29th November 2014 Another SMIDSY!

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Saturday 29th 33F, 1C, heavy overcast and windy. The forecast is for gusts to 25mph and a fixed temperature just above freezing point all day. I know I am cold proof now but I'd still like a pair of sunglasses with decent edge seals to keep the wind out. I had a cheap pair from a supermarket once but the foam only lasted for a couple of rides. They were great while they were still functional. Skiing goggle are highly appropriate in winter but just seem too over the top on a bike/trike except in a real blizzard. Skiing eye kit also tends to be too dark for anything but blinding sunshine on the snow covered mountain slopes. Riding into a cold wind, particularly downhill,  is apt to cause eye watering with most "cycling" sunglasses. When one would rather be fully able to constantly monitor the traffic regardless of lighting conditions. Particularly in your essential rear view mirror!


It seems a woman driver not only failed to see a cyclist on the cycle path yesterday. But, having knocked him down she then ran over him before stopping. Leaving him trapped and unreachable by attending ambulance staff underneath her car. The cyclist had approved lighting but died on the spot. Yet another SMIDSY. I hope her phone/tablet was automatically checked for simultaneous use just prior to "THE ACCIDENT". It really ought to be standard procedure to check a mobile phone/tablet/whatever by now. One can always check recent phone use while driving from the drool running down the driver's chin after "AN ACCIDENT." Unfortunately their knuckles are usually protected from dragging on the ground by the floor of their car. So there's no point in checking those.

Those who cycle commute or train in the dark should ideally go for complete overkill in the lighting department. And, wear a high viz, highly reflective waistcoat or jacket as well. You can't complain from the grave if you haven't made yourself properly visible. Black seems to be the favourite colours of many cyclists. Often supported by tiny "magnet" lights mounted at axle height. Fit and forget, says the packaging. Most driver's will forget you exist until they feel the thump!

Many Danish supermarkets and all bike shops have an assortment of really bright LED bike lights for literally pocket change prices and on upwards. A £tenner equiv will get you noticed from both front and rear from well over a mile away. Make sure your lighting flashes! There is far too much competition for driver's attention with fixed beam lights no matter how bright they are. Only cyclists use flashing lights. So it's a no-brainer to recognise you for what you really are.

A quick snap of my 3 'Smart' rear lights from 20 yards away at dusk. The lights seem much brighter when they flash and are certainly more noticeable up to much greater distances.

Take my word for it that a bright, flashing front light will make oncoming cars dip instantly. While a steady beam, of exactly the same brightness, often means your presence is completely ignored by drivers. Leaving you blinded by their headlights. Want a fixed beam? Then buy two lots of lights and fit both sets front and rear. Put one set on fixed beam and the other one flashing. If you have the patience you could stand by a busy road in the dark and watch approaching cyclists for visibility. There's an eye-opening education in suicidal folly to be had from the verge!

Some Danish supermarkets sell hi-viz waistcoats for cyclists at this time of year. Do you suppose you'll look remotely silly riding along like some mobile Christmas tree wrapped up in fluorescent day-glo bag? At least you'll get most driver's brief attention compared with the hoards of completely invisible, suicidal morons sharing your route! Too fashion conscious to be seen out in such a get-up? How fashion conscious is an autopsy shroud? Or were you hoping for the sympathy vote of head-to-toe plaster casts with trendy, stainless accents from the braces?

If you drive as well as cycle then prop your bike against a tree with the lights switched on. Preferably when it is dark and raining heavily. How well can you see your bike through the wet windscreen? Now wrap the tree trunk with your usual cycling jacket. Are you really feeling that lucky? Now imagine yourself doing your usual 40 in a 30mph zone suddenly catching up with the moron on that bike!

Shouldn't selling black cycling wear be classed along with selling hard drugs? It's no wonder they send the Sky team to a tropical island to train. If they tried cycling in their team apparel in America or Europe they'd be completely, bløødy invisible! What an example to set to the slavish, copyist, weekend warriors!

Why not go out and buy one of those hideously bright waistcoats with lots of highly reflective strips? Wear it every single time you ride your bike/trike. You'll look like just like a policeman if you are really lucky and choose your jacket/waistcoat well. Most drivers instantly snap to attention when they see a high viz jacket in their headlights because they feel suddenly guilty about their current speed. Or, far more likely, at sudden risk of unexpected discovery of their lawbreaking. They were probably talking bølløcks to their iSlave and speeding before they glimpsed you through their fog of alternative reality! You might even save another [invisible] cyclist's life by setting a good example! Or reminding drivers that there are hidden cyclists in their path.

I limited my morning walk to half an hour as it felt rather cold in the easterly wind. Left for my ride after morning coffee. The only bit of me feeling cold as I rode into the wind was my nose. Which tends towards blue/violet over the winter. I hate balaclavas which cover my face so there is not much can be done! The rest of me was fine. Having reached my goal I meandered back via the lanes still enjoying the Duranos.

I saw four Red kites soaring on a ridge in a sparsely populated area. One of them seemed curious about me and followed me for a couple of miles. Though it may simply have been hunting, it kept coming nearer, as it followed the lane I was travelling along. I have ridden four 19 mile routes this week without covering the same ground. Just an odd coincidence and shows the large number of potential routes available to me. Provided I stay away from the main roads I can go for miles without seeing a car. Still bunged up with my cold/flu. 19 miles.

Sunday 30th 29F, -1C, windy with the trees bending, dark from the heavy overcast. Uncomfortably windy for these temperatures. I shall have to dress more warmly for my walks. While simultaneously trying to avoid overheating. Windproof without too much insulation would be ideal. My nose is still blocked or running and I'm still partially deaf in one ear causing constant tinnitus. Still short of breath and my chest still congested. Fortunately my chest seems to clear after a few miles and my occasional dizziness at home doesn't affect my balance on the trike.

I wore a duvet jacket on my walk and was perfectly comfortable in the cold wind. The frost had frozen the mud on the spray tracks opening up familiar routes. Having followed a route across the fields I could hear shooting and saw the hunters cars parked about a mile east of me. So I stayed out of those woods and took the track to another forest. Quite a few different MTB tracks visible in the frozen mud.

A remarkable mix of small birds were moving together along the hedges. I saw a bird of prey with long, pointed wings and a distinctive white patch on top of its long tail. Foraging hooded crows were performing crazy aerobatics over the fields as they mobbed one of their own. I came across three red deer grazing in the woods and watched them for a while through my binoculars. Eventually they spotted me and stepped gently into the undergrowth. Further on they popped out from behind a pile of logs and dashed across my path into the darkness of the regimented conifers. I'll go out on the trike after lunch now.

My short, late afternoon ride was marked by the arrival of a KMXKarts recumbent trike in the supermarket car park. The second I have seen in a fortnight after several years of the complete absence. I was just about to leave but stopped to take some snaps as the young owner went shopping. The very low trike was not easy to capture in such poor light. Made worse by being trapped between a bike and the plant sales rack.

I am still not convinced of the merits of placing the rider at exhaust pipe level. Nor do I like the effect such trikes have on one's neck muscles from lying half prone without adequate head or neck support. No doubt one would get used it it after a while. The handlebars also seem rather too close to tyre spray for ideal winter comfort. Still a very smart machine though. Only 10 miles.

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27th November 2014 Schwalbe Durano v Continental GP4000Shite

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Thursday 27th 34-39F, 1-4C,  quite windy at times, mostly sunny. Still snotty with headaches and a feeling of pressure in my sinuses. Went for a walk.

Later, there was a really cold headwind on my way to the shops. Limiting my cruising speed on the flat to 10-12mph. I wore the thicker and softer GripGrab Pilot scull cap under my helmet for the first time this winter. It covers my ears better and the wind doesn't roar in my ears quite so much as the lighter GG scull caps. I usually take off the caps in the shops to avoid overheating. The new NW MTB boots are very comfortable and neutrally warm without overheating. I have just discovered that there is also a thermal lining model in bright green but haven't seen them locally. I also wore my newer pair of Dintex gloves. They were a bit stiff at first but I soon forgot them as I enjoyed their warmth. They will take on a more curved hand shape after a few wears and washes.

The new Durano tyres have arrived in very quick time from Germany. [bike-components.de] In 700x25C. Nb. NOT the Plus model. I should clean some of the crud of the trike. The roads are filthy from the farmer's usual activities plus the major Christmas tree harvesting at the moment. My front mudguard kept rubbing on the thick mud sticking to the tyre. So I have taken it [the mudguard] off. Christmas tree plantations seem to require a lot of vehicle activity which plasters the roads with thick mud. Of course the tree owners feel no compulsion to clean up after themselves. That would eat into the easy profits.

Seeing a farm tractor with a rotary brush is as rare as seeing one from the local council. They rely on rain and traffic to clean the roads eventually. Leaving behind moraines of the stones and gravel originally trapped in the mud. If there is no rain the mud turns to concrete-hard mushrooms, or worse. Which causes huge brown clouds of dust as the traffic bumps over it. Riding a trike is not much fun over such rough surfaces. I usually lift of the saddle and hope for the best.

I have been far too close to agricultural sprayers twice in the last week! It smelt strongly of oil paint thinners both times. Not a clue what it might be but one tractor had a child aboard. So it must be safe to put the stuff on your breakfast cereal. Or not. We had a local weekend farmer with one small field who told us the stuff was perfectly safe. He had a bunch of kids with all sorts of health problems but would still spray even when they were playing outside. I'd see them deliberately running through his spray cloud as if it was a game! You wouldn't believe the contortions of the young oaks after we planted as a hedge against his field. Fortunately, for all concerned, he moved on to pastures new. The oaks recovered after several years of being horribly stunted and twisted.

There's a wonderful irony that we choose organic produce options wherever possible. Only to be constantly bombarded by toxic chemicals due to our rural location completely surrounded in fields. A Danish scientist was sounding warning bells only today about the growing pandemic due to chemical toxicity in our modern lifestyle products and agriculture. 19 miles.

Friday 28th 35F, 2C, white overnight frost, breezy, forecast to become windy with 30mph+ gusts. Clear sky with promise of -6C wind chill equivalent. Spent an hour in the shed changing the Continental GPS 4000S tyres to Schwalbe Durano. I noticed over a week ago that the Continentals had already gone flat on the tread since being fitted in August. Which seems remarkably quick despite them being on a trike.

Two of the brand new Continental inner tubes had loose valves. They literally fell out as I loosened the [tight] valve locking nuts! The Schwalbe tyres are a slightly tighter fit on the rims than the Continentals. Very rubbery too so that they have high friction when fitting. Though I managed to do without tyre levers, getting the last bit of bead onto the rim took some patience. Using an old spring scale I made the Schwalbe 5oz to the Continental's 4oz. [The manufactures claim 290 & 225g respectively in 25-622 or 700x25C]  Though it is impossible to judge the difference in weight by hand alone. Going on previous form I can safely forget about punctures for a while. Famous last words? We shall see. The graphics have changed with the new tyres.

I shall be running them at 90psi as usual. Easily achieved and checked using my faithful track pump.[Topeak Joe Blow Sport II] I am still amazed how low my tyre pressures often are when only using a frame fit or mini-pump and guessing. Even when the tyre feels rock hard to my MkI thumb I may still have only 50psi. Without a pressure gauge you haven't clue what tyre pressures you are running. It's no wonder I used to suffer so many pinch flats on road debris! Attaching the track pump to check my pressures is usually an eye-opener. I ought to have a set day of the week to check my tyre pressures but it tends to be rather random at about weekly intervals. Losing 10psi per week is quite normal using "normal" Continental inner tubes but varies a bit.

I was utterly amazed how well Duranos rolled compared to the total deadness of the Continental GP4000S. Just riding down our long and rough gravel drive was enough to expose the urgency and smoothness of the Durano. Many drain covers aren't very level with the tarmac. I was so sick of the jarring with the GP4000S that I was taking a wider and more dangerous line just to avoid them! The Duranos sail over such hurdles and are easily worth an extra 2mph at 10mph cruising speeds over the GP4000S. The thick "dotted" demarcation lines on the main roads are a pain on a trike. Can't quite bridge them and can't ride on them. They mark the cycle lane boundary but are more formally used to wake up drunken/dozing drivers who wander off the road. The Duranos made light work of one stretch which I rode today.

Why would anybody ride the Continentals when they can buy the much cheaper, much faster and much smoother Duranos? The GP4000S are a puncture magnet compared with the thousands of miles I've ridden on the Duranos without a single puncture. The GP4000S just feel so dead even at the same pressure of 90psi. The difference in rolling resistance means being able to use the next higher gear on a 10-speed block.


The Duranos feel so wonderfully "rubbery" that they are almost like having rear suspension on rough surfaces. The Tarmac contractors have used very coarse gravel to resurface a lot of local roads this year. This has meant a loss of at least 2 mph cruising speed on the Continentals. The moment I hit the rough gravel section I lost no speed at all on the Duranos! On descents the trike was now running away from me on the Duranos. While the Continentals felt like they had a centrifugal brake and wouldn't go much over 25mph even on the steepest hills. Not even with a tailwind! In fact the Duranos feel like a constant 5mph tailwind compared with the GP4000S.

Give the Duranos a try if you don't believe me. I'm paying for all my kit but the Continentals were actually a free exchange. And I still don't want them on my trike! They were a dealer exchange for the crap rubber on an earlier set of 4000S which grew huge holes from tiny flints on the first ride. Continental were too afraid to admit they were pushing crap rubber out the factory door but the online dealer still felt obliged to exchange them. Perhaps Continental should change the last letter of 4000S from 'S' for Shite to 'H' for Handicap? Or even 'CC' for Complete Crap?

It was blowing a cold headwind gale on the way to the shops limiting me to only 10-14mph. The crooks at the supermarket had no stock of a heavily advertised 2-day special offer. [But played the default supplier problems.] My Asse jacket is superbly opaque to the wind yet still breathes well. It cost me about £5 [equiv.] at a local charity shop. I feel I am really well equipped for cold conditions now. It rained on the way back as I took a hilly detour to further enjoy the new Duranos. Nose still running with slight but constant headache. Just passed the 10,000 km barrier for the year. 19 miles.

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24th November 2014 Lazy Lezyne Road Drive

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Monday 24th 45F, 7C, breezy, heavy overcast. Rain possible all day. The wind has finally gone round to the SW instead of the continuous easterlies of the past months. So now we get the grey/black smoke from yet another neighbour's chimney. Many homes in Denmark probably suffer worse air quality than even the Chinese communist mafia bosses can offer. The fact that both countries rely on coal fired power stations speaks volumes. Had a pleasant walk in bright sunshine. The horizon was sharp for the first time in what seems like months.

The ride went much worse. Not a happy bunny at all! I punctured a Continental 4000Shite 9 miles from home. Then discovered the POS Lezyne alloy mini pump could not be made to work. The damned flexible hose was irrevocably jammed in the body! With no way to get any purchase on the ridiculously narrow knurled fitting it would not budge without access to a pair of pliers. Without a pump I could not change the inner tube. So I limped the 9 miles home on a flat rear tyre.

Once safely home I discovered that the 48 LED panel light I had bought for the hall was covered in scratches. An obvious returned goods item that had not even been checked before placing it back on sale.

So now I shall have to order a new set of Schwalbe Durano tyres in 700 x 25C and grease the Lezyne POS hose fitting. The only, mildly positive aspect of the whole charade was that I had not removed the tyre and punctured inner tube before discovering the POS Lezyne POS mini-pump wasn't functional without extra tools. The puncture was quite slow at first so I had hoped to just re-inflate to get home.

The Lezyne 'Road Drive' pump is a design disaster waiting to happen. Note the closeness of the knurled fitting to the pump head and the badly corroded thread. It took considerable effort [with a good pair of pliers] to free this corroded thread! Just so I could remove the flexible hose. No human finger pressure could have undone it. Those who own this pump should check now for easy removal of the hose. Just in case you face the same problem as I did miles from home. I smeared the thread with silicone grease to ensure easy removal next time. The pump has been fitted to its Lezyne seat tube clamp for many months without being exercised.  I have only rarely used the Lezyne pump thanks to an almost complete lack of punctures using Schwalbe Durano tyres. 

Changing an inner tube when the tyres are all sopping wet and plastered in tiny flints does not bode well for long term air-tightness. One's hands are immediately covered in "sharp sand." Which is instantly transferred to the brand new inner tube.

That's 2 punctures with the Continental 4000Shite in just over a fortnight. Never [ever] again!! 19 miles.

Tuesday 25th 34F, 1C, still and cloudless. It should be a bright, dry and quiet day. Ideal for a ride? Except that I really can't trust the Continental tyres and will have to wait for online delivery from Germany. Danish bike shops haven't heard of any other tyre width than 23mm. I know this because I have "done the rounds" several times before giving up and ordering online. Besides, most Danish sites only list the Durano Plus. It took literally ages just to find the lighter 25mm Durano Performance in 25mm. I wouldn't have minded trying 28mm for the winter but can't fit one on the front due to clearance problems with the mudguard.

Even the 25mm is a constant and noisy drag as soon as the tyre picks up any grit or mud. Which is very commonplace on rural roads where farming is practiced. The mudguard usually clears quickly but I can't lift it any higher. Even when it hasn't rained the mudguard saves my cycling shoes from getting wet from the frequently, dew-wetted roads. Had I know all of this I would have asked for more clearance on the forks when ordering the Trykit. Not Geoff Booker's fault at all. I had delusions I would only use the Trykit on dry, still, sunny days. The Higgins 'Ultralite' would continue to be my workhorse. I still had delusions back then of tearing around the countryside, on much longer rides, like a race fit teenager.

While I am certainly much faster than most "ordinary" cyclists my age is inevitably taking its toll. Living in a constantly windy region can be a serious hindrance to greater distances. Not just through exhaustion but the time required to cover the required miles at an inevitably, lower speed into a headwind. Once my average speed falls much below 10mph it can take all day to reach my intended goals and return safely.

I removed the inner tube and found no puncture while submerged in water. The 'Continental' valve core had fallen out as I unscrewed the locking tip. So initially I thought I was looking "only" at a loose valve. Having carefully checked the tyre for flints and thorns I replaced the same inner tube. It seemed to be holding the 90psi until I checked after ten minutes and found it had lost some pressure. I submerged the wheel rim in water and discovered a fine stream of bubbles issuing from the side wall of the tyre. So there was a small puncture AND a loose valve core. The inner tube had to come out, checked the tyre again and then fitted a new inner tube. I'm waiting to see if this one holds pressure before taking advantage of the unusually fine weather.

Rode to Middelfart by what passes for the coast road. Though views of the sea are often distant. Came back by inland main roads and then country lanes. The POS Cateye Cadence computer packed up repeatedly. It obviously hasn't had its contact pins polished enough this week. The Ventus GPS logger died half way back due to its old-aged lithium battery.

Finally splashed out and bought a pair of Northwave Celsius GTX MTB cycling boots for the winter. Overshoes don't keep the rainwater out of normal [well ventilated] MTB shoes so my socks often get wet. Even the wind can feel cold through the MTB shoe soles too. The boots are much better sealed and have a Goretex membrane beneath what looks like normal ventilation mesh. Some quick snaps show the general idea. A smooth, tough outer shoe houses an internal padded sock. One with eyelets and a tensioning lace and buckle. 50 miles.

Wednesday 26th 41F, 5C, grey, cool and windy. Went to buy some genuine Shimano SPD cleats and some spare inner tubes from the nearest bike shop. 21 miles. Fitted the new shoe cleats to my new MTB boots before going out to try them. Dark grey and increasingly windy later. The new NorthWave MTB boots feel very comfortable but I may have overdone the sizing slightly. I went up a size from my Northwave MTB shoes to allow winter socks. Or even two pairs of socks in really cold weather. I wore a medium weight smooth pair of socks and could feel a little slop when climbing and sprinting out of the saddle. Though this was without much effort being put into the boot's own, inner "sock" tension lace. A couple of large flaps provide plenty of Velcro adhesion to the outer and closing off direct access to wheel spray. I have yet to prove them in wet weather.

Given their purpose they should be fine when I need the extra warmth of doubled socks. It seems strange now that I used to go out regularly in very light trainers in temperatures below -10C. My toes and fingers often used to ache viciously from the bitter cold. It took me several years to discover suitably flexible "scooterists" gloves. Even then it wasn't easy to find gloves without protective the usual motorcyclist's knuckle pads. I found the so-called "winter gloves" by the big names in cycling apparel are simply crap much below 40F. By far the worst were SealSkinz! Horrible things at a ridiculously inflated price. Despite generous sizing I couldn't get them back on after stopping in rain. Now imagine riding home for m miles without gloves in bitterly cold and wet conditions. Lethal crap!

Unfortunately my favourite scooter gloves have now been discontinued so I can't recommend them to interested parties. I have two pairs and they seem to wash and last really well. Browsing in a motorcycle shop may turn up something similar. Just remember that you need considerable flexibility and feel to be able to change gear and brake safely. Don't undersize for cold weather gloves. You also need to be able to get them on and off easily when they mat get warm and damp. Another 10 miles for 31 today.

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