First Ride

[davidwalton]

I bought my galaxy from Les, he's alright, nice fella.
Yes he is busy there...you might try calling in advance and arranging a good day/time etc.

Unfortunatly my experience of Essex LBS is that for the most part they are simply interested in how much cash you have.

I like you need a LBs to service the bike ...but I am rapidly learning how to do it myself...which is the ultimate aim.

I did ask whether they would do a booking in at Les's, but they don't. Purely pot luck.

There is a Motor Shop within a mile of me that repairs bikes on the side that I heard about. Will have to check them out.

Yes, long term, it is a matter of learning how to do it myself. There will always be things that require a shop though, eg. when expensive special tools are needed.

 

[byegad]

Hills!! As the gradient steepens try dropping down a gear or two before you need to and spin fast. To begin with it will seem like harder work than changing at the DF intuative point. As your legs condition it will become easier and eventually second nature. If you can't do that for all but the really killer hills then you will need to gear down a bit. I run around 15" bottom gear on my 'bents, but I live in County Durham.

 

[domtyler]

Is Ilford too far away for you David? If you can make it over there then Ciclos Uno in Hainault is highly recommended.

 

[davidwalton]

Is Ilford too far away for you David? If you can make it over there then Ciclos Uno in Hainault is highly recommended.

25.3 miles, so not too far as long as they can do anything needed while I wait.

 

[davidwalton]

Hills!! As the gradient steepens try dropping down a gear or two before you need to and spin fast. To begin with it will seem like harder work than changing at the DF intuative point. As your legs condition it will become easier and eventually second nature. If you can't do that for all but the really killer hills then you will need to gear down a bit. I run around 15" bottom gear on my 'bents, but I live in County Durham.

It's the spinning fast that my legs don't like. 65 to 85 is fine, and natural at 70 to 75'ish.

Have been trying to keep cadence the same and just use gears for going up and down hills, rather than trying to push it.

Lowest gear I have is just under 23", which in theory SHOULD be OK generally, but only once fit enough. I use short cranks (155mm) which won't help hill climbing either.

While I could have gone for lower gearing, I am already finding that spinning at 5mph is about as slow as I would want to ride, and can do that now.

At cadence of 70 in lowest, speed = 4.76mph. Much slower and I'll be off anyway

 

[domtyler]

25.3 miles, so not too far as long as they can do anything needed while I wait.

Give 'em a call first.

http://www.ciclosuno.com/contactus

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

blimey..it's all getting a bit teknical for me chaps...I just drop a couple of gears at the bottom and peddle like buggary until I get to the top or pass out whichever is first.

I dont like Rayleigh much for cycling...I went through it from Wickford and out to canuben on the river/coast. The roads are always busy and the hills there are of the annoying type (which hill isnt!)

Bread and cheese hill is another nasty lump to be avoided when possible...and not just because it's a hill either.

My approach to hills initially was to avoid them...get fit on the flat where possible...and then attack the buggers.

I have a triple on my bike and 99% of the time around here I only need the bigger two rings, but Crays hill for some reason demands the third ring.

One thing I learn't and still believe...there is no crime or embarrassment to be had in walking up hills...it's still more than the lazy lardarse van and car drivers can do/are doing.

Trust me...just keep going and in a few months you will have progressed in leaps and bounds...those hills will become molehills and eventually you wont even notice most of them.

 

[ChrisKH]

David

Try Richardsons Cycles in Leigh. They always try to do it that day if you let them know in advance you use the bike as your main mode of travel. Plus they are quick when it has to be left with them for more than one day (because parts are needed for example). Top blokes in there IMO.

Church Road, Benfleet - even stripped naked, greased and on amphetamines I'd have problems with that hill. If you were going back to Rayleigh from Canvey I would have taken the route over the bridge, past Benfleet Station and up Essex Way. Still a large hill, but not as steep as Church Road and the path would have been big enough for the recumbent if you wanted to push.

 

[davidwalton]

David

Try Richardsons Cycles in Leigh. They always try to do it that day if you let them know in advance you use the bike as your main mode of travel. Plus they are quick when it has to be left with them for more than one day (because parts are needed for example). Top blokes in there IMO.

Will give them a call, thanks. Just 8.6 miles from me.

Church Road, Benfleet - even stripped naked, greased and on amphetamines I'd have problems with that hill. If you were going back to Rayleigh from Canvey I would have taken the route over the bridge, past Benfleet Station and up Essex Way. Still a large hill, but not as steep as Church Road and the path would have been big enough for the recumbent if you wanted to push.

Glad to hear an experienced bent rider would find that too much of an hill.

I am actually in Shotgate, between Wickford and Rayliegh, just off the A129. The route I took to Canvey Island was down the A1245/A130 to the A13, turned left there, then turned right at the traffic lights. That eventually takes you to the next junction along the A130 on to the Island. Coming back, I took the A130 all the way which was the mistake.

 

[ChrisKH]

I don't have a bent, but I'd have trouble on a bent or a standard bike up that hill. I do avoid the A130 at all costs though and prefer the minor roads even if it lengthens the route. It's a pity I didn't catch you yesterday, I was off and on the Island twice on the bike and I have never seen a bent round these parts.

 

[davidwalton]

I don't have a bent, but I'd have trouble on a bent or a standard bike up that hill. I do avoid the A130 at all costs though and prefer the minor roads even if it lengthens the route. It's a pity I didn't catch you yesterday, I was off and on the Island twice on the bike and I have never seen a bent round these parts.

I am hard to miss. A fat bloke on a Recumbent is not something you see all the time.

Yes, next time I will follow the GPS instead of the signposts.

 

[davidwalton]

Well, living in a flat'ish part of the Country, I have yet to go on a ride where there are no hills.

The odd mound is ok, but when they put signs up telling you how steep it is, I don't stand a chance.

Rayleigh Crown Hill is for walking (I got as far as the Station cycling), but coming from the A13 up the A129, I can get up to Rayleigh without walking.

Thought I would plan a 20 mile'ish route that avoided Rayleigh, going from Shotgate via Rawreth, HullBridge, Hockley, Ashingdon, Battlebridge, Wickford, and back to Shotgate. Still came up against a major hill just after Hullbridge, and a few others that were not very nice.

Will plan out a similar distance route going out towards Billaricay, but avoiding Crays Hill. If that fails, then will have to resign myself to hills no matter where I go.

Since I have had the bike, 13 Feb, I have done 76 miles with a run every other day, so I am trying. Perhaps I need to go out every day??

Average speed is standing at 9.45mph over the 76 miles done to date (including the walking up hills).

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Crays hill is great fun coming down from wickford!

Billericay is built on a hill so there are inclines in any direction to get to it really, but nothing to bad...the worst one is Noak hill road because it has a steep start, then a flat bit to lull you into a false sense of security before it gets worse.

You might find that a better approach would be to come down crays hill past noak bridge estate down and along the dunton road, up through little bursted (that is a long hill ...smooth to start then a short steep bit right at the end...then up into billericay from there. I would avoid turning right at Barlyland farm to billericay as that hill is ok to start with but it's a pig in the last stretches.