Two daft twats riding Coast2Coast

I strava my rides while I can, the group rides I run are normally between 30 and 40 miles. Riding a 60 miler on Sunday if the weather allows it.

Hippy, may have those panniers off you depending on what money I've got left after present shopping for christmas.

Gearing wise, I have 48/16, but I'm considering at 17 on the other side of the hub if I need to take things easy, or run a freewheel on it.

I went across Spain fixed this summer, I would have paid a lot of money to someone for a free wheel for one or two days... A freewheel can be a get out of jail free card if your knee's pack up...

Gearing wise, I have 48/16, but I'm considering at 17 on the other side of the hub if I need to take things easy, or run a freewheel on it.

48/16 is a fairly big gearing, the popular ratio is usually 67GI, which is 48/19.

To put it in perspective, I tour with 48/20.

Was fine in Spain, France, England, etc.

I'll have a look for any cheap 20/19t sprockets going, and pick them up to try!

While looking at the prices of staying in B&B's, I'm definately considering doing Blackpool to Easington, via Manchester (Can stay in my own house) Leeds (Can find someone to put us up for a night) and Hull (May have to pay for this night) and over to Easington on the next day. Is this a route done by many people?

Huge gear is huge! If you run a flip-flop hub you'll be able to have a fixed sprocket on one side to start with, and a freewheel on the other for when you're sitting in a pub garden halfway through the second day regretting your life choices. If your bike doesn't have that already then you'd need to buy/borrow one that does, though. I'd let you borrow mine but if you're in Manchester that's maybe not completely practical.

I'll have a look for any cheap 20/19t sprockets going, and pick them up to try!

While looking at the prices of staying in B&B's, I'm definately considering doing Blackpool to Easington, via Manchester (Can stay in my own house) Leeds (Can find someone to put us up for a night) and Hull (May have to pay for this night) and over to Easington on the next day. Is this a route done by many people?

Google maps gives me a rough idea that manchester to leeds would be 50 miles roughly, plan some weekends heading out to leeds one day and back the next for 100 miles. Have a friend with a car ready to drive out and get you if you fall short or anything, maybe plan lunch with them somewhere on route so someone not "in the zone" can tell you if you are off colour, heavy breathing or anything weird that shouldn't be. Would seem like an ideal training route and staying with friends will keep the cost down to food+drink+friends petrol+lunch.

Lots of places seem to be selling these high5 drink things cheap with bottles, I ordered some myself as felt like a new bottle but they could taste rank.

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/BOH5BOWFZT/high-5-bottle-with-free-zero-tube

Looking forward to seeing the distances/stats you recover from the weekend ride on strava.

Am I the only one insterested in the salted nuts in Skully's pocket?

Fuck that's funny.

"it doesn’t appear that nutrition has much at all to do with localised muscle cramps during exercise"

http://cyclingtips.com.au/2011/06/nutrition-and-muscle-cramps-%E2%80%93-what-does-the-science-say/

Interesting! How the f do I get over cramp with salt intake? Guess it must be a placebo?

The article did says this;

If you do experience whole body cramps than it may be a sodium loss issue, in which case drinking sports drinks that are higher in sodium and even eating foods higher in sodium (eg. Vegemite on bread) may help to reduce this risk. But for the majority of cyclists that’s not the case.

We had this awesome chart that I checked religiously every time I stop at a controls;

I have a half decent flip flop knocking around, I'll probably use that so I have a freewheel as a back up. I couldn't get on a ride this weekend, all of the lads that I normally ride with had work/other commitments. Saw the Rapha Festive 500 yesterday on Strava, and I've signed myself up for it. Looking forward to getting the badge.. hopefully. Going to order some of those Zero things, I'll post my opinion when they arrive.