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Cyclists Amongst Us


Devcon1
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Picking up a little theme from the good news thread there seems to be one or two cyclists lurking.

Interested to hear what sort of bikes/riding some of us do.

To kick off I'll show my cards.

Calibre Triple B full suspension 27.5" wheels. Downhill, bike parks and rougher XC

Cube Reaction C62 Carbon 29" wheels. General XC most off-road stuff.

Specialized Sirrus X Comp Carbon 700 wheels. Tarmac fitness riding and long distance rides.

Specialized (very old) Hotrock 26" wheels with Hope hubs and brakes. Pub visits.

Enjoy riding as much as I do flying.

Edited By Devcon1 on 11/07/2019 08:24:40

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Black and white Emotion electric bike, comfortable, battery lasts forever.

Beloved has a Furo systems all carbon frame/tubes job. Also comfortable, battery lasts forever. Her bike weighs 12 kilos, road weight. She loves it as she can't handle the weight of a conventional metal framed bike.

I like electric bikes, gets you out, provides as much exercise as you feel like doing. The only thing I find, being quite able to sustain 15 mph up hill and down dale on one, you have to start switching on the motorbike brain, on country roads and tracks.

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Riding is great. Kids are usually more than happy to come along too, so that's always good.

Our shed is too full. All have been home build projects. Including the wheels.

Surly Long Haul Trucker, 105 road bike kit, bar end shifters, cantilever brakes, racks & mudguards, brooks saddle. Favourite ride.

Aluminium Carrera hardtail, XT kit, Light, quick, but a bit fidgety on the steering.

Iron Horse Ojiki. Little used these days, I'm getting too old and have too little time for downhill riding.

Several tagalongs for the kids. My wife has six bikes - hardtail / full suspension mountain bikes, a shopper, and three roadies one of which is a Dedaccia carbon frame with carbon deep rims and is race day only.

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20 odd years ago I was very much into Mountain Biking (proper technical stuff, big climbs and hairy descents) so I built my own bike.

Kinesis taperlite frame. the Tube wall thicknesses are waisted. Very light. No butt joints

Spin CF wheels

Kore Stem

Richie lite fittings

Titanium and Kevlar saddle

Shimano XT groupset

Mazzocchi Titanium Forks

Weighed 22lbs - which was very light. It cost me about £1500 to build over 2 years

Although my health wont let me indulge in the lunacy I used to get up to in my early 40's, the bike is still a total pleasure to ride and still get admiring looks from those in the know.

 

Edited By Martyn K on 11/07/2019 15:59:51

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I took the plunge last year and bought a Cube Acid Hybrid e-bike. I've had a few comments when passing the Lycra brigade on a hill of "Cheat!" but my response is that as I'm not in a competition how can I be cheating!

Seriously, you can choose to exert yourself as much or as little as you like with an e-bike. 95% of the time I'm well over the 15.5 mph point where assistance tails off. It's the hills where I really appreciate it. As an old fogey of 64 I think I deserve a bit of help!

Tim.

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Some time past, Beloved had her first E bike, a folding small wheel bike.

The car needed a service, about 5 miles from the house, so I dumped the bike in the car, delivered the car, and rode home. Ancient car, don't change cars very often.

Return jouney is across a series of valleys. Serious slopes.

Lecci bikes were rarer in those days. The look of horror, as this (slightly ) overweight middle aged bloke on a folding bike goes uphill past this Lycra clad God is embedded in memory.

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Posted by Percy Verance on 11/07/2019 15:12:43:

I'm seriously considering a e bike for inter-village commuting. It's just that 2k+ I need to get my head around.......

Depends how much you want to spend. You can spend less. But that is that is the price of a mid range E bike. A car is? Yesterday, I rode home in perfect comfort, 4 miles, 30° plus temperature. And they eat hills, like there is no slope in front of you.

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I don't see mention of Claud Butler bikes here? Yes, have one though my longest tour, the 3,500 km tour up the west coast of USA was on a locally made bike. So a Claud Butler and an Avanti for day-to-day riding as the Claud Butler is kept at our holiday home.

Partner? Yes, she has two bikes too.

Straight bars on the Avanti, drop bars on the Claud Butler with bar-end shifters.

Now do you want the story of our cycling across Singapore looking for a railway station which led to sailing across the East China Sea to Japan because we were on our way to Scotland? No? OK.

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Posted by Don Fry on 11/07/2019 19:45:07:
Posted by Percy Verance on 11/07/2019 15:12:43:

I'm seriously considering a e bike for inter-village commuting. It's just that 2k+ I need to get my head around.......

Depends how much you want to spend. You can spend less. But that is that is the price of a mid range E bike. A car is? Yesterday, I rode home in perfect comfort, 4 miles, 30° plus temperature. And they eat hills, like there is no slope in front of you.

My wife's does not drive and has a Giant e-bike (cost £1800), she uses it almost every day and gets about 30 miles from a single charge. I think its worth ever penny as I don't have to taxi her about! smiley,

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Posted by Devcon1 on 12/07/2019 07:25:18:

I would say yes, Alex.

You mean the Sailing to Scotland story? No, well maybe not first.

I'm lazy, I like to sit down. In my mid forties, after Xmas (summer here) I'd go and do a triathlon - bike 400+km (loaded touring), spend a week or so sea kayaking and walk to the supermarket - that's 3 "events". OK, walking is standing up but can't get it all right. Then I'd take a short cut home, only about 390 km but over mountains. A gentle Sunday ride would be up to 100 km.

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Been a keen cyclist since the mid-1970s when we bought a couple of bikes with 'gas-pipe' frames from Mercian's shop to get fit for our main activity of dinghy racing (those hour+ long races out at sea can take it out of you!).

An early cycle tour in Normandy when we turned right out of Cherbourg (it was easier )and did an anti-clockwise ride eventually lead to cycle camping trips in Europe often in the Pyrenees or Alps. Still the best holidays we ever had although our CTC tour of Nepal is close. We've toured lots in Europe plus New Zealand and the USA.

We've had several tandems and edited the national magazine for a few years. Lots of bicycles in the garage - a few Mercians that haven't been ridden for a while and an immaculate 1949 frame with pencil stays and Nervex lugs that I keep meaning to build up again. It was basis of my racing bike when I rode club time trials with little success (PB a long 24 for 10 miles and a 1hr 5 minutes for 25) but I also used for Audax rides up to 400km (19 hours)

Sadly an accident with a cat in August 1990 put a stop to serious cycling because, although I recovered from the total paralysis I suffered for several days I never regained my former agility or muscle control. At least I continued riding and still do.

I can no longer lift my right leg over the saddle to get on so the lovely Kinesis Racelight I built up 7 or 8 years ago is no longer ridden (I dared to build 32 spoke wheels for it and they survived so far without a broken spoke). I've replaced it with a Trek hybrid with a dropped top tube that's easy to mount.

I've converted both my bike and my wife's Marin to electric assist so I can still ride my favourite circuits which a very hilly (we also live at the top of a biggish hill so we can get home OK!). I still pedal very hard so 50/60 mile rides are OK with still half the energy still in the 36v 11AH Lion battery which is carried in a special rear pannier frame. The motor is in the front wheel. It works very well. I'm just grateful thayt within a few months of my 80th birthday we can still get out a bit.

Geoff

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Geoff, nice to see a real cyclist here. I thought it was just getting into a discussion on electric bikes...

I must have ridden thousands of miles racing and training, but I only kept proper records during my vet racing years. So I know I rode about 100 000 km between 1979 and 1983.
I used to build my own wheels as well, and sometimes for others.

Lots of aeromodellers (as opposed to "model flyers" have been cyclists. The late Laurie Sparey, who did all the early "Aeromodeller" magazine engine tests (1948 to the early fifties) was also a keen cyclist and rode in RTTC time trials.

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Bodmin town spent a million pounds on making the through road a “shared space, low speed ” .....what ever that is. Similar to the scheme at Poynton.

Pedestrians, drivers and cyclists are now all utterly confused. My wife used to cycle to work, now she refuses. Walking is much safer. There are pretty round patterns at junctions leaving everyone bewildered.

If you want to bring your cycle to Bodmin....best do it on a car carrier. You have more chance of staying alive.

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Impressive riders here and skills building wheels, bikes and saddle sores.....not to mention impressive bikes!

Mainly have bike for triathlon but its been a while now so enjoy the cycle to work this year....pick the dry days!

Have a Planet X Titanium Pro road with Sram force....just have it 2 years and did 1 200km event...it was great, I was not so great!

Have Dolan Carbon 2000 bought from mate in 2005 for 1st half iron distance. Great bike. Semi retired it after stem broke resulting in brown shorts and squeeky bum. Did me 1st ironman on it, Mizen to Malin cycle and me longest spin of 240km, it owes me nothing, Shimano ultegra and dura ace mix.....2000 vintage!!

Dolan TT bike from 2009, a few ironman races and the odd spin to work on a dry day. Got Planet X deep section rims to make it look fast....its actually a very comfy bike. Pity I cannot do it justice!

Trek 6700 mountain bike, just for anywhere i can't take road bike and also for camping.....I am no good off road!!

Feeling guilty now for not cycling today!

Inspirational reading here lads, can only hope to emulate your feats and longevity on 2 wheels.

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