I’d like to add a couple of points if I may. All about me, of course.
I am a socialist and proud of that so whoever said there weren’t any left they were wrong.
I disagree with MF about Ultegra but don’t care that he has a different opinion and have no interest in arguing about it. I also think campagnolo is lovely but have little time for sram.
I was in a club but threw a hissy fit and stormed away from it, burning bridges as I went. Now I have no friends so come here to pretend that I do.
Thank you and carry on.
You may have guessed that MF's politics may be ever so slightly left leaning, so that makes two of us. If anyone has a problem with that I am happy to fight them.
Nah - MF is right about Ultegra. Even Shimano agree with him secretly. MF has seen the emails but they aren't going to say it publicly as Ultegra is the biggest cash cow since that Pinzi dude (obvs before he got busted).
Oh yeah and apparently was going to Everest Hardknot Pass.
No wonder everyone leaves. Bye.
Oh yes, I remember that... at the time I was sceptical about it... I always thought you need a particular mindset for that challenge and MF seems the restless kind, who would give up quite early on... Last December I set out to do a half in the Cotswolds, but I lost the will to live after a third... I figured out it was going to get dark and I was bored stiff... If I had to do it again, I wouldn't rely on SPAM
MF got sidetracked by work for that jaunt but, tbh, its still on a back burner.
you are very, very correct that MF is a very restless kind - v low boredom threshold.
Not for you then, by my 1/3 of an experience, it is really a tedious thing to do... I broke it down into chunks of 3 ascents, with food breaks in between, trying to vary the food to make it more interesting (chocolate next time... etc.. ) but to no avail... you pretty quickly realise you are doing something stupid
methinks ypu are right but tbh still tempted to give it a go - whack some 'phones on and just pedal.
also thinking whether what would be quicker and therefore less boring - short 'n' steep or long 'n' grindy....
Well, I chose Saintbury because it is steep enough (>8%) but not too steep, which means you can relax on your way down... with Hardknott you will probably be on the brakes all the time and you might even need to replace the pads half way through. You might even crash eventually, but that's a different story (although possibly a hilarious one)
Oh yeah and apparently was going to Everest Hardknot Pass.
No wonder everyone leaves. Bye.
Oh yes, I remember that... at the time I was sceptical about it... I always thought you need a particular mindset for that challenge and MF seems the restless kind, who would give up quite early on... Last December I set out to do a half in the Cotswolds, but I lost the will to live after a third... I figured out it was going to get dark and I was bored stiff... If I had to do it again, I wouldn't rely on SPAM
MF got sidetracked by work for that jaunt but, tbh, its still on a back burner.
you are very, very correct that MF is a very restless kind - v low boredom threshold.
Not for you then, by my 1/3 of an experience, it is really a tedious thing to do... I broke it down into chunks of 3 ascents, with food breaks in between, trying to vary the food to make it more interesting (chocolate next time... etc.. ) but to no avail... you pretty quickly realise you are doing something stupid
methinks ypu are right but tbh still tempted to give it a go - whack some 'phones on and just pedal.
also thinking whether what would be quicker and therefore less boring - short 'n' steep or long 'n' grindy....
Well, I chose Saintbury because it is steep enough (>8%) but not too steep, which means you can relax on your way down... with Hardknott you will probably be on the brakes all the time and you might even need to replace the pads half way through. You might even crash eventually, but that's a different story (although possibly a hilarious one)
I'd never do it as I'd not stick the boredom of repetition, but yes, something that you're not on the edge going up and down (I got no pleasure out of Wrynose, up or down), but not just slogging out too many miles & wasting time working against friction and headwind. Something you can get into a bit of rhythm on and not stand up and pulverise your legs, so more than 5% and less than 10%, I'd reckon. And a very high boredom threshold.
methinks Ugo has it - 8% and a Walkman full if audio books.....
Tumble or maybe Llangynidr or Llangattock mountain. All pretty local for you aren't they? I know people who have done it on Gospel Pass too but that's the worst of all worlds for me, long and draggy for the most part then very steep plus a fairly tricky descent on single track roads.
methinks Ugo has it - 8% and a Walkman full if audio books.....
Tumble or maybe Llangynidr or Llangattock mountain. All pretty local for you aren't they? I know people who have done it on Gospel Pass too but that's the worst of all worlds for me, long and draggy for the most part then very steep plus a fairly tricky descent on single track roads.
Getting down fast and safely must be part of the plan.
Decent road surface helpful. Not too twisty so the descents will be fairly stress free with not too much braking. Ideally prevailing wind behind for the uphill. Not too much traffic. Gradient fairly steady - not so shallow that the mileage gets daft but not so steep that you can't sit and spin at all times.
On the whole the options abroad are probably far more suitable. Something like the Pordoi from Arabba would be spot on, except perhaps for the altitude.
Also thinking Italy (namely somewhere along this year's Giro stage to be held on 16th) - be better than heading down the A465 then doing domething dull then driving back up it...
Also thinking Italy (namely somewhere along this year's Giro stage to be held on 16th) - be better than heading down the A465 then doing domething dull then driving back up it...
The trouble with a lot of the more Alpine stuff is that it's not steep enough, as they are engineered to be driveable in proper winters, and the ones that are steeper tend to be narrower and twistier.
Were I to do it (I won't), I was wondering how long I'd want it to be... even if I can climb non-stop for two hours (e.g. Ventoux or Bornette), I don't think that'd be optimal. I reckon about 20 minutes would be good. Well, least worst.
Also thinking Italy (namely somewhere along this year's Giro stage to be held on 16th) - be better than heading down the A465 then doing domething dull then driving back up it...
Quite a few options in the Dolomites spring to mind. Ollie on GCN did the Valparola from San Cassiano which seemed a weird choice to me as there's a decent flat/downhill stretch on it. Coming from South Side via the Falzarego would have seemed more sensible to me.
Road surfaces in Abruzzo generally much poorer in my experience. Absolutely shocking towards the top of the Blockhaus.
One my local skeletal "alien" superkids did an Everesting attempt on Bwlch Y Groes the other weekend, which as some of you know hits a brutal stretch of ~20%, he had to quit after something like ~15 climbs...
Fatal mistake of poor gearing (mostly cassette) choice and the ~50rpm grinding caught up with him, at his weight (50-odd Kg iirc) an 11-34 would have made it a relative breeze.
Hardknott has been done by at least one person I know of. Absolutely in awe of that - every time I've been up there I've sworn never again! TBH a light hardtail MTB with some fat slick tyres would be the best tool for that, both for the ups and downs.
Been here a long time, and from a non-UK perspective, this place has changed from a fairly broad-based topics site to one that is much narrower since Brexit and Covid happened. Politics and current affairs are the subject-du-jour. Bikes? Hardly get a mention...
I genuinely feel sorry for you UK residents having gone through all that. The average tone of posts here has markedly changed in the last few years, from relatively cheerful overall to something that sounds a lot less happy. I doubt thats intentional; more like just a reflection of what life is like at the moment.
Still a worthwhile place to drop in.
WS, I think what you're trying to say politely is that there are some miserable, moany ****ers on here? I feel vindicated
The main road or the bwlch? Main road wouldn’t be too bad except for the nutters driving on it. Bwlch would be a bit hard going although you could make a loop of it I guess
JG, its us against the Tory scum intent on destroying what is left of britain for their own personal gains.
SRAM: its mega. Best bang for buck groupsets out there.
As its you we shall agree to disagree until you Make The Leap, anyone else I'll fight them.
I wasn’t a fan of the SRAM group I tried on a bike. I have used campag on a hire bike at the velodrome and quite liked it. Trouble is I’d either need to swap out my di2 Ultegra on the trek (and I can’t see myself doing that) or looking for a disc brake group for my giant. And disc brake campag is still far too expensive for me otherwise I’d be keen.
I think I have a pretty decent road nearby for Chomolungmaing, but have zero desire to spend a day riding up and down it endlessly. Plus I would lose count. I’ve swim enough lengths to know that keeping accurate records of laps is impossible.
JG, its us against the Tory scum intent on destroying what is left of britain for their own personal gains.
SRAM: its mega. Best bang for buck groupsets out there.
As its you we shall agree to disagree until you Make The Leap, anyone else I'll fight them.
I wasn’t a fan of the SRAM group I tried on a bike. I have used campag on a hire bike at the velodrome and quite liked it. Trouble is I’d either need to swap out my di2 Ultegra on the trek (and I can’t see myself doing that) or looking for a disc brake group for my giant. And disc brake campag is still far too expensive for me otherwise I’d be keen.
The main road or the bwlch? Main road wouldn’t be too bad except for the nutters driving on it. Bwlch would be a bit hard going although you could make a loop of it I guess
I was thinking the main road but to be fair the couple of times I had the "pleasure" of doing it last year were in the very early stages of lockdown and It was virtually traffic free. Take your point about the traffic during normal times.
The main road or the bwlch? Main road wouldn’t be too bad except for the nutters driving on it. Bwlch would be a bit hard going although you could make a loop of it I guess
I was thinking the main road but to be fair the couple of times I had the "pleasure" of doing it last year were in the very early stages of lockdown and It was virtually traffic free. Take your point about the traffic during normal times.
It’s not a bad shout. Llanbedr has that short section that’s nasty but otherwise the surface has always been reasonable and most of it is pretty steady. I’d be tempted to stop short of the clwyd gate - it’s a dodgy right turn out of there in a car, wouldn’t fancy it on a bike!
You should be riding a people's bike from China you commie
Well, I wouldn't go that far. I thought it was only Dentists and Lawyers that rode Treks.
Fair. I (obviously!) didn’t buy it new, of course. Second hand frame, already had the groupset. Very keen to have the isospeed things front and rear due to back/neck issues.
Plus, it looks damn cool. #excusetopostanotherpicture
You should be riding a people's bike from China you commie
Well, I wouldn't go that far. I thought it was only Dentists and Lawyers that rode Treks.
Fair. I (obviously!) didn’t buy it new, of course. Second hand frame, already had the groupset. Very keen to have the isospeed things front and rear due to back/neck issues.
Plus, it looks damn cool. #excusetopostanotherpicture
Posts
What about SRAM though?
SRAM: its mega. Best bang for buck groupsets out there.
As its you we shall agree to disagree until you Make The Leap, anyone else I'll fight them.
You want a hill you can descend in comfort.
I am not sure. You have no chance.
I'd never do it as I'd not stick the boredom of repetition, but yes, something that you're not on the edge going up and down (I got no pleasure out of Wrynose, up or down), but not just slogging out too many miles & wasting time working against friction and headwind. Something you can get into a bit of rhythm on and not stand up and pulverise your legs, so more than 5% and less than 10%, I'd reckon. And a very high boredom threshold.
Exeter Wheelers
Getting down fast and safely must be part of the plan.
Exeter Wheelers
On the whole the options abroad are probably far more suitable. Something like the Pordoi from Arabba would be spot on, except perhaps for the altitude.
Also thinking Italy (namely somewhere along this year's Giro stage to be held on 16th) - be better than heading down the A465 then doing domething dull then driving back up it...
The trouble with a lot of the more Alpine stuff is that it's not steep enough, as they are engineered to be driveable in proper winters, and the ones that are steeper tend to be narrower and twistier.
Were I to do it (I won't), I was wondering how long I'd want it to be... even if I can climb non-stop for two hours (e.g. Ventoux or Bornette), I don't think that'd be optimal. I reckon about 20 minutes would be good. Well, least worst.
Exeter Wheelers
Road surfaces in Abruzzo generally much poorer in my experience. Absolutely shocking towards the top of the Blockhaus.
Fatal mistake of poor gearing (mostly cassette) choice and the ~50rpm grinding caught up with him, at his weight (50-odd Kg iirc) an 11-34 would have made it a relative breeze.
2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo
Plus I would lose count. I’ve swim enough lengths to know that keeping accurate records of laps is impossible.
Felt Z6 2012
Red Arthur Caygill steel frame
Tall....
www.seewildlife.co.uk
You should give it a go 😉
I thought it was only Dentists and Lawyers that rode Treks.
Plus, it looks damn cool. #excusetopostanotherpicture