No gimmicks, no focus on standards, no intervals, no FTP or HR watching (well some), no training, just a brilliant “holiday” ride at Swinley with some good company and a bacon roll.

I might do it again one day.

😀

Ditto (on and off road around Swindon) this morning in the sunshine.

First ride on it since April, with no power meter and no HR. Lovely! Might extend my training holiday to Brass Monkeys at the weekend, then it’s back to the “proper” triathlon training.

I’m doing it there on Weds with a bunch of mates 🙂

You’re going to like it weeksy, its held up well and is mostly dry, fast and swoopy.

Its also the first time I’ve had my Anthem off table tops/drops and it’s – the bike – surprised me yet again adding to my grin factor.

Had a year of ‘riding to race’ last year.I would’nt strictly call it training (as I don’t go in for that) ,just a LOT (8000miles) of riding with a purpose.
Won a few things (road,cx and mtb).Lost a lot of weight.
Now I’m going to get fat (not touched a bike for 6 weeks) and get back to riding for FUN (eventually…..when I get out of bed).
Not that I did’nt enjoy my time racing (and winning) but I’m not sure how people get so obsessed with it.

I’ve done quite a bit of this in preparation for 7 months of heavy training that I have to do prior to the TCR – getting the last bit of ‘fun’ in. Xmas day and boxing day round thetford were the highlights – no garmin, strava, set route, just lots of skids, wheelies and messing about. Even the torrential rain on Boxing day couldn’t take the edge off.

Regarding racing, I used to do a fair bit (although not to any great standard) and found this time of the year the hardest; fat from xmas, cold and icy out..then you look at Strava and see your peers doing 300 mile weeks….eeesh!

My MTB has been laid up since October, it’s got no BB in at the moment (although I have it to fit) 🙁

I’ve been busy/lazy/crap when it comes to finishing the job and just getting out for a ride on it. I know I’ll love it when I do.

Something about lots of commuting this year has killed my desire for riding for ‘fun’. It’s a pattern I need to break.

Every ride is like that for me, just at this time of year it’s usually just me or two of us as all the others are fair weather riders

Was s’posed to be doing that today but it’s day 3 of 100f and feeling so gross I could cry…….

Bloody lovely out there it is..

Anyone riding out today should be doing it for FUN 8)

I rode my mountain bike yesterday. And I liked it.

did you expect not to like it? 😉

Yes on several levels jekkyl, but I’m performing self therapy so hopefully its working…

Just got back from a long(ish) ride with a couple of mates cold and Ice everywhere but bloody good fun 😀

Had a year of ‘riding to race’ last year.I would’nt strictly call it training (as I don’t go in for that) ,just a LOT (8000miles) of riding with a purpose.
Won a few things (road,cx and mtb).Lost a lot of weight.
Now I’m going to get fat (not touched a bike for 6 weeks) and get back to riding for FUN (eventually…..when I get out of bed).
Not that I did’nt enjoy my time racing (and winning) but I’m not sure how people get so obsessed with it.

8000 miles is fairly obsessed 😀 😉

10 months of 200 miles a week.Commute was 40-50 miles a day so did’nt take much.
I meant the whole competitive thing really.I never really equated success to enjoyment with bikes (or most things tbh).I had as much fun coming 3rd as 33rd

I rode mine today, just for the sheer joy of it. Everywhere was frozen solid.

It’s a steel hardtail with unfashionable wheels and I didn’t die!

I have enjoyed the mud and snow recently but I’m now longing for some fast dusty trails.

a bacon roll

…is all I took from reading the first post.

As I’ve told you before, the power of the bimble is immeasurable. 😉

Colour aside (!!) how are you enjoying the sx?

See, I went to Swinley yesterday too, but it was cold and shit, and I hated everyone I was with. Someone even started discussing tyre compounds at the top of Labyrinth! 😉

Good grief NJee, if I were you I’d be careful who you hang around with, that kind of thing can be bad for you.

Teamhurtmore- I didn’t get the SX, I got the X29 cheap, adorned it with light stuff – albeit some random bloke in the car park wielding a pair of scales and moaning about the cold shattered my illusions about manufacturers published weights and my resulting reduction – and am loving it.

njee20’s scales of truth? What was the verdict?

25.63lbs – large frame. Mind you stock stem, SLX groupset and m520 spds aren’t helping, but the stem is OD2, the groupset SLX with the exception of the XT rear mech and will go to XT / KNC SL as it wears. 24.5 isn’t beyond achievement over time.

20 isn’t beyond achievement, depends how much you want to spend 😉

I hated everyone I was with

I’m putting that down to that hateful looking beard you were sporting. Think it’s turning you evil, man.

25.63lbs

I’m always gonna hear Nobby’s “woaw woaw woaaw” noise whenever you post the weight…

🙂

I’m always gonna hear Nobby’s “woaw woaw woaaw” noise whenever you post the weight…

I won’t be posting it again until it’s at an actually impressive weight, which based on £’s per gram and the exponential slide rule as regards to bike weight loss, I might never be.

………..

http://www.xcracer.com/who-needs-xtr.html

I rode my “new” mountain bike properly for the first time this morning

I cracked my previous frame and it took a few days to get it sorted, and then Christmas happened.

It was blooming freezing this morning, but I was well wrapped up and really, really enjoyed being out in the woods on my own, after several weeks of shouting at clueless **** in cars trying to run me over on my road bike!

But its cold outside.

Surely the extra risk of frost or Ice make “the trail Come alive”

Good article DirtyRider, and that’s why I mentioned I’d replace worn parts with XT – I won’t stomach the cost of xtr. The anthem has light enough (1470g) wheels, a kcnc post and mt zoom bar with esi grips and 520g tubeless tyres. I noted the other day I could shave 100g off the pedals by moving to Eggbeaters, but it’s not cheap.

There’s more to improve in the engine aka me than I’ll gain from the cost of any more lightening tbh.