An Experiment of Quality

Having heard so many good things about Merino Wool - keeps you cool, keeps you warm, keeps you dry, doesn't smell etc - I thought it was about time I got myself some.

I did some research and it looked like (surprise, surprise) that the Rapha winter baselayer (here) would be the best in terms of quality, warmth - I wanted it for winter afterall - but also with the highest price tag.
I'd love to be able to justify £80 for a base layer, but I probably couldn't so I decided to look around to see what else was on the market.

In the end I bought the Rapha winter base layer (£80. As well as a winter hat (£35) to qualify for free delivery),
This LS dhb base layer from Wiggle (£35) and also this LS roll neck/zip base layer from Mountain Warehouse for just £20. (as well as a round neck one in two sizes, just in case.)

The products all came on the same day which was a bit like Christmas!

The dhb one was too small across the chest so I knew that was a no-no straight away but realistically it wasn't that nice. It didn't look too great, the material felt quite 'rough' and it didn't seem to be that warm (from just trying it on in my living room.) Which is unusual for Wiggle as usually I am massively impressed with everything about them - their products, prices and customer service are more often than not, top notch.

Next the Mountain Warehouse version. The cheapest of the 3 it fitted the worst - it was too baggy but that's better than being too tight, I think. It looks very chic in all black and the zip roll neck isn't uncomfortable at all. It's also actually only 80% merino wool, but for that price I'll let them off.

Lastly was the Rapha offering. Of course it was the nicest. Of course it fitted the best. It was warm, it was comfortable and it looked incredible. I was in love. However, it wasn't really 4x better than the Mountain Warehouse and as sad as it made me - I had to return it as I couldn't justify the cost. Oh if only I were a better rider and could get sponsored by Rapha... that would be amazing....

The long and short of it is, that I sent back the Wiggle & Rapha offerings and kept the cheapest option (which pleased my wife). I wore it out on a run that evening (couldn't send it back after that anyway!) and was pleasantly surprised by its performance. To start with I was a bit warm with it on, but after a few K's in the legs my body started to regulate itself better and the merino wool felt nice against my skin and ended up keeping my core temperature down. When I was done (10k in 59mins, not bad for the first 10k since April) I was very dry under the base layer and it itself wasn't damp or smelly.

I look forward to wearing this base layer across the next few months but I look forward even more to buying more merino wool in times to come and hopefully being able to afford some high performing premium articles.

The Nights Are Drawing In

I was out last night for my first truly dark ride of the year. Took in a normal 30mile loop with my friend Josh but failed to think about just how dark it would be without streetlights. A couple of the descents were sketchy to say the least.

I currently have 2 front lights - a cheap eBay jobby which is actually pretty bright, and a middle-ground CatEye light which produces a fair beam and is just about good enough to see by for a few metres in front of me. After last night however I've invested in a Lezyne Micro front light for the princely sum of £26 from Wiggle so that should improve my visibility on the road and make me that little bit happier. I'm excited that it's USB re-chargable and I won't need to faff about with AA batteries all the time.

I also wore my new merino wool baselayer from Mountain Warehouse for the first proper ride last night - it performed admirably. Any sweat was absorbed and there was no smell - I even wore it to work today and it still isn't damp or smell! So for £20 I was very impressed and will definitely be investing in more merino wool in the future.

Not much else to say really except we ended our ride last night up Michaelgate climb - which is a cobbled 16% hill in the centre of Lincoln going up to the Cathedral which is used 13(!) times in the University of Lincoln Grand Prix. I struggled up the climb at 6mph with the cobbles sapping any of my speed whilst Josh danced away from me and around the corner. I will definitely be doing the climb again but I have developed much more respect for the riders such as Kristian House and Peter Kennaugh who fly up that climb multiple times at the Lincoln GP.

Looking forward to more late night rides as the weather gets colder and I will report back on how the light adds to my arsenal of lights on the road.

Worst Ride Ever

Just a quick note really...

Went out on the bike this morning and instantly felt a bit off.. My left foot just wasn't clipping in/out properly and my mudguards were rubbing against my new 25mm tyres. 

I stopped a few times to check my shoe and mudguards but couldn't sort out either and just tried to ignore the noises and uncomfortableness. 

I was just going up through a nice park when at the top there's a curb that you need to unclip to get up and of course I couldn't unclip so ended up toppling sideways and twisting the steerer tube out of whack with the handlebars. Didn't have the tools with me to tighten it up and just gave up and rolled on home to be annoyed at myself all morning. 

Ah well. 

Ready for Winter Part Two

Continental Gatorskins are a bitch to put on.

I was so excited for these tyres when they came in the post. Excitement soon turned to frustration however as I could not get the damn things on my rim. First I tried with my fingers - gave myself a big blister on my thumb - so I moved onto tyre levers. Snapped three of them.
Asked my friend Paul to try, he couldn't get them over the rim either. So I left them for the night.
Came back to them Monday evening with my friend James who managed the front tyre fairly quickly but was as stumped as the back tyre as I was. We chatted and chilled and eventually using a kitchen knife he got it on the rim for. Thank goodness!

I adjusted the mudguards to make sure the wheels span smoothly and I was good to go!
I also added another front & rear light to add to my visibility at night.

Cycled to work on Tuesday in the pouring rain and I loved every second of it. Tyres weren't noticeably different to the old 23's but the difference will (hopefully) be the amount of punctures I get from the Gatorskins. Mudguards performed brilliantly - not sure if I will ever get used to the feeling of cycling through a mini-lake and not getting and splashback at all.

Here are a few pictures of the new tyres & lights. Black bar tape yet to come but otherwise this baby is ready to tackle winter!

Lincoln Wheelers Club Run in the Peaks AKA Sunday from Hell

• This is from a few weeks ago - Sunday 29th Sep. James & I had been planning on joining the Lincoln Wheelers for a trip into the peak district for a few weeks. It would his first time cycling there and my second after the Rapha Condor JLT day although a bit further north this time.

  
  

  Just after I'd packed both bikes in the car about 7am James rang me to say he didn't want to come because he was 'ill'. Then just as I was about to unpack the car (and go back to bed) he rang again to say "feck it" and that he would come.

  We got to the meeting point safely and all set off in one big group. At the first set of traffic lights we lost half the group then regrouped further down the road. Turned the corner and and there was a piss stop (less than 2 miles in), and as I stopped my tyre decided to randomly deflate completely - tube failure, not sure why! So changed that tube over and got on our way... (tube count: 1)

  After about 10miles we split into the short group but we missed our turning so had to get called back, but then 2 other guys went another mile or so down the road, up a big hill before realising they'd lost us! Oops. The next 10 miles or so was fairly uneventful... lots of lovely hills though. Then we had a truely epic decent for about 3 miles. I happened to be leading the group at the time and used the empty roads to my full advantage. I don't think my speed down there was insane but easily hit 30mph for a sustained period of time. Possibly the most fun I've ever had on a bike! But then James had a blow out, a BANG and the seam of his inner tube failed. So we swapped that over and discovered that the tyre is a tad too big for the wheel (don't know how..) but anyway was a pain and used both of the tubes I had with me. (tube count: 2)

  Then we had lunch which was nice.. I had a scone and choc milkshake but most others had a full meal! I didn't think we really deserved a full meal as we'd only done 24miles with about 2000ft of climbing. After lunch we went straight into this huge Cat 3 climb, it was brutal but I loved it. The road just went on and on and then there was this switchback which was awesome. I lead up the climb the whole way and even unzipped my jersey for the cooling effect/to look like a pro. Eventually the others came over the top but we waited for ages for James... he finally comes over the ridge carrying his bike on his shoulders looking like a true hero! I thought he just couldn't make the hill but turns out he had another blowout! (tube count: 3)

  So we take the tyre off to discover that the inner wall/beading has come away and is popping all his inner tubes! Tried to cover the tyre wall with an energy bar wrapper but when pumped up another huge lump popped out... so had to leave James at the top of this hill on his own with a broken bike. Luckily it was a nice cark park with sun and shade and an ice cream man! Felt guilty leaving him but there was really nothing we could do...

  So we carried on, and actually had some brilliant descents but also at least 2 brutal hills - one felt like 10-12% for about a mile.. haven't checked it out on strava but it was HARD! Then going up another hill later on I got a 2nd puncture!! (tube count: 4) Again in my front wheel! - it was so annoying. So that was 4x those cheap Giant inner tubes which popped in one day... don't think I'll be buying them again!

  Then after that it was fairly okay - lots of hills, which I really enjoyed... I beat everyone to the top on every hill ;) felt quite strong and it was nice to get into a rhythm and get up to the top. The final road into Bolsover (where we were parked) was a big hill as well - a Cat 4 climb I believe! So was pretty tough but finally got to the car park, had to google a postcode for this random car park at the top of the hill and set off to find James!! Got myself an ice cream for my troubles and came home. Whew. Crazy, crazy day.

  We were out for over 6 hours for the 50miles (4:30 moving time) but I had a really great day - not sure if James enjoyed the experience quite so much! Will defiantly be doing the route again though as I really enjoyed it!

  Thanks for reading - this was an edited version of what I sent my friend straight after we got home so it was fresh in my mind. Here is a link to the strava.
• 
  

Prendas Waterproof Cap Review

Yesterday (Oct 1st, circa 2pm) I read an article on Inrng about his sponsor for the last month or so - Prendas.
The comments were very, very good so off I popped to check out the website.

As I don't have too much spare cash (although I was very tempted) I opted for something fairly low price, the Prendas Waterproof Cap. I'm rather partial to a nice cotton cap so this was something slightly different. It cost £7.50 and included free delivery.

I came home today (2nd Oct) to find the cap from Prendas on my mat. Talk about quick delivery, wow! Already impressed with the cap I opened it up and put it straight on as I was heading out for a ride anyway.

First off the cap feels a little odd as it is a nylon exterior with a slight foam padding to the interior so it's nice and comfortable. It says Prendas on the peak and Ciclismo on the inside of the peak, in a very pleasing font.

The cap fitted well and looked good under my helmet and got some good attention from my ride buddy tonight. It kept my head nice and dry amid the evening showers and kept the sweat from my hair away from my helmet foam pads. Being a little thicker than cotton it is promising for those colder autumn and spring rides and I'm looking forward to showing it off more in the future.

Thanks to Prendas who can be found here. And the cap which can be found here.

Ready For Winter Part One

Back in April my sister in law and her boyfriend sent me Wiggle vouchers for my birthday. Well, I've finally got round to spending the money on a pair of Crud Roadracers Mk II! (Linky)

I had heard that they were a bit tricky to fit, and being quite an impractical person I set aside a few hours on Sunday afternoon after the World's Road Race to fit them onto my Bianchi so I can think about using it throughout Autumn and Winter as the roads get wetter.

From this experience I have concluded that tricky is an understatement! I found the instructions hard to understand and interpret and felt the explanations didn't really match up with the diagrams. Because of this I got off to quite a slow start and struggled to get going.

Once I'd figured out how to attach the lugs (is this a common word? Doesn't explain what they are..) and the other bits it came together fairly easily. Lots of dropping out the back wheel to fit and then popping it back into to check there's enough room but overall I was pleased with the result.

The front wheel was easier but also fits less well. The way I've fitted it has made it wonky and even with tonnes of fiddling I can't quite get it to sit straight. This results in a tiny rub which is a bit annoying but hopefully after a few rides I'll be able to adjust it and get it just right!

This is how the bike looks with the mudguards fully fitted. You can see that the back goes really far down to protect you and any riders behind you. They are both held on by a cable tie through the guard and over the brake. The front also has good coverage and I look forward to stepping off the bike without the tell tale mud streak up my back.

My two favourite features of the Roadracers are certainly the ease of which you can raise or lower the mudguard to give a closer fit and also how the rear one protects the drive chain from muck as well as the saddle post/your arse.

Annoyingly as I was wheeling the bike back into the house the rear tail bit got stuck on the floor and snapped off where it was attached to the middle section of the mudguard. The damage isn't too bad and I'm hoping I can duck tape it back together but if not Crud helpfully do a bunch of spares for the roadracer. I can pick up a new middle section for a reasonable(ish) price of £6.50. Roadracer spares can be found here.

You may notice that the title of this post is Part One... Part Two of my winter conversion is twofold.

i) I am going to finally succumb to the fact that white bar tape doesn't stay white and going to purchase some black bar tape for the Bianchi.
ii) Not sure how sound this reasoning is but I plan on picking up some 25mm tyres for the Bianchi to give some extra stability on wet/slippy roads across winter time.

Overall I think the Crud Roadracer MkII look great, performed great on my short test ride but are a pain in the arse to fit and to adjust! Set aside major time to fit these, try not to lose too many of the tiny pieces and stay calm ;)