Well, they are generally right.....

Well partially.....

So the logical choice seemed to be to remove the wheels off the summer bike and transfer them to the winter bike. The wife wanted me to use the new bike, I wanted new wheels. You may have seen her comment on my previous post, felt like I may lose this battle but thankfully I wasn't required to sleep in the shed ;-)

This seems like a decent compromise. The wheels from the new bike go on to the old bike and I buy new wheels for the new bike at some point in the future, it's not like it's going to get used this side of Christmas anyway.....

The only obstacle this posed was the removal and replacment of the cassette as the winter bike is a 9 speed (triple) and the summer bike a 10 (double).

I borrowed a cassette removal tool from a mate at work -

Removal of the 9 speed cassette was fairly straight forward once I understood how the chain whip worked, the spikes held tension from the spokes, took me a while and a text message to work that one out. Use 'youtube' he said, literally no video's I found had this tool set in use.

I simply couldn't remove the 10 speed cassette from the wheel of the new bike, I couldn't get the whip to hold tension on the wheel (well, not without ruining it anyway). So I popped along to see the guys at my LBS, met the mechanic who literally took the wheel and bought it back to me a moment later with the cassette in a bag. job done. He used one of these.....

So I bought one. Makes the job a piece of cake, literally. I must have been in town for 25 minutes max, love it when I don't have to wait for service.

Anyhoo, after sorting the cassette's all I had to do was put the new wheels on the old bike and adjust the brakes to the new rims. This gave me the chance to fit new brake pads on the rear as there was nothing left of the current pads.

So the old bike has new rims and looks all the better for it. Now ready for a full winters commute without me needing to worry if the wheel was going to collapse.

The new bike on the other hand is looking a little sorry for itself, rims with no tyres and wheels with no cassette. It ain't going anywhere, anytime soon.

.....but I WILL be buying some decent wheels at some point before next summer, now I just need to decide which new wheels, ow dilemma's.....

When will she learn?

So in my previous post I mentioned how I now have a cracked back wheel and inevitably it will need replacing.

Ok so I have 2 bikes, lucky me. One is older and heavier and one is younger, prettier and lighter, you can see where this is going....one never see's rain, the other comes with me over hill and down dale, we share blood, sweat (literally) and tears. I've fallen off it and I've kicked it over in frustration but it's never missed a beat and will always be the bike I turn to when the weather sets in.

Apparently this is hard for a woman to get her head around. One for rain and one for shine. It really is that simple. Don't fuck with my theory.

So I'm debating on a new rear wheel (like for like), a new budget set of wheels or a better set for the summer bike, that way I can just place the current wheels on the old bike and save a little dosh towards something a little better.

So I go at the wife with my findings and tell her my thoughts. Her initial response is 'why don't you just use the new bike, thats what you brought it for'. (This one sentence explains the chasm in understanding as to exactly why I own 2 bikes). Now I can't put in words all the things wrong with this sentence but I'll name a few....No, just No. It doesn't see rain (unless of course I'm caught in a shower whilst out riding), it's pretty, it's light, I like looking at it and No it doesn't come out in the rain. Did I mention it doesn't come out in the rain?

Now I agree this is a little sad, I am very lucky in that I have a choice in which bike I ride when the weather is crap. My old bike has mudguards, my new bike doesn't even have eyelets for mudguards, why would I choose to ride it in the rain when I have a bike set up for wet weather, JESUS.

It's not rocket science. she'll never understand how I need new wheels. I can't just 'use the new bike' because I'll then still have a broken rear wheel.....not logical thinkers are they.....

Garmin stats (YTD)

Year to date stats. How exciting. I ride daily.

 I'd like to explain how I add base miles and how my I ride within a certain percentage of my heart rate. Truth is I haven't got a clue.  I just ride. I ride to get there and I ride to get back. everything else is just living.

That's that f**ked then....

My winter bike. Well more specifically the rear wheel of my winter bike. I noticed a spoke coming loose a few months back but though nothing of it, I mean its not like there isn't 35 others, can't do that much damage can it?

Not sure I can keep riding on this mind. Look's a bit terminal.

It's cracked either side of the spoke eyelet and the rim itself is cracked on both sides. There's no papering over these cracks. Like Armstong's career, I may not want to admit it but it's coming to an end.

Now I don't race, road or cross on this bike, apparently its capable of both (I on the other hand, am not) but I have ridden it in all weather conditions covering thousand's of miles both on and off road. Its seen 2 (ish) years of hard graft, been a worthy servant and a faithful companion so I guess I should just replace it and move on, though part of me just wants to ride it into the ground and see what happens.

So a Shimano 9 speed compatible rear wheel it is then, can't be too hard to find......

This is frightening...

Now I don't really want to get involved in this "did he,didn't he" theory regarding Lance Armstrong (that's clearly a lie, I love a bit of drama). It's long since been assumed he did but never been proven. Now USADA are running with what Lance considers a "witch hunt" its certainly looking more likely that he actually did. This next few weeks will be an interesting chapter in the history of cycling. They've taken his decision not to continue fighting as a declaration of guilt, all evidence would have been provided to him prior to the sanction.

Lance has already been stripped of all results circa 1998 but the evidence put forward by the USADA in the weeks to come will establish if that ruling actually stands. If as USADA officials state, they have as many as 10 eye witnesses willing to testify against Armstrong, many of those being fellow professional cyclists from his former team and many of them already being banned riders in the shape of Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton et al. Each one Armstrong's deputy and each one fallen by the wayside on his route to 7 Tours de France. Director sportif's, team doctor's, you name it, all implicated.

Difficult to know the truth without the man coming out and saying "I did it". The sad thing is, (if this is true) being a cancer sufferer he was a real beacon of hope for millions around the world, a real inspiration. I know I own both his books, the first of which almost bought me to tears. A genuine hero. But being a genuine cycling fan, I want answers and I want them from him not some bullshit penned by his highly paid lawyers. We all know the lengths Landis went to too prove he was innocent, it was and is just embarassing and he's a parasite that needs to disappear. The 'Floyd fairness fund' I mean come on, he's just been ordered to pay $475,000 of money obtained by fraud.

Sadly, cycling has no history without doping, it really is that black and white. Tom Simpson was on something when he died on the slopes of mont ventoux. Numerous cyclists have tried and failed without the use of substance. So many riders still do it, I believe 3 were banned from this years tour for doping. I enjoy the riders that have come from nowhere, with no history of winning yet here they are on this given day kicking the arse's of the worlds best "clean" riders, haha. It's only a matter of time.

Anyway the image shown above taken from the NY Times tells you the sad truth about cycling history. Riddled with corrupt c**ts. 2003 is a particularly special year, who do the UCI give the title too, hmm decisions, decisions.

Win at all costs.

NY Times article

Evans reprieve

If you read an earlier post of mine you'll have read my disappointment at the customer service I recieved at the hands of their Guildford store. Working in customer service myself I appreciate good service on the products I purchase and more importantly good after sales service, buying the product is just the start of the relationship. Things break and thats life, you need to know you're being provided with a level of support when parting with your cash.

I buy a bike, i want to know the seller is going to provide me with a decent level of service, not much to ask is it?

Being lied to by individuals you're lead to trust is just rude, offensive. If you are unable to perform a task, give a reason, provide a solution, don't just lie.

I have lost all faith I ever had with shop staff at Evans, from trying to be sold a bike I didn't want or couldn't afford in Kingston, to being lied to by mechanic's in Guildford. It will take a long time and a grand reason for me to take a bike into that chain of stores for any work. A local bike shop will always be my preference and I know mine, service above and beyond with a passion for bikes.

I can't fault Evans online store, I'll continue to use this service if they offer what i want at the best prices, which only a chain seem to be able to do.

Thankfully the customer service team are better than their counterparts on the shop floor.

Thanks for listening and thanks for the gesture.

My favourite route

So I cycle daily from my home in Bracknell to my place of work in Staines, yeah Staines upon Thames, the small town on the south west outskirts of London just inside the M25.

Nothing special as a location and nothing to speak of as a town but god damn the commute is beautiful. I've been cycling to and from now for over a year never really leaving the main road. Initially i took the route through Ascot turning left at Wentworth golf course following the A30 past Virginia water and the stunning Royal Holloway college.

In an attempt to gain more mileage I changed my route and started cycling through Windsor Great park, well the main roads through it anyway, on to Runnymede and beyond to Staines.

A man of routine you see, find a route, follow it, ride it faster (thats a strava thing), thats me, thats what I do.

Well last week I was challenged to change my route again, so I did, it's shorter that the long one and longer than the short one. More importantly, I don't share the road with cars. I share the road with cyclists and deer!

Look no traffic!

None, anywhere, on a commute toward the country's capital!

Look, Windsor Castle...honest guv

Now every cyclist wants to read this surely!

What a route, what a commute, can't wait to ride this covered in snow.