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Very useful biking tips!

Mike

Maximum Pace
Sep 24, 2007
1,066
9
Just before I left home to attempt smashing Simon and Deej's Wada toge record (you boys know what I'm talking about) I was about to lube my chain and noticed that I was holding insect spray instead of my lube. Same size can, same extender nozzle thingy! I put it down to being early. Made me smile though, as I wondered if anyone else has ever been so stupid:(

Point 1 - Check to make sure it is indeed bicycle lube that you have in your hand!

Continuing on with my Wada Toge story, I bet Deej's knees are shaking now, I got a puncture about 35km into my ride. It's my first one in a year so I was kind of surprised. Anyway, after changing tubes I started inflating the new one only to find it too had a hole!!!
Luckily I has some spare patches and fixed it managing to limp home with a slow leak.

Point 2 - It might be a good idea to check your spare tube has no holes every month or so.

I hope this little bike clinic has helped someone else out there:)

Oh Deej, you can breathe easier now as I didn't even make it to the start point. :bike:
 
Mike,
don't fire up Deej's rage, as he's likely to start taking those American drugs again! :D
 
What is the record for Wada? Where do you start timing?

Tom has 18m 18s from Bus Stop? to Witch House :D - 3.7km long & 346m up
 
Deej is the current record holder, I believe his time is 25:21.
The start point is at the intersection of R521 and R522,
(there seems to be two of these intersections, it's the closer one, 5.9km from the finish, approx. 420m).

> Bus stop
Oh, that's from the other side...
 
My personal record is 18:18 (see: http://wada-climb.s184.xrea.com/ ) ...not a great time but for me this is max (I need much longer climbs to be more top-ranking). Timing starts somewhere between the bus stop and the bridge. I always start measuring as soon as I make the first turn ahead of the bridge where the road signs are on the corner....


No. 41 白耳義人...the Selfless Belgian with White Ears :confused: : http://wada-climb.s184.xrea.com/ranking.php?year=2006&hill=1&type=99...that was back in 2006...ought to try again soon (once I weigh in at 59kg I will :) !!....five more kilograms to go....)
 
Thanks for the concern about my punctures boys:(
 
Depends...

Doesn't it depend on whether you're riding up from the east-side, from Takao, or from the west-side, from Uenohara?
To my knowledge, Deej has never done it from the Takao side, which I believe is shorter, but much steeper.
As for myself, I've never actually ridden up it from the Uenohara side, so I can't really say which is tougher.
My quickest time from the "Takao / East" side (3.17km) though is, 19m:30s - with an HR of over 190bpm in that short middle section of over 17% (rear-tyre slipping over the steel grates).
Will definitely try to get that climb into one of the "HT" rides though.
If TOM's time of 18:18 is from that (Takao) side, I will be suitably impressed!
T
 
Pumpin'

Thanks for the concern about my punctures boys:(

C'mon Mike!
One puncture in over a year is almost laughable:p
I know a certain member who had 3 flats in ONE DAY - almost making us late for a particular ferry (no names)!
Even Tom had two last Saturday.
It's not that getting a punc. is a big deal; it's whether you're in a hurry at the time!
Personally, my most memorable happened after riding back from Shibuya in the early hours of late December a few years back - Just as I passed Tokyo Palace on my way home after a long evening of ....beverages!
2am, freezing cold, almost pitch-black for lack of street-lights, and there I am trying to put in a new tube with shaking fingers, when I would rather have been in a nice hot bath!

One flat tyre in a year, in relatively nice weather is not much to complain about.
Sorry for the lack of sympathy on this one! T

P.S. I'd be more concerned about you spraying CRC 5.56 all over your arms & legs, when you just wanted inset-repellent!
 
Well Mr.T, if you'd read it properly you would've seen that I effectively had 2 punctures in one day! I'm just kidding about sympathy of course. Sometimes intended jokes don't come out in the written form!

OK, so now I have 2 times to beat from each side.
Deej from West side 25'21
Tom from East side 18'18.

I don't care about that 57 kg guy's time either, that's just not cricket! And looking at that site most of the riders are sub 60kg! I think there really should be weight categories in hill climbing, just like boxing. I mean come on!:)
 
Mike,
don't fire up Deej's rage, as he's likely to start taking those American drugs again! :D

Hah! Simon's referring to the roughly 10 orange ibuprofen pills I carry with me in my first aid baggie in case of bumps, cuts, bone breaks, etc. When I pulled out the bag during a recent ride, Philip's eyes grew wide and he warned me of the dangers of using too many painkillers ("People get addicted to those!"), as if carrying them automatically meant munching on them like Skittles. A tad too defensively, I tried to explain that ibuprofen is a common headache/pain reliever in the U.S. and that I was carrying so many simply because I bought a large bottle of them at Wal-Mart and therefore dumped a liberal amount in my first aid bag. Nevertheless, Philip and Simon eyed me warily, like I was a druggie, numbing myself on each ride with handfuls of pills. Gentlemen, I assure you, the orange rime around my lips is merely Tang dust.

Mike -- Funny story! Too bad you couldn't take the Wada challenge, though. Let's hook up for a ride soon, it's been too long, eh?

Deej
 
East West

OK, so now I have 2 times to beat from each side.
Deej from West side 25'21
Tom from East side 18'18.

I guess you're right; the East side approach is coming from Kamiongata-machi and starting time measurement at the Yamashitaya 山下屋 teahouse.

I don't care about that 57 kg guy's time either, that's just not cricket! And looking at that site most of the riders are sub 60kg! I think there really should be weight categories in hill climbing, just like boxing. I mean come on!

Couldn't agree more on that one!...my problem is "how do I get under 60kg by November 9 ? "
 
And looking at that site most of the riders are sub 60kg!

how do I get under 60kg by November 9 ? "

Looking at the site, the highest ranking chap who is nearest to my height (182cm) is 15th, but he only weighs 72kg (in contrast to my 77.1kg). I've been on a diet lately and have managed to drop about 5.5kg since March, however, I've been aiming for 75kg - maybe I should try to aim a bit lower. I also felt this a little bit from comparing myself with Sergey and Travis on the ride last Saturday.

https://tokyocycle.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/3132

I wonder if this could be the key for me to up my game.

Shame about the puncs Mike...
 
Fun list, thanks for posting Tom. Looked for my my Most Alike and it was...mob himself. (I have a few less kgs, but a few less watts, too, judging by mob's time up that hill...)

I'd love to crack 80 kg some day, but I don't think it's going to be this year. Fall is a really bad time to try and shed the pounds.
 
Deej, looking forward to the next ride together. It was last fall we did that yamanaka ko ride! How time flies!
 
Is that the one...

Deej, looking forward to the next ride together. It was last fall we did that yamanaka ko ride! How time flies!

...that everyone called "The ride that Travis missed"? I hated not being a part of it.
Still working on the map of the same course for HT3 on Sept.20 (or there abouts) - Atsugi - Tanzawa-ko - Mikuni-toge - 413 - Atsugi.
I'll PM everyone once the date is set!
T
 
Still working on the map of the same course for HT3 on Sept.20 (or there abouts) - Atsugi - Tanzawa-ko - Mikuni-toge - 413 - Atsugi.
I'll PM everyone once the date is set!
T

Can't wait! I can feel the "Mikuni burn" already. Mike, you have to join this one!

Deej
 
Point 2 - It might be a good idea to check your spare tube has no holes every month or so.

I hear ya, Mike!

Today, on my way to Shin-Kawasaki I couldn't avoid jamming into one of those wide rain water drains: curb on the left side, a nervous motorist on the right, my rear wheel went right into that fat slot and exploded under my derrière. I pushed my bike to the office, intending to mend the punc after class. Turned out that both of my spare tubes (6 weeks old Panaracer R'air) were punctured as well!!! Gee, I hate getting on trains. :mad:
 
I hear ya, Mike!

Today, on my way to Shin-Kawasaki I couldn't avoid jamming into one of those wide rain water drains: curb on the left side, a nervous motorist on the right, my rear wheel went right into that fat slot and exploded under my derrière. I pushed my bike to the office, intending to mend the punc after class. Turned out that both of my spare tubes (6 weeks old Panaracer R'air) were punctured as well!!! Gee, I hate getting on trains. :mad:

That's too bad Thomas.

I was reading in an old issue of Cycling Plus, that it's advisable to wrap the spare inner tubes in cling wrap or plastic wrap as it's known in the States. It gives them a little bit more protection from sharp things in saddle bags ect.

I'm going to check mine tonight. Thanks for the warning chaps.
 
Sorry to hear about that Thomas. SO unlucky considering you carry two spare tubes... Pete, I've decided to just keep my tube in it's original box. I had my last tube wrapped in cling wrap and it was still punctured!
 
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