27 Dec 2012

27th December 2012 & Cycle light recognition.


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27th 40F, 4C, grey overcast, breezy. Rain forecast. Rain duly supplied in more than adequate quantities. The Cateye computer still hasn't gone to sleep overnight. Perhaps it is supposed to show the time when not in use? Is it so small it thinks it's a watch? Whoops! (Finally read copious instructions to the very end) Power saving mode is showing the time. Auto restart on receiving a signal from the motion sensors. Perhaps Cateye could be persuaded to do a simpler "Pensioner" model? The speed sensor and magnet are supposed to go on the back wheel. I wonder if they do a 12" chain stay spacer for trikes? And, will I still be able to pedal?

I finally left mid afternoon. The Cateye computer had been easy to fit but the digits proved to be too small to read without bifocals. Since cheap cycling sunglasses aren't usually provided with a reading segment it was almost impossible to see my speed in such poor light. Let alone the even smaller cadence reading! Perhaps I should tape a magnifying glass over the tiny screen? I was wearing very light, neutral grey glasses and peered under and over them to see if it helped. It didn't. The dealer has promised to send me a new battery to replace the flat one. I have no idea if the "petrol coloured" screen was an attempt at lighting up the screen on the way home in the dusk. Due to the upward slope of the stem I wasn't able to find an angle which enhanced the apparent brightness of the display unless I stopped. I didn't. Only 13 miles today.

On the way back from the shops I had to get my Smart lights out of the bag. So it was a good job I'd fitted new batteries all round. Back to blinding the poor old traffic again. Nobody ever fails to dip when you have a flashing Smart light on the front! It used to drive me mad when I had to ride home from work in the dark with normal (dirt cheap) diode lights and hardly anybody bothered to dip. I couldn't see where I was going either. Not even at a walking pace.

The Smart rear light with reflections from saddle rails. It works just as well on the Carradice saddle bag loop but may be illegal in Denmark! Lights must now be fixed by law and not dangling. This is an attempt to outlaw silly little single diode lights swinging wildly from cords.

As a driver myself I know how hard it can be to identify a low brightness light approaching out of the gloom. Particularly when it is competing with other lights. Only a cycle light flashes like a cycle light. This is a handy first clue as to the presence of a cyclist. But, sheer brightness heaps mountains of evidence on top of the flashing to provide a definitive identification. Drivers dip their lights automatically without having to worry their tiny little brains with a prolonged cyclist recognition test while texting, reprogramming their GPS to another country out of boredom, or chatting inanely (and insanely) on their mobile 'phones.

I remember when I was commuting to Middelfart along the old main road. Straight as a die for many miles, the road undulates gently but still provides incredibly long viewpoints. Several miles in many places. It has a cycle path protected by a strip of grass along each side of the roadway. This road is notorious (to me at least) for having to drive at the national speed limit on dipped headlights because of oncoming traffic. It is hardly ever possible to drive on main beam on this road. So the attentive driver is constantly searching beyond the reach of their limited dipped beam for oncoming but dimly lit traffic. Or any other obstructions.

Bright and flashing cycle lights were easily visible at extreme distances along this road. Probably well over two miles or perhaps much more. Steady beam, cycle lights, even very bright ones, were very difficult to recognise as such. Even as they approached at only a hundred yards distance. The normal weaving effect of the cycles involved did not seem to improve the ease of recognition as a cycle light. It only gave the impression of a much more distant (and supposedly brighter) light. One which was being intermittently blocked by moving vegetation due to the wind. Or the draft from passing traffic. It could just as easily have been a fixed house number light. Or lights to mark a driveway in the dark along this almost featureless road.

Cheap, ½W supermarket rear light with reflection from black mudguard.

I confirmed these observations again and again over some weeks of commuting in many different light and weather conditions. A fixed beam, front cycle light (however bright) may help the cyclist to see but offers very poor visibility (indeed) to approaching drivers. In fact I wouldn't stop using flashing cycle lights even if they were made illegal for some outrageously illogical reason.

The Smart lights combine brightness with flashing in a particularly noticeable, rapidly flickering pattern. This really grabs the attention at any distance. The downside is that they lack the absolute power, despite their relatively narrow beam,  to clearly show the road ahead at normal cycling speeds. It would be sensible to add more, or more powerful lights, to act in company with the brightly flashing Smart front light. Both to see and be seen.


One Smart ½W (in the middle) and two ½W supermarket lights from a distance. Not much to choose between them on brightness. The Smart is much better made and doesn't repeatedly turn itself on in the saddle bag. Nor does it fall in half regularly. Nor fill with rainwater!

A trike offers the advantage of plenty of places and extra width to fix more lights. Even for my rare forays out in the darkness I have a number of rear lights to draw attention to my being an unusually wide load ahead. When drivers are routinely tailgating on main roads they need all the warning they can get to avoid your joining the road fatality statistics at remarkably low cost and inconvenience to themselves. With an array of flashing rear lights many drivers pause briefly before passing me even on clear roads. As much as I enjoy being an attention seeker in daylight I consider the extra visibility of a trike has real survival value in all conditions. The cost of diode rear lights is now so slight that there is really no excuse not to turn your regular mount into a mobile fairground ride if you so desire. If you really want to splash out on your commuting trike then the choice of lights is even wider. Reading the online reviews will help to separate the overpriced glow-worms from the brilliantly good value. Not all lights are made equal.

28th 24-33F, -4+1C, cold, sunny, almost still with an occasional breeze.  More windy towards the end of my ride. The first decent day this week for a proper ride. I was determined to do a longer ride to try and increase this year's mileage. The roads were covered in an incredible amount of water ice. Every dip in the fields and woods was full of water, usually frozen. One minor country road was flooded to a depth of 6" and extended out on both sides into the adjoining fields. No hope of working my way around and returning would have added many miles to my journey in a completely wrong direction. It was icy for a hundred yards on both sides where cars had churned up the water and carried it further down the road. I rolled slowly through, hoping my feet would remain dry before I had to pedal up the slope beyond. Luckily no cars came while I was negotiating this hurdle. After that I just kept patiently pedalling from village shop to village shop until I finally reached home. With only 40 miles to show for virtually a whole morning out on the trike. Though there was never any tiredness or pain involved. Hardly surprising with an average speed of only 10mph.

The Cateye computer screen is more visible in good light but still rather small for my near vision without my usual +1 dioptre reading glasses. Or +1.5 when reading product descriptions and instructions! Another problem is that the screen is tipped backwards towards me by the sloping stem. So I don't see the sky reflected in the screen background for maximum contrast. The provided strap is much too short to allow a rubber wedge under the computer base on my Scott stem. The rocking body, mode change seems to work well enough. Though I nearly slid the computer right out of its docking station at one point while fumbling in my winter gloves.

Brooks B17 'Select' at very nearly 2,000 miles. 
A thing of beauty or hideously deformed? 
Seats you, Sir.

My ideal computer screen would be tall and thin to strap onto the stem. With only Mph, Cadence, Distance and the Time showing from top to bottom in large, clear digits. If there was room enough then average speed, Trip distance and elapsed time might be useful for somebody competing in a TT.

I have no idea why Cateye chose to make the lower digits so small. This matter has been raised in a number of online comments. One also needs a microscope just to read the tiny code letters alongside the numerals. Ironic, then, that the manufacturers warn against concentrating on the screen to the exclusion of the road ahead! SMIDSY on the other foot? Sorry, Mate, I Didn't see You, I was trying to read my cadence on my Cateye 'Cadence' computer without the use of a scanning tunnelling atomic microscope.

Perhaps there should be a law against it? Cycling and reading one's bike computer simultaneously: Prohibitions for the use of. I got so fed up with struggling with my tight sleeves to see my watch that I took out my mobile phone to look at the time on the screen saver. With a cycle computer right in front of my drippin' nose this is just plain daft! Wot no reading specs?

29th 45F, 7C, breezy, grey overcast, still very wet from overnight rain. The forecast is for a grey day, rather windy but dry. It took forever to get light today. I think I'll go out after coffee. It stayed mostly dry but there was a strong side wind. With misty drizzle now and then. A three shopping bag day. I was much too hot in the Aesse jacket. Complete strangers were wishing me a happy new year! 17 miles. I may be allowed out again after lunch. Plus 14 more miles.

30th 43F, 6C, overcast, windy. Rain forecast all day with gusts to 35mph. Just another day in paradise.It started raining before I left so I had put on the Aldi jacket. Not a great choice for a day like today. It stopped raining almost immediately and stayed dry except for about 5 minutes. I would have been more comfortable and warmer in a proper cycling jacket rather than a waterproof one. I stopped to take off the cardigan and then later to put it back on again. Not a good day to try and build mileage. It was blowing a gale. While descending a long hill on a main road (at barely 20mph) I was hanging right off the side just to keep everything in a straight line.

I had no plans when I left home so had taken nothing to eat. Still managed 35 miles though I felt very tired and achy today. I am within 102 miles of my 10k target with only one day left! Grr? I saw a flock of Goldfinches, several birds of prey, a string of noisy Whooper swans,  and finally, a load of even noisier geese out on the fields.

31st 45F, 7C, heavy overcast, gales. Last chance to reach 10,000 miles. Only another 102 miles to go. 20m/s winds? That's over 45mph! I could ride flat out with the wind until I reach the sea at Nyborg. Not far enough and the bridge is motorway only. Drat!

I left after coffee with fierce and gusty side winds. Every time I passed a gap in the hedge I was bopped by a huge pillow. Where there was no hedge I was hiding under the top tube with my nose dripping onto the chain in bottom gear. I am exaggerating of course. (as usual)  All the supermarkets were open and busy. 12 more miles leaves me with  a total of 9910 for the year. Just 90 miles short of a set. Hmm. Must try harder. The Winter Edition of the Tricycle Association Gazette has just arrived in the post. 52 pages to read. Happy New Year! :-)

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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20 Dec 2012

16th December 2012

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16th 37F, +3, still fully dark at 8am., misty and still. Neither of my bike computers is working and the steering is up the creek. I slackened off the head bearings and re-tightened the lock nut. The trike is still jerking instead of steering. It felt cold at first but I soon warmed up and started taking things off. The Aesse jacket was just too warm today. I shopped then tootled about the country lanes trying to add some miles. The roads were mostly clear on the carriageways but still clogged along the edges and the cycle paths. I was damp from head to toe by the time I returned with a three bag load of shopping.  All the supermarkets were open and busy today despite it being Sunday. Probably trying to capture some Christmas trade. Still only 20 miles.

17th 38F, +3C, grey, damp, very misty at first but clearing. The thaw continues. I managed a quick trip to the shops for 12 more miles.

18th 37F, +3C, grey, overcast, misty, breezy. I wore the Sealskinz gloves and they were too cold most of the time. I ought to limit them to 40F minimum.The computer was working again but the cadence sensor cable is still broken. The chain is brown with rust from the salted roads. I put a lot more oil on it to keep it going until the worst of the weather is over. Some of the gears are a mess because of the knackered chain and altering the cable tension. 22 miles.

19th 34F, +1C, almost still, heavy grey overcast. I wore the thin polyester gloves under the Sealskinz and my hands were fine. Only 8 miles.

A Christmas shopping trip in the car provided a pair of Shimano Ventura heavy duty winter overshoes in size XXXL (EU46-48!) These were meant as a Christmas present but were tested to a trial fitting, at home, to avoid disappointment on the big day. It seems that Shimano works in a parallel universe where size 48 really means size 42½ with a following wind.

Despite several broken nails and a terrific struggle, over a 20 minute battle of several rounds, I only managed to get one on over my left, size 45, Bontrager, MTB 'Racing' shoe. These overshoes were obviously aimed at the road crowd. Those who insist on wearing heel-less, flat soled, narrow pumps more suitable for ballet than stomping the aisles of rural supermarkets. Alas, they will have to go back. The overshoes, not the supermarkets. Nor the roadies. A check of online reviews shows they are aimed at a wide range of shoes. Just not in my size! And no comments about Shrek sizes in footwear, thank you very much!

20th 34F, +1C, light breeze, cloud clearing slowly. Hopes of some sun. It feels perishing out there! There was some weak sunshine but it was never warm. Thought I'd make an effort today. Lots of birds of prey flying about and a gaggle of noisy Whooper Swans. 28 miles.

21st 32F, 0C, windy, overcast and grey with blue just beginning to show. The snow on the fields is reduced to patches. My back is aching from handling stove fuel yesterday. It was already complaining after shovelling snow for the last few days. I finally escaped after lunch. The wind was strong and cutting against my face as I rode home in the dark along the main roads..

 The batteries in the Smart lights have finally given up. Fortunately I had taken a couple of spare rear lights in my bag. Neither had a hook fitting so I had to hold one in my gloved hand and then hold it behind my back when cars were coming up behind me. Had either of them had a hook type fitting I could have hung it from the saddle bag loop provided for just this very purpose. Ironically, I had two light clamps already fitted to the Higgins mudguard stays but neither matched the lights I had with me. Why can't they standardise and use hook type fittings. You can hang a hook shape over almost anything. Even a bit of cord if necessary. Grrr? 19 miles.

22nd 31F, 0C, very windy, overcast, bitterly cold. The wind chill factor was nasty today. A snowstorm is forecast from this evening until tomorrow. A complete stranger climbed out of his car at a supermarket and asked it it wasn't too cold for cycling? I replied "Never!" and he laughed. A goodly wodge of shopping today. Including 6 litres of organic milk. Enough for the holidays. 15 miles.

23rd 31F, 0C, severe, gusty gales, blizzards, spindrift and drifting! Fortunately the snow and wind are lighter here than further north. I have to go out but may use the car. It is no fun riding straight into a 50 mph wind full of ice particles!

24th 38F, 4C, still and clear sky, becoming breezy and misty later. The main roads were clear but the lanes were still covered in crunchy snow and ice. I managed to get the trike sideways a couple of times.The sun has come out now and the mist disappeared again. There was a digger busy clearing snow on one stretch. It was quiet in the shops. Only 10 miles.

25th 38F, 4C, calm after the overnight storm, clearing to brightness. Most of the snow was washed away by the rain.


Merry Christmas to anybody reading this. I had a Cateye Cadence (wired) computer as a present from my wife but the battery was completely flat. 0.7V instead of 3V. Most computers have a little slip of plastic to isolate the battery during storage to stop it being drained. Not this one. All my other computers use larger batteries and I have no spares amongst the dozens on assorted cards! Should I go out in search of a new battery on Christmas day? Risking my life (and assorted limbs) amongst all those drunken drivers? Eeney-meeny-miny-no... Another rest day.

26th 41F, 5C, sunshine and showers with a stiff SW wind are forecast. Still pitch black outside at nearly 8am. Not even properly light at 9am with a heavy grey overcast. I have some chocolate calories to burn off. Not a bad day with a highly variable wind and occasional weak sunshine. It only started raining properly as I rode the last couple of miles. Not many supermarkets open today.

The SealSkinz gloves were fine on a 40F day like today. Wearing the Aldi jacket was a bit sweaty so I removed the cycling cardigan. I was lucky to find a battery for my new bike computer after trying half a dozen other places. So now it is working properly I need to fix it on the trike.

I left the computer sitting on my desk and it still hasn't turned itself off after several hours. I checked the sensors with the spoke magnet to ensure it was not still waiting for further set-up instructions. I think I may have a duff one!

Nobody is ever going to believe this but I saw a jet black buzzard today. Not in the air, as previously seen nearer home, but perched low on a roadside tree. We exchanged stares and I rode on. I was wearing orange sunglasses to cope with the gloomy overcast but I still can't see how they can make a normally brown bird look coal black all over! Other brown birds don't look black! I have seen a pair of smaller, black, birds of prey on a nearby lane several times. Larger than a Crow, or Rook, but smaller than a Buzzard. This solitary bird was as big as any Buzzard. There is a Black Kite but none of the pictures online show it as anything but dull to dark brown. This bird was completely black with a shiny black beak. 24 miles.


Click on any image for an enlargement.

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19 Dec 2012

2012: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 2?

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It has been a very mixed year for cycling related purchases. Some of them were from the previous year but with my awful memory I have no lazy way of sorting them into a valid timeline. So just think of the following as a running review. (Or rant, if you prefer) ;ø)

The Abus helmet has been perfect. I used to hate helmets for all sorts of reasons until I finally saw and tried on one of these. So light, I usually forget I have it on. Even now I have to occasionally check for a chinstrap to be sure I have the helmet on. Is there any higher praise? I have never fallen off so cannot confirm its ability to protect the already brain damaged. ;ø) It even seems to keep its looks long term. Since it is treated like eggs and never bumped I don't see any reason to replace it yet.

The GripGrab lightweight overshoes have been excellent. Thin and flexible rubber with felt inside. They are easy to put on and have lasted extremely well. Only now are they beginning to fray at the heels where I continuously walk on them. They have kept my feet reasonably comfortable in some very cold conditions. Being open at the bottom, I find they are not terribly waterproof. Not even with mudguards and flaps. Though my feet haven't felt very cold when wet. I have worn them every day since the winter started. No hesitation at all in getting another pair when they get too untidy to wear in public.

The pretty, blue, Continental GP4000 tyres were fine until I started raising pressures in the search for lower rolling resistance. Then they wore more quickly and became extremely hard and uncomfortable. They still only lasted for half the life of the folding Bontrager Race Lites.

The asymmetrically striped Race X-Lites were rather strange. I could never get them to seat on the rim properly! They would bump on every turn of the wheel given half a chance. I kept letting the air out to try and arrange them on the rims before over-inflating again in the hope of the tyres centring themselves. I gave up in the end and took them off. They are still hanging up in the shed somewhere. Another sixty squid down the drain. I have already mentioned the crap quality, GP4000Scheiße which replaced them. One hundred quid wasted that time. The next tyres to be fitted were the Schwalbe Durano Plus. These have not had a single puncture in 1255 miles, under exactly the same road conditions and the treads are still completely undamaged. Unlike the GP4000Scheiße which were full of gaping holes after the very first ride!

The Bontrager 'Race' MTB shoes have been an unqualified success. As comfortable as any slippers. I tried a few different MTB shoes on and these jumped out as supremely comfortable right out of the box. Most of the others were much more expensive but felt more like narrow, down at heel, square, cardboard boxes in comparison. The Bontragers are incredibly easy to walk in. With good grip on all surfaces in all conditions indoors and out. Road shoes would never have suited my normal daily use. I get off to take photographs and corner sharply in the aisles of supermarkets. I need shoes which feel and look fairly normal when on foot.(sic) The treads conceal the SPD cleats and the colours and style are muted enough to pass off as black trainers. Why I should worry about looks is a point of confusion given my usual, colourful cycling garb. They are rather noisy when walking in shops. One toe cap is just working itself free of the glue but is hardly noticeable. The toe bumpers on my previous Tahoes became seriously unglued and gaped.


Both of my cheap, supermarket, action camera purchases were complete crap as action cameras. The thumb-sized one from Netto was much worse than the Aldi product and was duly returned. The Aldi Medion is very insensitive in dull conditions with frequent zebra-striped artefacts.

The TouPeak track/floor pump is very easy to use to any useful pressure. The TouPeak "Smarthead" twin-head, D2 pressure gauge much less so. It is often quite difficult to fit onto the valve, switches itself off ridiculously quickly and loses air when removed. I hardly bothered to use it much since the floor pump can do both jobs far better. So the separate gauge was a waste of money but bought before the track pump. It was meant to monitor how well I was doing with normal pumps. A revelation on how low the pressures I was actually getting from frame fit and mini pumps before exhaustion sets in! It helped to end a long run of pinch flats though. So it probably earned its keep in that role.
 
Which is more than I can say for the Bike Attitude mini pump. Which was more wasted money on complete crap. It could barely manage 50 psi and had a floppy folding handle designed specifically to inflict personal injury on the user.

Then I bought a frame fitting Zefal HP pump to get the higher pressures I thought I needed at that time. It was strangely heavy but efficient up to well over 100psi. Though prone to bending valves unless care is taken with the locking lever. It needs to be locked on or it blows off the valve. Not having a pressure gauge makes its use rather sparse except for inflating after punctures out on the road. The extra weight does give one confidence that it could be used against a vicious dog.

The Carradice Longflap "micro" Camper saddle bag was a serious disappointment. Far smaller than even the manufacturer's seriously inflated, claimed dimensions and dreadfully poorly stitched. The honey coloured leather straps are already looking very cracked and worn. The bag will just take 6 x 1 litre boxes of milk, arranged 2 x 3, standing up. Then the bag is completely full. I supplement its very limited carrying capacity with zipped sports bags. These are merely hung over the seat pin by their cloth handles and take care of themselves. Ideal for shopping which does not want to be crushed. Mainly eggs, bread, rolls, biscuits, fruit and boxed frozen stuff. So, pretty well everything except 6 cartons of milk and bags of organic spuds. Did I mention these saddle bags are heavy as well?

GripGrab's under-helmet, scull caps are absolutely superb! I have one each of the lightest and the slightly heavier one. They make cycling through the three cooler seasons a real pleasure. Sometimes I take both and swap to the lighter cap once I have warmed up. Or from light to heavy if I turn into a cold wind. They are  incredibly warm, wind proof, compact and comfortable without being sweaty. At their best riding into a cold headwind, they make a huge difference to comfort levels in all conditions without bulk. Easily stuffed into a jersey back pocket for immediate use when needed. These caps fit like a glove, cover the ears like no normal fleece hat and offer no pressure to the head. (at all) So one is usually unaware of their presence under the helmet and can wear sunglasses without the least discomfort from crushed ears. Unreservedly recommended! My wife washes them every time they are worn and they are still as good as new.

My 'Smart' bike lights finally grew dim a couple of years after purchase. Not through constant use but more due to old age. I know how they feel. Opening up the lights proved that they held no reverse-engineered, alien technology but only alkaline batteries. 2 x AA in the front light and 2 x AAA in the rear. This is good news because these batteries are easily replaced. I had feared they might be oddball sizes and therefore foolishly expensive.

Searching online proved that a number of manufacturers label these lights as their own. Oxford has an identical rear light by the same name "Super Flash". Both lights are bright. Though one can't ride very fast in dark country lanes by the front light alone. 10 mph is probably safe where there are no potholes. Two similar lights would help at twice the cost. Fortunately I no longer need to commute after dark. If I wanted to see the road ahead, rather than simply be seen, I'd probably want something much brighter at the front.

The rear light is easily 'Close Encounters' quality. Now matched and duplicated for brightness by very low cost, supermarket, LED bike lights. There are some very attractive long but narrow light fittings for the rear if low wind resistance is your bag. These are really nothing more than clear plastic cases to house a row of bright LEDS and the batteries. Front lights still seem to be a problem when one sets a ceiling on expense and demand seeing the road well enough ahead to avoid the usual drunks, unlit UFO cattle rustlers and their butchered road kill.  

The Velo no-name (Avenue style) vinyl covered saddle was very odd indeed. It is difficult to believe it was ever intended as a serious saddle. It was hard to sit on, but very obviously padded when thumb pressure was applied. Narrow, heavily laterally curved and flicked up at the bifurcated (forked) tail. Giving the feeling that one was perched high on an oddly-shaped lump of firewood. It produced some really weird and random pains in my leg muscles from the very first ride to the last. Presumably due to localised nerve pressure. What it did have was real speed! I gave it a full week of normal riding, before finally giving up on it. I always wanted to get somewhere quickly on it. Just so I could get off again!

Actually, I am only half joking. It really did make me want to ride fast all the time.So it might actually suit some people more than me. Had it not been so curved, crossways, it might well have had a much better chance of remaining on Mr Higgins. It is odd how many plastic saddles try to split the "personality" of those riding them!

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18 Dec 2012

2012: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly?


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I was reading Cyling UK's take on distance versus intensity in training. As I approach just short of 10,000 miles for the year I can vouch for the vital role of intensity. Or, rather, lack of it in my case. Distance is almost meaningless unless it includes real and repeated effort.

While I am certainly fitter than I was before I started tri-cycling seriously I am by no means race fit. In fact my average speeds have been falling slowly but steadily. I can travel much further than before without much stress or pain. My legs hardly ever ache as they once did all of the time. A year ago I'd try desperately to stop the endless pain as I prodded and smoothed what passed for muscles. Two years ago I'd go to bed to sleep after a ride. Anything to escape from the agonising pain in my leg muscles. My legs usually hurt so much that walking was a constant struggle.

My lack of race fitness three years later is hardly surprising considering my low daily average of about 28-30 miles. My annual mileage is merely an accident of multiplying my daily rides by a rather large figure. (~350)
My longer rides are rather few and far between. My very much longer rides are as rare as hens' teeth. When speeds fall then duration increases to cover exactly the same distance. This much is obvious. So I really can't be working as hard as I once was.

Stronglight 'Impact' Touring Triple with 46,34,24 TA rings, 160mm cranks, matching 110mm bottom bracket (with alloy cups) and self-extracting screws from Spa Cycles. Shimano 'XT' M780  SPD pedals.

I can now climb most hills without losing my breath. So my cardiovascular system must be much more efficient these days. I used to pant breathlessly just from climbing a few stairs! Where once I would hit an oxygen starvation wall on many/most climbs I now breathe much more slowly and deeply.

Though now I avoid the burn of trying too hard on the hills by using a higher cadence and lower gears. This must eventually make me soft (or lazy) unless I pedal very hard to increase my speed above the comfort level. A cyclist must be willing to expose himself to repeated pain to make any real progress. By which I mean higher speeds over longer distances. Whether you call this doing intervals or just hill climbing it requires an intensity which hurts like hell at the time! No pain, really does mean no gain, in cycling fitness. The best training is actually racing. Or time trialling. And training to race at these constantly high speeds.

Forty to fifty mile rides are now well within my capacity. Provided head winds aren't a major feature of the return journey. Which automatically increases the time it takes to get home. The trouble is the same journey can take 2-3 times as long. Including stops for shopping of course. Even now I only rarely ride anywhere without a specific purpose. If I was just sent out to ride I wouldn't know what to do. Having a target and useful purpose was a vital psychological trick which I used to keep me going out every single day. It worked superbly for me when I was first riding regularly. The habit has continued when it was no longer really necessary. Now I find it extremely hard to miss a single daily ride.

I'm rather unsure why I have recently lost my drive to ride as fast as possible literally all of the time. Perhaps it is the heavier tyres?  The Durano Plus feel as if they will roll over anything. They offer a deceptively smooth sense of urgency. Though it probably conceals higher rolling resistance and greater weight. The lack of punctures is very reassuring. A fast tyre which punctures is a slower tyre by far. Even a hasty new tube swap for the punctured one takes far more time than is lost to slower tyres.

I find that getting a puncture is usually so depressing that it takes far longer than necessary to change the tube. The former urgency to be somewhere else has suddenly gone. I am deflated by the flat. It makes me feel suddenly vulnerable out there on the side of the road. No longer in charge of my own destiny. In warm, dry weather in summer a puncture is manageable. In cold and wintry weather a puncture can be a very serious matter indeed!

The cyclist may be highly wind proof in his/her lightweight, stretchy clothing but he/she has precious little real insulation despite the layers. The cyclist relies almost entirely on  the warmth generated by the physical effort of pedalling hard. What then if the cyclist has to stop?  Finding any shelter on the open road can mean the difference between a chill and very real danger. Changing inner tubes in the wet is an even worse chore than in the dry.

When one gets really substandard tyres, like the Continental GP 4000Scheiße trash which I was fobbed off with, one may be literally taking one's life in one's hands in winter. How can one repair a puncture in heavy rain in the dark beside the road? Exposure is more than likely. Hypothermia a very real risk. Remember this when you choose your overpriced tires to save a few seconds. The expensive, lightweight, puncture-prone and vulnerable, cut-prone shit (Like the Continental GP4000Scheiße) could cost you far more than time lost! Forget the advertising hype. The fat, lying slobs at the Continental advertising department probably never rode a bike in their entire lives! When your tyres look this from the very first ride you can be pretty sure that quality control is only a myth at Continental's secret Chinese "hand built" tyre labelling plant!  

The repeated cost of buying replacement tubes soon makes costly, puncture-prone tyres even more ridiculously expensive. Repairing tubes is a strange way of valuing your precious time on this earth. How much do you earn an hour? Though I'm sure there are those who see it as soothing therapy. Rather than merely rubbing it in that cycling is a daft sport for those without the disposable income, or buying sense, of an oil prince!

While we are on the subject of trash, try these for size: SealSkinz gloves. Their motto: "Cold from day one." Worthless below 55F without thinner gloves as liners. Avoid the slightest damp or they will chill your hands into solid blocks of frozen meat! This way to the meat counter, please. BTW:They offer no laundry instructions either and only the anorexic can close the Velcro wrist straps so the active parts actually meet.

GripGrab 'Polaris' gloves are equally inadequate in my own experience. Ridiculously overpriced for the protection on offer. Again the slightest damp will reduce them to less value than a free polythene bag from the supermarket checkout. Polythene bags are arguably more wind proof than these over-hyped gloves.You might get home safely  by wearing polythene bags over these gloves to overcome their inadequacies in the wind proofing department.

Eventually I found a pair of Dintex Heat Pax gloves in a motorcycle shop. It just seemed logical that those not generating any heat of their own would need warmer gloves than cyclists. These actually worked in Denmark's regular, sub-freezing conditions. They have provided the warmth I only thought I was buying in the other two pairs of over-hyped gloves. Forget about the Heat Pax inserts though. Unless you like to spend a couple of quid a day on very short lived, one-use only, slightly luke-warm, crapola tea bags.

Last New Year year I made a resolution to ride 100 miles in a day. In fact I only managed a longest ride of 81 miles this year. In fact I managed 81, 80, and 76 miles on my three longest rides. Some of the 81 mile ride was due to getting very lost. Which caused me to go too far south somewhere in the middle of Fyn. On an island of about 50 miles across and 50 high at its absolute extremities, you'd think it would be difficult to get lost. In a car you just keep going until you recognise somewhere familiar. Or notice a place name you can work with in imagining you actually know (roughly) where you are. The delay is only slightly irritating.

On a trike getting lost is is an expensive luxury in terms of greatly extended travelling time and in my case, even worse saddle soreness. Not to mention even more serious tiredness towards the end of the ride. Usually it means a lack of food to replenish essential energy stores. The sum of which is horribly uncomfortable and exhausting misery. Only very recently have I taken maps with me. Should I plan a serious ride in future I shall use a pre-printed map with my route clearly marked.  Many Danish village names are repeated at intervals across the country. Or are very similar in sound or spelling. Do I look as if I could tell the difference?

By far the greatest problem, over the last three years, has been saddle soreness. It has taken nearly 30,000 miles to resolve this problem.  Not through increased personal toughness. Nor some strange, physical adaptation to cycling. It is all down to the new saddle. The rather floppy and obviously twisted, Brooks B17 "Select" has become completely invisible to my precious sit bones. Other than visually, the lightly tanned object now goes as unnoticed as any other component. Reaching that point has meant real pain on almost every single ride of almost any length over the last three years. Had I known back then that a B17 would protect my tender parts (sit bones) from real and endless torture I might be looking back at far greater mileages. I might also be much less angry and cynical!

Brooks B17 'Select' after 1650 miles. Notice corkscrew twisting of the nose and lateral, anticlockwise curvature. Fortunately both go completely unnoticed in use. Strangers don't often get to laugh at this misshapen leather blob because I'm usually sitting on it.  I have had to tension the nut regularly to stop the whole thing  turning into a flat piece of leather. Though there is a very real danger of the spine rising relative to the seating area if tensioning is overdone. The usual advice is to leave the tension nut well alone. This is usually good advice. Unfortunately I had absolutely no choice in the matter. Without tensioning I'd probably be sitting on the rails by now!

I still cannot explain why I was willing to suffer poorly fitting saddles for so long. I bought three new saddles in the time I could have afforded a single, bog standard B17 for the same price. Perhaps it was a blind unwillingness to accept that the narrow "sporty" saddles would always reduce my comfort. Like many cyclists who started riding seriously while still young I clung to pretensions of grandeur in the speed department. This despite all the obvious clues to the contrary.

Buying the wider B17 put an end to any illusions that I still had any potential as a solo time trialist. (Say what?!?)  The Brooks was, after all, a dyed in the wool, "touring" saddle. The B17 was the clear signal which finally admitted that I was just a slow old  fart on a heavily laden trike and would never amount to anything else. I had run up the white flag of surrender. Practised the semaphore. Fallen on my sword.

All this, despite the thin and stretchy (and occasionally gaudy) "racing" clothing. Though I wouldn't be without my cycling wardrobe now. It is all essential wear. Much of it was obtained in charity/recycling shops so my entire stock of cycling jerseys and jackets probably cost as little as a single quality item bought from a half decent bike shop. My wife always insisted on washing them several times before I was finally released onto a startled world. I now have the flexibility to fine tune my cycling wear to within a couple of degrees C regardless of the weather. I just wish I could be so confident about the choice of gloves. Nothing has been so disappointing as spending large sums of money on gloves which did not perform in cold weather.

At this point I can only assume that the very slightly greater width of the B17 provides lower pressure per square inch for my foolishly unpadded sit bones. You occasionally hear daft rumours that cyclists develop (completely imaginary) muscles or a special rhino hide to cover the exposed sit bones. This is complete nonsense in my parallel universe. The 'Select's' rather disturbing floppiness provides both localised softness and real-world suspension. Instead of my sit bones being constantly and locally hammered by a hard and unyielding surface, they now float in, or on, a thick, leather hammock. My long-suffering sit bones are now effectively and actively supported by a perfectly fitting, Brooks <cough> bum bra.<cough> A trick which the harder, narrower and firmer "Professional" was never really able to pull off. At times it would tease and hint of being comfortable even up to thirty miles. It was always a sham. Turning like a cur to bite my bum when it grew tired of the charade!

It was the same with my Brooks B17 Narrow. Which I had bought in haste twenty years ago when the only local bike shop had nothing else to offer except more plastic. These saddles' narrowness has always been their Achilles heel as far as my sit bones are concerned. Yet a very posh bike shop told me I need an even narrower saddle according to their memory foam test bench! I would still be suffering on an even more expensive plastic saddle if I had followed their advice!

The Spa Cycles Nidd saddle has been a disappointment so far. I really wanted to like the Nidd. Yet it is so uncompromisingly hard that it produced the first real saddle sores I have had so far! Boils, no less! The laminate on the underside must be at least partially to blame. The saddle is superbly made, for a seriously low price, but lacks any give and suspension. (at all) I put a few hundred miles on it but was probably fooling myself that it would improve dramatically before it made riding, on any saddle, completely impossible. The B17 Select was rapidly becoming so comfortable that there was little point in persevering with the repeated damage the Nidd was doing to me. At its low price it would have been worth soaking the Nidd get some dents going in the sit bone area. Again, I doubt the laminate on the underside would allow any such easy modification. Take away the laminate and the potential could be rather amazing. The leather is really thick, even and tough. Which Brooks no longer seem able to source reliably. The Nidd holds out the promise of a very long-lived and comfortable saddle for long distance touring. One wonders if anybody has actually managed to make it perform in that capacity?

In retrospect, my purchase of an MTB triple chainset with 175 mm cranks was probably a mistake. While providing a wide range of lower gears, to match my new, higher cadence, I still feel sure the cranks are much too long for me. I have yet to fit the Stronglight chainset with 160mm cranks due to the present foul weather and regular road salting. The latter produces ugly rust on anything exposed to the spray from the wet roads.

Meanwhile, the Shimergo gears, using Campagnolo Chorus levers, have been a revelation. No more fiddly bar end levers. Though the change has forced me into a radical revision of my riding position. Being able to comfortably reach the levers forced a drastic shortening of the reach to the handlebars. Which proved that the Higgins was far too long in the top tube for my particular build. (unless I was racing or time trialling) Which I wasn't. (honestly) Considering the trike was bought on eBay it has served me remarkably well.

I'm still not sure whether my lower spine is stiffening up with age or I'm just feeling my age after riding bent over for far too long. I just don't enjoy leaning over that far any more. The B17 is now pushed fully forwards on its rails and the compact bars and short stem are now close to providing optimum reach without over-stretching or lower back pain. Where I once spent all my time on the tops I now spend most of my time on the hoods. I'm sure I've said that before. Every day is a surprise when you have a failing memory.

One thing I would change about the Ergo levers is to lower the thumb pads for changing to higher gears. They are foolishly difficult to reach from the drops. Particularly in thick winter gloves. There is really no need for the thumb levers to be set so high. Slightly lengthening the hidden metal lever, with two right angle bends to lower the thumb pad, would easily do the trick. Considering how much time racing cyclists spend on the drops the high position seems like a cosmetic step too short.

So a completely new adventure awaits in 2013. Lower gears, shorter cranks, ergo levers, a comfortable saddle, a useful wardrobe and more upright and relaxed riding position. Will he finally manage to ride a century? (As our former colonists like to call it.) Who knows? A more upright position inevitably throws more of my weight onto the saddle. Will this mean continued comfort on longer rides? We shall see.

Thanks to the availability of excellent mapping websites in Denmark I have a 40 km, entirely rural route drawn out already. One which never runs along a main road. Four laps and I have 100 miles safely in the bag. All without ever being more than about eight miles from home. It is by no means flat but I am very familiar with these minor roads.

No need to take a load of extra stuff with me either. My multiple layers of insecurity clothing, tent, sleeping bag, blankets, duvets, umpteen spare tubes, parachute, life-raft, flotation devices, solar still, umbrella, anchor and all-emergencies tool set, can all be left safely back at home. A mild, sunny and calm day would be useful but may be asking too much in combination. The last year has been almost constantly windy and grey. It took me months to make my bare knees look even mildly tea-stained!

Click on any image for an enlargement.
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2 Dec 2012

December 1st 2012

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1st  23-32F, -5-0C, still and white. The hard overnight frost is lifting to hover around freezing point all day. I will have to fix the rear gear changer alignment before I go out. The early sun soon gave way to overcast. There was an inch of snow in places but it must have been quite localised. Elsewhere it was just a white frost.  The gears were better after a couple of further tweaks out on the road. I forced myself to do an extra detour to try and keep the miles up. I was perfectly warm except for my nose. If you want to learn about wind chill just hop on a bike, or trike, at freezing temperatures. The Dintex gloves were perfect again. As were the Aesse jacket and GripGrab Windster cap. I have never been so comfortable at these temperatures before. Three large deer had been driven out of the forest by all the shooting. They stopped to watch me ride past. 16 miles.

2nd 31F, 0C, breezy, very heavy overcast, snow. We woke up to a couple of inches of snow and it is still snowing steadily at the moment. (8am)  The snow was about 4" deep along the drive. It's a good job I have the  mudguards (and stabilisers) on.  Probably go out after lunch when it is supposed to be brighter. It stayed sunny but the roads were very wet and slushy. It was slowly becoming colder all day. The slush was refreezing as I rode home again. It looked wet but I could hear it crackling under the tyres. The trees were beautiful with snow clinging everywhere. Only 7 miles.

3rd 30F, -1C, snow lying, overcast, light wind at 8am.  It was down to 13F, -10C at bedtime last night. The postman has just delivered my package from SpaCycles in the UK: A Stronglight  chainset with TA 46/34/24 Zephyr alloy rings, 160mm cranks and PD-M780 Shimano pedals. It feels all nicely light in the hand and superbly finished.

I decided not to play the Scrooge with the pedals in case I couldn't easily remove the old MD-520 pedals from the Shimano MTB cranks. You never know when you might need a road-ready chainset in a hurry. The MD-780 are an upgrade on exactly the same, double-sided style, of the MD-520 MTB pedals. The MD-520s were my first foray into clipless pedals and have worked superbly well. Matched to the Bontrager MTB shoes they are a huge improvement on toe clips and straps. Thanks for the tip, Alan.

I like to think these minimalist  pedals offer a slight improvement in security against a bike being stolen. Most casual bike thieves won't be wearing cleated shoes and these MTB pedals are too small for comfort without foot location.. You can't do much about professional bike thieves. Particularly when the police are concentrating all their efforts on the prosecution of cyclists. Then completely ignoring live calls from the public, on their mobile phones. To say a bunch of East Europeans are loading an entire bike stand into the back of a lorry in the high street aided by 30" bolt cutters. A bike is stolen every 8 minutes in Denmark. No doubt the police assume most thefts will be claimed on the household insurance. So it's just another victimless crime. Like drink driving, universal speeding and multinationals not paying any tax. A rest day.

4th 32F, 0C, almost still, heavy grey overcast, threat of snow in the forecast. It stayed dry but grey as I rode to Assens again. The lanes were a bumpy mix of wet slush and compacted snow. I managed to get very sideways at the bottom of one hill where it hadn't thawed. The main roads were clear with only the cycle lanes mostly covered in snow and slush. So the psychos has a chance to brush past at illegally high speed as I kept as far to the right on the main carriageway as possible. 21 miles.


5th 15-22F, -9-6C, clear, calm, 8am, still waiting for the sun to rise.  The sun rose into an almost perfectly clear sky at about 9.15 CET. The temperature hasn't really risen and is expected to stay that way all day. Coldest day for a ride this year. I am putting off fitting my new chainset until the cold and foul weather subside. The salt on the roads would only accelerate a deterioration in appearance.

I left after morning coffee just wrapped up in my usual winter riding gear. The chain had to be oiled first as it had frozen as stiff as a rod! Even the tyres were frozen to the shed floor. I was perfectly comfortable except for my hands and face. Despite the heat pads, which I had activated and fitted into the pockets in the backs of the gloves, my fingers were still cold. Feet were fine in loop pile socks (bought from a farmer's supplies last winter) inside the thin, rubber, GripGrab overshoes. My hands warmed up in the first shop and were fine after that. A breeze kept picking up form nowhere with random directions. Which made it feel even colder on my face. Yet again my beard froze into solid ice from the moisture in my breath. The main roads were mostly clear except for the cycle lanes and smaller country roads.  My legs weren't aching for the first time in ages. Perhaps the low mileages I have been doing lately has sorted out the aches and pains. I detoured via quiet lanes to manage 19 miles.

6th 21-26-20F, -6-3-7C, occasional breezes, full sunshine. Toes cold despite two pairs of thick socks and overshoes. Lanes and cycle paths had lots of water ice and iron hard, refrozen slush. 20 miles so far. Going out again after lunch. Lots of birds about, in large mixed flocks, foraging. 12 more miles later. It was horribly cold riding into the wind. My hands were aching despite the scooter gloves. As soon as I had warmed up in the shops they were fine again. I pass a dog every day which is put out on the end of a bit of rope and stays out all day. -9C with a northerly wind? Not even a rag to lie on and no shelter at all. Knuckle dragging scum!

7th 26-30F, -3>-1C, almost still, brightening to watery sunshine. It was much warmer today though the wind was still cold. I wore a pair of thin polyester gloves inside the Dintex scooter gloves. My hands were toasty warm. I was actually too hot in the Aesse jacket thanks to a pair of thicker polyester skiing tights. Only a 15 mile shopping tour to keep the miles increasing. My computer magnet flew off on a downhill run! Saw some Bullfinches, huge flocks of Chaffinches, Fieldfares, a male Kestrel and some Buzzards in a very short stretch of country road between prairie sized fields. Probably a hundred ducks standing on the ice. Or paddling in a pond.

8th 21F, -6C, still, mostly overcast. Tomorrow's forecast is for a snow storm all day with 6-8" of snow.. So I had better go out today if I'm going to keep my mileage up. For 10,000 miles I need to average 22 miles per day for the three weeks until the end of the year. Easily done in summer but not in this cold. Once out the sun was bright but without warmth. It stayed at -6C all day. I was comfortable enough, even took off my cycling cardigan at halfway. I don't known why Gelsted was singled out to be completely denied road clearing and salt. Every road in the entire area was hard packed snow turned to solid ice. It was rougher than a farm track for literally miles on end! 30 miles wasn't bad on a day like this. Particularly considering the road conditions.

9th 32-36F, 0-2C, breezy, about 4-6" of overnight snow. Spent a couple of hours this morning clearing a 100 yard path to the junction with the main drive. As soon as we went indoors the fat, lazy neighbour pushed our pile of snow from his side over our drive on top of the opposite neighbour's hedge! It is required by law that private drives in collective ownership be cleared to half width on the side of the adjoining property. Being right on the end of the drive we have no adjoining drive but still have to be able to get out to the shops. Our lazy builder's crease of a neighbour has never cleared snow despite being half our age.

When the snow was 16" deep, one year, it took us two whole days of hard labour to clear a 100 yard path to the junction with the main drive. Whereupon the lazy arse immediately drove his car the hundred yards down from the front of his house to collect a crate of beer from his shed! His shed is less than ten yards from his own back door if he crosses his lawn! His shed just happens to be right outside our gate. A rest day? Not for the wicked, apparently!


THIS UNIQUE AND UNUSUAL TRICYCLE HAS BEEN STOLEN!
Single speed Trykit. Schmidt disc/dynamo front wheel
Two wheel drive. Reynolds 725 tubing. 58cm seat tube.
Stolen from Outside Santander Bank  
High Street North in East Ham London E6
Frame number is 0509015
If you see, or are offered this trike for sale, contact Trykit and the local police.
Trykit@tiscali.co.uk
Geoff Booker   01844 339451


10th 32F, 0C, continuous snowfall and strong winds. Another rest day clearing snow!

11th 27F, -3C, breezy, 3-4" of overnight snow. Cleared the drive of more snow. Had a look at the road. No problem for me riding on the dry slush except that the road is much narrowed. The traffic looks like slow motion as they keep to the speed limit. I'm still waiting for some psycho to take the government to the European Court.  Because it was against their basic human rights not to be able to do 30-40mph (50-60kph) over the legal limit. I think I'll take a tootle out on the trike. Then try and pull over if anybody gets stuck behind me. I don't fancy going out in the car in these conditions. I may know what I'm doing but what about all the other idiots?

The roads were dreadful. What wasn't hard packed snow, from drifting off the hedge-less fields, was wet slush. No real problem for me but I was pebble dashed by passing lorries and cut off by passing cars. Hooray for mudguards!  The promised all day sun has finally come out at last. At 3pm! 15 miles.

12th 4.8F, -15C, quite still, slightly misty, heavy hoar frost and bright sunshine. Will he be allowed out after coffee? Or not? That is the question! Not! It has reach 20F, -9C as of 2pm. The roads looked unchanged from yesterday. Rest day.

13th 23-28F, -5-2C, grey overcast, light winds, feeling cold. Still pitch black at 8am. We were promised a sunny morning but no sign of it yet. I'll try and go out after coffee. I rode over to Assens. Still no sun and it is almost dark at 3.30pm. Even the main roads were washboard, hard-packed snow in places. The minor roads were almost solid 1-2" of hard but crumbly snow. Which made me even slower than ever and forced me onto the main roads where I could. It was unbelievable how many people were driving badly. Conversely, quite a few people spoke to me in town. I jumped into the shower as soon as I got back to thaw out all the purple bits. 21 miles.

14th 29F, -2C,. Promised to get very windy with snow drifting later. My heels are red, hard and hurting when I walk. (again) There is no sense of rubbing in my perfectly comfortable MTB cycling shoes. The shoes look as good as new inside. My feet haven't been feeling cold and I've been wearing overshoes.  This problem only happens in winter. I've tried all sorts of creams without obvious effect. The problem seems to come and go at random. I thought it might be particular socks but I can't pin it down to those either. I've tried wearing two pairs of thinner socks instead one thick pair. My wife blames the water. Possibly the machine is not rinsing the washing so well because the water is so cold. Though that wouldn't explain why the heel problem comes and goes. Rode an errand to collect 11kg. The wind was fierce and cold with the air full of spindrift. Easy on the way back though. Only 6 miles.

15th 36F, +2C, windy, grey. There was a lot of snow drifting yesterday because of high winds. I even had to dig the car out (in the dark) when I got stuck in a drift on the main drive after a Xmas shopping trip. The forecast is for icy roads this morning with temperatures a couple of degrees above freezing for the next week. It will take a while for the roadside snow to clear. Which  would allow me to use the cycle lanes again. At the moment they are 2-3 feet deep where the snow ploughs have scraped the roads onto the cycle lanes. It is also where those who bother to (compulsorily) clear their pavements throw their own snow. Some rain is expected in the week. Which may help to speed the thaw.

I just spent another hour clearing our branch of the drive again. Now my neighbour, Slobo-dan, can safely reach his beer, by car, again. Without the risk of having to walk the few meters across his back lawn. It's spitting with rain now.

Had to go out in the car. Got stuck in the new drifts on the main drive again. Took me 20 minutes to dig myself out. Later I rode my trike along but had to get off and push to get through the foot-deep drifts.. Once on the road it was very wet but almost clear on the carriageway.  Everything is melting with noisy snow slides on the roof. I had to get out the ladder and clear the solid ice from the gutter. So the roof could drain properly.  Not much chance for me to reach 10k miles this year now. With only 15 days to manage 389 miles I'd have to average 26 miles a day even without taking rest days. Not unless we have a December heatwave! Only 10 miles.



A Gopro camera on the rear safety bumper of a Trykit 2WD axle conversion. Much more fun seen full screen.




Click on any image for an enlargement.
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1 Dec 2012

Mileage 2012

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Mileage, kilometres and averages for 2012

Km = miles x 1.61

January 2012                                Month            Year
Date      Miles        Total           Avge         Miles        Km
  
S...1..........12.........12..........12.0..........12.........19
M...2..........16........28..........14.0..........28.........45 
T...3..........21.........49..........16.3..........49.........79
W..4..........18.........67..........16.7..........67.......107
T...5..........21.........88..........17.6..........88.......142
F...6..........20........108..........18.0........108.......174
S...7..........30........138..........19.7........138.......222
S...8..........18........156..........19.5........156.......251
Week  = 144 miles = 232 km

M...9..........11.........167..........18.5........167.......269
T..10..........23.........190..........19.0........190.......306
W.11..........14.........204..........18.5........204.......328 
T..12..........15.........219..........18.2........219.......352
F..13..........13.........232..........17.8........232.......373
S..14..........26.........258..........18.4........258.......415
S..15..........30.........288..........19.2........288.......463
Week = 132 miles = 212 km

M..16..........40.........328..........20.5........328.......528
T..17..........14.........342..........20.1........342.......550
W.18..........23.........365..........20.3........365.......587
T..19..........18.........383..........20.1........385.......620
F..20..........19.........402..........20.1........402.......647
S..21..........10.........412..........19.6........412.......663
S..22..........33.........445..........20.2........445.......716
Week = 157 miles = 252 km

M..23..........20.........465..........20.2........465.......748
T..24..........30.........495..........20.6........495.......797
W.25..........35.........530..........21.2........530.......853 Puncture
T..26..........21.........551..........21.2........551.......887
F..27............0.........551..........20.4........551.......887 Rest day
S..28..........16.........567..........20.2........567.......913 Puncture
S..29..........10.........577..........19.9........577.......929
Week = 132 miles = 212 km

M..30..........28.........605..........20.2........605.......974
T..31..........20.........625..........20.2........625.....1006

February 2012                           Month          Year
Date     Miles      Total         Avge         Miles        Km

W..1.........16...........16..........16.0.........641......1032
T...2.........24...........40.........20.0.........665......1070
F...3.........23...........63.........21.0.........688......1107
S...4.........20...........83.........20.7.........708......1140
S...5.........15...........98.........19.6.........723......1164
Week = 150 miles = 241 km

M...6........30.........128.........21.3.........753......1212
T...7.........24.........152.........21.7.........777......1251
W..8.........19.........171.........21.3.........796......1281
T...9.........15.........185.........20.1.........811......1305
F..10........19.........204.........20.4.........830......1336
S..11........39.........243.........22.1.........869......1399
S..12........14.........257.........21.5.........883......1422
Week = 208 miles = 335 km


M..13........21.........278.........21.4.........904......1455
T..14........13.........291.........20.7.........917......1476
W.15........23.........314.........21.0.........940......1513
T..16........26.........340.........21.2.........966......1555
F..17........25.........365.........21.5.........991......1595 Puncture
S..18..........0.........365.........20.3.........991......1595 Rest day
S..19........31.........396.........20.8.......1022......1645
Week = 139 miles = 224 km

M..20........20.........416.........20.8.......1042......1677
T..21........18.........434.........20.6.......1060......1706 Gloves
W.22 .......25.........459.........20.8.......1085......1746 Ch+Chainset
T..23........25.........484.........21.0.......1110......1787 Pump
F..24........20.........504.........21.0.......1130......1819 Rain Jacket
S..25........20.........524.........21.0.......1150......1851
S..26........40.........564.........21.7.......1190......1916
Week = 168 miles = 270 km

M..27........20.........584.........21.6.......1210......1948
T..28........24.........608.........21.7.......1234......1986
W.29........22.........630.........21.7.......1256......2022 

             
 March 2012                 Month                       Year
Date     Miles      Total         Avge         Miles        Km

T...1.........16..........16.........16.0.......1272......2022
F...2.........30..........46.........23.0.......1302......2096
S...3.........35..........81.........27.0.......1337......2152
S...4.........18..........99.........24.7.......1355......2181
Week = 155 miles = 249 km

M...5.........21........120.........24.0.......1376......2215
T...6.........18........138.........23.0.......1394......2244
W..7.........14........152.........21.7.......1408......2267
T...8.........23........175.........21.8.......1431......2303
F...9.........15........190.........21.1.......1446......2328
S..10.........14........204.........20.4.......1460......2350
S..11.........30........234.........21.2.......1490......2399
Week = 145 miles = 233 km 

M..12.........25........259.........21.6.......1515......2439
T..13.........20........279.........21.5.......1535......2471
W.14.........27........306.........21.8.......1562......2515
T..15.........25........331.........22.1.......1587......2555
F..16.........40........371.........23.2.......1627......2619
S..17.........20........391.........23.0.......1647......2651
S..18.........18........409.........22.7.......1665......2680
Week = 175 miles  = 282 km                
 
M..19.........25........434.........22.8.......1690......2721
T..20.........20........454.........22.7.......1710......2753
W.21.........25........479.........22.8.......1735......2793
T..22.........20........499.........22.7.......1755......2825
F..23.........27........526.........22.8.......1782......2869
S..24.........29........555.........23.1.......1811......2915
S..25.........28........583.........23.3.......1839......2961
Week = 174 miles = 280 km

M..26.........21........604.........23.2.......1860......2994
T..27.........29........633.........23.4.......1889......3041
W.28.........19........652.........23.3.......1908......3072
T..29.........21........673.........23.2.......1929......3105
F..30.........32........705.........23.5.......1961......3157
S..31.........16........721.........23.2.......1977......3183



April 2012                                       Month                Year
Date     Miles       Total        Avge                Miles        Km

S...1.........22...........22..........22.0.......1999.......3218
Week = 180 miles = 290 km            

M...2.........20...........42..........21.0.......2019.......3250
T...3.........23...........65..........21.6.......2042.......3287
W..4.........23...........88..........22.0.......2065.......3324
T...5.........33.........121..........24.2.......2088.......3362
F...6...........0.........121..........20.2.......2088.......3362 Rest day
S...7...........0.........121..........17.2.......2088.......3362 Rest day
S...8.........31.........152..........19.0.......2119.......3411
Week  = 130 miles = 209 km

M...9...........7.........159..........17.6.......2126.......3422
T..10...........7.........166..........16.6.......2133.......3434
W.11.........17.........183..........16.6.......2150.......3461
T..12.........14.........197..........16.4.......2164.......3484
F..13.........19.........216..........16.6.......2183.......3514
S..14.........28.........244..........17.4.......2211.......3559
S..15.........30.........274..........18.3.......2241.......3608
Week  = 122 miles = 196 km

M..16.........18.........292..........18.2.......2259.......3637
T..17.........38.........330..........19.4.......2297.......3698
W.18.........20.........350..........19.4.......2317.......3730
T..19.........29.........379..........19.9.......2346.......3777
F..20.........37.........416..........20.8.......2383.......3836
S..21.........30.........446..........21.2.......2413.......3885
S ..22.........51.........497..........22.6.......2464.......3967
Week  = 223 miles = 359 km

M..23.........23.........520..........22.6.......2487.......4004
T..24.........47.........567..........23.6.......2534.......4079
W.25.........46.........613..........24.5.......2580.......4153
T..26...........0.........613..........23.5.......2580.......4153 Rest day
F..27.........49.........662..........24.5.......2629........4232
S..28.........22.........684..........24.4.......2651........4268 Overshoes
S..29.........31.........715..........24.6.......2682........4318 Puncture
Week  = 218 miles = 351 km

M..30........23.........738..........24.6.......2705........4355 

May 2012                      Month                           Year
Date      Miles        Total         Avge         Miles           Km


T...1.......56..........56.........56.0........2761........4445
W..2......32...........88.........44.0........2793........4496
T...3.......19........107.........35.6........2812........4527
F...4.......34........141.........35.2........2846........4582
S...5.......25........166.........33.2........2871........4622
S...6.......42........208.........34.6........2913........4690
Week = 231 miles = 372 km

M..7........21........229.........32.7........2934.........4723
T...8........25........254.........31.7........2959........4764
W..9.........0........254.........28.2........2959........4764 Rest day
T..10.........0........254.........25.4........2959........4764 Rest day
F...11.......24........278.........25.2........2983........4802
S...12.......29........307.........25.6........3012........4849
S...13.......41........348.........26.7........3053........4915 
Week  = 140 miles =225 km

M..14......27........375.........26.8........3080.......4958
T...15......34........409.........27.2........3114........5013
W..16......30........439.........27.4........3144........5062
T...17......60........499.........29.3........3204........5158
F...18......58........557.........30.9.........3262.......5252
S...19......30........587.........30.9.........3292.......5300
S...20......54........641.........32.0........ 3346.......5387
Week  = 293 miles = 472 km

M..21......30........671.........31.9.........3376.......5435
T...22......23.......694..........31.5........3399........5472
W..23......24.......718..........31.2........3423........5511
T...24......31.......749..........31.2........3454........5561
F...25......52.......801..........32.0........3506........5644
S...26......63.......864..........33.2........3569........5746
S...27......37.......901..........33.4........3606........5805
Week = 260 miles = 418 km

M..28......40.......941..........33.6........3646........5870
T...29......28.......969..........33.4........3674.......5915
W..30......52.....1021..........34.0........3726.......6000 GP4000 &
T...31......24.....1045..........33.7........3750.......6037 New inner tubes


June 2012                  Month                           Year
Date      Miles     Total         Avge         Miles           Km
F...1.......26........26........26.0.........3776.......6079 Gauge
S...2.......27........53........26.5.........3803.......6122
S...3.......48......101........33.6.........3851.......6200
Week = 245 miles = 394 km

M...4......34.......135.......33.7.........3885.......6254
T...5.......42........177.......35.4.........3927......6322
W..6.......10........187.......31.2.........3937......6338
T...7.......15........202.......28.8.........3952......6362Pump
F...8.......21........223.......27.8.........3973......6396
S...9.......31........254.......28.2.........4004......6446
S..10......11........265.......26.5.........4015......6464
Week = 164 miles = 264 km

M...11.....24........289.......26.2........4039.......6502
T...12.....35........324.......27.0........4074.......6559
W..13.....30........354.......27.2........4104.......6607
T...14.....42........396.......28.2........4146.......6675
F...15.....53........449.......29.9........4199.......6760
S...16.....32........481.......30.1........4231.......6812
S...17.....28........509.......29.9........4259.......6857
Week = 244 miles = 392 km

M...18...35........544.......30.2........4294.......6913
T...19....57........601.......31.6........4351......7005
W..20....40........641.......32.0........4391......7069
T...21....37........678.......32.3........4428......7129
F...22......0........678.......30.8........4428......7129 Rest day
S...23....42........720.......31.3........4470......7196
S...24......0........720.......30.0........4470......7196 Rest day
Week  = 211 miles = 339 km

M...25....25.......745.......29.8........4495......7237
T....26....25.......770.......29.6........4520......7277
W..27.....26.......796.......29.5........4546......7319
T...28.....40.......836.......29.8........4586......7383
F...29.....22.......858.......29.6........4608......7419
S...30.....70.......928.......30.9........4678......7531*

July 2012                  Month                          Year
Date      Miles     Total         Avge       Miles         Km

S...1........42........42..........42.......4720.......7599 Bag
Week = 212 miles = 341 km

M...2.......24........64.........32.0......4742.......7634
T...3........76.......139........46.3......4818.......7757**
W..4........27.......166........41.5......4845......7800
T...5........37.......203........40.6......4882......7860
F...6........10.......213........35.5......4892......7876
S...7........48.......261........37.3......4940......7953 Saddle
S...8........58.......319........39.9......4998......8047
Week = 280 miles = 451 km   

M....9.........0.......319........35.4......4998......8047 Rest day
T...10.......25.......344........34.4......5023......8087
W..11.......39.......383........34.8......5062......8150
T...12.......32.......415........34.6......5094......8201
F...13.......50.......465........35.8......5144......8282
S...14.......49.......514........36.7......5193......8361
S...15.......59.......573........38.2......5252......8456
Week =  254 miles = 409 km

M...16.....16........589.........36.8.....5268......8481
T....17......32........621.........36.5.....5300......8533
W...18......50........671.........37.3.....5350......8613
T....19......27........698.........36.7.....5377......8657
F....20.....26........724.........36.2.....5403......8699
S....21......31.........755.........35.9.....5434......8748
S....22......55........810.........36.8.....5489......8837
Week  =  237 miles  = 381 km

M...23......32........842..........36.6......5521.....8888
T....24......46........888..........37.0......5567.....8963
W...25......80........968..........38.7......5647.....9091***
T....26......23........991..........38.1......5670.....9128
F....27......40......1031..........38.2......5710.....9193
S....28......12......1043..........37.2......5722.....9212
S....29......25......1068..........36.8......5747.....9252
Week = 258 miles  = 415 km

M...30.....28........1096.........36.5......5775.....9297
T....31......18........1114.........35.9......5793.....9326 

August 2012                  Month                          Year
Date      Miles     Total         Avge       Miles         Km

W...1......67........67.........67.0......5860........9434
T....2......20........87.........43.5......5880........9466
F....3......35.......122.........40.6......5915.......9523
S....4......25.......147.........36.7......5940.......9563
S....5......44.......191.........38.2......5984.......9634
Week  = 237 miles  =  381 km

M...6......13.......204.........34.0......5997.......9655
T....7......10.......214.........30.6......6007.......9671
W...8......23.......237.........29.6......6030.......9708
T....9.......27.......264.........29.3......6057.......9752
F...10......46.......310.........31.0......6103.......9825
S...11......34.......344.........31.3......6137.......9880
S...12......50.......394.........32.8......6187.......9961
Week =  203 miles =  326 km

M...13.....46.......440........33.8......6233.....10035
T....14.....31.......471.........33.6......6264.....10085
W...15.....44.......515.........34.3......6308.....10155
T....16.....24.......539.........33.7......6332.....10194
F....17.....68.......607.........35.7......6400.....10304
S....18.....34.......641.........35.6......6434.....10358
S....19.....44.......685.........36.0......6478.....10429
Week = 291 miles =  468 km

M...20......62......747.........37.3......6540.....10529
T....21.......25......772.........36.7......6565.....10570
W...22........0......772.........35.1......6565.....10570 Rest day
T....23.......18.....790.........34.3......6583.....10598
F....24.......27.....817.........34.0......6610.....10642
S....25........0......817.........32.7......6610.....10642 T.Danmark
S....26......36......853.........32.8......6646.....10700
Week  =  168 miles  = 270 km

M...27......39.......892........33.0......6685.....10763
T....28........6......898.........32.1......6691.....10772
W...29......41......939.........32.3......6732.....10838
T....30......11......950...........31.6.....6743.....10856
F....31.......21......971...........31.3.....6764.....10890


September 2012         Month                          Year
Date      Miles     Total         Avge       Miles         Km

S.....1.......81........81.......81.0.......6845.......11020*****
S.....2.......18........99.......49.5.......6863.......11049
Week = 217 miles = 349 km

M...3.......38.......137.......45.6.......6901.......11110
T....4.......17.......154.......38.5.......6918.......11138
W...5.......13.......167.......33.4.......6931.......11159 Ventus gps
T....6.......44.......211.......35.1.......6975.......11230 Cassette&chain
F....7.......30.......241.......34.4.......7005.......11278 Puncture
S....8.......15.......256.......32.0.......7020.......11302 Pulleys
S....9.......48.......304.......33.7.......7068.......11379
Week = 205 miles  =  330 km

M...10....28.......332.......33.2.......7096.......11424
T....11....24.......356.......32.3.......7120.......11463
W...12....21.......377.......31.1.......7141.......11497
T....13....64.......441.......33.9.......7205.......11600 CT-5
F....14......0.......441.......31.5.......7205.......11600 Rest day 
S....15....48.......489.......32.6.......7253.......11677
S....16....44.......533.......33.3.......7297.......11748
Week = 229 miles = 368 km

M...17...19.......552.......32.4........7316.......11778
T....18...22.......574.......31.8........7338.......11814
W...19...50.......624.......32.8........7388.......11894
T....20...30.......654.......32.7........7418.......11943
F....21.....0.......654.......31.1........7418.......11943 Rest day
S....22...50.......704.......32.0........7468.......12023
S....23...59.......763.......33.1........7527.......12118
Week = 230 miles = 370 km

M...24...13.......776.......32.3........7540.......12139
T....25...15.......791.......31.6........7555.......12163
W...26...20.......811.......31.2........7575.......12195
T....27...67.......878.......32.5........7642.......12303 2 puncts
F....28...24.......902.......32.2........7666.......12342 GP4000S
S....29...11........913.......31.4........7677.......12360
S....30...66.......979.......32.6........7743.......12466 2 punctures
Week = 216 miles = 347km


October 2012             Month                    Year
Date      Miles     Total      Avge    Miles         Km

M....1.....19........19.........19........7762......12496
T.....2.....25........44.........22........7787......12537
W....3.....22........66.........22........7809......12572
T.....4.....19........85.........21........7828......12603
F.....5.......0........85.........17........7828......12603 Rest day
S.....6.....15.......100........16........7843......12627
S.....7.....40.......140........20........7883......12691
Weeek = 140 miles = 225km

M....8.....21......161........20........7904.......12725 Brooks S
T.....9.....46......207........23........7950.......12800
W...10....22......229........23........7972.......12834
T....11....66......295........27........8038.......12941
F....12....17......312........26........8055.......12968
S....13....55......367........28........8110.......13057
S....14....29......396........28........8139.......13104 Puncture
Week = 256 miles = 412km

M...15....24......420.......28.........8163.......13142 Ergo
T....16....19......439.......27.........8182.......13173 
W...17....40......479.......28.........8222.......13237 Bars/Puncture
T....18....25......504.......28.........8247.......13277
F....19....26......530.......28.........8273.......13320
S....20....37......567.......28.........8310.......13379 Nidd =37 miles
S....21....35......602.......29.........8345.......13435 BS
Week = 206 miles = 331km

M....22...26......628.......28.........8371.......13477 N = 63miles
T.....23...22......650.......28.........8393.......13513 N = 85   "
W....24...24......674.......28.........8417.......13551 N =109  "
T.....25...48......722.......29.........8465.......13628 BS Punct
F.....26...25......747.......29.........8490........13669 Durano Pl. N= 134
S.....27...44......791.......29.........8534........13740 BS
S.....28...39......830.......29.........8573........13802  "
Week = 228 miles = 367 km

M....29....0......830........29........8573........13802 Rest day
T.....30...30.....860........29........8603........13850 BS
W....31...20.....880........28........8623........13883 N = 129


November 2012             Month                    Year
Date      Miles     Total      Avge    Miles         Km

T.....1.......21........21.........21.......8644.....13904 N = 150
F.....2.......15........36.........18.......8659.....13941 N = 165
S.....3.......16........52.........17.......8675.....13966 N = 181
S.....4.......39........91.........23.......8714.....14005 BS
Week = 141 miles = 227 km

M....5........0........91........18........8714.....14005 Rest day
T.....6......26......117........19........8740.....14071 BS
W....7......21......138........20........8761.....14105  "
T.....8......16......154........19........8777.....14131  "
F.....9......59......213........24........8836.....14226  "
S....10.....25......238........24........8861.....14266 N = 206
S....11.....46......284........26........8907.....14340 BS
Week = 193 miles = 311 km

M...12.....50......334........28........8957.....14421 BS
T....13.....15......349........27........8972.....14445  "
W...14.....28......377........27........9000.....14490  "
T....15.....31......408........27........9031.....14540  "
F....16.....20......428........27........9051.....14572  "
S....17.....27......455........27........9078.....14615  "
S....18.....36......491........27........9114.....14673  "
Week = 207 miles = 333 km

M...19....30.......521.......27........9144......14722 BS
T...20....38.......559.......28........9182.......14783  "
W..21....30.......589.......28........9212.......14831  "
T...22....32.......621.......28........9244.......14882  "
F...23....43.......664.......29........9287.......14952  "
S...24....52.......716.......30........9339.......15036  "
S...25.....0........716.......28........9339.......15036 Rest day
Week = 225 miles = 362 km

M...26....19......735.......28.......9358........15066 BS
T....27....13......748.......28.......9371........15087  "
W...28....20......768.......27.......9391........15119  "
T....29....13......781.......27.......9404........15140  "
F....30....25......806.......27.......9429........15181  "


December 2012             Month                    Year
Date      Miles     Total      Avge    Miles         Km

S....1.....16.........16.......16.......9445.......15206 BS
S....2......7..........23.......12.......9452.......15218   "
Week = 113 miles = 182 km 

M...3......0..........23.......8........9452.......15218 Rest day
T....4.....21.........44.......11......9473........15251
W...5.....19.........63.......13......9492........15282
T....6.....32.........95.......16......9524........15337
F....7.....15.......110.......16......9539........15358
S....8.....30.......140.......18......9569........15406
S....9.......0.......140.......16......9569........15406 Rest day
Week = 117 miles = 188 km

M....10.....0......140......14.......9569......15406 Rest day
T......11...15.....155.......14......9584.......15430
W....12.....0......155.......13......9584.......15430 Rest day
T.....13...21......176.......13......9605.......15464
F.....14.....6......182.......13......9611........15473
S.....15...10......192.......13......9621........15489
S.....16...20......212.......13......9641........15522
Week = 72 miles = 116 km

M...17....12....224.......13.......9653.......15541
T....18....22....246.......14......9675........15577
W...19.....8.....254.......13......9683........15590
T....20....28....282.......14......9711........15634
F....21....19....301.......14......9730........15665
S....22....15....316.......14......9745........15689
S....23......0....316.......14......9745........15689 Rest day
Week = 104 miles = 167 km.

M...24.....10....326......14.....9755.........15705
T....25.......0....326......13....9755.........15705 Rest day
W...26.....24....350......15....9779.........15744
T....27.....13....363......13....9792.........15765
F....28.....40....403......14....9832.........15829
S....29.....31....434......15....9863.........15879
S....30.....35....469......16....9898.........15936
Week = 153 miles = 246 km

M...31....12....481......16....9910.........15955

Weekly average 191 miles (9745/51)  = 307 km (15689/51)

Daily average over entire year 27 miles = 44 km

BS = Brooks Select & N= Nidd recording break-in mileage.


Year's Rest day total = 19    Punctures total = 10

***** Longest ride this year = 81 miles 

Mileage 2012     9,910 miles 15,955 km.  19 rest days Jan to Dec.
                            Averaging 27.15 miles/ 43.7 km per day.(m/365)
                            Or 28.6 miles per day ignoring rest days. (m/346)
                            Maximum distance 81 miles in one day.

mileage-2011       7,542 miles 12,142 km  26 rest days. Jan to Dec.
                               Averaging 20.6 miles/33 km per day. (m/365)
                               Or 22.2 miles per day ignoring rest days. (m/334)
                               Max 59 miles in one day.

mileage-2010       9,360 miles 15,070 km 35 rest days. Jan to Dec.
                               Averaging 25.6 miles/41 km per day.  (m/365)
                               Or 28.4 miles per day ignoring rest days. (m/330)
                               Max 61 miles in one day. 


Click on any image for an enlargement.
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