Done my first club run

[ianrauk]

You don't need the lube. Take 2 inners instead.
Keep the retractable lock.
On club runs bikes are usually parked within view anyway and you chain them all together. The shop is talking nonsense about them ruining the paintwork, not if they are used normally.
Get yourself C02 also, save a load of time. But still take a pump. Mine is attached to the down tube (the holder uses the same bolts as the bottle holder.
Carry a pair of latex gloves also. Save getting your hands filthy from a puncture/chain etc.

 

[Emmanuel Obikwelu]

What is the advantage of dropped handlebars over flat ones. Also what is the etiquette if one of you gets a puncture - does everyone have to wait or does just one other rider wait and help and then pace you back up to the main group.

 

[chillyuk]

Also what is the etiquette if one of you gets a puncture - does everyone have to wait or does just one other rider wait and help and then pace you back up to the main group.

This can vary from club to club, and also possibly which type of ride you are on. My old club from a few years ago would wait if you punctured on a slow or intermediate ride, but the racing boys on their training ride would not wait.

 

[Wankelschrauben]

What is the advantage of dropped handlebars over flat ones. Also what is the etiquette if one of you gets a puncture - does everyone have to wait or does just one other rider wait and help and then pace you back up to the main group.

Flat handle bars offer one riding position only, this position is great for navigating some crappy path covered in ruts and stones.

At pace, drop handlebars put the rider in an aerodynamic position which is more stable at speed, through corners and under braking. They offer more positions so a rider can rest aches without stopping, drops are more comfortable over longer distances.

As for punctures in a group, I'd suggest asking the group before departing. I found a woman in tears by the side of the road one day, her group had ridden past her leaving her with no means of fixing her bike or any idea of where she was.

I fixed her bike and rode with her to her destination, a pub in Downswood. Upon arrival she promptly slapped a guy in the chops. It was worth it for that moment really.

 

[Emmanuel Obikwelu]

This can vary from club to club, and also possibly which type of ride you are on. My old club from a few years ago would wait if you punctured on a slow or intermediate ride, but the racing boys on their training ride would not wait.

Thanks for reply. I think that i would prefer it if just one or 2 people waited for me. I guess you could discuss it beforehand. If the group was 20 total riders you could have subgroups of 3 each that would support each other rather than inconveniencing the whole group.

 

[Emmanuel Obikwelu]

Flat handle bars offer one riding position only, this position is great for navigating some crappy path covered in ruts and stones.

At pace, drop handlebars put the rider in an aerodynamic position which is more stable at speed, through corners and under braking. They offer more positions so a rider can rest aches without stopping, drops are more comfortable over longer distances.

As for punctures in a group, I'd suggest asking the group before departing. I found a woman in tears by the side of the road one day, her group had ridden past her leaving her with no means of fixing her bike or any idea of where she was.

I fixed her bike and rode with her to her destination, a pub in Downswood. Upon arrival she promptly slapped a guy in the chops. It was worth it for that moment really.

Thanks for the reply. That is interesting about the drop handlebars. I tend to get pains in my lower back on 50mile plus rides , especially to the left hand side. Shifting about a bit on the seat provides very temporary releif. Do you think drop handlebars might releive this.
A group that leaves a woman in a predicament like that is just a group of complete xxxxxx, lucky you came along when you did.

 

[cyberknight]

Try this , i hope it helps

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/09/verbal-and-non-verbal-communication/

 

[DiddlyDodds]

Would love to start doing club runs but due to work and a very young family need to be at home at weekends, so my runs are 5am to 10am on a Sunday Morning , it suits me as the roads are very quite and everything is peaceful , sadly i cant see many clubs doing runs at that time of a morning .

 

[gds58]

They were shouting stuff like Single Up and Single Down, pointing at pot holes and indicating left and right amongst other things.

My version of "CAAAAAR!!!!!!, followed by "f*** you d***less" didn't go down to well

The universal 'warning' word amongst club cyclists is 'OIL' it's a short sharp word easy to shout even when you're struggling for breath and it is used to warn of ANYTHING, whether it's a pothole, a car coming, some obstruction in the road or even...oil!! Seriously though, if you hear this shouted out by somebody at the front basically be aware that there is some kind of hazard imminent. This is often accompanied by a hand signal indicating perhaps where the pothole is or maybe the riders left arm moving across his back from left to right to indicate that you should move out around something.

You'll soon get the hang of your clubs hand signals and will probably introduce a couple of special ones of your own for those less than careful drivers who come just a tad too close!! (I'll leave you to work those out for yourself!)

Once you've been on a few runs you'll be familiar with it all and you'll fit in like an old sweat!

Hope this helps, Graham

 

[gds58]

I found a woman in tears by the side of the road one day, her group had ridden past her leaving her with no means of fixing her bike or any idea of where she was.

I fixed her bike and rode with her to her destination, a pub in Downswood. Upon arrival she promptly slapped a guy in the chops. It was worth it for that moment really.

That's disgraceful for any group or club to just leave somebody without checking first that she was OK to fix it alone. I haven't ever seen or heard of this happening in my time with various clubs. It's fine if a rider punctures and he or she says I'm OK I'll fix it and catch you up at the tea stop or something like that but generally I've always known it that at least one or more riders will ALWAYS wait with you or in most cases the whole group. An inner tube can be replaced and inflated in a couple of minutes so it's no big deal to wait.

Well done you for waiting with her, I wondered is this the same lady who now likes her legs massaged all the time!!!

 

[Wankelschrauben]

The universal 'warning' word amongst club cyclists is 'OIL' it's a short sharp word easy to shout even when you're struggling for breath and it is used to warn of ANYTHING, whether it's a pothole, a car coming, some obstruction in the road or even...oil!! Seriously though, if you hear this shouted out by somebody at the front basically be aware that there is some kind of hazard imminent. This is often accompanied by a hand signal indicating perhaps where the pothole is or maybe the riders left arm moving across his back from left to right to indicate that you should move out around something.

You'll soon get the hang of your clubs hand signals and will probably introduce a couple of special ones of your own for those less than careful drivers who come just a tad too close!! (I'll leave you to work those out for yourself!)

Once you've been on a few runs you'll be familiar with it all and you'll fit in like an old sweat!

Hope this helps, Graham

Yeah I'm getting the hang of the calls, Oil up and oil down meaning car infront or behind.

I finished another 30+ miler this week, a faster flatter run with a few hills, I'm not sure which is harder though reall, the steep hills or keeping up the pace over mile after mile with traffic filtering past and inbetween the group.

 

[Emmanuel Obikwelu]

Try this , i hope it helps

http://www.cyclingti...-communication/

I am wondering about the pointing :
"Pothole or Hazard. A simple point to the road hazard will be enough to signal to the other riders. Do this well before the hazard is near and predictably move over so you don’t roll past too close to it."
Is pointing at a pothole well in advance of you really that usefull - for a start i am unsure if a rider behind you is going to be able to see you pointing and is even less likely to be able to see the pothole. The requirement to point will also be somewhat burdensome to the pointer especially where there are lots of potholes.
A verbal warning like gds58's "oil" would be better.
Thanks for the link.

 

[cyberknight]

Works on my club runs.

I cannot see why it is harder to point at a hole etc , the pro peleton use hand signals

De pendant on the conditions you are riding in then a hand signal maybe easier to see than hearing a shout and specifies where the hazard is more clearly as they are actually pointing at the hole .

At the end of the day as long as some means of conveying the message then i do not think it matters to much.

 

[zizou]

I am wondering about the pointing :
"Pothole or Hazard. A simple point to the road hazard will be enough to signal to the other riders. Do this well before the hazard is near and predictably move over so you don’t roll past too close to it."
Is pointing at a pothole well in advance of you really that usefull - for a start i am unsure if a rider behind you is going to be able to see you pointing and is even less likely to be able to see the pothole. The requirement to point will also be somewhat burdensome to the pointer especially where there are lots of potholes.
A verbal warning like gds58's "oil" would be better.
Thanks for the link.

Hand signals are better from the rider at the front if the group going fairly fast - you just dont hear it otherwise with the windnoise (a shout from the rear can be heard better). It is quite easy to see the signals - and the signal also tells you where the hazard is because you wont always be wanting to move to the outside but go on the inside.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Works on my club runs.

De pendant on the conditions you are riding in then a hand signal maybe easier to see than hearing a shout and specifies where the hazard is more clearly .

At the end of the day as long as some means of conveying the message then i do not think it matters to much.

+1 - works for us too, as does the arm/pointing behind the back to warn of parked car, runner, etc - sometimes, in extreme cases, a shout of BIG HOLE is added too! Also as appropriate a shout of 'Horse right', 'runner left', and so on, will be passed back through the group.