Tuesday 23 August 2011

Last Nights Ride

Finally found some time to get out on my bike last night! Full details are on my Sports Tracker profile, which you can access directly or via the new widget I have added to this blog.
Due to a later than planned start and an overcast early evening, I decided on a shorter ride to beat the fast darkening light.
Decided to head out of Merley and down into Wimborne to then ride up as many hills as I could find. Riding with my heart rate monitor I endevoured to keep my heart rate above 72% and below 90%.
The route was all on-road, so traffic was a bit of a concern, but rode hard as I could muster.
Final stats were:

  • 7 miles total ride length
  • Max speed 33mph
  • Average speed 10.2mph
  • Time 36 mins
Heart rate stats were a little disappointing
  • Average 64%
  • Max 97%


Wednesday 3 August 2011

New Race Face Respond Handlebars

Impulse purchase from Chain Reactions Cycles this week! A set of Race Face Respond low raiser bars!

Race Face Respond
As per previous blogs I have an issue with my left hand, during longer rides (numbness). I have tried a variety of options (Specialised BG grips, Specialised BG gel gloves, variety of handlebar positions etc) all with small improvements but not a total solution.
Additionally I have wanted to try re-positioning my brake levers and gear shifters further down my bars, as advised by many forums, articles etc. But as I have the standard factory fit GT riser bar, this is not really an option and only allows a small amount of adjust due the design of the bar rise and thickness.
Therefore I decided I needed a wider bar with a shallow rise. So when I saw the Race Face Respond low riser bar on offer for £20 at CRC then it was simple impulse decision!
The spec of the bars is:

  • Dimensions: 710mm width, 9° rearward, 4° upward
  • Rise:.5"
  • Bar Diameter: 31.8mm
  • Weight: 335g (.5" rise)
The Respond bar is engineered to offer an optimal combination of strength, stiffness, and weight at an attractive price point. Manufactured from cold drawn, seamless Air Alloy material. Butted for an optimal strength to weight ratio. Wider construction and re-designed taper offers more width (710mm) and increased stiffness.
Arrived very promptly in a well packaged box. Then it was outside to remove the old set of bars and fit the new set. Very simple to fit due to helpful alignment and measurement markings. Within 15 minutes I had fitted and adjusted, then I was out on my bike enjoying the new cockpit set up.
Highly recommended, both Race Face bars and ChainReactionCycles