the whole zen thing of riding fixed gear, which, whilst undoubtedly a bit wanky, also has a large element of truth about it..

also riding fixed is really good training in terms of health and riding technique.. encourages proper pedal stroke.. most pros used to ride fixed in the winter in order to train for the next season (before professional teams could afford to fly everyone out to winter training camps in california that is)

Oh, that sounds cool! Having looked around the net a bit, I'm beginning to wonder about trying to pick up an old racer for cheap and convert it to a fixed wheel (possibly with a flip-flop fixed / single speed hub) to zoom around Cambridgeshire on - on the basis that it'll be cheaper than getting a proper touring / road bike and hence easier to justify the outlay on something I don't really need... how difficult is the conversion, though? Or is there another way of getting something similar? I've not done anything more complicated than replacing brake blocks before...

 

[benjybars]

to be honest mate i'd just buy a complete fixed gear bike from ebay of lfgss.com... will be much, much less hassle..

you should be able to pick up a decent complete fixed bike for under £200

 

[pat]

Yeah, I should be alright but it's a bit longer than I've done before!


Oh, that sounds cool! Having looked around the net a bit, I'm beginning to wonder about trying to pick up an old racer for cheap and convert it to a fixed wheel (possibly with a flip-flop fixed / single speed hub) to zoom around Cambridgeshire on - on the basis that it'll be cheaper than getting a proper touring / road bike and hence easier to justify the outlay on something I don't really need... how difficult is the conversion, though? Or is there another way of getting something similar? I've not done anything more complicated than replacing brake blocks before...

i'm thinking of doing the same, trust in sheldon:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

my left pedal fell off yesterday

 

[Slothrop]

to be honest mate i'd just buy a complete fixed gear bike from ebay of lfgss.com... will be much, much less hassle..

you should be able to pick up a decent complete fixed bike for under £200

I'm kind of interested in a bit of a project, though - I'd quite like to learn more about fixing bikes, and if this is something that I can beaver away at for a bit and end up with something nice then I'm not bothered about spending a bit of time on it. OTOH if I'm likely to end up with something shonky that falls apart then buying something finished might be a better idea...

 

[benjybars]

yep Sheldon Brown is the undisputed daddy.. his is the final word on any cycling related matter


building something up yourself will definitely feel more rewarding so good luck if you decide to give it a shot!