Sunday 23 December 2007

Merry Xmas!



Wishing everyone a joyous ride...

Thursday 13 December 2007

Winter "donkey"

Winter, wet, mud, snow and DIRT.... It`s felt wasted using our proper bike. Here is my cheap recipe:


This is my second winter with my baby blue "donkey". I built it for the winter training. The basic is the On One Il Pompino frame. It`s name is little intresting... the meaning is "handjob" in Italian language. The frame`s material "DN6" steel , which is very comfy and bloody heavy.It has a big clearance, I can use with 700X35C CX tyres. The paintjob is the perfection itself, baby blue..... This basic got a Giant cyclo-cross fork. It has alloy steerer and carbon legs. The other parts are very mixed. I used everything what I found in the workshop and my parts box, FSA headset, Easton EA30 finishing kit, Avid Shorty brakes, 105 brake levers,Deore crankset, Mavic Aksyum front wheel and own build rear wheel. Rear wheel has a BikePositiv hub, DT swiss spokes and Mavic Open Pro rim. The ratio is 44-18This big caos works very well.
The seating position on the bike is very comfy,no problem after 5-6 hours. I fitted a gel pad under the bar tape beacause the plain bar tape was uncomfy, having "electric-shock" feeling after 3 hours, but now it works well!
Last winter was very dry, I could ride a lot on off-road. Single speed CX is really big fun! Unfortunately now, I only got just rain..rain and more rain in this last 6 weeks. I fitted the set of full mudguards on the bike and now it is a "drier and cleaner feeling". My path is lighten up by BLT Fireware 4.0 LED light and followed by 1 watt (mega bright) Smart rear light.
We have had a lot of miles together. Thanks to the simple construction never had a major problem! Having fun riding on my baby blue donkey!


Upppssss! Where is Richmond park???

Today morning was really foggy! I didnt find the road at the first couple of minutes....



The pictures are not really nice...sorry, but my lens was fully steam and I didnt realise!


Wednesday 28 November 2007

Tuesday 13 November 2007

First week...

I am over the first week of my winter training but with a week delay unfortunately. A cold and a little accident interrupted me to start on time. I got over the cold within 3 days and my accident was non-fatal. The story is the following: one day after work riding home and found myself on the other side of the handlebar. Either I was getting to close to pavement in the traffic jam or there was a drain lid placed back wrong caused my fly. I didnt get injured seriously,only small wound on my left knee and my left little finger got sprained (became triple sized). Just my week old Pearl Izumi knickers and gloves got fucked! Never mind!
It has happend, wasnt strange, because I play the same thing every year when I start my winter training.(last year I flew off an over 100kg pedestrian trying to cross the street on red....) Finally I could start training 6. November. I completed what I had planned, 14 hours 30 minutes and 356km. Weaking up early was not a problem, I wasnt really tired, but I felt my speed being a little slow. I hope getting on according to plan and will have the 3200km ridden by the end of the year.

Thursday 25 October 2007

Back from holiday

After two weeks we were thrown out of paradise but full of nice experience and enriched with precious friendships. Now I am trying to get back to the regular life a "different world"..... I have been recharged and feel ready to start the training. I am going to start the "work" at the begining of November. My aim to build my endurance as strong as I can. I have already started to work on my training plan in my mind..... in process....





Wednesday 3 October 2007

Holiday time.....

We are going on two weeks holiday. Just in the right time, because the UK weather has being bloody humid.
My bikes can get two weeks relax downstarts.
I hope after getting some sunshine and couple (or couple of hundred) coctails in Dominica will be prepared for monoton and long wintertraining.

Wednesday 19 September 2007

Zing is done!


The parts have arrived yesterday and built in .There are still some bits to be changed. My Ritchey WCS Carbon wheels are on backorder and the pink handlebar tape and saddle are just before ordering. The bike weight is 6.67kg without pedals. I have not got much experience yet, just done couple of loops in Richmond park (but bloody light and bloody stiff...). Lets get back this after couple of hundred kilometer.

Frame: Dedacciai Scuro HCR (57cm): 1063gr
Fork: Dedacciai Black Drive: 345gr
Headset: FSA Carbon: 112gr
Handlebar: Ritchey WCS Carbon Stream: 255gr
Stem: Ritchey WCS Carbon Matrix: 114gr
Seatpost: Dedacciai Aero Carbon: 210gr
Seat: Selle Italia SLR Cabonio: 132gr

Wheels: Campagnolo Neutron: Front: 680gr
Rear: 905gr
Tubes: Michelin Latex: 88gr
Tyres: Continental GP4000: 210gr
Skewers: Campagnolo: Front: 56gr
Rear: 62gr

Shifter: Campagnolo Record Ergolevers: 332gr
F. mech: Campagnolo Record: 89gr
R. mech: Campagnolo Record: 189gr
Cassette: Campagnolo Record: 190gr
Chain: Campagnolo Record: 258gr
Crankset: Campagnolo Record Ultra Torq: 700gr

Brakes: Campagnolo Record: 283gr/pair

Hbar tape: Time
B. cage: Campagnolo Carbon Record: 18gr

+ cables, grease... 71gr

Total: 6670gr