Today's Bike Ride

[molehill]

Alas I fear you are already behind the curve.

The current thing is a device whereby you lower the tyre pressure while riding on, say, cobbles and then raise it again for the smooth tarmac - all from a lever on your handlebars.

Oh do keep up!

I’m sure you could sell that concept to the triathletes, presuming it came in pretty colours.

I took my other tyre round to my friend this evening, taken it off the wheel and cleaned everything up first ( out of respect to someone who knows what they are doing).

He inspected it, put the tyre on and pumped it up first go, just like I did with the first tyre. I explained that I had spent 2 hours cursing it and getting nowhere.
He had the good grace to say “I would like to say it was skill, but it is just how it goes sometimes”. I still felt like a novice prat. Which I am of course.

[Graham Breeze]

So how does that work Graham? How do you deflate a rotating bike wheel, and then pump it up again whilst still moving.

Checking my calendar carefully, it was April 2nd when you posted that

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/team-...essure-system/

[Graham Breeze]

Yesterday was a double celebratory ride. My first ride on the Boardman ADV for a couple of months after its return with new chain, bottom bracket and brake pads; and with my replacement Garmin 520 Plus. I must have overwhelmed the other after a mere three years of use.

Only a criss cross 37 miles and 3100 feet circuit of the River Wharfe would do so through or past Addingham, Bolton Abbey, Skyreholme, down to Dibble's Bridge to test my new brake pads, Grassington/Threshfield, my favourite quarry in Cracoe, Rylestone, Mr B's favourite Craven Heifer pub, Embsay steam railway: all in the company of hundreds of cyclists, bikers and tourists out in the Spring sunshine.

And the Tour of Flanders waiting for when I got home.

[Marco]

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/team-...essure-system/

Thanks, but no thanks. I read the price - €4,299 for wheels alone, and thought "That is probably greater than my lifetime cycling spending to date, and I don't ride on cobbles" and swiftly moved on.

I still don't get it, as in the days of Merckx et al they just used to change bikes.

[Graham Breeze]

A man was killed on his bike in Ilkley last week around 5 pm on Sunday and reading the report rather concentrated my mind as I set off for a 35 miles/3000 feet of climb tour of Blubberhouses Moor by way of Norwood Edge (one of Simon Warren's Cycling Climbs of Yorkshire). I was half way up the climb deep in thought when I heard chatter behind and in due course a few pleasantries were exchanged as the duo passed. However I then kept up with them to the top of the climb and for the next few miles until we went our separate ways. Funny thing motivation eh?

And the death? A 59 year old (so unlikely to be the type to do wheelies down the white line) was turning right onto the bridge over the river on Denton Road - a narrowish country road. There was a Skoda behind the rider and an Audi Q2 behind the Skoda. The rider had signalled to turn right but the Audi decided to overtake the Skoda and then hit and killed the rider. The two men in the car have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

They are aged 24 and 19.

[Marco]

And the death? A 59 year old (so unlikely to be the type to do wheelies down the white line) was turning right onto the bridge over the river on Denton Road - a narrowish country road. There was a Skoda behind the rider and an Audi Q2 behind the Skoda. The rider had signalled to turn right but the Audi decided to overtake the Skoda and then hit and killed the rider. The two men in the car have been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

They are aged 24 and 19.

This is both very bad, and far too common. Only four Sundays ago I was in Lichfield and about to turn right. I turned my head and gave the driver behind a very good look, put my right arm out horizontally, (I was wearing a brightly coloured long sleeve top and it was sunny), and moved out into the middle of the road less than 25m from the turn. I then heard a loud whine and the car behind, a SUV milk float (electric car) passed me on my right hand side, causing me to have to quickly retract my arm to avoid being hit by the wing mirror.

Worse still, there was a speed hump arrangement ahead, and the 'milk float' then cut across me and braked causing me to brake. At this point I lifted both hands off the 'bars so I could call him (and it was a him) a t**t using my full, unrestricted, lung capacity. Amazingly, he then did an emergency stop in front of me and wound down his window to try and argue that it was my fault. I just swung round him and turned right as we'd reached the turn now - re-iterating my opinion of him twice, just in case anyone in East Lichfield missed it the first time.

The moral of this tale is that there are bad drivers everywhere; when you're using the roads as a cyclist or pedestrian don't assume that the car drivers are intelligent or sober, or know the Highway Code or the laws of the road

[anthonykay]

The Spring sunshine had me making my longest ride of the year so far; in fact, my longest ride for several years. OK, so it was only 45 miles.

After the Good Friday service, our church had arranged to meet for a picnic lunch in Bradgate Park, so I cycled there. After lunch I continued southward, as far as Stoney Stanton, making a point of including Watery Gate Lane. The watery gate was closed, not surprisingly since the gauge was showing the water depth in the ford to be nearly 3 feet (I have now found out that the gate was only installed about three years ago, to stop idiots getting stuck: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/n...famous-3724713 ). There is a footbridge that accommodates cyclists as well as walkers, so no problem for me.

Later, taking the direct route from Kirkby Mallory to Desford, I did actually cycle through the little ford on the section beyond the "Unsuitable for motors" sign -- and then got off the bike to circumvent the soft mud beyond the ford.

The problem with cycling in this direction is the inevitable climb over Charnwood Forest on the way home, whichever route I take, just when I'm feeling tired. But it went well, and the cyclist who passed me on the climb near Cliffe Hill quarry even slowed down for a chat before disappearing into the distance.

[mr brightside]

...Mr B's favourite Craven Heifer pub,

Nope, i must stress i do not drink at this watering hole, my favourite is The Craven Arms, Appletreewick.

[Graham Breeze]

Paris - Roubaix

As always - well worth watching!

[molehill]

Got out yesterday on the road bike but on a time constraint to be home for family gathering - no excuses for being late.
Building up slowly and managed 23 miles with 3000ft, dry but becoming very windy. I'm liking the new narrow road tyres (that's 28 for me) and feeling more confident on them, to the extent I'm getting braver round bends and tried to wizz round one (open ground so full visibility); but I was being too brave and overshot the bend heading acrose the road, just retrieved the bike before the ditch, very close 😱.
A painless reminder not to be silly!