England : West Yorkshire Spring Into the Dales 110km audax April 12th

[Kestevan]

Oh Joy. Can't wait

 

[ColinJ]

Oh, and now some rain as well!

 

[Kestevan]

Oi.. stop it....

In fact, given your undoubted talents as a rain magnet I think the least you could do is to vow to stay in bed on Sunday..... this will guarantee the rest of us warm sunshine, pleasant tailwinds and generally benign conditions.

 

[ColinJ]

Which reminds me ... my mudguard-equipped Basso has a damaged bottom bracket thread. I must take it down to the LBS to get it cleaned up. I don't want to ride my Cannondale if the weather is bad.

 

[zacklaws]

With all the wind we have had since last October, I think I can count calm days on one hand, doubt we would even notice a typhoon going up Cock Hill we are that used to it , but just to be sure, as I pass that copse halfway up, I'll check to see if the trees are bent over and branches breaking off.

 

[PMarkey]

I'm helping on the day so will get to see everyone's happy smiling faces at the Granary tea room and the arrivée .

 

[zacklaws]

Since you have mentioned rain and bottom brackets, you have just reminded me Colin that I have now to decide what bike to ride on the day, my best one with good gearing for the hills with a press fit bottom bracket, or one with poor gearing for hills with a bottom bracket with a slight bit of play. The choice seems obvious but my experience now of press fit BB's is not good when riding in the wet as they are easily ruined and my first replacement, only after 3500 miles, a couple of months ago was very expensive as I also had to replace the chain set as it too had badly corroded on the spindle where it fits the BB, all because they are not fit for purpose and water can get in and wash the grease out.

 

[ColinJ]

I don't like the sound of those press-fit bottom brackets - literally! I have been on lots of organised rides where I am overtaken by riders on nice carbon fibre bikes with noisy bottom brackets! It was a while before I realised why quality bikes had suddenly become noisier.

I would quite like to buy a Cannondale CX bike, but its BB30 BB puts me off (as does the gearing which is too high for my purposes).

 

[Kestevan]

The BB30 stuff seems to be OK as long as it is cleaned and regreased regularly. Typically my BB30 BB started creaking and groaning last night on the club run - I'd guess it's done something like 3k since the last fettle.

Considering a strip down and regrease before Sunday.... but it's probably safer to just ride it as is and sort it out on Monday as sods law dictates that otherwise something will go horribly wrong.

 

[zacklaws]

Any updates on what the weathers going to be Colin in your neck of the woods, it seems to be borderline between winter or summer clothing at moment. Just fitted a different cassette for the ride, but now cannot get out to test ride it as its raining and I want to try and keep this press fit BB dry to try and prolong its life.

 

[ColinJ]

Any updates on what the weathers going to be Colin in your neck of the woods, it seems to be borderline between winter or summer clothing at moment. Just fitted a different cassette for the ride, but now cannot get out to test ride it as its raining and I want to try and keep this press fit BB dry to try and prolong its life.

I hate to say this, but ... AWFUL!

Heavy rain most of the time we would be riding. Strong winds, with horrendous cross/headwind gusts up to 45 mph on our ride back up the hill from Keighley. Temperatures struggling to reach 8 or 9 degrees. No sunshine.

I have been checking other forecasts, and I have decided to wimp out tomorrow and do the route on Tuesday instead () ... Wind speeds halved, dry, temperatures back up to mid-teens, sunny most of the day!

 

[zacklaws]

Oh dear, looks like the wet version of "Season of the Mists" but in Spring. Decision time now for what bike.

 

[ColinJ]

Oh dear, looks like the wet version of "Season of the Mists" but in Spring. Decision time now for what bike.

It's the wet version of the dry version of SoM. The wet version of the wet version of SoM doesn't bear thinking about!

I started one version of SoM with @Alun and a mate of his. We were already totally soaked by the end of the Long Causeway so we decided to abandon, and returned on the A646. The river was rapidly rising and flooded the road after we passed through. Back at HQ, we watched it rise about 8 feet in 30 minutes. Then trees started coming downstream. The flood waters had destroyed a retaining wall in Todmorden and washed away several gardens, plus hundreds of metres of riverbank!

 

[ColinJ]

Oh, I get what you mean now! Yes, like that wet SoM!

This one ...

This picture was taken a day later...

And this is what the roads looked like ...

Yeah, I'll take the sunny conditions on Tuesday!

 

[zacklaws]

Yep, that's the one Colin, I remember getting ready in the car park and I put my cycling shoes under the car (for some strange reason) and when I went to put them on, they was full of water the rain was that bad. I earned my T shirt that day..........pity it shrunk in all the rain.

Just realised that I must be a jink...on that SOM, I waterproofed my jacket just days before and tried it for the first time on that ride........and oddly enough, only the other week I waterproofed the same jacket and yet have to test it out, looks like tomorrow.

Remembered now why I put my shoes under the car ......my boot was getting full of water so had to shut it and put my stuff under the car to keep dry whilst I got ready.

Just think off all the alternative sports we could have done that day.....downhill water skiing, white water rafting on a log, etc........instead we go for a bike ride.