@njee20 it looks like your Garmin is doing the old GPS trick of very poor altitude recording and so massively overstating the climbs. As each sample is within +/- 4m or so then two samples on flat roads could read 8m climb or descent between them. Chances are the next reading will cancel this out so the average is 0m climb, but they don’t always do so.

I put your ride into MapMyRide (love the ‘zig zag road’ :)) and use that to make the measurement – as it uses map profile data to recorded climbs / descents.

The route is here: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/42110976

38.55 miles and 2021ft climbed (52.4ft/mile).

2 x cat 4 climbs and 3 x cat 5 (whatever they are) make for a good hilly ride in my experience.

I stopped using GPS for measuring climbs and comparing routes for this very reason. Especially when training for events in hilly areas as you get the impression that you are doing way more climbing than you actually are. So now I always export and load into MapMyRide to get an accurate value.

Anyway, its all relative to what we are used to. If it is a hilly climb, then it is a hilly climb, regardless of what the maps say 🙂

Dougal
AndrewBF – Fanboi much?

Not so. I do think there is still a perception out there that Jaguar are a fading brand that are lagging behind and not being innovative and delivering excellent cars. I thought the same too until I was introduced to the XF.

They have a lot of work to do to turn around perceptions so I was doing my little bit to help them on their way 🙂

@njee20 where abouts in Surrey are you riding to get 100ft/mile climbs on decent length rides?

CVMBC around these parts is a decent ride and that is only 2700ft in 31miles (87ft/mile or so). I’d put that down as a hilly ride.

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/33744006

Another vote for Boneshakers. I went in there to browse while the missus was doing her shopping. Ended up spending the most I’ve ever spent in a bike shop.

Carlimits.com (I *think* you can hire/use the Elise that they have)

Or…

CAT Driver training at Millbrook.

Home

At CAT you can use your own car (I used mine) and there isn’t anything too dangerous – or not that I remember. You can get specialist 1 day insurance from some underwriters if you are cautious about your car.

The CAT ‘grip limit / drifting’ course (I forget the proper title) is excellent for giving you confidence to find the limit, going over it, and then learning to catch it just in time. You’ll do most of this day in a Caterham so will save your own tyres 🙂

Novice track days are NOT the place to learn limit and recovery skills, more the case of learning how to drive confidently at speed and how to read a track layout IMHO. There is also other traffic to contend with and be very aware of. On a driver training day you will be the only person out on the course at any one time so you can concentrate on the driving and not everyone else.

Ah, the CAT limit day: http://www.catdrivertraining.co.uk/index.php/cat-driver-training-courses/one-to-one/drifting-a-over-grip-limit-handling.html

I did it with 4 or 5 others so that keeps the cost at a more reasonable level.

I aim for 60-80ft climbed per mile. 60ft/mile is a minimum otherwise I feel that I’ve cheated myself, 80ft/mile is a good work out. 100ft/mile is just not fun.

This is averaged across the whole ride on a circular ride, so of course all that climbing will be matched with equivalent descents. If the measure is only climbing miles then this maps to 120-160ft/mile.

What does it all mean, I dunno. I just know that that is what I can usually accomplish around these parts and that is hilly enough for me.

Elfinsafety

The Jaguar is a nice car but more spensiver and less good than other cars. Massive premium for a brand which has passed it’s best. They’re now struggling to keep up with other brands. I don’t see them as any better than Mercedes tbh. In fact, Merc probbly make better cars.

You may have a point there, and those XF drivers out there have made a terrible mistake in their choice of car. Go and drive one, you might like it 😮

I’d have one, but need four wheels of drive due to local winter conditions. When we move house the XF will be on the list of things to buy.

The Jaguar XF has once again won the Best Executive Car category in the Diesel Car Magazine Awards.

The Jaguar XF was crowned ‘Best Executive Car’ for the fourth year running at the What Car? Awards, held in London on the 13th January 2011.

The Jaguar XF has added yet another award to its long list of accolades; Best Executive Car at the Fleet News awards.

What Car? Magazine has revealed Jaguar as a leading manufacturer in a UK owner satisfaction survey.

What Car? Magazine has awarded the Jaguar XF the title of Best Executive Car 2010.

The 2008 WhatCar? ‘Car of the Year’ winner, the Jaguar XF, retained its award-winning crown at the WhatCar? Awards held in London last night, winning ‘Best Executive Car’ for 2009.

Jaguar is proud to announce that the new XF has won the most prestigious award in the automotive calendar, What Car? ‘Car of the Year 2008’, as well as ‘Best Executive Car’. We are also pleased to be category winners, with the XJ winning ‘Luxury Cars Under £50,000’ with the XKR winning ‘Coupes Over £40,000’.

Jaguar has claimed the Fleet World ‘Design of the Year Editor’s Award’ for the second year running – this time for the award-winning Jaguar XF.

Today, Ward’s celebrated its 9th Annual Interior of the Year Awards where it announced the 2009 Jaguar XF as winner in the Best Premium Car Interior category.

Commenting on the award, Alex Jenner-Fust said: “For a car that will take you seamlessly from school gates to boardroom, look no further. The Jaguar XF combines cutting-edge technology with a classic British feel. Driving it is a real pleasure, whether you’re on the school run or cruising to the south of France. The stereo system is easy to use, while the seats are so comfortable you won’t want to get out.”

Readers of Auto Express magazine have voted the new Jaguar XF Britain’s best car in the 2009 Driver Power survey.

20 May 2009 – Jaguar XF wins Best Executive Car The Jaguar XF has won the award for Best Executive Car at the 2009 Fleet World Honours, proving the growing popularity of our new sports saloon amongst the business community.

36:18 and 38:20 out here on the edge of the Peaks.

Only those climbs that would be tough in granny gear are the ones that get me.

Did the CVMBC this year SS without any issues (having to walk on the usual steep sections). I did lose time in parts though as you will spin when going flat out for speed.

Secret spots? WTF?

It is there, you find it, use it, keep it tidy and maybe even add to it. Not everyone is out to trash everything. The local ‘yoof’ will already know about it, it is not exactly miles from the nearest conurbation, so will not be secret by any stretch of the imagination.

I’m sure all of STW forum readers will now be descending on that very spot for a bit of fun. I’m on my way right now, it’s only 200 miles south of here. A great day out.

Nice and dry summer trail around these parts. You should see this in the winter, it can become a real quagmire or be frozen solid as tough as concrete.

Out of interest, why did 26 wheels appear for MTB when 29 already existed?

There must be a genuine benefit that they brought to the table.

Not trolling, just asking.

And if the answer isn’t convincing, then were 26ers the 29ers of their day and things have come full circle?

Try the E-plan diet.

1. Eat less
2. Exercise more

It is that simple.

It may not be safe, sensible and healthy for everyone. But I guarantee you will lose weight – or your money back!

Thx for the quick responses. Thought that might be the case, just wanted to double check.

Although you must be a bit of a nugget to pay £30 to ride your bike, when you could just ride your bike for free instead.

I’ve heard it said that there are some people who pay good money each month to a ‘gym’. They go there in the car and then run on a treadmill or ride on a fixed bike for an hour or so before going back home in the car.

One day I’ll share my profit making idea with them, on a 50/50 basis. It goes something like this: don’t pay the monthly fees, simple run or ride to the gym, turn around and go back home!

I’m on to a winner there.

I’m entered…

But I won’t be there 🙁

So I have an entry for sale if anyone is so inclined (and if it is possible to transfer entries – I’ve emailed the organisers, but with no response).

Simply haven’t had the time to get the training in this year. Up until May I was doing more miles per month than last year, but so far in June I’ve managed 4 (yes, F.O.U.R.) miles of riding. That is not Kielder form.

Last year was a bit of an eye opener. I’d been doing decently long (distance and time) rides around the local Peak District, but it was no where near enough to prepare me for K100. Now that I know that, there is no way I’ll be fit enough by September to do it justice this year.

Get a copy of Issue 62. Route guides in there for West Yorks including a route to the east / NE of Leeds.

Or have a ride / drive to the Peaks for rides around Holmfirth etc.

As a youngster I decided that my old Raleigh 5-speed racer was no longer what I wanted. I also learned about insurance and reckoned that if the bike was stolen my parents would claim and with the cash I’d get a new bike.

So I took it to the bad part of town a few miles away and left it in the park and walked away.

I went back later in the day to find that it had been stolen. Oh dear.

Except it was still there :(. It was such an old battered bike that not even the worst of the local chavs would touch it. I was gutted, and never did get a new bike 🙁

If it hasn’t already been suggested, then may I suggest you put on some slick tyres. That will help. A lot.

SS good for training? Oh yes, and no mistake.

So I’m all for trying things out and here’s *my* evidence, and I know my level of fitness / state of mind at the time.

Using the CVMBC as a benchmark:

Geared bike: about 4:30 (I was v. Unfit)

Rolhoff : 3:20 (after some practice)

SS 36/18: 3:37 (today, very disappointing)

Thing is, I felt fitter and faster than ever today. The 15mph headwind didn’t help but I can think it would have hurt me so much anyway.

I burned past quite a few geared bikes on the climbs.

I held my own on the down hills. (touching 45+ mph at parts)

The SS loses out on the not-so-hilly bits where the high gears burned past me.

My thoughts for next few months is for SS for some training and use a 1×9 on the other bike for race pace rides.

SS, at end of day, is a bloody good way to get stronger and fitter. That cannot be denied.

Had this a few weeks ago. In the end took out the BB and applied lashings of copperslip to the threads. Fine now.

Pointless tangent: There’s an old Renault Clio round the corner with “Dennis” written on the back in big homemade silver lettering.

I always like to think it’s because the driver is called Dennis – but I suspect it’s actually some teenage girl’s first car.

I always wondered why firemen had Dennis written on their engines. That makes sense now.

As for bike names: that one and that one. Or the dirty one and the clean one according to my 3yo daughter.

Conversation I had on FB just last week with an Amsterdam resident (expat from Pennines):

‘Amsterdamer’: completed his A10 Ring Amsterdam ride in the sun last yesterday evening. Another 45km of brilliant “mountain biking” through the north part of the city. Great fun!!

‘Me’: How do you do “mountain biking” in one of the flattest places on Earth? I’m intrigued.

‘Amsterdamer’: The A10 is the motorway ring road around the city and is built on an artificial dyke which is tree covered and quiet steep here and there. Riding along that, in combination with some wicked thechnical riding through housing estate/blocks of flats/office builidings makes for a brilliant training and is really good fun.
It’s admittedly not the Holme Valley or the Belgian Ardennes but it’s a great blast all the same.
We’re going to film it using the helm-cam soon – watch this space.

So there. MTB on the flats. It can be done.

Black with black

Light with white

/I’ve just noticed that the Lapierre goes from black at the rear to white at the front. Shows how much I notice the colour combo of my rides!

Panaracer XC Pro here for summer, living on the edge of the northern Peaks they’ve done me well for a few years.

From the edge of the Peak District to the office in Leeds during the summertime.

19 miles on the bike, 26 miles by car each way.

Bike takes about 10 mins longer in rush hour.

It’s downhill (most) of the way in. Makes for a slog on the way home though after a long day.

I’ll start to do it again in a few weeks once things warm up a bit.

You’ll be back, once you start to get the gears covered in mud, the chain jumps, etc.

🙂

Although I’m having thoughts about 1×9 on one of my SS rides. Just to try it out of course – research purposes.

3) If in doubt, add more speed.

Quite possibly the most correct thing to do.

Quite possibly the hardest thing to do.

Have just been there, and sorry, no gloves to be found at all. I checked the other two laybys too.

Here’s a pic of the one outside the car park – just to make sure we are talking about the same place. Nothing there and did a quick check over the wall and into the car park.

http://twitpic.com/46bp12

🙁

Out of interest – where do you cycle from there? It is really close to me but I’ve never taken the bike to Dovestone although have been lots of times for walking.

I can have a drive over later this morning (it’s about 10 mins away). Are you referring to the small layby on the left hand side when going down hill – and NOT the small car park near that point.

Had them on my old P7. 203mm + M4.

Because I was once going down a hill here in the Peaks and with my rear brake applied fully I was not slowing down. That focuses the mind somewhat.

So I invested in something that could slow me down.

And they worked. Perfectly.

Three. But one will soon be up for sale, component by component.

When I bought my very first Trek way back in 1989 I was genuinely asked: “But why? There are no mountains around here (England)”.

For me, the type of bike and the routes are defined by what can be done with that bike and what would destroy other bikes in the process, or be impossible to ride on.

MTB, ATB, WTFTB it’s all much of a muchness. There are really only two categories: smooth road vs rough off road and use the appropriate bike for each.

It’s a sign, how many more hints do you need? Singlespeed from now on.

mikertroid – Member
DO NOT AGREE TO A VIEWING AT YOUR HOUSE. Choose a sensible meeting place and ensure you’re not followed home.

I can see you point, but from a buyer’s perspective I would be very suspicious if someone wanted to meet in a car park / service station. It reeks of ‘stolen goods’, no come back, dodgy geezer etc.

Helicoil – how does that work then? Have had a look at the site.

Do I tap the crank, then insert the coil and then screw the pedal into that? It could work. I expect that the pedal hole in the crank won’t be perpendicular – the pedal came out at quite an angle, so much so I thought that the pedal had bent but it turned out the crank hole had gone askew.

I’ve seen SLX cranks for *non drive* side as spares. Would love to find a place selling the drive side but no luck yet.

It is what Sky+ and the FF button is for.

5 mins of watchable stuff in 1hr of TV.

And if looking to win on eBay use AuctionStealer. It’s free and saves you getting into a bidding war. You can pay if you want to get even more ‘precise’ with your timings.

Best money I’ve ever spent on anything.

Roter Stern – Member
Surely the forests are not the Government’s to sell in the first place. They belong to the people of the country and therefore it should go to a national referendum.

We had the referendum last May.