Cycling

[Paul]

5 hours ago, Dreyski said:

Is it worth splashing out on a raft of cleaning products? I've got some muc-off chain spray and a stiff brush, as well as some chain lube, but as these run out I'm considering investing in a chain cleaner gadget.

 

Does anyone use these, or are they hipster affectations lacking elbow grease?

I've got one in the garage.......somewhere - probably answers your question. You can do a better job with a rag. 

The secret to a clean chain is minimal lubricant and none on the outer surfaces. Start with a really clean chain. Remove it, soak in white spirit, meths or similar to remove all the crap. Make sure you get it all off. Clean the jockey wheels on the derailleur. Clean the rear cassette using a stiff brush to get all the way in.

This is the crucial bit. Once everything is clean reinstall the chain. Find the chain joining link as your start point and rotate it to the bottom. Now lubricate the inside of the chain, the upper surface when on the bottom, rotate the chain round to do the whole chain. Apply the lubricant very sparingly to each of the chain rollers so it seeps inside. Only tiny drop is needed. Don't apply to any other part of the chain. Leave to dry then wipe off all access.

The point is this, lubricants attract dirt which sticks to the chain spreading all over the chain rings, cassette etc. The point of lubricating a chain is to protect the moving parts - these are inside the  chain rollers. Oil on the outer surface does nothing but attract dirt.

To keep your now very clean chain in this condition wipe it after every ride with an old cloth to remove surface dirt and oil which has seeped out from the rollers.

In summer I take the chain off every 6 weeks or so. In winter every 3-4 weeks. All weather and route dependent.

Use an appropriate lube, usually dry lube in summer, wet in winter. I use Chain Juice Ceramic and Chain Juice Dry. A bit pricey but it's three years since I last bought a new bottle. 

[Mike E]

Just to give folk an idea of where I'm 'at':

For my first decent bike ride since I was 16, I did 5.3miles in an hour on a borrowed mountain bike, in jeans, with my massive Waitrose coat on (same as those huge Highway Maintenance coats).

It was from the bottom of Pendle Way (near Wellfield Primary School), up Pendle Way, ignore the J9 double roundabout and straight down the A671 to the big Tesco at Padiham. After coming back up the A671, I turned left onto Lakeland Way to make my way back down to the bottom.

Thought I'd best do a route with a good solid uphill climb to test myself straight away.

[old darwen blue]

Well done pal, got to start somewhere 

[Audax]

Quote

Cycling keeps your immune system young, study finds

The sport also preserves muscle and helps maintains stable levels of body fat and cholesterol

Staff and agencies

Thu 8 Mar 2018 11.01 EST
Last modified on Fri 9 Mar 2018 09.37 EST

Cycling can hold back the effects of ageing and rejuvenate the immune system, a study has found.

Scientists carried out tests on 125 amateur cyclists aged 55 to 79 and compared them with healthy adults from a wide age group who did not exercise regularly.

The findings, outlined in two papers in the journal Aging Cell, showed that the cyclists preserved muscle mass and strength with age while maintaining stable levels of body fat and cholesterol. In men, testosterone levels remained high.

Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/08/cycling-keeps-your-immune-system-young-study-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

How exercise in old age prevents the immune system from declining

Fergus Walsh Medical correspondent @BBCFergusWalsh on Twitter

    8 March 2018
 
(see picture at link)
Image caption Professor Norman Lazarus, aged 82, has the immune system of a 20 year old

Doing lots of exercise in older age can prevent the immune system from declining and protect people against infections, scientists say.

They followed 125 long-distance cyclists, some now in their 80s, and found they had the immune systems of 20-year-olds.

Prof Norman Lazarus, 82, of King's College London, who took part in and co-authored the research, said: "If exercise was a pill, everyone would be taking it.

Read more at: http://www.bbc.com/news/health-43308729

 

There's been a buzz about this study carried out. I'm still studying it. What's interesting, is it may not just be any cardiovascular exercise that does the trick but uniquely in these studies, cycling.

Edited March 9, 2018 by Audax

[JC4LAB]

Any newbies or "i'm back on the bike after years  "cyclists  like  Mike E may be interested  in the new WEAVER S WHEEL route coming  soon to  Blackburn..It copies Prestons Guild wheel  idea of a safe cyclepath  which gives you a lap of the town..I think the Blackburn one its about 13miles or so..

https://www.bwdconnect.org.uk/travel-choices/cycling/weavers-wheel/

Im doing a run of it to see how much has been built so far..

Try the Guild Wheel Preston too for a  similar ride.but its 20 miles + to do all of it...

 

Edited April 5, 2018 by JC4LAB
add more info

[only2garners]

The Guild Wheel is exactly 21 miles (+ however many miles for you to get to and from it!). There are mileposts all along it.

Although I haven’t been right round it for a while I use it all the time to go out to the west and occasionally to the east. I was on it today for a ride to Lytham and back.

[JC4LAB]

Done Guild wheel many times;mostly on  group rides .which I go on each week...those miles posts are the dangerous part..one of our group rode into one chatting..wrist break/ambulance job.

.There will be guided rides of Blackburns own Weavers wheel on Sunday in 22April and 27May & 24 June from Witton park Pavillion..10.00am .They hire out a few bikes too..

[JC4LAB]

Having completed Blackburns Weavers wheel would warn that it bears little resemblance to the Guild wheel and is much more difficult.and hilly although 8 miles shorter.but it is however just as enjoyable.

It is not a ride for anyone espec with anyone with roaming kids or no road riding experience.

70% is off road through woodland  or on safe cyclelanes but there are many sections on it where your must  ride alongside very very  busy traffic. and cross busy junctions

The route clockwise takes you  from Pleasington to Billinge up past the Clog &Billy or vice versa anticlockwise(a much easier Option).Oxygen needed  if you attempt the  ride uphill from Pleasington ..Vice versa you get the slog up Blackamoor Road past Walkersteel later ..

It is for a very enjoyable route but not one for absolute beginners..Best bits are1.Intack to Shad on the wooded cycle path I never knew existed 2.;The wooded path  follows the ;River Darwen behind Ewood park;3.The canel path:to cherry tree 4.The views From Pleasington the Billingeif you manage the hill;:the ride through the very posh Beardwood area 

Until the Blackamoor road  has  a proper cycle lane to protect you don't take young kids on that part

 

Edited May 28, 2018 by JC4LAB
warning added

[Jimbo]

Is there a Strava route or a Ride with GPS one showing the Weavers wheel ? I might bring my bike up next time to give it a go - Bad form - I actully had a look and found it

 

Weavers Wheel Link

 

 

Edited April 30, 2018 by Jimbo
lazyness

[JC4LAB]

Yep thats. it..there are plenty of  signs and direction arrows along the way but a few missing ones that leave you guessiing at times..best down load the route if needs be...than rely on totally on the signs

The guided ride every  month end from Witton is a watered down Pleasington avoiding  version of it

.Cos of the climb up Long Road  from Pleasington,do it  clockwise only if superfit;Anticlockwise for mere mortals..

[only2garners]

So it's been quite a year for UK cycling with all 3 Grand Tours being won by British riders. And British riders have now won the last 5 in a row. I think Simon Yates' win in the Vuelta is the most impressive, one for him being only 26, which is very young for a Grand Tour winner and coming from a team which is not Sky. Sky are by some way the team with the biggest budget in world cycling and have been hoovering up a lot of young talent for several years now. But they let the Yates brothers get away and they have found great success with the Aussie team (now Mitchelton Scott). And technically Simon is the first rider born in England to win a Grand Tour.

I've had a good year cycling too. I did a bit in New Zealand and Australia earlier in the year and then on a week in Mallorca in May. In between I've been regularly on the roads in Lancashire and I feel my frm is stringer now than it's ever been (at least since I was in my 20s). We are off to Greece for a week soon to a hotel with a road biking centre so hopefully I should get some more good rides in there as well.

[DeeCee]

Usually start getting my dogs fit in July and by now have done a few hundred miles on the MTB on the bridleway next to my house, unfortunately through injury (dog, not me) I'm only just starting to play catch up.

[only2garners]

Despite all the challenges of running the world’s biggest bike race during a pandemic this year’s Tour de France has been excellent. A pretty open race which several riders could have won and which looked to have been sewn up by Primoz Roglic until yesterday’s time trial. Then the seemingly impossible happened and young Tadej Pojocar pulled a superb performance at the same time as Roglic had a bad day. Bury’s Adam Yates unexpectedly had several days in yellow and Preston’s Hugh Carthy had an excellent ride as a climbing domestique for Rigoberto Uran and Education First.

We still have both the Giro and the Vuelta to come in the next few weeks with Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome respectively in with a good shout of victory.

[only2garners]

An extraordinary cycling day today. Geraint Thomas's chances of winning the Giro disappeared on day 2 three weeks ago when he crashed but that just unexpectedly led to anther Brit, Tao Geogheghan Hart taking his chance to move from domestique to team leader and to win a final time trial from the Australian Jai Hindley. I remember several years ago Tao flashing past me on the Col d'Orient in Mallorca.

And then the same thing is happening in the Vuelta. Danny Martinez, the Education First tema leader is out of the race already and Hugh Carthy from Preston finds himself leading the team and today moving into second place behind Richard Carapaz. I can't really believe that history is going to repeat itself here as there are still two weeks to go but you never know.

[Jimbo]

It was awsome -  and all because of a dodgy bidon on stage 2 curtailing Geraint Thomas's Giro. I'd like to say he breezed passed me on any of the Cols in Mallorca, but in my experience, everyone on the road breezes past me and I wouldn't have seen him as I stared at my stem waiting for the pain to be over. Sa Calobra neary killed me, as did Puig Major, Col de Soller even Formenter. Mallorca isn't a load of fun when you're a fat old knacker.

[only2garners]

Same with me Jimbo - there are very few people I can pass going uphill. My weight advantage on the downhill means I do pass a few there though!

I like to refer myself as an OFBIL rather than a MAMIL - Fat Old Bloke in Lycra. But I've done all those climbs in Mallorca, some of them several times. I found the Puig Major bloody hard work, more for the length at 15km. Sa Calobra I enjoy despite the pain as it's such a beautiful road and it's fabulous to ride down. The hardest climb I do there (and we go usually at least once a year, except this year), is the back road from Llucmajor up the Puig de Randa - seriously steep. But there's plenty of flatter roads in Mallorca if you stay over to the east.

[only2garners]

On 25/10/2020 at 23:09, only2garners said:

Danny Martinez, the Education First tema leader is out of the race already and Hugh Carthy from Preston finds himself leading the team and today moving into second place behind Richard Carapaz. I can't really believe that history is going to repeat itself here as there are still two weeks to go but you never know.

I still don’t think that Hugh Carthy can replicate what Tao Geoghegan Hart did in the Giro, but he’s having a damn good go. What a ride up the Angliru yesterday, just riding away from the likes of Carapaz and Roglic on ridiculously steep roads.

[only2garners]

What a day for British sport yesterday and nothing to do with the football.

This year’s Tour de France has had an eventful first 4 days with lots of crashes, one caused by a stupid “spectator” but most of the others rider error caused by the pressure of needing to at the front of the peloton. G has got his customary crash out of the way early but maybe he won’t be fit enough now to be competitive. I think I would struggle with a three week bike ride after dislocating my shoulder even if I had someone to push it back into place straightaway.

Then yesterday the seemingly impossible happened. A week ago Mark Cavendish wasn’t planning to ride with his team and no one believed he could now add to his 30 tour stage wins. Then Sam Bennett got injured and a place in the team opened up. Then he won his 31st stage yesterday and cue buckets of tears. I think even Christian Prudhomme was struggling to hold them back. Cavendish himself could hardly speak on the podium.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

On 30/06/2021 at 14:58, only2garners said:

What a day for British sport yesterday and nothing to do with the football.

This year’s Tour de France has had an eventful first 4 days with lots of crashes, one caused by a stupid “spectator” but most of the others rider error caused by the pressure of needing to at the front of the peloton. G has got his customary crash out of the way early but maybe he won’t be fit enough now to be competitive. I think I would struggle with a three week bike ride after dislocating my shoulder even if I had someone to push it back into place straightaway.

Then yesterday the seemingly impossible happened. A week ago Mark Cavendish wasn’t planning to ride with his team and no one believed he could now add to his 30 tour stage wins. Then Sam Bennett got injured and a place in the team opened up. Then he won his 31st stage yesterday and cue buckets of tears. I think even Christian Prudhomme was struggling to hold them back. Cavendish himself could hardly speak on the podium.

No. 32 today. One of the greatest comebacks in sporting history. He has been out of it for so long. He’s 36 and performing like he was in 2010. This just doesn’t happen in elite sport.
 

I thought the days of watching Cav winning sprints were way in the past. I’m loving every minute. Doubt he’ll make it to Paris but it doesn’t matter. His legacy is made.

[only2garners]

14 minutes ago, magicalmortensleftpeg said:

No. 32 today. One of the greatest comebacks in sporting history. He has been out of it for so long. He’s 36 and performing like he was in 2010. This just doesn’t happen in elite sport.
 

I thought the days of watching Cav winning sprints were way in the past. I’m loving every minute. Doubt he’ll make it to Paris but it doesn’t matter. His legacy is made.

Bugger - just got the notification this had been posted before I had a chance to watch the 7pm highlights programme!

[Wheelton Blue]

This year's Tour starts on Saturday.

I for one can't wait. It's great sport.

[wilsdenrover]

Text book Cav 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

On 25/06/2024 at 13:43, Wheelton Blue said:

This year's Tour starts on Saturday.

I for one can't wait. It's great sport.

I know absolutely nothing about cycling, I never had a bike when I was a kid. Why is it I find watching the Tour De France fascinating ? All the tactics and finer points go right over my head, I just like watching it as a spectacle.

Edited July 9 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[wilsdenrover]

What a great stage, can’t pick a winner at the moment.

[ABBEY]

backed vin me .