Search results for:

48x19, downhill thats about as fast as my little legs can go. That descent from the top of Wrotham Hill down to the M20 Roundabout is a bit hairy fixed innit!

Nah, I don't lift feet off the pedals, I just go like the clappers, I can go fast but only over a shorter a period, there's a monster hill near Bluewater that I've bomb down for practise.

After Scobswell's speedster sessions up in London last weekend I thought I'd take him out of his usual environs and expose him to the delights of the countryside today.

We did the 'Figaro', it a figure-o'-8 shaped ride that I've never done fixed before let alone on Scobwell. It was bloomin' hard work but we did it. Way hillier than I'm used to...

Departed: May 21, '17, 11:06AM
Starts in: Dartford, England, GB
Distance: 55.2 mi
Elevation: + 4680 / - 4819 ft
Max Grade
25.6 %
Avg. Grade
0.4 %
VAM 725 Vm/h
Ascent time 01:58:07
Descent time 01:44:41
Total Duration: 05:13:14
Moving Time: 03:42:48
Stopped Time: 01:30:26
Max Speed: 32.6 mph
Avg. Speed: 14.9 mph
Pace: 00:05:40
Moving Pace: 00:04:02

Look at the pointy bits, boy oh boy do I feel unfit going up hills!

...but the views are nice when you've done one...

Scobs was great though, have I mentioned this before? :)

Ta! But you under-estimate my love of food and ale, I'll always be a FOMOAF!

Hmmm, 100miles in a day, I dunno, stop giving me ideas you velo-bullies!!! :) I don't think its on the cards for a while yet TBH, most I've ever done in a day is 74 miles on the SS Carreraererereerrrrra skip-save bike. 100 on Scob's fixed might keel me over.

OOOooo! Ta AndyP, that stretch was lovely and deserted (for a change) so I applied extra 'whahey' on that ride, I did it here on this section too an the same thing happened! :)

Things I have learned this weekend.

1) A 21.1mm stem from your partners old bike may well fit but it'll loosen off.
2) A 22.2mm stem is the correct size.
3) Fitting the correct diameter stem with a lightly shorter reach (60mm) works bloomin' wonders.

Observez Vous....

Saturday, 47.91 mile 'test ride'...

"I wonder if I'm going as fast as I think I am...."

Sleeps soundly for the night.

Sunday, "just popping out for another test ride dearest...."

56.49 miles later...

So, 56.49 + 47.91 = 104.4 miles in total this weekend, whahey! My first ever 'weekend-100-mile total fixed gear ride, cheers LFGSS :)

Ta TvH, having a friend that had 3 rivet setting tools made the job a bit easier. A hammer and vice also but I had those already.

Ziggy got 5 years ("thats all we've got").

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoy the reading. I very much enjoy the riding and the learning and the fettling.

Scobswell made a new chum this weekend.

I took a work-mate (not the Black and Decker type) out for a smaller London Loop ride on Saturday, he's an experienced road and track runner and he's ran three London Marathons so pretty fit but he really fancies riding a bike now as his knees and feet are beginning to suffer from years of running.

I offered to take him out on a loop. We did this...

He did good seeing as he committed to riding it on his only bike which he hadn't ridden in years, an early 90's hefty great solid 'mounting bike' (sic) with perished knobbly tyres and he insisted on doing the whole route in '15th' gear all the way except for the hill in Dartford where he was totally knackered and had to give in and gear down to get up the hill, blummen nutter! He said he wanted to see what all the fuss was about riding SS!

In other news I've taught myself how to repair saddles. Scobswell came with a slightly tired and shabby-chic Brooks B17, it needed serious TLC, so I supplied some.

So i drilled out all the rusted and damaged steel rivets...

...and separated the seat leather from the framework, then treated the dried out hide to a rejuvenating drink of pure Neatsfoot oil so the leather might start bending again and hopefully wouldn't split when I re-attached it to the saddle frame with nice new shiny large head Brooks copper rivets...

and lo and behold after a morning of drilling and hammering and buffing....
Phwoooaaarrrr!

...reunited with Scobswell, its a lot more suited to my new super-speedy (ish) riding position as the big ol' B67 is designed for a more upright stance I believe and I could feel the sides of the saddle rubbing against my legs a smidge.

Yey.

ha! The basket on the front of your bike looks like a rubbish bin, ha! (again).

Scobswell did great yesterday too, a 63.5 mile Fixed jaunt to birthday girls house down in Surrey.

He was a Nit(e)-in-Shinning-Armour and saved a damsel in distress along the Thames Path nr Weybridge too whose handlebar clamp had worked loose, Scob's tool kit to the rescue, hurah's!

Scobwell and operative's safe arrival in Surrey in full-team-regalia....

...and some local celebration fluid...

STATS?
Departed: Apr 29, '17, 10:44AM
Starts in: Dartford, England, GB
Distance: 63.5 mi
Elevation: + 2011 / - 1992 ft
Max Grade
11.3 %
Avg. Grade
0.0 %
VAM 248 Vm/h
Ascent time 02:28:04
Descent time 02:14:22
Total Duration: 05:43:45
Moving Time: 04:42:26
Stopped Time: 01:01:19
Max Speed: 28.6 mph
Avg. Speed: 13.5 mph
Pace: 00:05:25
Moving Pace: 00:04:27

"I'm in luv with my new bike" :)

St Georges Day today.

The dragon that needs slayin'...all 50+ miles of it...

Did it Fixed. Fast for me too.

Departed: Apr 23, '17, 10:51AM
Starts in: Dartford, England, GB
Distance: 52.1 mi
Elevation: + 3310 / - 3508 ft
Max Grade
21.8 %
Avg. Grade
-0.2 %
VAM 532 Vm/h
Ascent time 01:53:51
Descent time 01:45:51
Total Duration: 04:37:04
Moving Time: 03:39:42
Stopped Time: 00:57:22
Max Speed: 32.2 mph
Avg. Speed: 14.2 mph
Pace: 00:05:19
Moving Pace: 00:04:13

On Scobswell, he's awethumne have I mentioned this before? :)

Bell for midnight pinging.

Euph?

Should be!

"....Oooo.....thats going to attract the bees isn't it". So says my partner, she knows a lot about bikes.

Me too!

You're very welcome Ed, hope you had a good lunch.

I dunno, thats a good point actually. I dunno, maybe a garden feature or summat?

Hahahaha! Brill, cheers backatcha Russ.

Worry not, and be even less anxious Ed, I'm knocked sideways by the way ScobsWell went today. He's better than the Dawes, I never thought I'd say that but he is.

I'm a super happy chappy.

ScobsWell is doing another big ride soon, he's doing Dartford to Guildford in a few weeks time, one of our kids is just about to turn 30 so I'm going to ride Scob's to her house and take her and her fella out for celebratory dinner.

Got ScobsWell proper sorted today by taking him out on a mega ride today. I'd read about these Q routes, so I did Q1 from beginning to end and back again with a Putney extension on one end and a little loop out to Lewisham then Blackfen on the way back home.

56 miles of adjusting pleasure!

I've noticed that with less forward reach the bars are closer to me, so I lowered the stem and hey Tesco, a very comfortable riding position after a bit of saddle tweakage.

and...

Wrists and shoulders fine, result, hurah's all round. Scob's was faultless (and awethumne).

OK, thanks Simba and Ed, I'll have a look tomorrow before I set off. I'm off out for another London trek hopefully tomorrow.

Get some swept back, high rise bars instead of a fugly short high stem? Like this:

There's bit inside me that thinks that looks great in a 1904 kinda way! :)

Are you bendy at all? Any yoga? Might need to work on the core a bit.

Getting bendier shall we say? :) I do Yoga but I'm short plus I'm no spring chicken and weigh 13st aka. a bit chubby in the mid-section.

Yeah, I admit I had it set very high early on in the ride when I took the piccie, I lowered it a bit further into the ride as I got more used to a lower riding position. The black one doesn't allow for a lot of adjustment which is a pity.