Cycling UK Forum

Cars, vans, scooters, bikes ... and horses?!

Last year, whilst riding on a rural single track public road, I met a horse being ridden by someone pressing their phone to their ear.

Jon in Sweden wrote: ↑22 Sep 2024, 8:02pm How do you guys and gals like to climb? Any tips for someone like me (lots of power, but still learning)?

I live in an area with only small climbs, so it's only now that I've remembered something I found important: Breathing technique

The first cycling I did abroad was on a CTC tour (it was a long time ago) to the French Alps, riding the famous passes used in the Tour de France. Prior to that I'd ridden for four years with a Derbyshire club, and had ridden all the major climbs in the Derbyshire part of the Peak District, so I knew I was ok on shorter climbs but was very unsure about how this would translate to long climbs at altitude.

In view of the altitude factor, I decided to climb only using nasal breathing as I'd read that this boosted your oxygen uptake. I was sceptical (to say the least) of this, but I chose to try it and at the bottom of a climb I would take a sip out of my bottle and keep it in my mouth for the whole climb to force me to breathe through my nose.

This was over 30 years ago, before power meters and affordable heart rate monitors, so I can't present any data. What I found, however, was that it seemed to work well for me. I found that I never went into the red, so felt fresh at the top of climbs. I never hyperventilated either, so probably used less energy to power my diaphragm (as I was breathing at a lower rates). It might not work for everyone, but I still use it on the rare occasions I encounter a longer climb.

As you've expressed a hunger to learn about climbing it might be worth you trying. As I believe you have some power-measuring equipment (and probably a heart-rate monitor too) it would be interesting to see if this altered the watts you could produce at a given heart-rate.

mattheus wrote: ↑23 Sep 2024, 3:04pm Your exact words:

Psamathe wrote: ↑23 Sep 2024, 1:00pm ...Starmer made a big issue about the Johnson Wallpaper funding trying to present himself as not subject to such "sleeze" (just do a Google search "starmer johnson wallpaper").
...

Made worse as Starmer was previously very critical of such gifts and claiming he'd be cleaning-up politics.
...

And you're far from the only one doing this.

It is disingenuous (or even dishonest) to comment on Starmer pretending that you have some purity agenda, whilst so many pundits <cough BBC> are shouting "HYPOCRISY" !!!!

Nothing exists in a vacuum, not in politics. Welcome to the real world my friend!

Not really Psamathe's exact words, more a case of you selectively editing snippets from two different posts and then mashing them together and making out it was their exact words.

Here is part of what Psamathe wrote at 12:43pm and 1:00pm today below

Psamathe wrote: ↑23 Sep 2024, 12:43pm I'm not prepared to spend my time going back to highlight my many posts over the 10 years. Do it yourself. Similarly I'm currently concerned about the Government we have now - which says nothing about previous Governments.

Starmer made a big issue about the Johnson Wallpaper funding trying to present himself as not subject to such "sleeze" (just do a Google search "starmer johnson wallpaper").

The gifts from Premier League may have been declared but all we know is the gift and value, not what influence this might achieve, we have no idea how much Starmer might feel more positive to the Premier League nor their lobbying against legislation Labour were supporting/proposing.

Psamathe wrote: ↑23 Sep 2024, 1:00pm Irrelevant. That would just be "whataboutism". We have a Government now with serious questions about gifts/lobbying and conflict of interest.

Made worse as Starmer was previously very critical of such gifts and claiming he'd be cleaning-up politics.

Ian

Jon in Sweden wrote: ↑22 Sep 2024, 8:02pm How do you guys and gals like to climb? Any tips for someone like me (lots of power, but still learning)?

I sit on the saddle and spin, even on steeper sections. At 60kg (and sometimes less if I've been doing a lot of mileage) I have skinny legs that don't produce a lot of torque but are happy turning the pedals at 100-110rpm

In terms of tips, I watch professional riders of a similar height and weight to me to see how they ride on the climbs. I don't rigidly follow a particular rider's style, but I do study what they're doing to see if I can learn something from them.

Another thing I do when sitting on the saddle is ride with 'flat palms'. I started doing this with my hands on the top of drop 'bars, either side of the stem, with all my fingers and both thumbs hanging over the front of the 'bars without touching them - so only my palms are in contact with the 'bars. I did this to stop myself pulling on the bars and using my arms, and it helped my pedal a lot more smoothly*. In recent times I mainly ride on the hoods with my arm weight taken by the part of my hand between my thumb and index finger, but none of my fingers or thumbs gripping the hoods

* I initially discovered this decades ago when trying to read a book (to alleviate boredom) when riding on my turbo trainer

And the next part ...


https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk ... RKED_0.pdf

Psamathe wrote: ↑4 Sep 2024, 11:56am But do you think that any politician will suffer any consequences for their inaction? I doubt they will but any risk of legal action will see the taxpayer spending large sums of their legal defence.

Depressingly, I think many of the incompetents behind this will not face prosecution and it will be a case of "lessons have been learned" again

But even if you only flick through the reports you will spot a recurring theme


https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk ... RKED_0.pdf

Jdsk wrote: ↑4 Sep 2024, 11:06am Final report:
https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk

Seven years since the deaths. Two more years before any prosecution. Far too slow.

Thanks for that. I've only had a very quick look at the documents, but after less than 5 minutes I found this which gets straight to the root of it


https://www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk ... RKED_0.pdf

roubaixtuesday wrote: ↑3 Sep 2024, 2:08pm

853 wrote: ↑3 Sep 2024, 1:42pm

roubaixtuesday wrote: ↑2 Sep 2024, 8:35pm Next steps either (1) new rim, or (2) new tandem with wider tyre clearance.

(2) is very expensive, time consuming and actually extremely difficult to achieve at all given our heights. But I definitely don't want to do (1) unless I'm convinced it will solve the problem robustly.

There is a third option, which is to only use GP5000 tyres. It might not give you total confidence, but 3399km on the rear of a ~200kg tandem is impressive - and this is considerably easier, and cheaper, than options (1) and (2)

Yes indeed, though whilst true, I don't find this an attractive option: it leaves us dependent on whatever the unknown quality of GP5000s that makes them work being maintained, and the continuance of that brand. Plus if a tyre is damaged somewhere, hoping that they'll be available in the nearest shop...

I'd much rather pay for a more robust solution, though working out what that is is not easy!

Understood

Coming from a family of accountants, I would favour option (1) and either re-rim or buy a new set of wheels with the same type of rim that you used successfully in the past.

roubaixtuesday wrote: ↑2 Sep 2024, 8:35pm Next steps either (1) new rim, or (2) new tandem with wider tyre clearance.

(2) is very expensive, time consuming and actually extremely difficult to achieve at all given our heights. But I definitely don't want to do (1) unless I'm convinced it will solve the problem robustly.

There is a third option, which is to only use GP5000 tyres. It might not give you total confidence, but 3399km on the rear of a ~200kg tandem is impressive - and this is considerably easier, and cheaper, than options (1) and (2)

pete75 wrote: ↑26 Aug 2024, 5:25pm

853 wrote: ↑23 Aug 2024, 2:14pm
This is what it states in Section 2 of Article 6 of the Human Rights Act 1988

“Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law”

https://www.reeds.co.uk/insight/are-we- ... en-guilty/

Yes that's the theory. People with experience of life know that theory and practice are often very different things.

It's not a theory, it's the law.

nirakaro wrote: ↑23 Aug 2024, 1:37pm Well I’m bemused. I changed the chain – which was a bit elongated (I daren’t say stretched!), though not excessively, but no improvement. Swapped the mech, Deore to Deore XT, and it’s absolutely fine. Close look at the old mech, I can’t see anything amiss or out of alignment. Happy ending, but I’d love to know why.

My guess - and it is very much a guess - is that the spring in the Deore mech is no longer up to the job.

pete75 wrote: ↑23 Aug 2024, 12:49am

853 wrote: ↑22 Aug 2024, 6:48pm

pete75 wrote: ↑21 Aug 2024, 8:09pm Could you perhaps explain how someone whose farming business has, for tax purposes, run at a loss for years yet can afford three children at Oakham school, his wife's new RangeRover, fishing trips to a Alaska,skiing twice a year, wife and one daughter hunting twice a week, with a mid-day change of horse, yet isn't fiddling his tax?

This is not evidence of tax evasion; they could have won the lottery or inherited a large amount of money

Can I ask you to produce evidence that something like that has happened? Anyhow when the man is in his cups he posts about conning the taxman.
It's somewhat naive to imagine that nobody who sends their kids to a private school is fiddling their tax. Their are many, many thousands of tax dodgers in the UK. Are we to believe they all send their little ones to state schools.

Until there is evidence to prove this man, or anyone else, guilty I will presume them innocent in accordance with UK law

pete75 wrote: ↑23 Aug 2024, 12:45am

853 wrote: ↑22 Aug 2024, 6:56pm

Carlton green wrote: ↑22 Aug 2024, 7:18am Of course we could turn this on its head and ask whether you have any proof that all parents using private schools are not using tax evasion or avoidance schemes.

With the UK legal system, someone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. To "turn this is on its head" and presume parents are guilty of tax evasion until proven innocent is both wrong and against UK law.

If that really were the case then noone would be remanded in custody before their trial.

This is what it states in Section 2 of Article 6 of the Human Rights Act 1988

“Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law”

https://www.reeds.co.uk/insight/are-we- ... en-guilty/

Carlton green wrote: ↑22 Aug 2024, 7:18am Of course we could turn this on its head and ask whether you have any proof that all parents using private schools are not using tax evasion or avoidance schemes.

With the UK legal system, someone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. To "turn this is on its head" and presume parents are guilty of tax evasion until proven innocent is both wrong and against UK law.

pete75 wrote: ↑21 Aug 2024, 8:09pm Could you perhaps explain how someone whose farming business has, for tax purposes, run at a loss for years yet can afford three children at Oakham school, his wife's new RangeRover, fishing trips to a Alaska,skiing twice a year, wife and one daughter hunting twice a week, with a mid-day change of horse, yet isn't fiddling his tax?

This is not evidence of tax evasion; they could have won the lottery or inherited a large amount of money