anto's audax.

[Neil Jones]

Hi Anto,

Sorry to hear that your back is in a bad way, there's nothing worse. Best thing to do is complete rest, put your feet up, kettle on and watch the Tour for the next 3 weeks  .

Hopefully you'll be felling better and putting some light day rides in before too long.

All the best,
Neil

[jags]

I hear you Neil

[Danneaux]

Latest from Anto...some lovely flower baskets over his equally lovely Audax.

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

Which is the nicest tho flowers or me bike.
I was just home from a great thirty miles so I spent a good hour cleaning it to perfection.

Anto.

[jags]

I was seriously thinking of selling my two fantastic bikes and buying an Ebike.with my back problem hills can be a curse.and now the doctor reckons I have a mild hernia.im slowly falling apart.came out of the pharmacy last  week with a wheelbarrow full of drugs .
Still one must not grumble sure no one listens

Anto

[martinf]

My wife has had back trouble for years. She rides a bike with "sit-up-and-beg" handlebars and her back is nearly vertical. Fairly wide Schwalbe Supreme 42 mm tyres help with the comfort, they still roll well even with quite low pressures. It seems to work for her, so maybe you should try and borrow a bike like that to see if a radical change in position works for you or not. For a test ride, it doesn't have to be an E-bike.

I've ridden that style of bike fairly often myself, notably borrowed bikes in the Netherlands and the "visitor" bikes I keep at our island flat.  "Sit-up-and-beg" isn't what I prefer (I may change my mind when I get older), but with a suitable wide saddle (say a Brooks with springs) I am comfortable enough, just a bit slower due to the increased air resistance.

[jags]

Martin I had a probikefit done and it worked wonders  i could not believe the difference it made.
Nah I reckon im goosed  as far as everbeen partof the bike is concerned.
Im one of these guys who believes the lighter the bike the easiest it is to ride .
My dolan LeTape is a class bike light and fast,the thorn is also great but no where near the stiffness of the dolan great for group rides.

[martinf]

A bit more radical (and expensive), but a recumbent bike or trike might be better for your back than a conventional bike. On the minus side, recumbents are reputed to by harder to climb hills with. Not tried one myself yet.

[jags]

I toured with a lad from the uk he was riding a bent,flying machine but yeah he died on hills thankgod he was killing me on the flat,  ahh to old to change now.
Anto.

[Danneaux]

Hi Al!

Here's a few more shots of Anto's Audax, taken on his ride today. Last one shows it all cleaned and tidy, ready for the next adventure.

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

Thank's again Dan .
sure is a lovely bike to ride nothing seems to faze it loaded or unloaded rides like a dream
on sunday i met a big sportive ride i jumped in with 6 lads that were motoring, i dont think there were to pleased that an  old guy on a touring bike staying with them carbon warriors  .

next few bob i get i'd like to put a conti 28 up front (i'm using the conti 25 at the moment good tyre)  only reason i stay on rough back roads most of my spins so the 28 might make the going a bit more comfortable 

anto. 

[jags]

Great 40 miles in this morning around the Boyne Valley  super day for cycling the Audax was going like a dream never missed a beat and i went up some rough tracks not a bother on her . took plenty photos but they wont up load i'll try sending them to me buddy Dan.

anto.

[Danneaux]

i'll try sending them to me buddy Dan.

Probably the best thing is email them to me, Anto. I'm currently waaaaay up in the woods on the Nomad on logging roads and about to go deeper. Will lose my cell signal soon, so I'll get your piccies when I return home.

All the best,

Dan.

[jags]

good Stuff enjoy the trip hope you don't meet any of those big hairy  creatures you know the one's big  claws  and lots teeth.

anto.
ps no big deal on photos Dan  u can look at them on facebook enjoy the trip.

[martinf]

next few bob i get i'd like to put a conti 28 up front (i'm using the conti 25 at the moment good tyre)  only reason i stay on rough back roads most of my spins so the 28 might make the going a bit more comfortable 

I reckon you should feel some extra comfort with a 28 rather than a 25, so long as it is a similar high-quality tyre. Theoretically you shoud run 28's at 20-25% less pressure than 25's, which should also contribute to comfort.

And the very slight weight/aerodynamic cross section increase shouldn't make any appreciable difference to your speed. On back roads you may even be a tad faster with wider tyres.