Velominatus: McTyke
Order: Level 4 Velominatus
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@McTyke's posts:
Excellent article Marko, LA deserves a good kicking on his way down. It has been said that sport’s greatest problems come when people take it too seriously. The LA story surely proves that to be correct. In contrast to LA, Mark Cavendish has been quoted… »
@McTyke's posts:
Nice article Frank, but I don’t think some of the comments about clothing are sensible. On long (several hours) winter rides it’s VERY important to keep warm. Your body uses a lot of energy just to maintain core temperature in these conditions (I speak fr… »
@McTyke's posts:
Great idea! Cairn o’ Mount is my ‘local’ climb and is awesome from the south. The youth hostel in Aberdeen could be a good base for those travelling from afar. »
@McTyke's posts:
First thing I do when I buy a new chain is to degrease it thoroughly. Solvents such as paraffin or kerosine are most effective. If you don’t do this, the heavy machine oil that’s on all those moving surfaces attracts dust and grit and forms a very good ab… »
Those of you who are worried about taking a header over the bars if you ‘grab too much front brake’ need to realise that you’ve got to BRACE YOURSELF with your arms and sit well back on the saddle when braking hard. If your arms aren’t strong enough to re… »
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I’ve been searching for my ideal saddle for a few years now after an uncomfortable experience with a Spesh Alias (despite getting measured with the memory foam). I really liked the look of the Aliante but just couldn’t bring myself to shell out over £150 … »
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Very interesting discussion about cleat position. I like to cycle long distances, generally between 100-160 km over varied terrain, and have never found fatigue in the calf muscles to be a limiting factor, despite positioning the ball of my foot above the… »
@frank I’m not so sure about this. If you move the cleat back too far, won’t you lose the ‘ankling’ effect and the extra power that can be supplied by the lower leg? Doesn’t a fluid stroke need the ankles to flex during pedalling? How can you ‘dance’ o… »
@Chris Hell, even I can hit 50kpm on the flat for a few seconds without drafting anything and I’m just an enthusiastic recreational cyclist! That Cavendish video shows the Manx Missile turning about 18 full pedal revolutions in 10 seconds as he passes … »
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Is it acceptable to keep one’s tool kit in one of those storage containers that fit in a bottle cage? I’m trying to do without the EPMS but I have one jersey with a single rear pocket, and it simply won’t accommodate my tools, emergency rations and rain … »
@frank Good point Frank. I was obviously suffering from altitude sickness or something that day, to submit my bike to such an indignity! »
@Oli I’m with Oli on this one. Carrying a powerlink is surely useless if you don’t have a chain breaker tool to remove the pins at the point of breakage to create two open ends. My multitool has a chain breaker I’ve never used, although it did come to … »
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Just like to add my congratulations to Mark Cavendish who won BBC’s SPOTY 2011 with almost 50% of the vote. Only the third cyclist to have done so, after Tom Simpson and Chris Hoy. Cav has matured from boy-racer into a true champion. Although his victory… »
We can beat that here in Aberdeen with 17 hours and 20 minutes of darkness today. No wonder some medics are arguing in favour of dosing the entire Scottish population with vitamin D (like fluoride in the drinking water)! Don’t you just hate it when some … »
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@wiscot I think that’s a chain tensioner, not a derailleur »
@McTyke's posts:
@frank As we all know, Paul’s co-commentator is Phil Liggett. Two T’s. I spotted Mr Liggett recently at the annual sportive ride in the Peak District which bears his name (the Phil Liggett CTC Challenge). He completed the ‘short’ route (100km) in just … »
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@Markp Why is there an enormous set of cricket stumps on the cover of that John Tesh album? »
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Very interesting! There is one gear combination (52×19) on my winter bike which, when selected, gives me the feeling that I have gained a slight boost in leg power. I don’t know why this should be – perhaps something to do with the chainline being perf… »
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The girl in the red bikini top appears to be wearing a collection of yellow Livestrong bands on her wrist. Why did I not notice this before? What does it mean? Re. the gradient discussion. I lament the replacement of all the traditional (fractional) grad… »
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@frank I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Frank. Don’t you get a sweaty back if you have a folded jacket under there? »
@McTyke's posts:
@nvvelominati The glasses with the arms entering the frame towards the bottom may have been invented by Dennis Taylor (1985 World Snooker Champion)… »
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Good stuff, Frank. I also clean the chain, wash it well with water, dry and re-lube after every ride. Here in Northern Scotland, it’s not uncommon to find rock salt/grit on some roads even at this time of year, left over from the winter, and if the chain … »
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I also recently read Fignon’s book “We were young and carefree”, and am shocked and saddened at this news. Thanks for a great article and fantastic photos. »
@strathlubnaig As a Yorkshireman living in Scotland, I never bring up 1966 and don’t know any Englishmen who do either. In my experience it’s the Scots who like to perpetuate the myth that we keep going on about it, as it gives them something to complai… »