With the Tour's visit to Holmfirth on 6th July only a few months away, I decided to ride Holme Moss on the 6th of every month leading up to the day itself. Now, after the cold winters we've been having, I thought it might be interesting to see the changing seasons (remember Holme Moss was blocked by snow for several weeks in late March and April last year) as well as the transformation that will happen with 100,000 people on the Moss on the day. But so far, it has just been grey and very windy...but still beautiful none the less!Read more »

Following on from an earlier post, this article covers the second part of Stage 2 of this year's Tour and it is very exciting as is it is on local roads. Now I have to own up that I did this ride back in October last year. It was actually my birthday ride. And my birthday present? That was vehicle support for the ride with spare bottles, food, mechanical assistance and photographer just like a pro!So this ride picks up the route in the Holmfirth, loops over the hills into Derbyshire for a (very!) short section before heading back into Yorkshire towards Sheffield. It is a tough route, certainly the toughest section of the whole of the Grand Depart, and not just for the amount of climbing. Large sections are technical and steep, involving racing on narrow, twisting and rough roads. It is going to be exciting come 6th July...Read more »

I often get asked about choosing a new bike. Unsurprisingly, there is no set answer to suit everyone and it depends on the particular circumstances of the customer and the intended use. But I thought it might be useful to write about some of the common things that get discussed for future reference.Read more »

The route of this stage leaves York, skirts the bottom edge of the Dales before turning South through the South Pennines and Peak District to Sheffield. Like before, I wanted to look at the key parts of the stage where the action might happen on the day.Read more »

I've had the same brand and model of road shoes for over six years now (not the same pair though!), so it's been a long time since I've had to set the cleat position on a different make. And with some new shoes, I've been struggling to find a comfortable position for the cleats.  So after several abortive test rides, it was time to be a little more scientific.Looking at my old shoes, I found the angle between the cleats and the centre line of my feet was quite different on the left and right shoe. I guess it happened over time, and I simply copied the position from one set of shoes to the next.  I've never ridden fixed cleats though, so my feet have probably being able to find their natural position.On the new shoes, I've aligned the cleat angle on both shoes parallel to the centre-line of my feet. I wondered where the centre actually was though, so I stood on a piece of paper in a 'natural' position with feet under hips and traced the outline of my feet. I've then imagined two parallel lines over the tracings, roughly perpendicular to my hips, and set the line of the new cleats to match. The line is similar to the old right cleat.Forward and back adjustment is set to match my old cleats, which for me is the first joint of of the big toe about 10mm forward of the pedal axle. (This seems to work for me, though there are lots of different opinions.) I did this taking lots of measurements between the cleat and the the toe and heel on the new and old shoes, and also by marking the position of the big toe joint on the shoe. As many measurements as possible seems best. Side-to-side adjustment is also to match the old shoes as closely as possible.So, we'll see how the new shoes feel with this position. First impression is much better, but a long ride is needed to really tell. I might take the old ones with me just in case!

Fixed Gears: Raleigh Dakota: This bicycle belongs to one of my wife's best friends. It used to be her brother's bicycle - I guess early to mid 1990s with Biopa...

This bicycle belongs to one of my wife's best friends.It used to be her brother's bicycle - I guess early to mid 1990s with Biopace type chainrings, thumb shifters and splatter paint. It is in pretty good condition too for its age - the paint is very good.  It  just needs some care now - new cables plus adjustments to the gears, brakes and bearings. And fit some easier tyres as it is mostly used on the road now.And the finished article. I've left the cables until later as a barrel adjuster is missing from one of the thumb shifters and I'll need to source a replacement. Until then only six of the seven sprockets work. I'd forgotten how fiddly cantilever brake adjustment can be, and noisy too without any toeing of the pads! Fixed now, just a bike fit to do.

I've finished refurbishing my basement workshop. I've added tool boards and lots of hooks for hanging wheels, frames and other stuff. Everyone should have one! (Stone table optional.).