6th July: Well, the big project at work is in the tidying up phase so it was definitely time to give more thought to riding. It had been a rather strange day so far, raining and cold for July but it had dried off and brightened up by the afternoon so I decided to take the Strael out for a spin. As I set off it struck me that although it was fairly sunny, the air itself felt fairly cold for the time of year. I guess it depends on where the general air mass over an area is coming in from; anyhow, I carried on and soon forgot the cold. I did the usual three ups and downs and then came back via the OCR.
I made the big mistake of stopping for a pee on the side of the road and getting my legs shredded by the brambles, my legs felt like I was bathing in acid when I had my post-ride bath. One cool thing worth adding was that as I was coming back up the path at the part where Outlet Lane run both ways around a couple of houses, there was a beautiful young fox standing on the path in front of me! He took off and a fair rate of speed along the tree-line but an amazing thing to see! 25.4 miles to start July off.
Photo credit: Tambako The Jaguar.
13th July: After a few days of not very July-like weather it was quite pleasant today, overcast with the odd patch of blue sky appearing so I took the Strael out for a ride. It was pleasant enough although very windy on the 'up' part of the farm path and I saw a few other roadies out enjoying the weather. I'm still not sure about my new Toupe saddle. It definitely makes my bum ache but I think that's exacerbated by my Orro shorts which aren't much good at all. Anyhow, the bolt on the Hope seat-post keeps coming undone so, whilst removing the bolt to apply some blue Loctite, I tilted it down slightly more than it was to see if that helps at all. Another 25.3 miles.
21st July: Well after a couple of days of heavy rain I finally managed to get out today. I decided to take Awesom-O out for a rare summer ride in case there was stranding water everywhere but I needn't have worried. It was overcast with the occasional blue patch and not too windy so it started out as a quite enjoyable ride. I say started because the ride quickly went downhill. As I was heading around the corner onto Lodge lane I noticed my front tyre was rapidly going down. I stopped on the corner to change the tube but in my haste I think I shredded the tube as the CO2 just whooshed straight out the tyre again. As I was changing the tube, I noticed several large black mosquitoes buzzing around but didn't think anything of it. I had a tube and a CO2 left but I couldn't be arsed fitting another one so decided to walk the 1.8 miles home. I didn't notice anything that afternoon but the next day I had six huge mosquito bites! I'm definitely applying some Jungle Formula before the next ride... Anyhow, a final total of 25.3 miles.
24th July: It's been pretty warm today, I drove home from work with my air-con on full blast which I don't like doing, so I was determined to get out for a ride. Awesom-O is still out of action with a punctured front wheel so I took the Strael out figuring it must be dry after all this heat. It was breezy but not too bad and overcast with a fair bit of blue sky so a pretty pleasant ride overall. I'd slathered myself in Jungle Formula No.4 mosquito repellent after getting bitten last time. I felt a bit like a greased pig but I didn't get bitten. One thing i wanted to mention on here is that I switched to using a safety razor a few weeks ago and have been absolutely loving it! A good razor can be bought for £8-£40, lasts forever, and involves zero plastic packaging as they, and the blades, are packaged in paper and card.
It's way better for your skin causing way fewer ingrowing hairs and shaving spots and it's massively eco-friendly. The blades cost as little as 7p a shot and last 2-6 shaves depending on your beard growth and if you use a synthetic shaving brush and a refillable pot of shaving cream or soap, you aren't exposing your skin to harsh chemicals and there's no steel can to recycle - it's a massive win all-round! The Muhle R89 in the picture was around £32 and is a good, mild razor ideal for people starting shaving with a safety razor. Anyhow, 25.0 pretty enjoyable miles.
27th July: Well today was a good lesson in avoiding puddles when it's raining! It was absolutely pouring down so I decided to take Awesom-O out for a spin. If nothing else, it would be a good test of just how rain resistant my current lube of choice (White Lightning Wet Ride) really was. Anyhow, I decided to do a lap of the fishing pond and as I was riding up Siding Lane there was a huge puddle across the path. As I went to cycle through it, my front wheel hit something and stopped and I got launched off the bike! I think the fact I landed in three inches of water helped as my clothes were fine but I had a real bump on my head and I've grazed down the outside of right calf. Awesom-O was fine but the bar tape on the right hand side is wrecked. It was raining so heavily that I wasn't any wetter than I had been pre-crash so I decided to carry on. I was wearing a bright yellow water-proof jacket that I bought from Go Outdoors a few years ago. It was waterproof but it was soon as wet on the inside from sweat as it was on the outside so I decided a hot bath was a better idea and headed back for a piddly 11.3 miles.
Well, for various reasons, including an unseasonable amount of rain, I didn't manage to get out again so July goes out with a less than ideal 112.6 miles. On the plus side, the White Lightning Wet Ride lube is a keeper. Awesom-O's chain has completely dried out and there isn't a speck of rust on it!
22nd June: Finally! The huge project at work was finally over so I was looking forward to getting out on the bike but the weather had other ideas. It's rained for the last fortnight and it's been more like a miserable November than June but a high pressure area has arrived and today was hot and fairly sunny. I'd been dying to take the Strael out because I've bought a new saddle for it, a Specialized Toupe expert, so I set out with a slight sense of trepidation. I was worried about my fitness levels after three weeks off the bike but I needn't have worried, my legs felt pretty good and I averaged 16.2 mph which was decent enough. The new saddle initially felt very comfortable, it really eliminates any weight on your gentlemen's bits, but I soon started feeling it where my sit bones contact the saddle so I'll give it a few more rides to let my butt adapt. Anyhow, it was nice to get out on the bike again and 25.4 miles to finally start June off.
Well, that was the lowest monthly mileage ever! We've had a lot of miserable weather and I've had a couple of overnight trips to help the guys out up at Sellafield but our massive project is over and things can get back to normal at last.
6th May: It was a fairly cool today at around 10 °C but otherwise fairly pleasant so I took Awesom-O out for a spin. It's rained a bit over the last few days and drizzled this morning so I figured it probably wasn't ideal weather for the Strael. Incidentally, I bought a new chain checker recently, a Birzman one that measures 0.5%, 0.75% and 1% wear and when I checked Awesom-O, the 1% tester dropped straight through the chain so I decided to fit a new one. I checked my spreadsheet however and found one more ride would take him over the 1,000 mile mark so I left it on and went for a spin. I wore full winter togs, long bibs, merino, overshoes etc but with mitts rather than gloves and was perfectly dressed for a change. The roads were fairly wet so taking Awesom-O was a good idea. It was a bit windy heading 'up' the track but otherwise a fairly enjoyable ride and 25.1 miles to kick May off.
12th May: After a few days of cold wet weather it was an absolutely gorgeous day today, warm and sunny. Because it was so nice I took the Strael out but I was kind of hoping to take Awesom-O out. I decided to replace his chain recently because the new checker said it was completely pooched so I fitted a new cassette at the same. Anyhow, the test ride can wait until it next rains and the Strael got a run out today. The BBC said it would be around 16 °C so I wore my Castelli jacket over my stolen goat jersey and my new Orro bib shorts but took the jacket off when I got to the track. My arms were a bit chilly for a while and was soon enjoying topping up my sun tan. An uneventful ride and another 25.0 miles.
15th May: Another gorgeous sunny day today so the Strael got another spin after work. It had cooled to maybe 16 °C by the time I set off but it was still nice and warm so i wore my stolen goat jersey and short bibs and set off to do the usual. It was a pretty bog standard ride aside from the slightly higher than normal number of cyclists and walkers out and about. One thing I'm starting to get mildly annoyed about is encountering insects as I ride. On this ride I almost got something large and furry in my mouth but just dodged it and I also got whacked in the face under my left eye by something quite weighty which smarted somewhat.
There's been a gauze mesh type device on sale in America for years but it velcros onto the rim of your helmet and I don't wear one so that's out the window. Something like a small dust mask but made out of mesh would work. I might look into the matter further... Oh, and I almost forgot, I saw a young hare cross the path and dive into the vegetation and a buzzard perched on a telegraph pole, both cool encounters. Anyhow, 25.2 miles.
19th May: I don't remember a lot about this ride because it was a few days ago and I've been away on business for a couple of days since but I do remember the BBC website said it was around 15 to 16 °C but my Wahoo said it was 14 °C as we rode along. Either way, I wore my short sleeved top and shorts and, although my arms occasionally felt a bit fresh, it was rather pleasant in the sun. I'm spending five nights up near Sellafield soon with work so I'm planning some potential routes and it will interesting to see what it's like. Anyhow, another 25.0 miles.
25th May: It was cloudy today but warmish and not too windy so the Strael got a run out. We've got a huge project on at work at the moment so I've either been too knackered or working to get as much riding in as I want. Anyhow, I set off with my summer gear on but with the Castelli jacket on top and headed for the farm track. Oddly, as I was cycling along the bypass it started drizzing slightly which wasn't forecast but I like cycling in the rain when it's warm so I carried on. It dried off at the track so I took my jacket off and did my usual three ups and downs. My legs felt good and it was quite an enjoyable ride with a few other cyclists out enjoying the warmer weather. About half way around the ride a constant drizzle started which got me rather damp. I must have looked quite Rule #9 as I stood in the queue waiting to pay for a bag of Hula Hoops in the Co-Op on the way home though! Anyhow, another 25.0 miles.
28th May: After a lot of reading on-line about crank lengths on bikes, when I bought my Ultegra 8000 cranks recently I went with the 170 mm version rather than the 105 ones that were fitted previously which were 172.5 mm. Since then, the seat has felt ever so slightly low so before today's ride I raised it about 3 mm to compensate for the shorter cranks. Surprisingly, and I've had this conversation with my dad, it was extremely noticeable on the bike. It felt more efficient but it also gave me some minor muscle twinges, I think where bike fit is concerned, you really do adapt to a bike and the tiniest change is quite noticeable. Anyhow, it was extremely windy going up the track but pleasantly warm when the sun came out so a quite enjoyable ride overall and another 25.0 more miles.
Well, the final stage of our huge project at work has finally started so we're getting one day a week off and working twelve hour plus days so I didn't manage to get out on the bike again and May finishes with a less than ideal 150.3 miles. The project at work will be over in a couple of weeks so I'm hoping to get back to more regular cycling after that!
I can't remember if I've mentioned this little part but I found it when I was building the Strael. When I bought the Strael, I opted for the optional orange Hope Aheadset and seat clamp so was looking for other orange bits to go with the overall theme.
A quick search on Google images found Garbaruk components who were based in Ukraine when I bought my cap but moved to Poland this year. The cap is CNC-machined from 7075-T651 alloy and are available in anodised orange, yellow, red, blue, green, silver, black or purple. It's a lovely little finishing touch to any bike and at €10.50 from r2-bike.com it won't break the bank!
Finally! Ever since I read that the ST-RS685 shifters on the Strael do have a reach adjustment feature I've meant to find out how it's actually done. I did a bit of searching this morning on Youtube and finally found where the screw is located.
If you roll the rear of the hood rubber forward as far as you can and then look into the back of the mechanism on the inboard side, you will see a 2 mm screw head. This is the reach adjustment screw, it seems to be glued in but if you use a good quality 2 mm allen key you can crack it loose and and adjust the reach of your levers!
6th April: We've had a few days of strong winds and a lot of rain but it was a gorgeous day today so the Strael got another outing. I've been dying to get out because the Strael's had a bit of an upgrade. I've been toying with going one-by for a while so I bought an Ultegra RX-800 rear mech and fitted it only to discover the clutch lever hit the drop-out and didn't work. Undeterred, I sold it on and bought an Ultegra R8000 derailleur and fitted it instead. Then my OCD kicked in and I replaced the 105 front derailleur with an R8000 model as well. They were very easy to install because the JIS screws have been replaced with 2 mm Allen screws instead.
Anyhow, I set out to do the farm track but got bored after one up and down so I did the rest of what I used to call the 27 miler. The new mech's were brilliant. I've never had much luck setting up front derailleurs because I don't use my big ring much but this new style front derailleur was brilliant. You can cycle along in quite a hard gear and swing both the brake levers in and it instantly and silently changes to a similar gear but using the big ring - very impressive! Anyhow, the weather was lovely so an enjoyable ride overall. The photo shows an empty office block in the middle of Knowsley Industrial Park, it's supposed to be empty but I could hear yelling coming from inside it so I guess the local kids have found a way in! Anyhow, 25.4 miles to kick April off.
9th April: A gorgeous sunny day again so I took the Strael out for an evening spin. The weather was supposed to be 11 °C dropping to 8 °C and I've been a bit warm on last couple of rides so I adopted the bold strategy of wearing long bibs with overshoes but my stolen goat short sleeved jersey under the Castelli with mitts. I felt a bit cold on my upper half initially but soon felt OK, it's definitely better to start a ride slightly cold rather than slightly warm if you want to avoid cooking. It was dry and sunny but there was quite a strong wind. Going up the track was great fun cruising at 18-22 mph but a struggle to maintain 14 mph coming back down it. Anyhow, I did three uneventful ups and downs calling in at the 'rents on the way back to pick up a delivery for another 25.3 miles.
19th April: Finally, after a few days of cold windy weather, the first hot and sunny day of the year! The BBC were predicting pure sunshine and 22-23 °C temperatures so I was itching to get out today. To go with the new Ultegra R8000 mech's, I'd bought and fitted the matching crankset because the clash with the 105 kit was triggering my OCD. I'd also let the brake levers out a bit and quick-bled the brakes so as well as the lovely weather, there was some testing to be done.
I wore my stolen goat jersey and new Orro bibs and headed out to do the usual. Apart from seeing a few more cyclists than usual, and a few walkers, it was a pretty standard ride. The cranks are lovely, light and stiff, but I might just wind the levers in a bit like they were before. I have pretty normal sized hands and thw way they came from the factory actually feels a bit better. Anyhow, a great ride to start the sun tan off again and 25.4 miles.
20th April: Another hot day, 23 °C according to the BBC website, so another trip out on the Strael. As I've ridden it this year, I'd started to feel that the Strael felt a bit 'sit up and beg' posture-wise. I originally set it up with two 10 mm spacers under the stem and one above it so I switched it to one 10 mm spacer under the stem and two on top. I headed out to do the Siding lane plus the usual and found the bike felt a lot better so I've ordered some 5 mm spacers and I'll trim the steerer when they arrive. The brake levers felt good back in their original positions and it was fun ride overall, the weather was very hot and a lot less windy than it had been yesterday and it was an odd ride in one other respect.
I can't remember another ride when I've had to spit out so many flies, including a large furry one that landed in the right hand corner of my mouth which I managed to manoeuvre and spit out fairly quickly. Another thing I don't recall seeing before occurred on this ride. A couple of times on the ride, I saw what looked like huge plumes of smoke billowing high up in the air. As I got closer, I could see it was farmers in tractors either tilling or ploughing and causing huge amounts of dust from the soil to rise up and float away. Having caught laryngitis breathing a load of dust in following a tractor a couple of winters ago, I made sure to hold my breath and I passed by. Another 25.8 miles.
28th April: After a few days of very windy weather, culminating with storm Hannah yesterday when it rained all day, I managed to get out for a ride today. I was pretty sure there's be standing water and puddles everywhere so Awesom-O got his first trip out for a couple of weeks. The BBC weather said it would be around 12-13 C so I wore my merino under-layer for the first time in ages with my Castelli jacket over it and my new Orro bib shorts and hoped for the best. It turned out to be quite windy but not too cold and quite an enjoyable ride once my legs woke up. I had a couple of cool wildlife encounters on this ride which made it quite memorable. Firstly, I saw the biggest grey heron I've ever seen flying over then field, it's wingspan was easily six feet which was impressive. Then, later on in the ride, I was cycling back down the path when a young hare ran out in front of me from the field on the right hand side, ran across in front of me and ran down into the field on my left - very cool! A much needed ride and another 25.2 miles
30th April: Well we've had a couple of dry days so I was glad to be able to take the Strael out for a spin for a couple of reasons. As you probably know, I run a waxed chain on the Strael. This is great from a cleanliness and chain wear perspective but I find it a bit noisy because as the chain is effectively dry there is nothing to dampen the noise. I replaced my Park Tool chain checker recently with a new one that measures 0.5 mm, 0.75 mm and 1.0 mm and when I checked the Strael's chain, it barely even registered 0.5 mm wear which was amazing given it has just over 1,750 miles on it.
There was quite a lot of lateral wear though which was noticeably affecting the shifting so I decided to switch back to wet lube and fitted a new KMC X11EL chain and lubed it with White Lightning Wet Ride. I'm hoping the Wet Ride will be the lube I hoped the Pedro's would be ie not too thick and claggy and keep the chain from rusting. Anyhow, it was great being out on the Strael again, especially since I lowered the bars recently, and another 25.0 miles. Not a brilliant month with a total of 152.1 miles but hopefully the weather will stabilise a bit soon and I can start getting some proper miles in.
As anyone who reads this blog will know, I suffer badly from frozen toes in winter. I'm sure part of this is down to poor circulation in my feet but the fact I ride in cycling shoes with mesh panels in doesn't help. The panels are to let your feet breathe when the weather's hot and you're riding hard but they let a lot of cold air in.
I'm not sure where I first heard of it but this is a great tip. Pull out about nine inches of foil and fold it in half width-wise. Now put it across the toe end of your shoes and tuck the edges down and underneath around the front of your shoe. Now simply put your overshoes on as normal, over the foil, and no drafts will get through and you should have much warmer feet!
