Official Road Cycling Thread

[Markr]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Here's one of my favorite Fulgaz rides. Keep in mind this is a low res sample. The videos are 4k.

https://fulgaz.com/fulgaz-rides/?fg_...5807bf205f7a9b

I have a package called myEtraining, which came with the Elite Turbo trainer, and has mostly US routes, which takes you through lots of phenomenal sights, but at a distance, so the roads and scenery in the close proximity are pretty baron and boring - much prefer your scenery around Windsor, especially as I have driven some of those roads, and the early parts of it, especially on the narrow country lanes with hedgerows and dog walkers, reminds me of the majority of my rides.

It’s a pity I can’t go out in the car and import recordings from the BMW Car Eye system - that would make it more local for me!

[Markr]

Did 21.5 miles this morning. Weather was good for the first half, with blue skies, but started to change pretty quick, and got all grey, cloudy and windy, so made the journey home hard work into the wind.

[chassis]

14 mile loop. Weather was perfect. Started in the low 60s, ended around 70. Sunny and light/no wind. Lots of people biking, walking, rollerblading.

After the ride I adjusted our saddles rearward as much as possible. It helps with the fore-aft hip-pedal relationship which my sketchy MCL appreciates. My wife wanted her saddle moved back also. The adjustment was only an inch for her bike and a bit more on mine, but made a difference.

[M_Six]

Nice weather here, too. Plus I felt really good, so I just kept riding. Knocked out 30 miles. I'll probably regret it later.

[Markr]

Just got back from a 35.9 mile ride, with 1,220ft elevation gain. I am on the edge of the Cotswolds, so plenty of ups and downs. Started out nice and sunny, but 14 or so miles in it started to spit with rain, not that heavy, so didn’t really get wet, but windy with it, so spray in face and a bit unpleasant. Sun is out again now, and no evidence of any earlier rain - AccuWeather told me I had a 4 hour window with no rain - yeah, right!

[chassis]

New tires! Installed a pair of Schwalbe CX Comp 26 x 2.00. I took them for a short test ride and they seem pretty good. The outgoing 14 year old Kendas served faithfully.

The Schwalbes have a relatively smooth tread in the center, with some knobs on the outside edge. We ride mostly on paved paths, and some gravel, so less aggressive tires are better for our riding style. Hope to put some miles on this weekend.

[M_Six]

Sounds like a good combo. My roadie got new sneakers as well. It came with tubeless, but I got sick of them leaking goop all over my garage floor. Now I'm back on standard tubed tires. Continental Grand Prix 5000s. It might be my imagination, but they feel faster than the tubeless tires.

[chassis]

14 miles, usual loop.

Nice warm day, a bit breezy. Lots of people riding, walking and running.

Leaves are turning colors here in the northern climes, a sure sign of fall. Leaves have been changing for the past two weeks, and the earliest trees are in full fall display now.

The new Schwalbes are good. Harder, smoother and more efficient than the knobbier and larger Kendas. The old Kendas were 26x2.1 and the new Schwalbes are 26x2.0 with a noticeable reduction in air volume and harder ride.

Here we have until late October until the weather starts getting colder than I prefer to ride, mainly because of cold hands. So the new tires will be just broken in at that time, then it will be time to put the bikes away for the season.

[M_Six]

Bar Mitts work wonders in the cold. I've ridden on days near freezing with just light summer gloves inside my Bar Mitts. I have Bar Mitts for my road bikes and my straight handlebar cruiser bike. They really do work well and they do not "trap" your hands, as some folks fear. You can get them on Amazon or from the Bar Mitts website.

https://barmitts.com/

[Markr]

Did 30.03 miles this morning - left at 8.20am, a slightly revised circuit, with lots of inclines. Weather was dry, but a bit misty when I went out, but very warm and bright later on.

I have a winter hybrid bike with mudguards etc that I used to go out on with long bibs, a long sleeve top and a fluorescent jacket, however, came off a couple of times on black ice, so don’t do winter rides any more when the weather is really cold.

Saddle all fully adjusted now, no changes on last two rides, so have taken the torque wrench out of my bar bag now - bit less weight!

[M5Rick]

Yesterday went 10 miles at dusk and tried out my new lights, the front charged from a USB is good and has a bright setting for dark lanes and a less bright for roads with street lights, the rear is so small and very effective.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Markr

Did 30.03 miles this morning - left at 8.20am, a slightly revised circuit, with lots of inclines. Weather was dry, but a bit misty when I went out, but very warm and bright later on.

I have a winter hybrid bike with mudguards etc that I used to go out on with long bibs, a long sleeve top and a fluorescent jacket, however, came off a couple of times on black ice, so don’t do winter rides any more when the weather is really cold.

Saddle all fully adjusted now, no changes on last two rides, so have taken the torque wrench out of my bar bag now - bit less weight!

I was out riding on a sunny February morning a couple of years ago. The snow and ice had melted on the roads, so I jumped on the gravel bike and went out for a spin. Might have been hovering around 50F in the sun. But at one point I came around a corner and started down a short slope that faced west, so it hadn't received any direct sunlight yet. It was covered in a melting snow/ice mix that stretched out 20 yards or so. It was too late to stop, so I unclipped from the pedals and coasted over the ice with extreme care. I managed to get across it without going down. But ever since then I've been very sure to not enter any patch of road where I couldn't see a hundred feet ahead.

[M5Rick]

Good Lord ! This hapless biker learns the hard way to look where he is going.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...did-thing.html

[Markr]

Just completed 15 miles on this lovely sunny evening, made a nice change after being sat at my desk all day. The nights are definitely starting to draw in, so feels like just a few more weeks of evening rides before it starts to be weekend daytime only - hate that part of the year.

[M_Six]

I hated that as well when I was working. No weekday riding at all. But retirement solved that issue.

[Markr]

And another 15 miles…. I won’t be out tomorrow or Thu, as need to be in the corp office, and won’t be home in time, still on the plus side, I get to drive the car instead - which is doing stupidly few trips - none less than 25 miles though, so always warmed up. Mpg on these diesels is phenomenal - I get c. 800 miles to a tank, which lasts me a couple of months!

[M5Rick]

Easy 12 miler as it was getting dark, any excuse to turn my new lights on

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by M_Six

Sounds like a good combo. My roadie got new sneakers as well. It came with tubeless, but I got sick of them leaking goop all over my garage floor. Now I'm back on standard tubed tires. Continental Grand Prix 5000s. It might be my imagination, but they feel faster than the tubeless tires.

Could be because they are partial slicks.

[M_Six]

Had a full heart workup today at the local hospital. EKG, CT Scan, Ultrasound, and blood test (for cholesterol). In and out in an hour. No complaints. Hopefully everything comes back normal. Not expecting any issues.

Then I went out and knocked out this ride. I'm thinking my heart is doing ok.

[M_Six]

Oops, spoke too soon. Heart workup program revealed some issues after all. Not what I wanted to hear. Ugh.

[chassis]

Hoping for the best. How do you feel? Not sure about your opinions about tests and recommended ranges, compared with how you actual feel on a daily basis.

[M_Six]

CT scan for calcium buildup in the arteries. Anything above 400 is bad. My score is 5x that number. I'm stunned. I feel fine and can push my heart rate to 170bpm and keep it there for 20-30 minutes while I ride and still experience no discomfort at all. My cholesterol numbers have always been fine, even a bit too low. BP is under control. I exercise a minimum of an hour every single day and have been doing so for the past 6 years. I thought sure my heart was the last thing I needed to worry about. Apparently that is not the case. Got an appt with my regular doc today and I'm sure he'll be shuffling me off to a cardiologist. Funny how life can dope slap you when you least expect it.