This UK heatwave is hard going for cycling, i called off a ride on Thursday due to it being too hot but yesterday i just wanted to get out and ride, waited later than usual and set off at six in the evening… but it was still 32ºc and sunny.
Could hear my tyres squelching on the sticky tarmac, such a relief to get into the shadows of trees that line the road, and then purgatory when back in the blast furnace of the sun.
The local 18m hilly course had the wind blowing from the northeast, opposite to usual and hard and hellish hot going outward, stopped to buy half a dozen free range eggs, and on the return a helpful tailwind and the delight of testing out a local county council’s resurfaced road, that was ridiculously potholed but now smooth perfection.
Back home had to peal off my sweaty lycra, and go soak myself in a cool shower.
It’s far too darn hot outdoors…
Good evening people. Completed a couple of cycle events recently: Dartmoor Classic (road 107 Kms) and Stone circle gravel (80 Kms). Both proper attritional in the heat but done.
Used both bikes as pictured, with my son and friends for company. I have just been reading about the costs of bikes now in the context of someone inspired to take up cycling and trying to buy a Tour De France. The article talks about the very high cost of such a bike now, compared to the recent past.
This triggered me as a couple of my cycling companions were put off by conversations over very new and costly bikes and talk about upgrading. One person did make a very direct comment about one of our bikes - it is apparently an ‘out of date’ road bike (bought just three years ago for about £2k). My take on this, is that this sort of thing does not help people stay in the cycling tent or join it. Or maybe it attracts some people?
There’s an awful lot of posing in the bike world. Given the quality through trickle down of the ‘cheaper’ group sets there’s really no need to break the bank to ride a decent bike. Anyone who wants lightweight should lose a bit of weight - far cheaper than upgrading. I’m just a trundler myself. I don’t mix with other cyclists so there’s no pressure to keep up with the Jones’.
Two nice MTB rides in the last few days. Rare for me to use that bike in the summer; somehow it feels wrong to use an MTB on dry and dusty trails rather than in the rain and mud. Really enjoyed scooting down the trails around home though, albeit on inappropriately chunky tyres. Made a change.
Time to service it. New BB and cables, sticky dropper post to sort, brakes to bleed. At least the pivots shock and fork are OK. They would be beyond my home workshop skills
Might be my last year on this MTB (Orbea OIZ). My knee issues are being really helped by using my e-road bike (Scott Fastlane) at least some of the time. Lightweight(ish) XC eMTBs are now looking tempting. I’d hate to stop riding off-road, that was how I got into cycling
Some serious discounts around too. Hmmm. 40% off for last year’s colour.
