Search results for:

Amazing how these retain value so well. I managed to pick my ultegra one up for £600 pre-Covid. Since upgraded to di2 1x GRX, and carbon wheels. I've had the fork serviced once too by Cannondale.

GLWS

I'd highly recommend this route with for anyone looking to do a 1600km ride. The days planned out well and sleep stops were well positioned with

Start: Inverness
Night 1: Dunnet
Night 2: Ft William
Night 3: Mull of Galloway Area (we stayed in Stoneykirk)
Night 4: Berwick on Tweed
Night 5: Newtonmore
Finish: Inverness

Each day was approx 300 to 320km with the penultimate day being 280 and the final day only 77km (mostly downhill from Slochd).

Having done this LEL seems a lot less daunting next year. The difference I guess will be quality of sleep and showers (bnb/hotel vs sports hall floor).

Love my Slate too, only wish they had slightly more tyre clearance.

It was great.

Something about the super long distance worked well for me, with the lower min speed it allowed a proper nights sleep and felt I could just keep going. In contrast the 1000 last month felt like a constant race against the clock and more of a sprint.

As no LEL this year I went out for a nice perm ride last week.
https://www.strava.com/activities/5827948197

Is it worth taking a decent quality scan of the decals as they're flat on the paper so that if in the future they can't be sourced from CK, repos could be made?

I did this for the last set of Bridgestone Decals I'd managed to get from Grand Bois in Japan at a similar cost

The silver one is a spacer for 10sp cassetes.

The rubber is probably a seal for the freehub body to stop dirt getting into the hub body and bearings, I'd suggest that goes back on.

DT Swiss hubs are weird. They label their hubs opposite front and back.

Fixable with rim brake fronts, by just turning it around, but not on disc hubs. One can always peel and reaffix the stickers I guess.

I remember having one of these. Good memories :) Sadly this is too small and too expensive to scratch that itch again. Plus front tyre clearance required 21mm tyres

My experience with a delux and an igaro D2 is that there is insufficient voltage to charge directly a wahoo bolt... Igaro suggested I should be using the 28 saying that I'd only get 2/3 the power with a delux

Interested in the GOAT. will PM

Given there is no decent powder-coater for bikes in Aberdeen, a lot of folks up here go down to Hendersons. They know which parts to mask etc.

They do wet paint also for a very reasonable price.

Not Glasgow, but if you're willing to drive / train over to Edinburgh Henderson's Metal Finishing is very good. A lot of experience with bikes, good prices, good service and can get the paint or powder in the finish you like.

My friend had her fixed gear done in a copper type sparkle finish.

Sounds like a real mixed bag of reasons from sickness, mechanical, lack of enjoyment or lack of progress.

I'm not sure how many people packed due to not making intermediate control timings. I know orgs can be quick flexible with these if you make the finish. Given how the quickly a lot of folks went from the start I think most of the DNFs were actually riders ahead of us within the first night and day.

We road with Julian on the outbound leg through the Black Downs before he cracked on ahead. He was riding really well and was about the 3rd finisher I believe. Within the first 100km his front brake caliper's spring broke and it wouldn't release off the rim, so he had to rig up some rubber bands to get it working again.

It was good to meet you briefly in the first 5km before you went to chase down Jas and the fast riders. Well done! I had a similar experience where I constantly felt like we were last on the road and had to speed up to catch up with phantom riders ahead, only to then get passed by said phantom riders who were in fact behind as they'd had later starts from the sleep stops.

I riode LLEL too and finished with 2.5 hours in hand. It was a lot more challenging to me than expected and the last day I felt the ever present stress of the time limit.

I had a false sense of confidence after a very smooth going 600 up here in Scotland. The 12.5 AAA points should have been a hint... For me the surprisingly hard hills were the Black Downs between Exeter and Langport, steep and relatively long in comparison to most of the stuff in Devon and Cornwall.

I agree with @honk that the level of traffic and driving in Cornwall on the A roads was diabolical. I pulled over at one point to let the back up of traffic pass and had to wait 5 minutes to get a gap to get going again.

I was shocked by the DNF rate on the ride when finishing. My riding partner Anne and I finished at 10.30 and were mid-pack of a total of only 12 potential finishers out of 33 starters.

A big chapeau to everyone who finished, and especially to Ivan for riding the route fixed.

If I was to do it again I'd not ride as a pair over such a long distance, it introduced a lot of challenges but on the other hand did make the travelodges half the price!

Borders of Belgium - anyone doing this still?

I emailed Rhonny last week to DNS.

The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the whole of Belgium based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks. I don't see travel restrictions getting better given the unlocking coming up and anticipated increase in cases.

A ride to keep on the to do list.

Its the biblical rain from this past weekend that has got me a bit worried!

I've got leg/arm warmers plus insulted gilet packed.

I also carry a super light down jacket in case getting caught out at night in the cold.

Given the 10pm start, the plan is to only ride through the first night with a sleep stop at 420km and then 300km Friday before another travelodge and a 300 to finish on Saturday.

... I live in Cornwall

I understand, LEL also has the same sense for me being North of Edinburgh!

How is the weather down there? Struggling for kit selection for the coming week.

Is anyone else doing the London - Land's End - London 1000 this Wednesday?

My friend Anne and I are down on the sleeper train tomorrow night from Aberdeen.

Unfortunately for now the website has no way of tracking this.

Organisers should track and keep a balance of virtual brevets and should hand these over to the new organiser. Best thing to do is email to check ahead of buying more. In the past I kept forgetting my balance, buying more and built up quite a credit.

Long, hilly, no support, gravel sections, a dash of hikeabike and a sip of whisky at the end. What's not to like: https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/bris­tol-glasgow-bristol-1600/

I'm more than 50% there in convincing myself to do this. Kind of wish it was a Glasgow start... Bristol is a real pain to get to from Aberdeen.

I've found the tiniest smear of normal grease works well too

Could come to Deeside and do the Firmouth and Fungle Routes. Or ride up from Braemar to Derry Lodge and towards the Larig Ghru.