First class stoppers...

Swissstop Green are first class stoppers

When I  bought the Tifosi I initially thought that the original brake pads fitted by the manufacturer were OK...that is until I tried them on a really fast descent. 
The brakes faded really badly and as I hurtled at speed towards a T-junction at the bottom of the hill I promised myself that if I eventually managed to stop and survive I would do something to improve the braking.  

I did manage to stop but only just and those brakes had done nothing at all to give me confidence in trusting  them again. 
Perhaps I had been spoiled by the great stopping ability that I get on the Felt with it's DuraAce set up but one thing that I knew for sure...the standard pads on the Tifosi had to go. 

Now of course it was always possible that the fault was with the Miche brakes themselves rather than the pads, but it seemed a sensible idea to start with the pads as they would be the cheapest way of making an improvement.. 
I spent a fair bit of time checking out the various pads that were available and the reviews that had been written about them. 
Two pads stood out from the rest because of the great reviews and their obvious popularity.. These were the Swissstop Green High Performance and the KoolStop Salmon and Black. 

The Swisstop were the more expensive of the two at about double the price of the KoolStop. 
They were appprox £48.00 for a full set for the bike (2x pairs) including the polished holders. Swisstop produce a number of different compounds for various applications including..... 
Black which is ideal for everyday use...
Yellow for carbon wheels..... 
and of course the Green High Performance which are the ones that I decided to purchase. 
These are described as a high performance all weather compound for aluminium wheels....the manufacturers describe them as having great braking power with smooth modulation. 

I must say that after fitting these to the bike the improvement to the braking was stunning...the braking power has improved no end with really smooth modulation and no fade on those steep and fast descents..just what I wanted. 

Since I purchased these I have done over 10,000 miles and have replaced the pads only once (although the second set will need replacing shortly)  ...the wear rate on these pads has proved to be pretty amazing. 
The second set were obviously purchased on their own without the pad holders as I now had those. Purchasing the pads without the holders works out at half the price (£24.00 2x pairs). 

I have been down that hill with the T-junction at the end on many occasions since that first plummet to the bottom with me having a death grip on the levers, but now I have every confidence in the stopping power of the brakes...

Based on my experience of these pads I can certainly recommend them and although the initial cost seems high, when you take into account the compound's superb wear rate and the peace of mind that they give I would say they are good value... 

As a point of interest - I purchased a set of the other pads- the KoolStop Salmon/Black- for my touring bike. 
These seem pretty good also and manage to pull up my fully loaded tourer very well - they are a vast improvement on the Tektro pads that were the original pads fitted. 

Comparing the two sets of pads I would say for the type of riding I do on the Tifosi I will continue to fit the Swisstop Green as I feel that they have the edge for fast riding.

There is not much more to say..

Well...there is not much more to say really...It's all been said!! 
This week twitter has been full of  the Lance Armstrong doping story...and the papers have been full of it too... We always knew that doping had cast a cloud over our sport but this week that cloud turned black....When you read the evidence that USADA has published the full extent of the cheating is quite astonishing.

How do I feel..?
As a cyclist....
I suppose I am not really surprised...this has been building up for some time, but I am staggered at LA's arrogance....I am staggered at the amount of money that he (and of course others) have made from cheating the sport,.the fans and the clean riders.....I am saddened by the whole affair..

As a cancer survivor....
I feel very badly let down...I believed in the LA myth...When I was fighting my own cancer the LA story gave me hope...it helped give me the strength to carry on with my own personal battle, after all if Lance could do it why not me. I am grateful for that, but still feel let down by the man.... 
I am also grateful for the LIVESTRONG Foundation and the good work it has done for cancer sufferers but I am concerned over the damage this black cloud will now do to that organization..

There was a time when I was proud to wear the Livestrong wrist band..I was glad of the association with LA.... 
Sadly that is no longer the case...... 

Early Hibernation

The Tifosi- The all year round bike.

Today I put the Felt into early hibernation.....
I don't normally pack it away for about another month, but with the bad weather we are currently having (and seem to have had all year) I have removed the wheels and zipped everything away in the bike and wheel bags that are reserved especially for it. 

I have mentioned on this blog before, how the Felt is my 'fine weather only' bike.  
This year I have only ridden about 1,000 miles on it mainly due to the wet weather that seems to have blighted most of the year. 
I have completed just under a further 1,000 miles on my touring bike and everything else has been ridden on the Tifosi.. 

The Tifosi really has proved to be a good all year round bike....
I use it for most of my training and social rides and this year it was also my bike of choice for the Edinburgh to Portsmouth ride that I rode with JD. 
Apart from the frame everything else on the bike has been changed to suit my own taste and preference and I get so much enjoyment from riding it.....

Although I describe it as an all year round bike I always feel that at this time of the year it really comes into it's own....even the honey coloured saddle and bar tape seems to blend in so well with the colour of the autumn leaves as I zip along the Dorset lanes......
Yes...Autumn is the Tifosi's time of year.

On the past couple of rides I have to admit to being just a little chilly on the bike so I have also sorted out some of my warmer cycling kit including winter style tights and long sleeved jerseys...
I have even dug out the skull cap that fits under my helmet to keep my head warm, although I must admit that it does need to be really very cold  before I can wear that for an entire ride. 

Now that I have packed the summer bike away and sorted the winter kit,  I wouldn't be surprised if we have a nice dry autumn spell in a week or two's time.!!

My Mileage Target....

A five minute break at the golf course

As today's ride was sandwiched between the morning rain and the rain that was promised for later in the afternoon I had to make a decision....which bike to ride. 
Should I go for the Felt or the Tifosi which has the the added benefit of mudguards just in case I got caught in a heavy downpour. 
As it was I elected to ride the Felt and luck must have been on my side because I got away with it, no rain and no streaky line up my back. 

On the route I rode today, one of my favourite places to stop is at a golf course, just where a small stile takes a footpath across the links. 
I stood by the gap in the hedge chewing on an energy bar and watching a couple of golfers chipping in on the nearest green. 
As I did so it crossed my mind that I must be fairly close to the 9,000 mile mark for the year. 
I checked the Garmin, did a quick mental calculation and yes...I had just passed the 9k for the year so far. 

It was only a few months ago that I posted on this blog how I was getting a bit fed up with all the bad weather and the effect it was having on my silly attempt to reach 10,000 miles total for 2012. 
I told you how I was fed up with riding in the rain and was seriously considering if I should continue with the commitment, to what is after all only a number. 
Well I am really glad that I managed to stick with it. 
It's now just under three months to go till the end of the year and I now have less than one thousand miles to ride in order to achieve the magic 10k. 

When I was ill and undergoing radiotherapy treatment I made a list of things that I would like to do if I managed to get over the cancer....
A ride back from Gibraltar was one of the things on the list and I achieved that last year. 
I had hoped that I would have achieved the ten thousand miles in the same year but unfortunately I missed it by about six hundred and fifty miles. 
This year with a bit of luck I hope to tick this one off too. 

After the two golfers had tapped their little white balls down the hole I climbed back on my bike and continued with my ride. 
My brain was still in calculation mode because I couldn't help but keep thinking about the three months left and my average mileage so far this year. 
I kept calculating on the possibility of reaching an additional 2,000 miles making 12,000 miles by the year end...

Why am I like this?....Why can't I just be satisfied?...Why do I have to keep thinking of resetting the target?... I really was getting annoyed with myself....

I got back home, put the Felt away and had a shower. 
I made myself a cup of coffee and looked out of my window across to the Isle of Wight and as I did so the heavens opened...
The rain came down hard and I do mean hard!! 
As I looked at the rain I was reminded in no uncertain terms why 10,000 miles will be a perfectly good enough figure for my mileage target...........Who needs the extra 2,000 miles?....
In this rain I don't!

(NB:My mileage counter will be updated as usual at the weekend)

What was in the Parcel...?

Parcel waiting for me

The other day I got back from my regular daily ride to find a parcel from SJS Cycles waiting for me. What was in the parcel....? Well. it was an Ortlieb Ultimate5 Classic Bar Bag.

Ortlieb Ultimate5 Classic Bar Bag

Now people that know me well will also know that I have always said that I would never have a handlebar bag. 
There are a number of reasons for this.....

First, most of the bags that I have seen seem to twist downwards on the bike no matter how firmly the mounting is tightened. Indeed when cycling back from Gibraltar a year ago JD gave up on his bar bag for just this very reason.....

Second, and this is probably what has been my main reason...  
I like to have a clear view of my front wheel when cycling and a handlebar bag tends to obscure this view. Now I don't know why I feel this way, but  after cycling for more years than I care to remember without having one, that clear view of the front wheel has seemed important to me....it's probably cycling stupidity but that is the way I have felt..... 
Also a number of bags that I have seen seem to be so huge forcing the brake/gear cables into a sharp angle....

The bags fitted to Mike and Chris's Bikes

Anyway, regular visitors to this blog will remember that at the end of the post on the 10th September I included a photograph of two friends of mine..Mike and Chris. 
What did they have on their bikes?....
Yes you've got it, Ortlieb Ultimate5 Bar Bags. 

I was quite taken with the way these bags looked.....they are not too big, fitting as they do quite neatly between the hoods on the bikes and because of their size they don't force the cables into odd shapes and angles. 

Being the 'style gurus' that they are Mike and Chris have even chosen colours to match their other bags. 
Well that did it.....as I cannot resist matching all my kit to whatever bike I am riding I took a serious look at the bags and ended up ordering one.......  

My bag in a very nice grey

I decided to order mine in a grey colour......this is not a dull grey but a rather nice bright colour grey. 
Most important of course is that it matches my existing pannier set. 
Currently on the rear I have a set of grey and black Altura panniers with a matching rack bag/box. On the front I have a pair of Ortlieb Front Roller Classic panniers in black. 

I figured that having the grey bar bag on the front would colour coordinate the front and rear sets.... stylish eh?

Bag is supplied with a detachable shoulder strap

The bag is supplied with a detachable shoulder strap....this makes it easy to take the bag with you at the coffee and lunch stop on those touring rides. 
The capacity is listed as 7L so it should hold all the things that I might need during a touring day....camera....wallet.....snacks...etc. The bag's retail price in the UK is in the region of £55.00 and you can be assured that it is of the very high quality that Ortlieb is famous for.

At first glance fitting instructions look compicated

I must admit that when I first looked at the fitting instructions they did look pretty complicated, but after I had read through them properly they were simple enough. Click on the image and take a look....you will see how the mount is attached to the handlebar.....once completed and tightened up the mount is rock solid so no slipping downwards with this fitting!

So, not too big...doesn't slip round on the bar....that's two of my original objections for fitting a bar bag dealt with, what about my major one.....
Well , you've caught me out there, because I have to say that it does obscure the view of my front wheel that I like so much... 

However I have told Mike and Chris that if I now fall off my tourer because I can no longer see the wheel, it will be their fault !!....

That will teach them for showing me items of kit that they know  I won't be able to resist buying...

HARDLY A CAR ABOUT.

BIKES AT THE NEXT PURPLE TOWERS?

This time of year is one of my favourite times for getting out for those nice long rides on the bike. Now that the summer (what summer? I hear you say) really is a distant memory, the roads are quieter on my regular riding loops with hardly a car about.

A few days ago JD and I decided to do a loop that we hadn't ridden for some time.....a good six months in fact. 
This particular loop takes in lots of good old fashioned English country lanes and apart from the town of Wimborne where we started the ride, we hardly saw a motorized vehicle apart from the odd farm vehicle or riders on horseback, not that a horse can really be described as motorized!! 

We stopped for a short break outside a nice country mansion which JD told me that I should buy as the next Purple Towers. 
He even pointed out the various buildings in the grounds that could be used to store bikes. Unfortunately the only thing standing in the way of such a purchase is a huge wedge of cash, but that's just a minor point.

DEFINITELY AUTUMN - LOTS OF FALLEN LEAVES

 As we rested the bikes against the Mansions front wall, we couldn't help but notice the fallen leaves that had been blown up against it, proving as if proof was needed, that autumn was certainly upon us. 

Cycling along some of these country lanes you can't help but be transported back in time, to what it must have been like cycling the English countryside before the car became king...before owning a car became a must have requirement for almost everyone. 

I can still remember a time before my Father owned a car when we would all go out for a ride and a picnic on our bikes. 
Mum and Dad with one of my two sisters each perched in a seat on the back of their bikes. 
I would ride between them on my beloved BSA with it's two tone blue paintwork......... 

Obviously cars were around but not every one could afford one then and it was certainly long before the days of the cycle path. 
We used to ride on the road and I cannot remember ever feeling vulnerable as I rode along the main roads near to my home. 

Those early cycling days came back to me as I rode along the Dorset lanes with JD the other day.

CHETTLE VILLAGE SHOP AND POST OFFICE

As if to complete the cycle ride of nostalgia we stopped for a coffee and a cake at the little shop in the village of Chettle. 
The building is quite interesting being made of a wooden frame and corrugated iron. 

The lady in the shop told us that the building had originally been an old army hut up at the Blandford Army camp. 
Following the war the MOD sold off a number of these types of buildings as being surplus to their requirements. 
This particular hut was purchased from them in the early sixties...dismantled and then re-erected on it's present site and used to house both the shop and the post office. 

I love these buildings with  all the history that surrounds them. 
It has stood on this spot for fifty years and I don't know how many years previously at the army camp.  
I wonder for how many more years it will stand here.... acting as it does as a reminder of a time when there was hardly a car about....... 

COUNTING STEPS...

These past couple of day's I have been reading 'Counting Steps' by Mark Charlton.  

Over the past few years I have been a regular follower of Mark's blog, Views from the Bikeshed. http://viewsfromthebikeshed.blogspot.co.uk/

Mark's blog is not a blog about just cycling....or walking...or backpacking. No, it is about far more than these subjects. These subjects are visited occasionally but are not the essence of what his writing is about. Mark's writing is more personal and reveals a lot about himself as a father and his interaction with the people and world around him.

Counting Steps is Mark's first book and he say's in the introduction that the essays in the book are a response to the delight that he has found in fatherhood and landscape, to the people he loves and the places he finds himself returning.

I have not completed the book yet, but I am enjoying it's contents very much....I would suggest that you visit Mark's blog and if you too enjoy his writing style you can obtain your own copy of 'Counting Steps' from the blog......