A lightweight upgrade for the Strael: A Hope carbon seatpost.

I was bored at work the other day and browsing the internet, as one does, and wound up reading about how carbon seatposts can really reduce road buzz on rough roads. I can't remember how but I stumbled across a Ritchey carbon seatpost that was light and got great reviews but the price was definitely in the 'If you have to ask...' category! A bit of further browsing found the Hope carbon seatpost that was designed, tested and made in Barnoldswick. It wasn't cheap either at £120 but at least buyers could console themselves with the thought that they support British industry and have no air- or ship miles.

I was pushed over the edge buy the thought it was pretty cool that I already have the Hope headset and seatclamp and that this would match so I bit the bullet and bought one. When it arrived, I Googled for ages to find the safest way of fitting a carbon post in a steel frame. I initially fitted it with grease but then read a lot of posts saying that it would almost certainly slip down. In the end, I fitted it with Finish Line fibre grip carbon gel and torqued the clamp bolt to 8 nm. I've not ridden it yet but I'm heading out soon. I'll take the torque wrench and hex bits in case it needs adjusting...

July 2018.

1st July: It was another hot day today and my third sportive of the year, the Sigma Sports West Coast classic. before I left I covered myself in factor 50 because I knew I'd be out in the sun for at least three hours. I got there at seven and by eight o'clock I got off in the third group and we were on the road. It was a fun ride, I spent most of the first thirty five miles to Lytham with two other guys and we made great pace, mostly riding around 20-22 mph, helped by the bag of jelly babies in my rear jersey pocket. I did have a gearing issue however, because I fitted some copper-greased M5 x 10 mm bolts to blank off the unused mudguard eyelets, the chain couldn't shift down onto the smallest cog without rubbing and I was stuck with 34 x 13 which meant I was spinning out at about 22 mph. I've ordered some M5 x 8mm bolts and I'll see if they fix the issue. Getting to Lytham was very disappointing however, the deal was that as part of the entry fee you got the option of free fish and chips by the seaside but the van only arrived after we'd arrived and the portaloos hadn't even been delivered. This was very like the last BHF Manchester to Blackpool night ride with the non-existent second feed station, the organisers aren't catering for faster riders. You can't charge large entry fees for events and then only cater for slower riders but, hey-ho, first world problems.

Anyhow, I filled my water bottle with water and electrolyte and set off for Preston College. I was on my own heading out of Lytham so not riding as fast as I do when riding in company but I carried on. I soon encountered an amusing incident on the way. I came around a bend in the road and there was a late middle aged farmer and his wife holding up the traffic while two friesian cows wandered around in the road. After an amusing few minutes, the cows were safely back in the farm yard and I carried on. At around the fifteen miles to go stage I started flagging a bit and I found the last ten miles a real challenge, I felt like I couldn't get much power down. In retrospect I suspect I was staring to dehydrate. I'd drunk a total of about 1.2 litres of electrolyte drink. In future I think I should really try and double that. Anyhow, it was a good ride to kick July off with a total of 56.5 miles in 3h 13m moving time.

4th July: I got out for a ride after work today but first I started with a couple of maintenance jobs. Firstly, the bolts have arrived so I replaced the M5 x 10 mm eyelet blanking bolts with the new M5 x 8 mm ones and the chain can now shift down onto the bottom cog. I tried to fit a pair of bolts to blank off the eyelets on the fork but they only screw halfway in. I suspect there's some paint or resin in the threads so I've ordered an M5 tap from CRC and will clean the threads out and fit the bolts when it arrives. Secondly, I replaced the inner gear cable for the front derailleur and set that up so I should now have front chainring shifting on the Strael again and am no longer restricted to 22 mph! It still makes some pretty strange noises in certain gears but I can have a proper look at that before I next head out. Anyhow, another hot sunny day so I did the usual for an uneventful 25.1 miles.

7th July: I started off today with another couple of maintenance jobs. The M5 x 0.8 mm tap arrived so I cleared the threads out on the fork and the bolts fitted perfectly. Secondly, I noticed the cogs on the Miche cassette were loose so I checked the lock-ring thinking it must be loose but it was fine. I could only conclude the cassette was unfittable without the original alloy lockring so I chalked it up to experience and refitted the 11-28 Shimano one. Anyhow, another hot and sunny day so I took the Strael out for a spin. I did two ups and downs of the farm track and then spotted two really nefarious looking guys on cheap MTBs picking through the fly tipped rubbish so I did the quiet road to Holt Green and back for a total of 26.8 miles. Incidentally, this was the ride that took the Strael over the 1,000 miles mark which was cool. One weird thing did happen on the way back. I felt something on my right leg and brushed it off but it hurt so I looked down and saw a spot of blood. I don't know what bit me, I suspect a horse fly, but it really hurt. It came up as a raised welt and even now, the day after, the area is still really red, hot and itchy. Anyhow, I'll pick some insect repellent up soon!

11th July: Well, the weather's finally cooled down a bit. It was still pretty warm but there was coolish breeze and it was overcast so I didn't get roasted by the sun. I took the Strael out to do the usual and, although it was pretty windy, it actually turned out to be an enjoyable ride. It was hard work to begin with but my legs eventually kicked in and soon felt as good as they have done for ages. I was planning to stop for a kebab on the way home but then I thought no, I'll stop at the chippy and get fried rice and curry sauce because it would be slightly healthier. As I reached the centre of the village however, I discovered the chippy was closed for a couple of days for some reason so I ended up getting a chicken Caesar wrap from the Co-op which I guess was even healthier! Anyhow, an enjoyable ride and another 25.1 miles on the clock.

14th July: It was a nice hot day today, around 25 °C with a few clouds, so I took the Strael with it's new carbon seat post out for a spin. I noticed the seat was a bit high initially so I stopped in Sidings Lane and lowered it around 3/16" (torquing it to 7 nm this time) and did a lap of the fishing pond. I think I might have had the seat a bit too far back up until now; the bike now feels slightly more upright and less stretched out and absolutely perfect, I won't be touching it again! Anyhow, I carried on and did the two ups and downs and the Holt Green road and I felt fantastic. The only thing I can think of is that I ate a NINE salted caramel seed bar before I left because I felt great the last time I rode after eating one. I don't particularly like this flavour so I think I'll check out some of the others to see if they have the same effect. Anyhow, since being bitten by the horsefly recently I bought some Jungle Formula No. 4 and have started using it so hopefully I won't get bitten again. Another 25.4 miles.

20th July: It rained all day today but I was determined to get out for a ride before Sunday's sportive so I used the rain as an excuse to take Awesom-O out for an unscheduled spin. I did the usual and remembered why Awesom-O is so much fun, he's heavy but he's like an old Bentley when you get him up to speed, smooth and fast.

I keep seeing adverts for Veloforte bars on Instagram recently so, with a sportive on the way, I decided to order some to test. I ordered three Classico and three Di Bosco flavour ones and I'll take one of each with me to try on Sunday's long ride. Anyway, there wasn't much wind for a change today so a very enjoyable ride and another 25.1 miles.

22nd July: It was a day of rather unseasonal weather today and the day of my fourth sportive of the year, the Evans Ride It Cheshire 100. It was dry when I arrived at Arley hall but soon started drizzling (and continued to do so until around the 37 mile mark). Anyhow, I got off in the second pack and we were on the road. As usual, I ended up as part of a mini peloton and then cycling with another rider and we were at the first feed station at 25 miles in no time. I had a couple of slices of cake, a banana and about a third of a Veloforte Classico bar and headed out. We got to the second feed station at 41 miles, just as the weather was getting noticably warmer and sunnier, where I had a couple of handfuls of jelly beans and a banana and set off, solo this time. I noticed I was tiring with about a dozen miles to go when I remembered the Veloforte bar in my jersey pocket. I ate it and within two or three minutes my legs felt brand new and I cruised the last dozen or so miles to the finish. I've only tried the Classico bar so far but I can't recommend them enough. Hand-made, full of natural ingredients, packed with calories and no rubbish and they taste amazing.

It's quite a firm texture and needs some chewing but the overall effect was like eating a really firm Christmas cake full of very crunchy nuts. At the finish we got the usual medal, a gift bag containing a High 5 water bottle, a Specialized inner tube, an Evans brand multi-tool and a voucher for a fantastic freshly barbecued burger with fresh salad. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, there was another cow related incident on the ride! I was cycling along in a pack of about ten cyclists when we were blocked by two farmers getting about eighty Friesian cows across the road. The farmers were very good natured and chatted with the lads at the front and one of the cows took a real interest in us cyclists. It stood by the gate just staring at us in an interested sort of way before going through the gate with it's mates. I thought at one point that it was going to wander over for a look at our bikes! A decent average of 17.1 mph and 62.5 miles.

25th July: I got another maintenance job out the way before today's ride and I'm rather glad I did. Because I'd lost most of my existing brake bleed kit, I'd ordered a new one from Amazon. When it turned up, I decided to give the brakes on the Strael a quick reverse bleed. This isn't a method I've read about anywhere else but was invaluable when installing the brakes initially. Basically, you attach the fluid pot to the lever and fill it with fresh brake fluid. You then attach a short length of tubing to a syringe and attach it to the bleed nipple on the caliper. You then put your thumb on the syringe body and use two fingers to pull the plunger out causing quite a strong vacuum in the syringe. I did that and then cracked the bleeder nipple and was quite satisfied to see a small but distinct stream of microscopic air bubble come out with the oil on both calipers. Anyhow, I took him out after work today for a post-bleed test ride. It was pretty warm, around 24-25 °C by my reckoning, so I did two ups and downs of the path and the quiet road to Holt Green and back. The brakes were excellent, better than when I installed them, really good lever feel and tons of power so I was very pleased with that and it was another 25.3 miles on the clock.

Well, due to a few days of rain, trying to get the outside of my house painted and sheer laziness, I didn't manage to get out again this month but finished with a pretty respectable 271.8 miles. I've got a rather nice upgrade for the Strael on the way and I'm entering a sportive in Cambridgeshire a week on Sunday so here's hoping for a decent August.