Weight Revisited

I haven't said whether it is my weight or the bike's weight I am revisiting.
Which brings me to an important point.
Weight is weight.
You or the bike.
It counts the same.

Anyway, this time it is bike weight.
I managed to get my tools and first aid kit down to what I can get in a little pouch. That filled pouch weighs 600g.
Sounds heavy, right?

Wrong.
It is replacing a pannier weighing 1.5 kg.
Furthermore, removing the pannier from my load requirements means I now no longer need the pannier rack, so that is even more saved.

Anyway, the bike is down to 14.2 kg now.
I reckon I can get food, water and tools down to 5kg.
So that in 19.2 kg plus rider.

Losing the pannier will save me a little wind drag, too!

It is Wednesday evening now, and I am about to go to bed.
Important to get good sleep!

My Favourite Training Peaks Features

With Training Peaks, you can get all sorts of charts set up.
This one shows the longest ride I have completed in any given week, going back over the last 6 months.
For folks interested in longer sportives, this sort of information is important.
You can't train for a 5-hour event just by doing "hard" one hour rides!

Catching Up: The Oxford trip I made at the end of February

My "magic pants".
Like cycle shorts, but much smaller
amd thinner.
They are for wearing under
regular clothing.

Tech Corner: Long and Short Cage Derailleurs

This pair of derailleurs are very similar, except ...
the one on the left has a short cage, and the one on the right has a long cage.

Rear view of the same pair of basic derailleurs.
Short cage on the left, long cage on the right

So why have more than one type of derailleur?

I went on a "dry run" for the sportive, and ...

After getting a wet butt while training on Hoppy, I have refitted the front fender (just a 3 bolt job), and made a temporary "training" fender for the rear (the rear fender is a lot more complicated to refit - the "training fender I can just cut off on the morning of the event)/ Hoppy only seems to have one aero "horn" in this picture ...

... because one fell off in training. I guess the aluminium of the
tubes is prone to wear!

Tape and cardboard under the rear carrier
makes an adequate (and fairly effective)
training fender.

Disassemble detached "horn". reassemble, using gorilla glue to "fix it".
I used alignment marks I made on the mount and the tube of the "horn" to ensure I had them lined  up right before I got the glue out.