Getting back on your summer bike for the first time after a winter of grinding round on the winter bike.

Best way to appreciate your kit for sure, felt like a bloody rocket ship!

Roll on summer!

the cheery waves from passing motorists ?

couldn’t see any motorists through the flow of snot and general effluvia coming off my happy little face.

Light, fast and clean! I know the feeling well after dragging mine out of the loft just last week!

one more reason for having a proper full lengthed-guarded winter bike.

jesus non deep-drop brakes are good tho! two lock ups and one near over the bars!

i only have the 1 road bike so miss out on these joys

however the last couple of times i’ve went out i’ve not had to clean down the bike after the ride…what a treat that is!

Hey up Mr Nick, you well?

Just got the Madone ready for a spin tomorrow.Come around the first corner to much power and the thing will move all over the place till i get use to the lightness again.+bibs shorts great.

Oh yes, the Sunday best bike is coming out this weekend – can’t wait!

The best thing about road biking is that 3 hours on the road bike is 3 hours riding, not 2 hours riding and 1 hour faffing or standing about talking about rubbish.

followed by 2 hours of cleaning and ‘preventative maintenance’…

Alright mattykins? Im grand ta.

Back on topic I couldn’t agree more about the time spent thing.

30s out the door and im crying with the effort, all the way till I get back in the door again.

Zero faff, beautiful peaks. Even met a nice dog at stanage.

cake

(but that goes for all bike riding)

‘Tis a wonderful feeling is it not?

I got my carbon Colnago with Campy Record out last weekend from its winter hibernation.

So fast, so smooth,

YUMMALICIOUS!

Did you lick it clean after?

…not worrying about my rapha kit getting wreaked

(please don’t abuse me for being a rapha fan!)

he he! You guys and your summer bikes.
Been riding my best road bike all winter. Still looks fine. Still rides fine.

Storing a nice bike in the garage for nice days? No thanks.

I rode my road bike for the first time since before Christmas just now. It did feel very fast, snappy and smooth. It’s my year-round bike, but I’d been enjoying the MTBs a lot more. Think I got the bug again tonight though. The best thing – instand speed up hill.

…..getting back on my MTB afterwards

Heathen!
Summer bike all year? Road salt and snow and ice on carbon? Eff that.
And what about your kit? Must get wrecked! Salty chamois? Not for me.

That baby smooth stretch of tarmac that has recently been laid just outside of town.
The zone you get into whilst one is giving it the beans.
Solcial Saturday club rides.
Cake and coffee.
zipping through the traffic in rush hour.
Long solo rides.
Long group rides.

And yes 3 hours out of the house is 3 hours riding. I am not blessed with the Afan forest on my doorstep and local stuff is shite to be perfectly honest. However there are shite loads of roads.

Getting back on your summer bike for the first time after a winter of grinding round on the winter bike.

Nah If its a dry day with dry roads my “summer” bike gets used no matter what the season. Its too good to keep just for six months of the year plus its got my power meter on it. “Winter” bike with full guards gets used if its wet again at any time of year.

We were out yesterday over the Snake from Glossop. Beautiful day. Coffee and cake in Hope then back over Mam Nick.

ahh i see. will let you off then.

there is somethign fantastic about wheeling out the carbon though after 5 months off it – summer bike even has a pro 3 on it so it sounds fast!

There is SO much salt on the roads round here in winter (and such changeable weather) that i wouldn’t want to risk it on a single dryish day.

I rode the Cape Argus race in Cape Town two weeks ago and am feeling strong and fit so this weekend it will be dry tarmac, the wind in my ears, a swooping descent of my favourite hill, coffee and scones in Dunsop Bridge, curlews on the moors, distant views of the Fylde coast and Blackpool Tower, then home for a hot shower and no need to clean the bike beyond a wipe down with a damp rag and check the tyres. Bliss.

No summer bike to look forward to, but I’m hoping the combined effect of putting the posh tyres, posh pedals and posh shoes back on will make it feel like a summer bike 🙄

The best thing about road biking is that 3 hours on the road bike is 3 hours riding, not 2 hours riding and 1 hour faffing or standing about talking about rubbish.

Isnt that one of the joys of mountain biking and why us mountain bikers are more social beasties?
My road bike is an old GT Avalanche with slick tyres and road gearing on- it means i can still go through the woods if i want to 😉 i miss the trees 😆

I like getting changed, bike out the garage, ride round for an hour, back home, bike away and into the shower.

No 30 min’s to 1 hour drive at either end to get to a good ride.

No summer bike here either but I have taken off the full metal mud guards and popped a carbon post, fork and carbon wheels back on. All of this has chopped well over 2kg off of the weight of the bike and couple that with the loss of 12kg of lard off of my ass since September and it feels good.

No work today and sunshine this afternoon. 😀