Try having odd shaped feet, where the range selection is minuscule and only things that will fit are well North of £200… 😭

The last pair of road shoes I bought were a veritable bargain, reduced to a mere £180. I balked at spending £339 on the top of the range heat mouldable ones, even though they actually fitted like a glove.

Through a process of trail and error, I’ve found 7.5 psi at the front and 8.5 psi at the back to work for me (I’m somewhere between 70 – 74 KG). It’s a bit slow on the road, but has enough compliance on the bridleways and byways I normally cycle on. I think I could go a bit lower, but the drag on the road would be too much.

Depending on how you’ve set-up your tyres (tubeless or not), then defo get a low pressure gauge. The difference in psi between my early morning rides and afternoon rides with the kids can be as much at 1.5 psi, depending on the weather.

– For presta

– For schrader

I was wondering if anyone would get the reference. 😀

As for actual Inn-Sewer-Ants, I’ll have to check the household policy, but feel like I should prolly get some cycle specific cover, so might take out a British Cycling membership again…

Can’t talk about the bit you’re after, but the Icknield Way Trail off road bits I cycle on regularly, between Great Chesterford and Newmarket, are all bone dry and running nicely. Where nicely is relative, as some bits are concrete hard and a mass of horse hoof divots, or hideously overgrown, but mostly, it’s running really nicely.

The first head gear I can remember buying, was one of those three band, stop you loosing your scalp, jobs from Sandy Wallace Cycles in Inverkeithing. Similar to this, but in Italian colours.

My first proper helmet was a large, poorly ventilated Spesh one, bought in Aberdeen in the mid Nineties, on the advice of various Triathlon racing colleagues.

I bought my boy a Calibre Saw, which is currently £250. It’s a touch on the heavy side, but then it’s only £250. He seems happy with it so far.

Managed to get the boy out for a quick spin yesterday. Hoping to get out again today, but can’t see it happening…

Haven’t cycled on the road for a while, but I used to have a decent long sleeved base layer, short sleeve jersey, Roubaix long sleeved jersey, gillet and a waterproof jacket. Then a normal pair of bib shorts, Roubaix bib shorts, knee warmers and a pair of thick neoprene over shoes. Depending on the weather, I picked the combo that would do the job.

You could always look at getting one of these “storm shield” type tops that are supposed to be water repellant.

Like @oldnpastit I live in Cambridgeshire, so it’s pretty much short overgrown bridleways and churned up byways, linked by vast tracts of tarmac. No need for a trail weapon round these parts, no matter how much I’d like one. And as much as I’d liked to have bought a 3T Exploro, as it’d be ideal for the riding I actually do, I got a Calibre Dune as it was an eighth of the price…

Thanks all, looks like I need to buy some Piriton at lunchtime…

@brexitrefugee yes, I started last summer, as my body has issues… Ended up getting gymnastic rings and learning how to handstand etc, etc. If you’re young then you can progress fairly rapidly, as I’m mid forties and mildly broken, progress was painfully slow. Currently not doing it, as I managed to pick up golfers elbow, tennis elbow and tricep tendonitis, all on the same side. 🤦‍♂️

It takes about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on how fast you rattle through it and you can do it at home with minimal equipment. Although once you get proficient, you’ll need a pull up bar and dip station, or somewhere to hang your rings.

Planning on getting back into it later in the year, currently the lure of outside is too strong…

Try the recommended routine, it’ll whip you into shape in no time, or sideline you for months with tendonitis from over doing it, one of the two. There’s even a FAQ entry on how to combine it with cardio.

Stayed in Flayosc, near Draguignan a few years back; which is a bit South of the gorge. We took a day trip up and drove both the North (D23) and South (D71) routes and hired pedalos to go into the gorge itself. I didn’t get to cycle the gorge roads as they were a bit too far away, but the road up from Les Salles-sur-Verdon to Aiguines and beyond looked quite tasty. Just go early to avoid the heat and the inevitable cars. Also, there’s some tunnels on the South (D71) road, so just be aware.

The closest I managed to get to the gorge, was a cycle up to Comps-sur-Artuby, which is the Eastern end of the South (D71) road.

Given you’re in Bédoin, shirley your just doing laps of Ventoux no…?

Only been bitten twice this year and that was when I was sitting by The Cam having lunch yesterday. YMMV, etc, etc…

I have custom insoles. The issue is the tightness of standard shoes,

If you have wide feet, then check out some of the Lake shoes. If you have stupidly wide feet, then Lake Extra Wide are just the ticket, plenty of room in there for a custom insole. They can get rather expensive, although the lower end ones should hit your budget.

Personally I have a pair of the CX 237 Wide for road duties and am saving up for a pair of MX 237 Supercross Wide for off road…

Offered to take the boy out on Saturday to get his new bike dialled in. The bike sat unused in the garden all day Saturday and all day Sunday, most disappointing. There’s only so may times you can prod them before they start getting sarky. I did get out this morning before work though…

@ghostlymachine
If you can’t join quick links, how do you manage to work a chain tool?

Cause a chain tool is a piece of piss to use…

@ads678 Stan = the dyslexic devil…

So… After posting that I had some 8 speed SRAM quick links thingies, could I get them to work…?  Thirty minutes of f’ing around trying to get either of the little bastards to close, before I gave up. Two minutes with the chain tool and a few spare links of SRAM 8 speed chain later, one working chain.

I may not have made my abhorrence of quick links / power links, or what ever the wee f***ers are called, overly clear, they are the work of Stan and utterly pointless bits of crap. Hate them. 🤬🤬🤬

Now I just need to source a replacement pin driver bolt thingie for my ParkTool IB-3 so I can sort a chain when I’m out and about…

@uselesshippy

Did you check that the link wasn’t stiff after rejoining?

Yes, obviously not well enough…

Turns out that I had two 8 speed SRAM link things in the parts box. Which is just as well, as it turns out to be a KMC Z8 chain…

Thanks all, just procured a 9 speed quick link from LBS, although I might have one in the parts box. Either way, bike maintenance this evening…

@globalti yes, it’s not central, the pin was moving around when I was trying to set it up for a shot. Pretty sure I got it in fine when I rejoined the chain… 🤷‍♂️

@daern never got on with powerlink type things, as I didn’t realise you needed yet another tool to get the buggers off. This chain didn’t come with one, as far as I know, and I’ve had the chain tool since forever… No idea how to tell what “speed” the chain is, other than there’s eight cogs on the rear block, so no idea which magic link thing to buy.

Thanks @lovewookie shame that PlanetX one doesn’t come in 400mm! The 350mm one I have is only 10 – 15mm too short too…

Spent all weekend jet washing the patio and paths, then replacing all the knackered grout with new stuff. Built the wife and boy their new Calibre Saw’s and was supposed to go for a family ride to test them. By the time we were all ready, someone had to stay in for the Ocado delivery… 🤬

Yesterday was working at Cambridge Beer Festival, today was pressure washing the patio (with hangover). Tomorrow we’re off to Sherwood Pines for a week, shame the bike carrier I just borrowed to take the bikes doesn’t fit the car. So no fat bike tomorrow or next week… 🤬

🤯

@cynic-al @rickmeister I was unsure about an inside patch given the volume changes so much with the fat tyres, I’ll give it a go though…

@Del I didn’t know they existed till earlier in the week, so will be getting one soon…

Thanks all.

Endura bibs all the way for me, for on road and off, although I try and buy them when they’re on sale. Pretty much haven’t got on with any other brand, ever. Having said that, I’m tempted to try the Decathlon stuff, as @lunge has mentioned. No idea about hip protection though…

Should not have looked at http://www.spanner.bike…

I hadn’t thought of putting a wanted ad up, will have to remember that in the future. They do like getting new stuff though…

I’ve decided to go the cheap and cheerful route. Mainly on the basis that when he wears stuff out, we can replace it with better. Then if he outgrows the frame, which he may not as he takes after his Mum, we can swap parts onto a better frame when he’s older…

How did you get them out of the bottom bracket shell…?

My wife had a try on a Calibre Saw on Saturday (in the shop) and really liked it over some of the Women specific bikes they had. Buying her one next week…

I’ve seen a fairly ok deal on some 4.8 JJ’s so I think they’d suit it well.

Where from…? After this mornings sidewall puncture, I maybe in the market for some new tyres too… 🙄

Desperately wanted to get out on the bike over the weekend, but real life got in the way. So headed out early this morning, as far as I’m concerned, it’s still the weekend till I pitch up at the office…

What a stunner of a morning, Red Kits, Barn Owls, the works. Then the rear tyre deflated…

Couldn’t for the life of me find the puncture, no sealant evident, so pumped up and tried to continue.

I finally found a cut in the sidewall, it wouldn’t seal, so a messy 15 minutes ensued as I tried to get an inner tube in and get it inflated. That sealant sure is slippery and a Topeak Race Rocket pump sure is tiny… 🤬

Couldn’t enjoy the rest of the ride as much as I wanted, as I had to be hone to wave daughter off on her week long school residential trip. 🤦‍♂️

It’s Cambridge Beer Festival this week, so I doubt I’ll be out on the bike till next week now. If anyone on here is going, drop by the Foreign and Bottled Beer Bar and say hello…

I’ve got a Garmin HR strap and use it with my phone via the Ant+ USB dongle that came with it, and an USB OTG cable. The only issue is that the USB OTG cable sticks out of the back of the phone quite a bit, so doesn’t fit into a small plastic bag for going inside a rear zipped pocket of a roadie jersey. Going inside a hydration pack, etc, is fine though.

As long as you’ve got Strava Premium, then the HR data gets uploaded with your ride, once you’ve configured the strap as a sensor in the app.

Thanks for the suggestions. I took the family to Go Outdoors yesterday and both my son and my wife liked the Calibre Saw, so it looks like we’re buying two… 🤣

Evidently they’re going on sale in half term though and will be ludicrously cheap. So we’re hanging on for another eight days or so to see.

I used to use Altura stuff when I cycle commuted a few years back. It was either a long sleeved thermal base layer, any old jersey and a jacket; or a wind proof base layer, any old jersey and a gilet. I hated commuting in the Spring and Autumn, and ended up taking about two different loads of clothes to either strip off and/or put on depending on how the wether changed. 🙄

You could always look at the knock-off, I mean inspired by weather proof jerseys on aliexpress and see how you get on with one of those…

I wondered why there was such good deals on the, now older, S-Track pedals…

Was planning on getting out on Saturday, but it rained and I was tired, so taught my boy how to shave instead. Sunday I couldn’t be arsed, so I went out this morning before work to try and make up for a lazy weekend…

Had my first puncture on the ghetto tubeless, with a mahoosive thorn (still attached to a twig) in the front wheel. Pulled it out and the sealant did it’s thing, allowing my to keep on going, which was nice. On my old hard tail, that would have been a 15 minute stop to change the inner tube, so I’m now a total tubeless convert!