Step off the treadmill

I've written about cycling clothing, food and accessories. And questioned value for money. An irritation is the way brands and manufacturers inflate prices by building a heightened sense anticipation. 

Think about the unboxing experience; layers of packaging and worse: excessive plastic. It seems that the more expensive the product the more involved the experience has to be. I just want to receive the item undamaged with the least amount of landfill.

Apple are a prime example with their tech, I'm sure others as much at fault. 

I've started to base buying decisions on this. 

Just one item from Le Col uses a bigger than necessary, shiny cardboard box, with plastic wrapping. Both difficult to recycle. Q36.5 on the other hand delivered using minimal extra material. 

It's not just the overuse of packing material; we are constantly bombarded with adverts for new versions of items we already own. Mostly with either more options we'll never use or improvements we won't notice or appreciate. 

We are told what was previously perfect for our needs is now no longer able to deliver. It's wasteful of resources, has the potential to cause financial problems and contributes to increased pollution. 

Sitting in Westerham this morning with Matt, he mentioned how hotels do the same. And that he also didn't like it. He just needed a room, a shower and a comfy bed. Not extra cushions, a huge television and a chocolate on the pillow. They are all used to give the impression of luxury to justify an inflated charge. 

It goes further; the word staycation is now used to differentiate and devalue local holidays. The inference is that a destination needs to be distant to be a good holiday. With of course the best travel solution being to fly. Huge tax advantages are given to the aviation industry which means it's often the cheapest conveyance method. And that is not right given how environmentally damaging it is. Travel abroad, but think of other ways to do it; or stay closer to home.

Rather than lowering our impact we are driving it up when we succumb to these massages.

As consumers we can make a positive difference. Step off the treadmill. 

Cornwall 2023

 

It's been a year since I was last in Cornwall; for part of my long ride week. This time I drove down with Marcia. We stayed in the same place as our last visit.

 

It's a quiet place with the same setup that we have at home so it works well for Marcia.

Along the lanes to the nearest village was a nice walk.

With impressive views.

Just managed to catch sight of a deer.

 

Regular readers may remember that I sold much of my camera gear to fund my new bike. These pictures were taken by the only camera I have left; the Kodak CX7430. Bought for me by Marcia it was responsible for my return to photography. Boasting a massive 4 mega pixel sensor and 3 times zoom, I'd forgetten how good it was. Very basic controls and customisation, but these pictures prove it's still got a lot to offer.

Taking advantage of the great weather we met my sister Sheila for a walk along the Camel Trail. I hired a bike and rode to Padstow. In a departure from my last experience it was mostly flat. Marcia and Sheila completed a shorter route and joined me at a cafe. My phone took the following images.

 I headed off to Padstow for my first ride of the year that required sun cream. Happy days

The trail was fairly busy, Padstow more so. I rode and then walked up a hill to overlook the bay.

Then continued a bit further through Harlyn bay. This was not so flat; each inlet on the route required a climb out.

Back through Padstow and then I got a move on to meet at the cafe for food.

 Looking up at the trail.

Whilst I was away Sheila took some pictures using the Kodak.

 

When I only needed a few bits I walked to the nearest village; Probus.

A lot of the buildings date back to before the 1700's; a monastery, maybe the first habitation pre-dates the Norman conquest.

It's around 1.5 miles from where we were staying and took me about an hour to walk there and back. I like to walk every day, even if I don't need to visit the shop.

Since we honeymooned over two decades ago we've been to Cornwall numerous times. Deciding on places to see is becoming harder. On Thursday we headed to Penrose water garden near Truro. It appeared on the website to be much bigger than it actually was.

In reality there were ten or so tightly packed ponds. The narrow paths that separated them were uneven and very slippery. Not good for Marcia in her wheelchair. Again the website suggested food would be available. 

The restaurant wasn't open, closing at 13:30, and we would have needed to book a table. All-in-all a disapppointment.

We moved on to Mevagissey; a village near St Austall; sitting on the harbour wall to eat Cornish pasties.

The end of the week arrived, and it was nearly time to go home.

One last walk looking for a new view. Controversial opinion: the windmills don't destroy it as much as some would argue. Especially when you consider power and phone lines criss-cross many vistas.

Conflicted

The weather has improved, so I'm riding more. I've got plans for adventures on my bike. So why am I unsure about my motives?

Let me explain.

I love riding my bike, both on my own and with others. I enjoy the feeling of achievement when I push myself. Chatting to others. The look of amazement when I tell non cyclists how far I've gone. Keeping fit. I can forget my worries for a while.

But...

I worry it's too big a part of who I am, how I see myself. That it defines me. 

Am I forcing myself to ride further, faster, everyday because I don't have anything else?

I know I have great family and friends and that they allow me to by who I want. And to ride as much as I need.

Lately though I have been questioning how much time I devote to it.

I'm conflicted; every ride seems to need a purpose. Where as it use to be enough just to get out. I didn't really think about how far or how long.

Part of me says go for a few hours, another counters with "that's too far" or "that's not far enough". 

Yesterday was a case in point; a bank holiday. Where to go, should I stop at a cafe, another big ride or keep it short?

In the end I settled for 36 miles, with a stop at a new to me cafe. It's part of a winey/brewery. It was nice to sit and relax. 

The clouds looked threatening, but it wasn't cold so all was almost right with the world. Unfortunately the coffee was dreadful. It tasted like a bad instant, which was disappointing because it came from a proper machine.

I think from now on I'll just be more relaxed about the whole thing. I will be slower too, I do very quickly fall into a habit of pressing hard on the pedals too much of the time. I have to remind myself to do this as I ride. I don't need to feel exhausted everytime I get home.

 

 

TT time again

It's finally time to see if my new bike has improved my TT results. Link to blogs about it. Link to 2022 TTs.

Times from last year:

02/08/2022 28.59

16/08/2022 28.42

23/08/2022 28.50

And this ride:

02/05/2023 29:28

 

Since taking delivery in December I've covered 1,204.6 miles on the Le Vita. Right from the start it felt faster. That feeling improved again when I removed the mudguards. The club rides have given me a good idea about the potential boost. There are many variables for each TT, hopefully I'll see an upward trend.

 

I wrote about what I thought might be helping me go faster. Link. 

 

In the end I didn't use the TT bars. The test ride didn't build my confidence. I'll come back to them; a work in progress.

 

Report:

 

I was slower, which is disappointing.  Compared with last year's fastest time I lost out on the second lap. I did encounter horse riders on the first, but looking at the two events in Strava I didn't appear to loose much time on that section. It was very windy and I had ridden over 60 miles the previous day. A combination that may have caused me to tire as I hit the long back straight for the second time.

 

All being well, I'll be back next Tuesday. I'll take it easier the day before and try to push harder towards the end.  

I'll need to schedule some more time with the TT bars, and investigate how I might train differently. 

My cycling club. Host club.

Back on the flats

This might be a bit controversial to some. I'm back using flat pedals. 

A few thoughts:

When I was riding as a kid it wasn't a thing. We all just used the pedals that came with the bike. When I returned to cycling in 2005 I used flats because that was all I knew. Anything else was for club riders; and that wasn't me.

I joined Oxted CC in 2020 and raised some eyebrows with my choice. It wasn't a big deal, only eliciting a few comments about how being clipped in was more efficient. I was able to keep up with people in the groups I joined so maintained the status quo.

Late 2021 I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Link to my change. It was okay, I didn't really notice much of an improvement. Then in early 2022 I crashed and broke my hip. When I started riding again the thought of a fail to unclip incident causing a fall on my left side had me going old school again. Also I had a limited range of motion at first; it wasn't comfortable to clamp my foot in place. A year on I don't think I'll be clipping in anytime soon. Even today the worry of not unclipping causes too much anxiety. It has the potential to spoil a ride.

I did notice that I had altered my technique in the short time I was attached to the bike. So it was making more of a difference than I had thought.

It could also be a potential obstacle for a new rider, I wrote some thoughts here about this subject. Much info about cycling on the internet says you don't use flat pedals if you are a serious rider. My club doesn't hold this view, but some might.

I now commute to the London office by bike and I'd be very anxious if I couldn't get a foot down in an emergency. I know it gets easier over time, but for me I know it would be a struggle. 

I do wear shoes to which cleats can be attached, because the sole is stiffer. I saw a picture of me doing a hill climb in trainers which provided the impetus to investigate alternatives. My foot was curled around the pedal. Less compliance from the shoe increases power transfer. My next pair will be more sporty, with and a firmer base.

Entry is too expensive

Someone new to cycling would look to the internet for advice. What would they find? 

Videos like this. The inference would be that if you take riding seriously you need a carbon fibre bike. There are advantages for sure, but the cheaper end of the market is not much better than metal as far as weight etc is concerned. Just because a bike is made from this wonder material doesn't mean it's much lighter. The frame is more expensive to produce so the other components tend to be lower spec. 

A better video for anyone new to bikes might be this. I'd spend a little more, as they suggest, and get disc brakes. 

Or you can buy second hand, as I did. I upgraded it as parts wore out. I did eventually buy a new carbon fibre bike. But that was because I wanted disc brakes and to compete in TT's. My old bike found a good home. 

The road bike I have is more suited to recreational riding. When I ride into London I take the mountain bike. Another minefield of info is which style of bike to buy.

There are gravel, XC, touring, hybrids, cross country, racers and mountain bikes.

I have two because I returned to cycling with the intention of doing it mostly off road. As time went by I did this less often. I could have sold the bike but it was worth so little it didn't make sense. The Kona Blast is from 2006 and very much old school. Having said that; only the frame and fork are from then. It's now used on a Sunday to meet Matt for coffee; and to commute.

If you mostly ride to work and for errands then a cheap bike might be best.  Especially if you have to leave it in a less secure location.

Buying an expensive bike has its advantages and disadvantages. The components might last longer but will cost more to replace. It's more likely to be stolen. 

Then there is clothing. If you ride for long periods this is important for comfort. But the cost can be incredible. I initially rode with what I had already; but as the distances increased this became impracticle.  So I bought specific clothing from the cheaper end of the scale. It was okay, but there were problems. It didn't fit that well and soon wore out. I couldn't justify the expensive alternatives, so settled for somewhere in the middle. Still expensive but I can appreciate the better fit and longevity. 

Most annoying is that even the more expensive options fall short of their promise. I have yet to find gloves and socks that will keep me completely warm and dry. 

Commuters can probably stop reading the post here.

If you are still with me lets talk food, indoor training, tech, events, and clubs.

I started by eating as I went along, from shops as needed. Then I carried food with me and adding powders to water. I bought sports nutrition as it's called. It was easy to carry, kept me energised and didn't upset my stomach. But it's expensive. Now I make my own or buy what are called breakfast bars. They taste okay and are much cheaper. On hotter days I'll still use electrolyte tablets in the water bottle, otherwise I'll just add sugar to the water.

When the weather is grim you move inside, or you don't ride. For me at first I just stayed in the house. But as I became fitter I ventured out in poor weather. See above about clothing. And I fell off more. I was given a simple trainer that a bike is bolted onto. I use it to this day. It's okay but it can be very boring. Here is were the spending can start once again. You start with a "smart" version of what I have for £100 or so. It links to a cycling computer and takes you on a simulated ride. Or it links to an online world through a web hosted service; monthly charges apply. From there you can spend up to many thousands of pounds on equipment. I'm sticking with what I have.

I use tech on my rides, do I want to use more? Maybe. I have a cycling computer, bought initially for sat nav duties. It can do much more and it use to record my rides for uploading to Strava. My sports watch does this now. I do use a heart rate monitor as well. But it can be linked to a powermeter to monitor my effort as well. The constant upgrades to all of this perpetuates almost endless waste. Manufacturers follow the same rules as all tech companies; telling us the equipment we have is no longer up to the job. Even though when we bought it they told us it was.

By events I mean what are called sportives. Rides over a set route with feed stops, signs and some kind of support. I rarely do them now, they can be expensive. Before cycle computers that provide sat nav a new destination was a hassle so having the hard work of route following done for me was great. Food stops less so, there is nearly always a shop or petrol station nearby. They do sell the illusion of being almost a race. Some participents ride like it is, they can take it too seriously. Another reason I'm put off. They can also use locations seen in pro races around the world. This encourages travel, mostly by air; which is highly polluting.

Clubs are a good choice if you want to expand your cycling world. They provide support and encouragement, new destinations and targets. Knowledge and advice is another advantage. Find a good one, the membership fee will be worth it.

I have participated in most of the purchasing encouraged by the cycling world. Some of it I still use, some not and some I judged not to be worth it. If you have the money to spare, indulge; except for the air travel. 

Cycling is life improving and can reduce pollution. It doesn't have to be expensive.