The Beacon Message Board

Philip Whiteman

Also, if you end up purchasing bib-tights or neoprene overshoes then consider the versions that come with reflective strips.

Philip Whiteman

There are simple rules about cycle lighting: If riding on lit urban streets:- Purchase cycle lights to be seen. These are at the cheaper end of the range, often between less than approximately £80. Cheap Halfords kit will usually suffice. If riding on unlit rural lanes:- Purchase cycle lights to see...

Philip Whiteman

Ceramic BBs are supposedly better than normal BBs but are three to four times more expensive. Just a few of questions: - what are their longevity compared to a 'normal' BB? - I assume that they are greased within a cartridge, cannot be relubricated and likely to suffer water ingress like any other B...

Philip Whiteman

Northfield is great place for me. Be fair. I realise it has'nt got atttractions like Drayton with it's Manor Park Amusements but even so....... :lol: :lol: :lol: Drayton Manor is truly horrible. Please don't get me wrong. Northfield High Street has its problems but it does have potential. It just r...

Philip Whiteman

Why is everyone so negative about Northfield and people from Northfield? I've lived there for 11 years now and can think of far worse places to live. Dave The problem lies with the High Street which is truly dreadful and deteriorating. The boarded up shops and dubious looking characters provide the...

Philip Whiteman

Sorry to hear about your misfortunes. Even worse was the fact that it was not your fault.

Anyway, there is still the LEL in 2013.

Philip Whiteman

Our own website has not been changed to reflect the 2012 event yet, Ohhhh yyyyeeeessssss it has (scuttles off to check.....) You asked me to this a couple of months ago when you sorted the auk entry form out I think. Oh yes, so you have. Thanks Steve. PS. This is the first time that I have used the...

Philip Whiteman

I received my first entry today :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: It sold out last year, so I expect that some people are eager not to be caught short like last year. Our own website has not been changed to reflect the 2012 event yet, so if you are that desperate, you can enter via the AUK website. Ho...

Philip Whiteman

I have ridden exactly the same DIY audax route from home to Wemouth with the same computer and on the same bike . How on earth can the second ride be fourteen kilometres shorter than the previous occasion? Fortunately, both times were in excess of the randonee minimum and pre-verified by AUK. Even m...

Philip Whiteman

Whilst Eddie may not have made it to the finish, former Beaconite Danial Webb has completed. Beacon audax supporters Ant Wheatley (Stourbridge) and Ray Joiner (Tamworth) also completed. Ka Wai Li who joined B runs earlier this year, has PBP history and had intended to ride this year but his name was...

Philip Whiteman

Eddie reached Brest last night.

His cumulative speed was 15.7kph, which is only just above the minimum permissable. There are no more controls registrations since then, so either he is resting or has retired from the event (hopefully it is the former).

Philip Whiteman

Not only is Eddie an unsung hero in terms of the PBP but has also got a strong record for riding the qualifiers: BISHOP'S CLEEVE, Cheltenham 203 12 Mar Leominster 210 26 Mar WOLVERLEY, N of Kidderminster 305 09 Apr CHEPSTOW 401 30 Apr CHEPSTOW 619 14 May TEWKESBURY 215 25 Jun TEWKESBURY 304 09 Jul T...

Philip Whiteman

Thanks for all your feedback and I do agree with the points about Shimano's life expectency.

PTFE tape sounds like a good suggestion, I may give it a try.

Philip Whiteman

How compatible are bottom brackets to one another? Do they have to be swapped with like for like? My Shimano 105 5600 BBs (English) appear to almost impossible to replace and in some instances are shown as discontinued. Shimano 105 BB 5700 are for use with hollowtech but I have now idea on compatabi...

Philip Whiteman

Brilliant. Did your rims over heat on the descents?

Philip Whiteman

Thanks for the ride guys felt very welcome. Will be on beacon ride tomorrow night. And wat is the A run on sunday.thanks again everyone :D All the Sunday club runs can found at: http://www.beaconrcc.org.uk/message_board/viewforum.php?f=5 This Sunday is a special summer extended club run of around 1...

Philip Whiteman

Does anyone have any tips or advice on how to train in order to perform better in audaxes, and to be able to do the longer rides? I cope well with 100 miles or so, got round a permanent yesterday which with the cycling to/from the start was 100 miles, got round in just less than 6 hours without nee...

Philip Whiteman

Paul and I rode this yesterday (thanks, Paul). Paul had changed to a curious colour towards the end which indicated it had been a long ride. All I can say is that the new KK Route will be as challenging as ever. THE EASY BIT The outbound route to Acton Scott is undulating with only one long haul up ...

Philip Whiteman

Mark Beaumont, 2011, THE MAN WHO CYCLED THE AMERICAS. Bantam Press. ISBN-13: 978-0593066980 The book is written in a very easy-to-read style, and, as with The Man Who Cycled The World, I have once again been drawn into the story. It's like meeting up with an old friend. Unlike his first book, The Ma...

Philip Whiteman

Latest version

http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=281331

Philip Whiteman

re: posing, you really haven't seen anything until you'vre ridden an Italian sportive by the way, this is the official Maratona kit: http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6132/5947581238_f218b231ed.jpg With some slight colour substitutions here and there, this design could be the replacement for our sport...

Philip Whiteman

Okay, 8am start from The Talbot, Belbroughton on Saturday. Cafe stops at Aston Scott, Montgomery and where ever there after.

Paul. If you would like a gpx file, I could send it to you by return of e-mail. P dot WHITEMAN at BHAM dot AC dot UK

Philip Whiteman

slogfester wrote:Sunday 24 July would be better for me. Or is it politically incorrect to suggest a Sunday?

Unfortunately I have to work that Sunday.

Can either you do Wednesday, Thursday or Friday next week instead?

Philip Whiteman

Paul, Barry and any one else.

This is the suggested route.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Ki ... raft-Route

How about Saturday 23rd July, Starting from Belbroughton?

This may sound odd, but I will need to make a couple of cafe stops to check out the venues.

Philip Whiteman

Brilliant! Well done both. Of course your achievements will be totally void if you were not wearing Beacon jerseys or drinking from Beacon bidons. Andy, did still manage to find some obscure cycle track along the route? :lol: George, I hope that you were utilising your over sized Carradice bag to sh...

Philip Whiteman

Clive, I have the same model as yourself and bought it for the very same reason. Even for mountaineering it was pretty awful, and I have only ever used it for double checking grid refs. At the time these models were produced, the technology was only very basic. Since then, GPS units have progressed ...

Philip Whiteman

Would you be interested in test riding the 200km Kidderminster Killer Route, either independantly or as part of a small group? http://ridewithgps.com/routes/504438 For those not in the know, the Kiddie Killer is a thirty year old audax. As from next year, the Beacon will be taking over the organisat...

Philip Whiteman

Now RideWithGPS has gone bang Many people had switched to planning cycle routes to RideWithGPS following the troubles with Bikely, et al. RideWithGPS provided a cycling facility for route planning but that has now been withdrawn outside of the US. The cycling facility enabled users to plan the short...

Philip Whiteman

I read elsewhere that they are continuing. However, when a rider turned up at the traditional start point no one was to be found. It is fairly inevitable that the rides will tail off or cease.

Don't forget about our Sunday club runs.

Philip Whiteman

This saga is still ongoing and seems to affirm that the event was a disaster in terms of organisation. The queues apparently reached around 400yds long for people trying to register. There was pushing and shoving amongst entrants, the roads were covered with cyclists' litter and the feedstops were f...

Philip Whiteman

Blimey, I have just read the Bikeradar thread on the Dragon. There are an awful lot of unhappy bunnies out there who are dissatisfied with the event organisation and errant timing chips. There are also mentions of various accidents. Bearing in mind this event has had a good reputation in previous ye...

Philip Whiteman

Congratulations to Barry and Richard who sound as though they gave strong rides.

As for the event, it sounds as though the organisation sucks.

Philip Whiteman

Here are my memories on the pass: West to East Hardnott to Cockley Beck - the first part of the climb, approx 100m from the Brotherilkeld telephone box is ruddy hard. It eases off and is quite rideable until you reach two nasty switchbacks just before the fort but can ridden on the outside. The insi...

Philip Whiteman

Sorry to be blunt, but....

By the sounds of the it, with the amount of trouble you are going just get a couple of hills, I would probably say it is not worth the hassle. Just try to cycle as far as you can get and walk the troublesome bits.

Philip Whiteman

I think a 10sp chain will be too narrow for a 9sp cassette.

Philip Whiteman

I done this a few years ago on a normal triple. It could probably be done with a 38/28 providing you keep to the outside of the curves. But a road triple would be sufficient. The thing you have be aware of is braking. The steep descents on dry and warm conditions may cause the blocks and rims to run...

Philip Whiteman

Two Battles 200km Audax Date ridden: 30th April. 8.30 ride time. It is also operated as the 'Tinsel and Lanes' audax during the December. Organised by Tamworth CC. A Google route map can be found at: http://www.mapmyhike.com/hike/united-kingdom/tamworth/959927824831 Controls Tamworth HQ Wistow Rura...

Philip Whiteman

Thanks for pointing this out, Albert. Of course the theory is fine but I could not help but wonder if the demonstrator would have had the same luck with a free-wheel bicycle. To what extent did the demonstrator produce a visually better result with a fixed wheel bike. All pretty academic as I suspec...

Philip Whiteman

An important consideration behind crank length is the size of your feet in relation to the clearance with your front wheel. Limited clearance and large feet can cause conflict between your toe and the front wheel on a tight turning circle. The bigger the crank equals bigger the risk. So if you are c...

Philip Whiteman

The shorter the crank, the higher the cadence that is possible (ultimately up to the rider). Shorter crankarms allow for faster cadences and improve cornering clearance on velodromes and in criteriums. They also avoid the effect of long crank arms to close the hip angle and reduce power - a benefit ...

Philip Whiteman

Other event 200km "Barry's Bristol Ball Buster" Website: http://audax.lvis.org.uk/ To add to Steve's accurate reflections on this event, the choice of route for the 210km event was well designed and took riders through pleasant countryside. After departing off the 100km route at Keynsham, the 210 g...

Philip Whiteman

I tend to replace mine about once every two years and oil the cables around every six months. Additionally, I replace my pedals every three years as a matter of policy. That may seem extreme but I have suffered two critical failures in the past where the axle snapped in two. Some of you may remember...

Philip Whiteman

AlanW wrote:Its nice and sunny so I took mine out into the garden for some fresh air.....

The shrub which is second from the right looks as though it could do with some care and attention.

Philip Whiteman

Hmm, interesting. There was a fair amount of rubbish in the BB as noted by lack smooth rotation and brown rubbish ouzing out. By the sounds of it and Ed's comments on grease, perhaps it is time to buy another.

Philip Whiteman

This is a bottom bracket question. How do you lubricate yours? I recently removed my sealed bottom brackets to clean out general winter rubbish. First of all they were degreased and then oiled with normal chain lube. My thoughts is that BBs should be lubed with a grease viscosity rather than light f...

Philip Whiteman

Don't forget our spinning classes. As for owning a turbo, one will help. But there are significant down sides, they are extremely boring and good models are expensive. Saying that, the following article may convince you to purchase one: http://www.cycling-inform.com/general-training-tips/98-how-much...

Philip Whiteman

Index of cafes

http://cafefinder.moonfruit.com/home/4591212255

Philip Whiteman

I think you may need to use some weedkiller to remove the grass growing through the paving slabs.

Philip Whiteman

I think that both types could be regard as beginner's models and there is probably little between them. I have never owned a Defy or an Allez but I can speak highly of Giants generally. I have owned both a TCR and and OCR, the latter of which still scores as my favourite. However, I note that Allez ...

Philip Whiteman

I cannot make my mind up as to whether this can really be regarded as serious. If it is, then it is a manufacturer who is attempting to pull a fast one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLlosK4C-ik

The Beacon Message Board

Search found 1573 matches

Ceramic Bottom Brackets

Re: Sunrise Express 2012

Sunrise Express 2012

Lost 14km on exactly the same route: cycle computers - huh!

Compatability of Bottom Brackets

Re: Training tips for Audaxes.

THE MAN WHO CYCLED THE AMERICAS

Test Ride for Beacon's Kidderminster Killer 2012?

Ride With GPS - fizz, bang, wallop.

Two Battles Audax

Re: Barry's Bristol Bash 112km Long Ashton

How do you lubricate yours?

New cafe suggestions

Go Faster Aerodynamic Water Bottles?