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"Rapha rides are roadbike only"

well.. my bike is a road bike, (as opposed to a track bike, a mountain bike, etc.) it's just only got one gear.. It just seems a bit odd having more requirements on people's equipment than road-worthyness, can't really see a justification for it but then I'm not the kind of guy who'd go on a Rapha ride to start with so horses for courses I suppose.

Can I have an "I brake for cake" sticker??

Having only ridden geared one or two times within memory, a tip I find really useful is for the front ring, small if you're going up hill, big if you're going downhill (and if you're doing neither then lucky you and make the best of it!). Then the back should kind of take care of itself.

If you're still locking up in the same bike cage I'll pop it on your handlebars next time I remember

Thanks buddy!

Ahhh that would be amazing :) Much appreciated!

I've just had a cursory glance through this thread and no-one seems to have mentioned this, so it seems not as common a problem as I would imagine, but: I have a Brooks B15 (Swallow) and a Pendle; sometimes I load it up fairly heavily (locks, water etc.), but not usually, and obviously there's a limit to how heavy it could get, but, the straps attaching the saddlebag to the saddle are just getting torn to fuck; the straps are hanging from the corners of the attachment points on the saddle rather than the centre, and the uneven pressure is just ripping the straps to bits. Basically what seems to be the problem is the holes on the saddlebag where the straps go through are further apart than the ones on the saddle -- but they are supposed to be designed for each other and so you would expect them to be the same. Have I just got an odd saddle? Is this something that's a problem with the B15 but not other Brookses? Am I doing something else wrong? It's just this is a problem that I've never heard anyone else comment on with owning a Carradice -- I get the impression that people just attach them once and then 40 years later they're still going strong, but I've had to swap one strap already and another one is on its way out (and I don't have another spare to swap it for!)

Unhelpful non-sale related comment -- what is the deal with everyone wearing Madison Genesis kit?? Is there something I don't know about?

Just stuck Frank Schleck in my KOM team, for lols.

Top 40 in the lfgss league! Boom!

Good pick, I think that stage 5 win surprised a lot of people

The chap that used to run it, Tony, has organised one near Jackson's boat @ The Bike Barn on 20th July[URL="http://www.campyoldy.co.uk/events.htm"][/URL]

Reminder this is tomorrow, hope the weather's good

My old ones were Oval 'underslung', s-bends which I liked.

Omg could I have these off you?? I really want to get some and they don't do them any more (or anyone does anything similar, that I can find)

I suppose this is the place to share my ride today - I went to see the TdF stage 2 on Sunday at Midhopestones with my dad, we drove out from Manchester over Snake Pass then back (after getting embroiled in the most absurd traffic jam I've ever been in) - anyway, as you do, as we were going over Snake Pass I was thinking "Hmm, could I do this on the bike"? Now with today apparently being the last day of nice weather before it turns, I thought I'd make the most of my chance and give it a go, and it turns out the answer is yes! Just rode out from Manchester, up and down the other side, then turned round and came back! Some very sketchy blustery winds at times and a pretty strong headwind on the (downhill) run into Manchester, which was actually quite appreciated being on fixed so was enough for me to push on without spinning out. I felt east-to-west was steeper (maybe because I did it second?!) but my internet mapping thing tells me it's the other way round? Anyway, lovely weather, lovely scenery and I now feel very pleased to know I can make it over one of the more notable hilly bits around these parts (though I'm sure there are many climbs that would be worse!)

Any coming back the other way??

O ok yeah it was you..

Apologies for clogging up the time trial thread with all this power readings talk

Wasn't you per se but it got a bit ridiculous back there...

http://thespokes.wordpress.com/north-west-velo-fest-2/

Ha. I saw this earlier in the day without sound - it seemed a lot more dramatic that way, but with sound I think it's funnier. A great comment from below that article - "You can tell a Yorkshireman, but you can't tell him much"!

One thing I learned riding back from Bristol about this time last year - as soon as you feel too hot, stop & take off whatever layers you have on. It's much worse to carry on & you'll be chasing your hydration levels or just plain run out of water. Also I guess as far as taking too much with you - don't take more than you can take off/put in a saddlebag!

That said, it's these experiences - as Ed says, you finished! - that are probably the more character-& experience-building. (p.s. on the aformentioned ride back from Bristol I got off in Stoke-on-Trent and got the train back!)

H25/1 is underrated, Nik E has gone sub 20:00 on the 10 course and the bit that's in the 25 but not the 10 is the better part of the course.

He's done that on the H10/1 too and that's a faster 25 than it is 10.

Err so someone has ridden under 20 minutes on BOTH the 10 course of the H25/1, and the H10/1, and coincidentally, not only is the bit of the H25/1 that's not in the 10 the faster part, but the 25 course of the H10/1 is a faster 25 than it is a 10?

Sounds almost like they're the same thing now, doesn't it..

Also seconding Phil and Paul over Carlton Kirby any day of the week. Clearly a student of the Hugh Porter "try to convincingly act like you've never seen a bicycle race before in your life" school of commentary, but at least Porter doesn't pretend to know what's going on.

I think having a reasonably accurate distance to go is pretty much a fundamental cornerstone of any TV cycling graphics.. It's not great when you see a rider go past e.g. a 3km to go sign and the graphic still says 5.6 or something.

i.e. for better stopping you want MORE lever travel for LESS brake travel = mechanical advantage. V-brake levers do the opposite, i.e. more brake travel for less lever travel.

Yeah I was thinking it would work the other way round; I've checked Sheldon & here's what he has to say: (Direct-pull = V-brake-type)

Brake Levers for Direct-pull Cantilevers

              Direct-pull cantilevers have double the [mechanical advantage](http://sheldonbrown.com/cantilever-geometry.html#mechanical)  compared with traditional brakes, so they require special brake levers.  Direct-pull brake levers pull the cable twice as far, half as hard. The  lower mechanical advantage of the lever compensates for the higher  mechanical advantage. of the cantilever. It is not generally safe to mix  and match levers/cables between direct-pull and other types for this  reason.                 

[]Conventional brake levers used with direct-pull cantilevers will usually not pull enough cable to stop in wet conditions without bottoming out against the handlebars. In dry conditions, they either won't work, or will grab too suddenly.
[]Direct-pull brake levers used with any other type of brakes will feel nice and solid when you squeeze them, but due to their lower mechanical advantage you'll need to squeeze twice as hard to stop as you should, so unless you are a lightweight rider with gorilla-like paws, this combination isn't safe either.

I'm guessing what they mean is that the current hour record is the best historical performance acheived on a bike which meets the current (i.e. new this week) regulations, but we're still in a mess, because some of those 50km+ efforts in the 1990s might be legal - without getting a tape measure out, it's hard to see how Rominger's record bike isn't UCI legal under the current regulations, and therefore a valid hour record.

I think they contradict themselves within the paragraph in question, and what they "really mean" is your second interpretation quoted above; further I guess perhaps they're only awarding the record to attempts that they know (through whatever records they have available) were on current-legal bikes. Tho obvs as always, anyone's guess is as good as anyone else's, and the UCI's decision remains final, no matter how inexplicable.

Brakeless no foot retention with brown brooks & brown bar tape locked outside Phillpots cafe, Portland St.

I saw that one too! World's slackest chain! Even slacker than mine!

The uncared-for look really contrasted with the obviously carefully chosen saddle & bartape..