The Fretboard Cycling Club

drofluf

Teetonetal said:

Oh my word, took part in a "fun" club race yesterday. 13.6 km 600hm... quite a few of the kids from the race team took part, youngest was 11.

Cycled my heart out, got PBs... came dead last by a considerable distance!

Kudos for entering, it's amazing how fast the speedy guys in my club are; and that's just the Saturday morning ride.

thermionic

Went out for a (poorly attended) club ride last night, and our usual meeting place is Maindy cycling track. There is a series of small (25 minutes to 1 hour) races there over the summer. On the way home I decided to pop by to watch some of the racing. I arrived to see a couple of ambulances by the start line… It was a pretty nasty crash apparently and the racing was stopped for the evening. I understand at least one rider was on his way to hospital but I haven’t heard anything today. I rode home feeling glad that I’m too old and slow to race bikes any more.

Pjon

Oh my word, took part in a "fun" club race yesterday. 13.6 km 600hm... quite a few of the kids from the race team took part, youngest was 11.

Cycled my heart out, got PBs... came dead last by a considerable distance!

Racing is a completely different beast to just riding. I don't race so much these days, maybe a few 'cross races over the winter, Your body and brain have to get used to being maxed out from the start, making decisions when you can barely breathe, and just keep going. Don't ease off, at least in 'cross or MTB XC The first race of the season is always painful, but it feels easier if you do it regularly.

A friend, years ago, said that the difference between a fun racer and a serious racer is that the serious racer doesn't ease off at the top of the hill to catch a breath, and even now, almost 30 years later, stopping at the top of  a hill makes me itch. If I stop it has to be somewhere down the hill. Or I just don't stop, if I can help it. It took me years before I could enjoy a properly social ride where there's more talking than riding.

I just realised how scarred I am by the years of racing.  

Pjon

thermionic said:

 I rode home feeling glad that I’m too old and slow to race bikes any more.

A few years ago, I said to John Lloyd - Welsh legend - that I always knew how good a day I was having if I was ahead of him. He was over 70 at the time, I think, 20 years my senior.

Teetonetal

@Mellish yes, enjoyed the ride and it was mostly new to me, which was nice.

Nightswan

Mellish said:

@Nightswan ; well done mate - proper aero rims there!

 

Cheers mate.

MagicPigDetective

Had an enjoyable 55km ride on the weekend with my brother. Cycled from Cardiff Bay, through Penarth to Barry, then  back towards north Cardiff. I found cycling in the city/urban very different from Snowdonia, the constant stopping and starting and junctions was exhausting! There's a really good section going north of Barry though along an old road now closed to traffic. 

Now more than ready for the 50km event on Sunday, just hope the weather will be ok. 

Jaycee

MagicPigDetective said:

Had an enjoyable 55km ride on the weekend with my brother. .......... There's a really good section going north of Barry though along an old road now closed to traffic. 

Now more than ready for the 50km event on Sunday, just hope the weather will be ok. 

Sounds like you went onto the old  "5 mile lane"  as it is called locally, I use it regularly now, everything to the west of it is country lanes. We hardly ever go into Cardiff just too busy and not enjoyable.

Enjoy your event Sunday, it will be so much easier now you know you can do the distance.

m_c

I'm struggling to hit the monthly Strava climbing challenge target, as it's event season and I've lost two weekends to work, although I did manage to get a spin in around Glencoe on the way home last weekend.
I also missed the 7500m last month as I was ill for a fortnight

Still have to tick of 375m of vertical, and having been out tonight I'm not sure I'll have the legs to do it tomorrow, and I generally avoid cycling on Friday nights in preparation for a Saturday pedal

punchesjudy

Hey guys, anyone have any experience with Orro bikes at all? I’m after a new gravel bike as a general do it all and have found the Terra Steel for pretty cheap… ish. 

Also any other recommendations? Not got huge funds, probably around £1500 max.
 I typically prefer steel and have had a Kona Rove which I loved and shouldn’t have sold. this years colours are awful though and that defo  matters, which is how I stumbled upon the Orro. 

Not averse to Alu as have had two Sonder Caminos in the past. 

Seen the Ridley Kanzo C is on sale cheap at Wiggle though that’s full carbon and that scares me even though it probably shouldn’t ha. 

Cheers 

Pjon

punchesjudy said:

Hey guys, anyone have any experience with Orro bikes at all? I’m after a new gravel bike as a general do it all and have found the Terra Steel for pretty cheap… ish. 

Also any other recommendations? Not got huge funds, probably around £1500 max.
 I typically prefer steel and have had a Kona Rove which I loved and shouldn’t have sold. this years colours are awful though and that defo  matters, which is how I stumbled upon the Orro. 

Not averse to Alu as have had two Sonder Caminos in the past. 

Seen the Ridley Kanzo C is on sale cheap at Wiggle though that’s full carbon and that scares me even though it probably shouldn’t ha. 

Cheers 

I haven't ridden one but almost bought one because they are very good value and very pretty. The one I saw in the metal was quite light for steel. Orro tend to be far better than their price suggests. If I'd had the funds and space available, I would have bought one but as it is I've just rebuilt my newer gravel bike and sold an older one, freeing up space but not funds. I like a steel bike, though.

I wouldn't be at all worried about carbon, btw. 

WindmillGuitars

Been meaning to post this for a while ...Some of you know that I previously worked in the cycle trade running a bike brand here in the UK for a major retailer and as a sponsor to a UCI Conti team for many years. Whilst I'm not part of the cycle trade any longer - I do still do the occasional event as a project manager for some endurance athletes, most notably James Golding. 

Last summer (after a two year on/off wait due to Covid) saw us head to the start Line of Race Across America - arguably THE toughest race on the planet. 3100 + miles across 12 States and everything from desert to the Appalachian mountains are between the start in Oceanside Cali and the finish in Annapolis Maryland. 

Trek Bikes who are one of our sponsors did a little video of what happened .. it's worth a watch.
We have some big events coming up over the next year - give James Golding One Step At At Time a follow for more info 

punchesjudy

@Pjon cheers. It’s certainly a beautiful looking bike. Actually matches my hard tail mtb if it ends up staying as well. I’m sad and like that sorta stuff. 

Yep, I shouldn’t worry about carbon. I for some reason do though. Even though I’ve had many carbon forks over the years and never had a problem. 

Mellish

@punchesjudy ; all-carbon frames are hellishly strong. But, if you're happy with steel, why change? Unless you'd like to.

 

MagicPigDetective

I've put an order in for a Giant Defy Advanced 2 at my localish bike shop. This will be my first carbon frame. Can't wait to get my hands on it. 

m_c

I always said I'd never trust carbon.

I currently have 3 carbon bikes, although one has now been retired, as it's needing new forks, a shock, and a big rock put a crack in he downtube. It is repairable, but it's kind of reached that point where it doesn't really make financial sense to fix it.

I'm looking to replace it, as I'm eyeing up an event next year that a shorter travel full sus that can handle some abuse would be perfect for, but I've not really seen anything that ticks the same boxes, and the new version isn't available in the UK as they don't currently have a UK distributor (previous distributor was hopeless anyway!)

punchesjudy

@Mellish Cheers, I’m sure they are. Mate of mine has a Trek Procaliber and that seems solid as. 

I do love steel yeah, but I’m not against the other materials. I think I actually have option paralysis atm. There’s so many bikes I like and when I think I’ve found the one I want I then find another to obsess over. 

Mellish

@punchesjudy ; that's why it's important not to rush. Take your time, have a look around to see what's out there.

Visit a few bike shops, get the feel of 'em. Hopefully there'll be one that you can't possibly walk away from.

 

vanlooy1

punchesjudy said:

when I think I’ve found the one I want I then find another to obsess over. 

Bit like guitars really! 

Jaycee

MagicPigDetective said:

I've put an order in for a Giant Defy Advanced 2 at my localish bike shop. This will be my first carbon frame. Can't wait to get my hands on it.