2nd November: The first cold night ride of the year... I was determined to get the first cold ride of the year under my belt so given that we're finally experiencing some properly cold weather I decided to head out after work this evening. The BBC website said 5c so I decided to dress warm. I had my Nike top over a t-shirt finished off with my new Aldi cycling top. I also had on my new Planet X long bibs, my fleece gloves, my fleece beanie and my new overshoes. I was taking no chances. Somewhat nervously, I got Awesom-O out and headed off to do the local 21. The first couple of miles felt very cold on my face but I soon warmed up and started enjoying the ride.Overall I felt pretty warm even though it was around 2-3c and was quite sweaty when I got in after a fast, pretty enjoyable ride. My torso was quite warm when I got in but I had occasionally noticed the wind blowing through my arms so I treated myself when I got in and ordered a Rapha long sleeved winter base layer. It wasn't cheap but I've heard that they're awesome quality and that, with just a jacket over it, it keeps you warm right down to freezing temperatures so I can't wait for it to arrive! Anyhow, a successful start to November and 21.3 miles.
5th November: I took Awesom-O out this afternoon to do the local 27. It was pretty cold but I was plenty warm enough with a t-shirt under my new Aldi Pro cycling jacket. As I got onto the bypass I was cheesed off to find it was pretty windy and, equally annoying, for some reason my legs took ages to kick in. I was about eight or nine miles out before my legs woke up properly. Anyhow, it stayed dry and it was an enjoyable enough ride for winter with a not so cool average of 15.9 miles. 27.4 more winter miles.
8th November: Well tonights ride was an interesting one! It had rained all day and was still chucking it down when I headed out after work to do the local 21 knowing it was going to be a very Rule #9 ride. I was wearing my Aldi cycling top over my new Rapha base layer with my Planet X long bibs and the new overshoes in the hope of staying warm and dry. It was pretty successful, too, My clothes were absolutely soaked when I got in but the Rapha was still pretty dry (apart from the pits - sorry!) and my legs were warm so I guess they make a pretty successful ensemble (although I've got my eye on a Parentini Mossa 2 for Christmas).
I had a close shave coming back down the Lancs though, I was cruising along at about 16 mph just thinking how poor the visibility on the path was because of the glare from oncoming traffic when I looked up and two neds on mountain bikes with no lights whatsoever shot past me on my left at a combined approach speed of a good 30 mph. Luckily we didn't crash but I can do without meeting dickheads like that on my rides. Despite my legs feeling awesome, my average speed proved to be the same as on my previous ride so it proves, one again, that cyling can be a strange sport sometimes. Anyhow, it was 21.2 more miles.
12th November: I took Aweson-O out this afternoon to do the local 27. The weather was ok, overcast and maybe around 10c so I wore my new Aldi cycling jacket over a t-shirt and ended up unzipping the jacket because I was melting. It was breezy rather than windy so it was quite an enjoyable ride overall and my average was 16.3 mph which was better than the last couple of rides. There was tons of standing water everywhere because of all the rain we've had recently but my overshoes kept my feet dry blasting through the puddles which was very cool. 27.2 more miles.
13th November: More fucktardary on the roads... I wanted to get out on Awesom-O tonight to clear my head a bit before the start of another week down't pit so I chucked on the Rapha and the Aldi and headed out. It was extremely mild, maybe 12c and not windy so it was ideal weather for a night pootle. I decided to risk the mud and fallen leaves and give the Old Coach Road (the OCR from now on) a go and it was all going normally until I turned left off the roundabout and headed up Ormskirk road. There in front of me pedalling along the main road were two lads on mountain bikes in dark clothes and no lights! Darwin would be tutting in his grave. Anyhow, I carried on and survived the Old Coach Road although I did have a dicey moment near the end when I hit a narrow muddy section at about 16 mph and the front and rear wheels started sliding around independently of each other. Anyhow, I escaped unscathed and it was another 15.5 miles for November.
15th November: I managed to get out after work this evening so I took Awesom-O out to do the OCR again. I necked a mug of Whittard's Bourbon Espresso made in my Aeropress before I set out and I don't know if this was why but my legs have never felt so good!
From the second I left the house my legs felt awesome. Ironically I forgot to press start on the Garmin so I didn't actually record the ride but I suspect it was a great time. The weather was dry and pretty mild so an extremely enjoyable ride and another 15.6 miles.
17th November: I officially hate the puncture fairy! I decided to push my luck tonight and do the OCR ride again as I wanted to test my new Exposure support cell with my Diablo front light. It's a supplementary battery pack that connects to the light via the charging port and effectively doubles the run time. Because I need the light on full blast for 20 minutes it takes to do the road, I find myself switching between high, low and pulsing a lot on the ride to ensure it gets me home. The added runtime means I can stop worrying about the light getting me home and enjoy the ride more. Anyhow, the puncture fairy... I got a few hundred yards down the road when I felt my front rim bouncing on the ground with each pedal stroke. It was dark and very blowy but I managed to find a splinter of glass in the tyre, remove it, and fit a new tube and inflate it with a CO2 cartridge and be on my way. I was cycling along the Lancs, almost at Windle Island, when I felt my rear rim bounding along the ground! Not to worry I thought, I have another tube and CO2 cartridge so, all thoughts of an early night rapidly fading, I replaced the tube. I couldn't feel anything stuck in the tyre so I inflated it and headed across Windle Island to the bypass. By this point however the tyre was as flat as a pancake again so I ended up with a 40 minute walk back to my house. An eventful ride and 14.7 miles.
19th November: Awesom-O's in bits at he moment as I get his tyres sorted out so I took the Giant out to do the local 21 this afternoon. It wasn't too cold and the wind was pretty light so it was quite a fun ride, my legs ached a bit though but I guess that's because my legs are getting accustomed to Awesom-O's geometry. I got close passed on the East Lancs by a minicab driver in a Mondeo estate which was pretty annoying but I've often thought people only become minicab drivers because they're too stupid to be criminals. Anyhow, the Giant wasn't too mucky when I got in but I gave him a good wash anyway and it was another 21.5 miles for November.
20th November: I took Awesom-O out this evening for another pre-working week head clearer. It was a fun ride, not too cold and not much wind and I still haven't come off on the wet leaves which is always good. After the double puncture the other day I've ordered new tyres for Awesom-O so this might have been my last ride on the Conti 4 Seasons, they've done roughly 2,200 miles which isn't a lot but I don't trust them any more and they weren't amazingly puncture resistant in the first place. Another 15.7 miles for November.
24th November: Awesom-O has new shoes! I've officially retired the 4 Seasons partly because they were getting a bit long in the tooth and partly because I just fancied a change! Michelin have just brought out a new range of tyres, the 'Power' series. There's a light weight racing tyre, an endurance model and a tough winter model. I chose the middle one called 'Endurance'. Michelin have spent two years developing the tyres using some of their technology from road and motorbike tyres and they claim lower rolling resistance, better puncture protection and more grip.
The Endurance is billed as an all-rounder with extra puncture protection and lower rolling resistance which is why I chose them for Awesom-O. I only did the local 21 miler tonight but I'm very impressed, they're definitely a lot faster rolling than the 4 Seasons. I felt they felt slightly harsh but I may have over inflated them a bit so I'll report back. I did have an amusing encounter coming back down the Lancs though. I could see a young couple about forty yards ahead jogging together. As the bloke spotted me, he moved to one side so I could pass and the girl suddenly grabbed him shrieking "F*cking hell, I nearly sh*t myself then. I thought he was a car and was going to get me!". The Exposure Diablo strikes again! It was a cold but calm night and another 21.9 miles. This was quite a significant ride because the overdraft is gone, I'm at 2,202 miles for 2016 and I've got another few days to build up a surplus!
27th November: I escaped this afternoon and ended up doing a bit of a hybrid route. It was a lot warmer than it has been recently with a fair amount of blue sky so quite a nice ride overall. I ran the new tyres at 75 and 80 psi and they still felt quite solid which I guess is because there's plenty of rubber in them, they are an endurance tyre after all, but they are noticeably faster rolling than the old Conti's. I did a lap around the fishing pond at Sidings Lane and then what would have been the local 27 but, instead of heading up Sineacre Lane after the farm path towards Kirkby, I carried on down and did the OCR. As I came out of the farm path and carried on down the main road I was reminded that one of the many downsides of winter is getting gritted by passing gritting lorries (I got gritted on Thursday as well going down the Lancs). I don't what's in grit these days but I didn't hear any salt pinging off Awesom-O but the wagon did leave a very strong smell of fertiliser in the road after it has passed which was odd. Anyhow, an enjoyable ride and another 22.4 miles.
30th November: Well, the final ride of November was fun and uneventful. I took Awesom-O out after work to do the OCR again. It wasn't too cold or windy but it was quite misty and damp so felt colder than it probably was. Anyhow, I soon warmed up and enjoyed the ride, my legs felt good as well which is always nice and Awesom-O was nice and muddy when we got back which is par for the course for this time of year. I will clean him but it can wait until the weekend this time, it's too cold! The final total for November was 241.2 which is pretty good around 160 miles to do in December...
One of the things I've always suffered from cycling in the winter is cold hands and toes, I guess I just have poor circulation. Cold hands are pretty easy to deal with and I now have various types of gloves to use when cycling, depending on the weather. The thing I always suffer from, wet weather or dry, is frozen toes. I've come back from long, wet winter rides before where it's taken 20 minutes in a hot bath for my toes to turn back from grey to pink and regain any sensation at all.
I knew overshoes existed of course but some weird, stubborn part of my mind always thought they were a bit too roadie for me (especially when you see people wearing them in the height of summer!) so I ignored them. Anyhow, I bit the bullet and bought a pair from Wiggle for the princely sum of £19. Fitting the size smalls over my old size 7 Shimano MTB shoes was a struggle but they fit very well in the end so I headed out to do the Old Coach Road tonight, in 8c weather, to test them really hoping they'd work. The result? warm feet! My feet weren't hot and sweaty but they were 'normal', no sense of feeling cold at all. I'm a convert !
Clothing sizing can vary enormously between brands, especially where cycling clothing is concerned. It isn't just between brands either, it can be even more evident between different countries; if you've ever ordered what you thought was your size from an Italian brand of clothing you may be in for quite a surprise when you try it on.
With this in mind can I just ask that if you leave a product review for the item you bought, please give the size you ordered and your own measurements and how the garment fitted? For example:
"I bought these shorts last autumn and they're fantastic!"
doesn't really help other people trying to decide what to order. A review along the lines of:
"I'm a skinny 5' 11" with a 32" inside leg and I ordered the medium. They were pretty tight so I took them back and got the large which fitted perfectly"
gives people browsing the web a lot more useful information to base their purchasing choice on.
Just a passing thought!
1st October: It rained most of the morning today so I got a fair bit of maintenance done. I took the cranksets off both bikes to give them a good clean because muck does tend to build up between the cranks and the bottom bracket. I also took the rings off Awesom-O and found a solid black crust on the inside of the rings that I suspect is the residue from Muc-Off's vegetable oil based chain lube that I no longer use. I deep cleaned Awesom-O's chain last week before the Manchester to Blackpool and after I gave it the second application of Purple Extreme I noticed the rollers between the outer plates looked really wobbly so I checked the chain and found the .75% end dropped right through! The chain only had 916 miles on it but I whipped it off and fitted a new one so with his clean rings and chain, Awesom-O was looking pretty smart. Anyhow, the sun came out in the afternoon so I did the local 27 on him. It was overcast but a bit sunny and there wasn't much wind which was refreshing. I also had a first on the way back in. I was doing 18.1 mph (I'd just glanced down at the Garmin) along the shared use path when a grey squirrel shot out in front of me. He instantly span round and shot back into the undergrowth in a perfect V-shaped path. I know my heart missed a beat and I'm pretty sure his missed a few too! Anyhow, 27.2 miles to kick October off.
2nd October: It was an absolutely gorgeous autumn day today, without much wind, so I hopped on the Giant and headed off up the bypass. As I occasionally do, I was suddenly hit with a sense of boredom with my usual route so I decided to go wandering instead.
I stayed out for a good hour exploring places I haven't been for a while, including a lap around the fishing pond at Sidings Lane which got the Giant rather muddy. My legs felt very strong so it was pretty enjoyable ride overall and it was another 17.9 autumnal miles.
4th October: Not a perfect ride tonight, I must admit. The weather was looking promising so I headed out at 6 o'clock planning to do the local 21. I had the new See.Sense Icon on the back of the bike and a coin-cell blinking white light on the front because the evening are definitely drawing in. Anyhow, the ride was going great and my legs felt really strong coming back down the East Lancs when I turned around and saw my back light had turned off! I managed to get back in the pitch dark in one piece by staying on minor roads away from the traffic for the last few miles but I was not impressed. It was lucky I'd taken the front blinky light as well because cycling down the shared use path in the pitch dark was an interesting experience, at least I could make out the vague outline of where the path was! A sketchy 21.5 miles.
8th October: It was another gorgeous, sunny autumn day today with barely any wind so I headed out on the Giant to do the local 27. Before I went however, I decided to replace the front brake pads. They've got around 3,000 miles on them and, although not particularly worn, they were looking a bit tatty. Pads changed, I headed out for the ride. It was chilly but warm when out of the wind so it was a pretty enjoyable ride, my legs felt very strong and I ended up with a decent average of 16.9 mph which was good. The front brake was fairly poor as the pads need to bed in still but they should be back to normal after a couple of more rides. Anyhow, another 27.2 miles for October.
15th October: It was a beautiful autumn day today so I took the Giant out to do the local 27. It was fairly windy but actually pretty warm when I managed to get out of the wind. Apart from a couple of dickheads close passing me around the back of Kirkby it was a pretty good ride. I was wearing my new Planet X winter bib longs and my Aldi Pro cycling top to so I ended up virtually cooking myself so I guess I'll leave the longs until winter really kicks in. Anyhow, 27.2 more miles.
19th October: I managed to get out for a late ride after work this evening and it was a first for two reasons. Firstly, it was the first fully dark ride of the year and secondly, it was the first ride with Awesom-O's new wheels! I've never really been happy with the back wheel since I smashed it into a pothole last winter so when I noticed Hunt did a rim brake wheelset specifically designed for winter riding for £229 I bit the bullet and ordered a set.
It was a very enjoyable ride, my legs felt great and I didn't get as hot as I did last Saturday. It was about 8c and I was wearing my new Planet X long bibs and the Aldi jacket over a t-shirt and I was sweaty when I got in but I didn't feel boiled. The new wheels are awesome, super smooth and stiff but really comfortable. It's hard to explain why but I've always found the Aksiums quite harsh, the Hunts definitely feel comfier somehow. Anyhow, an extremely enjoyable ride and 21.5 more miles for October.
25th October: I took Awesom-O out tonight to do the Old Coach Road to do two things. Firstly, I wanted to see how the new Hunt wheels were on the extremely poor surface and secondly to see how warm the new dhb overshoes kept my feet. It turned out to be an extremely pleasant ride. The new wheels were definitely a bit smoother than the Aksiums and I got home with 'normal' feet. It was barely 8c and the mesh panels in my Shimano MTB shoes meant my feet would normally be pretty icy when I got in but they were absolutely fine - result! Another 15.5 miles for October.
27th October: It was quite a fun ride tonight except for one annoying incident. It's been dry for a few days so I took the Giant out to do the local 27, we're having a warm spell at the moment so I left the overshoes at home. As I was heading along Sineacre lane past a row of a few houses my front wheel hit a pothole with a very loud noise I can only describe as sounding like someone belting a wall with a carbon fibre pipe. I fully expected the tyre to go down but miraculously it didn't which was strange so I carried on. When I got home there wasn't a speck of damage to the bike or the wheel so I guess carbon fibre bikes are tougher than some people say! Anyhow, quite an enjoyable ride and 27.2 more miles.
29th October: It rained all morning today but stopped in the afternoon so I took Awesom-O out for a spin. I wanted to do 25 miles so I planned to do the local 27 but stop a mile short of the end of the farm track. It was an odd ride, there was no wind but it was very overcast and what the Scots call 'dreich', damp and grey. On most rides I want to ride as hard as possible but on this one I was strangely content to just ride at my own pace and take things as they came. One real high point was that I saw the hare again! As I was halfway down Hall Lane, he popped out of the hedge, hopped across the road and down the pavement a bit and then disappeared through a gap in the hedge. He's absolutely huge and I'm really pleased he's well. I ended up diverting down the farm track to try and take a decent pic of Awesom-O (seemingly impossible, the Celeste-like green paint throws the auto white balance of any camera out of whack it seems) so it ended up as 25.9 miles.
Well, I was going to squeeze in one more ride for October to finally banish the 2016 overdraft but I didn't so the month goes out with a respectable enough 211.1 miles on the clock. The overdraft is down to a miniscule 0.7 miles so, winter weather permitting, that shouldn't be too much of a chore.
I nipped over to Halfords across the road from work the other day to buy a new multitool as my current one (a Topeak x-tool) is rather rusty and corroded. In the end, I decided on a Topeak Mini 9. Let me start by saying, this thing is cute! It's tiny and comes with a small neoprene case for it which I don't use as I suspect it will act as a moisture trap and rust the tool prematurely.
It has all the tools you might need for a road bike: 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 mm Allen keys, a T25 Torx driver and a Philips screwdriver. A flat bladed screwdriver is largely redundant on modern bikes so it's absence isn't an issue. I've mic'd the Allen keys and they're all a microscopic 0.02 or 0.03 mm under spec which is very good indeed. All in all? Awesome value for a little over a tenner!
4th September: Well, the first ride of September proved to be quite an embarrassing one! I got about two miles up the village bypass and got a puncture in my rear wheel. I fitted a new tube easily enough but I couldn't find anything embedded in the tyre that might have caused the puncture so once it was repaired I was paranoid about it puncturing again.
Because I was meeting mum and dad (and the vicar!) for lunch at 2 o'clock I decided to abandon ship until I
could confirm the tyre was going to stay up so I had a pootle around the village and got back for a quick shower before lunch. The mileage? A massive 7.5 to start September off!
7th September: I headed out to do the local 27 after work tonight, it was overcast but very warm with light winds so it was a hot, sweaty ride. It was shorter than I'd planned because I'd barely got a mile along the farm path and found it was closed! I thought I'd nip through anyway because
I was on a bike not a car when I spotted a large sign saying it was closed to cyclists as well - arse! Anyway, I guess people need water so I'll just have to wait for them to finish. 22.5 more miles.
8th September: I really didn't want to go out today but I'm low on miles so I dragged myself out and did the Old Coach Road. It was overcast and very windy but actually quite warm out of the wind. A very bumpy 15.2 miles.
10th September: I did what's left of the local 27 this afternoon. It started off very overcast and a bit chilly but with virtually no wind which is a rarity. Now I'm using my new Topeak Joe Blow pump I decided to do an experiment. I inflated my tyres to 75 and 80 psi to see how comfortable they were. They were comfy but the front on still felt very hard and the rear felt slightly in danger of a snakebite puncture were I to hit a pothole. Next ride, I'm going to inflate them to 70 and 85 psi and see how I get on. Anyhow, the sun came out half way around and it turned into a gorgeous sunny day so a nice ride overall and it was the ride that took the Giant over the 3,000 mile mark which is cool. 23.2 more miles.
11th September: I did the same ride again this evening but with 70 psi in the front tyre and 85 psi in the rear one and I think I've cracked it! Some of the roads on my route, especially around the back of Kirkby, are appalling and the lower pressure in the front tyre made riding such roads much more comfortable.
I don't think they'd withstand a hard pothole hit at this pressure but for day to day riding it's ideal. It was a gorgeous late summer evening (see the pic, taken at the part of the farm track that's closed off), warm and not too much wind, so a very enjoyable ride and 23.3 miles in the bag.
15th September: I was dying to get out on the bike tonight so I necked a mug of Aeropress coffee after work and headed out on the Giant. It was quite windy but the last day or two have been sunny and extremely warm so it was a nice ride overall and perhaps the last chance to top up my tan before autumn sets in. I averaged 17.1 mph which was cool and it was another 22.8 more miles for September.
17th September: I headed out to do the local 27 and found that the farm path is fully open again which was a bonus. It was fairly windy but otherwise it was an absolutely gorgeous sunny day. On the odd occasion I was out of the wind it was actually quite hot so there's clearly life left in summer yet. A good ride and 27.1 miles.
18th September: My mate Joe has finally bought a bike and signed up with Map my Ride so today's ride was a test ride to see if he got an email when I uploaded my ride. The weather was ok so I did the Old Coach Road on the Giant. It was quite a pleasant ride and another 15.6 miles for September.
25th September: It was my third BHF Manchester to Blackpool night ride today, a night I'd been looking forward to for ages. The BBC website said it would rain all night so I decided to take Awesom-O because he has mudguards. I had the traditional chicken fried rice at about 8 o'clock so I'd be full of carb's and headed to Manchester. I managed to get out with the second pod of riders and I felt great heading out of Manchester, it was drizzly but my legs felt good and I was making good progress. At about the twenty five mile mark I fumbled my water bottle and lost it but I thought I could get some water at the feeding station at the 40 mile mark so I wasn't too worried. Just as we left Preston, the slight drizzle turned into a full on downpour. The rain started washing the salt out of my helmet pads so it felt like acid in my eyes and I ended up taking my helmet off and clipping it to my backpack for about five miles until the rain slowed down a bit and I could ring out the front pad. At the 40 mile mark, the feeding station turned out to be an empty car park so that was my last chance to get a drink and I felt I was starting to run out energy slightly. I think being completely soaking must have been using a lot of calories so I necked a gel and carried on. The gel seemed to last about 5 minutes so I ate a Co-op milk chocolate cookie and carried on. The cookie kicked in after a few minutes so I tagged onto a couple of other riders and the sight of Blackpool spurred us on to quite a fast finish.
At this stage, the event usually involves standing around for an hour and a half freezing to death waiting for the bus back to Manchester. This year however, the Beach House bistro was open. I went in and got a coffee and, at the manager's suggestion, sat in the seating area which had huge heating lamps on the wall which were bliss. I was getting warm but it was about 20 minutes before my legs stopped shaking from the cold! Anyhow, to my surprise, my time was 2h 54m which I was pretty pleased with and I'm definitely doing it again next year! 51.3 very wet miles.
29th September: I finally managed to meet my mate Joe for a ride after work today, something we'd been trying to arrange for ages. I took the Giant and he was on his new Giant Escape 3. We did a ride I designed in Map my Ride a few todays that Joe has already done once before.
Apart from some heavy traffic it was quite an enjoyable ride, windy but not too bad and the ride had some nice quiet trails on it. Joe is doing ok, he was a bit knackered but managed pretty well. He has good traffic sense and is fairly confident so that bodes well for the future. He also has a decent cadence when pedalling which is great, I hate seeing people grinding along in a high gear prematurely wearing their knees out. My first 8.0 miles with Joe!
Well, September goes out with another positive mileage figure, 217.5 miles, which is good. It's been quite a good month generally. I got my central heating up and running which is awesome, I conquered my 3rd Manchester to Blackpool night ride and finally got out on a ride with Joe and his new bike. Here's hoping the weather in October stays positive...
I've ween waiting for ages to review this inflator but, ironically, I haven't had a puncture! Anyhow, I had a puncture today so was finally able to test it. At just a tenner, this is a brilliant little device. Sure, you can buy fancier alloy ones that are a few grams lighter but as it only weighs 50 grams anyway I didn't see the point.
To use you just make sure the knob is in the closed position and screw in a 16g threaded CO2 cartridge. You then screw the orange alloy nozzle onto the valve and carefully open the knob. When the tyre feels hard enough, just close the knob and un-thread the nozzle from the valve and you're on your way. It comes with a foam insulating sleeve to stop it freezing in your hand in use but I filed it under 'something else to lose' and just wrap one of my cycling mitts around it in use. All in all, top product!
NB: When you inflate a tyre with CO2, it is important to empty the tyre when you get home and re-inflate it with air. CO2 is soluble in rubber and the tyre will go down over a couple of days as the CO2 diffuses through it if you leave it as is.
