Nobody?

Ireland
Mizen head to malin head

If you want to be proper hardcore, cycle to the ferry at holyhead/liverpool or somewhere, and cycle from dublin to Cork first.

B&B touring is very light. Especially if the projected forcast looks nice

its a trap

I think a head injury would be the quickest painless way out – based solely on having been knocked out 3 times and not remembering any pain from it when waking up other than a cotton wool head

I'll nail that step down jump aged 95 or the brain trauma will lead to me leaving this world for MTB nirvana.

Also further away from home than I'd like to cycle.

I'm just nosey, but how far is it?

I wouldnt cycle regularly on anything much more than 20 miles each way, perhaps one way a day and the other way the next day, but you'd need a car, or a car share, of public transport for that

I'm really sorry, especially to that bear in particular.

I will plant a few polar bears too, I promise

That was also stuck in my head the whole way in this morning, its out in the garage, but the inferno would have melted the bikes if it had have went up. It must have some switch in it that turns it off if it reaches a certain temperature?

Cheers Brant, you've immediately cured a potential period of insomnia between now and the next bill coming in.

I'll go and plant a few trees now…

I like it, but my last two visits were tainted with diversions and closures, but that couldnt be helped.

Some of it doesn't "flow" like other places… which is why I think a few people tell everyone is crap.

The ruttedness of the second section of Granny Green love is absolutely Ace to be honest

My Wife's revelations are doing this too, if i wind them down about 2 clicks from full travel it stops.

When you squeeze the fork down, bubbles some out the top and when they rebound it sucks air back in…

Very interested to hear a solution to this!

oil it with rock and roll lube regularly to keep it clean and shiney and more importantly – lubed

If you think Rome's traffic is mental, head over to naples to experience proper suicidal road crossings

I think roadie cups are shallower so you're crank axle won't reach through enough the other side

Road clip ins are easy to master after a ride or two, push the pedal forward with your toe as you rise the foot up, and clip forward and down into it.

Worryingly, the wife downloaded it as soon as the ad came on for it

Co.Cork, cycling up with Bantry Bay in the distance. Killer climb on day 1 of our tour.

What happens if the dogs dont get to see you in 2 hours?
They sound a bit soft to me!

pantsonfire – Member

Did a Jungle survival course in Malaysia and a tour of Belize and got leeches on me quite a few times but one that still makes me shiver is the Candiru Fish it swims up your urinary tract (your knob) and has spines to stop it coming out and needs an agonizing operation to remove

I’ll give you £100 if you can find someone that has had the candiru fish swim up his piss and into his knob.
I’m not denying that the fish exists, or that some guy once had the misfortune of getting one stuck in his urinary tract, but its pure urban myth that the thing swam up his pee stream. The alleged attack reported him as being in the water thigh deep. The fish jumped out of the water a few inches (depending on the length of his manhood!) if it did happen.

I wanted to keep the trek as a weekend roadie machine, the wind is an issue as it is always windy, and gets a bit exposed at the highest point, its not that high up but there are no hills or trees for miles around to break the wind up much.

Maybe I’ll just Alfine it sooner than i wanted.

Looking to get one second hand

uplink – Member

I just use Rock ‘n’ Roll Extreme for the chain lube
No need to ever degrease or clean the chain as it stays nice & shiny all on its own

I’m a recent convert.
Its the way forward.
After using this stuff I suddenly realised the stupidity of degreasing chains to the core for the past few years. Clean the outside regularly and keep it nice and lubed and it will last longer.

Chain needs to be changed when it stretches anyway and with the amount I spent on White lightening degreaser I could have point a new chain every 3 months

Maybe I just prefer solo riding.
I’m sure its very satisfying going smooth and fast with a good working group, but I prefer to worry less about upsetting the rest of the group

I completely understand the track cycling thing, yes, but i am fairly sure i will never be track cycling in my life

What you really mean is “I don’t understand why some of this stuff is important”

I understand it will make riding the distance easier and faster. I also understand that “I hate it when people don’t say ‘last man’, or accelerate up the line and off the front” is roughly translated as How dare they not help me go as fast as possible when I am out riding my bike.

I like road cycling, but lets face it, unless you are on a road with no traffic at all, its not the most social of past times, so its for having a nice solo ride,training or competing – and with any of those as the goal to your ride, I dont understand why you would want a dozen other lads to help you along.

I love riding my road bike, but this whole crap here is what puts me off roadie clubs and races…

Cy – What about the Cotic shorts the riders on the site wear? any of those available??

Junkyard – Member

I would only consider a road bike around the 8 -9 miles + riding as there is little time difference between the two and road are less comfortable

Thats a bit of a sweeping statement to make.
Obviously you have had a road bike that didnt fit you and a mountain bike that did.

My road bike is perfectly comfortable, in fact on the road I would say a good fitting road bike is the most comfortable bike you could get, with the multitude of hand positions available.

But yes, for 5 miles a full on road bike is a bit overkill unless you are going to use it elsewhere.

I think it would be ideal for a more weather proof commuter, though I have no idea how a winter/audax road bike would ride with that weight on the back wheel?

There is simply no way they were pushing hard if you “smoked them” on a 44-16. Your knees would have exploded at the incredible cadence you would have needed.

I would say they were either warming up or cooling down after doing a proper long ride.

Either that or you left out the part where they were 20st with their bellies resting on the top tube or they were 80 years old.

But still, yes, you da man.

There is a lot of excellent road riding in that area.

mbcc[/url] will know of the best mountain biking

You are reasonably close to the ballyhoura trails[/url] while you’re in that part of the world

I’ve been told that you can squeeze 28c under full guards on the Kenesis T and TK racelights

I am sceptical

I want to see just how close it is before I buy!

The stock bikes come with 25c tires though and there looks to be a fair bit of space there still in all honesty.

Super!

Rick – Did you book ahead or just roll up to camp?

Cheers Guys

druidh – Member

Ah – deffo on my to-do list. What route did you take, stops etc???

Drop me an email and I can fill you in on the route we took.

Superb riding for the first 2 days but we were starting to suffer on day 3 with the weather so took main roads, I had more arduous but picturesque stuff planned for those days!

Why not build them yourself?

Just completed the ireland end to end, my pal for the journey had the good sense to look at the general weather patterns and suggest we ride it bottom to top.
We had tail winds for 90% of the 420 miles we just rode.

I hit 48mph with a full load on the bike. Immense.

We got up on top of a moor in the very north of Donegal today and cruised without touching the pedals at over 35mph. That road lasted for about 4 miles. It was the finest bit of road riding I will ever do.

We had to face the gale to Malin head for 12 miles. Painful.

Hardtail?
I have an ’06 VIP frame.
Excellent wee bikes, will take something like a Pike up front for optimum riding experience. Very maneouverable.
Like any “hardcore” hardtail, its stiff on the back and so harsh on the legs and back over long rough trails, but its more of a fun blasting kind of bike.

I have done 30 miles in the mountains on mine though.

Currently out of action as i cant afford to run it and the Meta :(

wheels requiring “bedding in” is a myth spun by poor wheel builders

I tried it solo once and got lost when almost at the top of cardrona.
Had no lights and it was fading and I bailed out after losing about 100 meters of elevation down a wrong turn!

I’ll be back.

The test I read…
Make your own mind up

I seen some whacky german review that proved there was sod all difference in leg deflection between QR15 and QR on the new fox forks.

I sometimes cant be arsed cleaning mine after a salty frozen grit filled commute home in the splashing rain, and the corrosive “Salt+Fuel Vapour+Brake deposit+Worn Rubber” compound the roads are coverer in, will make the drivetrain disintegrate in about 3.5 minutes.

If i cleaned and looked after it on these handful of times every year it would last so much longer.

1 year of commuting for me then. About 3000 – 5000 miles at the mo

Ok, that actually kind of makes sense. Though when i was trying to figure it out I didnt think it did at the time.

Back at it tonight then!