Silly commuting racing

anonymousblackfg

One might refer to it as 'Tranquilo' taking it from the Rules.

RULE 80:
Pre-race, you must be tranquilo, resting on your top tube thusly. This may also be extended to any time one is aboard the bike, but not riding it, such as at stop lights or while waiting for riding partners.

I guess a mark of it's prowess is how one doesn't see a man in hockey socks taking such a pose.

W1

keef66 wrote:

My first year with SPD-SLs and I still occasionally have to look down at my left pedal to see why I failed to clip in. It definitely doesn't hang down obligingly in the same position every time. Maybe I need to strip them down, fill with runnier grease, and back off the bearing preload a bit? Or maybe glue a couple of lead weights to the backs??

But I'm not commuting, so the only person I'm annoying is me...

Provided that you keep pedalling, it's permitted. Or at least, if you need to stop pedalling and look at your feet, clear the bloody junction first.

W1

hopkinb wrote:

W1 wrote:

Either perch on the saddle, or stand-up properly. But resting the "thigh" on a cold frame? Whatsthatabout?

Saddle too high to perch (or legs too short?) either way, impossible.

Stand up properly - tiring after approx 10 seconds, so...

...if a long wait is expected, rest sitbone on top tube, utilising pad in bib shorts to insulate self from the cold, hard frame - attain nirvana (also annoy some people it seems, so I might even clasp my hands together and put my forearms on the handlebars too, and go for the full "look" this evening )

You know these two wheeled contraptions lean over if you are a midget and can't touch the ground from the saddle?

How could I have forgotten the hand-clasp/forearm lean. Thanks for completing the full picture.

W1

anonymousblackfg wrote:

One might refer to it as 'Tranquilo' taking it from the Rules.

RULE 80:
Pre-race, you must be tranquilo, resting on your top tube thusly. This may also be extended to any time one is aboard the bike, but not riding it, such as at stop lights or while waiting for riding partners.

I guess a mark of it's prowess is how one doesn't see a man in hockey socks taking such a pose.

"Prowess" perhaps, but those adopting this position must have two veg that aren't affected by such a stance.....

anonymousblackfg

W1 wrote:

anonymousblackfg wrote:

One might refer to it as 'Tranquilo' taking it from the Rules.

RULE 80:
Pre-race, you must be tranquilo, resting on your top tube thusly. This may also be extended to any time one is aboard the bike, but not riding it, such as at stop lights or while waiting for riding partners.

I guess a mark of it's prowess is how one doesn't see a man in hockey socks taking such a pose.

"Prowess" perhaps, but those adopting this position must have two veg that aren't affected by such a stance.....

If you've got a top tube in your balls you're doing it wrong...

Gallywomack

I suppose everyone's built different - to me, it just does not feel a natural way to be at rest on a bicycle. I stand on my left foot, with my right on the pedal and my backside/leg maybe 2-3 inches clear of the top tube. Lowering it to rest on the top tube just doesn't feel necessary or right. Hence my instinctual feeling that it's a pose rather than an unselfconscious position of rest. But I'm open-minded and now that the subject is out there, I'm willing to believe that for others it's just what feels right.

hopkinb

Reverse sex panther. Used it for the last week. Brilliant. Never quite enough time to make the lights at Mint St Park, but reverse SP wins every time. Everyone probably catches up eventually, but it makes me feel I'm winning.

asprilla

Gallywomack wrote:

I suppose everyone's built different - to me, it just does not feel a natural way to be at rest on a bicycle. I stand on my left foot, with my right on the pedal and my backside/leg maybe 2-3 inches clear of the top tube. Lowering it to rest on the top tube just doesn't feel necessary or right. Hence my instinctual feeling that it's a pose rather than an unselfconscious position of rest. But I'm open-minded and now that the subject is out there, I'm willing to believe that for others it's just what feels right.

It's very comfortable and let's you relax both legs. Zero tension. Also you can have a gentle stretch if you put one of them out straight.

cruff

DrHaggis wrote:

Cruff wrote:

itboffin wrote:

4c this morning at 6am i'm now no longer missing commuting to work by bike

I commuted to my club chainy and back last night. Started out in bright sunshine but was already a bit colder than forecast. Finished chainy at quarter to 8 and rode home in the dark - nearly 35 miles and it was at least six degrees colder than the forecast (supposed to have been 12C, Garmin dropped steadily to 6 over the course of the ride). Absolutely thieving a living, weather forecasters

The forecast, from the same day, was off by 6C? Really? Which forecast? Was there a sudden, unexpected and large change of wind?

TBF, the forecast might have been an average expected forecast, whilst I rode over a hill that was significantly colder than lower lying areas... But I'm reasonably good at getting the temperature right after donkeys years of riding with no arm or leg warmers (cos chump), and it was much, much colder than the 12 degrees forecast

anonymousblackfg

hopkinb wrote:

Reverse sex panther. Used it for the last week. Brilliant. Never quite enough time to make the lights at Mint St Park, but reverse SP wins every time. Everyone probably catches up eventually, but it makes me feel I'm winning.

Where has this been all my life, I sit at those lights most nights fecked off at how they always catch you and take forever to change. Bring on the commute home (guaranteed to forget and take the main road).

dekant

W1 wrote:

Either perch on the saddle, or stand-up properly. But resting the "thigh" on a cold frame? Whatsthatabout?

Generally it will be racing / club cyclists that do this. They cannot perch on the saddle as it will be set for optimum performance which means you can only just get one foot down on tippy toes which isn't very comfortable.

As for standing, well these are racing / club cyclists so they need to conserve energy in line with the adage of "never stand if you can lean, never lean if you can sit, never sit if you can lie down".

Come to think about it, this is an SCR forum so everyone should be doing this if they truly took SCRing seriously. That energy could be put to better use smashing some nodders off the line

j_mcd

Changed my bottom bracket yesterday after it finally began to fail. Managed to get about 20,000 miles out of the last one!

The ride felt super smooth this morning!

Not many speedy people out today, the main challenge seemed to be re-overtaking all the annoying gits that wobble past you at traffic lights to get to the front.

hopkinb

Joined in with some guy having a go at a persistent red light jumper, mainly (to my shame) because he looked like a fat, entitled pr!ck, and I've seen him doing it for years and not said anything. Won't make any difference, because he sees nothing wrong with what he does, mainly because he is a fat, entitled pr!ck.

Lovely day for a ride apart from that though.

asprilla

Saddle came loose on the way home yesterday. Tightened it up but only the rear bolt as the front one needs a longer sullen key than I have on a multi tool. Of course I didn't rectify the bodge job when I got home. Wasn't too uncomfortable.

tgotb

Riding from Pen Ponds towards Ham last night I spotted a guy ahead who was clearly going for it. I'm normally quite restrained when it comes to SCR, but I had plenty left in the legs after a pootly commute, and this guy was all over his bike like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov trying to ride a pursuit.

When I caught him he was probably doing 26mph, still out of the saddle, clearly with no idea there was anyone else around. As I cruised past on the opposite side of the road at 30mph, in the saddle (natch), he stopped pedalling, slumped back onto his saddle, and I heard the words "Jesus Christ"...

hopkinb

TGOTB wrote:

Riding from Pen Ponds towards Ham last night I spotted a guy ahead who was clearly going for it. I'm normally quite restrained when it comes to SCR, but I had plenty left in the legs after a pootly commute, and this guy was all over his bike like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov trying to ride a pursuit.

When I caught him he was probably doing 26mph, still out of the saddle, clearly with no idea there was anyone else around. As I cruised past on the opposite side of the road at 30mph, in the saddle (natch), he stopped pedalling, slumped back onto his saddle, and I heard the words "Jesus Christ"...

anonymousblackfg

hopkinb wrote:

Joined in with some guy having a go at a persistent red light jumper, mainly (to my shame) because he looked like a fat, entitled pr!ck, and I've seen him doing it for years and not said anything. Won't make any difference, because he sees nothing wrong with what he does, mainly because he is a fat, entitled pr!ck.

Guy with a gold or union jack numpty helmet?

kingstongraham

TGOTB wrote:

Riding from Pen Ponds towards Ham last night I spotted a guy ahead who was clearly going for it. I'm normally quite restrained when it comes to SCR, but I had plenty left in the legs after a pootly commute, and this guy was all over his bike like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov trying to ride a pursuit.

When I caught him he was probably doing 26mph, still out of the saddle, clearly with no idea there was anyone else around. As I cruised past on the opposite side of the road at 30mph, in the saddle (natch), he stopped pedalling, slumped back onto his saddle, and I heard the words "Jesus Christ"...

Brilliant.

hopkinb

anonymousblackfg wrote:

hopkinb wrote:

Joined in with some guy having a go at a persistent red light jumper, mainly (to my shame) because he looked like a fat, entitled pr!ck, and I've seen him doing it for years and not said anything. Won't make any difference, because he sees nothing wrong with what he does, mainly because he is a fat, entitled pr!ck.

Guy with a gold or union jack numpty helmet?

I don't remember his helmet - he has a very noisy freehub though. Baggy shorts.

kingstonian

TGOTB wrote:

Riding from Pen Ponds towards Ham last night I spotted a guy ahead who was clearly going for it. I'm normally quite restrained when it comes to SCR, but I had plenty left in the legs after a pootly commute, and this guy was all over his bike like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov trying to ride a pursuit.

When I caught him he was probably doing 26mph, still out of the saddle, clearly with no idea there was anyone else around. As I cruised past on the opposite side of the road at 30mph, in the saddle (natch), he stopped pedalling, slumped back onto his saddle, and I heard the words "Jesus Christ"...

Glad someone else also takes the approach that an overtake in the saddle is worth bonus points. I also like to make sure I'm also nonchalantly perusing the scenery around me while cruising past, just to rub it in.

tgotb

Kingstonian wrote:

Glad someone else also takes the approach that an overtake in the saddle is worth bonus points. I also like to make sure I'm also nonchalantly perusing the scenery around me while cruising past, just to rub it in.

I hardly ever get out of the saddle; only exceptions are race starts, practice race starts, and if I manage to get myself in the wrong gear. It's undignified, tiring, and defeats the object of choosing a sedentary sport.

jspash

Kingstonian wrote:

Glad someone else also takes the approach that an overtake in the saddle is worth bonus points. I also like to make sure I'm also nonchalantly perusing the scenery around me while cruising past, just to rub it in.

The nonchalant sitting overtake is quite easy to fake. Hammer it like a maniac on the approach then calmly have a seat a few metres before blasting past with the appearance of little to no effort. But don't make the rookie mistake of being heard panting whilst doing so.

I might not always be faster, but the psychological impact usually keeps them tailing behind for the rest of the commute. Probably wondering when I'm going to regale the adoring crowds with another display of raw power. But oddly it never comes.

elbowloh

jspash wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

Glad someone else also takes the approach that an overtake in the saddle is worth bonus points. I also like to make sure I'm also nonchalantly perusing the scenery around me while cruising past, just to rub it in.

The nonchalant sitting overtake is quite easy to fake. Hammer it like a maniac on the approach then calmly have a seat a few metres before blasting past with the appearance of little to no effort. But don't make the rookie mistake of being heard panting whilst doing so.

I might not always be faster, but the psychological impact usually keeps them tailing behind for the rest of the commute. Probably wondering when I'm going to regale the adoring crowds with another display of raw power. But oddly it never comes.

I don't know what it is, combination of low rolling resistance and momentum (being approximately 108 kilos) i often overtake people who are pedalling when i'm free wheeling.

cruff

Kingstonian wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Riding from Pen Ponds towards Ham last night I spotted a guy ahead who was clearly going for it. I'm normally quite restrained when it comes to SCR, but I had plenty left in the legs after a pootly commute, and this guy was all over his bike like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov trying to ride a pursuit.

When I caught him he was probably doing 26mph, still out of the saddle, clearly with no idea there was anyone else around. As I cruised past on the opposite side of the road at 30mph, in the saddle (natch), he stopped pedalling, slumped back onto his saddle, and I heard the words "Jesus Christ"...

Glad someone else also takes the approach that an overtake in the saddle is worth bonus points. I also like to make sure I'm also nonchalantly perusing the scenery around me while cruising past, just to rub it in.

Bonus points for sitting up to take a drink as you pass

Extra, extra bonus points for doing it no-handed

asprilla

Cruff wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Riding from Pen Ponds towards Ham last night I spotted a guy ahead who was clearly going for it. I'm normally quite restrained when it comes to SCR, but I had plenty left in the legs after a pootly commute, and this guy was all over his bike like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov trying to ride a pursuit.

When I caught him he was probably doing 26mph, still out of the saddle, clearly with no idea there was anyone else around. As I cruised past on the opposite side of the road at 30mph, in the saddle (natch), he stopped pedalling, slumped back onto his saddle, and I heard the words "Jesus Christ"...

Glad someone else also takes the approach that an overtake in the saddle is worth bonus points. I also like to make sure I'm also nonchalantly perusing the scenery around me while cruising past, just to rub it in.

Bonus points for sitting up to take a drink as you pass

Extra, extra bonus points for doing it no-handed

More so if you are riding no-handed because the drink is a cup of tea and you need to hold the cup and the saucer.

tgotb

Cruff wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Riding from Pen Ponds towards Ham last night I spotted a guy ahead who was clearly going for it. I'm normally quite restrained when it comes to SCR, but I had plenty left in the legs after a pootly commute, and this guy was all over his bike like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov trying to ride a pursuit.

When I caught him he was probably doing 26mph, still out of the saddle, clearly with no idea there was anyone else around. As I cruised past on the opposite side of the road at 30mph, in the saddle (natch), he stopped pedalling, slumped back onto his saddle, and I heard the words "Jesus Christ"...

Glad someone else also takes the approach that an overtake in the saddle is worth bonus points. I also like to make sure I'm also nonchalantly perusing the scenery around me while cruising past, just to rub it in.

Bonus points for sitting up to take a drink as you pass

Extra, extra bonus points for doing it no-handed

I disagree. Trying too hard to look nonchalant is still trying too hard, and obviously so. Just ride past as if they weren't there and continue into the distance at the same speed.

cruff

TGOTB wrote:

Cruff wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Riding from Pen Ponds towards Ham last night I spotted a guy ahead who was clearly going for it. I'm normally quite restrained when it comes to SCR, but I had plenty left in the legs after a pootly commute, and this guy was all over his bike like Djamolidine Abdoujaparov trying to ride a pursuit.

When I caught him he was probably doing 26mph, still out of the saddle, clearly with no idea there was anyone else around. As I cruised past on the opposite side of the road at 30mph, in the saddle (natch), he stopped pedalling, slumped back onto his saddle, and I heard the words "Jesus Christ"...

Glad someone else also takes the approach that an overtake in the saddle is worth bonus points. I also like to make sure I'm also nonchalantly perusing the scenery around me while cruising past, just to rub it in.

Bonus points for sitting up to take a drink as you pass

Extra, extra bonus points for doing it no-handed

I disagree. Trying too hard to look nonchalant is still trying too hard, and obviously so. Just ride past as if they weren't there and continue into the distance at the same speed.

iPete (erstwhile poster here) had that down to a fine art. Generally when he went past me going up Broomfield like I was standing still...

On the subject of nonchalance, I was once in the middle of a bunch with some local choppers talking about bikes, and more specifically, looking good on them - when one of them sat up and pulled a banana out of his jersey pocket and started peeling it at full chat. Prick

hopkinb

I keep forgetting Sumner Street (last bit of super sex panther) is closed and having to turn round. Bl00dy idiot.

Another lovely morning for a ride, even through Tooting.

rick_chasey

A few things I've noticed since moving back to the 'bridge, in comparison to riding in London. I haven't been riding at rush hour, but I have started riding around again.

1) With absolutely no fitness I can break into the top 5 and often top 1 on the daily strava segments. The other day I cracked 4th overall for the year on a 1.3km segment - for context, I got dropped from not a very fast club ride a third in the other day because I was so rubbish.

2) With that in mind, cars anticipate a much slower speed from cyclists and so they are often very surprised when I am ontop of them when they're pulling out of junctions in front of me etc. (figuratively).

3) There is much much much more of an expectation that bicycles will and should pass on the inside; this reveals itself with the opprobrium with which they react to me passing on the right/over the dashed centre lines.

rower63

Richmond Park was quite stunningly pretty this morning when I went through around 0715. Extremely misty and sunny, the Pen Ponds were completely invisible: someone had dumped two huge clouds directly onto them! I would've taken a pic or two but I was too busy trying to dispatch people, which is obviously much more important.