Well, the Nw round at Beacon Park was the classic mud fest it always seems to be (weirdly rideable & grippy, despite the slop). Barely needed to touch the brakes, but still got through a set of pads!

Looks like the Heaton Park round next weekend will be the “usual” course – no complaints from me as it’s a cracker of a route as long as the swoopy stuff in the trees stays rideable 🙂

WTF is a “file tread”?!

In the NW league we get a choice between full muds or flippers 😂

4iii on Ultegra crank arm, about 8 months use so far. Zero issues. Used in all weathers (and on the beach…) with no water ingress at all.

The 6800 crank arm has fitted fine on Dura Ace and other-series Ultegra chainsets with no problems, though I did have to space it out a bit on the CX bike to stop it catching on the chainstay.

I find the batteries tend to last about 100hrs (ie 1% used per hour).

I’d buy another, happily.

All ready at Hoghton. Fields medium wet so probably grass and sticky mud (and some cow poop) rather than the sea of slop.

Testament to how wet last year was – this was the first time I’ve found fossilised ruts from the previous year still evident in the woods. I’ve raked us an extra soft new line on the last corner in the woods 🙂 then staying on the grass a bit longer to try and avoid covering the drive in filth.

Ace. Hope you had time to polish the cobbles inside the barn too. They were excitingly slippery last year 😂

Weather’s looking very un-cross like again, should be another good day for racing 🙂

I am predicting that mud tyres will be required this weekend though. Awfully soggy driving through Houghton this evening!

It’ll be muddy in those woods (and on that start loop in the lower field), it always is! Hopefully the main field near the pits will stay rideable.

Mind the cow poo! 🤢

Ah it’s good to be back!
Not so good to be throwing away a decent start by binning it on the gravel, stuffing a mech into the spokes and shredding my shorts, but the racing was as lung bursting as ever and the atmosphere was as friendly as I remember it (everyone loves a bit of heckling at the jump spot!).

Didn’t even have to wash the bikes when I got home. Ace. 🙂

Any prediction for finish position in V40 Dave?

Shivering, muddy and having a barrel of ice cold water poured over me before I’m allowed back in the van. The standard position. 🙂

The ceremonial “dig out cx bikes > attempt to turn handlebars/spin cranks > buy new bearings for everything” dance is now complete. Bring on the NW league again.
V40 this year, which has come as a complete shock as I’m sure I’m still young! Oh well, it means I’ll get the chance to ‘double up’ at a few rounds and race both the vets and the seniors…

Also aiming to get to most of the National Trophy rounds this year.

Can’t wait 🙂

Aye, it’s buried deep in the T&Cs –

Just show the QR code in store or enter the text version online to get 10% off on qualifying clothing, parts and accessories. (Exclusions: Gift Vouchers, RIDE-IT, FIX-IT, GPS and non-GPS computers, computer accessories/spares, cameras, camera accessories/spares, heart rate monitors, fitness trackers, power meters, turbo trainers) We reserve the right to deactivate your code at any time. Code cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer code. Discount is only redeemable by British Cycling members with a valid membership card which you may be asked to present upon purchase blah blah blah etc

annoying!

get 10% at Evans- It’s where I’m looking at so about £250

If you’re talking about the British cycling discount, it doesn’t work when buying power meters (I tried). If not, ignore me. 🙂

1) The leg imbalance for most people is so small as to not be worth worrying about (as long as you don’t have one leg twice the size of the other!). This is even more applicable if you’re just using the data yourself as a guide, rather than having a team of coaches and doctors study the minutia of the data provided…
2) I’ve only used the 4iii (and one built into my tacx turbo trainer) – thus far no faults or issues when using it on two different bikes.
3) Yes, it works fine on my Garmin 810 – so far the only ‘drop out’ in readings hasn’t been caused by the power meter (the drop out also affected the ANT+ heart rate monitor I was using, so i’m blaming the Garmin, not the crank)
4) Haven’t seen any, unless you’re willing to go 2nd hand on ebay…

LOADS of great tips in this thread 🙂

If you get a pop-top, I can recommend getting a thermal wrap to go round the canvas if you’re planning on camping through the winter – only makes a couple of degrees difference but it certainly helps.

Make big one-pot meals (like chilli etc) before you go, freeze them and keep them in the fridge. They’ll take a day or two to defrost and saves you spending ages cooking everything when you first get to wherever it is you’re going (or on the first night of a roadtrip), just warm them through and feel smug 🙂

Worn jockey wheels with too much side to side play in the bushings/bearings?

Please don’t be saying things like that! I’ve not done anywhere near enough training yet!

Can’t wait though, best sort of racing there is 🙂

I didn’t know they were banned in BC sportives (I’m guessing they’re not in all the “private” company ones, like Epic Events and the like?).

They shouldn’t be. If it’s not a race, just a timed challenge then what type of bicycle is used shouldn’t matter, surely? MTB/cx/road bike/DH E-Bike, whatever.

Edge 200: Brilliant little thing. Bought 5 years ago, still going, somewhere. On the back of tht I decided I’d upgrade to a 500…

Edge 500: Quite good. Had the (programmed in?) bug when using it to navigate.
“off course!”
“course found!”
“off course!”
“course found!”
/breadcrumb screen goes blank for a bit
“off course!”
“course found!”
Died just out of warranty, but Garmin sent a refurb unit as a replacement for free which is still going (with that same course bug). On the back of that warranty support I decided to upgrade to a 810…

Edge 810: OK. Seems very clever, but has crashed twice while on long rides (I guess on short rides there just isn’t as much time to go wrong!). Both times turning it off and on again got it going but wiped the ride data, which then had to be manually dug out while plugged into a pc.

Most unintuitive menu layouts ever.

Leave it to plot a route itself and you are guaranteed a magical mystery tour of all the back alleys, dried out river beds and fenced off footpaths in the local vicinity. That’s probably classed as a feature.

The more you spend the worse it gets…

Can’t link to images on Instagram[/url]

Same as ‘cross season really…though I’m on the cheapo clincher wheels rather than carbon tubs, and there’s a bottle cage on there now, and a saddle bag with a couple of spare tubes/tyre levers/extra chammy cream/that sort of stuff, oh and some lights too, as per the required kit list 🙂

From an impact point of view – Davidian by Machine Head takes some beating….

This.
Hundreds of times over.

On first listen I actually stopped the tape recorder (remember them?!) halfway through and just sat there thinking “****. That’s brilliant.” Then rewound and started all over again. 🙂

(Then I went off in search of a back catalogue, convinced that there must be one…)

You might be able to get a 29er wheel and tyre into a 26″ rigid fork, but I don’t know how much mud clearance you’d have.

This much (with those exotic forks): https://www.flickr.com/photos/37065594@N06/27181275784/in/dateposted-public/ (apologies for the rest of the pic!)

Used the older version RS80s until the rims were totally worn out, loved them. Quick to accelerate, good at soaking up road chatter, hubs were properly sericeable and they weren’t even flexy given their relatively low weight.

(As above, I was using the with 23mm tyres, so the width wasn’t an issue for me)

Planet X as above, or try exotic: http://www.carboncycles.cc/?p=197 – been using both for years with no issues 🙂

Stayed in Kirkcudbright (well. just over the river) few times. Loads of nice quiet roads to explore out that way – Glentrool is kind of stuck in the middle of a forest so there’s not loads of roads generally!
Try this route – passes pretty close, easily cut-shortable and nice along with it http://www.mapmyride.com/gb/kirkcudbright-sct/galloway-recycle-sportive-route-121692555

“Worst midges” is right – not a single one showed it face any of the times we’ve been there, or dared to bite us. Rubbish! 🙂

Approved 🙂

“suicide” being where pretty much all the ‘part of the road’ cycle lanes go? Awesome. 😕

Hmm, she raced on Anglesey a couple of months back, on open roads. Didn’t seem overly fussed then!

Would closed road racing be good? Of course! It’d be ace!
Is it going to happen? No, of course not!
Is the racing scene currently unsafe? No!
The sheer amount of preparation into the route of the race course, the marshalling, the outriders/lead car make it incredibly safe. You would have to go out of your way (ie over a solid while line, or onto the wrong side of the road without looking) for the fact that the road isn’t totally deserted to make it dangerous. You are far FAR more likely to be taken out by poor riding than traffic.

You have to keep your wits about you and be prepared to meet a car coming head on when you cross that white line.

Jeezus Sarah, don’t cross the white line then! Unless you can see far enough ahead to know it’s safe, treat it like the edge of the race course in the same way the kerb/drystone wall on the other side is! Move through the bunch!

Ordered from them twice, both times delivery was within a day or two. 2nd time round with a free gift (of more coffee). I’d be happy to use them again.

If you’re looking for a nice alternative though, try Big Maggy’s[/url]

Did anyone notice a creep in tyre sizes? I am sure I saw some quite a bit over 32’s !

Kind of – on my bike!

Fitted the new version of Land Cruisers. Still 35c (says so on the sidewalls and everything) but looked twice the volume of the old style ones to me!

Children of the Dogstar

Which no-one remembers except me. Proper used to freak me out, as did The Tripods.

Had to watch them though, even if I was on edge the whole way through.

Set up a few privacy zones around your house (rather than just one based directly on top of it).
Have a garage made almost entirely of asbestos, so anyone smashing their way into it will get their comeuppance (and then some…)
Ride knackered old bikes that no-one would want to steal.

Seems to be working so far…

Not to doubt everyone but what you mean was the never caught.

Indeed, there’s always that risk (again, sadly!). I’m not sure an attitude of “oh well, it’s possible they’re all at it, so look kids at least this one’s (probably, ahem) stopped now” is the way forward though. 😕

So how would that person deal with questions about doping and the pressure put on you, after all they have no idea they didn’t partake or didn’t get caught.

As I said, anyone racing at pro tour level will (sadly!) have come into contact with those that dope, it’d be frighteningly naive to believe otherwise.

I’d rather someone with the courage and conviction to say ‘no’ mentor the next generation, than someone who’s answer to the “questions about doping and the pressure” would be “I gave in”!

after all they have no idea they didn’t partake

Not giving in != never being around dopers/doping culture.

coffee induced double post 👿

David Millar is where he is today for a variety of reasons, he was a strong and able pro cyclist who‘s greatest achievements were while doping after he gave in for months and months (years?) of planned, maintained, budgeted and supported weakness, got caught and had no choice but to served his ban, before restarting where he left off, only now with a ‘holier-than-thou halo to go with all the other perks of being a pro cyclist. He now tries to educate people on not getting sucked in. How anyone can ignore all of this is beyond me

I’d rather someone who made it as a pro without doping, took the job. Anyone of pro tour level will have been around those who doped, will have seen what goes on within the peloton, will have a deep understanding of how things have worked/have changed over the past few years, would be a better mentor than someone who couldn’t resist and has been clever and articulate enough to come out of his self induced mire smelling of roses.

he’s at work on Monday

See, I think that’d be harder than riding there first 🙂

Looks like there some cracking racing going on…

You lot do realise that the meat in the hotdogs/meatballs is just the ground up remains of other blokes who died trying to find the exit/were killed by their partners for suggesting it was time to leave too early?

It truly is the place of nightmares.

Nice one Terry!

These pic filled stories have very much put ‘the middle of nowhere in Scotland’ very much back on the list 🙂

I think all polices have a “do not accept liability” clause in them. You pay the insurers to deal with the consequences of any accidents you’re in, so it’s not up to you to decide who’s right/wrong (even if you’re trying to ‘do the right thing’ by taking the blame).

It doesn’t mean you’re blaming the other person, just that the people you’ve employed to sort it out are the ones who will/won’t work out who did what wrong.*

*In theory, most of the time they all just seem to collude with each other to settle 50/50 to save actually putting any effort in, unless you give thema kick up the arse!

If you’re lapping, call out – makes everything easier for both parties.

If you’re racing the person in front, don’t call out. Don’t ride like a dick, trying to barge them off the course (doing so is more likely to cause the other rider to behave equally back at you), but don’t muck about either. Hound them in the corners. Shoulders get rubbed in ‘cross, more so than in crits/road races. Stick your wheel in if a gap opens – it’s a race not a procession and decent courses will allow for some side-by-side bravery through the twists and turns.

Getting in as many of the North West league races in as I can this year (will miss a couple with previous engagements/hill climbs). Last year was my first ‘full’ league (ie enough races to get an overall place) and it was bloody brilliant. Really can’t wait to get stuck in again 🙂

(Oh and fuelling/drinking wise – don’t bother carrying anything, you probably won’t have time to use it. I carried the same “emergency” gel around in my jersey for the whole season last year!)

Is the chain rubbing on the mech cage – you mention the jockey wheel looks like it’s pulled over to one side, which could result in it catching slightly

Did the same thing maaaaany years ago while out on a nightride (in the days before ‘proper’ lights), while smacking the torch I had gaffertaped to my stem as it had randomly turned itself off (for the thousandth time that evening).

Bloody hurt. And broke the bike. AND cost (my parents, ahem) quite a lot to repair.

Never done it since. 🙂