August 2015.

Determined to start clawing some mileage back for the year, and with my knee seemingly sorted, I am going to try getting out on the bike every other day for August.

1st August: Did the extended 22 today on the Giant. It was quite hot and humid but very windy. Nonetheless, it was quite a fun ride and I felt strong and averaged a hair under 17 mph so pretty good and 24.0 more for August.

3rd August: Did the same again tonight after work in what proved an eventful ride... First of all a taxi driver in a Mondeo narrowly missed removing my right kidney with his wing mirror, then one of a gang of young kids yelled "Bike wanker!" at me as I shot past (I can't really object because I get the almost uncontrollable urge to yell "Golf wankers!" whenever I see people playing golf...) followed by an Audi that overtook me on the industrial park that ran over something made of black plastic in the road which shattered flinging a small piece right past my face like a ninja throwing star. Still, it was hot and sunny so a good ride for the tan and 24.2 more miles.

5th August: Same again today... I decided to clean the chain on the Giant because it was looking fairly manky and ended up deciding to stop using Muc-off wet lube. The chain was a bit dry and dirty but the chain rings were gross. There was a thick black crust of dirt and congealed oil that actually came off in lumps as I scraped it. Muc-off is a vegetable oil based lube and the problem is that the vegetable oil oxidises and solidifies in use (a process known as resinification). I'm switching to Purple Extreme next time I change the chain but until then I'm going to use Finish Line ceramic wet lube which is petroleum based and not prone to solidifying. Anyhow, a great ride for topping up the tan (although it was mentally windy!) and 24.3 more miles for August

8th August: Same again today. It was a bit overcast and quite windy but warm, the wind dropped as I was waiting at the main traffic lights in Kirby and it was like standing in a commercial oven. I'd replaced the chain before this ride with a freshly degreased and Purple Extremed KMC X11EL (quite a posh chain, I must have bought it in a sale for the spares box...) so the shifting was extra smooth and crisp which is always a bit of a treat. A good ride with an average of 17.0 mph and 24.1 more miles

12th August: The BBC weather website was predicting a hot and sunny day all day today so a bit of frantic synchronised applying for leave saw James and I doing the 'Southport the long way' ride we did last spring.

It was a fun ride and there were a couple of times, there and back, where we were holding a steady 23 mph for several miles which backs up my theory that hot sunny weather makes you cycle faster. Southport itself was absolutely rammed so that killed our average speeds for the day but we had a huge chip balm each for lunch which was awesome and it was 40.7 miles for the day.

15th August: Did the extended 22 again today. It was a fun, uneventful ride except for the weather. It was hot and sunny but with a very cold wind which was strange for August. Any how, 24.1 more miles for August.

17th August: And again... The weather was warm and sunny but very windy but pleasant enough overall. I have spag bol at my mum and dad's on a Monday evening at 7ish so I had to set out at twenty past five so the traffic was mental but another 24.0 miles.

22nd August: And again! The weather was overcast but a bit less windy than it's been recently which was a relief. It was deceptively warm though and I was a sweaty mess by the time I got back in but 24.0 more miles for August.

26th August: Did it again on my day off. It was hot and sunny but about as windy as I ever want to ride in again, I actually felt the wind tug on my front wheel several times which is unusual because the Hunt wheels are pretty shallow rimmed. Anyhow, 24.1 more for August. My current total for the month is currently 233.5 miles so I've got a few days left to really start nibbling away at the current deficit.

28th August: Did it again today and apart from a minicab driver nearly pulling out onto me as I cycled up the by-pass it was a fairly uneventful ride. It was warm and windy but the wind wasn't as bad as it was a couple of days ago which was a relief. 24.0 more miles.

30th August: Met James today to do a ride we did earlier this year in the spring. It was overcast but fairly warm and only slighly breezy for a change!

I'm beginning to regret James buying a proper road bike because our average speed is definitely getting faster! Anyhow, a great ride and it's always nice to catch up with James and 30.0 more miles to finish August off.

It's been a good month for getting the rides in due to the warm (occasionally very windy!) weather so I've taken a good bite out of the annual deficit with a monthly total for August of 287.5.

July 2015.

5th July: Did the extended 22 again this afternoon on the Dave Yates, it was breezy but warm and quite an enjoyable ride without too much knee twingery. One thing I definitely noticed that I didn't in Manchester is the weight! I think the Dave Yates weighs about twice what the Giant does and I really felt it on every incline; no longer will I scoff when I read things like "Of course, I really noticed the extra 7 ounces of bike A over bike B when going up the hills" in website bike reviews. 24.1 miles to start July off.

12th July: It was warm but incredibly windy so I went exploring again on the Dave Yates. It's fun but it takes about ten times more effort to get up to speed than the Giant does because it's so heavy. Still, I guess that makes it better for training on!

Anyhow, apart from getting lashed by a bramble on the cycle path that left blood running about six inches down my arm, it was quite a fun ride and my knee barely twinged at all. 24.1 more miles for July.

25th July: Well, after nearly two weeks off the bike, I dragged myself out of the house to do the extended 22. As has happened a lot recently, it was extremely windy so I went exploring again.

Aside from getting slightly lost near Skem at one point, it was a pretty fun ride, I took the Giant out and didn't even get a twinge in my knee which was awesome. On the advice of a comment I read on a cycling forum, I've been doing a lot of basic quad stretches (pictured. And no, that isn't me!) which definitely seem to be helping.

It was windy but the sun was quite hot so a good ride for topping up the tan and 25.2 more miles.

30th July: I did the extended 22 again tonight after work, I was knackered but a strong mug of Old Brown Java got me out of the house. It was incredibly windy but quite hot and sunny so quite enjoyable. I didn't get any knee pain again either, which was great, and I averaged 17.1 mph which was fantastic. Another 24.4 miles for July.

I was determined to get out for one more ride this month to at least match June but I've got a rotten sore throat and ended up spending the evening getting my website hosting sorted out  at last. Very frustrating overall but www.micrak12.com is finally back on the web! Only 97.8 miles to show for the month but I'm fairly sure my knee is sorted now so I'm going to try and have a mega-high-mileage August!

Review: Purple Extreme chain lube.

Being a complete sucker for a new chain lube, and always looking for the holy grail of a wet lube that doesn't pick up grit and rubbish from the road, I had to try Purple Extreme. It's produced by a Texan company that makes lubes for chains that operate mining and undersea equipment so they should know the ins and outs of making a decent lube; they claim it's extremely water resistant and should last upto 400 miles between applications!

Purple Extreme recommend starting with a perfectly degreased and clean drive train and chain before applying and, because it works by going on wet and drying, I applied it by drizzling it on whilst rotating the chain rather than putting a drip on each link. I expected this would be quite messy but it wasn't, after the recommended overnight drying period my chain still looked pretty clean which was promising. I then cleaned the outside of the chain by running it through a rag (the outer plates are plated so don't need lube and this helps reduce grit pick up) and did the Great Manchester Cycle on the Sunday. 26 miles is a long way short of 400, but I can report that the chain ran silently and shifted perfectly and still looked pretty spotless at the end of the ride so it's definitely a promising start!

Final verdict: Well, after the recent half hour cycle in filthy conditions and pouring rain I found the chain looking dry and with a few rust spots on it so it's time for a thorough clean and re-lube. The mileage? Exactly 342.0 miles! I can well imagine that if you live in a less rainy country then the UK, this stuff will easily do 400 miles between applications. My cassette and jockey wheels are Pretty darned clean as well so I'm pretty sure my holy grail search for the best chain lube is finally over!

June 2015.

9th June: I gave my knee a good 8 day break to make sure it was definitely rested properly and went out to do the extended 22 tonight. My knee started twinging at about the 17 mile mark, which I guess is some kind of progress, but still gutted it hasn't gone away completely. I'm going to lower my saddle another 1/4" and do the ride again tomorrow. Anyhow, 23.5 miles to kick June off.

16th June: I did the extended 22 again tonight with the slightly lowered seat. The weather was warm and breezy so quite pleasant and my knee twinged a bit but didn't flare up at all so it's looking vaguely promising in that department. 24.1 more miles for June. 

20th June: Did the extended 22 today. It was very windy but very hot and I got a pretty decent average speed of 16.9 mph so not bad. The knee twinged a bit but didn't flare up and it was another 24.1 miles for June. 

22nd June: I did the extended 22 again this evening for 24.0 miles. It was all going fine until I was heading back along the East Lancs road and my knee really flared up badly. It went down a bit and I got home with no issues but I am abandoning June and sorting my knee out. I'm not a great believer in doctors and have no idea who my GP actually is but I've made an appointment with him next Wednesday in the hope of being referred for a scan.

It's the Great Manchester Cycle on Sunday so I'm not cycling at all until then to let my knee heal and I've dusted off the Dave Yates in the hopes the more upright position will let me complete the ride successfully.

28th June: Well, I believe Manchester started warm and rainy but it was drying off nicely as it approached quarter to midday when the 26 miler was due to start. I was on the Dave Yates because I suspect something about the Giant is aggravating my knee; I suspect the Dave Yates weighs three times what the Giant weighs but it's been stuck in the house for ages so it deserved a day out. It was hot but very windy at times but overall a very enjoyable ride.

My official time was 1h 27m 58s so faster than 2013 but not quite as fast as last year; not bad really considering the howling wind! My knee did start twinging a bit over the last few miles but it didn't flare up which was a bonus, hopefully the doc will point me in the right direction on Wednesday. Anyhow, 26.1 more miles for June.

Well, June ended with a paltry 121.8 on the clock. Not good but having a 'new' dodgy knee doesn't help. The doctor examined it and said it may well be IBT syndrome and to come back if it gets any worse - thanks, I could have diagnosed that myself...

Review: Disco Brakes brake rotors.

As I mentioned in another post, I decided to buy new rotors for my new Hunt wheels so that if I ever need to swap wheels I wouldn't be faffing about swapping rotors. For some reason the fact that most disc rotors aren't plain round has always mildly annoyed me so after endless Googling, I was chuffed to find Disco Brakes sell *plain rotors!

At less than eight quid each for the 160mm version I was a bit wary about these rotors but was actually amazed when they turned up, the quality is fantastic. They are perfectly flat, you can see the machining across the whole surface where they've been ground and even the edges are slightly bevelled to reduce the risks of getting cut in a crash. Overall verdict? Fantastic!

*Admittedly, these aren't going to be the lightest rotors ever but given that a disc brake works by converting kinetic energy into heat and then dissipating it, I think this is a moot point. Being a weight weenie isn't always good for your health - take a look at this article: skinny rotors.

How to install 6 bolt rotors with centrelock adaptors.

At long last my new Hope Mason wheels have arrived! I decided to buy new rotors for it so that if I ever have to use the Giant wheels again, I wouldn't have to faff around swapping rotors. For reasons I'll mention in a different post, I bought 6 bolt rotors so I had to use the 6 bolt to splined adaptors provided with the new wheels. Here's how to fit them:

Firstly remove the quick release from the wheel, this isn't necessary but stops it getting in the way later.

Now seat the adaptor onto the hub with the protruding metal pins facing outwards.

Next place the new disc so that the holes line up with the pins of the adaptor ensuring the disc is the correct way around.

Now place the thin stainless steel plate over the protruding end of the pins.

Now screw the locking ring into the hub. The tightening torque on mine was 30nm (approx. 22ft/lbs) but yours should have the value etched on it like mine did. The splines in the lock ring are the same as you get on a cassette lock ring so use the same tool.

Now just refit the skewer, put your wheels back on your bike and go for a bike ride!

May 2015.

4th May: It was a gorgeous day today so I decided to do the extended 22 this afternoon. It was all going well until I was going through Knowsley Industrial Park and noticed the display had frozen on my Garmin Edge 200. Not to worry I thought, I'll reset it when I get home and use the default mileage from when I drew the route in MMR. But no, my faithful companion of around 4,000 miles is no more, no combination of warming it up or factory resetting it can bring it back to life. So, an expensive start to May but 23.6 miles to kick off with.

7th May: Another gorgeous (but windy) day so I dragged myself out after a gruelling day at work and did the extended 22. It was rush hour which restricts overtaking ability somewhat so I did get stuck behind a couple of other cyclists for a while but generally a very pleasant ride and 23.6 more miles for May. 

16th May: Another gorgeous but extremely windy day today and I nearly turned around after getting hit by the first roaring gust but I'm struggling with miles this month so I went for a wander.

It wasn't very long but the route has a few decent hills so definitely better that nothing! Anyhow, 12.1 more miles for May.

23rd May: Did the extended 22 today on the new Hunt wheels which were awesome. It was windy but the first day of the year when I thought 'Wow, it's hot' when I stopped at traffic lights so maybe summer really is on the way? 23.6 more miles for May.

25th May: It was very windy today so, true to form, I went exploring again. I've been having very bad pain on the outside edge of my knee on the last few rides so I did a bit of Googling and found it was probably something call IBT syndrome or 'runner's knee'.

I've suspected that the saddle on the Giant was a bit high so I lowered it exactly 3/8" before the ride. I basically just went wandering deciding whether to turn left or right as I arrived at each junction I came to. Despite the wind and a fair hangover, it was a very enjoyable ride and I felt pretty strong and I didn't have a any knee twinges at all. I suspect a combination of a better bike set-up and the lighter Hunt wheels certainly contributed to a very enjoyable ride and exactly 19.0 miles in the bag.

26th May: Did the extended 22 tonight, it was beautifully sunny but the wind was roaring down the bypass so on the way back I got off the bypass and cut through the industrial estate and onto the shared use path through the middle of the village. I'm pretty sure I've got the setup of the Giant spot on now because despite the wind I felt really strong all the way around and I'm getting no knee pain at all any more which is a big relief. 24.1 more miles.

28th May: Did the extended 22 again. Like Tuesday it was gloriously sunny but the wind was howling down the bypass so I cut along the shared-use path on the way back. 24.2 more miles. Only 50 to go with 2 days left...

30th May: I really need the miles at the moment so I did the extended 22 and kept on to the end of the by-pass and back at the end of the ride. It was sunny but very windy and my IBT came back with a vengeance which was a total bummer but it was a much needed 30.0 miles.

31st May: Today was the windiest day of the year so far and I'd far rather have had a rest day but I was determined not to miss a second month so I headed out exploring.

I moved my saddle forward 1/4" in the hope of finally finding a position that doesn't aggrevate my knee and set off for a wander. Despite my knee being very twingey and the incredible wind it was actually quite an enjoyable ride. I slightly mis-remembered the mileage I needed to hit 200 and ended up with 199.3 for the month, close enough!