Reflections on doing my first event

[ACS]

Cannot add great deal more but offer my support and echo the sentiments of others. As a 75 year old gent said to me at the weekend, it’s not about the cost machine; it’s about the man who rides it. I was taking part in my first reliability trial (short distance for beginners) on my second hand MTB and Adli kit.

 

[DustBowlRefugee]

£450 for the bars! Sounds like a case of "ALL THE GEAR BUT NO IDEA" to me.

The only reason they were rude is because you embarrassed them by keeping up on a dinosaur! Imagine how well you'd have done if you had £4,700 to spend....

What the hell does daylight through the chain mean anyway? I've never heard of it.

Hopefully you'll find friendlier people in future. Well done.

 

[pubrunner]

£450 for the bars! Sounds like a case of "ALL THE GEAR BUT NO IDEA" to me.

I've never seen handlebars like them, seemed to be 'flattened' and they weren't attached to a stem; they seemed to be attached directly to the frame - a sort of one-piece design.

Imagine how well you'd have done if you had £4,700 to spend....

Sadly, imagining is all I will be doing, though I'd love to try such a bike, just to see what it was like. If I had such money to spend, I'd ensure that the bike had a good range of gears. What irritated me was because he'd spent so much on his bike, the inference was that I should admire the bike & him. I certainly did admire the bike - it was beautiful.

What the hell does daylight through the chain mean anyway? I've never heard of it.

And neither have I - but then, I'm a newbie; has anyone on this forum heard of this expression. I really was confused by the remark, I thought 'Well of course there's daylight - it's where the teeth pull on the chain'.

 

[pubrunner]

I looked at this for my old steel bike (loved it, but the frame was a touch too small for me). If the brakes are nut fitting, (i.e. the fixings aren't recessed into the fork and brake bridge) they're hard to find, but not impossible. Tektro manufacture some reasonably priced ones, and I found a place called Byers Cycles (they have a website, but do mail order by post rather than true online shopping).

The other thing to consider is the "drop[1]" of the brakes, measured from the centre of the nut down the the middle of the braking surface of the rim. Older bikes tend to have longer drops than newer bikes (although this isn't always the case).

[1] My mistake, this is actually the "reach" of the caliper, see here.

Byer Cycles Brakes Page;
http://www.byercycles.co.uk/02R0908.html

Many thanks indeed for the link - I intend to upgrade to dual pivot very shortly.

 

[pubrunner]

RE: you should start racing BTW.

You silver-tongued flatterer ! - but an appreciated comment !

I'll be 48 in a couple of weeks, so such a opportunity has passed me by. Also, I'd have to get a much newer/better bike, which I can't afford to do until my son finishes nursery.

 

[pubrunner]

Some people see audaxes as the limit of human endeavour, a 'severe test for man and machine'. If you breeze round in your granny's cast-offs, riding a converted washing machine and - worst of all - apparently enjoying yourself, well, it devalues the whole experience for them.

You did leave the Tag-along on, I hope?

This post really cheered me up - very witty !!!

When the next batch of Cyclechat tops come out, I'll be buying a short sleeved version - large size. That help my image.

Are there any Cyclechat padded shorts ?

When I've got those sorted, I might get a new helmet

 

[jasper]

Pubrunner, Byercycles is only round the corner from me, I'll take a gander for you at the weekend if you let me know what bike you've got. I need to pop in anyway for some advice on a little project I've got going on.

By the way, well down on the ride. It was sour grapes because you showed them it's the man that counts and not the bike....although a nice bike is great to ride!

 

[John the Monkey]

Many thanks indeed for the link - I intend to upgrade to dual pivot very shortly.

No problem. My single pivots drove me mad, and frequently seemed to require mid ride manual adjustment, the upgrade to dual pivot is worthwhile, imo.

 

[fossyant]

Depends upon the make/model of single pivot brakes. The ones out just before dual pivot came in were very good - I have these on my two road bikes. Get some advice from a local bike shop.

PS Mr Snide sounds like a fool - 28 isn't that big - you'll find a load of road cyclists with compacts and 27's on the back....

I'd be terribly embarrased if I rode a 'super bike' and was caught by someone on an ordinary one. It's him that should be upset, not you.

The Cheshire Cat has 3 distances next year, and has a slightly different route with Swiss Hill now included as well as Mow Cop - it will be slippery in March, so you might need the 28 just to keep the back wheel down on the cobbles.

 

[John the Monkey]

The Cheshire Cat has 3 distances next year, and has a slightly different route with Swiss Hill now included as well as Mow Cop - it will be slippery in March, so you might need the 28 just to keep the back wheel down on the cobbles.

Keep meaning to get over that way one Sunday and have a look, as it's more or less in my backyard now - I was intending to go there last Sunday, but ended up at Rode Hall instead.

 

[Kirstie]

I'd be terribly embarrased if I rode a 'super bike' and was caught by someone on an ordinary one. It's him that should be upset, not you.
.

Sounds like he was upset, but expressed it by bullying pubrunner, instead of dealing with his own inadequacies!

 

[DustBowlRefugee]

Did we ever find out what Mr Snide meant by daylight through the chain?

 

[domtyler]

Pubrunner, you are an inspiration to us all. Your tale of your day spent tackling those Welsh mountains and how you overcame all the odds and outshone a right pair of Wally's with their expensive bikes and kit is the stuff of legends. Well done.

 

[ASC1951]

Would my local bike shop be able to fit dual pivot brakes on an older bike like mine ? How much is an 'affordable' pair ?

Pubrunner, riche has a pair of Campag Mirage DPs for sale at £10 over on Classifieds. If you don't need deep-drop brakes for your frame, they could be just the job.

 

[alp1950]

Great story & helpful post to newbies like myself wondering about starting to ride events.

Did you ever think about joining a club as one way into this scene?