Sunday, August 03, 2008

No more baggy shorts

Some weeks ago I noted that one should never wear lycra shorts whilst cycle commuting, it's just not cool or, indeed, neighbourly for anyone who has to watch you go past. But, every once in while most red-blooded young men feel the need to squeeze into skin tight lycra so yesterday I dusted off my road bike so as to indulge.

It is so long since I have ridden the road bike it felt odd, but it funny how different the steel frame feels after riding my new aluminium framed bike for just 100 kms last week.

I was pretty happy that over my 20 km circuit I kept the average speed well up above 30 kmph, which is always the goal but not always doable for me! Next time the target will be 30 kms within an hour - I just need to work out a course without too many hills!



I recently replaced the front tyre with a new one. The new one is very smart looking - now matching my saddle, bar-tape and rear tyre (plus the guy in the cycle shop said, "get yellow. Everyone knows that yellow is a particularly fast colour!") but it also has a black stripe running down the centre. This stripe is far from perfectly uniform and hence gives the sensation that the front wheel is wobbling when it isn't at all - see video above - most disconceting when riding and slightly hypnotic if you start watching it!

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