Stupid New Years Resolution!
Discussion
212 miles.
Got a bit of catching up to do. I let my injuries heal properly this time. Waited for the rain to stop and I'm going to commute again as it's almost day light when I leave home and work. I'll still have my lights and hi-viz so I shouldn't get knocked off.
The bike has had a full Winter service including brake pads...
...fairly safe to say they were due. New springs as well but the front brake has been a bit noisy in a "cling, cling, cling" kind of way so I think the disc may be warped.
As usual I'm giving serious thoughts towards selling the Camber and getting something quicker. I'd like to break my best time but I know I can't due to gearing and wheel size. There's little I can do about either apart from getting a different bike.
Maybe retire the Camber, put the knobblies back on and use the old girl for weekend muddyness that she was originally designed for.
I'll keep an eye on this one...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-Camber-Comp-...
...and see what kind of budget I can have if I sell mine or get a cheaper roadie.
Back in the saddle tonight. I've done a hundred or so social miles to get back into the swing of things and build my confidence for the commute ahead.
Warning to all drivers between King's Lynn and Wisbech. I'm at full fitness and on a hair trigger so if you don't want your car shoved up your arse look out for cyclist. One of them could be me.
On a lighter note...
...doesn't the bike look odd not covered in road much and blood?
She needs new bar grips. What do we think of these?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BBB-Multibar-Butterfly-T...
Better aerodynamics could give me a few seconds this season.
Got a bit of catching up to do. I let my injuries heal properly this time. Waited for the rain to stop and I'm going to commute again as it's almost day light when I leave home and work. I'll still have my lights and hi-viz so I shouldn't get knocked off.
The bike has had a full Winter service including brake pads...
...fairly safe to say they were due. New springs as well but the front brake has been a bit noisy in a "cling, cling, cling" kind of way so I think the disc may be warped.
As usual I'm giving serious thoughts towards selling the Camber and getting something quicker. I'd like to break my best time but I know I can't due to gearing and wheel size. There's little I can do about either apart from getting a different bike.
Maybe retire the Camber, put the knobblies back on and use the old girl for weekend muddyness that she was originally designed for.
I'll keep an eye on this one...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Specialized-Camber-Comp-...
...and see what kind of budget I can have if I sell mine or get a cheaper roadie.
Back in the saddle tonight. I've done a hundred or so social miles to get back into the swing of things and build my confidence for the commute ahead.
Warning to all drivers between King's Lynn and Wisbech. I'm at full fitness and on a hair trigger so if you don't want your car shoved up your arse look out for cyclist. One of them could be me.
On a lighter note...
...doesn't the bike look odd not covered in road much and blood?
She needs new bar grips. What do we think of these?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BBB-Multibar-Butterfly-T...
Better aerodynamics could give me a few seconds this season.
Liquid Knight said:
£148 well spent.
Just in case I digress again. I'm back on my bike tonight.
237 miles.
I had forgotten just how many
-witts there are on a Monday evening and Tuesday morning.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
I've decided to go for something faster so here is an opportunity to own a piece of internet history.
If the winning bidder is a fellow Pistonhead by all means continue the thread.
I had forgotten just how many
-witts there are on a Monday evening and Tuesday morning. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
I've decided to go for something faster so here is an opportunity to own a piece of internet history.
If the winning bidder is a fellow Pistonhead by all means continue the thread.
261 miles.
Now the bike has a bid on it I can't risk it being smashed to pieces on the commute. So I've decided to drive to work tonight.
This morning was eventful. It's now light enough when I pass for the shed cows to stare at me again as I go past. Every time I see this it looks like their planning something.
So what's next? I'm looking at tricross and cyclocross style bikes with interest at the moment. I'd like another recumbent but gawping drivers who have either never seen one or have to take a photo' as they try to overtake is worse than wearing a mask to get attention. Tricross and Cyclocross bikes are tough enough for the potholes and I don't have to wear Lycra to ride one. Best of both worlds when you think about it.
Now the bike has a bid on it I can't risk it being smashed to pieces on the commute. So I've decided to drive to work tonight.
This morning was eventful. It's now light enough when I pass for the shed cows to stare at me again as I go past. Every time I see this it looks like their planning something.
So what's next? I'm looking at tricross and cyclocross style bikes with interest at the moment. I'd like another recumbent but gawping drivers who have either never seen one or have to take a photo' as they try to overtake is worse than wearing a mask to get attention. Tricross and Cyclocross bikes are tough enough for the potholes and I don't have to wear Lycra to ride one. Best of both worlds when you think about it.
342 miles.
Went for a ride out today.
These grips are pretty damn good. Because my hands are flat my arms are more relaxed and I did a few more miles than usual without really noticing.
The bloody wind was a pain though. It felt like a ten degree difference from sheltered to exposed parts of the road.
The auction has warmed up a bit with a couple of new bidders at least.
Went for a ride out today.
These grips are pretty damn good. Because my hands are flat my arms are more relaxed and I did a few more miles than usual without really noticing.
The bloody wind was a pain though. It felt like a ten degree difference from sheltered to exposed parts of the road.
The auction has warmed up a bit with a couple of new bidders at least.
gazza285 said:
What next then LK? I'd go for a Kinesis Crosslight Pro 6, It's got discs, rack mounts and mudguard eyes. It's light, you can get some fat tyres (for 700c anyway) on it, and it comes in bright colours.
http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/1174817/products/kinesis-crosslight-pro6-2013-cyclocross-bike---green.aspx?origin=pla?kwd=&gclid=CK7OiIPYpL0CFafKtAodzC0A8g
Nice.
I'm thinking of reducing the budget this time...
1/ Parts will be cheaper.
2/ I won't mind cars hitting me as much.
356 miles and we have come to the end of an era...
...I spent an hour and a half getting the seat post out so I could wrap the bike up then remembered the box was in the loft. In a bit of a state the box has done as well as the bike.
There was no way I was going to even try and get the pedals off as I'm out of time. The courier is collecting the bike today between 12:00 and 14:00
The lucky (?) winning bidder is the chap who placed the first bid. Some jokers were bidding £5 a time and even though there are similar bikes for a lot more money on there I'm glad she's off to somewhere (Bristol) where there are a few muddy hills near by.
To be honest I placed a link to this blog in the advert and am amazed anyone bid at all. Still this does represent a cycling equivalent of a "full history" so it could have been advantageous. You never really know what you're getting on eBay or the second hand market in general.
So here's a the break down....
Cost £1,695
Lights and road related articles £280
Consumables £612
Total £2,587
(Consumables; tyres, chains, crank set, cassettes, fork seals, etc)
Sale price £530
Total £2,057
So let's compare that to how much it would have cost to use my car instead of my Camber.
Cost (Fiat Panda Fantasia) £350
Insurance (for two years) £291
Road fund licence (for two years £77 x 4) £308
Consumables and Service items £466
Fuel cost at an average £36 per week £3,744
Total £5,159
(Consumable and Service items Tyres x 8, Oil filter x 2, oil change x 2, air filter x 1, fuel filter x 2, brake shoes x 1 pair, brake pads x 2 sets, etc)
So I can use an expensive bike for less than half the cost of running a cheap car. That was the original experiment and my conclusion; but even though it has worked out cheaper in the long run I can't help but fell it was a pain in the arse. Every time a chain snapped it cost a weeks worth of petrol to put right. If I were using a cheaper bike the parts would be less expensive and they'd fail more often so it's the tipping point of economy. Also if I were using a cheaper bike when I was knocked off I could have been thinking "This is going to hurt" like a normal person instead of thinking "This is going to be expensive". Again if I were using a cheaper bike would I have had to fight off members of the traveling community who were trying to take it? Spend more on tracking chips, serious looking locks and alarms?
So next time.
Something quicker.
Something cheaper.
Something less appealing to thieves.
Something easily upgrade-able.
Something that can take Norfolk's pothole infested excuses for roads.
Something that can keep up with traffic in 20, 30 or even 40 zones.
Something that isn't a recumbent.
I'm still thinking Cyclocross or Tricross with a hint of time trial or triathlon, but I do not want to become a lycraist.
What do you guys think?
...I spent an hour and a half getting the seat post out so I could wrap the bike up then remembered the box was in the loft. In a bit of a state the box has done as well as the bike.
There was no way I was going to even try and get the pedals off as I'm out of time. The courier is collecting the bike today between 12:00 and 14:00
The lucky (?) winning bidder is the chap who placed the first bid. Some jokers were bidding £5 a time and even though there are similar bikes for a lot more money on there I'm glad she's off to somewhere (Bristol) where there are a few muddy hills near by.
To be honest I placed a link to this blog in the advert and am amazed anyone bid at all. Still this does represent a cycling equivalent of a "full history" so it could have been advantageous. You never really know what you're getting on eBay or the second hand market in general.
So here's a the break down....
Cost £1,695
Lights and road related articles £280
Consumables £612
Total £2,587
(Consumables; tyres, chains, crank set, cassettes, fork seals, etc)
Sale price £530
Total £2,057
So let's compare that to how much it would have cost to use my car instead of my Camber.
Cost (Fiat Panda Fantasia) £350
Insurance (for two years) £291
Road fund licence (for two years £77 x 4) £308
Consumables and Service items £466
Fuel cost at an average £36 per week £3,744
Total £5,159
(Consumable and Service items Tyres x 8, Oil filter x 2, oil change x 2, air filter x 1, fuel filter x 2, brake shoes x 1 pair, brake pads x 2 sets, etc)
So I can use an expensive bike for less than half the cost of running a cheap car. That was the original experiment and my conclusion; but even though it has worked out cheaper in the long run I can't help but fell it was a pain in the arse. Every time a chain snapped it cost a weeks worth of petrol to put right. If I were using a cheaper bike the parts would be less expensive and they'd fail more often so it's the tipping point of economy. Also if I were using a cheaper bike when I was knocked off I could have been thinking "This is going to hurt" like a normal person instead of thinking "This is going to be expensive". Again if I were using a cheaper bike would I have had to fight off members of the traveling community who were trying to take it? Spend more on tracking chips, serious looking locks and alarms?
So next time.
Something quicker.
Something cheaper.
Something less appealing to thieves.
Something easily upgrade-able.
Something that can take Norfolk's pothole infested excuses for roads.
Something that can keep up with traffic in 20, 30 or even 40 zones.
Something that isn't a recumbent.
I'm still thinking Cyclocross or Tricross with a hint of time trial or triathlon, but I do not want to become a lycraist.
What do you guys think?
Looks like I spoke too soon. Parcel Force told the guy that a next day delivery would be possible. Sadly as soon as the collector saw it was a bike in a box he said they have to be 48 Large and not 24 at all. ahole farce then.
While the buyer is swearing down the phone as I write this (I would be) if the 48 Large cost more than £40 I've offered to chuck the bike in the back of my car and deliver it myself.
hole farce then. While the buyer is swearing down the phone as I write this (I would be) if the 48 Large cost more than £40 I've offered to chuck the bike in the back of my car and deliver it myself.
WinstonWolf said:
Your two requirements are at odds.
To cope with the roads and the low budget you need a single speed steel framed bike.
To go fast you need a light bike with loads of gears and it will be eminently knickable.
You're stuffed
I know. The days were you could rattle can spray a Titanium road bike and it would be safe from thieves are long gone. To cope with the roads and the low budget you need a single speed steel framed bike.
To go fast you need a light bike with loads of gears and it will be eminently knickable.
You're stuffed
Whatever I get it will be "Knickable" as the economic depression we're festering in has generated demand.
I'm looking at 700C/29er hybrids as well as that's the closest to Lycra bikes you can get without the Lycra.
The rant continues.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I'm missing suspension but enjoying the speed.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I'm missing suspension but enjoying the speed.
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