The holidays are coming..the holidays are coming...the hol..

heavymental

Well....light evening are anyway! woohoo. Make use of them this week. Cus weathers gonna turn nasty come next week....

http://www.metcheck.com/V40/UK/HOME/index_ht.asp

ricadus

Arghh, not another sleety Sunday! Sunday in hell indeed, I'm staying in to watch TV.

popette

yes, my bike is by the door ready for my first night ride since last year!
I don't care if it rains, I'm going.

McBain_v1

There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes and the wrong bike!
After a truly pitiful performance last Sunday (first ride after knackered disc in back was wrenched back into place) I need to recover some form :oops: Entrance fee for Cheshire Cat was wasted, but money spent on physio and sports massage was well spent because I can now walk about normally and ride a bike again

Next purchase will be a compact chainset for one of my bikes (Shimano or maybe a Campag or FSA with ceramic bearings) to enable me to spin up hills - I've not even got my end of year bonus and already I've got a long list of things to spend it on (and yes, Mrs McBain is included on that list)

How goes the training Popette :?:

Nuggs

McBain_v1 wrote:

I've not even got my end of year bonus and already I've got a long list of things to spend it on (and yes, Mrs McBain is included on that list)

Mine's been pre-spent on bathrooms and sofas. Not a shiny lightweight bit in sight

popette

McBain_v1 wrote:

There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes and the wrong bike!
After a truly pitiful performance last Sunday (first ride after knackered disc in back was wrenched back into place) I need to recover some form :oops: Entrance fee for Cheshire Cat was wasted, but money spent on physio and sports massage was well spent because I can now walk about normally and ride a bike again

Next purchase will be a compact chainset for one of my bikes (Shimano or maybe a Campag or FSA with ceramic bearings) to enable me to spin up hills - I've not even got my end of year bonus and already I've got a long list of things to spend it on (and yes, Mrs McBain is included on that list)

How goes the training Popette :?:

hi McBain training is going slowly at the moment due to a cold, which I'm feeling on my chest. I'm just doing short rides and not over exerting myself. I did the cheshire cat - 60 m route. I had entered planning to do the big one but on the day I could still feel the effects of the cold and cut it short.
Shopping lists! I had a really fretful night's sleep - I was dreaming about new wheels. Seriously! :shock:
Glad your back is better and you're cycling again. I'm sure I remember reading that you cured it by hoovering or was that how it started?

McBain_v1

Nope - it was hoovering that popped the ruddy thing back in place. I'm in the gym now and am fast becoming a real bore on the importance of core stability exercises. Right now I'm doing all the lower back exercises I can, it might result in a weird looking physique but at least it will be a stable one 8)

What kinda wheels are you lusting after Popette :?: I rather fancy another set of Fulcrum R3's like I have on my Enigma but since I need to recover some form I am going to wait a while until I feel that I will actually get some use out of them. For now, it's a new pair of cycling shoes needed (the velcro on my Diadora Alu's parted company from the shoe itself :shock: ), and I am open to suggestions, but the straps / closure mechanism needs to be robust.

Sorry to hear about your cold, it's a real bummer when you are snuffly - in some ways its more debilitating because it impacts on your sleep as well (even more so that a restless 2 year old which I am dealing with at the moment - I think it is the lighter evenings).

I was doing a search to see if you've got a blog-thingy set up anywhere but had no luck - then it occured to me, you might not be doing one!

popette

yeh, the bloke in the shop showed me Fulcrum R3 and Ksyrium Elite - I preferred the Fulcrum though. I'm astounded at how much quicker I'm going on this new bike and to think that the wheels could make me feel even more of a difference - I just want them now! I liked the silver ones but is there a convention on spoke colouring? Should I get black if my saddle and bar is black?

I do have a blog - I think there is a link from my profile but the address is
www.giantonabike.blogspot.com
You'll be on the edge of your sleeping bag reading that!

redddraggon

popette wrote:

yeh, the bloke in the shop showed me Fulcrum R3 and Ksyrium Elite - I preferred the Fulcrum though.

I see you've got good taste, Mavic's are proper boring looking wheels........

robbie the roadie

Another vote for fulcrums here. Get them in black.

redddraggon

robbie the roadie wrote:

Another vote for fulcrums here. Get them in black.

It depends on the colour of the bike though..... if lots of the kit is already alloy/silvery I'd get the silver wheels...

popette

This is my bike

redddraggon

popette wrote:

This is my bike

Silver wheels, red tyres, and white bar tape and saddle on that, would look really classy.

Clever Pun

wont white bar tape look really dirty really quickly?

I've got mavics and yes they're dull looking, but london streets and my weight meant something sturdy was the key to easier riding

heavymental

Redd recommends white saddle and bartape on every bike! He's a dedicated follower of the euro cyclist rules!

robbie the roadie

ha ha he sure is

Personally I would stick with black 8) but then it's not my bike

redddraggon

On the subject of bar tape - Black tape is far too boring to be on a best bike.

I'm just building a winter bike now, and in my tool box I've got black and yellow bar tape. But we all know how stupid looking yellow tape is (unless it matches and you're leading the TdF) :P so the black tape will go on (to match my black fizik arione).

heavymental

redddraggon wrote:

I'm just building a winter bike now, and in my tool box I've got black and yellow bar tape. But we all know how stupid looking yellow tape is (unless it matches and you're leading the TdF) :P so the black tape will go on (to match my black fizik arione).

Grrrrrr :evil: :evil:

popette

Heavymental wrote:

Redd recommends white saddle and bartape on every bike! He's a dedicated follower of the euro cyclist rules!

I've tried that combination before and regretted it - the saddle (selle italia) is now greyish and shows up marks really easily and I ditched the tape when it turned to the colour of old pants.

heavymental

yumyum, lovely yellow!

By the way Popette. Booked that house. I'll look out for your entry in the visitors book.

popette

I like your yellow tape heavy. Looks like a pretty cool (expensive) stem and bar too.
I had my stem changed yesterday - got an ultra light alloy with titanium bolts on it but it's not as fancy as yours. 8)

redddraggon

popette wrote:

Heavymental wrote:

Redd recommends white saddle and bartape on every bike! He's a dedicated follower of the euro cyclist rules!

I've tried that combination before and regretted it - the saddle (selle italia) is now greyish and shows up marks really easily and I ditched the tape when it turned to the colour of old pants.

The Fizik Bar tape is rather leathery, and keeps cleaner than normal cork, white cork tape is admittedly awful.

Most of the rides I take my good bike on seem to pass loads of farms, and the roads are covered with most manners of brown liquidy stuff - so my bike gets a good clean after every ride - so it keeps largely white.

.....of course your mechanic should change them every time they get slightly dirty (remember you've even got a sponsor now Popette)

heavymental

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... 1&start=30

Why thankyou....(see Redd? Someone appreciates it!)

Yep, its a carbon Time Monolink. Expensive piece of kit but I bought it off a friend for £50. Bars are FSA K-Wing. Again, an expensive bit of kit but I got them for £50. Saved about £100 on rrp for each item. The joys of second hand...£300 worth of bar and stem for £100.

claash

mmmmmm nice wheels popette

Good taste redddraggon! I definitely agree with the red tyres and the silver wheels....... Do wonder how fast the white saddle and bar tape would go from looking classy to grubby?? :?

Isn't it great how fast you can go when your bike is sexy and you love it??

redddraggon

Shoulda got blue bar tape.....

McBain_v1

How big is that gear :?: Looks like a 34/27 :?:

heavymental

Its a 34/50 with a 12-28. I'm off to the Alps again this year and also there's plenty of sharp hills around here in West Wales so it does me fine for everything really.

robbie the roadie

redddraggon wrote:

Shoulda got blue bar tape.....

Sorry but I have to agree, blue or black would have been much better. what a bunch of snobs we are

heavymental

Don't start this again! :x I had all this when I first posted the pics!

redddraggon

Heavymental wrote:

Don't start this again! :x I had all this when I first posted the pics!

Don't worry I'm going to make a number of worse fashion faux pas on my winter bike.

Red tyres, Blue frame, yellow tape (yeh I know! but the black tape turns out to be censored )

And shimano wheels with a campag drivetrain....

I suppose that's what you get when you raid the spares box.....

SteveR_100Milers

Popette - if you get the R3's you wont be disappointed, and will make a big difference (see other post I made somewhere). And get black...silver wheels???? :?

I have an all black cayo expert, black bar tape, black wheels, black saddle....but i have the yellow Fortezza tricomp tyres (matches my training top of back and yellow). After looking at heavy's bike pics, am thinking the yellow bar tape is the way to go. (which will also go with the yellow Fulcrum decals on the wheels).