behind you!

Visitors to cyclesguff may recognise the pic below. This is a favourite spot for this guffer, and every time I pass, a pic is taken.

This got me thinking...visitors to this blog may like to see what's behind.

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Terminal velocity

Every now and again a chance for a spot of exploring comes along, this weekend was to be one of them. The 'classic' ride to meet the family in Comrie was on the cards, as was a wee ride on Sunday to free up the legs. 

The Saturday ride followed familiar roads and provided an ideal chance to test the fitness. Strava, once again, was on to keep me company and log the route. The post ride analysis showed that I'm not the only rider who has the the last 16k/10miles into Comrie as a target. My aim for a time under 30 minutes over rolling exposed moor roads may sound like an easy target for some, this guffer has only succeeded once! Saturday wasn't one of them, but a time in the mid(ish) 30's wasn't to be sniffed at, especially since the wind was being a pest and the road surface on the B827 towards Comrie is truly awful, a shocker and one of the worst examples of the state of Scottish roads. This got me thinking about solutions...no, I'm not about to go on some political rant about council tax freezes, local councils' lack of funds and the responsible party that decided to specify one of the below to repair roads....

Oh, the irony

In theory, the kit above is good, but the experience of riding roads where it has been used is awful. The repair leaves a high spot, the aggregate emulsion mix doesn't adhere to the damaged section. And, what is left results in small stones littered across the road, not surprisingly, these are usually in breaking areas and corners. This guffer is aware of a number of riders (moto and velo) that have experienced close calls.  The larger sections of roads that have been repaired with this kit end up displaying very similar characteristics to a washboard. Whether this is due to breaking forces of vehicles, temperature extremes and poor application, it doesn't matter. It is not a long term repair and is classic example of a solution causing even more problems. As for the so called cost savings - don't get me started. 

 

Back to the ride. There is a little road that quietly calls me every time I pass. My ambition to beat 30, results in a subtle nod and next time glance. Sunday was to be that day. A fab little route of 40k was chosen for its mix of great views, straight as a die ascents and very fast country lane descents. 

One of which has an incredible transitions from ultra quick chute to a very steep and short hairpin climb. The map had been looked at and memory serving me well, I would be turning left very soon after Muthill and heading back towards the Drummond Estate. This little gem of a rolling road didn't disappoint and is one that fellow Guffers will hopefully experience on a training ride prior to Etapé Caledonia.

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4 men and 23 gears

3 single speeds and a 2x10

This guffer's 'go to' bike for the last few months has been a Lemond Alpe D'Huez. Sunday's route was off road, so with a touch of fitness in the legs, super dry trails and a sunny outlook, the 29er SS was wheeled out. The pre-ride chat and mentions of unheard of trails proved without doubt that I'd been neglecting the knobbly tyres. That stream of consciousness became even more apparent when the hoops began to turn. 

My pace has been recorded in perpetuity by Strava. The route darted through woods of pines and canopies of oak, birch and elm all coming into bloom. It appears that Strava never dropped a signal and I now have a map of the route for future forays into the woods. My rustiness was recorded through scrapes, these are now acting as very persuasive prompts that I must venture out more into the woods. Thankfully those scrapes will heal, but what remains is the fact (for me anyway) that a base fitness for road riding is very different to the fitness and mindset required for the trails.

Sunday's experience of the local trails begged the question - with a few hours to spare, why go anywhere else? A fantastic combination of technical singletrack, 'chewing the handlebars' climbs and flowing descents that open out to some epic views are on the doorstep. Oh, and there is also the chat, encouragement and local trail building skills of a great bunch of riders.

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misdirected

It won’t have escaped some of you that part of the guff ethos includes a certain eye for detail. Whether in bike design, publications, tasty kit or route profiles each of us brings our own subtle influence to bear.
It plays out in our choice of bike and equipment and we rarely ride the same components or kit. There is however one exception and that is our choice of Continental tyres.

We consider these tyres to be quality items that offer good puncture protection, grip and minimal rolling resistance. Perhaps in keeping with German precision engineering, there is a direction arrow on the tyres advising the user of the preferred direction of travel. This generous assistance has exposed a failure to follow instruction and compromised abilities in the guff camp.

In one of the final summer runs of 2011 a shameful truth was revealed when the direction arrow on a tyre was spotted pointing backwards. In a scandalous failure to follow manufacturer guidance the tyre had been fitted the wrong way. I am sure you will agree that this is not appropriate guff behaviour. It has far reaching consequences that have taken some time to realise.

the horror >

Just as the cyclesguff team bring different perspectives to bear on kit there are differences in our riding skills with a healthy mix of rouleur, baroudeur, puncheur, grimpeur, tester. Descending however remains the realm of one guffer in particular. Alas this is the same guffer that has shown an aversion to instruction manuals and his guff gaffe has now been exposed.

The milder weather allows rider and bike out of storage and testing on higher routes with longer climbs and descents. In the faltering spring sun there has been a great fall from grace. This once great descender is no more. Now that the tyres are pointing in the right direction, frankly, the poor chap cannot descend for toffee. Let that be a chastening lesson.

cyclesguff does enjoy a trip to Auld Reekie, especially if it involves a visit to the fab bike outfitters Ronde and a few drams on the Royal Mile.

From Ronde's facebook:

Only a few days to go....
Richard Mitchelson is coming to Ronde!
Date - 31st March at around 19.00 sees the opening night of Richs exhibition.
Meet Richard in person, come see Cycling Legends: 'Tete De la Course' and original story board series, 'Pantani: Giro 1994' and much more from various past issues of Rouleur....this is one not too be missed and a first for Scotland!

The guffers have a soft spot for Richard Mitchelson's work, so a wee visit to the exhibition is very likely. 

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I wish....

The unseasonably hot weather in this fair land has been bliss and rapidly acclimatising to a change from 5ºc to the low 20's has been fun. Bib tights, gore-tex jackets and winter gloves have been replaced by bib shorts, full zip tops and race mitts. The challenge now is to have the legs spinning like it's summer and ascending local hills at a chippy pace.

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A great day, abc easy as...

wee pink flying machine

Recent posts of been on the longish side, so this one is brief:

1. 5yr old daughter discovered the joy of riding her bike, absolute bliss!

2. A pedal this afternoon, great company and high teens, low twenties centigrade

3. The telly is good tonight, so time to chill and recover

The chat was good when I could stay on his wheel

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