Bike: Trek
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 25 minutes 10 seconds
Average speed: 23.841mph
Result: 5th out of 26
Headed off to ride the first Ipswich Cycling Association evening time trial of the season tonight, held on the Combs Tannery circuit out near Stowmaaaarket.
An admission: I rode my fourth ever time trial on this course back on 14 April 2004. I recorded a 30:04, therefore the only time yet in a time trial I've gone under 20mph average. However, technically I did go over 20mph because I'd ridden something like 11 miles because I'd got lost (this is a meandering course, it does a 5 mile loop twice, it only involves two left hand turns).
No getting lost tonight though and, indeed, I'm baffled as to how my 22 year old (!) self managed to mess it up so badly. I seem to recall, back then, I found the course fairly challenging. Didn't have many problems tonight, beyond my usual inability to corner/descend, and have set myself a target: to get under 25 minutes on this challenging course. Lee Bark makes it look easy: he was fastest tonight with a 22:40, 1 second quicker than my all-time PB which was set on a much quicker course! Still, he rides with £700 handlebars! Must make all the difference.
Conditions were pretty good - not much wind and fairly warm given what we've been getting recently. A rather pleasant evening all in all, and topped off in rock and roll style with a pint of coke in the pub afterwards.
You know when you get something that plays on your mind though? My Trek is clicking every time I rotate the right pedal. Something is either loose (though I've checked most of the nuts and bolts) or dirty. Need to thoroughly clean the mechs tomorrow to see if that's the problem, but if not I am at a loss: have had the bike looked at 3 times in the last month or so...
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7 comments:
The right pedal bearings may be worn out, try replacing them if you can? Check to see how freely the pedal spins. If it spins very freely then it is lose. If there is some lateral movement in the pedal as it is turned over, then it is likely a bearing or two is broken. How old are the pedals?
Are the cranks tight, is there any lateral movement in them, if so then the bottom bracket should be replaced?
These are the first places I would look.
Good time on the TT, I must do one after the wedding.
Cheers, it's not an out-and-out quick time, but if you saw the course you'd know why!
I've got some ideas for your future time trial career, we should do some club 10s so you get a time for the CTT entry form, then enter a reasonably fast course so you can surprise yourself and your father-in-law ;)
Very much looking forward to the wedding: took my suit to the dry cleaners today :D This time next week I will be attempting to justify the quaffing of red wine in Roma ('it was there!'). I may be a bit bedraggled when I arrive in Sorrento, I haven't been drinking with Kath for a long time.
I had a cursory fiddle with the bike: I got the pedals the day before I came to Southampton last year, so they shouldn't be worn out, though they were a little loose. Bloody things cost nearly £100! Not much you can do about the bearings in Look pedals, I'm led to believe... I have a set on the Condor but they're not carbon fibre :@
There is no play on the cranks and all is tight. I am suspicious of the bottom bracket though. I had it replaced in February, but it seems to be filthy now. In any case, I dropped it off at the bike shop this morning, so they're going to hopefully figure it out.
You also forget I'm not technically minded...
The bike shop drew a blank - they claimed not to even hear a noise!
So Andrew and I took a look at it - like you, I was sure it was the pedals, specifically the right one because if I only pedalled with the left, there was no noise.
The pedal was screwed in nice and tight, but the locking ring that attaches the pedal body to the axle was loose. Simple as that. Not clicking now :D
Small things. Andrew isn't a bike mechanic, but obviously has years of farming experience and a bike isn't that much different from a tractor (...) My mum is, however, cross as the kitchen is covered in tools and she hasn't had dinner yet.
Oh, and did you get your PhD done? I expect, if so, you are out celebrating now :D Nothing now to worry about ... except the 21st ;)
We also found a loose bolt on the chainring... not that this fills me with confidence on the bike...
submitted the thesis on Wednesday, was out celebrating last night. Now we have to pack...
You should get Andrew to help more often. I guess bikes are really quite simple mechanical things.
See you in a week!
Good man - well done!
Yeah, I *would* let Andrew do more 'fixing' for me, but am likely to return home to find the Trek has been converted to a plough or something.
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