Silly commuting racing
Comments
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I was also going to suggest similar, in fact I have the tools necessary to do that job in my desk, and I work precisely 2 floors above bespoke...TGOTB wrote:
Can't you just pop into (any) bike shop, buy a new cable, and fit it before riding home? It's a 5 minute job at most...hopkinb wrote:Tried to book it into bespoke, but they have closed their workshop for December. 34/11 all the way home then. :roll:Dolan Titanium ADX 2016
Ridley Noah FAST 2013
Bottecchia/Campagnolo 1990
Carrera Parva Hybrid 2016
Hoy Sa Calobra 002 2014 [off duty]
Storck Absolutist 2011 [off duty]
http://www.slidingseat.net/cycling/cycling.html0 -
TGOTB wrote:
Can't you just pop into (any) bike shop, buy a new cable, and fit it before riding home? It's a 5 minute job at most...hopkinb wrote:Tried to book it into bespoke, but they have closed their workshop for December. 34/11 all the way home then. :roll:
If Hopkins is anything like me more broken things lie down the path of this plan.0 -
Bit of a dull morning and slightly hungover after yet more drinks last night, so a sluggish ride in. Saw a rider who I think is a guy who has very occasionally posted on here in the past - username is Supernicebig, think his real name is Graham. Picked him up somewhere north of Downham, he seemed to be in pootle mode. I didn't try to overtake as I was quite happy to pootle myself, and if it is the guy I'm thinking of, he used to be quite hard to keep up with on a MTB with full nobblies. Lights kept going green as we got to them so never got to say hello, I branched off at Lewisham for deptford and he went OKR way up Loampit. If that was you (and you see this) - hello!0
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Screw the H limit screw all the way in and this will push the derailleur up a few sprockets even without a cable. Then you can use something like 34/14 and 50/14 when going a bit faster.
Also, you must work within a few minutes of quite a few of us on here. It's a really easy job and I'd be happy to help you out as well. I don't have any cable cutters but you could probably buy those for less than the cost of getting a bike shop to fix it and there's always the roll-up-the-remaining-cable-and-sellotape bodge until you do get cutters.
Actually, as a general rule, the cost of almost any bike tool can be recovered within 1-2 uses vs. visiting a bike shop to do it for you.0 -
Is this even a bodge? I've been known to do this (minus the sellotape) and not get round to trimming it for the life of the cable...dekant wrote:there's always the roll-up-the-remaining-cable-and-sellotape bodge until you do get cutters.
As another general rule, there are few bike maintenance jobs that take as much time as taking your bike to a shop and checking it in, followed by making a second trip to the bike shop to pay for the job and collect the bike. Of the jobs I've done this year, the only exceptions I can think of are building a set of wheels, and repairing a broken carbon handlebar, neither of which I'd trust your average LBS to do anyway.dekant wrote:Actually, as a general rule, the cost of almost any bike tool can be recovered within 1-2 uses vs. visiting a bike shop to do it for you.Pannier, 120rpm.0 -
Thanks for the advice and offers of help rower/dekant/tgotb.
I have a cable at home somewhere (couldn't find it last night though), as I've been meaning to replace it for a while. I've never done it before, though I do nearly all my own spannering (well - I normally go round to V68's house if there's something new I haven't done before, and he shows me how).
If I manage to get out of the office at lunchtime to buy a cable I may post a request for assistance/tools. If I don't, I'll pick one up on the way home and see what I can manage tonight..0 -
Nice little 3-way race along Brookmill Rd, about the most pleasant racetrack on my route. There was a coming together of roadies at the lights, one guy set off fast, another tracked him down, passed him and peeled across, I had been following him so as he peeled I kept going in a straight line and eased past. Should have put in more of a dig and surprised him, because he was able to hold my wheel, which he then did for the rest of the distance, while I gradually went into the red. Was able to maintain respectable speed until a bus threatening to pull across by the bus stand thing gave me an excuse to ease off. Thankfully none of them were going my way so I didn't have to sustain the contest for the rest of the journey.0
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Let's see if I can install this derailleur cable then before wife and daughter get back from swimming.
Having said that though, the ratio provided by 34/11 would suit a single speed on my commute if my knees could get used to pulling off and getting on top of the gear.0 -
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hopkinb wrote:Let's see if I can install this derailleur cable then before wife and daughter get back from swimming.
Nope, too fiddly to do in the poor artificial light in my house last night...dropped bike and cable at a friendly bike shop just off the cut and will pick it up later.
Rode a Boris bike from Southwark Station to the city. First time in ages. I felt a bit self conscious in proper bike kit and I kept trying to unclip.0 -
hopkinb wrote:hopkinb wrote:Let's see if I can install this derailleur cable then before wife and daughter get back from swimming.
Nope, too fiddly to do in the poor artificial light in my house last night...dropped bike and cable at a friendly bike shop just off the cut and will pick it up later.
Rode a Boris bike from Southwark Station to the city. First time in ages. I felt a bit self conscious in proper bike kit and I kept trying to unclip.
I've been trying to figure out the dress code for cycling to work on a non-regular bike. I want to bring the folder in sometimes but does one go full lycra ninja plus trainers or am I supposed to wear cords and a woolly jumper? Problem is the commute is still 10 (and a bit) miles so I will need a shower... and lycra is faster but such a faux pas :?
Edit - no real SCR today due to higher than usual mileage start to the week + extra layers for a lazy/toasty one. Having said that I don't think anyone came past me and it was pretty quiet0 -
I always wear lycra if I'm having a shower at the other end. Otherwise it's pootle, in whatever I need to be wearing when I get off the bike.frogonabike wrote:I've been trying to figure out the dress code for cycling to work on a non-regular bike. I want to bring the folder in sometimes but does one go full lycra ninja plus trainers or am I supposed to wear cords and a woolly jumper? Problem is the commute is still 10 (and a bit) miles so I will need a shower... and lycra is faster but such a faux pas :?Pannier, 120rpm.0 -
Shout out to the guy on the red Allez on Embankment this morning in shorts, summer jersey and no gloves. Was shifting too. Chapeau. I had winter tights, winter boots, overshoes, oversocks, 2 pairs of gloves, a Gabba and a jacket, winter hat with earflaps - I felt ashamed to call myself a Lancastrian. Obviously been living down South for too long.0
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TGOTB wrote:
I always wear lycra if I'm having a shower at the other end. Otherwise it's pootle, in whatever I need to be wearing when I get off the bike.frogonabike wrote:I've been trying to figure out the dress code for cycling to work on a non-regular bike. I want to bring the folder in sometimes but does one go full lycra ninja plus trainers or am I supposed to wear cords and a woolly jumper? Problem is the commute is still 10 (and a bit) miles so I will need a shower... and lycra is faster but such a faux pas :?
Yeah that's my thinking, guess I'll just do it and look like a boob. Might help if I put spd's on it0 -
I find the occasional boris bike excursion a real pain. The gearing is just so low I end up with manic cadence, that probably makes me look much more silly than whichever clothes I'm in.0
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Am boris biking more now they've gone contactless and am really enjoying it (always suited), I think you just have to accept the gearing, nothing you can do, more worrying are the brakes given I nearly went under a mini cab the other day when I couldn't stop as I filtered out between two cars.
Also now having got my gumtree quasi dutch rusty station bike, now with a chunky front rack costing half as much as the bike I am getting back to the joys of just getting about by bike, no special shoes, no funny shorts, just get on and go.
Fix the bike Hopkins? my only two cents is watch a video of ho to get the cable out and then into the shifter, I can never remember and faff about for 30 minutes trying to work it out every time.If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.0 -
hotspanners wrote:Shout out to the guy on the red Allez on Embankment this morning in shorts, summer jersey and no gloves. Was shifting too. Chapeau. I had winter tights, winter boots, overshoes, oversocks, 2 pairs of gloves, a Gabba and a jacket, winter hat with earflaps - I felt ashamed to call myself a Lancastrian. Obviously been living down South for too long.
Except when he got to his destination and stepped off his bike his knees shattered into a thousand pieces0 -
Chap on an S5 with Swiss Side Hadrons used his aero gains to make me work very hard from Putney to Kingston last night.
Even more aero given that he only had one arm. I'm assuming that's a -1 for SCR........Mud - Genesis Vapour CCX
Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
Sun - Cervelo R3
Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX0 -
Oops, just seen this. Were you pulling out of the road with the pub on it just before the park? I clocked someone on a bike but my eyes weren't fully open yet. I remember thinking whoever it was looked fast and would probably be coming past before long.London-Red wrote:I had you in my sights. Saw you as you pulled out from your road, looked you in the eye when you went along Park Road and I was approaching the top of New Road then finally got on your wheel.... just as I turned off at Ham Cross. Would have shouted and carried on up to Richmond Gate but was running late!
Chilly ride in today even though it was 9 by the time I got going, still frosty in Bushy Park but beautiful sunshine. Very much a slow pootle after too much beer last night.0 -
anonymousblackfg wrote:
Fix the bike Hopkins? my only two cents is watch a video of ho to get the cable out and then into the shifter, I can never remember and faff about for 30 minutes trying to work it out every time.
Looked at it in the gloom of my hall for 10 mins. Gave up. Dropped it at a bike shop off The Cut this morning. Picked it up at lunchtime. Shifting like a dream for 15 quid. Though the mechanic says my mech hanger is probably bent, but he couldn't get it off for fear of breaking it. One to file away for another time.0 -
Couldn't get the mech off, or the hanger itself?hopkinb wrote:anonymousblackfg wrote:
Fix the bike Hopkins? my only two cents is watch a video of ho to get the cable out and then into the shifter, I can never remember and faff about for 30 minutes trying to work it out every time.
Looked at it in the gloom of my hall for 10 mins. Gave up. Dropped it at a bike shop off The Cut this morning. Picked it up at lunchtime. Shifting like a dream for 15 quid. Though the mechanic says my mech hanger is probably bent, but he couldn't get it off for fear of breaking it. One to file away for another time.
If the hanger's bent and the mech can be removed, it's child's play to straighten the hanger with an alignment tool (which I can both lend you and show you how to use).Pannier, 120rpm.0 -
Couldn't get the mech off, and he didn't want to force it and bust the hanger as he didn't have one in stock.
At least that's what I think he said, not being au fait with how exactly things exactly fit together back there.
I could understand it if the hanger were bent, as I've crashed on that side a couple of times.0 -
is tomorrow the last (working) day of the cull? got caught in there on tuesday and almost froze waiting around for someone to open the gate. they hadn't locked ham gate so i could get in but roehampton and sheen were closed so i ended up riding back on myself to get out.0
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analogueboy wrote:is tomorrow the last (working) day of the cull? got caught in there on tuesday and almost froze waiting around for someone to open the gate. they hadn't locked ham gate so i could get in but roehampton and sheen were closed so i ended up riding back on myself to get out.
Yes, should be0 -
TGOTB wrote:
Couldn't get the mech off, or the hanger itself?hopkinb wrote:anonymousblackfg wrote:
Fix the bike Hopkins? my only two cents is watch a video of ho to get the cable out and then into the shifter, I can never remember and faff about for 30 minutes trying to work it out every time.
Looked at it in the gloom of my hall for 10 mins. Gave up. Dropped it at a bike shop off The Cut this morning. Picked it up at lunchtime. Shifting like a dream for 15 quid. Though the mechanic says my mech hanger is probably bent, but he couldn't get it off for fear of breaking it. One to file away for another time.
If the hanger's bent and the mech can be removed, it's child's play to straighten the hanger with an alignment tool (which I can both lend you and show you how to use).
I can understand his difficulty after my faff with rounding off one of the tiny screws on mech hanger on my carbon Canyon. Only thing that fixed that was a torx socket and a hammer.If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.0 -
Always grease the threads when re-assembling! Mind you, replacing your mech hanger is such a routine activity in cyclocross that mine probably aren't on there long enough to seize anyway. I always have a couple of spares in the pit bag...anonymousblackfg wrote:TGOTB wrote:
Couldn't get the mech off, or the hanger itself?hopkinb wrote:anonymousblackfg wrote:
Fix the bike Hopkins? my only two cents is watch a video of ho to get the cable out and then into the shifter, I can never remember and faff about for 30 minutes trying to work it out every time.
Looked at it in the gloom of my hall for 10 mins. Gave up. Dropped it at a bike shop off The Cut this morning. Picked it up at lunchtime. Shifting like a dream for 15 quid. Though the mechanic says my mech hanger is probably bent, but he couldn't get it off for fear of breaking it. One to file away for another time.
If the hanger's bent and the mech can be removed, it's child's play to straighten the hanger with an alignment tool (which I can both lend you and show you how to use).
I can understand his difficulty after my faff with rounding off one of the tiny screws on mech hanger on my carbon Canyon. Only thing that fixed that was a torx socket and a hammer.Pannier, 120rpm.0
