Gaelforce West 21/8/10

Mr Freeze

@Wonka

New shopping list for ya: (if you aint already got this stuff)
Saddle bag
Metal tire levers.
2 or 3 Tubes.
Pump that does over 100psi & can clip to bike.

As the Macros said, its just bad luck, I got 2 punctures on a kevlar tire 2 weeks ago.

Check what the max pressure those gators can take too, and pump them up to that.

strummer_ie

Macros42 wrote: »

The puncture was bad luck. Were the tyres pumped up fully? Could have been a pinch puncture.

Not having a tube/repair kit and pump was bad judgement. I have my pump attached to the same screws that hold my drinks cage. And have a tube and a repair kit in my saddle bag. And that's just out for a training cycle. I'll have 3 tubes with me on GFW.

And a CO2 pump is handy too.
Can be picked up for around 20 euro.
I have no intention of pumping my tyres up with a mini-pump

darabbit

Oh no watergal! Not a good evening for you. I hope the sugar hit helped.:) Better for it to happen this eve and not 3k into GF! Think of it as karma.
I am chancing the tyres that came with my bike, they are michilen puncture resist but no tyre is safe on GF, I'll just have to take the chance and bring a couple of tubes. Fingers crossed, I won't have to change a tube as I can only pump to about 80psi with the cr@p hand pump. Superman couldnt get it to 100psi!! A pump station would be very handy on the course. Now there's a suggestion for the organisers:rolleyes:

darabbit

strummer_ie wrote: »

And a CO2 pump is handy too.
Can be picked up for around 20 euro.
I have no intention of pumping my tyres up with a mini-pump

This may sound like a stupid question but can you use a co2 pump more than once?

Can anyone recommend a pump that is portable and doesn't require the strength of the A-team to pump to 100psi?

toomuchdetail

Peterx wrote: »

Handy pockets for food and diaralyte sachets too.

Thanks Peterx - on the Diaralyte , do you take it in sachets with you and then take according to requirement with water, at fixed intervals, in dry form !!.
I only used once but I had popped 2 sachets into my already mixed water/carb drink bottle , I ahve done the same with Nuun tablets when i use these instead , should I be more cautious with these or evern smarter on how I use ?

EimearSF

Hi - am living abroad & will be flying to Dublin on Friday arriving c. 5 p.m. & then getting a lift straight to Westport. Too complicatd to fly bike over for it so will try the suggestion re. Wheelworx & see if I can order online. However, I will be hard pushed to pick it up in time in Liffey Valley/Clondalkin & car I'm travelling in is small & will already have 2 bikes in it. Rinker, does your offer of taking a bike down still stand & do you still have room? How wld I organize picking it up on Friday night? Thx. E.

Wonkagirl

@Macros- yeah i reckon ur spot on with the pinch puncture diagnosis- they had 150km on them since last pumped, so definitely not fully inflated.. it's the fright i needed to be honest, i need to learn how to change a tube, better now than on aug 21!

@darabbit- loving the idea of a pump station- would be great but would prob add cost to our reg! also, fyi, someone told me to NOT fully pump my tyres before putting bike in the car next friday, as the car trip can add pressure and make them burst (prob a slight exaggeration but worth bearing in mind)

@CKW- thanks for the shopping list- have tubes alright (what use are they to me at home!!) but need to buy all the other things for sure.

Went to a spinning class in the gym this morning to make up for last nites debacle- 45 mins of pure torture inside in a black spin room- good workout, but feels like a llifetime in comparison to a 2 hour outdoor spin in the countryside!

Wonkagirl

EimearSF wrote: »

Hi - am living abroad & will be flying to Dublin on Friday arriving c. 5 p.m. & then getting a lift straight to Westport. Too complicatd to fly bike over for it so will try the suggestion re. Wheelworx & see if I can order online. However, I will be hard pushed to pick it up in time in Liffey Valley/Clondalkin & car I'm travelling in is small & will already have 2 bikes in it. Rinker, does your offer of taking a bike down still stand & do you still have room? How wld I organize picking it up on Friday night? Thx. E.

FYI, they're pretty strict about the 10pm reg close, so dont waste too much time when you land.. it's a 4 hour trip to leenane.

would you not get on to the galway bike hire crowd that drop your bike to reg for you? www.bikehireireland.com

nerraw1111

toomuchdetail wrote: »

Thanks Peterx - on the Diaralyte , do you take it in sachets with you and then take according to requirement with water, at fixed intervals, in dry form !!.
I only used once but I had popped 2 sachets into my already mixed water/carb drink bottle , I ahve done the same with Nuun tablets when i use these instead , should I be more cautious with these or evern smarter on how I use ?

From the talk last week, the advice was to get the diaralyte into you no matter how you do it. Even if you run out of liquids and feel cramp coming on, just tip the powder into your mouth. Some said just throw it into your nuuns or whatever energy drink you have to hand.

I'll probs stick some in a bottle before hand on the bike and carry some sachets just in case.

nerraw1111

Wonkagirl wrote: »

FYI, they're pretty strict about the 10pm reg close, so dont waste too much time when you land.. it's a 4 hour trip to leenane.

would you not get on to the galway bike hire crowd that drop your bike to reg for you? www.bikehireireland.com

Eimer, you are cutting it very tight. The registration is in Westport AND Killary which about is an hour from Westport.

Wonkagirl

nerraw1111 wrote: »

Eimer, you are cutting it very tight. The registration is in Westport AND Killary which about is an hour from Westport.

Yeah, tight alright. Certainly no time for bike arrangements.

You have to be in killary adv centre in leenane by 10 to register, then you bring your bike to delphi (quite close) to drop it off..

no mention of westport nerraw?

http://www.gaelforceevents.com/west/en/event_info/registration_for_gaelforce_20101.html


dublin- killary is 4 hours on the button, have driven it a good few times.. also bear in mind you're gonna be travelling rush hour, but you shoudl be ok, out of the airport on onto the M50 and take the M4 exit.

still though, if your flight only LANDS at 5pm, you'll hardly be in the car b4 6?

dont mean to freak you out, and they probably WILL allow people register up til 11pm or so anyway, but just bear to be aware of it

Rinker

EimearSF wrote: »

Hi - am living abroad & will be flying to Dublin on Friday arriving c. 5 p.m. & then getting a lift straight to Westport. Too complicatd to fly bike over for it so will try the suggestion re. Wheelworx & see if I can order online. However, I will be hard pushed to pick it up in time in Liffey Valley/Clondalkin & car I'm travelling in is small & will already have 2 bikes in it. Rinker, does your offer of taking a bike down still stand & do you still have room? How wld I organize picking it up on Friday night? Thx. E.

Sorry Eimear. I've a full car now. Reckon the Galway bike hire is your best option. Hope it all works out for you:)

nerraw1111

My mistake. I thought Westport for some reason.

Wonkagirl

nerraw1111 wrote: »

My mistake. I thought Westport for some reason.

no, tk god, that would be a right pain!

they've done the right thing by splitting reg and bike drop this yr, what a DISASTER reg was last yr, it took more out of me than the 6 hour race the following day:)

strummer_ie

darabbit wrote: »

This may sound like a stupid question but can you use a co2 pump more than once?

Can anyone recommend a pump that is portable and doesn't require the strength of the A-team to pump to 100psi?

There are 2 parts. The cartridge and the head.
The cartridge is replaceable and usually screws into the head, that breaks
the seal on the cartridge. To pump up the tube, you push onto the valve
and either press a button or twist. Inflates in seconds

You usually get 1 or 2 cartridges when you purchase it.
Spare CO2 cartridges can be picked up in any cycle store.

You'll be grateful for them when you're standing at the side of the road trying to fix a puncture

Not sure if you can get them with a pressure gauge on them though.
The cheap ones don't usually !

Wonkagirl

some great stats here re dehydration, and other good tips

http://glenmalure.wicklowadventurerace.com/index.php/2010/08/top-10-adventure-racing-tips-by-paul-mahon/

nerraw1111

Anyone got a decent profile of the cycle route? Trying to establish where the climbs are and how high they are and the total amount of metres climbed during the cycle

Mr Freeze

nerraw1111 wrote: »

Anyone got a decent profile of the cycle route? Trying to establish where the climbs are and how high they are and the total amount of metres climbed during the cycle

Enjoy!

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/42513194

seanie500

How did ya find the new bit is it difficult? trying it this weekend but not the full 32k of it

Wonkagirl

seanie500 wrote: »

How did ya find the new bit is it difficult? trying it this weekend but not the full 32k of it

there's a good bit of debate seanie throughtout the thread on it, worth your while trawling through..

summation: pretty difficult, need your wits about you, but not totally un-doable on a road bike!

i personally plan on cycling the new bit slowly, then jogging the skelp (offroad bit post CP) with my bike. that bit is treacherous. imho of course.

Mr Freeze

its not as steep as last years climb, but its a lot rougher, mostly all gravel, and a bit longer.

Its definitely a slower ascent to the base.

You will have to be careful not to go too fast on it and hopefully avoid a puncture!

2 Wheels Good

After much consideration, which may still change before the day, I'm dropping the roadie and going mtb with these tyres as my training has been heavily disrupted so I'm just going to enjoy the day and the offroad even more so
(I did it last year on my road bike with tourers & know I'll be slower in other parts but why not enjoy myself )

Fitzilicious

Hi,

I haven't had a chance to go over the new part of the bike so i'm just looking for a bit of advice.
Would I be mad to do it on a road bike with my normal tryes and not change to gators?
Third time doing GF but first time on a road bike!

I know i'll be running the skelp bit after CP so just unsure as to the spin up to the mountain!

Thanks!

Seres

there is only bout 3/4k of gravelly terrain up to the reek , over 28/29k of the main cycle part is grand for road bike , dont know if you will see the benefit of replacing the road bike for a mountain bike

Wonkagirl

Fitzilicious wrote: »

Hi,

I haven't had a chance to go over the new part of the bike so i'm just looking for a bit of advice.
Would I be mad to do it on a road bike with my normal tryes and not change to gators?
Third time doing GF but first time on a road bike!

I know i'll be running the skelp bit after CP so just unsure as to the spin up to the mountain!

Thanks!

nah, i'd say a lot are in your boat. provided you have spare tubes and a pump and can change them then go for it

make sure they're fully inflated.

i'm doing it in gators but i got a puncture on normal roads in that last nite (albeit prob a pinch puncture) so no tyre is puncture proof, just resistant

will be joining u on running the skelp bit, not worth it

i got a bit of bike running experience last nite post blow out, it's hard to get into a rhythm missing the arm swing- worth pratising!

helimachoptor

Fitzilicious wrote: »

Hi,

I haven't had a chance to go over the new part of the bike so i'm just looking for a bit of advice.
Would I be mad to do it on a road bike with my normal tryes and not change to gators?
Third time doing GF but first time on a road bike!

I know i'll be running the skelp bit after CP so just unsure as to the spin up to the mountain!

Thanks!

This is also what i'm thinking...

Wonkagirl

Seres wrote: »

there is only bout 3/4k of gravelly terrain up to the reek , over 28/29k of the main cycle part is grand for road bike , dont know if you will see the benefit of replacing the road bike for a mountain bike

i totally agree, and putting the other tyres on MTB is also a bit of a waste of time, your not getting the benefit then on the offroad! all ur left with is a heavy bike that doesnt have the tyres that'll suit the offroad?

he sounds happy with his decision.. i personally couldnt stand the idea of hawling a MTB around that course, what a dose!

nerraw1111

Wonkagirl wrote: »

nah, i'd say a lot are in your boat. provided you have spare tubes and a pump and can change them then go for it

make sure they're fully inflated.

i'm doing it in gators but i got a puncture on normal roads in that last nite (albeit prob a pinch puncture) so no tyre is puncture proof, just resistant

will be joining u on running the skelp bit, not worth it

i got a bit of bike running experience last nite post blow out, it's hard to get into a rhythm missing the arm swing- worth pratising!

But it seems the new gravel part is worse than the Skelp in terms of puncture potential?

I cycled the Skelp part lasty and it was fine if albeit technical and quite bumpy. Not the terrain that you would puncture on.

Fitzilicious

Thanks!!

Well I don't know how to change a puncture....disaster I know but I'm hitting you tube with avengence tonight and practicising all weekend!

I'll try the running with the bike too....thanks for the tips!

Wonkagirl

Fitzilicious wrote: »

Thanks!!

Well I don't know how to change a puncture....disaster I know but I'm hitting you tube with avengence tonight and practicising all weekend!

me neither- that's sunday's job! i wasnt going to bother, but for peace of mind it's crucial. we'd be mentalists to not learn and then do the course with a road bike, it's just stoopid.

thank GOD for youtube..!