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Category Archives: Kit and Clothing
Posted by admin on August 25, 2009 – 9:15 pm
Posted on the forums by Bigboy
Visit this forum thread.
Hi,
Just got back from my first ride in about 10 years.
Me and my son did a ride along the canal from Chorley to Wigan and round Haigh Hall so probably around 15 miles in all and I couldnt believe how bumpy tow paths are. My bike is a Claud Butler Cape Wrath hard tail and coming back my bum bones were in aboslute agony  and my hands and fingers were numb
I don’t have any padded shorts yet but do they make so much difference?
Are one brand usually better/more padded than any other? My local bike shop is selling some for £20 but I don’t know what make they are, and when I went in last week they didn’t seem to be bothered with me as I wasnt spending fortunes, I just got “Yea, they’re cheap ones!!!” and he walked away 
What can I do about the numbness in my hands/fingers or will it get better the more I ride?
I’m starting to ride again as I’ve always been overweight but recently lost quite a lot and want to get fitter and do a bit to help the weight loss keep happening. I’m still 18st, but was well over 26 1/2 last year and I’m still really unfit, but I gotta start somewhere. 
Thanks,
Martin
Posted by barq on February 11, 2009 – 6:48 pm
Busy lives + bad weather + winter illnesses = not much cycling. Well that’s certainly true for me. As a mountain biker I’m used to mud, but once it reaches a certain depth (somewhere around the axles) progress becomes painfully slow. Afterwards, time spent cleaning up the bike becomes excessive for a half-hour evening blast.
On paper a turbo trainer should be the perfect answer. And to be fair my cheap-but-not-too-cheap Cycle-Ops Magneto seemed perfectly well made and rides better than I expected. However I soon remembered that what motivates so many rides is the terrain: the steep climbs, the fast flat runs and the feeling of freedom. Being able to escape – being somewhere that isn’t my home or office – is part of the reason for riding. I cycle to get up real hills, not imagined ones.
I tried to bring out my inner gym bunny and set myself a routine which was moderately successful. Whilst I didn’t take to the training DVD packaged with the turbo trainer, I set up my laptop nearby and watched films and the BBC iPlayer. TV programmes became my training routine and I developed my own pace – warming up through the news, then sprinting through stages of Masterchef.
What it still lacked was a sense of having been somewhere or done something. You certainly get sweaty, especially without the howling wind cooling breeze, but it didn’t deliver achievement. The partial solution came from my heart rate monitor which gives some measure of effort. So at least now I can motivate myself to push just a little harder.
If you buy a turbo trainer remember that the biggest problem may be motivation, so you need to be creative to keep training!
Topeak describe the DryBag thusly:-
The Pannier DryBag features a fully seam sealed 300 denier and 600 denier polyester construction with a roll top closure for maximum protection from the elements. The Topeak quick release Hook and Lock system attaches the pannier securely and makes installation and removal a snap.
The bags look sturdy, and can easily carry a great deal of kit. But looks aren’t everything, and I found them to be surprisingly fragile.
Firstly, the front strap runs underneath a small lip of plastic with the Topeak logo on it. Almost the first time the bag was tightened, this lip tore off. It’s difficult to suggest that this was purely down to manhandling, as panniers need to be fairly robust to survive on the road. That said, this is just an aesthetic issue, and didn’t really affect performance in any way.
Similarly, the bags are mounted on a plastic board, seemingly by a simple bolt and washer setup. At one point during the ride, a particular gap on the route was quite tight (this was a restrictive entry barrier onto a bridleway to prevent motorcyclists – cyclists were explicitly allowed according to the signage), and boths panniers were caught on obstructions. This was enough to partially tear one bag away from the rear boarding. The force placed against the bag is probably excessive when compared to everyday use, for let’s say commuting, but did highlight that the bags are a little weaker than they appear to be, and not robust enough for serious touring.
On more positive notes, the bags kept everything nice and dry throughout the trip, though we didn’t attempt a “bucket test.” They fitted quickly and easily to the rack. The bags are also a reasonable value for the size, ease of attachment and versatility. The reflective strips are large and were a great boon for making one’s self visible at night.
Lowest UK Price I could find: Chain Reaction Cycles
Day Two (Saturday)
Distance: 55 Miles (Fordingbridge to Swanage)
Top Speed: 26.4mph
Early morning Saturday was gorgeous. Being an early riser, I left David snoring away, and had a wander around, and a chat with Tom, the campsite owner.
We had breakfast (rubbish croissants and ham) and left about 9.30. This was to be the real test of me and my bike. My assumption was about 38.3 miles – the stats at the top of this post make it clear just how wrong I was.
Until now, a “long ride” for me was just a little further than my commute. My ride to work is just under 12 miles, to my parents about 14 total. I thought that about 45 was my upper limit, especially with the weight that was being carried. I cannot recommend highly enough to those considering touring to do as much training in advance as possible. I thought I was prepared, but I most certainly wasn’t.
I discovered that I needed refuelling a lot as well. I had packed a number of Mars bars ready for when I bonked out. Actually, I could have done with more than this, and more water too. David had not attached a water bottle holder to his bike, so I was left carrying two. I like to think that I would have lasted a little longer than I did before resorting to pushing the bike up those final steep hills if I could have made more use of the liquid without having to share it around… but I’m possibly kidding myself.
Topeak suggest that the MTX Beam Rack is “Great for touring with full suspension” but I have to disagree. My bike is a GT Avalanche 2.0, and does not have the eyelets on the frame for a standard pannier rack. I am reliably advised that this is because the bike has disc brakes. About a year or so ago I plumped for this, assuming that I would be using the bike mostly for commuting, and by and large it does do the job. What I noticed over the weekend however was that, without fixings to the side, the rack had a tendancy to wobble, especially with the side bags on. This occasionally resulted in the rack rubbing against the rear tyre, or simply the momentum causing something of a hindrance when riding up a particularly steep hill. A much more civilised solution would have been the P Clip as recommended. I think I will investigate this now.
I also regret keeping my Bontrager Comfort tyres on for the ride. Whilst these have been perfectly fine for road use, and occasional gravel, I found that they had no traction on very wet surfaces, such as mud. Sandy ground was a similarly hard experience. I’ll hold my hands up to say this is my fault for not following Rule Three of touring and being fully aware of the projected route, but it did make things slightly tougher. In retrospect, I think I would have preferred to have left the knobbly tyres on even for the road sections for the extra grip I would have gained off road.
The campsite in Swanage, part of the Shorefield group, I found to be slightly disappointing. In truth, the facilities that it had on offer were no less than Tom’s Field, and in fact much better. However, it is a much larger site, built onto a very steep hill with only one shower/toilet block at the very bottom. Naturally we were placed at the very top, though beneficially in a quiet patch to ourselves as cars could not reach our little oasis of calm. For the price, however, I had expected a few more on-site amenities.
Swanage itself was very pleasant. Taking Sunday off as a day of rest, we spent it instead walking around the coast tiring out the other muscle groups, leaving Monday for the route home…
I’ve never toured on a bike before. As this is posted, I’ll be setting off to find out what it’s like. Over the next couple of posts in this series, I’ll be feeding back my maiden voyage experiences, what goes wrong, what goes right, and I would love to have a few comments from you guys too; your recommendations and tips would undoubedtly help to improve our next sojourn. The point of this series is to prove – or disprove – that anyone can take a cycling holiday.
The intended route will be something like this, however there will be a certain amount of making it up as we go along. The first day will just be a gentle introduction, about fifteen miles from Romsey in Hampshire, to Fordingbridge where we will be setting up camp in Tom’s Field. From there, we will be moving on to Swanage and Shorefield campsite. Sunday will be a day of rest, naturally, and we will potter about down to Lulworth Cove, Corfe Castle, and just generally soak up the non-existant sunshine. Monday will see the return leg.
It’s by no means a harsh beginning, but it will be interesting to see how the bikes hold up (and us too). I’m riding a fairly knackered GT Avalanche 2.0, with a Topeak Beam Rack. I’m keen to find out exactly what will fit into the pannier bags and what we are forced to leave behind. My cycling partner, David, is going to be encumbered with the bulky stuff since he is riding a somewhat more sensible steed which can hold a reasonable rack. I, on the other hand, will be holding the heavy but small bits and bobs, which oddly enough seems to include anything flammable. I’m not even convinced that my sleeping bag will fit – the roll mats are restricted to being bungeed to the top.
Since the route we are taking is largely near towns and cities, we are eschewing any unnecessary weight. Out go any foodstuffs except sugar-replenishers and water. Camping equipment too is going to be kept at a minimum, one small stove, and one emergency backup. Wash-kit and clothing will likewise be the bare-essentials. There’s no sticking to Bigtallfatbloke’s list here. This will probably be my downfall.
Pt. 2 follows here… Will I be home, tail between legs, or exhausted but chuffed?
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