Search results for:

Maybe me...

Visit the site once in a blue moon, but knew Elguapo from my time in London and West beers. Sad, sad news. My condolences to family and friends.

Alex

Thinking of buying a London Langster, what do you think?

Ha ha - can't believe that I started this at the age of 38 and now a 52 year old....

Off to bed now - that's the difference between then and now! God, I'm old...

Ha fucking ha! Anyone on here selling a London Langster?

Evening all - anyone else had the longest hiatus from cycling? I moved from the London burbs over five years ago and had already fallen out of love with cycling and yet...

Here I am again, in the Midlands, with a 3 year old, having turned 50 and with a renewed love of cycling. Thanks to Type 2 diabetes, I am also faster, thinner and stronger (although older and more likely to piss myself). Oh and if any of you newcomers (anyone on the forum who has been here less than 10 years), you can f*ck off in telling me I'm on the wrong thread or my post is a duplication etc...

Not here that often anymore, so just leaving a candle to say that your not forgotten.

Nobody would have missed me, but been away a while and thought an inconspicuous post here might spur me to be more sociable...

I can't believe this sad news. Wayne was always a true gentleman, generous in spirit and warmth in wit. Condolences to friends and family.

Unfortunately, I'm not artistic enough, but I've just read that with a projectcand 10,000 signatures you can get Lego to design a set. What about Lego Tour de France or Paris Roubaix. Surely the forum can make this happen... https://ideas.lego.com

What child wouldn't want a selection of these?

http://www.echappee-infernale.com/index.htm

I can see a secret collection being started. Not as nice as the metal ones but still.

Anyone doing one of these, what's your impression, does it help your career?

Currently signed up to a University of Edinburgh Philosophy course - although maybe it's all a deception. Did Philosophy at uni, so this is a refresher and an attempt to convince my students that these are a good thing to do.

Comments please...

Very sad news. A stylish man with beautiful bikes. Only met him a few occasions (purchased a 531 T shirt from him, which I still have) but a true gentleman is the impression that I had.

Bollocks - attention fail. Please move to Bikes and Bits!

Have you got a Pinarello? Put it here. Mine is an Asolo, bought off this very same forum (in a bike purchasing frenzy) and sat untouched in my shed for 3 years, before deciding that I really ought to replace the chain, sort out the brakes and repair the rear mech. So almost 3 years to the day, I took it to France and cycled up Mont Ventoux with it. In a nod to Giovanni Battaglin, I kept the triple - or maybe it's because I'm too fat to get up Ventoux without it! It's a beautiful, comfortable ride - although it still needs the wheels to be trued. Nevertheless, it received admiring glances in France and for a maiden ride (ooh err) couldn't be bettered - oh to be back in the Gorges de la Nesque.

Yep BBC or Eurosport...

Now lashing it down in Walton on Thames. Have a good ride all and keep safe!

So here is my little Ventoux tale. Firstly, I am not a climber and so if you want to read about heroics from Bedouin then I'm afraid this is the wrong post. Having arrived in Provence, tackling Ventoux was an ambition. A quick scout on the Sunday (I arrived Saturday) demonstrated to me what a ferocious beast the mountain is - and this was on a day that the weather was good. Kayaking with a Dutch couple on the Tuesday revealed that they had been there on the Saturday and had watched cyclist being blown from one side of the road to the other, and were it not for a momentary gap in the clouds, hadn't realised they were next to the weather station on top!

Before embarking on this adventure I thought I'd put in a couple of preparatory runs. A ride to Gordes on a hot day left me taking a drink, adjusting the brakes and feigning mechanical difficulties just to avoid the ignominy of having to stop in the same place as an elderly cyclo-tourist who was having an equally tough time climbing a hill. I knew I wasn't in the best of shapes, but this was a real worry if I wanted to climb Ventoux.

Two days later and I repeated the run, but this time had set my ambition to get as far as Sault. Starting earlier and in less oppressive heat, I paced myself and found the climbing if not enjoyable, certainly tolerable. I arrived in Sault feeling good and continued on the road through the Gorge de la Nesque. The route was exceptionally beautiful and although the maximum height was 'only' 800 metres or so, it gave me a real sense of what it is to cycle up something akin to a 'real' climb. Arriving back in Sorgue I was elated and being of a fairer disposition - sunburned!

During my stay the BBC weather app had proved to be reasonably reliable and a week after arriving, it showed that on the Monday the weather would be less hot and windy than in previous days. Moreover, the days that followed would be as hot and windier. So Monday was established as being D-Day. The problem was that on the Sunday, a trip to Arles and a tourist hating restaurant had given both my wife and I dodgy stomachs. Waking up on Monday and a few visits to the campsites toilet blocks later, my big adventure was very much in jeopardy. A combo of Orangina, water, Coke and a ham sandwich settled my stomach a little. However, the preparation left a lot to be desired...

So why the ascent from Sault? Well, as mentioned I'm no climber and both Bedouin and Malaucene ascents seemed beyond me, having had no experience of climbs such as this before. The route from Sault is a little strange, as the climbybike website calculates it from the centre of the village. This is a little misleading, as you immediately descend. It would be more accurate to measure the climb from the bottom of this descent, which in real terms probably makes the actual ascent 2km shorter and 120 metres or so higher. This is where I left from, and almost immediately found myself short of breath. I can only think that the idea of cycling up Ventoux had created an almost over anxious state, and within 5 minutes I thought of giving up. I stopped twice in 10 minutes to regain my breath and to focus on the climb. This did the trick and I felt composed enough to continue without reaching this state again. I would like to say that I recall the next 20km's in detail, but I don't (with one or two exceptions). Having suffered from diarrhoea earlier in the day, I stopped on three of four occasions to take a drink and to consume a delightfully flavoured Decathlon energy gel. I didn't necessarily feel the need to stop, but felt that a couple of minutes recuperation would be beneficial. On one occasion I came to a corner (the picture is attached (I hope)) and I suddenly realised that I could hear nothing aside from my breathing. It seemed, at that moment, to be the most tranquil place on earth. The silence was only broken by another cyclist rounding the corner a few moments later. I eventually arrived at Chalet Reynard, but not before the weather had changed markedly. For the majority of the ride, I had climbed in a light breeze and low cloud. By now the wind had picked up and darker clouds scudded over the treeline above me. At Chalet Reynard the rain fell and the wind left me wondering if I should continue. It was at this point that I saw the cyclist who had passed me earlier. He continued his journey and a couple of minutes later I followed. Rounding the corner from the Chalet and I could see him ahead of me, although he looked knackered by then. This was hardly surprising; it was cold, wet and if not blowing a gale, getting close to it. A few minutes later he returned in the opposite direction and I assumed that he had reached the summit. I now realise that he hadn't (the time simply wasn't enough), and had simply turned around. With 4km to go, so did my legs! I now had to face the fact that a ham sandwich and two energy gels wasn't going to see me to the top, especially in the changeable conditions - a mixture of walking and cycling ensued. At Tom Simpson's memorial I stopped and left a bottle. It was a strangely emotional moment, especially to see the little dedication from his daughters. It was a very public death, in an environment that remains essentially lonely for the majority of the year, and for that matter was extremely poignant. And then I arrived at the summit, no fanfare, no photographers plying their trade, no sweet sellers and denuded of the tourists that were there a few days previously. Me, my bike and four other like minded cyclists. A photograph or two and the descent...

First post on the new fangled forum! In Provence last week so thought it impertinent not to get my fat backside up Mont Ventoux. However, this was from Sault (Venoux lite as it's been called). Nevertheless, an achievement for someone with a commute that boasts Chiswick Bridge as the highest point on the route!

Living in sunny Rugby, where not much goes on. Work in Bedworth (where not much goes on as well - but what does is possibly illegal and most definitely immoral. Ride at times a Bob Jackson, Union, Planet X, Concorde Astore (two of them) and a Pinarello. Have a Merckx lined up as well. Some reduction in bikes is possibly necessary...

So a minor update in this slowly does it project. A trip to Ripley Cycle Jumble enabled me to make two purchases. Unfortunately, this did not include a rear mech, but that is a payday purchase if ever there was one. Campyoldy did have a NOS C Record 1st gen on display, but £300 was a little rich for me.

So we have pedals - I didn't want to go the toeclip and strap route, and by 86/87 clipless pedals were slowly becoming the norm thanks to Mr Hinault/Mr Lemond. I saw a couple of period correct Looks, but instead, found the magnificent Campagnolo SGRs. Perfect! These are true bad boys. As we all know, C Record appears to be a combination of aesthetic perfection and technological folly. Brakes that don't brake (discuss) - you can have them. Gear indexing that doesn't index - you're welcome. So for £15 I now have a pair of clipless pedals that weigh 630g a pair, and have the distinction of preventing you from clipping in or out should anything larger than a grain of sand land on the cleats. They are so heavy that the wife told me off for putting them on the glass surface of a garden table, lest it break!

In another news, £10 saw me the owner of some Synchro 2 levers. Should I want to swap the non-working Synchro 1 system for the next non-working generation.

Lolo you're right - granite, water, bicycles and the human body are not compatible. I fell off in 2012 and destroyed a front wheel, injuring my elbow and hip. The bruising was spectacular! It would have been nice to say hello. I did meet some Twickenham CC riders and spoke to a Medway Velo rider at the 140km mark, who was walking on a pave section and said that he was no longer "playing the game".

The Paris-Roubaix cyclo. An interesting ride for various reasons, which led to the conclusion this should be my third and final venture to this event. I should hasten to add that this isn't because it isn't wonderfully organised, but simply that pave is not my forte. Having crashed last time around, my nerve has gone - not least because my hip still seems to give me a slight bit of discomfort. It's a ride of a different era, highlighted by the entry into Mons en Pevele and a field with 6 neatly arranged stakes each with a dead crow at the top of them...

So this has been a slow burner... Having gathered some parts together, financial considerations put a stop to the momentum that it once had (at least it had in my head).

Firstly, I can't afford to have it refinished. I wouldn't want to estimate the cost, but I suspect with decals etc it would be upwards of £300. There is also the argument that it should be left as is. As mentioned before, the seller indicated that it was a team frameset, so any 'battle scars' are part of its heritage. Having looked at cadre.org, the frame is what it is - an 86/87 Corsa Extra, I guess the only unusual feature is the race number hanger. So with no new paintwork happening, the fine grade paper and nail polish has come out this afternoon. Once I've secured a 7mm allen key, a trip to Halfords and some Waxoyl might also be purchased, just to be on the safe side.

On the component front, I will be looking for a 2nd gen C Record rear mech, but getting slightly nervous about what this might cost. The bike came with 1st gen synchros, so thinking I might have to go down the Simplex Retrofriction route.

I also now have a wheelset. Having missed out on a couple of cheapish C Record hubbed wheels, I managed to secure a pair of Mavic SSC/Mavic 501s.