Drooper

Ouch! Well done on completing the ride.

Good to hear that the bike got sorted and you were able to take part. That was pretty decent of the shop to repair and replace parts for free. The scale of PFS is one of the things that puts me off. I scunnered myself with the Glasgow half marathons for the very same reason. I reckon there's a point at which the amount of people taking part starts to detract from the enjoyment. There is a good buzz at big events, but if it is a bit chaotic it can become frustrating.

I'd be up for that.

Cheers - I'm a short arse, so no problems with the height issue. I'll stick it in the dressing room off my bedroom, so I won't be in the way, and if I can easily remove it, I won't incur the wrath of the missus

What do folk reckon to this: Powerbar 2 I'm thinking this is preferable to screwing something onto the door frame.

Give them a bell today, and that lets them know you'll be in tomorrow. Best of luck with it.

Aye, it is just your luck sometimes. I've got Gatorskins on a spare set of wheels. I've had one puncture running them (a glass shard that would have penetrated any tyre, TBH), and, as you say, they are pretty bombproof. You're spot on with the rolling resistance issue. While you can notice the difference, it isn't really an issue unless you're a hard-core serious cyclist who frets over such things.

That would be a real shame. Why not call your local bike shop (assuming you live around Paisley - possibly Dooleys?) and ask them if someone could have a quick look, if only to diagnose the problem. I took my late father-in-law's Flying Scot in for a last minute check over at Magic Cycles in Bowling before the Glasgow 100 last year, having called about half an hour earlier. The guy put the bike on a workstand and thoroughly checked it over (brakes, gears, wheels etc.). Astonishingly, he charged me £2, though I gave him a tenner and picked up a couple of energy gels. I'd be surprised if your LBS didn't have time to give your bike a quick check and fettle - not least if they knew you were signed up for a ride on Sunday. I've also dropped in on shops when I've had a mechanical mid-ride, and they've been more than helpful.

The Schwalbe Ultremos came with my bike too. As I say, the RRP is around £35 a pop. Since then, I've had another set of Ultremos that had to be binned even sooner. They are great tyres on the road, but the durability was abysmal on the two sets i had. I've since had Michelin Pro Race3s (£25 each). Again, great tyres, but two shredded within as many weeks. They were not abused and I was careful with pressures. At that point, I decided that I'd opt for cheaper tyres and treat them as disposable. Cue a set of Schwalbe Luganos that I picked up for a tenner each. 300 miles or so later, and they haven't missed a beat. Unlless you intend racing, I'm not sure that spunking away daft money on tyres is really worth it, TBH. ETA: on a related matter, CycleSurgery are doing a good deal on Specialized inner tubes. 3 for a tenner, including long valve tubes that cost £5.99 each. Free postage. I've used a lot of Specialized tubes (see above ), and would recommend them. Foot of the page

Possibly just a faulty tyre. I've had issues with tyres that retail at around £35 a pop yet perish at the sidewalls within about 300 miles of use (Schwalbe Ultremos), and those were replacements for a set that had went the same way. A bad batch? Perhaps, but not good enough at that money. What tyres are you using?

Good luck to everyone doing the PFS rides on Sunday. I hope you get a good day for it, and enjoy the ride.

It was quite tough down here due to winds yesterday on the road home, so I can only imagine what you were battling against. As you say, pretty dangerous. I got hit by a cross-wind when cycling up the road earlier in the year and it nearly launched me into the oncoming traffic.

Oh dear. Whoever scheduled that should be shot!

I've kind of adopted the periodic partial-fasting routine, but I'm not being nearly as co-ordinated or scientific as you appear to be. I'm not really calculating how much protein I'm taking on, for example, and relying, instead, on having a generally decent diet overall (I'm vegetarian, but have also been taking multi-vitamins more routinely). I work 9 - 5 and find it pretty easy to skip breakfast and lunch with no obvious ill-effects, so I'm only having a main meal in the evening on 4 days from 7. I did have a cup of soup today, right enough, as I've cycled into work and need a bit of energy for the ride home. As a result, I'm probably consuming about 1200 calories on those 4 days, and that way I can enjoy eating shite and drinking at the weekend, without the fear of piling on the pounds. One thing I've noticed about adopting this approach is that I enjoy eating more when i do. I actually look forward to my evening meal, as opposed to it simply being something that I have as routine. I'm not bothered about bulking up muscle-wise, just staying in shape. This is why I'm not too fussed about calculating how much protein I'm taking on board etc. As I say, it is working out not too bad, and is pretty easy to maintain....so far.

I've got the bike with me today, too. I generally manage 2 - 3 days each week, but sometimes (like this morning), I have to force myself not to jump into the car. I think I've got a man-flu developing, so not feeling 100%, though, as always, I'm glad I opted to cycle in the end. My commute is general 30 minutes or so, though I can manage it in 20 if I take the shortest route and put the hammer down - hilly at bits, though.

This. Youtube has loads of video tutorials that walk you through basic maintenance techniques - always worth a look if you're not too sure. ETA: Park Tools also have good pictorial tutorials on there site: Clich here for the knowledge

I know you're seeking the response of our resident club beast, but I'll pitch my tuppence worth in. Chatting to a few guys when I went out with the local club, I think riding in a decent sized group is good for an additional 3 - 4 mph, by all accounts. I certainly found that I could bowl along at 20mph for miles at a time when I was sitting on someone else's wheel or tucked in behind a few riders - and this was when I wasn't at my fittest. The best I've managed on my own is an average of around 18mph over 25 miles or so. I suspect UtN is now at a level where he could hold a pretty impressive average when out on his own, as it seems that joining a club is the way to go if you really want to enhance your riding skills, fitness, and speed. I just couldn't get into it, and my local club meet on a Saturday, and that is fitba' day. A few pages back, I mentioned the cadence thing. Another thing the club guys told me was that it is worth riding at a higher cadence in an easier gear, as opposed to grinding it out. Like you, I'm inclined to try and turn a bigger gear, but when I tried the other approach, I found it much easier to maintain a decent pace over the piece. I reckon its worth experimenting in order to find out what suits you. As I say, just my tuppence worth.

About 20 quid (max) at a guess. There's a place at Lomond Shores that hires out MTBs

Oh, go on then....tell us what you got.

Aye, its a desperately unfortunate and unedifying sight, to be sure. Shoes with recessed cleats avoid this issue to a great extent.

Some days I manage to engage the cleats in pedals without a thought, and others. like this morning, I miss every f'ing time, and end up thrashing about like a maniac with a queue of traffic behind as I attempt to pull away from a junction. I've been using clipless pedals for years (both MTB, and now SPD SLs on the road bike). Like broon-loon, the idea of not using them seems very strange indeed, but you have to prepare yourself for a few scary moments when clipping in and out in busy traffic. I try to avoid routes where I know I'll have to stop (lights/roundabout/junction) on an ascent, as it is particularly difficult to perform a hill-start when trying to clip in. I also have to be extra careful as I'm left-footed and clip out with my right foot first. This means that if I'm going to fall over, I'm likely to fall into the road, as opposed to towards the pavement. I've tried alternating by clipping out of my right pedal, but it just ain't happening. Clipless pedals come into their own if you ride long routes, and those with hills. I wouldn't bother on a short-ish, urban commute. It seems to me that I clip in and out more smoothly when I'm not thinking about it too much.

I''d be burying Steps under the patio

Man up! As the great Tom Waits says, a little rain never hurt no-one. Forecast here is decent, but I'm building bloody steps in the garden, so no bike for me today :-(

Is your name really Grendel? Cooooooooooool I was determined to cycle to work at least a couple of days this week regardless of the shite weather. Once again, the beauty of cycling has been brought home to me in that I didn't really notice the rain (the wind is more of an issue in any event). I've cycled in the rain often enough, but if you get out the way of it - by that, I mean getting the bike out and setting off while it is pissing down, as opposed to being caught when you're already out - then you start to convince yourself that it is a hellish experience. It really isn't that bad at all (in the warmer months at any rate). ETA: your name clearly isn't Grendel Shame all the same.

Not even in Amsterdam?