Ride Report - New Bike and Old Rider
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I was back in the saddle today.
Started with a trip to the PYO strawberry field yesterday.
All of half a kilometer and with no turns or junctions to
baffle me. My pace setter was my 7 yr old daughter who is
becoming quite relaxed with road riding and traffic. A good
start and we returned with edible loot.
Yesterday proved that I *could* ride and inspired me to go a
little further afield today. To make the day perfect I
decided to go and visit my boat for the first time this
year. A distance of 8.3km each way.
I'm afraid to report that 6 months off the bike has
destroyed any fitness I used to have. I really struggled on
some poxy hills. I kept having to remind myself that this
was the same distance that I used to commute wearing a suit
and without raising a sweat. I can hardly credit that I used
to treat 100 mile runs as no big deal.
Also, riding with one hand is a real pain. I could get my
hand on the bar for short stretches; I had enough control
to do brief right turn signals. Left turn signals comprised
of keeping my hand where it naturally fell and pointing
left with my index finger. By the time I got to the boat my
arm was simply in agony. Hours later it is still hurting
like hell.
The new bike fared better than the rider. It was
unquestionably good. I really don't think I'll ever go
back to derailleurs again. I'll stick with 8 speed hubs
for commuting and hack bikes and get a Rohloff for my
'fun' bikes.
My only gripe is the mudguard fittings. I haven't fitted any
but inspection shows it will be difficult. The (roller)
brake fittings obscure the line between hole-in-fork and
mudguard position.
[Not Responding] wrote:
> My only gripe is the mudguard fittings. I haven't fitted
> any but inspection shows it will be difficult. The
> (roller) brake fittings obscure the line between hole-in-
> fork and mudguard position.
P-clips then?
On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 19:44:48 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
<not_responding@dev.null.invalid> wrote in message
<ho6pc0l85tq3qho4ugrq1143g6i4tvt66f@4ax.com>:
>I was back in the saddle today.
FX: Rousing cheers!
>Started with a trip to the PYO strawberry field yesterday.
Can you do that without humming "strawberry fields?" I can't
ride along Baker Street or Blewbury Hill without bursting
into song...
>All of half a kilometer and with no turns or junctions to
>baffle me. My pace setter was my 7 yr old daughter who is
>becoming quite relaxed with road riding and traffic. A good
>start and we returned with edible loot.
Hang on, I'll get my bike...
>I'm afraid to report that 6 months off the bike has
>destroyed any fitness I used to have. I really struggled on
>some poxy hills. I kept having to remind myself that this
>was the same distance that I used to commute wearing a suit
>and without raising a sweat. I can hardly credit that I
>used to treat 100 mile runs as no big deal.
It will return very quickly, IME. And think of the fun
you'll have getting fitter and faster every week! Having
reached the inevitable plateau, I'm now faced with the
appalling realisation that I either have to start training
"properly" or it's a one-way trip to baggy lycra and
Carradice longflap saddlebags :-(
>Also, riding with one hand is a real pain. I could get my
>hand on the bar for short stretches; I had enough control
>to do brief right turn signals. Left turn signals comprised
>of keeping my hand where it naturally fell and pointing
>left with my index finger. By the time I got to the boat my
>arm was simply in agony. Hours later it is still hurting
>like hell.
Ouchie. My wife has to take Real Good Care of her wrists,
being a pianist and organist who also works at a computer
all day. She finds that a seriously upright posture is the
only thing that works. At least if we ever go to Holland
she'll fit right in :-)
>The new bike fared better than the rider. It was
>unquestionably good. I really don't think I'll ever go
>back to derailleurs again. I'll stick with 8 speed hubs
>for commuting and hack bikes and get a Rohloff for my
>'fun' bikes.
Is that the Inter-8 you have on there? I wasn't looking
earlier, but my mate Alan buttonholed me on Friday and
mentioned he was very tempted by the Fahrrad Manufaktur
offering which has the Inter-8, and he wondered how it
rides. The only Nexus hubn I tried felt a bit like pedalling
through treacle, but that was apparently because it was
shaft drive.
Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk (http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/)
88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University
On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 19:44:48 +0100, [Not Responding] wrote:
> I'm afraid to report that 6 months off the bike has
> destroyed any fitness I used to have. I really struggled
> on some poxy hills.
Stick with it, you'll be surprised how fast you recover
condition. I was off bikes for 20 years but it only took
about 3 months riding for my "knackered" distance to become
my "fully warmed up and ready to go" distance.
> Also, riding with one hand is a real pain. I could get my
> hand on the bar for short stretches; I had enough control
> to do brief right turn signals. Left turn signals
> comprised of keeping my hand where it naturally fell and
> pointing left with my index finger. By the time I got to
> the boat my arm was simply in agony. Hours later it is
> still hurting like hell.
Ah, the dark side calls! No hand pain is your reward. Your
other reward is no chafing. Your third reward is...
Among your many rewards are: no hand pain, no chafing (you
know where), going faster, being admired/reviled from the
sidelines, being able to see the sky instead of the
tarmac. Cardinal Burrows will now read the lesson from the
Book of Benting.
Mike
On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:11:21 +0100, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
<outlook.bugs@microsoft.com> wrote:
snip
>
>>Also, riding with one hand is a real pain. I could get my
>>hand on the bar for short stretches; I had enough control
>>to do brief right turn signals. Left turn signals
>>comprised of keeping my hand where it naturally fell and
>>pointing left with my index finger. By the time I got to
>>the boat my arm was simply in agony. Hours later it is
>>still hurting like hell.
>
>Ouchie. My wife has to take Real Good Care of her wrists,
>being a pianist and organist who also works at a computer
>all day. She finds that a seriously upright posture is the
>only thing that works. At least if we ever go to Holland
>she'll fit right in :-)
If there's no improvement in the next year, I'll be looking
at Dutch bikes.
>>The new bike fared better than the rider. It was
>>unquestionably good. I really don't think I'll ever go
>>back to derailleurs again. I'll stick with 8 speed hubs
>>for commuting and hack bikes and get a Rohloff for my
>>'fun' bikes.
>
>Is that the Inter-8 you have on there? I wasn't looking
>earlier, but my mate Alan buttonholed me on Friday and
>mentioned he was very tempted by the Fahrrad Manufaktur
>offering which has the Inter-8, and he wondered how it
>rides. The only Nexus hubn I tried felt a bit like
>pedalling through treacle, but that was apparently because
>it was shaft drive.
Inter-8; that's the one. If you missed my previous post,
you'll find pics of my Halfords machine here:
I've bought this bike as a cheap learn-to-ride machine.
After that it'll be my utilitarian hack. I did look at the
Fahrrad Manufaktur 8 speed but, iirc, it was quite a bit
more cash; a bit OTT for a leaving-around-town hack bike.
In my short experience I'm really impressed. I was prepared
for sloppy gearchanges, treacle-like disconnection between
leg and road and poor gear range. I've found none of these;
it's an excellent gear system with the added benefit that
I'm likely to have all the gears to hand after 3 months of
winter commuting.
Off Thread, what do you think of this quote from the
Halfords manual:
"Ride on designated bike lanes or paths where possible, the
left side of the road and ride in the same direction as
traffic ***as close to the edge of the road as
possible...***" (my emphasis).
Shocking or what?
On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:50:17 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
<not_responding@dev.null.invalid> wrote in message
<9ebpc0hd6d6rtljk883bo65lqbt22j9ouc@4ax.com>:
>If there's no improvement in the next year, I'll be looking
>at Dutch bikes.
My mate Arnold (who is Dutch) has built a British Dutch bike
by adding a long adjustable stem, raised right up, with
mudguards and rack, to a rigid MTB frame. So a change of
stem might be all that's needed.
>In my short experience I'm really impressed. I was prepared
>for sloppy gearchanges, treacle-like disconnection between
>leg and road and poor gear range. I've found none of these;
>it's an excellent gear system with the added benefit that
>I'm likely to have all the gears to hand after 3 months of
>winter commuting.
Thanks, I'll let Alan know.
>Off Thread, what do you think of this quote from the
>Halfords manual: "Ride on designated bike lanes or paths
>where possible, the left side of the road and ride in the
>same direction as traffic ***as close to the edge of the
>road as possible...***" (my emphasis).
Gaah! Are these horrors available from any Halfwits? I am
tempted to get one and send it to John Franklin.
Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk (http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/)
88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University
in message <ho6pc0l85tq3qho4ugrq1143g6i4tvt66f@4ax.com>, [Not
Responding] ('not_responding@dev.null.invalid') wrote:
> I was back in the saddle today.
Congratulations!
> I'm afraid to report that 6 months off the bike has
> destroyed any fitness I used to have. I really struggled
> on some poxy hills. I kept having to remind myself that
> this was the same distance that I used to commute wearing
> a suit and without raising a sweat. I can hardly credit
> that I used to treat 100 mile runs as no big deal.
Don't worry, it will return amazingly quickly. After I broke
my back I was off my bikes for a year. When I started riding
again it didn't take at all long to get up to a reasonable
level of fitness, although I'm probably still not as fit as
I was before it (largely because of increased lethargy).
Given the hand problem though I do think there might be
merit in looking to the dark side.
--
simon@jasmine.org.uk (Simon Brooke)
http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/ ;; Our modern industrial
economy takes a mountain covered with trees, ;; lakes,
running streams and transforms it into a mountain of junk,
;; garbage, slime pits, and debris. -- Edward Abbey
Mike Causer wrote:
> Ah, the dark side calls! No hand pain is your reward. Your
> other reward is no chafing. Your third reward is...
>
> Among your many rewards are: no hand pain, no chafing
> (you know where), going faster, being admired/reviled
> from the sidelines, being able to see the sky instead of
> the tarmac.
Fetch the Comfy Chair.
--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my
reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/> (http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/) "He who
dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine
In news:649pc0hnc1m7phj7o831q6v1las1vstd7f@4ax.com,
Just zis Guy, you know? <outlook.bugs@microsoft.com> typed:
> On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 19:44:48 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
> <not_responding@dev.null.invalid> wrote in message
> <ho6pc0l85tq3qho4ugrq1143g6i4tvt66f@4ax.com>: plateau, I'm
> now faced with the appalling realisation that I either
> have to start training "properly" or it's a one-way trip
> to baggy lycra and Carradice longflap saddlebags :-(
Hey, I resemble that remark!
Well, my lycra's tight on the odd occasions I wear it, but a
longflap saddlebag's indispensable and mainly gets
complements.
>> The new bike fared better than the rider. It was
>> unquestionably good. I really don't think I'll ever go
>> back to derailleurs again. I'll stick with 8 speed hubs
>> for commuting and hack bikes and get a Rohloff for my
>> 'fun' bikes.
>
> Is that the Inter-8 you have on there? I wasn't looking
> earlier, but my mate Alan buttonholed me on Friday and
> mentioned he was very tempted by the Fahrrad Manufaktur
> offering which has the Inter-8, and he wondered how it
> rides. The only Nexus hubn I tried felt a bit like
> pedalling through treacle, but that was apparently because
> it was shaft drive.
My Nexus 7 is good and feels pretty efficient, too. I
haven't managed to fix the problem of getting it straight in
the dropouts and staying that way, though, so I've not had
any satisfying cycling for the past 6 weeks or so (having to
put the chain back on every 500m or so), particularly since
I bust my shifter, but that was entirely my own fault.
It is a pain not having a QR on the back wheel, particularly
when I was going through a punctury phase, but the actual
shifter mechanism's easy enough to get on and off each time.
Maybe a bit dirty than a derailleur, though.
Staying with the 27 speed for my fun bike though, even if I
could afford to change it.
A
Danny Colyer wrote:
> Fetch the Comfy Chair.
No! Not the comfy chair!
--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk (http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/)
Victory is ours! Down with Eric the Half A Brain!
On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:50:17 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
<not_responding@dev.null.invalid> wrote:
>"Ride on designated bike lanes or paths where possible, the
>left side of the road and ride in the same direction as
>traffic ***as close to the edge of the road as
>possible...***" (my emphasis).
<http://www.halfords.com/250.asp> (http://www.halfords.com/250.asp) and proceed carefully.
James
On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 13:57:19 +0100, James Hodson
<jUNDERSCOREhodson@ntlworld.com.invalid> wrote:
>On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:50:17 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
><not_responding@dev.null.invalid> wrote:
>
>>"Ride on designated bike lanes or paths where possible,
>>the left side of the road and ride in the same direction
>>as traffic ***as close to the edge of the road as
>>possible...***" (my emphasis).
>
><http://www.halfords.com/250.asp> (http://www.halfords.com/250.asp) and proceed carefully.
>
>James
I was avoiding the H-word but the manual says "Always wear a
Halfords approved cycle helmet". Personally, I'm more likely
to wear a tea cosy than a cycle helmet but if were taken by
the inclination, I'd seek one out to BS or Snell standards.
On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 18:18:05 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
<not_responding@dev.null.invalid> wrote in message
<6enrc01rerket9t9sqe4pegpsomg7c8fis@4ax.com>:
>I was avoiding the H-word but the manual says "Always wear
>a Halfords approved cycle helmet". Personally, I'm more
>likely to wear a tea cosy than a cycle helmet but if were
>taken by the inclination, I'd seek one out to BS or Snell
>standards.
"Halfords approved" eh? I wonder what their standards are...
No I don't. Meringue covered in eggshell provided it can be
sold for a decent markup.
I shall write to them aksing them to justify their placing
of plastic hats as first and foremost in the list of things
a cyclist canb do to ensure safety. The research evidence on
which it is based is sure to be interesting.
Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk (http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/)
88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University
James Hodson wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:50:17 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
> <not_responding@dev.null.invalid> wrote:
>
>> "Ride on designated bike lanes or paths where possible,
>> the left side of the road and ride in the same direction
>> as traffic ***as close to the edge of the road as
>> possible...***" (my emphasis).
>
> <http://www.halfords.com/250.asp> (http://www.halfords.com/250.asp) and proceed carefully.
>
I couldn't find that I found (on same link, page 3)
<Snip> ROAD SENSE The trick to riding successfully on the
roads is to realise that you are responsible for keeping
yourself safe. Here are four golden rules to remember:
1) Ride confidently: drivers find it far easier to react to
a visible, predictable rider than a hesitant one who
sticks to the kerb and then lurches into the road. Signal
clearly with your arms before you turn and don't be
afraid to take up a whole lane where appropriate.
2) Stay alert: although bikes are the most manoeuvrable
vehicles on the road, they are also the most exposed. You
should never assume that a driver, rider or pedestrian
has seen you and you should be mentally prepared for
unexpected events like a car door opening ahead of you.
3) Look behind you: be as aware of what is behind you as
what is ahead of you. But beware of drifting to the right
when you turn your head.
4) Make sure you are in the right gear: this is equally
important when pulling away from a full stop or when
putting on a burst of speed to get through a junction or
around an obstacle.
</Snip>
Am I dim, or have they changed it?
--
Andy Morris
AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK
Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/
On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 00:12:27 +0100, "AndyMorris"
<AndyMorris@DeadSpam.com> wrote:
>> <http://www.halfords.com/250.asp> (http://www.halfords.com/250.asp) and proceed carefully.
>>
>
>I couldn't find that I found (on same link, page 3)
Agreed. I was merely pointing out more of H's advice.
Some of it makes sense, I'm sure; I've simply forgotten
what parts.
James
AndyMorris wrote:
>
> 4) Make sure you are in the right gear: this is equally
> important when pulling away from a full stop or when
> putting on a burst of speed to get through a junction
> or around an obstacle.
>
What gear do you recommend I wear?
Tony ;-)
"Tony Raven" <junk@raven-family.com> writes:
> AndyMorris wrote: [ quoting Halfords bike manual ]
>>
>> 4) Make sure you are in the right gear: this is equally
>> important when pulling away from a full stop or when
>> putting on a burst of speed to get through a junction
>> or around an obstacle.
>>
>
> What gear do you recommend I wear?
Bibshorts, of course. Especially anywhere near Norfolk, the
threat of being hit with a concrete slab is all the
incentive anyone needs to put on an extra burst of speed
when pulling away ...
-dan
--
"please make sure that the person is your friend before
you confirm"
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