Cycling UK Forum

beachcomber wrote:I don't think I looked much of a poseur. I picked up a stomach bug on day one. Puking at the road side and looking like death warmed up as I grovelled across Brittany/Normandy doesn't project the cool image I was hoping for.

Nasty, did you make it to Brest and back?

Ayesha wrote:I've just returned from a cycle tour along the Normandy coast visiting the Beach's Visitor's Centres and Pegasus Bridge. 600 km in six days.

The French guys who were with us mentioned the P-B-P as "Poseur's paradise".

Yeah there were some great poseurs on PBP. Some amazing bikes. The UK riders tended to be unsupported. Some of the French and other euro riders had no luggage but had motorhomes meeting them at controls.

Definitely a "Poseur's paradise" but fun nonetheless

I've done another blog entry on my PBP experiences, "PBP: Stuff that Worked"

robgul wrote: I had an enquiry recently (from someone outside the UK) asking if the LEJOG route was signposted (yes, really!!) .... from visitors to the website which now number thousands a week it does seem there's lots of interest in the E2E.

[inappropriate term removed]
Outside the UK it would be a no brainer to put up proper signs for the E2E

Mrs Vorsprung works in the Library in Cullompton and says there is a phenomenal amount of E2E traffic this year, they go past her window

I had one of these. It isn't waterproof. It is windproof but it is so thin it doesn't seem that effective. My experience with this garment is that it packs down to almost nothing but it is better to actually carry nothing instead

I have a nice new(ish) Specialized Roubaix for PBP
It weighs 10.5kg with pedals which isn't super light but because it is carbon people think it is super light
So people find it odd when I hang a SQR Tour off the seatpost stuffed with several Kg of random stuff

I'm sorry people but that is my audax bike and I'm not saving weight by leaving my tools/spare base layer/coat/sandwiches behind

Mine is

http://audaxing.wordpress.com

It's about AUK events, long distance audax style riding, bikes and equipment

One other bike related blog I like that hasn't been mentioned yet is

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/

Joe Friel is a coach/sports science bloke, really interesting factual articles

beachcomber wrote:Weldone Vorsprung, have you completed an SR for this year now. I guess you will be doing PBP. I'm riding the Lincon at the w/end followed by the Cambrian and the 3 Coasts next month. I have yet to submit an entry to PBP.

Nope, I have the 200,300 and 600 now but the 400 I hope to complete (John Hamilton's wonderful Irish Mail ride) is next weekend. I've "preregistered" for PBP but I haven't booked my hotel yet

Some pictures of this weekends Bryan Chapman Memorial 600km on my blog here

Another super event from Mark Rigby and his team

Si wrote:.. if you are saying that you can't hang on to a group that is doing 16-17mph, and you don't have the time to improve your fitness, then if it were me I'd have to ask myself if I really wanted to go on this ride? You may be better off just going by your self or finding someone of the same fitness as you - thus going at your own speed and enjoying the whole thing a lot more..

I agree, the "100 miles in 6 hours" speed is stupidly fast. I've been riding long distances for 5 years and have a carbon fibre fast long distance bike but would find this sort of pace difficult. Difficult and tedious. It would be 9 days straight of exercise rather than travel.

If I assume that the distance for the LeJoG is 850 miles and that this group is doing 100 miles a day (in 6 hours) then it will take 8.5 days

If they did 90 miles a day in 6.5 hours then it would take 9.5 days but the speed would be less than 14 mph, still fast for you- this would be ok for me

In your case and for most generally fit riders with reasonable bikes, 70 miles a day in 6.5 hours with an average speed of just under 11mph +a couple of rest days works out at 14 days. Why kill yourself with a stupid schedule? You aren't setting any records

I bought a Ti Swift from the Harogate Brooks shop in 2008 for I think 85 quid?
I did a few thousand km on it and recently sold it for £65 quid
The current "full retail" for the same saddle is over 200

I don't need a new saddle at the moment but if I did then the US Selle Anatomica would probably be purchased in preference to Brooks.

What I've noticed with Panaracer tyres, Pasellas and Stratius is that after a year or so regardless of how worn the tread it starts to show cracks

The cracks in the tread are not "wounds" due to sharps like some other tyres (ie Continental 4 Seasons) are prone to. They look like the sort of damage that is seen in plastics that are flexed too much

So, yes, Panaracer are great. Just ride a lot and wear them out quick Normally I would do this but I had Panaracer tyres on my summer commute bike which only does short distances and only in the summer

I did the Elenith 300km, with my modified B17. I kept the lacing off
It went fine and the saddle was just a bit more comfortable

robc02 wrote:

I've made a hole in the middle of my black, titanium railed, broken in B17 to relieve perineum pressure

Did it work?

I did a 120km ride on sunday. First 10km it was raining heavily, then I noticed my saddle was wrongly adjusted. It didn't just feel like the nose was up with the modifications. It actually was.

So with the saddle more or less correctly aligned and the rain easing off I continued to Minehead. What I liked about the hole was that there is a pleasant draft up through it. Also when riding down on the drops there is less perinieum pressure.
But the saddle was not comfortable. By the time I'd got to the last 10km I figured out why. The lacing, although I'd left it quite loose had made the saddle harder and moved the "dents" for my sit bones. I removed the lacing completely and it was much improved. I guess the first real test will be on the Elenith 300km audax next weekend

I've made a hole in the middle of my black, titanium railed, broken in B17 to relieve perineum pressure
It's a channel about 1" wide
Then to stop the sides splaying out I've added lacing
Photos etc here on blog