Maiden Voyage



Motobecane11

New Member
Nov 24, 2011
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Hey ladies and gents... It's been a week or so since I was on. I dropped the bike off at the LBS on Thursday, and I should get it back early next week.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as far as my first ride goes. Mostly I was wondering about what would be a good starting point for pace/distance, but as everyone here has much more experience than I do, feel free to chime in with anything that comes to mind.

Thanks all!
 
Originally Posted by Motobecane11 .

Hey ladies and gents... It's been a week or so since I was on. I dropped the bike off at the LBS on Thursday, and I should get it back early next week.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as far as my first ride goes. Mostly I was wondering about what would be a good starting point for pace/distance, but as everyone here has much more experience than I do, feel free to chime in with anything that comes to mind.

Thanks all!
Just go out and have fun.
 
Avoid heavy traffic and really steep hills til you feel more in control.

And take a spare tube, tire levers, and a pump.

And water.

And be safe.
 
Hey thanks Bobcat! I didn't see your reply until today, so I made the first ride totally unarmed (no tubes, tools etc). But, I did stay out of traffic, as Muskogee has a pretty nice trail I can ride on. It's basically flat, it mightve gone +/-25 ft in elevation for the section I rode this am. It was 27 degrees out this morning, but I just bundled up and got to it! I had a blast! 4.6 miles in just over 20 mins came up to like a 13.8 average. I would've gone farther, but needed to get back to the office and knock out a strength workout before getting my workday started. I think i'll go for a spin this afternoon after work, and again in the morning. I'm going to do what will eventually be my commute on Saturday, which will be about 17 miles round trip. I think it's safe to say I'm hooked after one ride!
 
Cool. Regarding the flat-repair kit, you could substitute a cell phone. But I recommend self-sufficiency.
 
Yeah, having to walk home would make for some pretty serious disappointment. I plan to assemble as complete a kit as is going to be practical, but since I'm just getting started I'm just kinda gathering gear as I go. I'll make sure that I've got everything I might need before I try the commute for sure. On a little different line of thought, doesanyone have any good suggestions for keeping the toes warm? I've read about shoe covers and one rider I read about was an advocate of SealSkins socks. Any suggestions are appreciated. I decided to skip my after work ride today. My shorts kept my hindparts from getting sore, but I had some cramps/tightness in my legs this pm, so I'll saddle up again in the am. I'm in pretty good shape, but the body takes a little time to get accustomed to new exercises, and pedalling hasn't ever been in my regime before lol. Thanks to all for the comments, advice and support.
 
Originally Posted by oldbobcat .

Cool. Regarding the flat-repair kit, you could substitute a cell phone. But I recommend self-sufficiency.
+1. A flat takes 2-15 minutes (depending on experience, technique, and rush) to replace or fix a punctured tube, and then you get to continue the ride. A cell phone call results in sitting around and an end to a ride. I'd recommend carrying both: a flat repair kit w/ CO2 inflator or a pump and a cell phone.
 
Originally Posted by Motobecane11 .

Yeah, having to walk home would make for some pretty serious disappointment. I plan to assemble as complete a kit as is going to be practical, but since I'm just getting started I'm just kinda gathering gear as I go. I'll make sure that I've got everything I might need before I try the commute for sure.

On a little different line of thought, doesanyone have any good suggestions for keeping the toes warm? I've read about shoe covers and one rider I read about was an advocate of SealSkins socks. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I decided to skip my after work ride today. My shorts kept my hindparts from getting sore, but I had some cramps/tightness in my legs this pm, so I'll saddle up again in the am. I'm in pretty good shape, but the body takes a little time to get accustomed to new exercises, and pedalling hasn't ever been in my regime before lol. Thanks to all for the comments, advice and support.
What kind of shoes do you wear on the bike?
 
Originally Posted by alienator .


+1. A flat takes 2-15 minutes (depending on experience, technique, and rush) to replace or fix a punctured tube, and then you get to continue the ride. A cell phone call results in sitting around and an end to a ride. I'd recommend carrying both: a flat repair kit w/ CO2 inflator or a pump and a cell phone.

+2. And I carry a flat repair kit w/CO2 inflator and a cell phone too...
 
Well I'm definitely hooked. Did 10.4 mi yesterday am, and just got back from a trip to Walmart that was 12.5 mi. I did some tinkering with seat position last night, and ended up raising it about 3 inches, bringing it back about .75 inches and giving it more forward tilt. Loved the change today. I was really binding myself up before I changed it. @ Alienator: I just wear plain ol' Nikes lol. It's got platform pedals and I wanted to kind of get the hang of handling the bike in general before I started fixing my feet to the pedals. I think I'll go with clips to begin with to see how I like it. That seems like less of an investment in something I'm not sure I really want for my purposes :/. I got on Amazon a couple days ago and I've got a seat-post bag, a CO2 inflator and the two-prong tool for the Suntour freewheel on the way :). My trip today was kind of a trial for the commute I want to use the bike for, and it looks like I'll be able to make the ride pretty well. Lots of hills tho! But it's the safest route for me, so I'll just go ahead and enjoy those hills. On the down side at least. Thanks to all for continuing to give advice!
 

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