Filthy

[foxyrider]

I've not let the crappy weather deter me this week but my poor bike!

The brake blocks had to be replaced before today's ride as the local gritstone ate them this week - a hazard of wet riding in the Peak District!

A combination of crap on the roads and the foggy, damp weather has left my black bike a sort of dirty limestone colour despite it wearing full guards. I suppose it could be worse, they've not been gritting yet!

I suppose i'll have to move the cleaning programme up a bit.

It was especially good today to see plenty out riding despite the fog, clearly there are others who won't let the weather interupt their riding enjoyment.

[gbnz]

Have to returned from todays ride &^%% off with it all!

Happens every year, but the met office's inability to forecast the weather set the bad tone to the ride today. Locally, it was due to be dry, with next to no wind and a fair bit of blue sky. Instead it rained throughout, a consistent moderate head wind blowing and didn't turn fine unil that part of the afternoon at which the met office stated that it'd start getting wet (Nb. By which time I'd returned home).

Finally followed through my resolution to remove the met office book mark last night, but foolishly had a look at the "forecast" first thing.

[mjr]

Met office? Yeah... nah!

None of the forecasts are completely reliable. Take a waterproof, an extra jumper, plus a bag in case you want to take a layer off!

[thirdcrank]

FWIW. I saw a Land Rover Defender yesterday outside our local Co-op with the reg F11THY

[roubaixtuesday]

It was especially good today to see plenty out riding despite the fog, clearly there are others who won't let the weather interupt their riding enjoyment.

Snake and Mam Nick for me today. Very foggy over the snake.

[gbnz]

Met office? Yeah... nah!

None of the forecasts are completely reliable. Take a waterproof, an extra jumper, plus a bag in case you want to take a layer off!

Oh year, I had my heavy duty waterproofs in an Ortlieb pannier, waiting to back up the shower proof clothing on this "dry" day.

But I NEED to stop looking at the weather forecast. Suppose it's rather like the alcoholics "last bottle" syndrome

[foxyrider]

It was especially good today to see plenty out riding despite the fog, clearly there are others who won't let the weather interupt their riding enjoyment.

Snake and Mam Nick for me today. Very foggy over the snake.

At least you couldn't see that Flippin grind to the top!

[roubaixtuesday]

At least you couldn't see that Flippin grind to the top!

I saw nothing - spent the entire 4 miles ish climb looking at nothing other than the tyre of my mate towing me into the easterly as I just about held on. I only realised it was foggy when we stopped at the summit to don jackets for the descent!

[RickH]

I've not let the crappy weather deter me this week but my poor bike!

The brake blocks had to be replaced before today's ride as the local gritstone ate them this week - a hazard of wet riding in the Peak District!

A combination of crap on the roads and the foggy, damp weather has left my black bike a sort of dirty limestone colour despite it wearing full guards. I suppose it could be worse, they've not been gritting yet!

I suppose i'll have to move the cleaning programme up a bit.

It was especially good today to see plenty out riding despite the fog, clearly there are others who won't let the weather interupt their riding enjoyment.

Since I've not been riding a rim braked bike, I've not missed the delights of the grey sludge running down the frame & the grinding noises (from the grit picked up on the wet lanes rubbing on your rims as you brakes - probably similar geology here on the West Pennine Moors as to parts of the Peaks, we too had a thriving millstone industry). Riding discs the bike stays much cleaner & I don't feel like wincing when I brake.

[reohn2]

I've not let the crappy weather deter me this week but my poor bike!

The brake blocks had to be replaced before today's ride as the local gritstone ate them this week - a hazard of wet riding in the Peak District!

A combination of crap on the roads and the foggy, damp weather has left my black bike a sort of dirty limestone colour despite it wearing full guards. I suppose it could be worse, they've not been gritting yet!

I suppose i'll have to move the cleaning programme up a bit.

It was especially good today to see plenty out riding despite the fog, clearly there are others who won't let the weather interupt their riding enjoyment.

Since I've not been riding a rim braked bike, I've not missed the delights of the grey sludge running down the frame & the grinding noises (from the grit picked up on the wet lanes rubbing on your rims as you brakes - probably similar geology here on the West Pennine Moors as to parts of the Peaks, we too had a thriving millstone industry). Riding discs the bike stays much cleaner & I don't feel like wincing when I brake.

[eileithyia]

Cheshire and Lancashire is no better..... nice muddy fields + farmers vehicles = mud and stones all over the lanes that never really dry out now until spring.

[foxyrider]

I've not let the crappy weather deter me this week but my poor bike!

The brake blocks had to be replaced before today's ride as the local gritstone ate them this week - a hazard of wet riding in the Peak District!

A combination of crap on the roads and the foggy, damp weather has left my black bike a sort of dirty limestone colour despite it wearing full guards. I suppose it could be worse, they've not been gritting yet!

I suppose i'll have to move the cleaning programme up a bit.

It was especially good today to see plenty out riding despite the fog, clearly there are others who won't let the weather interupt their riding enjoyment.

Since I've not been riding a rim braked bike, I've not missed the delights of the grey sludge running down the frame & the grinding noises (from the grit picked up on the wet lanes rubbing on your rims as you brakes - probably similar geology here on the West Pennine Moors as to parts of the Peaks, we too had a thriving millstone industry). Riding discs the bike stays much cleaner & I don't feel like wincing when I brake.

Good in theory - my disc bike gets through pads and discs even faster than I do rim blocks! It currently needs a pair of rotors and pads to get it back on the road - rim brakes are soo much cheaper to keep running.

Looks like more damp and dirty weather today.

[Debs]

My local ride is mainly countryside, which is fairly clean going until passing a farm, especially the farms where they let the cows over the road to the milking shed.
One can't get away from dairy farms around here, every road that leads somewhere goes past many of them.

But when approaching a farm the tarmac completely disappears under a brown sludge an inch deep, for 50 - 100 meters of Passchendaele

Also, crop farmers have an important job this time of the year dung-spreading up the Queens highway,
i think they're preparing to plant next years potatoes in the potholes...

I'm thinking of dusting the cobwebs off my turbo trainer [after finding it somewhere hidden away in the shed]

[reohn2]

.......Good in theory - my disc bike gets through pads and discs even faster than I do rim blocks! It currently needs a pair of rotors and pads to get it back on the road - rim brakes are soo much cheaper to keep running.........

You've posted this before but it isnt my experience and going off others' posts I'm not alone.
What disc brakes do you have and what pads do you use?

[RickH]

Good in theory - my disc bike gets through pads and discs even faster than I do rim blocks! It currently needs a pair of rotors and pads to get it back on the road - rim brakes are soo much cheaper to keep running.

Don't forget to add in rim wear - I reckoned on wearing out a set of Open Pros in around 4000 miles round these parts. I got a bit more by changing the brake blocks to something softer, but that meant more frequent changes of blocks. I eventually resorted to replacing the Open Pros with Ryde Sputniks to get longer rim life.

I've not found pad or disk wear to be a problem - the last sintered pads I changed after over 2000 miles (the OEM organics I changed after about 700 - they weren't worn out but were on their way & I was going away on the bike so I opted to start with freshly bedded in pads) & there is little wear on the discs. The tandem I pilot for my sight impaired friend also showed little sign of wear either to pads or discs after around 1500 miles when I checked them recently (I don't know how much wear they already had in them before she bought the tandem off reohn2). SRAM Centerline discs & SRAM sintered pads both seem pretty hard wearing. Wear on the lower level Shimano discs on our Circe tandem has been a bit more, but not excessive given the steep hills they've been ridden with 2 adults aboard, all on 20" wheels & 160mm rotors.