final weekend

VamP

Well chaps the season is nearly upon us, the final weekend before life as we know it becomes the all too familiar circuit of training, travelling, racing, cleaning and fixing.

Hopefully you are all totally organised, and not surrounded by frames, wheels, tubs and bearings in a chaotic heap slowly taking over yet another room of the house. Like me. Or trying to remember where you left the jet wash. Like me.

Best of luck to you all, and see you out there!

Always get a bit excited this time of year

trek_dan

Well prepared this year. One set of tubs to glue, and another to inspect and reglue if needed. Missing first weekend of the seasons as on holiday with the Mrs. Have been well prepared this year and main bike was all built during the summer and has been great for the summer CX series.
Good luck to you too VamP!

tgotb

Not as such... Two sets of wheels to build, 7 tyres to glue (two of which I need to order first). Until just over a week ago I'd done almost no exercise for several months. Much like last season, really. If that's anything to go by, I should be up to speed by about December...

VamP

Well, that might seem like a lot of tyres, but...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/news-sh ... ic-status/

In other news, I have seriously added to my season's complications and overheads by signing up to our team sprint squad, which is going to take up two evenings a week and essential funds :O

mikpem

I'm getting so excited! I rode my CX bike to work today to make sure it's all running fine.
I'm trying out a Rotor Qring on my 1x gearing which I fitted yesterday so went up and down through the gears and all seems fine, doesn't feel too wierd.
No race for me next week, our league starts on the 10th this year but if there were a race I'd have had to miss it anyway as I get married on the 3rd. Still things to sort for the wedding but at least the bike is ready.
My son is going to be entering a few races in the under 10's this year too, he did a couple last year on his balance bike but has been working on his pedals since May and racing cycle speedway since June so I'm looking forward to helping him out. It's a long old day though with his race at 10am and mine at 2.30pm so I've fitted a hammock in the van.

VamP

That's really cool.

In my experience, brides don't get too upset if the official photographer doesn't show, or the cake is delivered to the in-laws house AS LONG AS there is the prospect of a good interval session after the ceremony.

cyclingsheep

Sadly well behind on the organisation front, have to order and then glue my first ever set of tubs (figure I've got time though as my limuses, or should that be limi, worked fine till it got really muddy), have been riding the CX bike but think headset bearings need replacing but wondering whether to wait until after the 3Peaks and have only been getting some decent riding in over the last three weeks. Still as TGOTB says that's pretty much the same as last year....Bring it on I say.

VamP

My final weekend was pretty successful. Now have two complete bikes, each with two wheels!!!

Mud wheelsets are still a work in progress, but they have time.

First race of the season tonight!

rozzer32

Luckily first race of my season isn't till the end of the month so still got a bit of time.

Currently got 4 wheels in bits waiting for new bearings to arrive. Got one new set of wheels waiting to be glued but still need to order the tyres first.

Then got my new Boone frame still sat in the box. Hoping it will be built in time but moving house in a week or two and according to her indoors that takes priority.

mikpem

Good luck tonight VamP.

I took mine for a ride around Thetford on Saturday and the fork was all over the place, looks like the headset is shot and I have very little time to sort it so I've dropped it off with the bicycle doctor to be picked up on wednesday.

Cross takes priority Rozzer, it doesn't last long We move house at the end of the month, after arranging it I realised I'm supposed to be racing both Sat and Sun that weekend, so I brought it forward and took the Friday off to move, I'm not missing Hadleigh!

andyp

I'm all set bar one minor omission, a bike.

Will be racing singlespeed this weekend as it's all I've got.

VamP

andyp wrote:

I'm all set bar one minor omission, a bike.

Will be racing singlespeed this weekend as it's all I've got.

Is that Stanmer Park Andy? I can think of better venues for ss to be honest :shock:

tgotb

VamP wrote:

andyp wrote:

I'm all set bar one minor omission, a bike.

Will be racing singlespeed this weekend as it's all I've got.

Is that Stanmer Park Andy? I can think of better venues for ss to be honest :shock:

If it's any consolation, I'm doing Tour of the Cornfields tomorrow (which I'm assuming is going to be very flat indeed) on my 3 Peaks bike, with a single 34t chainring and a rear sprocket that goes all the way up to 36.

We should probably swap bikes...

devhads

TGOTB wrote:

VamP wrote:

andyp wrote:

I'm all set bar one minor omission, a bike.

Will be racing singlespeed this weekend as it's all I've got.

Is that Stanmer Park Andy? I can think of better venues for ss to be honest :shock:

If it's any consolation, I'm doing Tour of the Cornfields tomorrow (which I'm assuming is going to be very flat indeed) on my 3 Peaks bike, with a single 34t chainring and a rear sprocket that goes all the way up to 36.

We should probably swap bikes...

Yes, Tour of Cornfields is mainly flat. For some unfathomable reason they've taken out the only decent climb of Cracknow Hill. They've just bypassed it on the road. I may just climb it anyway as it's got a sketchy, gravelly descent on the other side, perfect for PYG lane training.

See you there tomorrow. I'll be testing out 3PCX set up too.

tgotb

That was fun, albeit not entirely pain-free. Turns out the biggest bruise is the one in the small of my back; apparently you can almost see the shape of the mini pump that caused it...

andyp

VamP wrote:

andyp wrote:

I'm all set bar one minor omission, a bike.

Will be racing singlespeed this weekend as it's all I've got.

Is that Stanmer Park Andy? I can think of better venues for ss to be honest :shock:

It was. Got the gearing about right, in that I was only slightly over geared on the climb, but anyone I could stay with on the climb and through the woods could pull away from me on the flatter section through the field, never to be seen again.

Oh well, hopefully I'll have a geared bike for my next race.

mikpem

Well the trip to the bike doctor didn't go very well! The headset is fine, the problem I have is that the steerer is moving in the fork crown!
Not really much I can do about it other than take the risk of gluing it into place and hoping for the best but I'm not sure I'd be happy with relying on that in a cross race.
So the bike has been stripped, my commuter (Genesis Vapour so at least raceable) has had the racks, lights, cages etc removed, a couple of the lighter bits from the race bike and some new brake pads fitted. I'm not sure how the race this weekend is going to go but I've found a new love for this old bike which I've trundled back and forward to work for 3 years.
On a more positive note this meant that I've had to work out a new bike, with cantis because I've had a go on discs (Boardman CX Team and Bianchi Zurigo) and didn't really like it.
Lucky for me I've always liked the Colnago World Cup but it's been the wrong time or they have been too expensive. Chain Reaction have a few 2016 ones with cantis in the sale (probably because no one wants them) so along with my BC discount next week I should be taking delivery of one of those for just £810!

PuttyKnees

I guess this is the 'how did your race go thread for 2016'? Notts and Derby league decided to have a monsoon, created a layer of mud which mixed with the grass to make a kind of wattle and daub which promptly destroyed mine and what seemed most of the field's rear mechs! I had decided to one bike it so 10 minutes of racing and that was it. Which was a shame because it felt good to be racing again!