Pedal Power Thread

Hard day on Zwift. Had to wait until after my 70th birthday to get up Box Hill in under 10 mins. I think if I learn to pace myself better I can beat that ?

Also went up Fox Hill today (almost identical climb) , but my tank was a little deleted and it took me 11min 13sec.

N;B I 'hacked' the course so was riding London virtually on my own so discount the jersey wins.

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Finished with 34 miles and 2,064ft of climbing.


Guess there is a chance I may fall asleep in front of the TV later :oops: :$
 
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IMG_20170126_132429.jpg Well that's my cycling to work curtailed for a number of weeks.

Hit a patch of very slippy mud on the road on the way home from work yesterday, couldn't see it until it was too late. Front wheel just went and I hit the ground hard, helmet stoped my head smacking the kerb though.

Result was a trip to Minor Injuries and then A&E this morning and a cast on my broken thumb. Find out tomorrow if I need an operation to fix it
 
@scorpius ouch! Sorry to hear about your accident, that sort of thing happening often worries me with all the crap that the tractors leave on the roads round here.
 
TopBanana said:
@scorpius ouch! Sorry to hear about your accident, that sort of thing happening often worries me with all the crap that the tractors leave on the roads round here.
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Thanks for the good wishes guys. Have to be at the hospital for 08:00 tomorrow for an operation to fix it [emoji32]
 
Best wishes Alistair! These thing pass, and hope you get back on your bike soon.
 
badlywornroy said:
Hard day on Zwift. Had to wait until after my 70th birthday to get up Box Hill in under 10 mins. I think if I learn to pace myself better I can beat that ?

Also went up Fox Hill today (almost identical climb) , but my tank was a little deleted and it took me 11min 13sec.

N;B I 'hacked' the course so was riding London virtually on my own so discount the jersey wins.
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Nice one, good climbing and nice motivation. A jersey win is still a win - you can only beat what's in front of you, and you still took it from the others who were there :)
 
Bone in thumb realigned, wired together and cast put on on Saturday. So no cycling, driving or photography for 6 weeks or so. Bit difficult to hold a camera when the index finger of your dominant hand can only touch the base of your thumb due to the cast.

You don't think about all the things you use your thumb for until you can't
 
scorpius said:
Bone in thumb realigned, wired together and cast put on on Saturday. So no cycling, driving or photography for 6 weeks or so. Bit difficult to hold a camera when the index finger of your dominant hand can only touch the base of your thumb due to the cast.

You don't think about all the things you use your thumb for until you can't
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ouch, get well soon :/
 
scorpius said:
Bone in thumb realigned, wired together and cast put on on Saturday. So no cycling, driving or photography for 6 weeks or so. Bit difficult to hold a camera when the index finger of your dominant hand can only touch the base of your thumb due to the cast.

You don't think about all the things you use your thumb for until you can't
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Wish you the best for recovery. I did my scaphoid a few years ago and was off the bike for about three months. That was what prompted me to get an indoor trainer, and I 'emerged' in the best shape of my life just in time for summer. Anything possible :)
 
Still pushing myself on ZWift trying to improve my PR's after turning 70.

Good couple of days, been trying to get the 700watt Sprinters achievement for a while but couldn't get past about 650w. Was trying on the flat sprints, So I decided to try something different and finally hit 712 watts on the 15% incline coming out of the underground in London.

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Next day I tried Box Hill, previous best 9.54 mins set a couple of weeks ago. Well I smashed it 9.03 mins ! I am trying to remember what I had for breakfast that morning :)



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Apologies for the 'boastful' theme but sometimes you just need to share eh ?
 
Nice going! Looking on Strava, that puts you 77th out of 470 in the 65+ category. which is mighty impressive (well into the top 20% of people who were motivated enough to ride on Zwift & Strava - which means likely top 1% of the general population!).

Nice riding. Now, what did you have for breakfast...? Was there a jiffy bag and Team Sky involved? :)
 
Thanks Moadib, I don't use Strava, I really only compete against myself so don't see the point.
I am under no illusions about where I stand among 'older' riders. I didn't get my 1st road bike until I was 65 so just a learner.
Breakfast ? A huge bowl of porridge most mornings, yes out of a bowl not a jiffy bag. :)
 
Swift looks so much fun. My next cycling purchase of size might have to be a smart trainer so I can swift through the winter.

All cycling money has been spent for this year already :(
 
digitalfailure said:
Swift looks so much fun. My next cycling purchase of size might have to be a smart trainer so I can swift through the winter.

All cycling money has been spent for this year already :(
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May I suggest you change your fiscal calendar. Why not start your next financial year from 1st March? :)

Failing that, April seems popular.
 
tdodd said:
May I suggest you change your fiscal calendar. Why not start your next financial year from 1st March? :)

Failing that, April seems popular.
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April Is Majorca cycling time :D

badlywornroy said:
Brian, it is a question of priorities. Sell the washing machine, if that doesn't raise enough cash sell the vacuum cleaner. Your wife can hand wash the clothes and use a dustpan and brush for cleaning. . . . Simples. Your wife loves you, she will understand.
Good luck with your upcoming sales and purchase.

Oh by the way, it is Zwift not Swift.
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Aye, stooooopid auto correct changing names again :D

I'm not subject to the rules of wifedom, but a large box coming across the atlantic in the next few weeks might well mean the entire contents of the house is going on eBay :D
 
well - The Spring Classics are all kicking off at the moment - as is a little cycling challenge I run over in a Facebook Group that originated on a diet and fitness website.

The challenge is actually in it's fourth year now, and takes the form of a "league" with points scored by riding your bike on the "event days" - these events tie into the spring classics calendar, and in addition to the points for simply riding and clocking up the km's, there's also "spot prizes" that tie into the "theme" of the race - so, spot prizes of extra points for riding over cobbles at some part for the "Paris Roubaix", or on gravel roads for the "Strade Bianche"... there's also some more heavily "themed" points for certain race events - the Strade Bianche being one of them... As the race was pretty much born out of the "Eroica" event for veteran/vintage bikes, i'm awarding spot prize points if people ride a bike that's as close to "eroica spec" as possible...

just to get people in the mood, I've just posted this picture in the facebook group, see if it gives a bit of motivation to anyone...

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It's actually a couple of years too new to be fully "Eroica Compliant" - circa 1989 for the frame and oily bits, though the chainset's 1987 so ok, as is the seatpost. Wheels are WAY to new, though at least they look the part with Mavic MA3's (the MA2's would have been compliant but - they were terrible rims, made of cheese, and the spoke eyelets pulled out at the first whiff of tension in the spoke...) Bars and Stem are actually re-issue Cinelli Giro d'Italias on a Cinelli 1a 13.5cm stem - mainly because the steering feels noodly as it is compared to modern front-ends, but with 25 year old second (third, fourth, seventeenth??) hand steering components - oh hell no...

Wish it was in the Ti Raleigh Race colours though... though, by 1989 the classic Raleigh Team was no more, it'd ceased to be by 1985 (as Raleigh Panasonic iirc) and I think they were bike sponsor to Super-U by then (though I'm pretty sure that Fignon wasn't actually riding a Raleigh nmost of the time... Raleigh badged Cyfac if memory serves )
 
tdodd & TopBanana, thanks guys. I'm a little embarrassed by this, :p I'm sure there are many guys my age and older who deserve this more than me. Andrew contacted me from the Zwift Riders Group and asked if he could write this.
 
Yup, it's a project one Madone 9

There's not a spec of dirt on it...... mind you, theres no pedals on it either :D

I bought a new power meter for it instead of swapping the crank off my Domane, it was dead on arrival though so still waiting for the replacement to arrive. Can't be bothered with putting a crank on and off for the sake of a few more days so it's living in my lounge :)
 
Ah, that review is a bells an whistles build, sadly I'm not a sponsored rider so didn't get the H1 fit, dura ace or the Aeolus wheels. So much cheaper......oh, I also have a really good shop giving a generous discount. :)
 
Right chaps, I am looking for a new bike! Ideally around £1000, light as poss and best value for money (obviously). There are so many to choose from so any thoughts on the following....

BTwin Ultra 720AF - Ally frame, full Ultegra, Mavic Cosmic wheels
Ribble R872 - full carbon, 105 group, fulcrum racing sport wheels
PlanetX Maratona - full carbon, 105 group, Shimano RS010 wheels

Anything else? Anyone got any better ideas? Anyone owned or ridden any of these?

Thanks all :)
 
I've got a Planet X Pro Carbon Ultegra and a Planet X RT-58 alloy Rival 22. Both are great value for money (at the price I paid) and good bikes. Recommended.

I also have a Rose Xeon CDX Ultegra Di2 at 3X and 5X the price respectively. It's nice, but the other two run it close for comfort and performance. There is a big premium for Di2 and hydraulic brakes with a decent wheelset.

I have no experience of Ribble, but club members seem to like them. One of our fastest riders uses an R872.
 
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Cheers Tim, any views on the BTwin? It seems a lot of bike for the money and I can go and actually sit on it and test it which is a plus.

BTW, how are you feeling after your crash?
 
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