Official P&b Cycling Thread

[Newbornbairn]

I've got a pile of routes I do on my Tricross that minimise hills - round the Forth, along to Loch Lomond etc but I got an e-bike last year that gets me up into the hills around Stirling - up to the Carron Valley Reservoir for example (also use it for going to Falkirk games at home and to Alloa, Clyde, Airdrie etc). It's a compromise - lets me get out and get some exercise in nice scenery at least. 

[Unleash The Nade]

On 07/06/2020 at 22:52, Day of the Lords said:

Has anyone cycled the A9 from John o'Groats to Inverness? Just wondering how mental the traffic is on that stretch at night. 

I wouldn’t even attempt it tbh 

When I cycled the NC500 two years ago , we came inland a wee bit. It added around 17 miles but well worth it for the safety aspect 

[Caledonian1]

44 minutes ago, Unleash The Nade said:

I wouldn’t even attempt it tbh 

When I cycled the NC500 two years ago , we came inland a wee bit. It added around 17 miles but well worth it for the safety aspect 

I cycled that road when I did Lands End to John O'Groats a few years ago - I arrived in Inverness at around 6pm shattered after covering 100 miles with an injury, however had macaroni cheese and chips at a chipper in Inverness and that gave me the energy to set off and get further up the road to Tain (arriving around 9.45pm)  Road was really quiet and the dualed section has about a 1m strip inside the catseyes which was perfect for cycling on.  Next morning I set off from Tain to JoG and again found the road really quiet (obviously there are hilly areas beyond Brora)  Did the full 880 miles in just over 6 days - then got ferry to Orkney for the return ferry to Aberdeen at midnight - only problem was I had arrived on a day when the ferry did not run so had to get a hotel and wait for midnight the next day - no problem as gave em an opportunity to see a bit of Orkney.

[Bold Rover]

1 hour ago, Caledonian1 said:

I cycled that road when I did Lands End to John O'Groats a few years ago - I arrived in Inverness at around 6pm shattered after covering 100 miles with an injury, however had macaroni cheese and chips at a chipper in Inverness and that gave me the energy to set off and get further up the road to Tain (arriving around 9.45pm)  Road was really quiet and the dualed section has about a 1m strip inside the catseyes which was perfect for cycling on.  Next morning I set off from Tain to JoG and again found the road really quiet (obviously there are hilly areas beyond Brora)  Did the full 880 miles in just over 6 days - then got ferry to Orkney for the return ferry to Aberdeen at midnight - only problem was I had arrived on a day when the ferry did not run so had to get a hotel and wait for midnight the next day - no problem as gave em an opportunity to see a bit of Orkney.

Mods!

[Benjamin_Nevis]

I wouldn’t even attempt it tbh 
When I cycled the NC500 two years ago , we came inland a wee bit. It added around 17 miles but well worth it for the safety aspect 

Hmmm. My plan was to leave at say 8pm and try to be through inverness by 4-5am. I thought it might not be too bad. There appear to be some horrendous wee climbs [emoji23] at a couple of points

[Shandon Par]

Only doing a tiny amount of miles compared to some of you maniacs but for getting about town I love this bike. It’s so smooth and quiet and so mechanically simple. I don’t used the fixed side so it’s pretty relaxing except for when you have to go up a massive hill.

 

[die hard doonhamer]

Had a wee drive to Dundee to pick up my new bike this afternoon.

 

First task, change out the pedals.

[mathematics]

1 hour ago, die hard doonhamer said:

Had a wee drive to Dundee to pick up my new bike this afternoon.

 

First task, change out the pedals.

Big team found.

[Thereisalight..]

Probably another stupid question for you guys and bare in mind my bike is a bog standard MB  that’s about 20 years old! When I got it back from the repair guy last week he had set the left hand shifter to 2, since then I haven’t changed from that, and on the right hand gears I’m using 3,4,5. Am I doing things right? 

[die hard doonhamer]

7 hours ago, Thereisalight.. said:

Probably another stupid question for you guys and bare in mind my bike is a bog standard MB  that’s about 20 years old! When I got it back from the repair guy last week he had set the left hand shifter to 2, since then I haven’t changed from that, and on the right hand gears I’m using 3,4,5. Am I doing things right? 

It's no wonder you're having to walk up hills, tbh. Use your gears, if you're on the flat get your front ring up to 3 and push on, going up a hill go down to 1 if you need to. Use the full range, front and back, it's what they are there for.

[Bold Rover]

8 hours ago, Thereisalight.. said:

Probably another stupid question for you guys and bare in mind my bike is a bog standard MB  that’s about 20 years old! When I got it back from the repair guy last week he had set the left hand shifter to 2, since then I haven’t changed from that, and on the right hand gears I’m using 3,4,5. Am I doing things right? 

Which repair guy do you use?

[Thereisalight..]

5 hours ago, die hard doonhamer said:

It's no wonder you're having to walk up hills, tbh. Use your gears, if you're on the flat get your front ring up to 3 and push on, going up a hill go down to 1 if you need to. Use the full range, front and back, it's what they are there for.

Is the front ring the one that’s numbered 1-3? 

4 hours ago, Bold Rover said:

Which repair guy do you use?

It was a guy down in Girvan

[die hard doonhamer]

8 minutes ago, Thereisalight.. said:

Is the front ring the one that’s numbered 1-3? 

Yes. As I said a few days ago, use them, but don't have yourself in 1 on the front and 8 on the back, or 3 on the front and 1 on the back. Your chain will start rubbing if you do (you'll hear it), so if you need a middle gear use the middle ring.

Seriously, though, use the full range of gears, it makes it so much easier.

[Thereisalight..]

18 minutes ago, die hard doonhamer said:

Yes. As I said a few days ago, use them, but don't have yourself in 1 on the front and 8 on the back, or 3 on the front and 1 on the back. Your chain will start rubbing if you do (you'll hear it), so if you need a middle gear use the middle ring.

Seriously, though, use the full range of gears, it makes it so much easier.

See, I’m useless when it comes to bikes , the one on the right only goes up to 6. That’s probably shows how old my bike is!

[Bold Rover]

1 hour ago, Thereisalight.. said:

It was a guy down in Girvan

Do you recommend him? For decades I went to old Bertie McWilliam in Duff Street for buying and repairs, adult and children's bikes. Bertie worked the "shop" till he died about age 82. Since then I've used several different Ayrshire bike shops and I've found them all less than completely satisfactory.

[Thereisalight..]

12 minutes ago, Bold Rover said:

Do you recommend him? For decades I went to old Bertie McWilliam in Duff Street for buying and repairs, adult and children's bikes. Bertie worked the "shop" till he died about age 82. Since then I've used several different Ayrshire bike shops and I've found them all less than completely satisfactory.

God that takes me back! My parents got me my first bike from Bertie’s shop. I can still remember it being such a dimly lit place , yeah I’d recommend the guy, he’s just along the road a bit from Bertie’s old place, Ayrshire Motorpart it’s called

[die hard doonhamer]

First ride on the new bike today. Did 1 segment on Strava that I rode near 40 times on the old bike, wasn't pushing it at all and got a second best effort on it. Having a good bike makes a massive difference!

[dundeefc1783]

Folks looking for a bit of advice.

So have been commuting to work over the years on and off over summer on a carrera subway 2 Hybrid and looking to potentially change over to a road bike.

When I'm into the routine of it i usually cover the ten miles in just under 40 minutes. I have also gotten into just going out cycling during lockdown so looking to continue that

Am I likely to find improvement in times if I switched over to a road bike with clip in pedals etc? Also what would people recommend for a first bike? I'm probably looking to spend around the £500 mark and I realise that's pocket change when it comes to bike

[Shotgun]

8 hours ago, dundeefc1783 said:

Folks looking for a bit of advice.

So have been commuting to work over the years on and off

Sure. Stop using 'So' to begin a sentence. You're welcome. Oh wait, that wasn't the advice you're after?

8 hours ago, dundeefc1783 said:

Am I likely to find improvement in times if I switched over to a road bike with clip in pedals etc?

Probably. Road bikes are generally significantly lighter than hybrids, which will make a big difference. There are of course, other factors such as traffic, road surface conditions etc. but the most important factor is the engine. 10 miles in 40 minutes on a hybrid is a more than decent pace though, which indicates you're in pretty good shape already.  

8 hours ago, dundeefc1783 said:

Also what would people recommend for a first bike? I'm probably looking to spend around the £500 mark and I realise that's pocket change when it comes to bike

I'll need to leave that to the folks based closer to you. You can start daydreaming here though.

Best Cheap Road Bikes 2020

[Funky Nosejob]

On 12/06/2020 at 16:52, dundeefc1783 said:

Folks looking for a bit of advice.

So have been commuting to work over the years on and off over summer on a carrera subway 2 Hybrid and looking to potentially change over to a road bike.

When I'm into the routine of it i usually cover the ten miles in just under 40 minutes. I have also gotten into just going out cycling during lockdown so looking to continue that

Am I likely to find improvement in times if I switched over to a road bike with clip in pedals etc? Also what would people recommend for a first bike? I'm probably looking to spend around the £500 mark and I realise that's pocket change when it comes to bike

I used to have a fairly decent road bike back in the 90's and would be regularly out for 3 hour rides. Then came marriage and parenthood and all that stopped.

Like you, I've been out for rides during lockdown and find I'm getting a really good workout on my 8 gear, 10kg hybrid. I'm getting as much of a workout in 90 minutes as I used to in 3 hours. If I was on a better bike, I'd either get less of a workout or have to stay out longer.

If you are determined to buy a road bike, get a second-hand bargain next year when all the people that panic-bought a lockdown bike realise they're not using it and decide to sell it.