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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: "My chain fell off.....": A cycling thread
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Surfing Madness
Shipmate
# 11087
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Posted
Apparently thunder makes me cycle quicker......didn't manage however to get back before it chucked it down, but at least it wasn't cold out on the bike today.
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I now blog about all my crafting! http://inspiredbybroadway.blogspot.co.uk
Posts: 1542 | From: searching for the jam | Registered: Feb 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Be careful, people getting struck by lightning is pretty rare but cycling in a thunderstorm would be a great way to increase the chance of it happening to you.
Best to wait under some sort of safe shelter for a short time and watch the storm front pass before getting out on the bike again.
Any UK shipmates going to watch the RideLondon-Surrey Classic on August 4 or participate in the sportive? Cannondale will be sending Peter Sagan to compete (wheelies on Box Hill?) while Orica-GreenEDGE will have full-strength sprint trains for both the men's and women's events, and Team Sky will contest the win with Chris Sutton and Ben Swift.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Correction - the women's, handcycle and youth races are on the Saturday as a criterium around St James Park, not on the same race route as the men get on the Sunday.
That's a pity that the women's race isn't on the same course and the same day (perhaps with one or two fewer loops to make a more conventional race distance) but I suppose they have to make it possible for the British track specialists to win instead of the top road sprinters like Melissa Hoskins, Annette Edmonson or Kirsten Wild.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Surfing Madness
Shipmate
# 11087
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
Be careful, people getting struck by lightning is pretty rare but cycling in a thunderstorm would be a great way to increase the chance of it happening to you.
Best to wait under some sort of safe shelter for a short time and watch the storm front pass before getting out on the bike again.
It wasn't my plan to be out in it, the weather forecast had said that the thunder wasn't meant to arrive till the afternoon, and I was in the middle of nowhere.....opps!
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I now blog about all my crafting! http://inspiredbybroadway.blogspot.co.uk
Posts: 1542 | From: searching for the jam | Registered: Feb 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
I take back everything I said about Chris Froome not having much in the way of all-round race skills, it appears a hangover gives him the ability to "sprint" ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
It's good to see Froome honouring one of the more humorous traditions of the Tour de France which Wiggins ignored last year, the WWE-style scripted races afterwards.
Mark Cavendish loves a good post-Tour crit where he's usually one of the stars in the pre-scripted top five, last year he went straight from a heavy defeat in the Olympic road race to "winning" one the next day - getting led out for the win by Alessandro Petacchi and Robbie McEwen!
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
Ironic that Kenyan-Born Froome is racing in Belgium, when Belgian born Wiggins didn't.
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Last ever sig ...
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Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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Surfing Madness
Shipmate
# 11087
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Posted
I'm buying a new car (I'm UK based), and was just wondering if anyone has any advice about bike carriers, and if there are any cars which are difficult to fit carriers to?
Thanks
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I now blog about all my crafting! http://inspiredbybroadway.blogspot.co.uk
Posts: 1542 | From: searching for the jam | Registered: Feb 2006
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Surfing Madness:
I'm buying a new car (I'm UK based), and was just wondering if anyone has any advice about bike carriers, and if there are any cars which are difficult to fit carriers to?
Thanks
For most cars, especially those with an honest-to-God boot/trunk, you could do much, much worse than a Saris Bones rack; they're nigh-well indestructible and will hold absolutely stock still at any speed or road condition. Hatchbacks can be a bit trickier (and trickier to set up properly; you have to use an entirely different style of rack), although there are a few good Saris racks that work well with them. Hardest of all are SUV-style cars (like, well, mine) that require you to either get a rickety and clearence-sucking roof mounted rack (ick) or a rather strange one that uses the bolts that hold on your spare tire to mount the rack.
My advice: get the car first, then find out what kind of rack fits on it.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Does the car have a tow bar which will take a conventional 50mm tow ball on the back as standard, or as a purchase option you can get the dealer to fit?
If so, you can get a tow ball mounted bike rack, which would have a baseplate fitting between the tow bar and the tow ball (you may need a tow ball with a longer shank) with the main body of the rack being detachable. You get the advantage of it being far easier to use than a wacky contraption of straps everywhere by mounting it on the boot/hatch and not leaving the bikes smashing up the back of the car, and of not leaving your bikes exposed to all sorts of damage on the roof.
Alternately, have you considered simply detaching the wheels using the quick release skewer and putting the bike inside the back? This makes for better security as well as doing away with the need for a rack, with only the potential downside of reattaching QR wheels sometimes being difficult to get done without brakes rubbing if you're running disc brakes on cheap aluminium forks.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Just because my position as bike shop minion isn't going to let this thread die easily...
Another USA Pro Tour is over (sorry I had to miss most of it! It's usually a pretty fun race to watch), and, shockingly, van Garderen, America's Great Yellow Hope, won, with Sagen making a surprisingly good showing for such a high altitude/mountainous race. Sure, the Denver finale may be America's post-Tour crit, but the six stages before were much, much more. Surprised to see Sky pull out the A-List for the USAPT, rather than the Vuleta; sure, the Vuleta may be a distant third in the grand tours, but the USAPT is lucky to be a contender for America's second most important race after the Tour of California. Still great fun to see so many young American riders out on the course, though—hopefully, one of them will make something of themselves and...well, make being an American cycling fan an exercise in something besides futility, excuse making, and rooting for American bike manufacturers.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
And I'm thinking that if I get a new bike it will be either this or this - very suitable for an elderly gentleman like me though I'm not mad keen on rod brakes.
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
... Surprised to see Sky pull out the A-List for the USAPT, rather than the Vuleta; sure, the Vuleta may be a distant third in the grand tours, but the USAPT is lucky to be a contender for America's second most important race after the Tour of California. ...
Sky ride by numbers, if their sports science guys had thought the guys who raced the Tour de France had a chance of doing the Vuelta well instead of the rested lineup who did the Giro they would have sent them to the Vuelta instead of a fourth-tier race they only do for their sponsors.
There's only one rider who does all three Grand Tours these days - Adam Hansen - which only goes to prove what we already knew, that real men ride mountain bikes.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Mountain bikes? I'm still looking forward to 'cross season. All the intensity of road racing without any of the douchenozzlery...and with more beer and cowbells than the mountain bikers can handle. Plus, Tim Johnson's a really cool guy from the couple of times I've gotten to meet/ride with him, as are his colleagues and coaches. It's kinda fun to be the beginner on the '94 Bridgestone beater getting tips from the pros on what to do when I start racing.
While I have no intention of racing (too competitive around here, and I'm waaaay too relaxed to be a proper roadie), I still use what Tim and his buds taught me. I figure a six time national champion might just know a tad more than me about how to ride real fast.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Meh. The average CX racer would be curled up in a foetal position halfway through the first stage if they tried doing the Crocodile Trophy.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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The Kat in the Hat
Shipmate
# 2557
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Posted
Took my bike to Greenbelt (again), this time I was a good Methodist - my chain did fall off!
Luckily there was a lovely man on my volunteer team who not only made a special trip to buy me a replacement, he also fitted it for me ![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif)
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Less is more ...
Posts: 485 | Registered: Mar 2002
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Baptist Trainfan
Shipmate
# 15128
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by The Kat in the Hat:
Took my bike to Greenbelt (again), this time I was a good Methodist - my chain did fall off!
No, to be a good Methodist you have to lose more than one chain!
Posts: 9750 | From: The other side of the Severn | Registered: Sep 2009
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
You know, this whole time and I never realized "my chain(s) fell off" was a reference to anything other than mechanical trouble, much less anything Methodist. ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif)
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
I don't know if this guy has been mentioned here before but Alex Zanardi who lost both legs after a Kart racing crash in 2001 has won the Para-cycling time-trial in Canada.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
That is really inspiring.
It puts me in my place, complaining of one slightly gammy foot.
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Last ever sig ...
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Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sioni Sais:
I don't know if this guy has been mentioned here before but Alex Zanardi who lost both legs after a Kart racing crash in 2001 has won the Para-cycling time-trial in Canada.
Did you know that as well as winning his class at the world championship time trial and both the time trial and road race at the Paralympics last year, Zanardi also made a return to international motorsport after his crash and losing his lower legs? From 2004 to 2009 he raced a BMW with modified controls and managed to win a national touring car championship and a handful of touring car races in the World Championship, an amazing achievement considering he hadn't ever won any World Championship level races in any category before his crash.
The BBC article sells his original injuries short, it wasn't a kart race but a 300+ km/h crash in a 500km CART event, which was the old name for what is now the IndyCar Series. He managed to survive nearly 50 minutes on what doctors estimated was not much more than one litre of blood when the average man should have about 6-8 litres.
For those interested, a H4 category hand cycle is not too different from a regular recumbent, but as H4 is the classification for athletes with the highest remaining capacity in their legs it is used in a crouched kneeling position to allow them to lean into the corners. The races are short but very fast - how many people here could smash out 16 kilometres at an average speed of almost 40 kilometres per hour on any bike?
[ 02. September 2013, 03:33: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Meg the Red
Shipmate
# 11838
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Posted
I just got back from the prologue of the Tour of Alberta. There have been pro riders training around town all week, and today I was within a few feet of Cadel Evans and Ryder Hesjdal!! (insert ear-splitting fangirl squee)
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Chocoholic Canuckistani Cyclopath
Posts: 1126 | From: Rat Creek | Registered: Sep 2006
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Meg, that's really cool. I've been following the Tour via Velonews and the like, and I really hope it takes off like the USA Pro Tour has (or maybe even more!); having a great first year like this one sure can't hurt!
I'm a bit surprised the Vueleta has turned out to be such a great race so far. It's very debatable whether the last of the Grand Tours is even in the top five road races, and many of the top teams have been either not putting in their top talent, or just not showing up at all, preferring to race in Colorado and Alberta. Yet the veteran Horner (how many other sports have 41 year olds who can still be competitive, much less have a legitimate shot at winning, on a world stage?) is still giving Nibali a bit of a run for his money. The Giro and Tour were both all but decided at this point; finally, a good Grand Tour! Took us long enough.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to see if there are any more new releases or rumors about 2014 bikes that mere mortals can actually afford and my bike shop might actually consider stocking. $14,000 road bikes are nice, but I sell $540 commuter bikes...some innovation for the masses, please?
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
I'm a bit surprised the Vueleta has turned out to be such a great race so far. It's very debatable whether the last of the Grand Tours is even in the top five road races, and many of the top teams have been either not putting in their top talent, or just not showing up at all, preferring to race in Colorado and Alberta.
How good was last night's stage - a sprinter getting a win on a mountain stage in tough weather conditions after running away from the rainbow stripes! Ratto loves to ride his motorbike in the off-season, and it showed with his skill on that intense descent.
None of the top teams are skipping the Vuelta, all 19 ProTeams are there along with some invited top Pro Conti teams. To say that some are sandbagging it just because Chris Froome and Cadel Evans have entered some lower-grade races in the USA is a very ignorant view. The reason their teams are going for different leadership strategies (Henao & Uran at Sky, the world champion Gilbert & Italian champion Santomorita at BMC) is that entering guys who have gone all-out for the Tour de France only a month before would be a recipe for losing - just look at Evans' performance in the Tour this year after getting a podium finish in the Giro.
Riders like Froome, Evans and Sagan aren't doing those races in the Americas because they take them seriously (a pursuiter is currently leading the GC in Alberta) but because they are a good way to oblige the team sponsors at the same time as getting back into their first lower-tier racing after their post-Tour recovery to build up towards the World Championships. If it was a flat course for the Worlds this year you wouldn't see them there at all, their season would have ended on the Champs Elysee and you'd wait until 2014 before seeing them again.
The Vuelta is easily in the top ten road races each year, what is more questionable is whether the events in Colorado and Alberta are inside the top hundred. A couple of stars turning out for the sponsors flatters the status of those races.
quote:
Yet the veteran Horner (how many other sports have 41 year olds who can still be competitive, much less have a legitimate shot at winning, on a world stage?) is still giving Nibali a bit of a run for his money. The Giro and Tour were both all but decided at this point; finally, a good Grand Tour! Took us long enough.
The Giro was still very much a live race at this point, and there was still plenty of excitement in the Tour GC right up to the last climb of the race, with Froome having to defend his jersey right to the end of stage 20 as the race for second kept eating time from his lead.
I would hold back on being too enthusiastic about Horner possibly producing the first good Grand Tour performance from an American since Lemond. There's still plenty of time for anti-doping controls to come back (lets be realistic about a former Armstrong domestique who rode for Saunier Duval and Astana) and I would expect Rodriguez and Valverde to leap-frog him and fill the podium with Nibali.
quote:
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to see if there are any more new releases or rumors about 2014 bikes that mere mortals can actually afford and my bike shop might actually consider stocking. $14,000 road bikes are nice, but I sell $540 commuter bikes...some innovation for the masses, please?
Speaking of which, I picked up a new commuter bike this week. It's a Scott Metrix, which is a big step for me as it means switching to a 700c flat bar road bike instead of putting slick tyres on a 26" MTB frame. It's a great looking bike with a nice form and great frame graphics (all Scott bikes look great, even their aero race and TT bikes) and has fun responsive handling. It was unfortunately a forced purchase (thankfully paid by insurance) after the old MTB-based hybrid was cracked by a car while parked against a bike rack.
I think the next big evolution you'll see with commuter bikes is disc brakes on 700c road commuter bikes, but you'll have to wait for it to trickle down just like it did with low-end mountain bikes. Disc brakes were the big trend with 2014 high-end road bikes at Eurobike 2013 recently and the conservatism of race teams means it could well skip straight to trickling down to flat bar bikes in the next couple of years. It will be worth it too with the advantages of better control, all-weather performance and the end of brake fade on steep descents.
Are you looking forward to cheering for the Belkin Pro Cycling Team (formerly Rabobank and then for half a season Blanco) next year after Bianchi filled the sponsorship gap vacated by Giant swapping to Argos-Shimano?
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
...To say that some are sandbagging it just because Chris Froome and Cadel Evans have entered some lower-grade races in the USA is a very ignorant view...
tgc - I read this as tantamount to a personal attack - be warned and don't do it again!
WW
All Saints Host
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Certainly not intended that way.
How about "a novel and unconventional understanding of professional cycling team strategies" instead.
[ 08. September 2013, 05:32: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
As always with evaluating sporting events with international audiences, your milage (or kilometerage) will vary. I stand by my assertions, such as they are, but hey. I'm also more a pint racer (as in, race to be first in line for pastries/coffee/beer) than a "real" racer, and I follow the techie angle as much as the competition. What can I say, it's my job.
So yes, my loyalties, such as they are, are to the bike first, the car second, and then the wife...or something like that.
As for disc brakes in commuter bikes, Kona's been doing it for years. The fact that they're a mountain/CX-focused company based in the ever-rainy Pacific Northwest might just have something to do with using a mountain/CX component that works well when wet.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Nothing boring about last night's stage of the Vuelta.
And I saw this on a local forum yesterday ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Our only off-street crit circuit in Adelaide (Victoria Park, using the pit straight of the motorsport circuit and the remainder purpose-built with the nicest cycling surface I've ever ridden) was extended to 1.35 kilometres at the start of this year, and opened for the first time in May after all the motorsport infrastructure was gone. I went there for the first time yesterday and was pretty happy with hitting a 1:54 lap time at 42.6 km/h, not bad for having done only a few rides on the road bike in the last few weeks as winter has lifted!
[duplicate post deleted - Piglet, AS host]
[ 09. September 2013, 23:33: Message edited by: piglet ]
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
I know that the only way to survive on the roads is to assume that every other road user is a raving lunatic but I do find it a depressing when they keep proving it!
Some days I can ride into town and back with nary a problem but then there are days like today...
![[Mad]](angryfire.gif) ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
...and people wonder why I swear!
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
Fancy a break in South India?
Accessible Homestay Guesthouse in Central Kerala, contact me for details
What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
I generally find Adelaide drivers to be pretty good so long as you ride sensibly and don't obstruct other road users needlessly. On the average 50 kilometre urban road ride I might come across just 3-4 idiots alongside hundreds of good drivers.
The worst ones are public transport bus drivers, they are quite happy to move over as soon as the front of the bus is in front and use the side of the bus to push you over to the kerb. On that basis alone I'll claim the lane if I see there's a bus coming up behind so the driver is forced to follow behind or make a proper overtaking move into the next lane.
Riding in Victoria has been scary the few times I've done it. I wouldn't go there again for anything other than a closed-road event without cameras attached and running front and rear.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Did anybody else watch the senior women's road race from the world championships tonight?
I thought it was an outstandingly exciting race with attacks galore on the flats, climbs and even the descents with Tiffany Cromwell's amazing skills. Marianne Vos was a very deserving winner from what was a very high quality field of eleven together on the last lap, this time going solo to the win instead of being pushed to a sprint like last year.
Rachel Neylan made a truly excellent debut as a commentator on the English-language world feed with great in-depth knowledge (she picked the Italian team tactics 20 minutes before it became obvious, to the disbelief of the play-by-play guy) and analysis of the competitors and the unfolding events, and a few good anecdotes about living next door to Mario Cipollini and training with him! The only disappointing thing about her commentary is that she was only doing it due to a spell on the sidelines due to injuries, at last year's world championships she was the only rider able to go with Marianne Vos on the final move and it would have been great to see a rematch. Her fellow South Australians in Carlee Taylor and Tiffany Cromwell who made the selection of 43 on the finishing circuit could well have achieved so much more if they were a trio instead of a pair.
The elite men's road race is on tomorrow night. Anybody game enough to make a prediction of who will win?
Philippe Gilbert and Fabian Cancellara can never be discounted in a major one day race - especially not the prestigious ones like the World Championship, the Monuments or the Olympic Road Race.
Cadel Evans will be the best chance of what is a very strong Australian team, he is an excellent performer in the national colours and he's had the perfect preparation with a good break after the Tour de France and then finding some good late season form in some of the lower-ranked races on the Americas continental circuit.
The Colombians Nairo Quintana and Carlos Betancur should both make the final selection and out-climb some of the all-rounders, but it would take a huge attack as neither will out-descend or out-sprint the all-rounders like Gilbert and Cancellara on the final lap.
Chris Froome could be a chance based on ability, and like Evans he did the Tour and then took a good break before using low-ranked races as training rides - but he's inexperienced in one day racing which won't help when his teammates get dropped and he has to do the job himself.
But my main tip would be for Jose Joaquim Rodriguez of Spain, as well as a hot chance he's a great guy who I would love to see wearing the rainbow stripes next year. Apart from the Vuelta maintaining it's place in the top ten races of the year, Spanish cycling is in crisis at the moment and Rodriguez would be the perfect man to rally them back to success.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Boogie
Boogie on down!
# 13538
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Posted
Just popping onto this thread to say my son has just completed the journey cycling from Heidelberg to John O'Groats. He was camping along the way and had two friends with him also doing the ride. He then went to Orkney by ferry, then Aberdeen, then flew home.
I say well done him
Here are a couple of pics.
Posts: 13030 | From: Boogie Wonderland | Registered: Mar 2008
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
Heidelberg to John O'Groats - wow! ![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
Glad he went over to Orkney - there's no point in going to JO'G if you don't ... ![[Devil]](graemlins/devil.gif)
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Women's cycling is pretty much a race for second at this point—everybody knows who The Best is. I would say they need to pull a Merckx and let someone else have a chance to win, but...naaa, may as well enjoy watching such fierce competition. What little video of women's races that makes it over here (I can't watch live—between country restrictions and work, it ain't gonna happen) makes it clear that trying to best Perfection makes for great racing.
Then again, I should probably be in bed watching races rather than at work trying to heft bikes into stands and break rusted-on bolts. I had a pretty nasty spill last weekend riding home in the rain after 50 States and lost a fight with the Columbia Heights sidewalk. Funny how concrete tends to win these things. While bruised ribs are nasty no matter how you slice it (three weeks to heal? Are you kidding me? This perfect riding weather isn't going to last another three weeks! Fix that bike and get back going while it lasts!), I'm pretty sure straining those muscles isn't helping. I've had to point out that I'm grabbing the right side of my chest when I wince, so no, you don't need to call an ambulance for my heart attack.
This whole "you can recover or ride, not both" schtick is why St. Ariston the Klutzy don't do mountain biking. It's bad enough trying not to crash on manhole covers or get struck in traffic (am I the only one who loses sleep most nights thinking about the real likelihood of being hit by a car?), I don't need to be throwing jumps into the mix!
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Patdys
Iron Wannabe
RooK-Annoyer
# 9397
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
I generally find Adelaide drivers to be pretty good so long as you ride sensibly and don't obstruct other road users needlessly. On the average 50 kilometre urban road ride I might come across just 3-4 idiots alongside hundreds of good drivers.
Trouble is I commute 50km a day. That's 3-4 near misses a day.
On the upside I set a new record today.
Spat out 6 and ate 3 flies.
Even riding our river bike path has its perils...
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Marathon run. Next Dream. Australian this time.
Posts: 3511 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Huia
Shipmate
# 3473
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
while bruised ribs are nasty no matter how you slice it (three weeks to heal? Are you kidding me?
You'll be lucky if it's only 3 weeks. I hurt mine a couple of months ago and they got better - until I filled my back pack with more than the usual amount of stuff - now they're sore again.
Brilliant day here. The CBD (or what's left of it)was closed to traffic and we had bikes, scooters, skateboards, wheelchairs and all manner of other wheeled vehicles being ridden and on show. There were weird one off bikes that had been made as a joke, penny-farthings, home made bike trailers and traditional women's bikes. It was great fun and really encouraging to see so many people enjoying themselves with their bikes. It really gave me hope that Christchurch will be rebuilt to be more cycle friendly.
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Charity gives food from the table, Justice gives a place at the table.
Posts: 10382 | From: Te Wai Pounamu | Registered: Oct 2002
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
It didn't take my cracked ribs that long to heal - three weeks sounds about right. I cracked them landing on top of the car door opened in my face. Car driver didn't look, I was moving pretty fast, front wheel was rearranged somewhat too.
I meandered into the GP a few days afterwards and said I thought I might have cracked some ribs. He looked at the bruising and said he thought so too, but there wasn't anything he could do. Goodbye.
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
Women's cycling is pretty much a race for second at this point—everybody knows who The Best is.
Do you actually watch any women's cycling during the 364 days a year other than the world championship race? I'm guessing not, because then you would know that Marianne Vos has the rainbow stripes but Emma Johansson of Orica-AIS is the current no. 1 ranked rider. You would also then know that there are plenty of other women who are winning the big races throughout the year, such as Linda Villumsen and Giorgia Bronzini.
Even last night's championship race was a far more open race than you might think, Vos only won because it was a race of attrition right down to the second climb on the last lap when the finish was close enough for her to launch a punchy attack. If a stronger attack had gone earlier (maybe if Ratto and Johansson had joined with Tiff Cromwell on lap 3) she could have been isolated and forced to spend her energy dragging that back while the other three Italians and Carlee Taylor sat on her wheel and stayed fresh for the possibility of the attack coming back.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Curiosity killed ...:
It didn't take my cracked ribs that long to heal - three weeks sounds about right.
Smashed ribs take about 14 weeks with twinges of pain 7 years later. At least mine did
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Last ever sig ...
blog
Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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Curiosity killed ...
Ship's Mug
# 11770
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Posted
I think age also has a bearing on healing. I cracked those ribs in my 20s. I wouldn't put too much hope on mending broken bones that quickly now, with a daughter in her 20s (and taking a long time to recover from pleurisy)
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Mugs - Keep the Ship afloat
Posts: 13794 | From: outiside the outer ring road | Registered: Aug 2006
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Way to let me have my fanboy moment, man. Harshin' my buzz. Raining on the parade, even. Maybe I'm an oldschool throwback who prefers VeloNews to pixelated poor-quality live feeds that always air when I'm at work (something about the boss at job A not getting the cycling habit, everyone at job B more than getting it, but knowing it would kill our repair times/helpfulness if we were even able to watch races), though the ends of stages and races are a bit better quality—and watchable in between other things.
Maybe I just like her spirit and drive, her all-around ability, the way she wins not by physical virtuosity—everyone at that level has that—but by mental strength, by fighting through all those things your mind tells you. Maybe I just like her Twitter feed and making the cycling equivalent of Chuck Norris jokes. Probably all the above. Whatever. Go Marianne!
As for those of you concerned about widdle ol' me and my bruises...yes they hurt (though not as badly as I imagine properly broken ribs would—we're talking somewhere between "annoyed" and "mild swearing" on the pain scale, not "can't breathe, constant agony"), but I think they'd be a lot better if I was being sensible and actually resting, rather than working or, well, riding. I have a hunch I'll recover shortly after the weather turns less perfect and I stop doing fast rides compulsively in the not-quite hour of daylight I have after work "because this weather's not going to stay around forever, might as well get as much in while it lasts."
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Piglet
Islander
# 11803
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Posted
Poor you, Ariston - it's easy for me as a non-bikist to say, "take it easy" but I can understand why you'd want to make the most of the cycling weather that's left before it turns too cold/wet/generally unpleasant.
Hope you're mended soon.
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I may not be on an island any more, but I'm still an islander.
alto n a soprano who can read music
Posts: 20272 | From: Fredericton, NB, on a rather larger piece of rock | Registered: Sep 2006
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
It happened again. A car came to me this morning and I felt near to being hit as it nipped a turn in front of me. Scary. When this happens, my responses are always unsatisfactory. I cannot do right anything it seems. Being thankful I wasn't hit seems to be about all that is possible. I have said to drivers when possible that they should be more careful or asked if they saw me, but invariably, except for once, the drivers say things like bicycles shouldn't be on the road, are defensive "how could you be concerned for your safety", or an f-off type of response. I am invariable polite, excessively so, when I've said to please be careful, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. The one this morning told me that bicycles do not belong on the road and that I should walk. Not atypical, though this one didn't swear. I repeated my line "please be more careful, your hurry is not worth my life" to the wall of stupid.
What do you think and what are your experiences? I wish I could pick a different route, but sometimes there are no choices.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Karl: Liberal Backslider
Shipmate
# 76
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Posted
Tell them to fuck off and kick their door panels in. It's the only way they learn.
Seriously, though. Photograph the car including the licence plate and report it to the police. Ensure the driver knows that's what you're doing. The police won't do fuck all unless the homocidal cretin actually kills you, and then they'll not do much, but the driver doesn't know that and with a small degree of luck they'll shit themselves for a few days.
[ 17. October 2013, 21:22: Message edited by: Karl: Liberal Backslider ]
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Might as well ask the bloody cat.
Posts: 17938 | From: Chesterfield | Registered: May 2001
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
It's a good thought Karl. I did have a handle bar mounted camera but for a lengthy period, all I did was delete the video until I did get one of a bus nearly squishing me. You're right about no one caring, no one would watch it, even though I sent it along. It made me feel like a traffic troll, almost wanting an eggbrain to do something so I could get a good vid. After I started fantasizing about the authorities viewing the video after I'd been car killed, I stopped using it on the bike and started using it on the water. Maybe I should just carry it with me and do the threatening take a photo thing as you suggest. Might help my shattered emotions and faith in humanity. I am about ready to start a Purg thread "can motorists be Christian?" or "what is the Christian way to lip off to an cyclist you nearly killed?"
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
First, have some Depressing. Yeah, I should be used to stories like this by now, but I'm really not. It's part of why I'm glad we have so many cops who are regulars at my shop—it means there are cops familiar with cycling laws, since their life depends on it too.
As for what to do...I've signed petitions, I've put up signs, I've even volunteered to tow this thing. And while it's just a bit hard to miss that sign, the rest...well, we try. And try harder. And lie awake at nights each time we narrowly escape death.
Thanks be to God, I've yet to be in a serious wreck. Sure, bruised ribs, bloodied elbows, the usual "accidents happen" stuff, but when you're a right ijit like me who rides his '87 Schwinn like it was a racing bike, shit like that happens. You lie to yourself, say you don't hurt, it's a nice day, HTFU and go for a ride! But the stories I hear from people about them vs. cars...oy. Just Oy. I'm terrified of being doored, or a car-on-Ariston collision, and, as much as I ride, and (more to the point) as much as I ride in urban environments, I know it's a matter of When. And that scares me. DC's pretty bike friendly on the whole, but there are people who see folks like me as part of the War on Cars, and they're determined to win it by reminding us to know our place—which is, apparently, on the sidewalk. For starters, riding on the sidewalk is illegal in central DC on weekdays (something about pedestrians needing to use them), it's a jerk move everywhere, and all the time (don't pedestrians need some place to walk?), and it's just generally inadvisable (only pedestrians can deal with this uneven pavement, broken glass, and low-hanging vegetation; they can have it to themselves!). So I keep hauling my sign, racking up miles for the WABA Trailer's Strava account (there has to be some way I can get that thing a KOM...), and hoping things better.
[ 18. October 2013, 02:48: Message edited by: Ariston ]
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
You're doing better than we have if cars aren't allowed in bike lanes. The rules here are that you're supposed to be close to the right curb so cars can go by unless there is a bike lane marked and then we get to share with the cars. Cars can park in them. They also have very narrow-on-the-shoulder-of-the-road dedicated bike lanes which are okay, but then we come to the infamous "bike lane ends" signs and there's nothing except to do the share a narrow lane with a car or, when marked, share a pathway or sidewalk with pedestrians. So sometimes I act like a car, when they let me and it's safe. I do block the car lane when I have to, to be safe. I ride on the sidewalk at times when there is only a roadway and that and I want to live. It's all commuting and getting around. No racing. No high performance. Not a recreational cycler.
I got a Kona road bike in early Sept, very nice for the snow free months. I changed out the stem and the seat & post and it now fits me well for the geek with necktie schtick. I put baskets on the front and back instead of panniers. Adds to the nerd thing. It replaced a Norco that is ready for recycling, but of course I can't throw it out. I got another Norco second hand, which I'm getting these Schwalbe Ice Spiker tires for. Expensive but after 8 years I'm going winter riding this year and it'll be less than gas would be. I'm down to 3 working bikes now. I got a bike locker for my office a month ago in preparation.
My history re injuries is mostly minor, but the one in 1987 made me stop the racing the streets and trying to better my bike computer commuting times. I t-boned a guy coming out of a parking lot. Over the hood and rolled, tore up pants and destroyed the front tire and fork. The guy seemed very decent and came to the hospital, but he lied when he gave the police report and to the insurance. Typical. Compression fractures of T5 and T6 (vertebra between the shoulder blades). The one in 2005 was me avoiding getting hit and landing with my chest on a concrete barrier for 3 broken ribs. They took forever to heal and I slept properly about a year later. So since then I have driven in the winter about 50% of the time, and done my damnedest to hitch rides and walk. Yeah, and I've got arthritis. Friggin idjit yes I am on the physical side, but it does me a world of good psychologically.
My kids bought me this t-shirt Infinity mpg city and highway. That's another reason, and of course the shirt is green.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
I got a Kona road bike in early Sept, very nice for the snow free months. I changed out the stem and the seat & post and it now fits me well for the geek with necktie schtick.
I'm guessing a Sutra or Zone? Both great bikes—we have some customers who special ordered Zones and we used to stock Sutras (we're a Kona dealer, so it's not that surprising), and everyone seems to love 'em. Of course, our jokes about Kona being the kind of company who would put disc brakes and suspension forks on their road bikes are looking less like jokes and more like the next trend in the industry with every passing year...
(Note for the non-gearheads: disc brakes and suspension forks are things you typically put on mountain bikes, but, until recently, never road bikes. There are some companies putting disc brakes on their road bikes this year, however, and suspension seatposts of various designs are always a perennial Thing at trade shows. Kona is also very much a mountain bike company; we wonder if the only reason they make a carbon fiber road bike is because federal law requires US bike companies to make one, just as US breweries have to make an IPA, or if it's just that someone in upper management wanted a carbon road bike, but also wanted to use their employee discount on it. Kona is about the least carbon fiber road bike company ever—very laid back, very friendly, bikes built to last, not afraid of a little mud or rain, not a single jerk in the whole company...).
As for people parking in bike lanes: there's a reason that sign exists, and it's not because people habitually stay out of the bike lanes. There are websites devoted to shaming people parked in one of the city's main bike tracks, and a few events were dedicated to clamping down on people pulling very illegal u-turns through a median cycletrack on one of the main DC streets (Pennsylvania Avenue—the road that connects the Capitol to the White House, is always busy, and is practically a bike highway. People were not happy when a few too many people, including the ex-mayor/now city council member were found pulling illegal turns that blocked the path of commuter traffic)
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
Of course, our jokes about Kona being the kind of company who would put disc brakes and suspension forks on their road bikes are looking less like jokes and more like the next trend in the industry with every passing year...
(Note for the non-gearheads: disc brakes and suspension forks are things you typically put on mountain bikes, but, until recently, never road bikes. There are some companies putting disc brakes on their road bikes this year, however, and suspension seatposts of various designs are always a perennial Thing at trade shows. …
Suspension forks on road bikes came and went in the 1990's as one of the less successful MTB innovations to be tried out on the road (although I believe there was some success in a few cobbled races), Ernesto Colnago would like to take credit for the 'went' bit.
You don't need them now that the carbon fibre layup on the forks and stays can be tailored for comfort and/or elastomer inserts added as on the new Specialized Roubaix. I get a much smoother rough road ride from the distinctive Onda "s-bend" fork and stays on my Pinarello FP2 than I did from the suspension fork on my last mountain bike!
On the other hand, disc brakes are here to stay - at Eurobike all the big manufacturers were launching production models instead of showing off concepts like they had in the past. They aren't currently permitted in sanctioned road races (cycling is a rare sport where recreational participants can readily buy better equipment than the elite competitors may use) but I'm pretty sure the UCI will certify them as soon as there is some consensus on cross-industry standards that will allow for neutral service.
Disc brakes are probably the only thing I miss from the forced replacement of my previous commuter bike (a MTB with front suspension and Tektro disc brakes) with a Scott Metrix flat-bar road bike - every single other aspect is so much nicer. The performance of discs in the wet is far superior to rim brakes (you get the braking when you want it, not after 5-10 revolutions of the calipers drying off the rim), you get better modulation and for the road bike crowd it will finally make carbon clinchers less scary.
quote:
Originally posted by Ariston:
... Kona is also very much a mountain bike company; we wonder if the only reason they make a carbon fiber road bike is because federal law requires US bike companies to make one, just as US breweries have to make an IPA, or if it's just that someone in upper management wanted a carbon road bike, but also wanted to use their employee discount on it. Kona is about the least carbon fiber road bike company ever—very laid back, very friendly, bikes built to last, not afraid of a little mud or rain, not a single jerk in the whole company...).
More likely that the Kona rep went to visit the OEM which makes their bikes in Taiwan and got offered a carbon fibre road bike model. The same company was probably already making carbon road bikes for other non-OEM brands like Specialized or Cannondale so they would have had all the tooling in place, with some tweaks to an existing mould they would have had a "brand-new design" ready to be mass-produced and stickered up as a Kona.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
Mine is one of the Dews, but not stock because I did some modification both with the shop and myself. Front and rear discs yes, but suprisingly not hydraulic given the rest of it. The only weak point I found on it was the needless use of a carbon fibre seat post clamp, which I didn't realize was, and didn't use a torque wrench on. I put a quick release on it so I can easily adjust the suspension seat post I put on.
I would like to know what the theory is with Presta versus Schaeder tire valves. I didn't know Ariston was in the bike business, so now I can ask someone who probably took a course in it or something(?)
I am also working through face coverings with glasses. For the winter wind. Glasses fog up if nose is covered. Goggles or no, and I have a whole series of sport sunglasses with blind-man prescription inserts. Nothing really works, except enough wind in the face, but in cold weather, one blast of breath blown back and fog city. Nobel Prize to whomever solves this one.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
Posts: 11498 | From: Treaty 6 territory in the nonexistant Province of Buffalo, Canada ↄ⃝' | Registered: Mar 2010
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
I had a Dew, and loved it. But as the Dew was a great design most companies are doing their version. Latest bike is one of these copies, a Trek 7.2 Disk with mudguards and rear rack. No lightweight commuter bike this, but has the luggage carrying capability of mule.
What I can't understand is why anyone would want to commute in the UK without mudguards.
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Last ever sig ...
blog
Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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