Carlton 2016

New Pro 3 back tyre fitted, and one can realise that a worn out back tyre is not good!

I ordered a new pair of Pro 3s, so as to keep me going on the same tyres for another couple of years. 

By then the Pro 4s will be affordable!

One more day this week!

ATB from George

George Fredrik Fiske posted:

Nobody is going to be interested in the old bike when I cannot use it anymore. It will pay for my funeral at least!

George, you are 54!

Chris

It's never too early to start saving for one's funeral. 

First, if you have to save for your funeral, then it is certainly never too soon to start saving for it.

Secondly I was at work both days this weekend on overtime, and on Saturday I had to wend my way through Worcester Centre on foot as there were so many people about. A guy [accompanied by his lady and two small children] said that he thought the Carlton was the nicest “path racer” he had seen. I pointed out that the bike was for two years the fastest “time trial” machine in Herefordshire during the early 1980s!

So perhaps there will be a life for the Carlton after I am gone!

ATB from George

Just the other day I brought my bike to the local shop for a professional "fitting."  I've not ridden at all in almost 2 years, and as we age our body changes and I wanted to be sure that I had an optimal position on it.  It worked out pretty well, as I was way off. 

My bike is a 2001 Serotta titanium frame.  It's quite "old school" by today's standards. But its a quality frame, with Campy Chorus brakes and shifters, and Record gear stuff and crank and hub.  Next to me was a nice man being fit onto the Colnago he had just purchased.  Later when he was leaving and we were talking, I did ask him how much that bike cost. It looked expensive and I was right -- just under $13,000 (!!!!!)  We all have our "things" :-)  That bike had top-of-the-line Shimano Dura-Ace electronic shifters.  I do want to try the electronic shifters some time.

Disc brakes - YES these are starting to appear on road bikes now.  I think its only a short time until the int'l federation(s) approve them as well. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

It's ALWAYS too early to start saving for one's funeral. 

Fixed it for you.

This is one of our bikes in camping guise, somewhere in France.

Edit:  I can't see it so I guess that didn't work.  It's on 500px and I pasted the link into the insert/edit image button.

Four years ago yesterday I was crashed into on the Carlton. And at 4.30 pm four years ago today the NHS gave me two beautiful metal pins just below the knee!

The Carlton is still in good health, and I have recovered so that my once broken leg is the stronger of the two once again, though I now ride on roads as little as possible. That side effect is permanent!

Best wishes from George

Bart posted:

Just the other day I brought my bike to the local shop for a professional "fitting."  I've not ridden at all in almost 2 years, and as we age our body changes and I wanted to be sure that I had an optimal position on it.  It worked out pretty well, as I was way off. 

My bike is a 2001 Serotta titanium frame.  It's quite "old school" by today's standards. But its a quality frame, with Campy Chorus brakes and shifters, and Record gear stuff and crank and hub.  Next to me was a nice man being fit onto the Colnago he had just purchased.  Later when he was leaving and we were talking, I did ask him how much that bike cost. It looked expensive and I was right -- just under $13,000 (!!!!!)  We all have our "things" :-)  That bike had top-of-the-line Shimano Dura-Ace electronic shifters.  I do want to try the electronic shifters some time.

Disc brakes - YES these are starting to appear on road bikes now.  I think its only a short time until the int'l federation(s) approve them as well. 

A good Ti frame should last you forever-'old school' becomes 'classic' and timeless!

The UCI had approved testing of discs by teams for this season but have just suspended the plan after a severe injury suffered in the peloton. The risk of severe lacerations from sharp disc edges was always one objection raised early in the process, and so it has proved. Seems to me could go either way for the pros, although manufacturers will surely be keen to push the change, and the new brakes/wheels and forks they can sell on the back of it. Hard to see how the specific risk from disc edges can be designed away though.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk...sional-racing-220931 (link to the disc story)

I've briefly ridden a road disc equipped bike. Compared to my standard bike with an aluminium rim I would say the braking was not much different in the dry. More modulation perhaps but not clearly stronger. In the wet I suspect the difference will be greater, and also compared to my carbon wheels even in the dry.

I'd never go back to rim brakes on my MTB but for now I'm equivocal about discs on my fast road bike at least. Possibly for a tourer or winter bike. Neither discs nor electronic shifting  appeal to me enough to change out a perfectly good groupset on my bikes for an upgrade for now.

Tour of Yorkshire passing close by our home next Friday.

Bruce

Parlee Z1 (carbon), Zullo Vergine (stainless steel) Wittson (Ti) and Moots YBB (Ti)

Slight tandem diversion where brakes have a lot of work to do.    We had Magura hydraulic rim brakes fitted to our old Dawes tandem and these are just so good - particularly on the rear where the cable stretch was a real issue for cantilever brakes.

The new Co-motion tandem just has two big (200mm) discs - these do very well and we've had a lot of fun going up and down some pretty big passes, some with camping gear and trailer in tow.  They really seem to thrive on being used hard into bends and stopping power just keeps coming as they warm up.  Nice.  They are fine in the wet too but they screech horribly.  It is very nice to know they are not wearing out the rims.  The pads last about 2500 - 3000 miles, and I'm always surprised how small they are.

Ian

Try a slick of Coppaslip or similar on the back of the pads. Can stop the screeching

Thanks Bruce I will,

Ian

The discs on my new bike suit my needs very well on local rides. They avoid the issue of getting mud stuck up in the callipers and having to stop and clear it out with a stick. The extra clearance around the tyres helps with this too. On clean roads i would be happy to continue riding with normal calliper brakes, but fat chance around here. 

Hydraulic operated discs have a nice predictable feel, and reduced stopping distance, i've rather taken to mine even though they do add a little weight to the bike.

I don't really care if discs are allowed in professional road racing or not, it's up to them, nothing to do with me on my muddy little Welsh back lane riding, although i would have thought they would have given the Pro's an option to use them on some of the rougher course rides such as the Paris-Roubaix. It's a bit surprising there is a safety concern over the discs causing lacerations in crashes but they could modify the discs with blunter edges perhaps?

Debs