Bonehead

Just wondering how everyone's getting on.

Has the s**te weather got anyone back into their car yet?

I'm still at it, but I've somehow lost my cycle computer and it's tiime to invest in some warmer cycling clothing.
Was on an early on wednesday and just got going when I realised the cold wind was shooting up my sleeves freezing my arms. Making it completely pointless the fact I'd put a warm jumper on.
Got into work and had a hot shower.

Anyway, how's the scoobynet cyclists getting on?

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

I ran or cycled all through last winter, and I'm not planning to change this year. Ran in today as normal and will pump up the bike tyres for Monday.

I got some running pants from sports soccer last winter, gloves, long sleeve hi-vis jacket and a woolie hat to go under my cycle helmet. Once you get going, even on the coldest days, you soon warm up.

The Rig

iTrader: (13)

you wanna do it on a motorbike, 95 mph in fecking down rain, its like needles on ya skin !

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

I catch the train in and cycle home does that count? 14 miles home plus the 1 and a bit to / from the stations

4 weeks now and going well.

Managed to punch a HUGE dent in the side of a car that cut me up at a roundabout right outside Pride Park today - damn fool damn near took me off the road and without having to lean over I smacked his car to warn him I was there and kind of over-compensated

His rear wing now needs some work....

Oh, and as far as rain goes... who cares - warm dry clothing sorts you out no probs!

ScoobyWon't

Well I've got back in the car. I don't mind getting wet myself (I still don't bother with a jacket), I just refuse to get such an expensive bike wet

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

£300 for mine and it's become a work horse. I've kind of realised that it has replaced the car

ScoobyWon't

The bugger I've been riding is closer to £550 and I refuse to get it wet. The car is worth over £7k but it lives outside so I don't care if it gets wet. Maybe I should rethink that...

Still, a tank of petrol lasted nearly a thousand miles due to the amount of cycling I did up until the rain began

SiPie

It's only when the roads are salted that you need to bother, **** me, i'd never be on my bike if I tried to avoid rain...!

PS Think it's time for the mods to merge all the cycling to work threads, getting a bit silly

Kieran_Burns

iTrader: (1)

Don't you dare... this is a carefully orchestrated plan to take over NSR

ScoobyWon't

If I could get the car through the front door, I'd keep that dry too I expect service costs on the bike are less than a BMW service though

SiPie

Think you'd prob be pretty surprised if you worked it out.......

I'm using the bike all year round on (salted roads, floods, whatever)...... Bike will do around 4800 work miles during which time it needs approx:

2 chains
2 cassettes
1 Set of front chainrings
1 rear derailleur (lasts a bit over a year)
Front derailleur (every 2 years)
1 rear wheel (inc hub, just as cheap to replace these days as opposed to cost of wheel rebuild)
12 pairs of brake pads (using a set every 2-3 weeks when the winter grime and dirt is around)
At least 1 set of brake and gear cables but possibly 2
1 bottom bracket
1 pair of Specialized Armadillo or Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres (every 2 years).
around 4 inner tubes

If I had the inclination to wash it and oil it EVERY night then drivetrain may last a little bit longer, but **** that in the middle of winter, you just want to dump it in the shed and it'll get a wash, oil and quick service at the weekend.

Then there's the on-going cost of:

Oil
Degreaser
Grease
Lights
**** knows how many AA batteries for the lights
Shoes (pair lasts me 2 years)
Clothing (initial outlay on good waterproofs and thermal/waterproof boots at £90 a pair ain't cheap) etc

In my situation, if I take petrol and Insurance out of the equation I doubt there is much difference considering the service intervals are a bit more widely spaced on the Legacy than when I had the impreza......

If I wasn't able to do all the bike maintenance myself and hadn't built up a collection of all the tools over the years then I reckon I'd be forking out a fair bit to keep pedalling ......

Phew...!

jjones

what make and model of groupset do you use?

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

You guy's are keen/mad. My workhorse is an 11 year old BSA that cost me £130 back then. 15-speed, no suspension and still going strong.

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

I had a guy in a ford focus decide that if he pulled out to go past the parked cars I would give up my right of way even though the only place I had left to go would have been the gutter that is full of broken glass, nails etc - not good for bike tyres . I expect he won't make that mistake again when he gets the quote for his new wing mirror

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Only done 2 days this week due to weather, hangover and laziness, I would rather keep going and do a few days a week than get p1ssed off with it and stop altogether, but I am trying to aim to use it most days from now on.

I got my bike through the cycle to work scheme, it was £670 but I get it minus 40% tax so its comparatively cheap, Ihave swapped the crappy Avid Juicy 3's for the Hope Mono Mini's off my MTB that isnt getting used, so its probably 800 quids worth now.

I find most car drivers are ok but the odd one really resents the couple of seconds me being there has cost him and tries to bully through, so I am riding more in the middle of the lane around town and trying to give no option for forcing me into the gutter, I let them past when it is safe. I have always been courteous and considerate to cyclists, even before I started, apart from those weekend warrior road bike, lycra clad ***** that ride 2 or three abreast oblivious to the tailback they are causing, you know the type no hands, swigging from their bottle and having a chat.

I think car drivers do want to avoid us, as has been mentioned, though we are vulnerable and easily hurt, not as vulnerable as their shiny bodywork, 280 lbs of cyclist, bike and luggage is best avoided if you are in a nice new car, thats why van drivers are so dangerous, they dont care, like harrassed fat middle aged women in old Escorts, they are lethal as well, too busy smoking.


I give my bike a wash when I do the car, clean the gunk off the gears and re lubricate, amazes me the bikes I see at work with either no oil or gummed up cogs.

Leslie

What a brave boy!

Les

SiPie

Just as cheap as chips for the old workhorse.....

Shimano Alivio or Nexave or whatever the lower priced ones are called. Use an XT rear mech which is definitely worth the extra for the time it lasts but anything cassette or chain wise rots as soon as it sees the salt and not worth the extra cost wise, tried in the past but doesn't seem to last any longer........

I always buy XT for my MTBs so that's the price/performance level that I think is acceptable

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

I take it you have a shower at work ??

That would be cool .. although I dont think I'm allowed to run through the Wallasey Tunnel ... and I cant run the 30 miles round trip.

coolangatta

I've got around 50,000 miles of winter (Northern Uk/Japan) riding under my belt. I can offer the following advice for anyone that's interested.

If you can keep key areas warm/dry, everything else is easy
From the top down;
Head: Obviously a helmet is essential, but in winter under helmet protection is required. A good quality helmet liner, that covers your ears, is great.
I found my snow boarding hat was good but I did have to take some of the removable pads out of the helmet so it was comfortable.
(I've only found a face mask necessary in severe North Japan weather)

Body core:A three layer system is ideal for the UK.
1) A good quality, wicking, full sleave under garment.
2) An intermediate micro fleece.
3) A very good quality outer wind/waterproof shell. (Buy the best you can afford and always make sure it's Gortex. There is no better/cheaper alternative IMO. I've tried a few to my cost )

Hands:
All but the worst weather can be tackled with fairly light gloves as long as they are waterproof. Most of my winter miles in the UK were completed in neoprene mits. (I know neoprene is not waterproof BTW).
In the worst cold/wet conditions my skiing/snowboarding gloves, including washable inners, were great. (Gortex again )

Legs:
Forget about trying to protect your legs!!!
I've tried lots of overtrousers and they're just not worth it.
Restrictive, hot and make you sweat like nothing else.
Rain, snow, hail - my legs always function just fine!

Feet:
Neoprene overshoes and, when required, nylon gaters over the neoprene.
Don't underestimate how uncomfortable/painfull cold feet are
Nothing slows you down and makes you more miserable.

Basics: keep your head, core, hands and feet warm/dry and you'll feel great even on miserable cold, wet, dark mornings/evenings.

Happy cycling

Forgot to say that full length mud guards, front and back wheel, are a must!

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

Yep, we have a shower and locker room down stairs from the office

The run is about 4.5 miles each way and the cycle journey varies between 5 and 7 miles each way depending on the route I use, but I live at top of a hill and my office is top of the next hill so it's a good route down into the valley and up out again.

You could always run to Seacombe and take the ferry, running around the boat as you go across

SiPie

agree up to a point, especially the restrictiveness, however I never see the point in trying to waterproof my feet via thermal/waterproof boots/neoprene overshoes etc and then have water ingress at the top of my boots because of water running down my legs, so I wear these on the worst days.....

Altura Night Vision Waterproof Trousers Only £49.99

also to keep me warm in the event of having to fix a puncture or something. Fine when you are on the move but if have to stop and it's blowing a gale and it's -5, the windchill soon has it's effect. Fine in the city but I'm kind of out in the sticks most of the route....

They are a bit restrictive but it's a slog in the good old scottish winter, so land speed records ain't going to be broken anyway

coolangatta

Not waterproofing your feet, that's not possible.
Trapping a layer of water and keeping out the wind is all important.

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

lol .. if I ran through Seacombe I'd get arrested.

JonMc

iTrader: (51)

Or mugged

SiPie

Yeah, know what you mean.

I wear these in the winter (which claimed for a while to be waterproof, but then they changed the claim to 'waterproof uppers') with overshoes, and it keeps me pretty dry in all but the wettest of days.......

Specialized Bg Defroster Winter Boot (£99.95)

Certainly good but not worth the £99.95 that they cost now

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

SiPie, do you ever think "Oh F*ck this, what am I doing, its -5 !"

Has anything ever fallen off ?

SiPie

More often I think, "Oh F*ck this, why am I doing a 9 - 5 !"

Nothing fallen off yet (that's what the 3rd sock is for !!!) but the chapped lips (oooh er) get tiresome in the winter, got to remeber the lip balm/vaseline stuff etc !!!

I reckon a winter of slogging home through strong -> gale force winds at barely walking pace has done more to improve my strength and stamina than trying to get home 30 secs quicker in the summer (what ever summer used to be !!)

zs_phil

iTrader: (1)

i still bike the 8 mile round trip i get home alot quicker .
i dont like the snow and ice in winter though especially when i fall off in front of bus stops full of people

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I quite fancy a proper snow fall and then using my MTB to get in whilst those in cars struggle.