Tell us about your new improved government regulations compliant cycle part II

godtabh

secman wrote: »

And ? I've often wondered how they felt to ride, do you notice they are heavy or are they heavy.?

Very heavy and poor gearing. Grand for a short trip but if you are on it for more than 30mins a go regularly better buying your own bike

secman

godtabh wrote: »

Very heavy and poor gearing. Grand for a short trip but if you are on it for more than 30mins a go regularly better buying your own bike

Don't know if I'm being delirious with this bout of man flu... Did someone do the W200 on one ?just Googled it ..Paul Kelly a cat 3 racer did it last year on one !

Weepsie

RobFowl wrote: »

Finally first spin of 2017.
Commute to work.
Wet abut mild, 17km.
God I love riding the bike
Happy new year all.
Rob

Precisely how I felt on Monday when I went over to collect one of my bikes from Parents and cycled it home and again last night when I cycled home from a friends house on Southside.

The rest of them got a lift to town where they had madly dash for a bus while I was in town as quick as them on my bike as they were in the car.

magicbastarder

secman wrote: »

Don't know if I'm being delirious with this bout of many flu... Did someone do the W200 on one ?just Googled it ..Paul Kelly a cat 3 racer did it last year on one !

didn't richard oakley, the journalist, do it a few years ago?

Chuchote

secman wrote: »

Don't know if I'm being delirious with this bout of many flu... Did someone do the W200 on one ?just Googled it ..Paul Kelly a cat 3 racer did it last year on one !

Didn't some lost soul do the Great Dublin Bike Ride on one too?

cdaly_

70km in 9 hours on Wednesday. Rode the Royal Canal from North Strand bridge in Dublin to Moyvalley west of Enfield. Slow going, muddy in parts and my mudguards became mud catchers to the extent that I ground to a halt because of mud clogging. Had to take wheels off a couple of times to scrape out the mud. The Audaxer's spare spoke is a versatile thing!

T'was a lovely day out. I was on the bike from before dawn to just after sundown, taking time to explore the Ryewater and Blackwater Aqueducts and to share my lunch with a robin near Enfield.

Got home around 7 and felt like I'd done 200k, not 70...

Parchment

Commute into work was fine.

Got onto the bike after work and after a few seconds realised things werent right - back tyre punctured. Lashing rain....so i started walking.

Paul_Mc1988

54K today. Longest cycle since i have been back on the bike. Had loads left in the legs and the wind and rain didn't bother me at all, two water bottles just don't cut it. On a side note anyone know anywhere to fill up a water bottle up around blessington.:)

https://www.strava.com/activities/823032594

LollipopJimmy

I was banjoed this morning, trained legs in the gym this morning then cycled the 20k from the gym to work. I was very naughty going up the hill on the last 3km and drafted another guy. Bold bold bold

Chuchote

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

I was banjoed this morning, trained legs in the gym this morning then cycled the 20k from the gym to work. I was very naughty going up the hill on the last 3km and drafted another guy. Bold bold bold

Wooden spoon

AndrewJRenko

Paul_Mc1988 wrote: »

On a side note anyone know anywhere to fill up a water bottle up around blessington.:)

Here, perhaps?

Paul_Mc1988

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

Here, perhaps?

Smart arse:pac:

retalivity

First non commute since mid november, 54k in 24kph from dublin to maynooth and back via strawberry beds, confey, celbridge, peamount and the canal. Carrying extra weight and out of shape having done nothing for 2 months, and i felt it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/823820066

smacl

First slightly longer one for year, Ballyboden - Gap - Laragh - Gap and home for 80k in a truly appalling 4:30 for a run I usually manage in or under 4 hours. Felt like absolute crap for all the climbs, with all those extra Christmas pounds feeling like lead weights around my ankles. Hippy Café was closed so went next door to the Conservatory, which was nice enough with pleasant staff and tasty food, but I felt like a total knob as the only sweaty lycra head among an otherwise well groomed clientele. Not having my specs with me and hence having to keep the prescription shades on didn't help much either, so was quite relieved to be back out plodding up towards Glenmacnass. Between that and my legs screaming at me on some relatively easy ascents, it wasn't surprising this song was stuck in my head for the return journey. Really need to take the healthy eating and booze reduction thing more seriously (says he on the way out to meet a friend for a pint).

cython

First non-commute for me as well today, just over 70km done, Blanch - Maynooth - small loop out around Kilcock (tag along on very short beginner spin for a charity cycle) - Straffan - Ardclough - Newcastle - Lucan - Blanch. Tired enough by the end as have only really been doing commuting distances for a while now, and had even taken 3 weeks off that until Tuesday this week due to a dose (still lingering, but screw it!), jumping straight to 4 days in a row. Tomorrow will be the day off cleaning day.

AndrewJRenko

2 hours, 34k Cruagh, Johnny Foxes, Devil's Elbow, Enniskerry and back via Barnaslingan lane - went over 70 kpmh on the way into Enniskerry - rather pleasant

Annie get your Run

cython wrote: »

First non-commute for me as well today, just over 70km done, Blanch - Maynooth - small loop out around Kilcock (tag along on very short beginner spin for a charity cycle) - Straffan - Ardclough - Newcastle - Lucan - Blanch. Tired enough by the end as have only really been doing commuting distances for a while now, and had even taken 3 weeks off that until Tuesday this week due to a dose (still lingering, but screw it!), jumping straight to 4 days in a row. Tomorrow will be the day off cleaning day.

I was wondering about this, if I"m doing 75 -90 miles a week on the bike commuting 12+ miles each way either 3 or 4 days per week, is that enough training to take part in a sportif or a duathlon if the bike distance is around 30 or 40 miles or has commuting no bearing at all on something like that? Sorry, hope that's too too OT.

wanderer 22

Annie get your Run wrote: »

I was wondering about this, if I"m doing 75 -90 miles a week on the bike commuting 12+ miles each way either 3 or 4 days per week, is that enough training to take part in a sportif or a duathlon if the bike distance is around 30 or 40 miles or has commuting no bearing at all on something like that? Sorry, hope that's too too OT.

The (very) general rule is that you should be able to do in a day what you usually manage in a week; I've found it to be true.

cython

Annie get your Run wrote: »

I was wondering about this, if I"m doing 75 -90 miles a week on the bike commuting 12+ miles each way either 3 or 4 days per week, is that enough training to take part in a sportif or a duathlon if the bike distance is around 30 or 40 miles or has commuting no bearing at all on something like that? Sorry, hope that's too too OT.

colm18 wrote: »

The (very) general rule is that you should be able to do in a day what you usually manage in a week; I've found it to be true.

What colm18 said is pretty accurate, and I've definitely found that when I haven't done a long spin in a while and a few of us head out that I suffer less then people in a similar position who do not commute by bike. To the extent that I've been accused of basically doing no training and still keeping up with those that do, though that is a bit of an exaggeration.

Having said that, while the commuting miles will get you through longer spins in this way, getting longer training spins in will definitely make it easier/more comfortable, and since you mention duathlons you may have an interest in speed, in which case I wouldn't recommend using commuting as your only training for these things

Annie get your Run

cython wrote: »

What colm18 said is pretty accurate, and I've definitely found that when I haven't done a long spin in a while and a few of us head out that I suffer less then people in a similar position who do not commute by bike. To the extent that I've been accused of basically doing no training and still keeping up with those that do, though that is a bit of an exaggeration.

Having said that, while the commuting miles will get you through longer spins in this way, getting longer training spins in will definitely make it easier/more comfortable, and since you mention duathlons you may have an interest in speed, in which case I wouldn't recommend using commuting as your only training for these things

An interest in sure, the ability to go along with that interest? nope

Thanks folks, I might look at extending my Friday commute to get a longer cycle in.

Weepsie

Same as everyone else it seems, first non commute cycle in what seems like an age. Out to around the airport, onto Naul via Ballyboughal on the R108, back towards santry Via Oldtown and St. Margaret's on the R122.

58.5 km was the distance having planned to do only 30 if I felt okay

Very mild, sun even came out around 3pm. Hit close to 70 kmph coming into Naul. Tired now, but good start to the year

wanderer 22

First 100k spin in months today, flat and slow but happy with the decent start to the year after the disaster that was 2016!
https://www.strava.com/activities/824015396

Chuchote

It's true that regular daily cycles of an hour or two make you fitter generally, I think; today, coming out of a lane onto a quiet road, a driver in what looked like a first-car Christmas present appeared driving the wrong way up the road, straight in front of me (s/he was apparently driving fast into a parking place on the wrong side of the road).

I braked hard and the bike went over - I extended the leg and arm on that side and bowed right down over the bike in a Nureyev-like pirouette, with leg stretched gracefully sideways, sole of foot and palm of hand flat on the road - and immediately back up again. I'd never have been able to do that even a few weeks ago. Not even stiff after it tonight.

smacl

Excellent! Sounds like a move straight out of the Matrix.

Unknown Soldier

After a pretty sh1t 2016, I Managed 205km this week, with a 102.2km spin yesterday with 673m of climbing. I met with a small crew of four others at 8am and did 40km with them to start off. I was going to go out with the 10am crew too, but had to ditch after a few KMs to go back home, but then the missus didn't require me so I did a bit of meandering. I like meandering!

I even went to Rathcool as there is a butchers there call "Donovans" opposite the Bank of Ireland, which does the most savage little sausage rolls you have ever tasted. Four for two Euro. Well worth stopping off for if you are in need of a little fueling.

https://www.strava.com/activities/824017564

Don't Chute!

70kms this morning with just over 1000m of climbing. First half decent bit of climbing I've done in a while. Greystones Enniskerry Stepaside Cruagh road Devils Elbow Enniskerry Greystones. 170 kms for the year so far and just crept ahead of that annoying little progress meter on Strava! Probably for the last time this year so I'll take it! Very mild, beautiful day out.

https://www.strava.com/activities/825156551

magicbastarder

little bit misty out there in NCD today - and i currently hold the 2017 record for the stretch from balheary golf club to the naul (long may it last...)
one drawback of having a beard was having to repeatedly shake the water which had condensed in it out.

https://www.strava.com/activities/824998690

magicbastarder

also, i got a chuckle as i turned right out of clonalvy following a signpost saying 'Ardcath 2km'. a couple of hundred metres later, 'Ardcath 3km'. a few hundred metres later, 'Ardcath 2km'. then 'Ardcath 3km'.

Interested Observer

Bought my first bike since I was a kid this week, so took it for a spin this morning. Going to use it to commute so just went to my office and back as a trial run, 16km round trip, and have to say I enjoyed it. There's one hill on the way home that nearly killed me but otherwise was fairly plain sailing. Way home took 23 mins according to my phone which is quicker than driving, and significantly quicker than public transport, so happy with that.

Mercian Pro

On a club spin from Swords to Celbridge and back that passed through Lucan, Newcastle and Maynooth. Shared the coffee stop in Celbridge with a group of Reservoir Cogs and saw at least four other cycling groups on the roads plus numerous ones and twos. I see reports on Strava of a few Orwell spins venturing into Kildare too.
Great to see so many out in the depths of January.