crazy-legs – Member

don’t the london dynarod do something at richmong park with a road bike category?

That would be very naughty given the 20mph speed limit in the park…

Yeah and it looks like the Beeb pulled the video not long after it was posted – http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/528550/millar-sets-richmond-park-time-trial-record.html

RealMan – Member

That mondraker looks awesome from that angle, but then side on..

+1 to that

Always liked the Storck Aero 2

Sir :wink: Ian ‘Tosser’ Cammish was your man for the old skool series of testing.

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/news/testing-times

http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?

I did some photos for them back in 09 but the series died during 2010.

Good luck DD. Best I managed was 130 miles / 15 hours.

Jimmers, I’m going to have another pootle with some fellow roadies on the 13th. We’re aiming to leave Winchester around 6AMish.

Neil Newell used to be heavily involved on this and I’ve seen him on here as Hazeii.

I know someone else who finally did the double two weeks ago, which ain’t too shabby as he’d also come 18th in the ESCA 24 hour time trial at the end of June 8O 8) Two completely different 24 hours events inside 3 weeks definitely needs a mention!

I’m told Rory’s now at Upgrade Bikes though don’t know if he’s still involved in the local MTBing scene.

I have a 100mm macro lens but don’t use it very much. In fact my insect macros attempts have always been free hand as I wanted the bees in flight.

Never tried any rails but you might want to consider a lens collar so that you can rotate the body between portrait and landscape modes. Flipping the head obviously moves the body to a different axis, which means recomposing the image and tripod position.

Image stabilisation will allow to get away with handholding down to quite slow shutter speeds but not if you’re HDR bracketing shots, have shutter speeds heading towards 1 sec or do HQ pano stuff.

Ball Heads don’t have the precision of a 3 way unit but are more convenient in use and are generally lighter.

Despite having something like £600’s worth of ball heads, I’d probably suggest a 3 way unit if you’re happy to spend the slightly longer time on set up.

The Manfrotto 804RC2 would be a good starting point.

Oh and a hotshoe 2 or 3 way spirit level is a must have. They’re as cheap as chips on Fleabay

Ditto Dr J

I must have too much money to burn on toyz :roll: as I’ve more or less completed my induction in to the world of Arca Swiss camera pron.

Here’s a hotch potch of some of my kit.

Oh and BTW I don’t have the pennies for the big whites so the 300, 400 and 500’s I’ve used have been hired.

I’ve even been known to stop my car and offer help to someone stranded by the roadside.

I have completely changed a tube for a stranded lass and recommended she get the relevant tools and tubes ASAP.

Also got asked once if I had a shock pump on me, which for some reason I did at the time.

2 cyclists riding single file will take up up approx 1 car length of road. Multiply that by 3 or 4 and that’s arguably too long a train to safely pass(would people pass a slow moving artic on the same road?)

Riding two abreast can make more sense in some circumstances though you will inevitably encounter people who don’t get that concept.

Three or more abreast is just selfish and potentially stupid for all concerned if something goes wrong.

Tis a fact of life that you get morons using all forms of transport being it feet, hooves and wheels, motorised or not.

When I’m out on’t bike I will invariably wave my thanks to someone who’s waited to pass me. Similarly I will, whenever possible, signal and dip into a driveway, layby etc to let a truck or big van go by. – I don’t want to be helped down the road by 3 – 40 tons of truck any more than the trucker wants to be stuck behind some muppet on a push bike.

9/10 I will get a toot or indicator flash of thanks when doing this.

That Pentax is by all accounts a veritable bargain when considering the cost of other MF systems though as Mr S says if the backup isn’t in place it could be a bit of a gamble to buy in to.

Have to slightly disagree with Molgrips re the fisheye. I actually have two because I shoot 360′ panos for fun and you need the field of view. However the distorted perspective in single scenes doesn’t do it for me. They’re a bit marmite and easy to over do.

IMO a good wide rectilinear lens (10mm on crop bodies, 14 – 17mm on FF) gives an equally striking perspective but one that looks ‘correct’.

do you have a pic of yourself in a mirror holding a camera in a purposeful manner?
just that i have a theory about amateur photographers who take snaps of their own kit and was wondering if you could confirm my theory?

Sorry Mr Smith but you’ll be 5hit out of luck as far as me taking pictures of myself. (and who said I was an amateur?)

However, just to keep you happy ( :P :roll: :lol: ), here’s a snap of me shooting a Tri. Quite why the woman took the shot I don’t know though more to the point WTF was she thinking by uploading such a crap shot to an image library???? :?:

This is not a big headed statement but I could probably have a decent ‘social pleasantries’ type cycling conversation with approx 200 cyclists I know in the Sussex and Surrey area and at a guess I’d say just 10% of them road race.

Whilst the increase in all aspects of cycling is generally a good thing, the popularity of sportives does have some negatives. Most of the people who do these are more than happy to cough up silly amounts of money to race ride the Queen’s highways but don’t seem to be the least bit interested in helping out at the grass roots club level.

Getting helpers and marshals for events is a real tricky job these days. – It’s classically one of the aspects of being part of club and helping out at all levels but I get a sense that a lot of people either have no desire or interest in doing all the behind the scenes work.

Algore

From the topics you’ve mentioned, I’d say full frame would be a better option were you to get another body. Very hard to beat the bokeh and sense of depth that FF and a fast lens shot wide open can give.

Oh and having lots of toys just means humping more kit, especially on zoo trips….. :roll:

300 f4, 70-200 f2.8, 7D with 500 f4, 1D2n, 5D, 1.4 extender, misc batteries and whatnot = 42Lbs of bag and kit.

If you are a Canon shooter then http://photography-on-the.net/forum/ is possibly the biggest forum going.

I gave up reading the DPreview forums a few years ago as it was flame central, with some really obnoxious posting

Well after 90 mins of bodgetandscarping I’ve managed to get the bearings out.

Talk about DIY poncing about with bolts, washers and whatever else I could lay my hands on to press the bearings out :roll:. Three out of four feel decidedly rough in the hand but nothing like Love Tubs’s so hopefully some fresh ones will do the trick. That’s assuming I can get the burggers in!

What Jam bo said.

TT bikes are really quite specialist but do have a lot of cross over with Triathlons. For some reason I’ve yet to fathom, Tri’s can be a complete money pit from race fees to bike pron.

However people seem to want to cough the money up so suppliers are hardly likely to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Another repeat of 1989?

Since 2004 I’ve done it in a day five times plus various 50+ mile variations. Should be doing it again in 3 weeks and I may sneak in the 65 mile BHF ride next Sat to get some miles in the legs.

Anthony Beggs’ excellent Bikedowns[/url] is your site du jour. 8)

There are no technical bits anywhere though plenty of hills to slog up :twisted: and quite a few of them feature slippery chalk and/or flinty surfaces.

I have a 20D, 1D2n, 5D mk1 and a 7D.

From an overall IQ (image quality) point of view for me it’s 5D, 1D2n and then the 7D. That’s based on depth of field, tone, noise handling and dynamic range.

I’m also lucky that I have every sensor size and can swap bodies to match the subject.

The AF servo tracking on my 7D has been shite and I’m hoping a recent trip to Canon has improved matters. Not had a chance to test it in anger.

I freelance for SSP[/url] and the 40D is the bread and butter body for two of my my colleagues. Another ditched both his 1D3’s for a pair of 7D’s and hasn’t regretted the step ‘down’.

So from a sports point of view you could argue you don’t necessarily need to upgrade to a 7D. Oh and we don’t shoot on full file size images and IMO 18Mp is waay too much on a crop sensor.

If Mrs Algore is more interested in landscapes, portraiture, still life etc etc, I’d definitely suggest a full frame, especially if she was to hold on to the 40D as a backup body (a sensible idea if you take photography half seriously).

Though don’t forget that EFS mount lenses don’t generally fit FF or 1.3X bodies so you may need to take that in to account.

We’re VERY unlikely to see the 5D3 until next year and when it does finally arrive it’ll be fork off expensive, £2500+???

Sorry if my reply is a lot ifs, buts and maybes but there isn’t a ‘right’ answer to the opening question. I will finish by saying that if you’re happy to blow £1500+ on new kit, then get better glass and a decent tripod first.

MosBal

I value my knees thank you :lol: and besides I don’t subscribe to the trendy fixie/SS school of bikery

DT

I KNOW I’m going to put in a pants time as I’ve done burgger all racing this year. Tis more do I make this an annual bit of silliness and ‘waste’ the £8 entry fee.

On a vaguely more serious note, riding at full chat on a full suss does wonders for your souplesse and enforcing a smooth pedalling style. I’d recommend it to all roadies every now and then.

DaveB

I know three other local guys who ride Stealths and because I like Ti so much, I recently brought an Enigma Etape as a winter frame.

Oldgit

My best 25 time is 54:52 but that was an exceptional evening and one I’ve never got close to again.

When I unloaded the Spesh at the HQ last year one of the other competitors thinking I was a MBTer, suggested I’d go faster with slick tyres etc etc. I said if I wanted to do a quick time I’d have brought the TT wagon instead. I also beat him by over two minutes……

The 705 doesn’t come with OS mapping and I don’t know if it will take maps intended for the 800? – I’m sure there are some enterprising souls who’ve made such things work if you know what I mean….. :wink:

The 705 happily talks to 4GB cards and I’m going to try some of the UK OSM versions on a card. I’ve had no problems downloading topo maps for New England for when we’ve skied there.

In Arundel, you can ride along Mill Rd by the river past the castle up to and beyond the Black Rabbit pub. The road carries on to South Stoke and there are trails either around the river to Houghton, or across the river to North Stoke.

I’ve not been on these myself so don’t what you can actually do but the OS get a map site and OSM maps confirm there are bridleways/paths there.

Oh and enjoy the bar chewing up Amberley Mount :evil:

Good luck with finding a British battleship as I believe our last one was scrapped in 1960.

With the current state of the Andrew I doubt there’s much to see at Portsmouth though I’m sure the Victory[/url] must be worth a visit?

The only other thing I would add about the planet x is the specc’ed wheels are a bit “not best combination type thing”. The 82 mm front can be a handful in windy conditions

Yeah, defo agree re the 82mm front. An Easton 56mm is quite enough for me on the front.

As pointed out by SBZ, PlanetX are v popular in Tri circles and do some very well priced kit.

Evans will no doubt be doing their ‘end of season sale’ soon but in the meantime this alu Trek is quite a bit under the budget.

I’d definitely recommend mixing up the routes as well.

Not only will it make it a bit more interesting mentally, you’ll get more benefit training yourself for longer distances.

My two regular routes are 11.3 and 13.3 miles but with minor adjustments I can easily add another couple of miles to each and still comfortably keep the trip under an hour.

Otherwise I have six or so other routes that vary between 15 and 50 miles. On Fridays I try and do a long distance trip (30+ miles) either in or on the way home.

99% of my commuting is on road bikes but I do on occasion ride an mtb on’t one of my road routes.

A little wet chain lube does the job just fine. No need for anything exotic, all you are doing is lubricating the dust seal/wiper at the top of the sliders.

Cycle the forks a few times and wipe the tide mark off the stanchions.

Ah good point :-). I’ve got two tubes of Pedros wet stuff and hate it for lubing chains and cables. I’ll promote it to slider lubrication

Do you have a heart rate monitor? If so I suspect you’ll find your HR will be lower on these slower return rides, which can indicate fatigue.

How far is your commute and do you do the same route every time?

Lol

For those in IT, the Reg ran an article a while back about HP’s excessive packaging[/url]. I think the computer mouse shipped on a pallet was possibly the best (or worst, if you get my drift)

I’m currently in Crawley, and it’s not really doing it for me. Chosen because of it’s excellent transport links and cheaper rent.

Nights away in hotel are not an issue.

Again, thanks for all the feedback everyone.

I’ve worked in Crawley for nearly 20 years and lived in Sussex all my life.

In light of the mentioned commutes I’d say Ebo was too far away, especially if you’ve got used to the central location of Crawley.

I don’t know what the prices are like but Horsham, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath might be worth considering?

If you’re not fussed about the seaside but do fancy a bit more countryside then I’d lean towards looking along the A24 corridor. Somewhere like Southwater has good road links and is conveniently located midway between the North and South Downs. Burgger all to do in the village but Horsham is only 10 mins away.

aracer

Which ones – some linkys would be good if you want to defend your point at all (I’d been thinking it was just a clever troll)?

I’ll bite just to amuse you; :D
Have a gander in the Compared to the slowest…. thread anongst others.

No doubt we’ll be straight on to the ‘people are only joshing’ argument, and we know how easy it is to interpret interweb comments.

I know I’m rubbish but is anyone else up for proving me wrong with my interpretation?

I live just over 7 miles from Sheffield Park and know Sussex well. I didn’t explicitly mention the South Downs (Way) as it’s one of those areas that needs a bit of investigation to put together good runs. For an instant, convenient fix, Friston, Stanmer etc are the easiest places to go to.

Faaz, did you know that there has been XC racing at Pippingford[/url]? That’s obviously private land away from the Ashdown trustees, who seem to have their own little agenda….. :roll:

Ooops, sorry for a touchy post.

Folk are entirely justified in offering constructive opinions, it just galls me when you read Interwebkeyboardwarrior comments like ‘that sportsman doesn’t have a clue and I could beat him any day’.

I’ve only been on here 5 mins (this time round) and freely admit to being a lardy fat old git who’s struggling to average more than 100 miles a week. – I’m more than happy to fess up to my failings and short comings, are others? I’m cr@p at MTBing but as cyclist I like giving it a go and have come back in here to find out more and rekindle my enthusiasm.

I think downhillers are complete nutters :lol: but have a lot of respect for their skill and cojones. However it’d hardly be appropriate to moan about why they only do a few minutes per race cos event duration isn’t particularly relevant in this discipline.

I’m interpreting some comments as ‘I can (only) ride a MTB and am therefore an expert in all things cycling. Because I know everything MBTing, pro level road racing can’t be that hard so what is the fuss all about?’ – I’m happy to be corrected on this point

Oh and for the record I’ve managed to rack up 440 miles this month, 80 of which is properly off road. Back in 2009 I tried to do the SDW double but only managed 130 miles on my final attempt. – See, I’m cr@p and know it. :-)

From a country that once had laughable security, especially when leaving, the Yanks have gone totally overboard since 9/11.

You have to have an ESTA[/url] to get in these days and ALL airlines are legally required to provide full passenger manifests to the Merkins before their planes can take off.

We’ve provided similar information on other long haul trips to the far east though I doubt this is shared in a live and online basis.

The FCO has a voluntary system in place called LOCATE[/url]

Ashdown Forest (all the brown stuff east of the A22) has the potential for lots of singletrack fun. HOWEVER the folk that ‘conserve’ it are a bunch of ******** and don’t allow MTBing on it. – To say this is a bone of contention with the local riders would be an understatement……

If you know where you are going there are a quite a few point to point paths about but TBH as Timbur says, you need to head towards Stanmer Park in Brighton or Friston Forest west of Eastbourne if you want ‘dedicated’ places.

Now were you bring a road bike, then we’d be talking :wink:

I will also add that I commute on all my bikes and if it ties in with an evening TT, I’ll bling up and ride me TT wagon

It’s my fastest bike and I like trying to get from A to B as fast as possible :roll: :lol:.

At the other extreme I’ll pootle in on’t full suss every now and then

You’ll not be a million miles away from Kicking Horse and Panorama resorts. If time is limited they’re probably your best bet to get some decent riding. I hired a few bikes in Golden BC, there are plenty of bike shops there, I can’t remember which one, maybe Summit. I found the staff in all the shops more than helpful with info on where to ride locally.

I’ve skiied at Kicking Horse a couple of times so don’t know what it’s like in Summer. I can tell you it’d freak the 5het out of me trying to ride down some of those slopes :lol:

Sunshine[/url], not far from Banff is our favourite ski resort in the area though I don’t know if they do biking in the summer. I’d be surprised if they don’t.

Canmore is outside of the Banff National Park and a quick interweb graze came up with this site[/url]