Reply With QuoteAny Audaxers on here?
Doing my first on Sat, a 200k, not so much worried about the distance (did a sub 5 hour RL100 a couple of weeks ago on 2 bottles and 2 gels!) more about the controls and general advice about how it works...
Originally Posted by trident-7
Tour of Cambridgeshire today...1st place in Masters 60-64 Race :-)
Won what was left of the bunch sprint by several bike lengths.
World Champs in Glasgow here I come!
Well done, did you do the TT the day before?
Any Audaxers on here?
Doing my first on Sat, a 200k, not so much worried about the distance (did a sub 5 hour RL100 a couple of weeks ago on 2 bottles and 2 gels!) more about the controls and general advice about how it works...
My ‘new’ old beater, Raleigh R100.
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I've done a few. There's not too much to them, you sign in at the beginning and get your route card, make sure you do the required on the way round (which could be receipts from certain places or getting your card signed at controls en route), then show your completed card to the person at the end. And that is it. I'm sure you know that there's no signage and the emphasis as far as getting round is the participant relying on themself?
Looking for some advice chaps.
Recently moved to Devon and some great quiet roads and major hills making me thinking of getting a road bike.
I have seen a 2006 Carbon Trek Madone 5.9 so with Showa Durace set (excuse ignorance).
It sounds like it’s hardly been used as the condition is amazing and been a very nice kitchen wall ornament.
It’s a 58cm frame which I think for 6ft 2 in will be right for me.
Any thoughts on the bike and at £800 is this about right. The whole road bike area is hard to decide on what to look for and I only really know brands like Trek or Specialized.
Thanks for your input
Last edited by Cavham; 16th June 2023 at 21:57.
Happy to be shot down here, but do you mean 2006 eg 17 year old Carbon bike. At this age I would be taking a long look at any cracks or surface imperfections especially around the bottom bracket and rear triangle.
Shimano Durace is a top spec groupset, but again after 17 years expect replacements will have been made.
If it was me and I had £800 I would be looking at a 3/5 year old bike.
Thanks for the reply and sorry I missed it.
So in the end I did the 100k event as her indoors had an op recently and suddenly decided she was good to go for an evening out and there was no way I'd get back in time if I did the 200.
Probably not a bad thing given the heat.
All went well, and as per you describe.
All in all I really enjoyed it, especially the camaraderie and the fact you don't need to treat it as a time trial which I tend to do e.g. Ride London.
Will definitely do more 👍
Agreed re frame , and also 17 years old is a long time with bike technology.
Bear in mind whilst Durace is top of the pack it needs a lot of TLC. I'd be looking at 105 (or Ultegra if you must) if you are just starting out, or even a Tiagra....the lower down the chain you go the more reliability... Also, Shimano do a lot of drip down technology so a 2006 Durace will be substantially inferior to a modern 105 or Ultegra.
Yes, I found them to be really friendly too. Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks for the replies guys, I shall continue the search.
I would say that an older carbon frame is not necessarily a problem waiting to happen. I bought a 2009 Storck two years ago that has been faultless. However, it did have a much more recent groupset (Ultegra 6800) and a good set of hand built wheels (also much newer).
As long as the overall package adds up - solid frame with no damage; decent groupset and wheels it could be a good buy. Moreover the chances are you can get a fundamentally better bike at a much lower cost. My Storck is an absolute dream to ride.
Had a good ride out in the Lakesman Triathlon as part of a relay team with my sister and brother in law. Killer of a head wind for the last 30km though🥵
New Orro performed perfectly.
GCN did a video a while ago "Is Modern Shimano 105 Better Than 10 Year Old Dura-Ace?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUfyUUauuoY
It has always taken around 7-10 years for 105 to equal Dura Ace over the years
RIAC
Sean Conway is riding a Tri Bike similar to yours provided by Orro for his Guinness record on 102 Iron Men Tri’s back to back. He’s on day 72 today.
I have cycled with him on his run , just for company , I cant equal his 19.3 mph for 112 miles on the bike though. You can see his performance on Strava
You have a route and a generous time to get round. You stop at the controls to prove you did it. Its not a race. But you can go fast. At the end you check in, get your card stamped and eat food. You need to decide how the weather looks. 200km in rain is not good so you need appropriate clothing, lights. If it's hot then it's drinks and sun cream. Cafe stops are advised and buying extra drinks en route.
Now THAT'S a bike!
Cheers, I'll take a look on Strava.
Agreed.
I'm not a cyclist as such but some modern day bikes are an artform
Thanks both, I do kind of like it😁
I liked that when you first posted about it - looks very stealthy and fast!
Not this year but I've done the TT twice before. I concluded that closed road TT's weren't for me. After completing nearly 1000 TT's I think I've got used to surfing the bow wave of HGV's, then making the most of the tow when it comes by!
I’ve done plenty of TTs, not at your level, and ridden on fast traffic assisted courses which gave unfeasibly fast times but when my mate got mowed down from behind I saw the folly in such endeavours. I’ve given up TTs now as I just don’t feel they are held in safe places.
I don't worry about that. I often think that the only thing that worries me about being on a bike is that I'm not worried. Will probably be my epitath.
.....those rear facing camera footages are a bit scary though.
I started my TT career on the E72, course now long gone.
It’s utterly mental that races are still held on the E2, that isn’t a road suitable for cycling.
My understanding is TTs are dying a death under the management of the CTT and it’s no surprise, I think our local club 10 had 3 entries the other night and we used to get 30.
The roads that they race of round here are roads I’d never in a million years choose to train on.
It’s a shame as the TT scene was a once thriving area of cycle sport which was unique to the UK.
My Garmin Edge 130 bike computer has died (effectively - the internal battery gives up after a few miles, so I binned it). I've replaced it with one of these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0C2PHG3MM
For £35, I think it's brilliant. I already had the Xoss Gen 1 which is also thoroughly adequate. This one is slightly smaller without compromising screen size. The LCD display is much better - higher contrast and clear, though not as good as the MIPS display on a modern Garmin. And it has a super battery life of 20+ hours. I haven't tested that on this one (only done less than 4 hrs) but the first gen model has a similar battery life spec and lived up to its promise.
It doesn't have mapping or segment recognition or any of that but I never use that on a basic bike computer anyway.
The one thing I don't like about it is that you have to use the Xoss app to get a track off. You can't just plug it in and read your track files off it like an external disk, like you can with a Garmin. But the Xoss app has improved hugely over the last year; it connects very reliably and has an auto-sync feature now. It will upload to Strava automatically.
The first gen model is still available and even cheaper, but the LCD display lets it down a bit. In practice it's fine but it's low contrast and cheap-looking.
It’s telling that the National Closed Circuit TT Champs had over 300 entries last year.
I’ve ridden it several times. It’s noticeably harder work without passing traffic
Years into road cycling and I've finally got some carbon fibre wheels.
They certainly look good. Do you notice much in the way of improvement in comfort or speed?
Are they 40 / 42mm.
Im currantly looking at carbon wheels and am leaning towards Scribe at the moment for value for money and the good reviews i have read.
Years into road cycling and I've finally got some carbon fibre wheels.
Cheers,
Ben
..... for I have become the Jedi of flippers
" an extravagance is anything you buy that is of no earthly use to your wife "
50mm. They hold speed well, that's the main difference I've noticed. Comfort level is about the same; the wheels that were in before were about the same width.
FWIW they are Borg50s. Heard good things about Scribe also.
Last edited by Bondurant; 17th July 2023 at 17:40.
Well two years on with my Borg 26 humble hoops I bought following your recommendation to talk to Malcolm. Im still delighted, they run true are light and the freehub is as clicky today as it was new. Im sure you will love your carbon hoops.
Steve
Good to hear Steve.
Have you had Hunts before how do the Borge compare if so?
Looking for a new set of wheels for a new build I am doing but have time to think about it etc as the frame has to be still as yet.
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Is it going to be a rim brake or disk brake frame?
If it’s rim brake, I’ve got a set of Hunt wheels that might interest you.
It’s going to be Disc, I was going to upgrade the wheels on a rim brake bike I bought cheap recently too see if I did ride on the road more often but thought best to put that towards the new bike etc
Then sell this other bike etc
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If you are considering a new set I would recommend DCR Wheels - they made a superb set for me (in my case road use, rim brake, tubeless) that spin soooo nicely.
Nothing particularly special about the components but just a really nice set of well-made wheels.
Changing the subject a little I recently completed a 4 day tour of the Isle of Wight. Rode with a good friend who planned our route which wad 95% off road.
The weather was fantastic and the ride was brilliant, albeit tough and I mean tough. Numerous punctures wrong turns (we used a paper OS map and elastic bands) secured to our handlebars.
This was my first bike touring holiday and I'll definitely do another.
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Great rolling countryside on IoW. Looks like you had decent weather too, nice one.
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I’ve got 2 sets of Hunt one rim one disc bike - really happy with them.
Quick, loud (so great for warning pedestrians) and well priced
44/54 aerodynamist for the disc
36 carbon for the rim
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Have been tempted to get another set of Hunts have the X wide 35mm gravel carbons on my custom gravel bike.
Was wondering if anything else to try etc
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Just bought a set of carbon wheels. Wanted Campag Bora but too spend for me. Some on eBay which ìs where my Fulcrum 40mm have come from. Practically new they were £450. Have ordered suitable brake pads.
Some very classy Campag full disk wheels in use at the World Championship Track cycling this week.
Best carbon rim brake pads I've found are Campag red
Ghibli. Achingly cool but Campag have been in the carbon wheel game for so long but seem to have been eclipsed by Zipp, Enve and others. Lightweight are the dream but the price is a nightmare. Red brake pads are what I will be using.
Glasgow Scotland...UCI Gran Fondo World Championships yesterday. Came away with Silver medal in the Over 60 age category.….. There was a fast sharp right hander, slightly downhill, 2.8 miles from the finish. I'd recced it the day before with my team mate. I hammered it into that corner taking the fast line using both sides of the road & kept the power going beyond. The rest of the field took more care being in a big bunch so I opened up a 150 metre lead very quickly. I swept up the lone breakaway rider, the American Brendan Sullivan who had executed a brave 'shit or bust' attack 10 miles from the finish & who bizarrely was born in the same maternity hospital as me 60 years ago. 3 riders managed to bridge across to me. The lead was tenuous though, & there were 50 riders bearing down on us less than 10 seconds behind with a mile to go. I flicked my elbow as a sign for somebody else to work with me & share the work at the front. Nobody came through though & I knew that none of the four of us would get a medal if the chasing riders caught us. I had good legs so I kept the power on. Average 390W for the last 6 minutes of the race. The final technical challenge was turning sharply right into Scone Palace through a narrow gateway. The organisers had made it even more technical by funnelling the riders into a narrower space with railings. Subsequently lots of crashes there throughout the day. I shot through the gateway in first place & immediately gave it a full gas sprint. Again the chasing riders had to ease off a bit & I opened up a gap. It was slightly uphill & about 600 metres to the line. It's a long way to be going Full Gas. After 200m I pulled my cleat out of my left pedal & had to click back in, momentarily having to freewheel. I was about 150m from the line & still in front. I was expecting to get swamped by riders any second. The Norwegian Jorn Fjeldavlie went past me having given him the perfect lead out but nobody else did. Me & my three last minute breakaway companions got the first 4 places but 5th place from the chasing bunch was only 1 second behind 4th. That's how close it was, if I'd have started playing cat & mouse with the other 3 then none of us would have got a medal. I'm still a bit gutted that I didn't get gold but 2nd over 60 rider in the world ain't bad I guess.Tour of Cambridgeshire today...1st place in Masters 60-64 Race :-)
Won what was left of the bunch sprint by several bike lengths.
World Champs in Glasgow here I come!
Last edited by trident-7; 5th August 2023 at 16:48.
from experience Zipp are no longer the wheelsmiths that their cool logo portrays
RIAC
Very very well done, an excellent resultGlasgow Scotland...UCI Gran Fondo World Championships yesterday. Came away with Silver medal in the Over 60 age category.…..
Impressive, well done. Shame about the cleat …Glasgow Scotland...UCI Gran Fondo World Championships yesterday. Came away with Silver medal in the Over 60 age category.….. There was a fast sharp right hander, slightly downhill, 2.8 miles from the finish. I'd recced it the day before with my team mate. I hammered it into that corner taking the fast line using both sides of the road & kept the power going beyond. The rest of the field took more care being in a big bunch so I opened up a 150 metre lead very quickly. I swept up the lone breakaway rider, the American Brendan Sullivan who had executed a brave 'shit or bust' attack 10 miles from the finish & who bizarrely was born in the same maternity hospital as me 60 years ago. 3 riders managed to bridge across to me. The lead was tenuous though, & there were 50 riders bearing down on us less than 10 seconds behind with a mile to go. I flicked my elbow as a sign for somebody else to work with me & share the work at the front. Nobody came through though & I knew that none of the four of us would get a medal if the chasing riders caught us. I had good legs so I kept the power on. Average 390W for the last 6 minutes of the race. The final technical challenge was turning sharply right into Scone Palace through a narrow gateway. The organisers had made it even more technical by funnelling the riders into a narrower space with railings. Subsequently lots of crashes there throughout the day. I shot through the gateway in first place & immediately gave it a full gas sprint. Again the chasing riders had to ease off a bit & I opened up a gap. It was slightly uphill & about 600 metres to the line. It's a long way to be going Full Gas. After 200m I pulled my cleat out of my left pedal & had to click back in, momentarily having to freewheel. I was about 150m from the line & still in front. I was expecting to get swamped by riders any second. The Norwegian Jorn Fjeldavlie went past me having given him the perfect lead out but nobody else did. Me & my three last minute breakaway companions got the first 4 places but 5th place from the chasing bunch was only 1 second behind 4th. That's how close it was, if I'd have started playing cat & mouse with the other 3 then none of us would have got a medal. I'm still a bit gutted that I didn't get gold but 2nd over 60 rider in the world ain't bad I guess.
Why no GBR jersey?
@trident-7 nice write up and massive congrats. Appreciate first would have been nicer but, as you say, a fantastic achievement
Chapeau Sir!
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