At nearly 3,600 miles the jockey wheels on the Giant are looking a bit shabby and the shifting isn't as crisp as it was so I decided to replace the jockey wheels. I chose the basic stainless steel jockey wheels from BBB because they were a sensible price (~£9) and got pretty decent reviews. These jockey wheels are universal in size and use plastic adaptors to fit different derailleur models properly so I chose the 'Shimano 11 speed' adaptors and fitted them.
Shimano jockey wheels use bushings rather than bearings and the upper wheel has about 1.5mm of side by side float whereas these wheels use cartridge bearings and have no float so I was interested to see how the bike shifted. I took the Giant out for a spin and was very impressed. There's definitely more noise from the cassette area sometimes when shifting, I suspect the float in the upper jockey on the Shimano wheel helps negate that, but the shifting is extremely slick, much Like I imagine Di2 must feel - very impressed!
4th May: I got out after work today and took the Giant out for a spin. It was hot and sunny but with quite a strong wind so I knew it might be quite tough. I was going to do the usual, the farm, track and two loops, but the horsists were out so I ended up doing the farm track, one loop and then the farm track again. Despite the wind, I took my jacket off halfway around so I just had my new Altura top on. It was a bit chilly when I was out of the sun but quite an enjoyable ride really despite the wind. On a side note, the saddle needs tilting up a bit more as I still felt I was having to push myself back on the saddle; I'll do it before the next ride. 24.6 miles to get May started.
6th May: I don't know if it's the Brooks not sitting as far back as the scoop or if it's the slightly shorter endurance geometry of the Giant's frame but I've felt myself wanting to get a bit more stretched out recently. To this end I decided to replace the Giant's 110 mm stem with a 120 mm version. I chose the Cinelli Vai because it has very understated graphics and was pretty cheap at around £20 plus delivery. Anyhow, I fitted it (it was 18 g lighter than the shorter Giant stem!) and headed out for a spin.
It was hot and sunny but very windy today so I was interested to see how the ride would go. As it turned out, the word 'awesomely' turned out to be the answer. Despite the wind, I constantly felt like I just wanted to ride harder and faster. I guess what cyclists would call my 'core' must be doing alright because I still felt I could support myself in position if the handlebars suddenly disappeared despite the longer stem. I think I've got the new saddle nailed now as well. An app on my phone told me I had it pointing 1 degree up so I changed it to 3.2 degrees up and it felt a lot better. Not a long ride but a fun one at 21.5 miles.
10th May: I had another of my 'book a random day off and really drop on with the weather' days today. The BBC were predicting nice and warm and not much wind so I took the Giant out to do the local 27 maybe tacking Billinge on to make it 32. The weather was windy but otherwise pretty warm and sunny so the ride started off pretty well, the bike still feels awesome with the longer stem. It wasn't all roses though, as I was heading over the last roundabout in Kirby I had my first encounter with a motorist! I was crossing, fairly banked over and had just banked over to the left to leave the roundabout when a man who looked about 100 who'd been watching me approach decided to pull out in front of me. He ended up stopping briefly as I gave him an absolute bollocking about being a massive knob. He drove off eventually and, to be honest, I wasn't that bothered because it was such a beautiful day. I've nothing again older people, obviously, but there comes a time in everyone's life where they ought to think about their own safety and other peoples when it comes to driving. I then crossed over Windle Island and headed up the new cycle path but decided I couldn't be bothered doing Billlinge so I headed back and went to explore St Helens cemetery, something I've drive past thousands of times but have never actually seen. It turned out to be pretty awesome, beautifully maintained and absolutely huge. Anyhow, a very enjoyable ride overall and another 30.3 miles.
13th May: This weekend was looking a bit sketchy with some rain predicted. As it turned out, the rain stopped this morning and the sun came out so I took the Giant out for a spin. I did a bit of a hybrid ride taking in some roads I haven't cycled for long time.
It was OK but I got a couple of dodgy passes; major single carriageway A roads are probably my least favourite kind of road for this reason but they're fairly easy to avoid. I also did two of my loops which was horse free for a change. The weather was fantastic, mainly sunny and really warm even in the shade so a nice reminder that summer's on the way. 21.9 more miles.
14th May: By pure fluke I managed to get a great ride in today. Normally on a Sunday morning I take my niece Daisy and her three mates Ella, Freya and Liv for a walk to a nearby farm centre where they can run around and stroke goats, miniature ponies and a sheep and a donkey who share a paddock together. Anyhow, my sister in law Kerry Whatsapp'd me this morning to say one of them wasn't well and could we put it off? Ok, bike ride on! The weather was gorgeous, hot and sunny with just a few clouds so I did the farm track and a couple of loops. You can tell summer is on the way, I've never seen so many cyclists out, I even passed a mini-peloton of around 20 riders out for a group ride.
One thing I did manage to do at around the part I saw the mini-peloton is take a pic of a house I've often wondered about. It's in good shape, although run down, but it clearly isn't lived in. There's a static caravan on the site and some other large buildings and junk cars but I wonder why the farm house is abandoned? Anyhow, on a different note, as an attempt to be a bit more social I was making an effort to wave to as many fellow cyclists as I could and in return got a nod, a wave and a hello from a girl on a road bike which was cool. To top it off, when I got back in I found it had been my fastest local ride ever with an average of 17.2 mph which was awesome. Another 22.1 miles.
18th March: I had today booked off because the car's in for it's MOT so it seems like an excellent day for a ride. It was overcast but bright when I set off so I had the Aldi long sleeved top on over my Altura top. I soon warmed up and the weather started to brighten so at about mile six I took the long sleeved top off. I did the farm track and two loops and as the ride progressed it became a lot sunnier so it was actually quite a good ride. One weird thing did happen though, as I was cycling along I thought the saddle felt a bit low. I assumed it was the Brooks bedding in and decided I'd raise it a bit when I got home. When I did get home I looked and found it had actually gone down a good inch! I've reset it and tightened the wedge to 5.8 nm (it says 6.0 max.) so here's hoping it stays up. If it doesn't I might try a bit of Loctite 242 on the bolt threads. Anyhow, a mainly enjoyable 22.3 miles.
20th May: It turned out to be a very rule #9 ride today. It was chucking it down so I took Awesom-O off his wall hanger and took him out for a spin because he has mudguards and I hate getting a mucky stripe up my back and rucksack. I wore my bib shorts but had my Aldi jacket over my new Altura top and as it wasn't particularly warm I actually wore my fleece gloves which I didn't think I'd need until autumn. Anyhow, it proved to be quite a fun ride, the rain slowed down after the first half hour and it brightened up a bit and got quite warm. Awesom-O is fab, I always forget how well he fits me and his new 105 groupset shifts brilliantly. A wet but fun ride and another 22.2 miles.
21st May: It was warm but cloudy this afternoon so I took the Giant out to do the farm track and a couple of loops. I soon realised the seat was a quarter of an inch low after putting it back up when it went down the other day so I stopped at Sidings Lane and raised it slightly. After it went down recently I'm not using the torque wrench this time, I'm going to rely on my engineer's spidey sense instead. Anyhow, it got even brighter and warmer as the ride progressed so it was good for my rapidly reappearing cyclist's tan and it was another 22.2 more miles.
23rd May: In an effort to get into an even racier position on the Giant I decided to try slamming the stem so I ordered two 5 mm carbon fibre spacers and fitted them to the bike. In case I didn't like it, I didn't cut the steerer and placed the existing lower spacer on top of the stem so I could tighten it down. It was an absolutely gorgeous day today, hot and sunny, so a perfect day for a test spin after work. I got halfway up the bypass and still couldn't help feel the saddle was a bit low.
I
stopped in Sidings Lane again and raised it another quarter of an inch
and it was perfect! My riding position feels exactly like Awesom-O and I
could really get the power down. As I approached the farm track I noticed a local cycling club setting up so I decided to do my original 21 miler which I haven't done for ages. Aside from the gorgeous hot weather it was an uneventful ride but I was amazed to find I'd smashed my own recently set 'local ride' average speed record with 17.6 mph over 20.8 miles and I'll get the steerer cut before the next ride.
25th May: I was by far the hottest day of the year so far today so I was dying to get out after work and take the Giant for a spin. As it turned out it was hot, very hot! I did the farm track and two loops. One rather strange thing was that as I was doing the loops I encountered a group of about twenty cyclists hanging around on the corner of Hall Lane and intake Lane. As I came back around the group had grown to at least forty riders - maybe a local club I haven't encountered before? Anyhow a fun ride but very hot, when I got in I felt like I had heat stroke, it was about forty minutes before I stopped sweating and felt vaguely human again. Anyhow, 22.2 more miles.
27th May: I accidentally had one of the most Zen rides I've had for ages today. I took the Giant out intending to do the farm track and a couple of loops. As it turned out, the local time trial club were setting up on the loop so I decided to do something else instead. It was extremely windy but blowing across the farm track and quite overcast with an interesting ghost busters sky. Anyhow, it was warm so I was happy just cycling up and down the farm track alone with my thoughts. I ended up doing three end to ends and then back through the village for a very enjoyable 27.0 miles.
29th May: It was quite wet and overcast this morning but it brightened up a bit so I took Awesom-O out for a ride. Interestingly, for the second time in my cycling hobby I had a plate of fish fingers for breakfast and my legs felt really amazing on the ride - definitely something for British Cycling, or Team Sky, to investigate I think? I did have a funny animal encounter on the ride which was a first. There's a paddock with three horses in it on the farm path which was full of buttercups so I stopped to take a pic. The horses had been at the far end of the paddock when I stopped but as I was putting my phone away I noticed they were walking towards me in single file. When they arrived, the dominant brown horse stretched out over the fence towards me so I said "Sorry pal, I haven't got any polos on me". At this he gave a loud harrumph, walked over to the white one and bit it on the arse, funny but odd! Anyhow, it was windy but fairly warm so I did two ups and downs of the farm track and two loops and it brightened up a lot so overall a very enjoyable ride and another 27.8 miles.
30th May: I had a few miles to do today to reach a particular number but the weather wasn't promising with rain most of the morning. Luckily, as I was driving home the weather cleared with a cloudy blue sky and sunshine so it was looking promising. I put Awesom-O back on the wall and checked the tyres on the Giant and got changed looking forward to a good ride. However, more or less as I left the house the clouds rolled in and it started chucking it down! Unwilling to swap the bikes back around I set off on the Giant. It was a fairly unpleasant ride but I meandered around until I'd bagged the miles I needed. Interestingly, despite the weather the local TT club were out. It's odd cruising along the road at 22 mph in the pouring rain and having a skinsuited guy on a TT bike cruise past at 30-ish! A wet ride that involved stripping off completely in the back porch and putting everything bar my shoes straight in the wash but a very healthy total for May of 300.5 miles.
I've known about Brooks saddles for years but never really did anything about it so when I came across them again recently on the web in website saddle reviews it really piqued my interest. I have Charge scoops on all three of my bikes; I find them OK but not 'forget it's there' comfortable so I decided to try a Brooks. I chose their standard model, the B17, and ordered one in 'Honey' which is similar to the tan Scoops and matches the bar tape. Amazingly, this saddle has been in production since the 1890's and virtually every online review says they're amazing.
It came with a small sachet of leather care cream called Proofide; there was enough to apply five coats to the saddle, all of which soaked in very quickly. Brooks recommend giving the underside a few coats so I've ordered a proper tin of Proofide and I'll do the underside when it arrives. Anyhow, I fitted it to the Giant and took it for it's inaugural ride this afternoon. I think I need to lower the nose very slightly (Brooks recommend installing it slightly nose up) and the leather is still rock hard but it was very, very comfortable already so I'm very impressed so far!
With the widespread popularity of carbon frames (as well as seatposts, stems and handlebars) tightening fasteners correctly has become a critical part of bike maintenance. Over-tightening of fittings can easily crack or crush delicate carbon components which, as well as being dangerous, can be very expensive. So, with this in mind, I started researching torque wrenches for cycling. The only two prerequisites being that it must have 1/4" drive and cover a range of approximately 2 nm-16 nm. There are lots of cycling branded ones that I suspect are made in the Far East, including one that is commonly sold for £50-60 that is sold branded as Shimano's 'Pro' brand for £100, but I was curious if there was anything 'better' available?
I came across the Norbar brand on a cycling forum that mentioned they were an English company. I found that this model was available with 1/4" drive and a range of 1-20 nm and it was made in England. Best of all? It was available from Amazon for £73 delivered! It's a beautifully made bit of kit, as you rotate the adjuster to the individual torque numbers, the tenths scroll past a clear window. So, for example, you could set it to exactly 2.3 nm or 6.7 nm or 17.9 nm and know you're pretty much bob on. The icing on the cake is that each wrench comes with a certificate of calibration performed when the wrench was made and you have an address in the UK where you could send it to be recalibrated should you ever decide to in the future.
Anyhow, I've redone all the critical fasteners on the Giant and I now have a warm, fuzzy feeling inside knowing that everything is perfectly torqued and safe.
White spirit is an awesome and cheap degreaser but it isn't exactly eco-friendly. I've used citrus degreasers in the past and they're pretty good so I though I'd give this stuff a try. I used it neat on an FSA team chain lubed with Morgan Blue Synlube as a challenging test. I was suspicious about this cleaner when I first opened it, it has none of the citrusy smell of a good degreaser but smelled more like washing up liquid.
I put the chain in a clip-top plastic container and gave it a really good shake. I was immediately suspicious that the cleaner didn't change colour at all. I opened the container and tried agitating the cleaner into the chain with my fingers and it barely shifted the oil on the chain at all. I then washed the chain in hot water and could see the inner plates were still covered in gunk and the chain didn't tinkle at all when shaken which suggests it hasn't touched the oil within the links. One to avoid!
1st April: I really dropped on with today's ride, the BBC website said it would be dodgy with a fair amount of rain but it turned out to be a warm sunny day with just the odd passing cloud cooling things down briefly. I did the usual, the farm track and a couple of my new loops, my legs felt good but I'm still getting twingy pain behind my left knee although nowhere near as badly as when it first happened. On a side note, I think I've finally decided to stop using SRAM chains. I measured it before I left and the .75% end dropped through at a mere 910 miles so I fitted one of the FSA Team chains I got on sale recently from Planet X and it'll be interesting to see how long it lasts. Anyhow, a pleasant ride and another 22.1 miles.
2nd April: The BBC were predicting blue skies and less wind today and they weren't wrong. I took the Giant out and did the same ride as yesterday. It was warm with blue skies, as predicted, and not much wind. I don't know if you've seen the famous footage of the Swans flying through the air filmed by a camera on a microlight on the BBC but I had a similar encounter with a cock pheasant.
I was cycling along Ben Lane and there was a pheasant in the road who took off running so I ended up cycling along side him. When he took off he flew ahead of me for several seconds at head height and barely six feet in from of me which was really cool. After a few seconds reason prevailed and he flew upwards to the right and disappeared over a hedge into some fields. Anyhow, a cool encounter and another 22.1 sunny miles.
8th April: It was the nicest day of the year so far today, hot and sunny, so I took the Giant out for a spin. I did what is rapidly becoming my go-to route, the farm track and two loops. It was an uneventful ride but I did see a group of sparrows enjoying a dust bath together on the side of the road which was fun. Another 22.2 more miles.
14th April: It was a cool overcast day today but I was determined to get out for a ride.With that in mind, I took the Giant out to do the local 27. It was fairly windy but the rain held off which was welcome, Awesom-O's off the road temporarily and the Giant doesn't have mudguards. The ride was fairly uneventful, aside from seeing a young blackbird having a bath in a puddle which was cool, until I was heading up the hill that goes over the railway line behind Kirkby and felt sure my saddle was getting lower and lower!
I stopped at the top and found the seat wedge bolt was loose so I wiggled the seat up again and tightened it. I then did a mile or so into the industrial park with it too high so I stopped and lowered it slightly and got it perfect, maybe 1/8" lower than it had been originally. Coming back along the Lancs was fun, I had the wind behind me so I was holding 23+ mph on the uphill sections and 26 mph on the flat section in the middle which was fun. Because it's been raining recently, the Giant was absolutely filthy when I got back in so he got a thorough wash and it was another 27.0 miles for April.
17th April: It was dark, cold and overcast today but dry with little wind so I took the Giant out to do the local 27. My legs felt good and the weather started to brighten up as the ride progressed so it was an enjoyable ride. I saw quite a few other riders out which is a good sign that summer's on the way, they were mostly on Giants but I saw a Canyon and a Specialized as well. It was a fun ride with a pretty decent average of 16.7 mph and another 27.3 miles.
19th April: I managed to get out for a mid-week freshener on the Giant tonight. It was very overcast but warmish and not particularly windy so quite a nice evening for a ride. My legs weren't feeling up to much so I decided to do the farm track and one lap of my loop. As it turned out, I'd chosen to go out on a night the local TT club were having a race as I kept getting passed by strangely dressed blokes on exotic TT bikes doing about 30 mph! It's not a hobby that appeals to me to be honest but the bikes do make an awesome noise as they cruise past at top speed, especially the ones with solid carbon fibre back wheels! Oddly, when I got back and uploaded the ride, it turned out to be one of my fastest rides for ages with a 16.8 mph average. Cycling can be very weird in terms of how you perceive you're performing and how you actually are! Anyhow, another 19.9 miles.
22nd April: The weather was very strange today, absolutely blue skies and hot sun but with a fairly strong freezing cold wind. Anyhow, I took the Giant out for an amble. I did the farm track and was originally going to do a couple of loops but most of the way around the first one I saw the local TT club setting up.
There were cars and vans parking up and people on turbo trainers in the road so I decided to head for the back of Kirkby and follow the route of the local 27. It was pretty warm when I managed to get out of the wind and I had the wind behind me on the Lancs, which is always fun, and I ended up with exactly 27.0 miles.
28th April: It was overcast and windy but quite bright today so I took the Giant out for the inaugural ride with the new Brooks saddle. I took a shortcut to the farm path via the OCR and then did two of my new loops. The saddle was very comfortable even though it's new and still rock hard so that's very promising. It was a pleasant enough ride although I saw something that's puzzled me in the past. I had my Rapha underlayer on with my Aldi jacket over it and was very warm but I saw a few other cyclists dressed like it was the depth of winter - odd. Anyhow, another 20.5 miles.
29th April: I took the Giant out for a spin today to test the adjusted saddle. The weather was the same as yesterday so not too bad. It turns out I'd set the saddle too level and I think it's a bit low so I was constantly pushing myself to the back of the saddle so not a great ride. I was going to do the same ride a yesterday but do the loops the other way around. As I started the first loop I saw a horsist further down the road and I really couldn't be arsed with the whole creeping past them thing so I turned around went for a wander instead.
On the plus side I saw a a couple of groups of roadies out riding together enjoying the warmish weather. Oddly, the first group I saw were impeccably dressed in black bibs and smart cycling jerseys. The second group, who I suspect were a bit younger, were dressed like a colour clashing eighties nightmare; white lycra top and shorts covered in different colours, all sorts! Anyhow, I'm going to adjust the saddle angle and height again before the next ride and another 19.9 miles.
Well, I didn't manage to get out again because of the weather but I ended April with a pretty reasonable 207.0 miles on the clock, not bad!
4th March: We finally had some nice weather today after a couple of weeks of cold, wind and rain so I took Awesom-O out for a spin. I did to the end of the farm track and back and down the Old Coach Road which was fun apart from the OCR which was very muddy because of all the rain. I had another buzzard encounter on the ride which is always impressive, something made me glance up into a small tree as I approached it and there was a buzzard sitting on a branch maybe 12 feet away from me so I stopped to look at it. It watched me warily for maybe a minute before it dropped off the branch and flew off across the fields. It was a thorough wash for Awesom-O when I got in and 20.9 miles to kick March off.
7th March: I took Awesom-O out tonight after work, just as it was getting dark. It was quite a pleasant evening, dry and not too cold and the wind was blowy rather than strong. I came back and did a full length of the bypass to add a few miles and then stopped at the chippy in the village for 3 mini spring rolls. An uneventful but enjoyable ride and 21.9 more miles.
10th March: A significant ride today, it was the first ride of the year in my Lusso bib shorts! The BBC website said 10c but it felt warmer. I did the farm track then two laps of a loop I created in Map my Ride to add a bit of distance. For some reason, as I was about to set off, I turned on my Garmin and it was almost dead - bugger! Anyhow, I knew the distance from drawing the ride so I set off and it proved to be a very enjoyable ride although there were a couple of oddities.
Firstly, as I was heading down Hall Lane I passed a girl on a full carbon fatbike coming the other way which was very odd and secondly, I am starting to get chain slip on the bike where the you hear a 'ching, ching' as you are cycling and the cranks spin forward before engaging again - very iritating. The chain and cassette have got less than 500 miles on them so it can't be that. I'll have to have a good look at the freehub body and front chainring when I get the chance. Anyhow, 24.9 more miles.
12th March: I managed to get out this evening to try and burn off a rather nice pub lunch. It was dark soon after I set off and I ended up having one of those 'zen' rides that reminded why I love cycling so much, flying down deserted roads without a care in the world. I did the end of the farm track and back and then two laps of my new mini course before heading in. It was warmish and not too windy and a thoroughly enjoyable ride for 22.2 more miles.
15th March: I had the day off today to try and use up some leave at work and, as usual, I really dropped on with the weather! It was warm and sunny with barely a cloud in the sky and hardly any wind so I took the Giant out for the afternoon. I did to the end of the farm track and back, then did a couple of laps of the loop and then headed back via the Old Coach Road. I did have another of my firsts on the ride however. As I was cycling along Barrow Nook Lane, I slowed right down to pass two horses when the lady on the outside said "Could you slow down please love and ring your bell?". Given that I was only doing about 4 mph and don't have a bell because it isn't 1943, I was somewhat surprised by this request. Anyhow, our world has militant cyclists so I don't see why there shouldn't be militant horsists as well! A very sunny 27.4 miles and, incidentally, the ride that took me past the 9,000 mile mark.
18th March: The BBC were predicting some seriously wet weather today so I'd initially decided not to bother with a ride. As it turned out, it was raining but it wasn't cold or particularly windy so I took Awesom-O out for a spin. I did to the end of the farm track and back and then two of my recently created loops. One thing I discovered on the ride is that my new Bluemel mudguards works very well, it rained constantly for the entire ride. Anyhow, my legs felt good, apart from a weird pain I was getting behind my left knee at the top of the calf, and it was an enjoyable ride although I did wring about half a pint of water out of my hat and gloves when I got in! 22.1 more miles.
19th March: I can't remember much about this ride because it was nearly a week ago. I took Awesom-O out in the evening and did the farm track plus a couple of laps of my new loop. The back of my knee was quite sore so I Googled it execting to find some obvious cycling cause but I couldn't. Some people suggested it could be caused by pulling up too hard straining the tendons. Anyhow, I'm going to have a few days off the bike and see how I get on. 22.1 more miles.
25th March: The BBC were predicting gorgeous sunny weather today so I took the Giant out for a pootle. The BBC were right and it was a gorgeous sunny day with virtually no wind. I set off and decided to take it easy because of my knee keeping my cadence high and using my right leg whenever I needed to accelerate. I did the original local 21 and only had one minor incident. As I was cycling through the industrial park, I went to accelerate past three young lads doing wheelies on mountain bikes when one of them nearly fell off to his left effing and jeffing a lot. I jinked right to go around and he looked distinctly startled as I shot past him which was quite amusing. My knee was fine, which was promising, and it was an extremely pleasant ride and 20.9 miles.
26th March: It was another gorgeous sunny day today albeit with more wind. I took the Giant out again and went the back way to Ormskirk, past Warbrecks nursery and then did the farm track on the way back. Apart from getting stuck behind a couple of other cyclists occasionally (spin people, don't grind. As Durianrider would say "Cadence, CADENCE!") it was a fun ride and also the first ride of the year wearing just a t-shirt which was awesome! Anyhow, another 21.0 miles.
29th March: I had another day off work today to use up annual leave. I took Awesom-O for what turned out to be a rather rule #9 ride. I did the farm path, 2 of my new loops and came back around the back of the village to add a bit of distance. It wasn't the most fun ride ever because it was quite wet and windy but it was another 23.6 giving a total for March of 227.1 which is pretty decent for the time of year.
