Today's Bike Ride

[Graham Breeze]

I learnt that the brake levers were the other way around 40 years ago when I used to read my second-hand 1970s International Cycle Sport magazines in school assembly when the head teacher was boring us into submission.

One thing I learnt from this was that although every rider back then from France, Belgium, Holland and Spain seemed to have the right brake lever operating the rear brake, riders from Italy didn't always do this. The great Italian riders Girardengo, Coppi, Gimondi, Moser, Contini and Pantani all used the British set-up of the right brake lever operating the front brake.

This must be the most erudite, courteous and sophisticated thread on the Forum - preferable to soap box "reject the jab" anyway. Perhaps it is simply down to the kind of people who post here?

[Fellbeast]

I have now (temporarily I hope) left the fell runners of Gryffindor and joined the bikers of Slytherin and have got a brand new bike to boot!

I’ve commenced cracking out some miles and managed to reach (but not sustain for long) a sprint speed of a ‘massive’ 29.3 mph of the straight coming back from Ribblehead, just before Selside. Presumably that’s pretty average? I heard somewhere that the average speed of the winner of the TdF was something like 25 mph for the whole caboodle!

[Llani Boy]

The fastest average speed for the TdF was 25.9 mph, surprise, surprise, by Lance Armstrong!

Oh, I nearly forgot the important bit. What bike did you end up with Fellbeast?

[Fellbeast]

The fastest average speed for the TdF was 25.9 mph, surprise, surprise, by Lance Armstrong!

Oh, I nearly forgot the important bit. What bike did you end up with Fellbeast?

A Genesis CDF 20 gravel bike

[Llani Boy]

Very nice. A friend of mine has had one for a few years and he loves it.

Have you got the 11/34 cassette for those steeper on/off road surprises?

[Graham Breeze]

Very nice. A friend of mine has had one for a few years and he loves it.

Have you got the 11/34 cassette for those steeper on/off road surprises?

No! Surely an athlete like Stolly would not need a 34 or even a second front ring?

[Fellbeast]

I have no idea what an 11/34 cassette is to be honest . It’s the bog stand 2 front cogs, 10 back and I bang it in the heaviest gear I can get up each hill in obviously...

[Fellbeast]

Haha thanks for the power calculating link but I think I’ll just do it the old fashioned way of whether my legs hurt or not.

I knew cycling was geeky and techy but, boy, have I been surprised. I had no idea for instance that shimano drop bar gears were controlled on the brake handles (and the little flappers within) and for the first ride on my new bike I firstly had to find the gears and then work out, while on the saddle, how they actually worked.

Also I now already want to upgrade my bike with a drop seat, which only yesterday morning I hadn’t even realised existed.

What else do I really really need?

[noel]

A pointy helmet and tri-bars.

And then probably...

another bike. Or a tandem if you only want half another bike - only 16 months until the next Church Stretton Tandem Triathlon. A race that should be on everyone's bucket list.

[Graham Breeze]

It’s the bog stand 2 front cogs, 10 back ..

So I reckon it's a Shimano Ultegra Di2