Fun ideas everyone - makes a girl wanna go shopping.

Just got my Cannondale Synapse a new tube - not glamorous or fun, just necessary.

Cableset came Friday (Jagwire Racer) in red. Got everything on. . . sadly, front derailleur no worky to the big ring. Don't know if it's the shifter or the bb.

Another spendy day, I'm afraid...

Getting ready for todays ride, I noticed that the Chamois in the Gore bike-wear shorts I bought was a little "clumpy"... on further investigation, the padding had come adrift from the outer surface, and was flopping around inside the 2 layers of cloth. Not a happy bunny for that - £80 for a pair of shorts that I've only had 3 months worth of wear out of... Sad thing was, I'd actually kept them back and not used them over the winter while riding on the turbo, as they were so comfortable, I wanted to get the use out of 'em on the road, and not kill them off with heavy rotation use on the turbo. I'd bought a pair of the DHB Aeron Pro's (Wiggle own brand stuff) maybe a month after the Gore's, and they'd been used all winter on the Turbo, and done alternate days with the Gore's out on the road (One pair on the bike, one in the wash/drying!). The DHB's are unmarked, and pretty much perfect, so - sold to the fat bloke with the long hair, one additional pair of Aeron Pro's :laugh: And, while I've been at it, as an effort to set myself up for the summer, another pack of half a dozen Bidon's so I can scrap the scruffy faded ones from last season.

Oh, and on Saturday, I made a discovery that I think may make my summer cycling happier and more comfortable than it's been for a long time. Finally, I've discovered a proper, effective and DURABLE sunscreen. My local pharmacy recommended it, it's called Riemann P20. Apologies for those people who've used it before, but I'd never heard of it. For those like me, it's pretty damned amazing. The big problem with normal sun-creams is that on the bike, they just get sweated off. This stuff is different. It's more like a coat of varnish than a suncream. It's Good for 10 hours on one application, you can't sweat it off, it's waterproof enough to survive swimming in it! - it only comes off with hot water and soap. As implied by it's name, its a SPF of 20, and to be honest, for once, I believe it. Over the last 5 days i've spent over 10 hours on the bike, and i've accumulated a very gentle healthy colour. As I've naturally got a complexion that's somewhere between white and pale blue, and a tendency to go like a lobster after 15 minutes of watery sunshine, the stuff's amazing! Only slight downside is, as I said above, it's a bit like a coat of varnish - a thick oily liquid in an alcohol base, the alcohol evaporates and the oil drys after 15 minutes and becomes effective. So - you find yourself standing around in the scud, smelling of alcohol, waiting to dry enough to put your riding kit on. Not a pretty sight, but worth the slight hassle to avoid the pain of sunburn, not to mention the potential longer term dangers. Certainly something to put on the shopping list for anyone doing century rides and Audax Brevets I reckon!

Garmin Edge 705, with HRM & Cadence. To replace my aging 605. It is great!

Fleece lined full length kit....

Oh I lie I lie... matching water bottles just last week.

Specialized Oura Expert saddle to replace a Selle Itallia Diva that has become too soft and squishy.

BUT now I have a black saddle and white bar tape. Do I a) exchange saddle for white or b) replace bar tape with black? Such dilemma! LOL

Velominati Rule #8 // Saddles, bars, and tires shall be carefully matched.

3 Valid options are:

Match the saddle to the bars and the tires to black; or

Match the bars to the color of the frame at the top of the head tube and the saddle to the color of the frame at the top of the seat tube and the tires to the color where they come closest to the frame; or

Match the saddle and the bars to the frame decals;

or

Black, black, black

(but by that token, I'd need to find a Navy Blue Saddle and Tyres, or swap to black handlebar tape, or White Tape and Saddle. - none of which I'm gonna do at the moment. Might get all colour co-ordinated on the next bike, but not with this one , just yet!...

and another consideration - I'm too much of a mucky pup to ride with white tape - i'd be swapping it every third ride. It's okay for pro's who have the mechanics change it out between stages, but for me, no way!!)

To TheBigYin: Pshah. Dost thou need to be so matchy matchy on the tape/saddle/tyres/cages/bags/cables/wire crimps/etc? Methinks not. I say flaunt convention.

Edited cuz I clearly am too dunderheaded to quote properly.

I have red caps on my Michelins, because they look damn hot with my Fulcrum Zeros. I also run alloy cages on my full-on carbon race rig... because I enjoy a little irony. I'm constantly surrounded by people who take this pursuit way too seriously.

I met a young lady riding a bike festooned with celeste tape, cages, what-have-you all over it. Everything was celeste, except the frame - because it was a Trek! I laughed. I'm assuming she didn't get see the humor in it. It's okay. She must just really like celeste!

Let's just imagine for a moment that the gods miraculously bestowed upon you a hand-painted Pegoretti Responsorium. Do the rules still apply then? What color scheme would compliment such an eclectic frame? I say bend the rules. Don't match anything. Let it go. Repeat after me, "It's okay..."

Sometimes beauty comes from discord.

The only thing I've gotten lately is my 100 mile bragging rights sticker! :drinker: