Well, last week I went out for an hour or so. And today I rode for two hours. I covered close to thirty miles. Not bad considering ...
I was using my road bike, the Trek 1200. As I've mentioned before, I ride a frame smaller than normally recommended for someone of my height - 1.90m / 6ft 3". This means the seatpin is pretty much at full extension, and I've rotated the stem 180 degrees to raise the bars about 50mm / 2in. I feel pretty comfortable with the result.
The real problem with cycling here isn't the standard of driving, although some drivers seem to have homicidal attitudes towards cyclists, but punctures.
I know one of the complaints in the UK is that roads aren't swept enough, but here they don't seem to be swept at all. Given too, that road surfaces aren't nearly as good as you might suppose in a country where the whole economy seems to be driven by the automobile, frequent punctures seem to be the cyclist's lot.
So this year I gave some thought to alleviating, if not solving the problem.
Tyres : I am trying Continental GP4000's. This tyre uses a new material, Vectran, which is supposed to be more resistant to punctures and have better rolling resistance than Kevlar.
In addition, I'm trying some new tyre sealant, Sludge, which has been specially formulated for application through presta valves. In the case of the Continental inner-tubes I am using, the core of the valve unscrews anyway, making application even easier.
On the road, the extra 50gms of sealant in each tyre feels insignificant, but the Contis are a revelation. Despite being pumped up to 120psi, they don't seem to have the teeth-rattling effect my other tyres had at 100psi. Not only that, the tyres seem to hold their path well, even on tight corners. It will be interesting to see what they're like in the wet.
On the downside, the Contis are very expensive here - about the cost of some car tyres. You might get a better deal from PBK in the UK.
The 5 Boro Bike Tour is only a matter of a couple of weeks away ... I'd better keep this up.
* PS : Yes, I know how to spell tyres ...
* see my Bike Index here
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
Bike 01 : First Ride Of The Season ... and punctures
Friday, 15 February 2008
On 'Yer Bike!!!
It's that time of year again when thoughts turn to getting back on my bike. Okay, so it's really been a while since I've been a regular rider. I did a couple of reasonable rides last year, but I'm feeling that I want to get back into the swing of things. In fact, I am thinking that I might even have a go at an Audax Century.
I have a couple of bikes, both Treks. Treks seem to suit me, but I'm not an adherent. I'd look at other manufacturers. In reality who knows who makes what where anyway?
My road bike is a Trek 1200. A pretty good, basic model. The components could be better, but they're certainly functional. I ride a smaller frame than most bike shops would recommend for my height - 1.90m - but I prefer this. It does mean I need a nice long seat-pin. The one that came with the bike suffices, but a longer one might give me a little more adjustment in the future.
I'm currently in the process of preparing the bike for the spring. I had to do something about the tyres since punctures are a real problem here - roads don't get swept and there are lots of sharp debris by the side of the road.
I got some new Continentals from ProBikeKit back in England. Half the price of good tyres here and they arrived in three days. I will be using PBK again ...
I also have a Trek6000 mountain bike. More about that another day, but I think my riding will be very conservative. It hurts more and more when you fall off as you get older!
Apart from getting myself and my bike ready I have joined Princeton FreeWheelers. I shall swan into their AGM in March and then try and resist going on 100 mile rides ... They seem a bit like the Cyclists' Touring Club - the badge says it all - when it comes to organised rides and in the past I didn't get on with the style, but I'll give it a go.
There are also a number of resources for planning rides around here:
I'll let you know how it all goes ...
* see my Bike Index here
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