Dales/W Yorks ride, 6th August, 2022. From Settle to Settle OR to Hebden Bridge/Todmorden

[ColinJ]

Not far off two litres then. I had about 1.4 litres all day; half that in the last 50km. I was pretty cool all day though, and it was certainly cooling down considerably when I finished.

It's a body fat thing... When I was slim my fluid requirements were much lower, and when I was obese they were much higher. I did a similar ride to yesterday when I was BIG and this was the result:

I did a 100 km ride on a hot day once. I drank 2.5 litres from the bottles on my bike, plus 2 x 0.5L of Coca Cola off the bike. I ate a sandwich, a piece of cake and a couple of bars of chocolate ...

I got home dehydrated (3 kg net weight loss, and I'm sure that most of that was fluid loss in sweat), and my face covered in so much salt that I literally scraped it off with a knife. Oh, and I suffered painful cramps too!

There were some very good roads in that bit from Addingham round to Gargrave where I'd not been before. In particular, I liked the road from Oakworth to Laneshaw Bridge, across Keighley Moor I think, and the section after that, over an assortment of moors, one of which is indeed Elslack Moor, was very good too.

I am glad that you liked them. You ride in so many wonderful places that I thought you might find those a bit boring!

True, I almost put 'Howarth-ish' on that. Thing is, I know where Haworth is and Oakworth is less recognisable as a landmark place ...

I thought that might be the reason.

 

[StuAff]

Hope you're recovering OK Colin. I ate and drank rather more than that yesterday on a 100 miler to Brighton and back- as you know I'm a scrawny git, and that ride's as flat as it gets round here, but it was hard work thanks to the heat & a crosswind all day (it never felt like a tailwind!). About 2.5l of fluid during the ride, and I definitely wasn't dehydrated

 

[ColinJ]

Hope you're recovering OK Colin.

Thanks. My legs still feel a bit stiff, but that is to be expected.

I still have a mild headache, 26 hours on, and I don't normally suffer from them.

I'm pretty sure that I almost ran out of glycogen. If I hadn't walked a couple of climbs late on I think I would have blown completely. The fact that my power started to come back 45 minutes or so after eating my last cereal bar and finishing off the last of the water that I had with me tells me that it wasn't pure fatigue that got me. I felt much better on the last couple of climbs, and the run home on the Burnley Rd (admittedly which is slightly downhill to Todmorden, but it does include a couple of slight uphill drags).

 

[ColinJ]

I brought a 'big' light this year for precisely that eventuality.

I meant to tell you that your rear flashing light was very effective. I was often hundreds of metres behind you but I could still see the light flashing, even when we had bright sunlight.

 

[Sea of vapours]

I meant to tell you that your rear flashing light was very effective. I was often hundreds of metres behind you but I could still see the light flashing, even we had bright sunlight.

Ah - thanks. Funnily enough, I actually meant to ask you that. It's a Garmin Varia. I'd rather forego the radar than the mirror, but the radar is remarkably useful on relatively traffic-free roads. That's what the possibly annoying beeping from the head unit is.

 

[ColinJ]

That's what the possibly annoying beeping from the head unit is.

I think I noticed it a few times but with my iffy hearing most noises are not a problem.

When I tried out my hearing aid on the way back from the hospital I was driven to distraction by the rush hour traffic noise and even the sound of my own footsteps - I think that I may have had the volume turned up too high!

Most of the time I quite like the relative silence that I live in. I can feel the vibration of traffic passing by outside but I don't hear much of it through the double glazing. I certainly don't feel like amplifying the noise back to a normal level!

 

[ColinJ]

After getting clunks, clicks etc. on the ride I decided to order new chainrings, chain and bottom bracket for the bike. I already have a spare cassette. I will strip the transmission down and look at what needs replacing, and what can be kept. I'll clean whatever I keep. Any unused spares will go into storage for when I need them in the future.

I toyed with the idea of replacing the 36 middle ring with a 34. That would have let me stay on the middle ring on some climbs that would currently have me changing to the little ring, but in the end I decided that I liked the steps from the 48 to the 36, and from the 36 to the 28. It wouldn't be quite so well balanced with a bigger step from 48 to a 34, and a smaller step from a 34 to the 28.

 

[Sea of vapours]

I hope the somewhat serious sounding clacks, etc. prove to be something coming from amongst the parts you've ordered.

 

[Jameshow]

Count me in on future rides I'm only in Baildon so 15mins from Keighley.

Nice to have riding buddies rather than joining a chain gang...!🤣

 

[ColinJ]

I hope the somewhat serious sounding clacks, etc. prove to be something coming from amongst the parts you've ordered.

Well if it isn't coming from one of those parts, then I might have a damaged frame, crank or pedal!

One thing I forgot to mention on the ride was that one time when the chain slipped, I felt the mechanism in the RH shifter jump. It could be that I hadn't quite clicked it into place properly (or the indexing is slightly out).

The other possibility is that the shifter mechanism itself has problems. That happened in 2015 but I fixed it...

My right Chorus shifter has just stopped kerchunking after 13 years use. I didn't realise how much I liked the clunk until it stopped doing it! The indexing still works but I have been missing shifts or overshifting without that obvious clunk to guide me.

PS I just found THIS ARTICLE on how to fix the problem!

Oh, and this video on YouTube showing exactly how to do it ...

I have never looked into servicing a Campag Ergopower shifter (I have never needed to until now) but I suppose I will have to while the best bike is mothballed for the winter.

I really like Campagnolo. If money is not an issue - go for it! I reluctantly have to say that I think Shimano is better value for money though ... (Compare the price of spare parts for the two brands and you will see what I mean!)

I had to replace a small spring that time and I remember that I bought 2 so I can always put the other one in now if I have to.

I'll check the other things first. I'll track down my chain gauge tomorrow and see how much life is left in the chain.