First off bravo you Clem. Something I always think about but never do.
Interested in what you use to carry clothes etc. I don't mind riding with a small backpack, but hate shoes/trainers on my back. Saw a guy on youtube get the cheapest flight out to France and cycle home. Fancy doing it myself during better times, but can't remember his storage systems. Also what tyres are you using? I never have luck with Gatorskins and wouldn't want to ride distances on Armadillos.
First off bravo you Clem. Something I always think about but never do.
Interested in what you use to carry clothes etc. I don't mind riding with a small backpack, but hate shoes/trainers on my back. Saw a guy on youtube get the cheapest flight out to France and cycle home. Fancy doing it myself during better times, but can't remember his storage systems. Also what tyres are you using? I never have luck with Gatorskins and wouldn't want to ride distances on Armadillos.
Continental GPS 4 Seasons. My fave by far. Took me 965 miles.on LEJOG last year and only had one puncture.
I am using an Ortlieb Saddle bag. TBH it is expensive for what it is and is not really suited to a full on road bike.
If money were no object I would have kitted myself.out on the Tailfin Website.
Can't go wrong with 4 seasons. Wouldn't ride skaterskins again if you paid me. Armadillos have always been OK for me as a winter tyre though - interested what problems you've had with them @ColinTat?
My tyres are Vittoria Corsa on my crit bike, and Schwalbe Pro Ones on the road race bike (Corsas feel absolutely beautiful to ride on but cut up something rotten so I go through a lot of them as I train on the crit bike most of the time - I save the Pro Ones for road races because they're thinner and puncture easier - now that you can't have a lap out in races any more, if I puncture my race is pretty much over anyway, even if there's a service car it's generally shit and almost impossible to get back on in the races I do after a wheel change so the tradeoff between that and road feel is worth the risk)
The gravel bike is totally new to me, and I'll be honest I'm not exactly sold on the Gravelkings I've got on there. They don't feel nearly as grippy as I would expect (though that's probably my lack of talent) so will try something else when they've had it
Can't go wrong with 4 seasons. Wouldn't ride skaterskins again if you paid me. Armadillos have always been OK for me as a winter tyre though - interested what problems you've had with them @ColinTat?
My tyres are Vittoria Corsa on my crit bike, and Schwalbe Pro Ones on the road race bike (Corsas feel absolutely beautiful to ride on but cut up something rotten so I go through a lot of them as I train on the crit bike most of the time - I save the Pro Ones for road races because they're thinner and puncture easier - now that you can't have a lap out in races any more, if I puncture my race is pretty much over anyway, even if there's a service car it's generally shit and almost impossible to get back on in the races I do after a wheel change so the tradeoff between that and road feel is worth the risk)
The gravel bike is totally new to me, and I'll be honest I'm not exactly sold on the Gravelkings I've got on there. They don't feel nearly as grippy as I would expect (though that's probably my lack of talent) so will try something else when they've had it
What's up with gator skins? I've had them on mine since about Feb over 2000km on them and zero punctures.
One morning last week my back tyre was completely deflated. Not used for maybe 4 or 5 days. Pumped it back up and it seemed to hold the pressure. Could see sealant over the sides of the tyre and rim. Obviously I need to top up the sealant. Went to bike shop today where I bought bike to establish what sealant they used and the guy said probably Stans but he had none and suggested the only sealant he had which was finish line. He poo poo’ed suggestion you should not mix different types of sealant. Got home after spending £15 on 8oz bottle of finish line and whilst looking for videos on how to top up sealant stumbled across video comparing performance of 6 different sealants, including the finish line product, and discovered that not only was the finish line sealant the worst performing but it was different to all other sealants in that it is the only one not lactate? based. So, taking it back tomorrow.
My question is how often do you top up your sealant and how much do you put in when you top up? How do you know how much to top up unless you take tyre off?
And what sealants do people use/recommend?
I use stans and I have the small muc off sealent packages for my mtb. I top them up every 3-4 months with the recommended amount on the bottle. It is usually if they are not holding pressure after 4-5 days Or if I've seen it squirt out through a hole.
I top mine through the valve. With the valve out!! Hope this helps
Can't go wrong with 4 seasons. Wouldn't ride skaterskins again if you paid me. Armadillos have always been OK for me as a winter tyre though - interested what problems you've had with them @ColinTat?
My tyres are Vittoria Corsa on my crit bike, and Schwalbe Pro Ones on the road race bike (Corsas feel absolutely beautiful to ride on but cut up something rotten so I go through a lot of them as I train on the crit bike most of the time - I save the Pro Ones for road races because they're thinner and puncture easier - now that you can't have a lap out in races any more, if I puncture my race is pretty much over anyway, even if there's a service car it's generally shit and almost impossible to get back on in the races I do after a wheel change so the tradeoff between that and road feel is worth the risk)
The gravel bike is totally new to me, and I'll be honest I'm not exactly sold on the Gravelkings I've got on there. They don't feel nearly as grippy as I would expect (though that's probably my lack of talent) so will try something else when they've had it
What's up with gator skins? I've had them on mine since about Feb over 2000km on them and zero punctures.
Frightening in the wet. The compound they use is hard, but not grippy. Had three offs commuting in London in the wet on them - all on grids or paint - until I read up on it and found loads of others have the same issue - they're notorious for it (hence the skaterskins nickname). They were durable - but not worth the risk (and Armadillos are just as tough without the slipper unless)
I've never had luck with Gatorskins. Always had punctures early on with them. I run Armadillos on the winter bike and my commute bike as I don't want punctures when it's dark and/or pissing down with rain. Happy with Armadillos, but if I'm travelling distance their watt sucking rolling would annoy me before I started: Hence if I do a longer ride in winter I'll usually be on a different tyre.
I'll give the 4 Seasons a go. I used to use Krylions years ago and loved them in winter, I think the 4 Seasons replaced them. Thanks Clem.
One morning last week my back tyre was completely deflated. Not used for maybe 4 or 5 days. Pumped it back up and it seemed to hold the pressure. Could see sealant over the sides of the tyre and rim. Obviously I need to top up the sealant. Went to bike shop today where I bought bike to establish what sealant they used and the guy said probably Stans but he had none and suggested the only sealant he had which was finish line. He poo poo’ed suggestion you should not mix different types of sealant. Got home after spending £15 on 8oz bottle of finish line and whilst looking for videos on how to top up sealant stumbled across video comparing performance of 6 different sealants, including the finish line product, and discovered that not only was the finish line sealant the worst performing but it was different to all other sealants in that it is the only one not lactate? based. So, taking it back tomorrow.
My question is how often do you top up your sealant and how much do you put in when you top up? How do you know how much to top up unless you take tyre off?
And what sealants do people use/recommend?
I use stans and I have the small muc off sealent packages for my mtb. I top them up every 3-4 months with the recommended amount on the bottle. It is usually if they are not holding pressure after 4-5 days Or if I've seen it squirt out through a hole.
I top mine through the valve. With the valve out!! Hope this helps
I do similarly to SE 7
I am MTB nut. I use Stans , I top up using the syringe method by taking the internal section of the Presta valve out using a simple tool. I ride about 60 miles a week , three times a week and top up every three to four months. When I inflate after adding sealant I inflate to 50psi , way over what I normally would do to ensure that the bead is sitting correctly on the rim. I then ride for ten minutes on the rode and let the air out as I generally ride off road with 18-20 psi.
Can't go wrong with 4 seasons. Wouldn't ride skaterskins again if you paid me. Armadillos have always been OK for me as a winter tyre though - interested what problems you've had with them @ColinTat?
My tyres are Vittoria Corsa on my crit bike, and Schwalbe Pro Ones on the road race bike (Corsas feel absolutely beautiful to ride on but cut up something rotten so I go through a lot of them as I train on the crit bike most of the time - I save the Pro Ones for road races because they're thinner and puncture easier - now that you can't have a lap out in races any more, if I puncture my race is pretty much over anyway, even if there's a service car it's generally shit and almost impossible to get back on in the races I do after a wheel change so the tradeoff between that and road feel is worth the risk)
The gravel bike is totally new to me, and I'll be honest I'm not exactly sold on the Gravelkings I've got on there. They don't feel nearly as grippy as I would expect (though that's probably my lack of talent) so will try something else when they've had it
What's up with gator skins? I've had them on mine since about Feb over 2000km on them and zero punctures.
Frightening in the wet. The compound they use is hard, but not grippy. Had three offs commuting in London in the wet on them - all on grids or paint - until I read up on it and found loads of others have the same issue - they're notorious for it (hence the skaterskins nickname). They were durable - but not worth the risk (and Armadillos are just as tough without the slipper unless)
Interesting. I've never had an off with them in that time though expect this will be the jinx for that. I'll probably be due some new ones soon, may consider some of the others but given I've had zero issues would seem silly to change now.
One morning last week my back tyre was completely deflated. Not used for maybe 4 or 5 days. Pumped it back up and it seemed to hold the pressure. Could see sealant over the sides of the tyre and rim. Obviously I need to top up the sealant. Went to bike shop today where I bought bike to establish what sealant they used and the guy said probably Stans but he had none and suggested the only sealant he had which was finish line. He poo poo’ed suggestion you should not mix different types of sealant. Got home after spending £15 on 8oz bottle of finish line and whilst looking for videos on how to top up sealant stumbled across video comparing performance of 6 different sealants, including the finish line product, and discovered that not only was the finish line sealant the worst performing but it was different to all other sealants in that it is the only one not lactate? based. So, taking it back tomorrow.
My question is how often do you top up your sealant and how much do you put in when you top up? How do you know how much to top up unless you take tyre off?
And what sealants do people use/recommend?
I use stans and I have the small muc off sealent packages for my mtb. I top them up every 3-4 months with the recommended amount on the bottle. It is usually if they are not holding pressure after 4-5 days Or if I've seen it squirt out through a hole.
I top mine through the valve. With the valve out!! Hope this helps
I do similarly to SE 7
I am MTB nut. I use Stans , I top up using the syringe method by taking the internal section of the Presta valve out using a simple tool. I ride about 60 miles a week , three times a week and top up every three to four months. When I inflate after adding sealant I inflate to 50psi , way over what I normally would do to ensure that the bead is sitting correctly on the rim. I then ride for ten minutes on the rode and let the air out as I generally ride off road with 18-20 psi.
Holyjoe I know we are dicing with death discussing the darkside (MTB) on this thread, 😂😂😂😂 Where do you ride? I usually head over to Leith Hill or bredgebury forest and do a few local routes near jcn 6 of m25
Christ Almighty. Don't know if anyone was watching the women's World TT earlier. Chloe Dygert's crash was pretty brutal. Apparently, she's conscious and talking... Which is good news, but from the look of the photo I've just seen, I'd say it isn't good. Do yourselves a favour - don't Google it 😳
What happened? Bike looked like it was wobbling and had turned to jelly.
Can't tell - she definitely came into the corner too hot. Might have grabbed front brake without rear - looks like her left hand was still on the skis. Trying to correct that and only using front brake will cause that wobble - I've been there on the road bike on a descent, but much easier to save it than on a TT bike. Could also have rolled her front tub, but generally you'd see the tyre depart from the rim pretty clearly. She's a ridiculously powerful rider - like a bull in a china shop. I think her athletic talent might have overshadowed her bike handling there 😢
@SE_7EVEN as well as riding my road bikes (I've got a couple of BMXs too, as bloomin love bikes), I bought a Santa Cruz Tall Boy at the beginning of the year and have been hitting Bedgebury on a near weekly basis...learning the lines etc.. Had my first proper 'off' there a few weeks back when I took the hairpin on 'Turkey' too fast and shot off the top and into a tree, but no lasting damage to me or the bike... There's some good tracks through Joydens and down at Bluebell Hill near Rochester too. Always happy to talk about the 'dark side' ! Safe riding.
One morning last week my back tyre was completely deflated. Not used for maybe 4 or 5 days. Pumped it back up and it seemed to hold the pressure. Could see sealant over the sides of the tyre and rim. Obviously I need to top up the sealant. Went to bike shop today where I bought bike to establish what sealant they used and the guy said probably Stans but he had none and suggested the only sealant he had which was finish line. He poo poo’ed suggestion you should not mix different types of sealant. Got home after spending £15 on 8oz bottle of finish line and whilst looking for videos on how to top up sealant stumbled across video comparing performance of 6 different sealants, including the finish line product, and discovered that not only was the finish line sealant the worst performing but it was different to all other sealants in that it is the only one not lactate? based. So, taking it back tomorrow.
My question is how often do you top up your sealant and how much do you put in when you top up? How do you know how much to top up unless you take tyre off?
And what sealants do people use/recommend?
I use stans and I have the small muc off sealent packages for my mtb. I top them up every 3-4 months with the recommended amount on the bottle. It is usually if they are not holding pressure after 4-5 days Or if I've seen it squirt out through a hole.
I top mine through the valve. With the valve out!! Hope this helps
I do similarly to SE 7
I am MTB nut. I use Stans , I top up using the syringe method by taking the internal section of the Presta valve out using a simple tool. I ride about 60 miles a week , three times a week and top up every three to four months. When I inflate after adding sealant I inflate to 50psi , way over what I normally would do to ensure that the bead is sitting correctly on the rim. I then ride for ten minutes on the rode and let the air out as I generally ride off road with 18-20 psi.
Holyjoe I know we are dicing with death discussing the darkside (MTB) on this thread, 😂😂😂😂 Where do you ride? I usually head over to Leith Hill or bredgebury forest and do a few local routes near jcn 6 of m25
In terms of locally I ride ..........
Joydens Blue Bell Hill North Downs Cobham / Shorne............ and various iterations thereof. I tend to ride about 30 miles on a Sunday and have an off road route to Romford once I get through the tunnel for my commute
Ive ridden Surrey Hills , Bedgebury , Swinley and down some endurance rides like the off road Coast to Coast. Last year I frode Glasgow to Inverness off road 210 miles in three days :-)
Christ Almighty. Don't know if anyone was watching the women's World TT earlier. Chloe Dygert's crash was pretty brutal. Apparently, she's conscious and talking... Which is good news, but from the look of the photo I've just seen, I'd say it isn't good. Do yourselves a favour - don't Google it 😳
I took that as a challenge and, omg that is bad
saying today that they expect a full recovery which would be a small miracle considering the state of her yesterday
Christ Almighty. Don't know if anyone was watching the women's World TT earlier. Chloe Dygert's crash was pretty brutal. Apparently, she's conscious and talking... Which is good news, but from the look of the photo I've just seen, I'd say it isn't good. Do yourselves a favour - don't Google it 😳
I took that as a challenge and, omg that is bad
saying today that they expect a full recovery which would be a small miracle considering the state of her yesterday
Looks like, if they're saying that, the ligament never got severed. They wouldn't make a prognosis of certainty of full recovery if it had sliced through the ACL or PCL. Dreadful injury though, the only time I've seen something like that was after a shark has had a go at someone. Looks like the top of the armco literally sliced it open to the depth of the bone 😳😳😳
@SE_7EVEN as well as riding my road bikes (I've got a couple of BMXs too, as bloomin love bikes), I bought a Santa Cruz Tall Boy at the beginning of the year and have been hitting Bedgebury on a near weekly basis...learning the lines etc.. Had my first proper 'off' there a few weeks back when I took the hairpin on 'Turkey' too fast and shot off the top and into a tree, but no lasting damage to me or the bike... There's some good tracks through Joydens and down at Bluebell Hill near Rochester too. Always happy to talk about the 'dark side' ! Safe riding.
@SE_7EVEN as well as riding my road bikes (I've got a couple of BMXs too, as bloomin love bikes), I bought a Santa Cruz Tall Boy at the beginning of the year and have been hitting Bedgebury on a near weekly basis...learning the lines etc.. Had my first proper 'off' there a few weeks back when I took the hairpin on 'Turkey' too fast and shot off the top and into a tree, but no lasting damage to me or the bike... There's some good tracks through Joydens and down at Bluebell Hill near Rochester too. Always happy to talk about the 'dark side' ! Safe riding.
Charlie V nice bike there, hope it wasn't damaged to much when you came off 😉. I haven't been to BForest for a few months, but intended to return. Never knew about joydens wood and bluebell hill. I have a giant trance full sus that I bought for using in tignes. And a titanium lite speed hard tail I use for SE England. What day do u usually get down BForest? Stay safe.
Just been on the newly opened cycle lane between Rotherhite Tunnel round about and Tower Bridge. They have made an excellent job of it. Which is more than can be said about the cycle lane they are working on in Trafalgar Road and Woolwich road!
Hope they start work on the Creek Road to Surrey Quays cycle lane soon.
@SE_7EVEN ... Bike is fine thanks - handlebars knocked askew but that was it...most damage was to my shoulder and ego.. I tend not to work on Fridays, so aim to get down there after school run...so 9.15ish for a couple of laps.. Not been for a least 3 weeks now, so hoping to get down this week...will post on here if I am and maybe see you down there.
Comments
Interested in what you use to carry clothes etc. I don't mind riding with a small backpack, but hate shoes/trainers on my back. Saw a guy on youtube get the cheapest flight out to France and cycle home. Fancy doing it myself during better times, but can't remember his storage systems. Also what tyres are you using? I never have luck with Gatorskins and wouldn't want to ride distances on Armadillos.
My tyres are Vittoria Corsa on my crit bike, and Schwalbe Pro Ones on the road race bike (Corsas feel absolutely beautiful to ride on but cut up something rotten so I go through a lot of them as I train on the crit bike most of the time - I save the Pro Ones for road races because they're thinner and puncture easier - now that you can't have a lap out in races any more, if I puncture my race is pretty much over anyway, even if there's a service car it's generally shit and almost impossible to get back on in the races I do after a wheel change so the tradeoff between that and road feel is worth the risk)
The gravel bike is totally new to me, and I'll be honest I'm not exactly sold on the Gravelkings I've got on there. They don't feel nearly as grippy as I would expect (though that's probably my lack of talent) so will try something else when they've had it
I'll give the 4 Seasons a go. I used to use Krylions years ago and loved them in winter, I think the 4 Seasons replaced them. Thanks Clem.
I am MTB nut. I use Stans , I top up using the syringe method by taking the internal section of the Presta valve out using a simple tool. I ride about 60 miles a week , three times a week and top up every three to four months. When I inflate after adding sealant I inflate to 50psi , way over what I normally would do to ensure that the bead is sitting correctly on the rim. I then ride for ten minutes on the rode and let the air out as I generally ride off road with 18-20 psi.
I know we are dicing with death discussing the darkside (MTB) on this thread, 😂😂😂😂
Where do you ride?
I usually head over to Leith Hill or bredgebury forest and do a few local routes near jcn 6 of m25
Edit: these look like they'll do the job - https://www.merlincycles.com/schwalbe-x-one-allround-performance-cross-tyre-700c-99271.html?utm_source=PHG&utm_medium=AffiliateMarketing&utm_campaign=phg-GB&ucpo=45646&source=PHG
Joydens
Blue Bell Hill
North Downs
Cobham / Shorne............ and various iterations thereof. I tend to ride about 30 miles on a Sunday and have an off road route to Romford once I get through the tunnel for my commute
Ive ridden Surrey Hills , Bedgebury , Swinley and down some endurance rides like the off road Coast to Coast. Last year I frode Glasgow to Inverness off road 210 miles in three days :-)
saying today that they expect a full recovery which would be a small miracle considering the state of her yesterday
V nice bike there, hope it wasn't damag
Hope they start work on the Creek Road to Surrey Quays cycle lane soon.