Turbo Love

[huw williams]

[quote="Andrew G"] I just had to buy a new car so can't afford the rollers. 850 quid of transport magnificence.

[Snoop Doug]

[quote="Andrew G"]With you and Keith in front of me you weren't exactly forming a huge barrier to shelter behind either

[Andrew G]

Well it is red . I never spend more than a grand on a car, I don't use them enough to make it worth the expense, bikes on the other hand...

They cost nothing to service (because I don't get them serviced), just the fluids changed when MOT'd. On average they tend to last a couple of years then when anything of note breaks I scrap 'em and start again. Makes perfect sense, even if I could afford it what's the point in paying thousands for a car to leave it in the garage most of the time.

[huw williams]

£30 Was the cheapest car I ever bought. Morris Minor back in '87. Doorframe indicators, split windscreen, white walls the whole bit. Go it from a district nurse in Merthyr Tydfil - drove it stright up the M4 to London solid as a rock

Drove it everywhere for three years and didn't spend a shilling on it. Kids from the estate in back of my flat used to get in it several evenings a week, never did any damage, just freewheel down the hill to the chip shop, then walk home eating their chips. I'd come back from work on the train, find it by the chip shop, get in and drive it home. Never had a key - you could start it with a two pence piece

Awesome motor that

[Michelle]

Huw that's absolutely f*cking priceless.

You have left me nearly speechless with laughter.

[huw williams]

[quote="Michelle"]Huw that's absolutely f*cking priceless.

You have left me nearly speechless with laughter.

[Snoop Doug]

I can't top huw's tale but I can top the price. I paid £0 for a mini clubman estate many years ago. Olive green with the faux wood panels and double back doors. The floor pan started to rust badly, I used to fill the holes with blutac. I eventually binned it after the back door fittings failed and stuff used to fly out the back (plus the odd drunk mate from time to time) and the floor pan holes got so big that a) I couldn't afford a big enough slab of blutac and b) there was nowhere to rest your heels when driving.

Classy motoring, those were the days eh?

[John the old'un]

Sorry Snoop, I reckon mine beat that.
In 1962 I bought a 1937 Morris Eight. Price £3-10-00
Did 3,700 miles in it, travelling with bike on top to Portsmouth, Welwyn etc, as well as Herne Hill two or three times a week.
And....... wait for it......... Flogged it for £20.

[Jon H]

I had a rusty mini clubman estate with holes in the floorpan. Anything in the boot used to get wet if it was raining because the rear wheel arches were also completely built of carpet. It also had moss growing in the runners for the sliding rear windows. I managed to get 3 points on my license in that for doing 45 in a 30 zone. Personally I think they should have given me an award for bravery for getting it up to that speed.

[Andrew G]

My first car was before I had a garage and in winter the windscreen used to ice up on the inside. The heater didn't work so you had to scrape the window clear, wear 5 layers of clothes and try and avoid breathing, as that would instantly steam the window up which would freeze again on contact.

For comedy value...
After the spell of riding out to events with his clubmates and kipping in a nearby field the night before, my dear old papa used to ride out to TTs on his Lambretta with my mum on the back as she was on marshaling duty. She had a mini beehive (don't know how she got the crash helmet on top, my Dad just wore a beret - honest I've seen the photos), and his bike was strapped to the sissy bar at the back.

There Kasper, just because you have a scooter it doesn't stop you getting out to events.

[huw williams]

[quote="Jon Hemming"] I managed to get 3 points on my license in that for doing 45 in a 30 zone.

[Sylv]

Do we know if the pros actually use turbos a lot?

We've heard of the ones doing 25,000 miles per year, so unless these include turbo miles would they really find the time and energy to do it on top of the 25k "real" miles?

[huw williams]

We are aware of lots of pros who swear by them but just as many who swear AT them - personal choice.

The advent of powermeters has made them more popular though as it takes a lot of the guesswork out. See related posts regarding Turbos being non-specific to road riding - I found the same thing initially and hated turbos cos when I went out on the road I felt rubbish. Pereceived effort is much greater on the turbo so its much 'harder' to go 'hard.' The advent of the powermeter changes all that though cos if you're putting the watts out your putting the watts out - whether you're on the road or the turbo.
For that reason many coaches now seem to becoming round to the idea of using turbos for certain sessions because the results are more quantifiable. Laboratory conditions as it were.

At the end of the day though racing's done on tarmac so at some stage you just gotta hit the bricks

[Sylv]

For me the main difference is on a turbo you get none of the paybacks you get on the road for your efforts - the wind in your face, buzz from the road in all of your body, scenery flashing by in the corner of your eyes, sensation of speed - your own and relative to others. So I find it harder to push myself on a turbo.

Plus on the ones I've used (ie gym bikes) it's hard to replicate the few seconds of half-pedalling you can get on the road, and that allow you to recover. I'm good at that on the road, but not so in maintaining a sustained effort for a long period of time.

[Snoop Doug]

[quote="huw williams"]Perceived effort is much greater on the turbo so its much 'harder' to go 'hard.'