Cycling UK Forum

Lawrie9 wrote:I naffing well agree with Si. Also if people could keep there messages brief and to the point without these great long rambling dissertations and the nerdish obsession with stats and detail, it would help.

I agree things should be more to the point at which they're aimed,not beating about some privet hedge that hasn't been trimmed recently,though the owner could of course have misplaced their shears in which case couldn't have trimmed the aforesaidmentioned hedge or even sent their shears away to be sharpened,in which case they'll be back next Thursday,unless the shearer sharpener is on holiday wherebye they'll be back Thursday week.
Now where was I ah yes swearing and beating someone with a bush as I recall,I'll have to be careful I'm on oath!

Hubbers
In a word tripe, stick to rim tape,

dmiller wrote:

reohn2 wrote:nay people don't..............do they?

Perhaps?

It seems cleaner - and things look bigger... If you do try it ask your better half for advice - girls know how to do these strange things to themselves

Before I cycled it was something that I perhaps did, but after I started cycling (about 2 years ago) I have had to go a bit wild.

Other than smearing with a barrier cream (a bit to messy for me) is there any suggestions on how to avoid this embarressing itch?

David.
(totally embaressed and never been able to mention this in the pub with cycling friends!).

What, you mean,women have hair there too this can't be true.............shocking... no you're pulling my,my.....leg

Sarah
Sorry I've only just seen this post.I would go for any of those bikes as a guide the more you spent the better level of equipement fitted the frames are all the same quality so its which one you prefere,but make sure you get the right size!

Hi Jill
I live in Forestville, roughly not far from Manly, and commute to Sydney city regularly. Cycling to Sydney University from Manly will be an interesting and reasonably safe journey. You could probably cycle to the city faster than catching the expensive ferry. I don't have time to prepare a map or write the full turn details just now. If you would like further information contact me at "leanne.tony at tpg dot com dot au "

Tony

dennistheclown wrote:I suffer from quite severe chaffing which requires a few days of sudo creme treatment after a long ride. I apply vaseline before each ride but this doesn't seem to do much good. Does anyone have any suggestions to help me?? I always wear padded cycle shorts by the way.

It could be salt in you sweat,do you eat a lot of salt?

Or it could be bacterial, have you tried Hibiscrub, its a clorahexadine(sp?)soap the type of soap used in operating theatres,its available from Boots at abou £4 a litre use it everytime you shower but don't get it in your eyes.

Have you tried using the Sudocrem when riding?

dmiller wrote:Erm - strange question but how "tidy" is your hair down below?

The "tidier" I make mine the worse the trouble is... which is a shame as I think its more hygienic - any tips on this?

(Sheesh - thats a hard one to ask!).

Tidy? hair ? down there?

Wild growth is all I know,tidy? haircut!trim! short back and err front(careful!) as in pubi....nay people don't..............do they?

This is unknown territory.

PS I do shave my legs (in summer)

Monster wrote

:-............ i can't understand why you think getting your energy from food with all its refrigeration, production, transport, packaging disposal, waste disposal and chemicals would be more efficient than getting it from the national grid with transmission efficiency of 95%. thats what makes me laugh

But we eat food anyway, don't you?, everyone eats food so the food point is isn't valid.
I own a few bikes and if I was to commute say three miles to work my Hybrid would probably be the tool of choice(it weighs about(14kgs) 30lb and could be pedaled by anyone with resonable fitness at about 12 to15mph no worries.No extra food would be needed to do this so no extra resourses needed to operate the machine, compare that with an EB and it would need plugging into an electrical outlet every night, therebye using extra resourses to do the same job as beans on toast!
There is no comparison,I do a 70mile bike ride on the same food as I would if I lay on the sofa scratching my belly watching telly.

Due to a frame failure on my light tourer I was hunting around for a new frame and took the plunge with a Thorn Audax Mk3,this took a little deliberation as I wanted a British built(though I do admire Thorn for not making a secret of the fact that the frame is made in Taiwan,in fact theres a decal on the frame announcing as much) one but couldn't justify the extra expence as most of my/our riding is on the tandems.So at £299 the Thorn looked a good deal, especially as it came with headset fitted(FSA),seatpost (thorn branded)bottom bracket(albeit 110mm).
I ordered the frame at 2pm Wednesday and it arrived at 8.15am Thursday (quick or what!)well packaged in its own box and all for £5!what I wasn't prepared for was on opening the box I found every braze on had a s/steel socket head bolt of the correct length for its intended purpose fitted and the direct fit m/guard sockets all had hex head bolts fitted,all with three s/steel washers,on top of this a small bottle(with its own brush)of touch up paint,nice touch(up) Thorn.

If I had a niggle (and it would only be a small on) it would be the limited choice of colour which is either Red or Blue,I chose blue which is described as Cobalt Blue metalic by Thorn.I have to say the finish is very very good and looks tough too, though I'd be reluctant to test how tough.

I built the bike up with the parts from my dead Raleigh which are all a recent upgrade (9sp Ultegra).Then after a round the block test and a tweek of the gears have now covered a couple of hundred miles on it.
I can honestly say I really like it, it felt like an old friend from the start,its stiff yet comfortable and very predictable and stable, it feels like it would be so after hundred mile ride too.

All in all I'm very pleased with the bike and I'll give an update as to how I'm getting on with it after about a thousand miles

Theres some photos here http://www.flickr.com/photos/woodj38/

With the DA on Sunday's (and Thursday's if on the right shift),during the week on my own.
I tour solo, when on holiday. I really like my own space (and pace!). Both types of riding are fine.
Being on the road is the important thing. Away from the phone,the telly', just me,the bike and the map, perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!

It could of course be being caused by the shape of the saddle. i.e. if the lower portion flares out a bit towards the thighs, it may rub more than a narrower saddle. I have a B17 standard on the fixie' which is instantly comfortable and remains so for about 50 miles or so, then chafes' a bit. But the B17 narrow on the Moulton though taking more "settling in" at the start of a ride, is comfortable all day long. Yes, it seems hard after a long day in the saddle and some shifting about helps, , but it certainly doesn't chafe.(Both bikes are riden fairly upright with straight bars).
As regards clothing, experimentation is the key.
I'm a cheapskate and use Mike Dyason padded shorts (excellent VFM) and Ron Hill Bikesters. They allow you to slide about on the saddle top if you need to.
I also think that coming out of the saddle every so often helps. Whether because you need too (honking up a hill) or just for a change. It airs' the nether regions (isn't that a splendid term!), and gives the bum a break.
Also, the surface material of the saddle may be a factor.
Which is best?
Good old fashioned leather or a modern equivalent?
All bums are different. It could take a while to find your perfect perch with shorts to match. Go cheap and work up!

Thanks again, everyone - comments greatly appreciated as ever. I'll let you know how I get on.

Go for it, I did it in 8 days end April beginning May last year with 3 mates. Weather was fantastic, didn't get wet once, sunburned legs etc.
Have a look at http://surrey4lejog.blogspot.com our blog of the trip.
Recommend the hotel at Lands end, bit pricey if you're on a budget though.

Regarding routefinding: you could use a gps, but what I did was to plot the entire route first and then print out on 6x4" cards, laminated them and put them in my pocket for easy reference. Used 3-4 cards per day, less when the route was less complicated in Scotland. It worked really well. Asking locals always helped, except most of the time when we asked most locals didn't have a clue!!! Including which road to leave Carlisle town center on for Scotland, which was less than 20 miles away.
Thoroughly recommend the bunk house at Bridge of Orchy, an old converted railway station. Crime ! what crime, be sensible and aware and you should be OK. Biggest threat is idiots in cars. One of my group was pushed off the road by a car travelling too close, fortunately he stayed on the bike and was OK. And then we were travelling around the outskirts of Glasgow when a car passed us, the back window went down and the biggest water pistol/super soaker emerged from the window and soaked two of the group!
We had a few breakdowns, broken spokes, worn cleats etc Most bike shops we found were only too pleased to assist.
Overall a really great experience - good luck and enjoy.
Tony

I was hoping my first post on this site would be to share happy cycling knowledge but with my related experience this seems as good a place as any to start.

First of all sorry to hear about your injury I know exactly what you are going through. In fact if it wasn’t for my injury and abundant free time I would never have found this site in the first place.

I broke my right tibia, multiple and convoluted around the ankle, fractured my fibula and dislocated the same ankle in an accident in a gorge at the end of August (coming up for 6 months ago). The 4 hour trip out of the gorge is another story…I was operated on and now have a plate and 7 pins to keep me company for the next year or so. I was in a half pot, calf length for 8 weeks, the half pot was due to the frequent dressing changes required after the op, this was good news as I could take it off and let my leg breathe when I was lying down.

As I was horizontal for most of the time in the first couple of months muscle wastage was fairly swift, I started with free weights to keep the upper body going but found it difficult to keep myself motivated. Not quite the same buzz as a few hours on the bike.

I started work on a turbo trainer in November which although quite boring felt like a huge step in the right direction, a portable DVD player and Ipod helps to counter the boredom. I started swimming late November (once the wound had healed) and was hobbling without crutches early on in the New Year. I was back cycling on the road about 3 weeks ago, locked in on my left and toe clip on my right foot. Up to 50 miles on an outing last week. Fitness has plummeted and the range of movement in my right ankle is no where near what it should be, hence the reluctance to lock in with my right foot. Cycling is however much easier than walking and I am confident that I will soon be able to add a bit of hill work and regain my cycling fitness.

I have had physio since late October and am taking my recovery week by week. I am noticing steady improvement which is encouraging but also a couple of unwanted kilos which is less so. I am not concerned about the bones, they are healing fine, it is the joint and the associated muscles, ligaments, soft tissue etc which may be more of a longer term problem. I still walk with a limp and am concerned about associated hip and left leg injuries.

So what would I recommend ? Forget where you were and concentrate on where you are going and the road to recovery; the milestones provide a huge psychological boost. I would certainly get a good physio, the exercises can be dull but should slow down the muscle wastage and as soon as you feel able get on a turbo trainer, getting pedaling again feels great.
I have also been taking Glucosamine chrondotine tablets but I have no idea whether they are aiding improvement. I do not (nor have I ever) suffered any pain so I suppose they must be doing something.

Not according to the lawyers.