Cycling

[Jonah]

That is indeed a thing of beauty.

However, I'm not sure I'd want to give White Van Dave the Chelsea fan even more of a reason to clip me when ragging it passed me. :lol:

[Jonah]

First sunny lunch time ride today in ages, last entry on my Garmin said June 6th

[Happyhammer52]

About 40mph, which feels even faster with the wind blowing through your hair and scarier if you start worrying whether the brakes work/the wheels are secure/if a stray pheasant will jump out of the hedge/potholes appear!!

It’s a route I only do occasionally, due to the above ... and am more likely to cycle up it than down. The ‘other side’ of the hill, has a more gentle gradient ... probably only get up to 30mph max on that!!

I managed to hit 45mph yesterday coming down Box Hill. My breaks were red hot at the bottom.

[Shabu]

Cycled the Huntington Beach bike trail yesterday. Just did ten miles each way but noticed the Santa Ana river trail where we started and finished which goes 25 miles inland so that's definitely one for the future.

Huntington Beach one is alongside the beach the whole way so lovely views but there's a couple IX places where there's people scattered about.

Lots of joggers and middle aged white blokes on electric bikes playing loud 70s rock music. I think if you're white and born before 1970 in America you only listen to the same ten songs over and over. All of them cack.

[Junco Partner]

Was thinking of panic buying some inner tubes as I was feeling left out

Forgotten about this thread, one of the best too, thanks for bumping

[Shabu]

Did a nice 22 miles ride today. From Newport Beach inland to Irvine & back. Slightly uphill there plus against the wind & slightly uphill back and against the wind.

Funny how that works out :lol:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/cali ... -beach?u=m

[Junco Partner]

Can anyone give me an idiots guide to Tubeless Tyres....if there are indeed tyres involved

The seem to be quite 'the thing' at the moment with shops offering deals etc, and I'm all for trying new things, so what are the pro's and cons?

I'm not overly troubled with punctures, I found Schwalbe Marathon's a long time ago and they are my default tyre choice as I've found they do cut punctures to once in a blue-moon occurrences even on glass strewn greenways and the like.

So I'm wondering are these tubeless tyres worth it?

[DasNutNock2]

I get through marathons like there’s no tomorrow, dunno why. Never found a tube or tyre that was vaguely resistant to punctures, but there you go.

Tubeless are meant to be the way forward though I’ve heard they’re extremely taxing to get on & off the wheels.

[Heysel76]

I've always wondered if a bicycle would actually set one off?

I once saw a drunk stumbling along, can in hand, as he passed the speed camera it flashed. Was absolutely hilarious (but obviously you had to be there!

Ah yes, the real reason i visited here.... Has anybody ridden a tandem? I'm only a slow rider, but my other half is even slower, so suggested it

[southbrishammer]

Ah yes, the real reason i visited here.... Has anybody ridden a tandem? I'm only a slow rider, but my other half is even slower, so suggested it

I did many years ago, with my landlord at the time to a local pub. It was fairly easy once I got the hang of it, although the stronger rider will naturally do more work. My main memory however is feeling like a right prat, as lots of people look at you because tandems are pretty rare on the roads.

[Clucking Bell]

Can anyone give me an idiots guide to Tubeless Tyres....if there are indeed tyres involved

Pros:
1. You'll never get a pinch flat
2. The sealant will take care of thorns and anything under a millimeter or so that's trying to make a hole in your tyre.
3. They're much nicer to ride, particularly on shitty roads. They feel more like tubulars.
4. They're possibly faster and lighter

Cons:
1. You'll have to check your tyre pressures at least twice a week: you can easily go from 80 -30 psi in a couple of days, particularly if the temperature is going up and down like a tart's drawers.
2. You need special tyres and rims
3. Putting a new tire on a rim is a two man job .... and the chances of you doing it without skinning your knuckles/snapping a tyre lever/ saying f*** five hundred times etc. are non-existent.
4.Putting a tyre on is also ****ing messy .... buy four times the amount of sealer as you think you'll need as you'll undoubtedly get covered in it at high pressure.
5. You probably won't get a puncture but, if you do, phone a friend. (You could try carrying a spare inner tube but, see #2 above. Also, if something is big enough to have caused a puncture, the tyre's ****ed and you need a new one)

On the whole, my experience has been that the extra faffing about is just about worth it. I probably wouldn't have bothered if my rims weren't 'tubeless compatible' but, I've only had one puncture in three years and that's when I wore through my tyre.

[Shabu]

Ah yes, the real reason i visited here.... Has anybody ridden a tandem? I'm only a slow rider, but my other half is even slower, so suggested it

My mate who got killed while cycling last year heard about a local cyclist who went blind so he got the cycling community there to chip in and buy a tandem bike so the blind geezer could still enjoy cycling.

[Denbighammer]

https://cyclepal.co.uk/products/cycle-p ... XtPIbczjro

On the subject of punctures and skinned knuckles trying to change them,has anyone ever tried one one these?^^^? They look really effective. I don't run tubeless tyre but I run Continental Gator Skin puncture resistant tyres and they are a TWAT to get on and off...

[Junco Partner]

Pros:
1. You'll never get a pinch flat
2. The sealant will take care of thorns and anything under a millimeter or so that's trying to make a hole in your tyre.
3. They're much nicer to ride, particularly on shitty roads. They feel more like tubulars.
4. They're possibly faster and lighter

Cons:
1. You'll have to check your tyre pressures at least twice a week: you can easily go from 80 -30 psi in a couple of days, particularly if the temperature is going up and down like a tart's drawers.
2. You need special tyres and rims
3. Putting a new tire on a rim is a two man job .... and the chances of you doing it without skinning your knuckles/snapping a tyre lever/ saying **** five hundred times etc. are non-existent.
4.Putting a tyre on is also ****ing messy .... buy four times the amount of sealer as you think you'll need as you'll undoubtedly get covered in it at high pressure.
5. You probably won't get a puncture but, if you do, phone a friend. (You could try carrying a spare inner tube but, see #2 above. Also, if something is big enough to have caused a puncture, the tyre's ****ed and you need a new one)

On the whole, my experience has been that the extra faffing about is just about worth it. I probably wouldn't have bothered if my rims weren't 'tubeless compatible' but, I've only had one puncture in three years and that's when I wore through my tyre.

Thanks Cluckers, for a very honest assessment.

My rims are 'tubeless ready' so I was told at the time of purchase, unsure about my tyres. But I'm leaning towards just leaving it, the faster/lighter benefit is of little use to an overweight puffer, the two-man job is off-putting, as is the constant pressure checking and although super-annoying when they happen I'm not overly troubled with punctures that its really worth it.

I'll keep an eye out though and if the technology improves enough to reduce the 'faff' factor I'll likely have a nibble.

[Whitters]

With the longer days and warmer weather its about time this thread was resurrected

I'm toying with the idea of getting an electric mountain bike. So:

a) Anyone with any experience and what to look out for/avoid?

b) Is it cheating ?

[Jonah]

All those beautiful mountain views out of your window and you want to go electric assisted?

(to be honest I think I would with 20° inclines :lol: )

[Whitters]

Yes exactly - and I feel I'm missing out on a lot of those views as I don't have the legs for it any more (if indeed I ever did )

I do stick my MTB on ski lifts in the summer to enjoy the trails back down again but I reckon an electric one would open up so much more opportunities, as well as get me out of a dead-end that I can't get back up again easily, which has happened once or twice.

[blahblahblah]

I ride a decent amount (about 80 miles per week in spring and summer), mostly on road but some gravel and the occasional cyclocross race where I attempt to give myself a heart attack. That can be a different scene than mountain biking, but I cannot understand why some people dislike e-bikes or why they think it's cheating (unless you're in an actual race).

If I were looking for an e-bike, I'd look for one that just gives an assist and is not on all the time. I ride for fun and for exercise, so I would not want the motor to be on all the time. That said, I've signed up for the Triple Bypass ride in Colorado this August, and I might not share that opinion then.

[LincolnshireHammer]

Going on a cycling tour of Holland in the next 10 days.

Over on the ferry to Amsterdam.

Day 1: cycle from A'dam to Den Haag
Day 2: cycle from DH to Utrecht, stopping off in Gouda for lunch!
Day 3: cycle from Utrecht to Amsterdam
Day 4: day in Amsterdam, 5pm ferry.

Can't bloody wait!!

[Kludgehammer]

My mate who got killed while cycling last year heard about a local cyclist who went blind so he got the cycling community there to chip in and buy a tandem bike so the blind geezer could still enjoy cycling.

The trick is teaching the guide dog to steer