Today's Bike Ride

[alwaysinjured]

Curiously enough, I heard about that book a couple of days ago. I'd just turned up at a shop looking a bit sweaty as I'd ridden curbar gap and got talking to the owner who told me I'd just done one of the top 100 and he was worried he was becoming a bit of an anorak ticking them off!

Next time I'm in a bookshop or on amazon I'll treat myself to it.

Back on topic, I've got out on the bike a few times this week.

There was a discussion and review of the book on channel4 cycling program, and discussion with author :dont know if anyone saw it.

[dominion]

There's also a second volume - think it's called Another 100 Great Climbs

[Lefty]

Ramsbottom Rake is the nearest to us, scene of many a national hill climb. It's only short but very sweet ! Has a handrail up it for walkers ! Last time I went up it few weeks ago en route to Holcombe Tower ( on a mountain bike with mountain bike gears ) a couple of lads on road bikes turned back ( complaining they hadn't the proper gears) I pointed out that it was the legs that mattered not the gears ! A climb I enjoy is from Bentham over ' Cross O Greet ' down into Slaidburn. The steepest bit is at the top. The book suggests doing it in the other direction though.

[wheezing donkey]

I bought both volumes as a present for a cycling companion, last Christmas. It includes the 3 big climbs in Bowland, The Trough, Cross of Greet and Bowland Knotts. The first two are in the NW England section, the last one is in the Yorkshire section. The author eulogises about Bowland Knotts when taken from the Clapham (NW) side; although the other side is steeper, but nothing like as long. Funnily enough, the local CTC Thursday ride, last week, was coffee at Clapham, over Bowland Knotts to Slaidburn for lunch then home over The Trough and Jubilee Tower. A nice 56.25 miles, door to door, for me!

The book is purely one mans opinion of course and we could all add our own favourites and disagree with the choices made but " 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs " offers some good challenges. In recent weeks along with friends I've been going out midweek ( the joys of retirement ) and cycling the more interesting local climbs, notably in the Dales, Peak and Lakes. Certainly the Yorkshire Dales climbs are great and you can sling a few together to make a tough but interesting circuit. Buttertubs Pass, Tan Hill, Malham Cove, Langcliffe Scar, Oxnop Scar, Fleet Moss, Park Rash, and Lamps Moss all great climbs and much recommended.
The Author gives marks out of 10 but you can make you own mind up. The highest mark goes to the Bealach na Ba climb in Scotland which he gives 11 out of 10. I've done the climb and its a good one, perhaps the longest you will find in the UK at 6 miles in length but whilst there are a couple of steep bits it never get off and walk !
To my mind nothing is as tough as Hardknott Pass. In the Fred Whitton it comes after 90 miles or so and many resort to a walk, in the recent Lakeland Loop Sportive it came after 60 miles and I managed it without a push but it was touch and go on the hairpins near the top.
I'd like to hear of your favourite climbs and your impressions of the limbs outlined in the oak.

[Lefty]

Couple of weeks ago I set off from Waddington over Waddington Fell to Slaidburn, over Bowland Knotts to Bentham, back over Cross o Greet to Slaidburn then back over Waddington Fell. Only just over 40 miles but close to 6000 ft of climbing. Good hard ride !

[wheezing donkey]

Indeed, Waddington Fell can be regarded as the 4th big climb in Bowland - it's within the AONB but slightly detached from the main Bowland massif. I'm toying with the idea of a ride incorporating the 4 big climbs of Bowland and incorporating the high, unfenced moorland roads:- From Lancaster, SE over Harris End Fell to Bleasedale and Chipping, through Little Bowland to Dunsop Bridge, NW over The Trough and Jubilee Tower to Quernmore, over Baines Crag to Littledale, Roeburndale Road almost to Winder Farm, Haylots Farm, Roeburndale, Wray, Mewith Lane to Green Smithy X-roads, Cross of Greet to Slaidburn, Newton, Waddington Fell to Waddington ( Country Kitchen Café ), return over Waddinton Fell, Easington, Higher & Lower Stoney Bank, Bowland Knotts, Keasden, Mewith Lane, Wray, Lancaster. I can't put any figures to it; but it's a cracking route regardless of any numbers!!

[mr brightside]

Had a bit of a changing of the guard with my bikes, sold my precious RSW16 and got a couple of second handers of fleabay to tinker with. Just finished rebuilding the first...



Circa 1996 Raleigh Special Products TIG welded 853, full Dura Ace except for Ultegra hubs and the Lyotard pedals. It's missing the decals which were removed by the original owner and replaced with his sponsor logos and his name which he put on the toptube.

The toptube slants forwards toward the headset which is something i've never seen before. Riding it is like learning to ride a bike all over again as it is my first road bike, last weekend i had to brake for a winnebago in Kettlewell and simply forgot where the brakes were for a moment! I've raised the stem to neutral setting but getting on it still feels like being loaded into the breech of a rifle. Who likes it???

Personally, Mr B, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole:- A couple of mates have bonded Alan aluminium cx frames from the 80's; in time everything becomes "tired" and the bonding between the tubes and lugs begins to fail - yes it might seem ok now; but for how long? The mis-alignment could even be due to someone attempting to re-bond a tube into a lug and getting it wrong? Plus, unless the bike has been dissembled regularly and re-assembled with plenty of copper slip, the rear mech, the bottom bracket bearings and headset bearings will probably be bonded into the frame. A third mate, a very skilled tool-maker / fitter in the aerospace industry, bought a secondhand bonded aluminium Peugeot. Having given the rear mech mounting bolt a good soak (submersion) in anti-seize oil, his efforts to remove the rear mech mounting bolt resulted in breakage of the ( non-replaceable ) mech hanger from the drop-out. Also, with age, all aluminium can stress fracture without warning.

Which leads me onto my new 'retro' bike which is an Alan!

Turns out the back wheel had been built to sit over to one side deliberately, but seeing as it was on tubeless rims i've had it changed to clinchers and the back wheel set right in the process. The bloke i got it from has had it since 1983 when it was sold by a Tour of Britain competitor; it's never been out in the rain and has less than 500 miles on it which, looking at the chainset, is believable. It's got a full Campy Record chainset and GS calipers and it's all going to polish up really well. I'm going to seal the frame joints with nail lacquer in case i get caught in a shower and just aim never to ride it in the rain.

[Derby Tup]

Nice bike Mr B. 853? Darren would have approved

[mr brightside]

Darren would have approved

Top banana.

[(notsomuchofa)Fellrunner]

Fine, fine work Mr B.