My first proper cycle!
Discussion
So having bought the road bike and got used to the daily commute I have been thinking that I ought to actually make the effort to ride for the sake of riding, at least once. Fate being the Lady that she is decided to intervene and sat me next to a very nice bloke in Costa last week who turned out to be a keen cyclist and was very happy, keen even, to take a novice out and demonstrate how great cycling round the top end of Bristol can be. Fast forward to last night and off we go for an “easy ride as it’s your first time, no more than 10 miles or an hour or so”. Sitting at my desk the morning after I thought I’d share some things I’ve learnt for the amusement of the PH collective.
1. A short easy ride of about 10 miles or about an hour ride equals 23 miles in 1 hour 40 mins and over 1000 feet climbed.
2. I can cycle further than I thought, see 1 above.
3. My old weight lifting gloves, whilst they look similar to cycling gloves are fine for the 4 mile commute but not for a 24 miles.
4. “Don’t worry it’s all downhill from here” means there’s only another 4 hills with the “big b
d” one at the end to come.
5. Riding up hill is not assisted by your rear brake binding on but the rider following you will view it as very amusing when he can see it and you just keep sweating / swearing / pushing on without realising.
6. There are some very pretty villages and countryside quite close to Bristol.
7. My mobile phone will run out of charge on a long ride and I will, therefore, lose any record of the ride I have just finished.
8. This cycling malarkey is not as bad as I thought it was going to be and might even be, in a strange masochistic way, enjoyable.
Surprisingly I actually enjoyed it and am not particularly feeling the effects this morning. Indeed the commute in this morning was a personal best and what I previously viewed as “hills” seemed to be mere slight inclines this morning. Not sure if this is a good thing or not but it’s slightly worrying.
So overall I’m now looking for a new pair of gloves and a cycle computer that might last more than 30 mins. I am also contemplating getting some proper shoes / pedals / cleats.
1. A short easy ride of about 10 miles or about an hour ride equals 23 miles in 1 hour 40 mins and over 1000 feet climbed.
2. I can cycle further than I thought, see 1 above.
3. My old weight lifting gloves, whilst they look similar to cycling gloves are fine for the 4 mile commute but not for a 24 miles.
4. “Don’t worry it’s all downhill from here” means there’s only another 4 hills with the “big b
d” one at the end to come.5. Riding up hill is not assisted by your rear brake binding on but the rider following you will view it as very amusing when he can see it and you just keep sweating / swearing / pushing on without realising.
6. There are some very pretty villages and countryside quite close to Bristol.
7. My mobile phone will run out of charge on a long ride and I will, therefore, lose any record of the ride I have just finished.
8. This cycling malarkey is not as bad as I thought it was going to be and might even be, in a strange masochistic way, enjoyable.
Surprisingly I actually enjoyed it and am not particularly feeling the effects this morning. Indeed the commute in this morning was a personal best and what I previously viewed as “hills” seemed to be mere slight inclines this morning. Not sure if this is a good thing or not but it’s slightly worrying.
So overall I’m now looking for a new pair of gloves and a cycle computer that might last more than 30 mins. I am also contemplating getting some proper shoes / pedals / cleats.
mikecassie said:
And now begins the hiding of new shiny toys from SWMBO :-D
Not too much of a problem as I live and work 5 days a week in Bristol whilst SWMBO and the kids live in Kent. The bigger problem is finding the funds to pay for all the shiny toys I want to buy which is, unfortunatly, not limited to bicycle bits! ;-)bulldog5046 said:
Top end of Bristol, Did he drag you up and around the Downs/Clifton? That's one of my fav little outings with plenty of climbing.
Pass. My phone ran out of charge so I have no record of where we went. We headed out past the Bradly Stoke into some small, and very pretty, villages before climbing back up towards the A38, and a great view of the bridges, and home. I would love to know where we went, runkeeper won't tell me as it stopped early, and will ensure that my phone is properly charged next time we go out.
TheLemming said:
Jonleeper said:
Only if I've won the lottery in the mean time! what is more likely is the "I've joined that club" post when I finally gain the courage to change pedals.....
Worth doing. Sooner rather than later as the difference it makes is shocking.Jonleeper said:
bulldog5046 said:
Top end of Bristol, Did he drag you up and around the Downs/Clifton? That's one of my fav little outings with plenty of climbing.
Pass. My phone ran out of charge so I have no record of where we went. We headed out past the Bradly Stoke into some small, and very pretty, villages before climbing back up towards the A38, and a great view of the bridges, and home. I would love to know where we went, runkeeper won't tell me as it stopped early, and will ensure that my phone is properly charged next time we go out.A bit like this...
Jonleeper said:
Still more than a little scary though.
First time I tried cleats it went badly wrong. I bounced of the scenery a couple of times on my mountain bike and when I went to try again I was terrified. That was a bad hour...I spent the best part of a year riding on flats till I tried again with my road bike.
1 - Unclip a foot early. Waaay early. If there's a junction 20 ft away, unclip.
2 - Always unclip the same side and lean that way. Unclip left, lean left.
3 - Don't unclip left and lean right
4 - Don't attempt to copy the people trackstanding and then unclipping at the last second, that comes with time and confidence
5 - See rule number 1
Eventually it all becomes second nature and the difference it makes is huge... When literally everyone does something, there's normally a reason for it.
Nobody told me these before the first time I tried, I wish they had.
I put the road pedals back on again just before the start of a 300k. 12 hours later I was used to them...
No falls, no joining the club, couple of close moments but recovered from them.
Hi Jon,
I'm also new to cycling and live in Bristol. I've gained more confidence cycling on the road and have started to adventure out into the countryside north of Bristol. Latest ride I went out to the village of Tytherington which is very picturesque (highly recommended). Also planning on riding across the bridge via Olveston and Aust once I've worked up to that distance.
Latest ride - http://app.strava.com/activities/171260038
I'm also new to cycling and live in Bristol. I've gained more confidence cycling on the road and have started to adventure out into the countryside north of Bristol. Latest ride I went out to the village of Tytherington which is very picturesque (highly recommended). Also planning on riding across the bridge via Olveston and Aust once I've worked up to that distance.
Latest ride - http://app.strava.com/activities/171260038
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