Fitting a K-Edge chain catcher.

Everyone's dropped a chain at some point in their cycling life. On a steel frame it doesn't cause much damage, except perhaps to the paint finish. On a carbon frame, the dropped chain can make a real mess of the relatively fragile carbon fibre.

The K-Edge chain catcher (CNC machined from 6061-T6 alloy in Boise, Idaho) is a very simple device. It is basically a narrow metal plate that bolts to your front derailleur and acts by physically stopping the chain falling off the small chainring. Fitting it is just a case of shifting onto the largest sprocket at the back and the smallest one at the front and removing the front derailleur. You then add the small adaptor, the catcher itself and one of the longer bolts in the kit and refit the derailleur. As you tighten it all back together, make sure the end of the catcher is about 0.5 mm from the chain. Job done!

A treat for Lanzarote - new pedals for the Giant.

As I knew I'd be taking my pedals off to take to Lanzarote in May, I decided to upgrade to something a bit fancier. I was initially going to go for XTR SPDs but my mate Al at work (who rides about a 1,000 miles a month!) told me that there was known issue with the locking nut inside shearing and the whole pedal body coming away from the axle.

I decided to go for the previous generation of XT pedals in the end (they're only just the previous model, their replacements are just starting to appear in shops about now). They're a bit lighter than the 520s and look a lot smarter, I copper greased the threads and installed them to 30 ft/lbs of torque and took them for a spin. They need loosening off a bit but they're very smart, very smooth and are very comfortable - Shimano for the win again!

Sudocrem, not just for babies!

There are plenty of ailments and side effects associated with cycling a lot, few of which are glamorous or pretty. A common one that I suffer from is reddening at the top of my thighs caused by my cheap Aldi cycling longs rubbing. The easiest way to get rid of it is to wash the affected area thoroughly, dry it well and smear Sudocrem generously over the reddened areas.

I find it usually goes back to normal providing you repeat the above after every bath or shower you take for a day or two. I'm sure there are dozen's of high priced cycling-specific unguents out there 'designed' for cyclists but cyclists have been using Sudocrem for many years and probably always will! As a slight aside, I believe Sudocrem is also a pretty good remedy for jogger's nipple which I also get sometime depending on which base layer I've been wearing.

March 2016.

2nd March: I had the day off work today so I was determined to get out for a ride. It was horrendously windy (Storm Jake this time) but a gorgeously sunny spring day at the same time so a bit of a quandary..?

Any how, I headed out with the only plan being to avoid the main roads because of the wind. The wind was horrendous but for some reason I was determined to stay out and enjoy the sun for as long as I could. I ended up just wandering around exploring bits of various local routes. It was fun but my legs were burning by the time I got in from fighting the wind constantly and the Giant was absolutely filthy. Anyhow, it was 32.1 miles to get March started.

5th March: I started today by sorting the original Giant wheels out. I took a tyre off one of them to check something and found the rim tape was very dry and folded over in places so it needed replacing. I ended up buying some fabric stick on stuff I've never used before but was pretty impressive. I then refitted my favourite tyres, the Conti Grand Prix GT.

I've given up with the tubeless Hunt wheels, I just cannot get them to hold air reliably, they're currently languishing in my outside toilet while I decide what to with them.

All done, I took it out to do a 20 miler that avoided main roads as much as possible due to my somewhat late start. It was basically the Old Coach Road but doing the full length of the country road bit of the 24 miler and back on the way past it.

Because it was so sunny and spring-like, I decided to divert onto the 21 miler route and extend the ride. I was obviously in explorer mode again because I decided to have a look down a farm path that I passed the end of regularly. It turned out to be  rather scenic road that ended at a farm so I took a pic of the bike with my new Sony Experia Z5 Compact. Anyhow, just as the pic was taken it started raining so I turned round and headed home. I went past the village on the bypass and came back through the industrial estate and the shared use path to lengthen the ride a bit. The Conti's are as good as I remember them; they have an extremely low rolling resistance and a creamy smoothness. Anyhow, 20.3 more miles.

March 8th: I got out tonight on the Giant and did the local 21 again. It was breezy rather than windy which was a nice change although it was fairly cold; I wore two t-shirts underneath my running top and windbreaker so it was actually more enjoyable than I thought it would be and it was 21.1 more miles for March.

March 13th: The weather was absolutely gorgeous today, warm and sunny, so I took the Giant out and did the local 21. It was the first ride of the year wearing cycling shorts (apologies for the glare from my white legs to anyone I cycled past!) and just a t-shirt and running top so an awesome ride and long may the warm weather last. I averaged 16.9 mph as well which is my fastest average for a good while. Anyhow, 21.7 more miles for March.

March 14th: I had the day off work today and was planning a longer trip than usual, maybe Southport or Leisure Lakes. As it turned out, it was warm and sunny like yesterday but there was quite a strong cold wind so I did the local 21 miler instead for 21.4 more miles. My average for the first 3/5 of the ride was looking awesome, I was cruising for miles at 20-22 mph but the wind was howling in my face all the way along the East Lancs on the way back so I only ended up with 15.9 mph.

March 17th: I had another of my amusing encounters on tonight's ride. I'd done the local 21 and was coming back down the East Lancs towards Windle island when I ended up standing next to a guy with a mountain bike who was also waiting to cross. He mentioned that my front light was so bright that he'd thought I was a motorbike approaching him. Anyhow, we had a bit of a chat about various things and as we parted he said "Anyhow mate, I just wanted to congratulate you for having the brightest front light I've ever seen!". Strange but a ringing endorsment for my Exposure Diablo I guess and 21.7 more miles for March.

March 19th: I did the local 21 again today. It was cold and quite blowy but nothing out of the ordinary except for one thing. As I was cycling along the deserted stretch of road that runs behind Kirkby to the Industrial park, I noticed the left hand STI unit was very wobbly. I stopped and peeled the hood back and the bolt was totally loose! I tightened it up and was on my way in no time but a definite first. I stopped off at my parents house on the way back to pick up my new pedals (I've treated myself for Lanzarote so more to follow) so 21.3 miles in the bag.

March 20th: I usually meet my parents for a pub lunch at 2 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon so I set out to do the Old Coach road at half twelvish. It was cool and blowy but quite bright so quite a pleasant ride. One thing you tend to forget in winter is how busy places can be as soon as the weather improves a bit, there were dog walkers everywhere! Anyhow, it was another bumpy 15.5 miles.

March 25th: I did the local 21 today, it was fairly warm but quite windy so a fairly fun ride. I ended up taking my fleece off and just wearing my running top over a t-shirt which is a sign spring is on the way hopefully. I tacked Alec's hill onto the ride on the way back which reminded me that that hill never gets easier but Lanzarote's quite hilly so I think some climbing training is probably a good idea! Anyhow, knackering but 22.4 more miles.

March 29th: I finally managed to get out today, I wanted to get out yesterday but we were experiencing Storm Katie and the wind was horrendous. I did the local 21 and it was one of those cool rides where the wind always seemed to be pushing me along wherever I was on the route, rare but always appreciated. It wasn't a perfect ride though, there were a lot of puddles around from yesterday and it chucked it down for the last few miles so I ended up hosing the bike down when I got in. Anyhow, not too bad and 21.8 more miles.

I was hoping to get another ride in for March to try and erode the deficit a little. The weather had other plans however, the high pressure has drifted away and it's been quite windy and rainy again. However, March still ended up as the first successful month of the year with a total of 219.3 miles which isn't too bad at all!