Author Topic: Last minute ball aches...  (Read 9381 times)

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Last minute ball aches...
« on: 08 August, 2019, 11:29:22 pm »
A post for all those last minute nightmares and pains as we build up to departure for France.

My list is building...:
Don't have as much flexi time built up as I planned for = long days at work.
Discovered broken sole of shoes I was going to wear; necessitating buying a new pair of shoes.
New pair of shoes found in sale arrive with incorrectly assembled buckle pins; Pair of shoes were end of line. Fix bodged.

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #1 on: 09 August, 2019, 08:15:16 am »
My last minute ball aches started in February or March, shall I start:=

Broke numerous spokes, more in February, March and April than probably over past 10 years.
Two wheels called it a day.
March, Broke my PBP bike, frame snapped. Frame to be replaced under warranty.
Got my new replacement frame and bike rebuilt for PBP, broke within a fortnight.
Got my bike back, and qualified for PBP. On a 600 the week after my last qualifying ride, my best PBP rear wheel hub broke.
Got a new rear wheel built for PBP, after a few weeks something wrong with it bearings had play which you could not get rid off. Also spokes not holding tension. Wheel to be rebuilt.
Chain rings worn out and replaced.
On the same day, snapped crank clean off the PBP bike just as I had finished a ride and going up my drive. Needs a new crankset.
Got it all repaired, found new crank wobbly and no reason as to why? and unrideable, back to shop
Got my wheel back, found when I spun the wheel, the bearings would unscrew, back to shop.
Got the wheel back, took it for a test ride, mystery rattle, finally traced it to the cassette, it was very loose. Rode home, locknut was tight so stripped it down, incorrect amount of spacers on the cassette.
When putting my PBP best socks on, put my finger straight through the back pulling one round my ankle and ripped the hem off
Buckle broke on my shoe.
The bike that I am going to ride PBP on in the past couple of days is now playing up with the rear mech and do not know why with phantom skips, pondering on has the hanger become bent or jockey wheels on the way out.

Weather now changed for the worse between now and Wednesday when I set off, hardly any time for anything to change on the bike and give a good testing out. In 2015, I was ready to go in June, riding my 400 and 600 qualifiers with my bag all packed with everything for PBP to get used to it, this year, I am no where near ready with hardly anything packed through all the misfortune.

In reality, I just cannot see it happening this year, the above is just the tip of the iceberg of everything that has gone wrong. I may set off, but my morale is now that low, I just cannot see me finishing, everything I look at on my bike now, all I can see is it breaking on the ride. So having spent a fortune already, I may not even go just to cut my losses on fuel, accommodation and food etc that I will be paying for, or just go to watch and don't ride.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #2 on: 09 August, 2019, 08:21:42 am »
In 2007 a friend of mine and his wife qualified with their tandem.  A week before PBP his boss suddenly decided the company had urgent need of him and cancelled his holidays.  His wife couldn't do it on her own, being only partially-sighted.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #3 on: 09 August, 2019, 09:49:34 am »
As long as the broken ankle behaves and the new bike arrives, I should be fine.

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #4 on: 09 August, 2019, 10:28:35 am »
I snapped the lead of my pencil while sharpening it.  I may need to take a new pencil, but no opportunity to break it in before the event  :facepalm:
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

Davef

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #5 on: 09 August, 2019, 11:08:39 am »
Fitted new Brooks B17 in June. Ball aches have begun to reduce to an acceptable level.

simonp

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #6 on: 09 August, 2019, 11:29:34 am »
Was hoping to ride a 200k this weekend. Saturday is out with the forecast, Sunday may be ok.

Lots of work to get done and network at work appears to be down. (Actually fixed by a reboot of my laptop).

BB reseated and bearings replaced on Wednesday - hopefully less creaking now. Not had a chance to test ride yet.

Haven't worked out how I'm getting me and my bike to Bristol for the ACB coach meet-up yet.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #7 on: 09 August, 2019, 12:09:17 pm »
As long as the broken ankle behaves and the new bike arrives, I should be fine.


If that makes your ball ache, you probably need to drop the saddle a bit.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #8 on: 09 August, 2019, 12:13:35 pm »
My last minute ball aches started in February or March, shall I start:=

If that's all with the same shop I'd consider changing shop.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #9 on: 09 August, 2019, 12:16:51 pm »
As long as the broken ankle behaves and the new bike arrives, I should be fine.


If that makes your ball ache, you probably need to drop the saddle a bit.

The scrotum-sized lump on my ankle is slowly diminishing.

simonp

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #10 on: 09 August, 2019, 03:21:01 pm »
As long as the broken ankle behaves and the new bike arrives, I should be fine.

I stubbed my toe this morning. It still hurts now.

Phil W

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #11 on: 09 August, 2019, 03:23:08 pm »
I snapped the lead of my pencil while sharpening it.  I may need to take a new pencil, but no opportunity to break it in before the event  :facepalm:

But how will you complete the Infos just announced on the PBP FB page?

wilkyboy

  • "nick" by any other name
    • 16-inch wheels
Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #12 on: 09 August, 2019, 03:44:45 pm »
I snapped the lead of my pencil while sharpening it.  I may need to take a new pencil, but no opportunity to break it in before the event  :facepalm:

But how will you complete the Infos just announced on the PBP FB page?

I really don't know, starting to brick it  ???
Lockdown lethargy. RRTY: wot's that? Can't remember if I'm on #8 or #9 ...

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #13 on: 09 August, 2019, 03:47:25 pm »
I'm starting to wonder when I last saw my trusty Audax Uniball pen with added layers of gorilla tape.

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #14 on: 09 August, 2019, 04:22:19 pm »
As long as the broken ankle behaves and the new bike arrives, I should be fine.

I stubbed my toe this morning. It still hurts now.

Can't you just give it a rub with a guinea-pig or something?

simonp

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #15 on: 09 August, 2019, 08:03:29 pm »
As long as the broken ankle behaves and the new bike arrives, I should be fine.

I stubbed my toe this morning. It still hurts now.

Can't you just give it a rub with a guinea-pig or something?

We’re all out of guinea pigs at the moment. Cat will probably attack it during the night which may or may not prove helpful.

Toe is now completely purple. Doh.

Phil W

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #16 on: 09 August, 2019, 08:06:58 pm »
Boris Johnson owes me 20 euros.

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #17 on: 10 August, 2019, 09:43:31 am »
With that inclement weather yesterday morning and things to do in the afternoon, I took advantage of not being able to ride in the morning as rain was lashing down in bucketfuls. Instead of trying to tweak thinks with lubrication and adjustments etc and not getting anywhere, I gave my rear mech a good degreasing followed by a good blasting with the hosepipe from all angles to get into every corner of the mech and had the jockey wheels spinning as fast as I could with the jet of water and repeated the process a couple of times more, far more than its usual cleaning it gets. Also gave the whole bike a wash for the sake of it. When I was finished, dried it all off with a cloth and then soaked everything in GT85 and left overnight.

Up at dawn this morning for a ride before this storm hits later for a test ride. Oiled the rear mech properly and everything else. Within half a mile, I had to stop and readjust the rear mech, that was a good sign that something had changed. A quick adjustment on the cable tension and everything is now perfect. Not even a rattle or creak on the bike and gone are the "clunky banging " changes that the chain makes when I was changing gear and no phantom skips into another gear, everything silky smooth as it was a fortnight ago. The blasting of the rear mech must have dislodged something or flushed something out. Maybe there was a build up of summer dust and grime around the edges of the moving parts which could not be seen, but, maybe it was also soaking up any oil I tried to apply to the moving joints and non was getting to the working parts so the mech was sticking slightly.

So, its all green lights now on the bike front and for the first time feeling a bit happier.

Genosse Brymbo

  • Ostalgist
Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #18 on: 10 August, 2019, 11:12:09 am »
Haven't worked out how I'm getting me and my bike to Bristol for the ACB coach meet-up yet.
If ACB's coach is Bairdy then the meet-up will be in a pub.  IGMC.
The present is a foreign country: they do things differently here.

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #19 on: 10 August, 2019, 12:32:09 pm »
Lost my mojo. If anyone finds it, please let me know. At the moment, the only incentive in cycling/training to Newhaven is the 12 points.
Bikes are for riding, not cleaning!

Diesel

  • or Richard
Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #20 on: 10 August, 2019, 06:53:02 pm »
Lost my mojo. If anyone finds it, please let me know. At the moment, the only incentive in cycling/training to Newhaven is the 12 points.

What's your plan. I'm on the night ferry from Newhaven on the Thursday night, are you doing the same?

I'm getting the train from Tring to Three Bridges on the thursday afternoon and cycling from there if you want to meet up and your plans are similar?

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #21 on: 11 August, 2019, 12:35:57 am »
Boris Johnson owes me 20 euros.

I topped my currency card up this time last year when it was 1.09 to the quid, and then the pound promptly recovered to 1.16
If I spend all the euros on it then I've will have had a very expensive trip...

I'll probably empty it buying bike parts from the german discounters at some point...

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #22 on: 11 August, 2019, 09:08:58 am »
Lost my mojo. If anyone finds it, please let me know. At the moment, the only incentive in cycling/training to Newhaven is the 12 points.

What's your plan. I'm on the night ferry from Newhaven on the Thursday night, are you doing the same?

I'm getting the train from Tring to Three Bridges on the thursday afternoon and cycling from there if you want to meet up and your plans are similar?
  Same 11pm ferry as last time. Plan is to cycle from home if organised or, like last time, catch the teatime train from MK to Newhaven (more expense).
Bikes are for riding, not cleaning!

TOBY

  • hello
Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #23 on: 13 August, 2019, 07:12:33 pm »
Half a day of work.

Davef

Re: Last minute ball aches...
« Reply #24 on: 13 August, 2019, 07:29:21 pm »
Lost my mojo. If anyone finds it, please let me know. At the moment, the only incentive in cycling/training to Newhaven is the 12 points.
I hope you find it. I have opted for the mk-Portsmouth route. See you in Paris


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