Any cyclists on Survive France?
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Heading down to the Haut Pyrenees in early September. Anyone living in that neck of the woods and riding ?? My point of reference is Saint Savin. Would be good to get a ride in or two with some local knowledge or routes. Cordialement
Chris, I'd love to but I'm still 6.5 days a week in the tabac :-(
I managed a piffling 40k ride the other day but I'm way off good form. I still haven't managed a ride out with the club here in Carmaux even though they keep spurring me on to get out and join them. We've got two young kids too so the afternoon rides are out as they finish school at 15h45. Will get back in the saddle one day and when I do I'll come over for a sortie ;-)
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Agout Vélo Sport is a small cycling club based at Serviès [between Castres and Lavaur]. We go out Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoons. As well as myself there are two other Brits, plus a sprinkling of Belgian and Italian members. [The rest are French!] Come and join in if you are near enough.
Andrew, I gathre you are cycling again. Fancy getting together for une randonnée?
conti 4000s are excellent, great grip and very few punctures ;-)
as for technological advances - we'll have to wait and see what the new tubeless tyres are really like...
At least now I live in France I can kid myself that my average riding speed is still in the 20`s - like it was 30 years ago in miles per hour
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I thought tubs had long since disapeared but they are alive and well, you are right on both counts the the wired on have improved no end to a match with tubs and a bit of weight loss would do both me and the bike a lot of good,must stop trying to relive my lost youth the minds willing but the body is worn out, as i said to a guy in the bike shop in Castres when he said it was an old bike, the person riding the bike is also old
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John,
I haven`t used tubs since I stopped racing many years ago now!
I remember the hours I have spent undoing the stitching then puncturing the inner tube when you redo the stitching!
HP wired on tyres are so good now and as you say the main weight gain would be lose a few pounds of the waistline!
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Gordon i am using Continental sprinter gatorskins so far so good but have tried various makes to no avail, tubs cannot be repaired unless the very expensive ones as they are stitched but even then its probably as much in labour costs spent unstiching and re stiching as a cheap tyre, if these let me down its clincher rims and a normal tyre at least i can repair the puncture, tubular tyres are glued on the rim and a bit of hassle everytime, the advantage for me now is negligble weighing 2 st heavy than in my racing days plus having to take the phone with me to ring up my wife to collect the bike and myself
Hi John and thanks for your query - yes, Chris does rebuild wheels and would be happy to do this for you, I'll friend you here and get in touch offline. Have a great rest of a sunny Sunday all!
I use Continental Quatre Saisons on my racing bike & rarely suffer a puncture - if that`s not tempting fate i don`t know what is!
Charlotte i have a Jacques Esclasson with tubular tyres the roads around here appear to be littered with sharp flints /stones in the last two years i have spent a fortune replacing tyres and have been unable to get anyone to rebuild the wheels with clincher rims short of taking them back to the uk, does Chris rebuild wheels
Thanks so much for your kind comments Jo, we're delighted with how the Velodocteur cycling business is really taking off! Chris has been inundated with gorgeous vintage bikes to restore and newer ones to service and repair, the good weather is obviously turning people's attention to getting out on their bikes!
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Morning all. I want to recommend Chris to anyone as a bike techie...marvellous service.
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They may as well all admit to it one by one they all fall from grace and its far worse to deny it then finally hold your up your hand and say sorry i have lied.
On a closer to home note i have finally admitted defeat with tubulars they are costing me so much money trying to relive my youth isnt working, the roads around here are just to gritty with puntures guarantied on every ride as i am unable to find anyone who can rebuild wheels with clincher rims its going to be a uk job i am making my first ever visit back to the uk in September after 3 years so i shall throw the wheels in the car and drop them of to a guy in Ramsgate picking them up on the way back at least with a clincher i can repair the puncture in half an hour , with tubs its a new one and glue not a job you want to do at the roadside especially as they need at least 24 hour before riding
Well it had to happen, Ullrich came clean whilst our own Jaja kept quiet but now he's been caught. I think we all knew it would happen one day problem is we won't have him on the TdF commentary and will have to put up with even more of cher Gérard Holtz :-O
I was riding with Cyclo Club Firmi-Aubin-Cransac but our new project has taken us out of the Aveyron and into the Tarn and working 6.5 days a week means that I'm taking a bit of a break from cycling for the time being!
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Which club do you ride with? We may well meet up à vélo somewhere!
Yes Chris, I live near Albi and work in Carmaux so will try and get to see the stage finish in Albi. Brings back memories of 6 years ago when the time trial was in Albi and a finish in Castres, since then have seen so many stages in the Aveyron/Cantal/Lot too... going to be a good one, can't wait! PS went out last Sunday for a blast - I only have Sunday afternoons off and it was the first for ages when the weather was good and I wasn't asleep!
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