My busfare-saving log.

Cookie_Monster

RT66 wrote: »

Yearly mileage: 6,548km

:eek::eek::eek:
Keep up the good work, that's a massive amount of km

RT66 wrote: »

Busfare saved: €16.10 (YTD €418.60)

so what have you spent it on instead?

tawfeeredux

RT66 wrote: »

I do have a couple of queries about the Dolan, if you don't mind...
How do you find it? Can you put a brake on it? And do you find that your toes hit the front wheel? I believe it's possible to get two different forks for it, one longer with brakes and no toe-overlap, and the other pure track. I'd love to race track, but would probably need to get there cycling by road, so a bit of a dilemma unfortunately.

Wasn't aware that there's a choice of fork. Mine has the track fork, i.e. no brakes & no option to fit brakes unless you want to drill the frame. No issues with toe overlap. I suppose the Fuji would be the more versatile choice in that you could fit brakes. If you could get it with a flip-flop hub, it might be ideal for your needs.

Dermot Illogical

I read about the fork options here. Possibly they're talking about this?

insinkerator

You didn't give someone a lend of your bike to do the cycle part of a triathlon in Cork by any chance did you? It's just I have never seen a Ridley out in the wild (or in a shop for that matter), and the guy who was on it was from dublin, and said he got a loan of it from a friend up there.

Probably not, just thought I'd ask..

Dermot Illogical

insinkerator wrote: »

You didn't give someone a lend of your bike to do the cycle part of a triathlon in Cork by any chance did you? It's just I have never seen a Ridley out in the wild (or in a shop for that matter), and the guy who was on it was from dublin, and said he got a loan of it from a friend up there.

Probably not, just thought I'd ask..

Not me. I was up at the Giant's Causeway on it this weekend

Dermot Illogical

I got very little done during the week, with 2 rest days that I could have done without. I wasn't sure how the weekend would pan out either, but had tentative plans to travel up to Ballycastle for the Giant's Causeway Sportive. Not having registered online before the deadline, I got worried when I heard on Friday that there were only 16 places open for registration on the day. Myself and a friend decided to go up on spec anyway and we got 2 of the 16 spots.
We met another friend at the start and the 3 of us set out on the 126km course in reasonably dry and warm conditions. There were quite a few mechanicals/punctures in the first few km which was surprising given that the road conditions weren't bad at all. 10km in and the guy in front of me wobbled and hit the deck, taking out the rider to his left. I managed to get stopped just in time, got my foot out and ended up standing on the first faller's back wheel while a guy behind me to the left didn't get stopped in time and ploughed into the lads on the ground. Thankfully everyone escaped uninjured.
Onwards and upwards we went, literally. This course is all hills, most of them quite long. According to the map on the site there are 2 cat 3 climbs, 1 cat4 and 4 cat 5. My GPS recorded 1750m of climbing over the route.
I had a fall at the 2nd food stop. Couldn't get my left shoe out in time and landed directly on my left kneecap, splitting it open and giving it a decent bruise. Very sore it is too.
The next 50km was all hills and valleys, and the weather held out nicely to top up the tanlines. On reaching the coast it was all into the wind to the base of Torr Head and the last food stop at Cushendun. I had been on my own from when we hit the first climbs as my pals decided they wanted a more leisurely pace. I found myself seeing the same groups all the time, passing them on the climbs and then being overtaken by them as they descended furiously.
The last 25km was just cruel. Wall after wall after wall. At the top of each climb there would be another. I found myself walking 3 times having slowed to a pace where I was afraid I was going to keel over. The rain began to lash down just to add to the enjoyment.
I was happy to see the finish, and very happy to be handed a bowl of hot pasta. The goodie bag wasn't bad either. A nice T-Shirt, a cable lock, water bottle, gel, High5 zero samples and a bag of Tayto
I'll be back for this one next year hopefully. My aim is to do the 180km and not have to dismount at any point.

Mon: 50km commuting
Tue: 50km commuting
Wed: Rest
Thurs: 50km commuting
Fri: Rest
Sat: 126km Giant's Causeway Sportive
Sun: Rest

Weekly mileage: 276km
Yearly mileage: 6,824km
Busfare saved: €13.80 (YTD €432.40)

Dermot Illogical

After last week's exertions at the Giant's Causeway, I took it easy early in the week by taking the Hybrid on my commute. My knee was sore until midweek, but is much improved now.
I got a rear mudguard and some lights for the road bike as part of my preparation for winter. I'll probably pick up some more gear in Aldi during the week as well. The hybrid is also nicely set up, with the 35mm tyres binned and replaced with 28mm ones. I hope to replace the chain, freewheel, cables and brake blocks this week.
I met with the Swords CC Saturday 9.15 group for a spin in the sun on Saturday, with a stop in Duleek for tea and scones. Very pleasant morning indeed. I could have done with similar today on the Swords CC Sportive. What a miserable day. DNF, just headed home absolutely drenched after about 90km.
Still, this week I recorded my highest mileage ever, so not all negative.

Mon: 41.5km commuting
Tue: 50km commuting
Wed: 41.5km commuting
Thurs: 50km commuting
Fri: 41km commuting
Sat: 104km
Sun 128km

Weekly mileage: 456km
Yearly mileage: 7,280km
Busfare saved: €23 (YTD €455.40)

AthenryLeads

RT66 wrote: »

Still, this week I recorded my highest mileage ever, so not all negative.

Mon: 41.5km commuting
Tue: 50km commuting
Wed: 41.5km commuting
Thurs: 50km commuting
Fri: 41km commuting
Sat: 104km
Sun 128km

Weekly mileage: 456km
Yearly mileage: 7,280km
Busfare saved: €23 (YTD €455.40)

That is some distance - 456km fo the week!!
7,280 for the year isn't bad either :P

Dermot Illogical

AthenryLeads wrote: »

That is some distance - 456km fo the week!!
7,280 for the year isn't bad either :P

Thanks! I'm happy with that weekly total, but had to take Monday and Tuesday off to give the legs a rest..

Dermot Illogical

Garmin data for Sept:

Count: 39 Activities
Distance: 1,325.54 km
Time: 51:18:36 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 5,704 m
Avg Speed: 25.8 km/h
Avg HR: 123 bpm

Dermot Illogical

Very little time on the bike this week, with no recreational cycling at all.
Changed the rear brake blocks, wheels, chain and cassette on the Ridley. Added a mudguard and some lights as well. Picked up waterproof trousers and a winter jacket in aldi during the week as well. I think I'm just about ready for winter at this stage.

Mon: Rest
Tue: Rest
Wed: 50km commuting
Thurs: 50km commuting
Fri: 50km commuting
Sat: Rest
Sun: 50km commuting

Weekly mileage: 200km
Yearly mileage: 7,480km
Busfare saved: €18.40 (YTD €473.80)

Dermot Illogical

Another week of ticking over nicely. I had a nice spin over to Dun Laoghaire on Monday when Cormie decided to have a shoe/pedal giveaway and my insomnia led to my being awake at the right time to call dibs.
The rest of the week was made up of commutes. Saturday was the only non-urban ride and it was good craic. Went out to Tara for a spin with the Swords CC 9.15am group. I was tight for time towards the end, so when one of the lads made a breakaway at Ratoath on the way back I jumped on his wheel and we gave it socks back as far as Swords. Every little hill on the way back was turned into a flat-out sprint, which I have to say I found very enjoyable. Still dreaming of that track bike I'm going to have to get... I'm surprised at how much I enjoy sprints. They might form a large part of next year's goals.

Mon: 60km
Tue: 50km commuting
Wed: 50km commuting
Thurs: 43km commuting
Fri: Rest
Sat: 79km
Sun: 50km commuting

Weekly mileage: 332km
Yearly mileage: 7,812km
Busfare saved: €18.40 (YTD €492.20)

Forgot to mention. Weight down to 13st 10lb during the week, which is exactly 2 stone down on when I started cycling in March.

Dermot Illogical

A very poor week, with the only highlight being today's spin with Swords CC.

Mon: 41 km commuting
Tue: 43 km commuting
Wed: Rest
Thurs: 16 km commuting
Fri: Rest
Sat: 18 km commuting
Sun: 76 km Swords CC spin

Weekly mileage: 194 km
Yearly mileage: 8,006 km
Busfare saved: €13.80 (YTD €506)

BUACHAILL

2 stone down in 6 months or so thats great going.
Having just started back in saddle its great hearing these logs, gives me a lot of encouragement and determination.

Well done and nice logs

Dermot Illogical

A wet and windy week. The lack of light in the mornings, coupled with my unwillingness to get out of bed early enough, is losing me mileage. I'm going to have to knuckle down and get some sort of a routine in place. I'd like to reach 10k for the year, so I can't really afford to be slacking.
Saturday's spin with Swords cc was very enjoyable, with the second leg directly into a headwind. I completely forgot about the Sunday introductory spin and headed off on a solo run out and back to Slane. Got completely drenched. I was a bit disappointed that my feet got wet and cold. Either my overshoes are crap, or the water is getting in via the soles of the shoes.

Mon: 50 km commuting
Tue: Rest
Wed: 41km commuting
Thurs: Rest
Fri: 42km commuting
Sat: 80 km Swords CC spin
Sun: 83 km Solo spin

Weekly mileage: 296 km
Yearly mileage: 8,302 km
Busfare saved: €13.80 (YTD €519.80)

Beasty

RT66 wrote: »

I was a bit disappointed that my feet got wet and cold. Either my overshoes are crap, or the water is getting in via the soles of the shoes.

You won't stop the water getting in when the conditions are like that - my feet were drenched - it seeps in from above and below

The important thing is to maintain the warmth, which is where good overshoes and decent socks come in.

Dermot Illogical

All commutes this week. I could have gone out for a spin on Saturday, but I was bold instead. I ate junk, drank beer and watched football instead.
Aside from Monday it was an uninteresting week. Having seen the forecast on Monday morning I went to work on the hybrid, scalping 2 roadies on the way . The commute home on Monday evening was epic, a mixture of cycling and wading in places. I had a puncture in my front tyre from hitting a submerged pothole, but it happened only one km or so from home and the tyre held enough air to get me home. I also found out that Look cleats don't give much in the way of grip when you're up to your knees, carrying a bike, in fast moving water. My winter jacket, not sure if it's Lidl or Aldi (whichever one does Crane®), held up brilliantly. Kept me dry and warm. Definitely will get another whenever they come around again.

Also...I got my boards jersey yesterday. Will give it a run out during the week to see what performance benefits it brings.. Thanks triggermortis and Lusk Doyle!

Mon: 34.5 km commuting
Tue: 50 km commuting
Wed: Rest
Thurs: 50 km commuting
Fri: 50 km commuting
Sat: Rest
Sun: 42.5 commuting

Weekly mileage: 227 km
Yearly mileage: 8,529 km
Busfare saved: €23 (YTD €542.80)

Dermot Illogical

Garmin data for October.
Count: 37 Activities
Distance: 1,093.22 km
Time: 42:20:48 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 3,583 m
Avg Speed: 25.8 km/h

Dermot Illogical

Nothing too exciting this week. All commutes again, although I did have some fun on my way home on Wednesday. Took KOM on the strava segment from Portmarnock to Malahide, which I was very happy with given it was dark 60+ kph in the dark is probably a bit silly though :pac:
I didn't go out for a spin on Saturday. Instead I spent the day faffing around with chains, wheels and tyres. Generally getting myself covered in oil and grease. Put new tyres (Marathon Plus - thanks CramCycle!) on the hybrid. Put the old tyres (RibMo) back on the road bike.
I picked up Tacx Antares rollers from the ads sub-forum (thank you Kumate_Champ07) and have been having lots of fun trying to stay up on them. I'm determined to master them, but I'm not sure my balance matches my determination. Time will tell.

Mon: Rest
Tue: 50 km commuting
Wed: 50 km commuting
Thurs: 25 km commuting
Fri: 25 km commuting
Sat: Rest
Sun: 50 commuting

Weekly mileage: 200 km
Yearly mileage: 8,729 km
Busfare saved: €18.40 (YTD €561.20)

Dermot Illogical

A total write-off of a week. Work took over completely. Was away from home and normal workplace, so got very little done. Back to normal this week I hope.
The only way is up..

Mon: 16km commuting
Tue: Rest
Wed: Rest
Thurs: Rest
Fri: Rest
Sat: Rest
Sun: 51km commuting

Weekly mileage: 67 km
Yearly mileage: 8,796 km
Busfare saved: €6.90 (YTD €568.10)

BUACHAILL

Sure if nothing else it makes you more eager to get out next week !!
Sometimes a rest does you the world of good

Dermot Illogical

I've been feeling tired for some reason, but have pushed on ahead regardless - just at a slightly slower pace than I would have liked due to lack of energy. I got plenty of rest last week so it's probably my usual winter cold coming on. It's fairly late arriving this year.
Commuting was enjoyable this week as the weather held out nicely, and Saturday's spin with Swords CC was just what I needed. Went out as far as the Hill of Tara for tea and scones. On the way back one of the lads shot off on his own a few kilometers north of Ashbourne, and a challenge like that can't go unanswered.. Well, I tried to resist, but when he was about half a kilometer ahead he looked back to see if anyone was going to give it a shot. We had a nice race back to Swords I was fairly wrecked afterwards though.

Stuff: Went over 9,000km for the year, so on target for breaking 10.
Back wheel seized up, so replaced with spare.
Adjusted bars downward a little bit. Feels more comfortable now.
Tried my new rollers and nearly killed myself. They say you can't come off due to the shape of the roller. They never tested them with someone as unbalanced as me probably. Ordered the front support from the LBS in case I can't overcome my limitations. Worked out cheaper than online
Planning on heading over to join Swords cc on Thursday. Looking forward to not being a gatecrasher on future spins..

Mon: 50km commuting
Tue: 50km commuting
Wed: 42km commuting
Thurs: Rest
Fri: Rest
Sat: 117km
Sun: 50km commuting

Weekly mileage: 309 km
Yearly mileage: 9,105 km
Busfare saved: €18.40 (YTD €586.50)

Dermot Illogical

A good week in light of the lack of light... I managed to get decent mileage in despite work and social commitments playing havoc with my time.
I purchased a Benotto track frame from kumate_champ07 so I hope to get the bike built and on the road/track in the next few weeks. Really looking forward to it. The frame reminds me of my first racer which I used to get to and from school 30 years ago.
LBS fixed my back wheel gratis. I haven't put it back on yet, but I've put a new RibMo 700x25 onto it for when I do. It will be my Very Bad Weather Tyre. Joined Swords Cycling Club on Thursday so I won't feel so bad about disrupting their club runs any more
Went on one of those runs on Sunday and enjoyed it very much. The weather was a lot better than we're entitled to this time of year. Nice coffee stop too. I can highly recommend the bacon and cheese bagel melt at the Streetside cafe in Kilcock

Mon: 50km commuting
Tue: 50km commuting
Wed: Rest
Thurs: 38km commuting
Fri: 25km commuting
Sat: 17km commuting
Sun: 97km club spin

Weekly mileage: 277 km
Yearly mileage: 9,382 km
Busfare saved: €18.40 (YTD €604.90)

Dermot Illogical

To sum up this week: I'm a lazy sh1te. Although work and the time of year haven't helped. I had to drive in and out of work early in the week and got no cycling done at all on Tuesday or Wednesday as a result. I've some days off next week so hopefully there'll be an improvement.
A huge positive for me this week was getting the track frame I bought from kumate_champ07 attached to all the other bits it needed to get it going again. He was also the source of a set of newly built & polished wheels for it as well, and he went above and way beyond the call of duty in putting everything together. An absolute gent.
I went to OnTrack for the bars, crankset, tyres etc. Very happy with the service there. A very friendly shop.

Some pics:











Mon: 25km commuting
Tue: Rest
Wed: Rest
Thurs: 25km commuting
Fri: 17.5km commuting
Sat: 17.5km commuting
Sun: 35km commuting

Weekly mileage: 120 km
Yearly mileage: 9,502 km
Busfare saved: €13.80 (YTD €618.70)

Dermot Illogical

A quiet week.

Mon: 50km commuting
Tue: 60km easy spin
Wed: 42km commuting
Thurs: Rest
Fri: 50km commuting
Sat: Rest
Sun: Rest
Weekly mileage: 202 km
Yearly mileage: 9,704 km
Busfare saved: €13.80 (YTD €632.50)

Dermot Illogical

Quiet again, slowly creeping towards my 10k target. I've decided that I simply won't go out if there's ice on the roads, so I missed a few spins as a result this week. I'm not willing to take a chance and possibly injure myself. I've got my rollers set up nicely and I've sufferfest downloaded for if it gets really bad weather-wise and I get withdrawal symptoms. It hasn't happened yet though. I should have the track bike road-ready in the next day or two. I've put SPD-SL pedals on it and the clamp-on brakes are due in tomorrow. I also put a freewheel cog on it. Fixed is a touch ambitious for someone with my lack of skill.

I'm also getting back an old bike I bought new in the early 1990s. I never really used it and passed it on to a neighbour. He's giving it back to me as he has no use for it anymore. I can barely remember the bike (no idea of make & model) and I'm quite curious to find out what it is. It might be a worthy commuter, we shall see.

Mon: 50km commuting
Tue: 42km commuting
Wed: 50km commuting
Thurs: Rest
Fri: Rest
Sat: 50km easy spin
Sun: 17km commuting
Weekly mileage: 209 km
Yearly mileage: 9,913 km
Busfare saved: €16.10 (YTD €648.60)

Dermot Illogical

Reached the 10,000km mark today, and I got my old bike back. It's a Raleigh Elan, Reynolds 501 double butted, 14 speed exage and it's in very good condition

BostonB

Just wow. Well done.

Beasty

10,000km, of which it looks like you've done about 9,000 since the beginning of May - fantastic achievement - well done

I'm looking forward to seeing you down at Sundrive and in the Swords League next year - we "oldies" need to be sticking together;)

BTW, I see when you started the log you were at around 15st - have you managed to shed any of that?

Dermot Illogical

Thanks Beasty,

I'm not sure about the league, but definitely planning to frequent the track.
As for the weight, I'm hovering around the 14st mark. Anywhere between 13st 10lb and 14st 2lb depending on how badly behaved I've been. I'm happy with that as I was pushing on for 16st at the start of the year. I may start back running in the new year to see if I can get down to 13. My sole reason for that would be to see if it improves my hill climbing performance.

Dermot Illogical

Happy Christmas!
A solid week. The weather hasn't been too bad, long may that last. I'll probably take it reasonably easy for the next week or two while I figure out what goals to set for next year. This year was all based on just putting in miles. I may try to jazz it up a little next year.

Mon: 42km commuting
Tue: 42km commuting
Wed: 50km commuting
Thurs: 50km commuting
Fri: 53km commuting
Sat: 51km easy spin
Sun: 50km easy spin
Weekly mileage: 338 km
Yearly mileage: 10,251 km
Busfare saved: €23 (YTD €671.60)

Dermot Illogical

That's the year done, and I'm happy with how it's gone for me. I've put in a lot more mileage than I ever thought I would and enjoyed it a lot. One accident, a few close shaves, some silly falls and around 10 punctures were the only flies in the ointment.
I only started back cycling in March, but have managed to expand my bike collection by three since then. I've also joined two clubs, gone on numerous group spins and finished some sportives (The Giant's Causeway being the one I enjoyed most). The weather hasn't been great, but it's still been fun.

Here's my Garmin data for the year (only got my garmin mid-may so 2 month's cycling missing)
Count: 295 Activities
Distance: 8,611.30 km
Time: 335:18:33 h:m:s
Elevation Gain: 28,978 m
Avg Speed: 25.7 km/h
Avg HR: 102 bpm

Next year will hopefully bring improvements in speed and stamina, which will probably mean introducing structured training. It will also probably mean keeping an eye on diet, something I've refused to do until now. I will probably need to drop 1.5 stone if I'm going to be serious about improving.

Anyway, this week was fairly low on cycling activity due to family commitments and being away from home more often than not. I did manage to get out for the Swords CC 2up TT on Tuesday and it was a bit of fun. A podium finish too

Mon: 54km easy spin
Tue: 70km including 17km TT
Wed: Rest
Thurs: Rest
Fri: 50km commuting
Sat: Rest
Sun: Rest
Weekly mileage: 174 km
Yearly Total: 10,425 km
Busfare saved: €4.60 (Yearly Total €675.20)