Search found 22 matches

by IanSmitton
21 Feb 2014, 4:47pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Brooks saddle on a road bike
Replies: 15
Views: 6923

Re: Brooks saddle on a road bike

I used to ride a Brooks Swift on one of my road bikes. I had about 8cm saddle to handlebar drop and I think that was about the limit of comfort for me (anything more and the nose of the saddle became uncomfortable). It was fairly comfortable out of the box and then got better as it was broken in.. it took around five rides and a lot of messing about to get it set up with the exact angle and set back to be comfortable though.

Overall, I'd highly recommend it, especially if you can't get comfortable on a plastic saddle. The only reason I changed was that I had a leg length discrepancy fixed and after that all saddles became comfortable, so I chose to save the weight.
by IanSmitton
16 Feb 2014, 1:44pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: murcia granada córdoba murcia
Replies: 3
Views: 33766

Re: murcia granada córdoba murcia

I run tours in this region and would recommend a ciruclar route via Almeria, but, whichever way you choose, there will be a lot of climbing.

My recommendation would be to head south from Murcia through the Sierra Espuña Park towards Lorca, then work you way to the east coast (Aguilas). From there you can follow the coast right through the Cabo de Gata Park to Almeria.

From Almeria, it is best to leave the coast, as the whole of the south coast is full of resort towns and the roads are always busy. There are several routes in between the coast and the Sierra Nevada which are mountainous but mostly gently gradients - these are quiet and have nice scenery, and you can go almost all the way to Granada on these (plus Pico Veleta if you wish). Granada is pretty awkward to get in on a bike unless you know where you're going, as a lot of the roads are very busy and fast moving - it's worth studying the map very closely beforehand, so you have a safe route in mind (Cordoba and Murcia are much easier and safer).

From Granada to Cordoba it's fairly easy to find minor roads (through towns like Alcala la Real, Luque...) From Cordoba you can go pretty much due east on minor roads to return to Murcia. Just get a decent map and avoid any roads beginning with A or N and you can't go wrong. It's mostly undulating rather than mountains here, although there are some bigger climbs in the Cazorla Natural Park. Nice towns to visit are Jaen and Ubeda.

One other thing - which could be important depending on the time of year that you go - there are areas throughout Andalucia (particularly in the east) where you can go for several hours without being able to refill water bottles or stock up on food, so you might want to consciously plan a route that passes through villages quite regularly.
by IanSmitton
9 Dec 2013, 10:18pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Classical Cycle Tours
Replies: 6
Views: 22126

Re: Classical Cycle Tours

I live in the Valencia region and have never heard of them before. There are loads of bike rental places along that coast though, so if you were to book with them and it didn't go through you could easily pick one up when you get there (assuming you don't have to pay anything in advance, which would be unusual).

By the way, it and apologies if it was just a typo on your part, but Calpe and Aldea are on the Costa Blanca - the Costa Brava is to the north of Barcelona.
by IanSmitton
22 Jan 2013, 6:55pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Shimano Front Changers FD-M191and FD-TX51
Replies: 2
Views: 1280

Re: Shimano Front Changers FD-M191and FD-TX51

I'm not really an expert on these kind of parts, but I'm pretty sure there is very little difference. Both are entry level, and I think the TX51 is for 6/7 speed, while the M191 is for 7/8 speed. I think M191 is for a 48-38-28 chainset, while TX51 can be for either that or 42-32-22. The only other difference might be related to the angle of the seat tube and chainstay; however, on most bike designs both should be fine.
by IanSmitton
21 Jan 2013, 5:12pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Hazard in Tenerife
Replies: 7
Views: 903

Re: Hazard in Tenerife

It's amazing in such a cycling friendly place, that no-one thought to question the design.

I hope your friends fully recover.
by IanSmitton
14 Jan 2013, 7:13pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Way of St. James
Replies: 17
Views: 1873

Re: Way of St. James

Just to confirm what everyone else has pretty much said.. I have cycled the three main routes of the Camino, including the Camino Frances several times, and have never seen a single pack of wild dogs. It passes through a lot of farmland, so there are dogs around, but they are certainly not wild and are probably very accustomed to cyclists by now!

I can't think what it might be referring to; there are wolves in Galicia and Leon (as well as the Pyrenees) but the chances of seeing them while cycling the Camino are very, very small. The chance of them chasing you is non existant.

I was once chased by a pack of dogs while cycling through Slovakia and it was pretty scary, but have never come across something similar in Spain (I guess there must be some packs around, but I've never heard cyclists discussing it as an issue).
by IanSmitton
7 Dec 2012, 3:20pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Exercise
Replies: 11
Views: 1509

Re: Exercise

I do a lot of compund weights throughout the year (squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull ups, rows etc..). I do them with heavy weights and low repititions to build strength rather than size, and I think they definitely help my cycling. They seem to improve the core strength a lot as well as the legs and upper body, which means I can maintain a good cycling posture for long periods.

Also, as has been mentioned above, I think it is good to supplement cycling (which will generally waste away muscle in the upper body) with something for overall fitness. The slight extra bulk probably costs me a bit on some hills, but I rarely race now so it's not an issue.
by IanSmitton
4 Dec 2012, 3:16pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: touring in Spain
Replies: 8
Views: 2001

Re: touring in Spain

Hi David,

I think the route depends on the time of year; if you go in winter, it is better to head directly south on to the Meseta, because some of the roads (and there aren't many!) in the Basque Country are closed for much of winter. Personally, I would recommend something like the following route:

If you're not going in winter, start by going along the coast to San Sebastian, before dropping through the Urbasa Park and on to Pamplona. It's pretty hilly, but nothing too daunting, and the scenery is superb (the food is the best in Spain around here as well). From there you could head towards Huesca (if you like mountains) or Zaragoza if you prefer something a bit flatter. Then from there, I would head south towards Teruel; this section is not the most interesting, and if you are not bothered about saying you have cycled the whole length, you could spend a bit extra in the north and catch the train to Teruel.

From Teruel you can take the via verdes almost all of the way into Valencia, which makes a nice change. Although there are also a couple of natural parks (Calderona and Espada) which are worth detouring through. From Valencia you could head inland towards Bunol, cutting through the Caza Muela de Cortes park, and continue south to Murcia (although it is also nice to drop in at the Costa Blanca around Javea/Alicante if you have time).

The other option is to go through Castilla La Mancha (Don Quijote country) - e.g. Cuenca, Albacete. This is classic rural Spain and is nice for cycling, but without the sights that the other route offers. Regarding accommodation; Basque Country is expensive (though you can find hostels and casa rurales that are fairly cheap); Aragon and Comunidad Valenciana are very easy to find a wide range of accommodation - most of it cheap. Unless you visit during the festivals (San Fermin / Fallas etc.) or to San Sebastian in August, you won't have to book in advance anywhere along the route.

Regarding 'must avoids', I would say Madrid. It is a fantastic city, but is not cycling friendly and it sprawls quite a long way, so it is not easy to enter or leave. Better to leave it as a city break than something for a cycling holiday.
by IanSmitton
30 Nov 2012, 10:55pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Bilbao to Gibraltar
Replies: 16
Views: 3023

Re: Bilbao to Gibraltar

sedda,

If you don't like flying, you could always get a return ferry to Santader/Bilbao and hire a car from wherever you finish (e.g. Gibraltar). It's not such a long drive, because the roads are quick in Spain, and most car rental companies do one way drop off cheaply. Getting long distance trains in Spain is terrible if you have bikes, it would end up being more expensive and much more hassle than hiring a car.
by IanSmitton
20 Sep 2012, 7:41pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Athens to Cadiz, Spain (Eurovelo 8)
Replies: 10
Views: 10702

Re: Athens to Cadiz, Spain (Eurovelo 8)

Hi Andrew,

Sorry for the late reply. Not sure where I will be yet in August because I have to travel around a bit, but if I'm in Valencia I'd be happy to join you for a section, show you a few intersting places.

A couple of other things; though you may well know these already. Spain is obviously very hot in summer, especially if you are away from the breeze on the coast, but you generally don't have to carry loads of water with you, because almost every town or village has several drinking water fountains (just head to either the main square or a park / childrens playground). Also, if you don't take them already, I would strongly recommend taking some kind of electrolytes in the heat. You can make your own really cheaply if you get some salt, potassium salt and magnesium tablets (best to get a recipe from the internet for the proportions), but these will help you maintain strength throughout the day, and also will aid recovery massively from one day to the next. When I go, for example, for a 100k ride around Valencia in august I take on about four litres of water, which leaves you really weak and dizzy if you dont replace the minerals as well.
by IanSmitton
16 Sep 2012, 4:25pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Athens to Cadiz, Spain (Eurovelo 8)
Replies: 10
Views: 10702

Re: Athens to Cadiz, Spain (Eurovelo 8)

I've cycled most of the Spanish section and live in Valencia. The biggest piece of advice I could give you in Spain is not to just cycle along the coast. You can dip in and out, if you want to visit Barcelona, Peniscola, Valencia, Almeria etc.. some of the nicer places; but generally, the more interesting routes and towns are a bit inland. The roads are also not great for cycling right on the coast - especially in summer they will be very busy - much better to go on the quiter roads inland.
by IanSmitton
4 Sep 2012, 2:01am
Forum: Racing, Olympics, TdF, Competitive cycling
Topic: Vuelta
Replies: 8
Views: 1755

Re: Vuelta

docjames1969 wrote:One of the best grand tours i have seen for a number of years,todays 16th stage was brutal,the winner could hardly pedal his bike past the finishing line,forget the debate about time bonuses or is the course made for spanish climbers,whoever wins this overall has fought to the very end to do so.



I thought the same. Could really feel the pain that Cataldo was feeling in the last few hundred metres - almost crawling over the line. When Contador attacked Rodriguez on the 23% section - the speed with which they put 50m into Valverde was incredible - amazing riding.
by IanSmitton
4 Sep 2012, 12:15am
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Majorca Road Cycling
Replies: 38
Views: 11956

Re: Majorca Road Cycling

I can see that most of the routes have been pretty well covered, but I have one more to recommend. I would do the ride to Lluc on two different days - the first one go up to Escorca and do Sa Calobra, then down Salva / Campanet and back to PP.

The second (longer one) would go all the way to Puerto Soller (not doing Sa Calobra), then continue on the road to Deia and Valldemossa (really pretty area). You can then carry on the coast all the way to Dragonera - before going over the mountains into Palma. This is about 110km, so unless you want to do 160km, you can get the train back to Sa Pobla (goes every half an hour) and just cycle 20km or so from there to PP. The bit south of Puerto Soller is definitely worth going to - many people staying around PP / Alcudia never go that far unfortunately.
by IanSmitton
28 Aug 2012, 11:22pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Planning holidays in sep/oct. Where to take my bike?
Replies: 15
Views: 6940

Re: Planning holidays in sep/oct. Where to take my bike?

Mallorca is very nice at that time of year - warm but not too hot for cycling You can get cheaps flights from UK, and can find really cheap hotel accommodation if you are on a budget (less than 30EUR per night for two people). Really wide variety of terrain as well, wherever you stay on the island - mountains, flat routes, coastal routes etc.

Santander is also nice, but it rains a lot from late September through to early May (about 2 out of every 5 days on average) - so make sure you are prepared for that.
by IanSmitton
27 Aug 2012, 11:52pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: Help choosing new touring bikes
Replies: 27
Views: 7763

Re: Help choosing new touring bikes

If you want something sturdy and are not too bothered about weight, I would recommend a Kona Sutra (for around £1000) or, if you are prepared to spend a bit more, a Dawes Galaxy. Both are very comfortably when fully loaded and are good for off-road riding as well - Kona Sutra basically rides like a fast mountain bike.