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Get ergon gp2 grips, I use them for twentyfour12 and the like.
Extra hand positions and softer and squishier than my normal half Nelson's so much comfier on a long ride.
Very good point indeedy.
Somehow I forgot that
Just been catching up
Weeksy, did you get some bigger slick tyres ?
I've some spesh roubaix tubeless - 32mm carcass (supposedly with a 30mm tread - whatever that means) that you can try. Won't be roadying 'til spring so they're unused
Weeksy, did you get some bigger slick tyres ?
Nah, I'm running a pair of wtb cross boss 700*35
I like the comfort and feel they give for sure, but I have noticed on rides with my mate that I'm slower in comparison to him than we are on Zwift. But it's all relative, I'm never going to be a 20mph average kind of guy that's for sure.
Thanks for the offer but I don't want to be stealing your rubber, I'll happily buy a pair if that's the way I go.
Those WTB will feel awful over there. You’ll be dragged backward on every normal piece of road and sucked into the Pave. Given the distance - and with the greatest respect - your atypical ride profile being of short duration I’d be getting some wider micro pattern road tyres Which roll a bit faster if I were you.
It’s not as bad as people make out, I did it on a standard road bike with 25mm Vittoria Open Pave at 80psi and didn’t wrap my bars twice. Just sit up on the pave for real wheel traction, keep a steady cadence and keep your hands loose on the tops - I felt that MTB experience helped, it’s the pure roadies that do most of the moaning. 😉
I have 32mm G Ones on my gravel bike I’d be tempted with those at worst.
I'm more than happy for people to recommend tyre choices, it's a minefield for sure.
I did the GWV 100k Route a few weeks ago (the tourist office have fully signed the route). Very comfortable on my 32mm gravel kings. There’s actually very little pave, certainly nothing like RVV
I’m more than happy for people to recommend tyre choices, it’s a minefield for sure.
Try the Panaracer Gravel King tyres, the file tread ones rather then the SK's. They do then in 32mm, 35mm and 38mm. I've been using them as my road bike tyres for the past few months and they've been great. Don't feel any slower than 'proper' road tyres either.
I've ridden Flanders pave on 25mm GP4000s tyres. Any large volume slick tyre will be fine and more comfortable. Could get something with a puncture strip like the Schwalbe Durano?
Could get something with a puncture strip like the Schwalbe Durano?
Part of the reason I went for the Cross Boss was because they're tubeless, even if I am to go more slick, I'd ideally go tubeless still if viable. I'd just rather not get a flat when on this ride and I think tubeless is better than even the best puncture proof tyre.
As always i've been sitting here pondering...
Random thoughts of "Well, maybe just buy a road bike for the event, get back and flog it..." But there's a chunk of faffing about doing that of course, boxing, shipping, profit/loss, damage etc...
So thought to myself, "How about hiring one..."
https://www.mountain-trax.com/pages/hire/
These guys can do me a Cervelo S3 in my size for the 5 days for £20 per day... So essentially £100. Which doesn't sound unreasonable at all.
Still having the "Do i actually NEED anything".... discussions... I'm 100% certain i don't WANT anything, not in a long term context anyway.
missed a post out.. (I'm having this discussion on a motorbike forum too, forgot to add this)
50km road ride with the locals today, very different outcome than 3-4 weeks ago though. We started with the same 3-4 miles route but this time I didn't get dropped on the hills, but stayed at the pointy end of the group. This theme continued throughout the ride too, happy at or near the front and had plenty of turns pushing on at the front and dropping some of them. I asked after the ride if it was down to them riding winter bikes and tyres instead of summer bikes, but the lads just felt I must have been off form last time, which is possible as I'd done plenty of riding both indoor and outdoor before that one.
Whatever the reason, I came back happy today.
I was in Decathlon this morning picking up a couple of side-mount bottle cages.... wandering round i saw these Decathlon specials... 'city tyres' with puncture protection.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49444107187_81d9cde0c4_5k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49444107187_81d9cde0c4_5k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2ikcYsF ]2020-01-26_01-30-26[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
They were £9.99 each, so thought, why not, i'll try them and see hey...
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49443701321_8e1df8363b_5k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49443701321_8e1df8363b_5k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2ikaTNZ ]2020-01-26_12-43-57[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
On they went, easily enough.... I doubt they're even remotely tubeless, so didn't bother and picked up a couple of tubes for them.
On the road they're smooth, easy and quite... Due to being quite big in size too, they didn't feel terribly alien too.
I went out for an hours loop, but it started raining so i bailed and came back... but enough of a ride to test them out.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49443925057_a6c04b355c_5k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49443925057_a6c04b355c_5k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2ikc3jv ]2020-01-26_12-43-50[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49443925737_be6b42ef91_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49443925737_be6b42ef91_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2ikc3we ]2020-01-26_12-44-12[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url], on Flickr
Considering it's a section i've ridden 50+ times and on all variations of bike, i was really happy ! They're fast that's for sure.
Average for the short ride of just on 27km/h and for that particular segment it was 32.1km/h which ain't bad at all.
I can see these staying on !
Are they re-badged Voyager Hypers? Tread pattern looks similar!
Absolutely no idea mate, they were just cheap and looked decent for an experiment.
Done a few more rides now including a wet and windy 60km at the weekend and despite the PArkwood being comfortable, efficient and very effective, I still find myself thinking "Should i get something for the trip" but really need it to be a bargain, so i can sell it on. Unless of course i leave it in the garage as the turbo/zwift bike, but that then means the Parkwood goes in the loft and only ever sees the light of day if the others are broken.
Weekends ride i was more than happy with, an average HR of 117bpm compared to my riding mates of 137bpm shows that at our pace i should be more than comfortable even on the arguably slower bike. But part of me feels like i'm almost doing the event an injustice and lacking respect for it by riding something 'inappropriate' like a 29er HT.
I've still not really started the tapering, although i've threatened it lots lately... but i'm enjoying the riding at the moment a lot, so finding it hard to stay off the bike. I've got a couple of massages booked in the next few weeks, with the last one being a deep tissue massage 7 days before we head to Belgium, so before that, i'll be doing my last ride..
Overthinking things..... always 🙂
Any update from event organisers due to COVID-19?
Looking on Sportive.com and on the Ettix website who are the organisers, nothing yet.
There's a post regarding what you should or shouldn't do in the context of feed stations, which is a good idea.
Basically, me and my mate are sitting here in a bit of a quandry on this. Do we, don't we. We've trained, planned and worked hard to get to the right position to do justice to the ride. But that really doesn't matter, it's just training and fun really, so if the plug is pulled, then so be it. It would be a shame of course, but won't see us more than £200 or so each out of pocket.
I'd like to think we're still going... but with 17 days left, under the circumstances, i think we'll be riding at home in a pseudo ride of the same distance.
Similar boat except I've not trained and am riding with mates who have. Done some of it before, ahem, unofficially, and it's a close physical contact sportive in places...
Fingers crossed it all goes ahead safely, it looks like a lot of abroad plans at least could be buggered up this year.
Well the Paris Nice sportive has now been cancelled, i'm seeing it's only a matter of time before the rest are canned completely. Game set and match.
Bookings are now to be cancelled sadly 🙁
Flanders Sportive postponed until later in the year (date TBC).
Plenty more time to worry about bike choice then!
That's not the one Weeksy is riding. However it is the one I was supposed to be riding.
Ours is cancelled anyway, whether the event goes ahead or not. Mate isn't allowed due to work people etc. So we're out.
Accomodation cancelled.
Just need to work out what to do with £128 worth of credit for the Tunnel as we've already booked our August trip. It's transferable to another name 🙂 hint*
Sorry it's not worked out... Thinking about an alternative UK venue/adventure, or knocking whole thing on the head now?
We'll be doing a ride yes, without doubt. The weather will decide our route, it may be anything from bike park Wales, to Ridgeway or anything in between.
A lot now depends on my wife's plans and whether I have my 11 year old with us for the day.
I simply really don't know but we'll be having a day out for sure
Event now officially postponed until an unknown date.
I'm sure the rest over there will follow suit.