fetcheveryone

Nice

I think these look very smart, I especially like the "Morticia Addams" lighting. If I was currently racing I'd have one of these.

Very nice. Like these a lot.

I like them but don't need any kit at the moment thank you.

Away kit for me, looks great!

Nice!

these are great looking shirts

Away vest would be fab

Red for me 😍

not in a hurry for more shirts just at the moment

I like the look of it but won’t be making kit purchases this side of Christmas sadly.

I could be easily tempted into an away vest

Love it!
I'd snap one up whenever they're available.

💛🖤

These look great but I can't justify buying anymore shirts at the moment. I can't shut my drawer as I have too many!

I also have too many but have wanted a new red one for ages.

Ooh, I was just thinking I needed a new fetch top. I'm in for a red one

Will buy one of each whether you get them done now or later on.

Right will defo buy home and away if they are gonna be available. Do like to wear Fetch merch

I'd definitely have a cycle jersey in either pattern

I like these. If they were shorter and more shaped than the more recent shirts, I'd be tempted.

Yup 🎯😃👍

I love them all. I might not be able to afford any of them until the New Year.

Lovely... I want, though I don't need 😬 having said that, perhaps I'll move to a vest for the 2022 season

Definitely interested in a shirt. Not sure which one. Are there reflective bits?

I would love to replace my red one…hopefully they are slightly longer than the original

I’d go for a red one

Yes I need some away kit

They look terrific but I *really* don't need another shirt, or vest...

I wore one of my Fetch shirts today and the other is in the wash at the moment and based on how little running I'm doing I probably can't justify purchasing one of these but I do think they look great.

I like them but also don't need any more shirts

Nice, I don't need any kit but might be tempted, however I'm concerned that on the images the shirts are all shown as what appears to be a 'tailored' fit.

It’s just a picture of a shirt Sigh, it’s not representative of the fit. Same cut as always.

Ahh. ok. Thanks.

I dont run anymore so although a like them, don't need. Wouldn't say no to a.cycling top 🙃

I like the away kit 👍🏻

Both are fab. Love the round neck. I'll be having one of each.

I think a long sleeved one would be nice to have. But I'd go for a red tee anyway!

Up for the away kit

I need new kit - I have gone from XL to Medium so yes please Fetch

Not yet for me. Reflective flashes would be good for dark / dull running.

I hate to admit it but I think I'm OK for fetch kit just now

I think what I really COULD do with is a FetchCorset....

Nice, and need to replace the old and now rather smelly tops, but can't afford atm.

Look great but really don't need any more vests or Ts at the moment.

Love the away kit x

They look great but I really, really don’t need any more

They look fab but my previous shirts are still in too good nick to justify the spends. My hoodie, on the other hand, is getting a bit worn...

Can you fit a wok under them?

All very discrete and stylish. What happened?!? G

They both look great but no infinite budget so the Red T just edges it for me.

I like the style but I have lots of Fetch T’s and vests already, so is it possible to look into a long sleeve top?

Away kit in short or long sleeves = nayce!

Despite the fact that I have absolutely no need for new kit, I'm sorely tempted by a pair of these...

Love the new home kit and obviously you can never have too many running tops so count me in!

Not running atm but definitely like the look of them 😊 I would probably buy one as I am thinking of trying to get back to parkrun. I like the away version best and would most likely go for a vest

I want a black one!

Like them both. Can't decide which one. So I'll have both.

Benchmarks link at the top of the league-weekly page has a surplus "s" so the link doesn't work

Ta.

Wondering why there isn't an age bracket for under 25s? I know most of us are long in the tooth, but there are some young whippets too.

I've added a 20+ option.

Thanks for that - Looks good & nice to see the walking/cycling too. Looks like my data needs more of a datacleanse than I realised!! One small point (and this might be because of the data still populating) but in my 20 mile bike benchmark I only have one ride but in the marathon and longer distances there are plenty of others?

Thanks Fetch! (but those 75k Bike figures are identical to the 50k ones for me and looks like everyone else)

As I’m number 2095 on the 5k list for last week, I could do with some sort of “find me” button. Otherwise it’s a lot of scrolling

AFK?

What FNDB said ^^^

FDNB, even

What Pegg said ^^^

AFK = Away From Keyboard. It’s a nerdy/gamer term, sorry.

Ah, thanks!

Cool. I see 7 and 30 day options for the range. And being the industrious type, tried 600 and 100! It went back to 7 days. 🙂 Wanted to see how my 50k would rank, but that was pre COVID.

Being the industrious type as well, I made sure you couldn't break it by putting in a big date range

Thanks for the fix - if I ignore the number to the left, it looks like I'm at the top

🤣 nice one! Is there a confirm on the Query button? I’m too afraid to click it to find out. I like how the penultimate column allows you to see the entry (permissions willing?) Good to be able to see it to see if it seems legit.

Yes, there's an 'are you sure?' option.

Phew! 🥳

I like that you put me at the top now. With it being a day later I’ve been promoted 17 places

"There are always bigger hills. And each one makes the smaller ones just that little bit easier."

And doing them more often makes them easier still ...
(as does doing them earlier in the ride, without lots of miles already taken out of legs and lungs)

And a philiosphical thought: Why do hills get steeper as you get closer to the top?

It's easier to run up a steep hill than to cycle up one

You seem to be enjoying your forced cycling, in a sort of masochistic way.

Any hill can be hard. Just depends on how fast you try to go up them. Have to agree that 33mph does seem a bit quick. Wasn't Julian Alaphilippe, was it?
It's right that the hills do get a bit easier the more that you do them, and the added bonus is that cycling uphill uses a lot of the same muscles as running uphill does. Win win..

Definitely easier to run up steeper hills than cycle, or at least it feels that way. If you do end up keeping doing the cycling thing it does get easier to go quicker over them but it never feels nice trying to.

Don't like hills. Live somewhere flat

Yes, yes, yes to chunks. I know you can't use "segments", but there must be a better word. What about a "Fetch Stretch"?

"I'm off to fetch a "Fetch Stretch"."

Was Stanley Flat?
Another yes for variable length chunks. Although "stretch" is probably a nicer name!

Come on a Friday Night ride next year, friendlier and cheaper than a sportive🚴‍♀️🌌😀

Perhaps the 33mph was the other way, or an accidental log, while driving. Or on an e-bike, or a pro.

Not sure about "blowing some chunks", makes me think of the Goonies in a bad way. If you want a hill, and a good name, try No Man's Lane from Rushy Lane. We used to do hill reps running up it.

Some of the hill around here are evil - like this one: 63m elevation in less than half a mile:
http://www.facey-fifty.uk/climbs/46-Knowle-Lane,-Meltham-Mills.html (ignore the S****a link below).

Ah, you Southerners and your flat lands Glad that you are enjoying your cycling. And you got a nice downhill after it - over 40 kph. (Stopping on 29.98 km though - )

Hills of opportunity !

I have cycled uphill for stretches of several hours at less than six miles per hour. It's definitely Type 2 fun, but then there's the coming down, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Fetch Smiles™

Call that a hill?! Another yes to extended "miles", and I do like "chunks"

Done

Done.

In like flynn

Me too. Preordered today. Will pay tomorrow. Hope that’s ok.

Will preorder today and pay tomorrow also - if that’s OK

All fine, thanks!

Done!

Could we have an option for 1 of each please? No problem if not, I’ll just order twice 😀

Hope it's the same bank details as usual as I didn't check....

Done and paid. Looking forward to the cold weather now

Oooh. I don't know, but I might have enough 'b'uffs. Still want one

What’s the formula for the reference when paying? I wasn’t paying attention when I ordered (twice!)

It’s BUFF followed by your user number.

I've hopeful ordered one of each, and sent £16 on its way to you.

Mine just had the reference number from some other order I made once. Sorry!

First time I ever knew I had a user number

Ordered one of each & made one transfer of £16 since the refs were the same. Hope that’s ok!

2 swirls and a rainbow ordered. One payment of £24 submitted. Thanks!

Ordered an payed

Ordered rainbow and paid.

Ordered rainbow and also paid.

Fetch Hoovers next? (or hoover?). Thanks for the explanation, which I;d got to through a few web searches.
Probably 3 of each for me please (3 fetch family members). Will check and confirm later.

If I finish my race on Saturday week, I've been promised a medal and a "snood". I think I'll bring home a medal and a buff.

I'll be in for one of each please - 'cited

Yep one of each for me. Never have too many buffs!

Love the rainbow design and I think (slightly surprisingly) that the bigger logo makes all the difference to swirly design #1 - just breaks it up somehow. I def want a number 2 (and possibly a number 1 as well) *snigger*

I will definitely go for the second design and may add the first as well.

Just out of curiosity…will the designs meet up well when in a tube? Ie have you based it on the tube circumference flattened?

Both pls

gilliankyle.com

1 reminds me of the Tunnocks Teacake wrapper design! G

The second one. Put me down for one.

I would love the rainbow version please

I'll be a one of each

One of design one for me please 😀

these are really nice but I have 4 buffs already so I don't need any more no matter how much my FOMO kicks in!

One of each please 😊

A red and yellow one for me, please

I think I'll be having one of each, really handy for my now long hair!

Liking the rainbow more!

#If you are not situated in UK#, can someone buy one for my money and send me one in an envelope as a gift?

I'm a rainbow please.

Both for me, I think

I'd definitely like a Tunnock's one, please

Rainbow for me too pls

Just the Tunnocks (red & yellow) please - think the revised design is an improvement.

Confirming for the um household :-
3 x design number 1
2 x design number 2
please

I've changed to no. The designs are both nice but I'd wear neither. A black version of the red one I would buy and wear.

One of each ordered! Thanks, Fetch!

I would like a rainbow buff please

Still a yes from me. Bright designs like this is part of what Fetch is all about for me. 😎

I have changed my no to a maybe. I really, really like that design although I'm not a fan of the neck tube as a garment generally.

If you’re really inviting feedback, I’d go for a bit more red and a bit less yellow. It may just be the skin I use, but I always think of this as a predominantly red (in terms of colour, at least - in mood it’s far more relaxing than red) site.

Thanks V, that's reassuring to hear about the design. It's always a nervous moment

I like it but think you should make your name bigger. Us fetchies would know what that was from 10 miles away but you could grab more recruits from showing them who you are.

And now I’ve zoomed in, how about the word Fetcheveryone at the top and bottom and left and right, so it’s likely to show however it’s worn?

A yes from me too!

Where does my head go?

Is that Einstein toting a Kalashnikov?

I wonder if oddballs would be interested in that pattern?

It does occur to me that on an elasticated bit of material the swirls may actually look straight!

I like the design but I keep getting buffs from races and I hardly ever wear one

I think that might give me a headache 😳

Agree with Beanie

Not sure about the thin lines… making my head spin! Though it would be on my head… / neak. Perhaps a larger Fetch link / logo?

I feel cruel saying no to the poll - I love the design (although would probably decrease the white a touch), the swirl is pleasingly eye-boggling. But I'll never wear a buff (or whatever you crazy kids are calling them these days!)

More 'Fetcheveryone' dotted about would get my vote.

If it's round my neck I won't be able to see it. It's a yes from me.

Ues please. I agree with Pegg, A bit more fetcheveryone would be good.

I like the design but probably wouldn't buy one as I have more neck tubes than I know what to do with and rarely wear one.

bloody hell fetch rainbow one would be my choice

Yes to any design I love a non-buff

Is it really a buff, just not called one? Or is radically different?

I’ll obviously buy one no matter what the design, but I agree with johnsy and Pegg about adding fetcheveryone ne

I def want a buff but I do find that design a bit painful to look at - like actually makes me feel a bit weird to the point I’m slipping a bit towards a maybe (sorry 😬) but if everyone else loves it definitely go with the majority view. It might not make my eyes go quite so funny in real life? (he said hopefully)

I agree with Beans and Pegg about more Fetcheveryones and bigger. I like the design as I have a Fetch shirt that it would either match or clash horrendously with but either way if I fell over wearing both someone would find me I've got loads of Buff-type garments most of which I never wear but I wear my other Fetch one and I'd wear this one too even though it hurts my eyes!

There's probably a time and a place for that pattern. I'm just not sure when and where!
I'm a hardened buff/fake buff wearer, and the only ones I've got I don't wear is a fluorescent yellow one and a Union flag one - because they're too loud!!
For me it needs a bit less yellow and white, and maybe some black? And broader stripes.

Sorry!

Just looking at that I felt that I fell into a space vortex

Adding to my earlier comment, the white and yellow merge into each other a bit too much and therefore dominate. Some more red - and maybe some black too? - might be worth trying if there is a Design #2 on the way …

Yes to buff but not sure about colours or design.

Argh, would love a new Fetch buff but I'm sorry it makes my eyes go funny. If it were a slightly less migrainy pattern, yes please! X

I'm a yes (assuming neck tube is the non brand name for a buff?!) Design is fun. Can't have too many buffs! G

Swap the white for black and that would be my old uni colours 😁

I think a bigger logo is a good idea, possibly also adding black.
What effect has designing this had on your computer? Is it nursing a headache?

Maybe as yes if version available in black not red to match my f.e. t-shirt. Ta.

Actually quite like the understated fetch on there.

That first one is enough to give Harry Palmer panic attacks.

I really like the 2nd one. I’ve changed from No to Maybe on the basis of that design 👍

I love the first design - well done!

Love the second design

No design advice here. Gimme one of each.

I’ve changed from maybe to yes for design 2

Prefer the second design but agree the first would be better with a bigger logo. Would probably get both

Loving both of those 😁

Prefer design no. 1

Oh by the way Buff is short for buffanda - Spanish for a scarf. So calling it a buff with a small B is okay.

Not that I'll be getting one, but I much prefer the second.

Second look says absolutely not.

If the first design had black instead of white stripes the fetcheveone would stand out more, and it wouldn't assault my eyes so much.

I'm ok with both designs (agree the first needs a bit more branding) but just not a loose neck tube fan so would need to know if they were buff-esque or the more floppy equivalent before ordering.

Ooh just changed back to yes off the back of the rainbow design x

I love the top one, reminds me of the anniversary vest which was fabulously eye catching

I prefer the second one. But I don't know what it is! How does this differ from a buff?

2nd one gets my vote!

love the second one

I would probably order at least 2 because I find the very useful in the winter and all my buffs are looking a bit tatty after being used so much during Covid.

Can never have too many Buffs/generic neck tubes. Count me in please!

The previous Buff buffs were a bit pricey, especially since the design was so detailed that you couldn't tell it was made by Buff himself. So I am all for a generic neck tubes....!

dog ate my last buff, havent been able to leave the house since, this is serious stuff and urgent

I have 2 buffs but £8 sounds doable, even for an inveterate tighta5se like me.

Me!

Definitely one. Or possibly two. So not definitely one. Definitely a minimum of one. (Why wasn’t there an option for that answer? 😀 )

buff.com

Says free shipping for £26. Presumably you get a different deal in terms of pricing for bulk

@SPR - I will see what they come back to me with, but the last batch of 200 custom Buffs, I paid £7.50 per unit, and that was when they were based in the UK, and before we had additional customs, import VAT, and handling charges.

*Inevitable cycling comment*

@SPR - I got a reply back from capital-B Buff. For a batch of 100, they wanted £7.31+VAT = £8.77 per unit. With a second class large letter stamp costing £0.96, I would have had to charge £9.73 each in order to make zero money

Fair enough. I always liked Buff's quality but in theory shouldn't be hard for new ones to be decent. I don't think you said who the new supplier was? In any case, these are too 'bright' for me. All my buffs are fairly plain apart from my Fetch one, lol.

Sounds really good

That sounds like a plan.
I noticed earlier today that my marathon effort 16th Oct 2011 hasn't registered on my marathon benchmark - the only one in there is the one I ran a week or so ago. What might be the reason for this? Was I just too slow?

@Pegg - from the FAQ: "Where's my London Marathon benchmark?
The benchmark system looks out for any sudden Bolt-like leaps in your GPS trace, to avoid giving you unexpectedly fast times. When it discovers you sprinting around at light speed, it ditches its attempt at using that data to produce a reliable benchmark. The tunnels and tall buildings in London cause havoc with your GPS trace, which in turn invalidates your marathon benchmark."

@Pegg - looking in more detail, I think the raw data in the GPS wasn't hugely reliable. It looks like there are lots of jumps that would have derailed all the benchmarks.

I read the blog title and thought 'is this a blog worded to seek advice from V'rap about NHS shenanigans' but then realised it was to do with watches and not going to the doctors.

@Pegg I feel your pain, but in the inverse of your issue (I’d assume for the reasons outlined above by Fetch) I had a mile benchmark in the middle of a London Marathon which I would have struggled to achieve as a one off, downhill with the wind behind me rather than mile 14 or something of a marathon. GPS brain-farts are a pain. I blame Jeff Bezos (or Mark Zuckerberg, take your pick)

I do this fairly often - getting on a bit you know. Are people sharpenning their Axes? Doesn't the bit that you mention to Pegg about the benchmarks pick up these occurrences and could that apply an auto trim?

No worries, good luck with it. I like the breakfast analogy.

Cornflakes please, Fetch. Just leave the milk in the bottle. I don't want them getting soggy in the bowl.

🤦‍♂️ Bugger 😂😂

Good luck!

That's interesting. COROS are too busy returning all their devices to return your calls!

Returning?

Fingers crossed for Zwift

It's always good to get badges for historic effort, thank you!

Yes, thank you!

who doesn't love a new badge you should get some made as cloth badges then we can all sew them on our changing towels

How do you see if you have been awarded these badges? I have logged cycling and swimming previously- but no influx of badges. Maybe I haven't done enough? Or is it taking time to work through historic records?

Thank you After a long period with no significant badge opportunities it was nice to get loads all at once.

Next time you log some training it will definitely check your eligibility. Thirty seconds of Cross Training - General should do the trick.

Thanks Fetch! (goes off to do some training......)

I gave some back as I assumed it was an error - and now realise I shouldn't have!!

I gave them all back 😂😂😂

I was very chuffed when I got mine

Thanks for the explanation, I did wonder why I had suddenly got so many 😀

very nice

was very exciting to get them, prompted me to look at my historic training log and might actually incentivise me to get onto two wheels again soon. Thanks Fetch

Thanks! You can close feature request # 663 as well, as this is a better solution

Loved the influx of badges

Thanks - loved getting all the new badges

Made my day. Love a flurry. Diolch Fetch

Thanks!!!

I gave mine back thinking it was a mistake - but then Fetch gave me a 'Honesty' badge to make up for them

Ah , went on one bike ride and earned loads -wondered what was going on

I was a bit surprised since the last swimming I've done was some time ago

so you don't have to own them, just visit them?

Yes

Darn, I’m level 1.

is there a way to see when you last visited a zone or which zone hasn't been visited which is stopping you from becoming a level 2 player?

Any way of highlighting the lines for the grids, if not all of them maybe just the ones you have and the next one in line? Like in your picture but maybe less squiggly

Interesting. Might consider rejoining the game.

@minardi - if you click any zone, it should tell you when you last visited. And if it's grey or not coloured in at all, then it's one you need to target.

@Gooner - don't diss my squiggly lines

Actually am already in this one! 😜 Goes to check my map.

like it (even thought I only have a level 1 grid). If you make badges it will certainly grow bigger!

Oooh! There is ONE pesky square I haven't been bothering to try to get which I now have good reason to target.

Ha! I need one zone to get to level 2. And the route for the half I'm running on Sunday misses the edge of the zone by about 50 metres...

Oh dear, I think I'll have to move my home. Unless I want to run on the too too fast roads with no pavements...

Grid 0, always have been, always will be. Unless I start swimming with the cruise ships and ferries.

@Badger - that's only an extra 9.58 seconds on your race time if you don't hang about.

@PtB - you could move your home zone inland if you wanted to join in.

I have never until now been bothered by thoughts of an anal probe. Thanks, Fetch.

I think it would be 10 if the 'in the past 12 months' bit was removed.

0 for me. Could try harder!

My home zone, and all surrounding zones are green, ie I own them, yet it says level 0 😭

I've just been promoted to level 2 without leaving the house - that's clever

Yeah. I won't be getting level 1 any time soon. Just a small issue of a Loch,many cows, a railway line and the busiest main road in Caithness (which to be fair you could probably walk down the middle of early Sunday morning, but still I don't fancy it!) I don't even think the Loch is deep enough for a swim!

1 here. 4 required to reach level 2 which I think will be my limit.

My veloviewer max square remains annoyingly at 11 x 11 because I can't get into the farming land tiles without trespassing, so sadly this will have the same problem.

So yes unless I risk getting chased by a shotgun wielding angry person then I'll be staying at level 1.

Have discovered that the Loch is deep enough for swimming but it is 2.4 miles long and I need to get to the far end. 😂 I think I might have to take up paddle boarding.

Ooh, I like. If I start running from the salt mine again, Greater Mcr is a lot easier to maintain a Level 2 (maybe even a Level 3) grid than home, which gets wild and boggy from Level 2 (arguably Level 1!) onwards...

Level 0?! There's two adjacent-to-home squares I've not been to since before the pandemic.

Loving the MI - the stat showing the last date you visited any given square is very interesting...

I like it but stuck at 1 for me and won’t get any higher unless I climb the fence into an open cast coal mine!!

Great! Will now investigate and plot.

I've found a bug in the bit of code that grabs all the surrounding zones. Once I've sorted it, I'll post again.

What Gooner said about finding a way to overlay the lines onto the map (minus the squiggliness bit ). Once out beyond Level 2, it's quite hard to check what's what in amongst the multiple different colours. Maybe toggle on/off when we click the Grid button?

Those of you expecting larger grids... please try again, the bug is hopefully fixed.

@CumbriAndy - we'll see. Working out which squares you need to hit is part of the adventure!

Out of curiosity what is the highest grid score?

No idea yet. I am still trying to sort the algorithm that establishes the list of zones that comprise each layer. It's being stubbornly buggy.

I'd have to jump some fences and renew a couple of expired but doable to get to Grid Level 2. G

I was wondering that too Heinzster

And how do you get it - by living in Kansas / Warwickshire or being an enthusiastic open-water swimmer?

As one of those "Lucky" people who live by the sea - I am never going to get past level 1,
but I might be able to "Own" all of my level 1 squares - any chance of making that a badge / count double?

"Coffee and hake?"

Coffee and Fake?
I feel there should be headwind badges #fenland

Coffee and Sake?

Coffee and ake. Spelling is optional.

Not that one, you numpties.

Graph thing doesn't seem to work if you don't go a bike? Any thing for runners? G

You want feature 1243

"HOT BURGER FRESH" Obvious, isn't it?

Cold Burger Stale. Not the same ring.

Maybe it's their What Three Words location?

^genius

There is a shot.burger.fresh in Colorado. Have you been travelling, Fetch?

Timed out with an error for me after about 1-2 mins
"www.fetcheveryone.com is currently unable to handle this request.
HTTP ERROR 500"

Had similar, except no error message (on iPhone)

Mine doesn't look very insightful! Just a bar on either side of the centre. But perhaps I don't do enough cycling.

Works for me, what timeframe is it looking at?

What activities is it looking at, is it everything Bike ? For those that do both mtb and road, then I'm not sure it will be that meaningful if it's lumping everything together, think it would have most meaning if just road. I capture all my rides as Road or Mountain Bike, but guessing others might just General, or Commuting, etc, etc

@msg - it’s the last 365 days in theory, but it’ll only suck in data where the altitude is that embedded in the GPS, which means it’s probably looking at since about February at the moment.

@Gus - as per a previous blog, it’s excluding a few shed-based categories, but I can fine tune that aspect.

I’m wondering if the errors are timeouts or because of no altitude data - I’ll see what I find out when I look at the log files.

Mine could be no altitude data - although my running watch has a baro, I use a more basic cycling computer when cycling and it doesn't have a baro. I've also done almost no cycling this year, so I'm not really your target audience, so I'll move on...

My data could be skewed because if local rides have very little elevation, so perhaps they don't register?

@MsG - your graph is looking fairly decent from here.

Works for me. Interestingly my speed bands are similar downhill from 3 degrees onwards - as I guess sometimes i go faster downhill but often just take it easy. Standard deviation tighter as it gets steeper uphill ie I consistently get slower and can't vary this!

My graph certainly shows that I live in the flatlands!

Gradients range from -3 to +3, and 825 miles were at -/+1 with only 79 miles at -3, -2, +2 and +3. I am sure that I have been up and down steeper gradients. Do I assume that the missing 5,100 miles or more in the last 365 days were at 0 gradient?

I am a little amused that going downhill at gradients of -1 and -2 I reached the dizzying speed of more than 25mph. I must have had a strong tailwind!

You can see the 5% slope I used for some hill reps at max effort recently.

The error that Gus was seeing should now be fixed, and there's a message that pops up too if there's no data to display.

Seems fine to me with my so-far limited cycling...although bizarrely I am holding onto speed going uphill too...must be the low mileage, and a lot of hills round here, even on short rides.

Mine seems ok showing -6 to +6% however I have definitely done several rides in the past year that have much higher gradients than those soooo.... 🤷‍♂️

@gooner - it’ll be the volume of training it’s collected at those higher gradients. Do more

Sadly, I fear I will... 😅

Change before you need to on a hill was a good piece of advice I got from YouTube when I got my road bike. Still hasn't got me up the hill outside my front door though

Being such a technophile, what helped me was when I splurged out on a Garmin Edge, and when I saw my speed start to drop off, I learnt to change down the gears earlier. By the time I feel it getting tough, I've already lost about half my speed.

Yep anticipate the hills and get on the small ring early if you're not going to get up on the big 'un. Things you can do to mitigate clanking, destroying and dropping the chain, take pressure of when changing, you know when the bike is in a stand in the shop and the guy is flicking up and down with no noise? That's because there is no resistance with the wheels in the air. Get Di2 way more precise then a human. Or go 1x same range of gears just bigger jumps But the reduced weight should cancel out any negatives. hope that helps.

Thanks for sharing that. 👍

You can get ointment for that.* These days, I'm solving the problem by riding everywhere in the small ring on my triple.**

*Oh come on - someone had to

** only 87% true.

I have 1x because I get confused by too many options 🤣

Helpful tip in plain English, thank you.

Thanks for that, Fetch....helpful advice for relative newbies like me too...

You asked for book recommendations.
I enjoyed reading 'How to Be a Cyclist' recently. It was light hearted, but still pretty informative. You can have my copy, if you like. PM me if so.
More info: John Deering and Phil Ashley, Arena Sport, Edinburgh, 2014 & 2018.
goodreads.com

Thanks for the recommendation, and the kind offer I've just ordered a second-hand copy of this one: betterworldbooks.com but I'll also add that one to my reading bucket list

Looks good! I might have something like that, somewhere.

I know you said book but GCNs youtube library does have a good range of tips covering most things in it.

GCN is great; the videos often have 'product promotion' flags. They need to earn a living, but they do it well. Cycling Weekly videos are also good, if less extrovert.

Is this something to do with bikes? G

Interesting! Might even try to do some cycling outdoors to test it out!

If you have only used high mileage cyclists I would think it is really only useful for high mileage cyclists.

Very satisfying to look at, I agree!
Does it still hold good for my mild steel rustbucket, as opposed to other's carbon fibre featherweight bikes, too? Not that I have any hills around here to test it out on.

@Ocelot - here's what it makes of my four rides in the last 12 months. I haven't clocked up enough time on bigger gradients yet to get as wide a graph as the others, but based on what I've done, the same patterns appear to be emerging:

Very interesting and potentially useful 👍

About 8%, but I'm a chicken after a couple of crashes.

(Yes, uphill and downhill on a bike - quite different )

Somewhere between 10% and 15% for me at the moment, I think. Over 20% for eL Bee! provided he can see the road ahead.

I’ve no idea as I don’t cycle but I’d be interested to see how gradient affects my running.

Not sure it's quite as simple as that, it can depend on things like road surface, bends, etc. And for going downhill, the point I start to apply my brakes rather than just go for it depends on road surface traffic, bends, and whether I've got my helmet on!

I'm a wuss on all but the slightest declines . I'm better when the road ahead is visible but hold onto my brakes if there are bends ahead.

What LouiseRuns said up there ^^^
Assume you are only talking road ? If not then will also vary by type of cycling eg road vs mountain biking, although I suppose this is covered by "road surface" sort of

Yes weather and road conditions are big factors here

I would have thought that the major factor in the increase in speed as the gradient got steeper tailing off after a point would be due to wind resistance - the faster one goes, the more wind resistance is created.

It's a bit like if one has run on the flat against the wind, then turns around and runs with the tailwind, one runs faster for the same effort.

When I was cycle touring up and down proper mountains, I think my greatest downhill gradient was about 20%, but that was for only about 1/4 mile so I didn't reach a great speed. My greatest downhill speeds were 78kph and 48mph (about the same as each other) on not so steep gradients but down longer hills so I was able to build up the speed. My fastest speed on the "flat" was actually up a gentle slope (2-3%?) - I reached 40mph, thanks to a tremendously strong wind directly behind me, which backs up my thoughts about wind resistance.

depends on potholes!

I know of a 25% hill where you can comfortably go 40mph+ and flattens out nicely before the end, but then there's downhills on the mountain bike that are more about technique and just staying on the bike than speed!

I imagine, for me at least, that there is a tail off in running speed with gradient as well - running down the steep stuff is definitely not as easy as the gentle downhills...

It's not as simple as speed for gradient. We have hit practically 60mph on a short section of 25% decline with a clear run out on the Tandem - but the same gradient on the switchback descent of hardknott pass would be more like 15mph average - because controlling the speed becomes more of an issue.
We have also regularly seen around 50mph on the wide and less steep road descents on the various Canary Islands.
It WOULD be really interesting to see the slowing effect of various inclines too.

As a side issue - I would be more interested in the calculation that the number of metres/per mile climbed over a ride changed the overall speed.

as a rough calculation of most of the rides (road rides obviously) we've done over the past few years - I have concluded that 10m/mile over the duration of a ride equates to an average speed reduction of about 2mph
or for each 5m/mile, it's 1mph less.

I'd like to see a calculator which predicts your theoretical 'flat' speed based on your speeds for a variety of 'hillinesses'

Never mind this straining at gnats stuff. How about some all time cycling distance badges please?

I’m with GimmeMedals….and I wonder why I go through so many brake pads 🤔🤣
- different story running though, I can quite happily just let myself go, especially off-road, so definitely a case of ‘not falling off’ as opposed to self-preservation!

It depends on the technicality of the descent, as some have said above. Plus, it depends on your own personal abilities, what type of bike you are on, weather conditions, and your own level of risk (AKA your bottle). And these things fluctuate, sometimes ride by ride.

So, good luck with finding an algorithm to fit all that together, Lord Fetch. I even think Charlie Epps would have had a problem with this one.

+15% I think

what the coaches often use is a measure called VAM which is velocità ascensionale media or mean ascent Velocity and is measured in metres/hour and would be measured over the whole climb.

In terms of descending I am pretty risk adverse on a bike and 60kph is about the limit on a typical British road descent but have hit 75-80kph on a dual carriageway descent that was straight on a day with good conditions. The percentage incline isn't really that relevant as long as I can control the speed. Obviously weather conditions can make a huge difference though

When I get that warm, damp feeling in my shorts.

In that Tokyo tandem road race thing, my daughter's pilot (Jenny) was backing off on the downhills (and bends) at 70-75kph. Don't know the gradient. Then spending all the uphill catching the Swedes who didn't seem to mind those speeds and bends in the wet.

But they stayed upright - allowing for a few rear wheel drifts, unlike quite a few of the men.

I don't think I have found any particular gardient too 'scary' yet, it's the condition of the tarmac and direction of the road in front that will make me pull on the brakes. Anything over 10% does start the adrenaline going mind.

This really is a nice way to remember the fallen. Some of those you've mentioned have come as a great shock to me. I knew Doctor K was ill, but people like Tigerlily, they just seem to drop off Fetch and you tend to presume they've just gone off to pastures new.

I was wondering if there is any value in having a remembrance wall or something like, so we can remember Fetchies who have passed.

Thanks Fetch and GWS to both of you. There's a thread, Dave.

(Not that that should stop us doing something else)

I hope good health returns very quickly to you both.

Can't find the thread....

Sending healing vibes to you and Katie.

I was also unable to take part thanks to OH giving me a cold and running ban.

I never met Pricey, but we lived near each other and battled over conquersize. It was very sad to see his footprint slowly diminish on the map.

👍

Absolutely the right decision, of course. I'd be flattered that they approached as it shows the appealing nature of this fantastic site, but thanks to you it stands on its' own without the need for such shallow preening. this place, just as it is.

Absolutely. What Sigh said ^

Cos it looks so professional, innit?! There is def something wrong with our corporate world. Keep being different! G

the integrity in this post.
Hopefully we are your adverising department

How do you know what day old sick tastes like? That level of dedication to review accuracy is peerless.

good decision along with so many great choices you make on our behalf. Thanks

What Rosehip said

Offer them an end-of-line Fetch buff as a sweetener... or do we have any leftover Christmas pasties from the Advent Calendar?

In my day job I get to write stuff to fill pages of ‘trade magazines’. The company pays to have adverts and ‘features’ in said magazines. Truth is that the magazines wouldn’t have any content if companies didn’t pay to advertise in them. And sadly probably the only people that read them are marketing teams - not people that may actually want to buy stuff.

It’s a way of keeping people in work I suppose!

Always wear the Fetch running tops out training. That's my little bit of advertising for Fetch Everyone. Hopefully some people see it, bank it & g**gle it later in & join. Cuts out the middle person flogging such adverts. Love that Fetch is such a clean set up & site. Big up the vomit gels too.

I can't think of anything better to say than what Sigh said.

It’s all been said already.

Thank you for not selling out and becoming another place where money not integrity is what drives content.

thanks for your openness and integrity as always fetch

It's a compliment. Take it as one anyway. I worked in the perfume industry for many years - we sent probably thousands of pounds worth of products out most days to journalists to get 'editorial'...

Thank you Whatever else troubles you when you look in the mirror, it won't be that

Yes. Exactly

I had many similar approaches when I ran my own business.

You’re great you are.

Thanks Fetch

This is exactly why Fetch is so great ❤️ Thank you/Well done Fetch!

Word of mouth is a far compliment, better than 'buying participation'. Keep up the good work and thank you.

*Far better compliment. I should have reread my comment before posting.

You have more moral fibre than all of the Government put together.

I like things and people that are what they appear to be. Thank you for being one of those people.

Thank you!

Integrity seems increasingly rare to find, but Fetch is one place where it shines through, and that's largely down to you and the culture you promote. Thank you!