Yesterday I received a large box containing something that resembled a bicycle. After a tinker here and a twist of an allen key there it was, in fact, a bicycle.
I've got myself a Verenti Kilmeston from Wiggle after months of gradually building up to the leap to a dropped-bar 'road' bike. Hours and hours of research and reading various forum 'which bike...' posts based on my needs, and generally good reviews lead me to the Kilmeston, and I clicked 'add to basket'.
I must say it certainly is a strange experience, and I'm not entirely certain that I'm 'set up' right. I've adjusted the saddle height, fore-aft position, and I've swapped saddle itself (bloody uncomfortable thing was that stock one) as best I can... yet the bike still feels awfully alien. I find that I'm super conscious of the fact that I seem too stretched out on the hoods and too cramped on the drops, despite the fact that the frame measurements are more-or-less identical to my other cycle (B'Twin Fitness 2) - and I often found myself mimicking drop-style on said bike. I must mention that I am getting more used to the Kilmeston each time I ride it... so is it just a matter of adapting to the new style? Is the 'stretched out' feeling anything to be concerned with initially?
Another concern is the compact chainset. I'm used to riding with a triple, 48-38-28 and 12-25 in the rear. I spent most of my time in the middle ring and the smallest half at the rear, jumping up to the 48 on my downhills, and using the 'granny ring' on extreme occasions (hangovers esp.).
I cannot seem to get used to my compact set-up. I have 50-34 up front with 12-27 out back. I find I keep getting 'trapped' or confused in one ring or another. It seems 50 is too extreme for most situations other than flat/downhill, and as though 34 is just too weak for anything other than a hill of any degree (I find I can climb MUCH more efficiently than my other set-up). When I'm caught in-between a hill and a flat/down I seem to chuff up my gear selections and end up in a big-big/small-small combo, which surely isn't acceptable. Am I just crap at working my gears, or is it down to 'cadence' (something which I haven't really looked at)?
Both of these 'concerns' of mine are probably down to unfamiliarity and will probably self-rectify with time, patience and experience, but the simple fact that such an unfamiliarity exists is the reason I'm posting and I'd like to hear what people have to say.
I apologize for such a long post, and thank anybody who makes it to the end
I've got myself a Verenti Kilmeston from Wiggle after months of gradually building up to the leap to a dropped-bar 'road' bike. Hours and hours of research and reading various forum 'which bike...' posts based on my needs, and generally good reviews lead me to the Kilmeston, and I clicked 'add to basket'.
I must say it certainly is a strange experience, and I'm not entirely certain that I'm 'set up' right. I've adjusted the saddle height, fore-aft position, and I've swapped saddle itself (bloody uncomfortable thing was that stock one) as best I can... yet the bike still feels awfully alien. I find that I'm super conscious of the fact that I seem too stretched out on the hoods and too cramped on the drops, despite the fact that the frame measurements are more-or-less identical to my other cycle (B'Twin Fitness 2) - and I often found myself mimicking drop-style on said bike. I must mention that I am getting more used to the Kilmeston each time I ride it... so is it just a matter of adapting to the new style? Is the 'stretched out' feeling anything to be concerned with initially?
Another concern is the compact chainset. I'm used to riding with a triple, 48-38-28 and 12-25 in the rear. I spent most of my time in the middle ring and the smallest half at the rear, jumping up to the 48 on my downhills, and using the 'granny ring' on extreme occasions (hangovers esp.).
I cannot seem to get used to my compact set-up. I have 50-34 up front with 12-27 out back. I find I keep getting 'trapped' or confused in one ring or another. It seems 50 is too extreme for most situations other than flat/downhill, and as though 34 is just too weak for anything other than a hill of any degree (I find I can climb MUCH more efficiently than my other set-up). When I'm caught in-between a hill and a flat/down I seem to chuff up my gear selections and end up in a big-big/small-small combo, which surely isn't acceptable. Am I just crap at working my gears, or is it down to 'cadence' (something which I haven't really looked at)?
Both of these 'concerns' of mine are probably down to unfamiliarity and will probably self-rectify with time, patience and experience, but the simple fact that such an unfamiliarity exists is the reason I'm posting and I'd like to hear what people have to say.
I apologize for such a long post, and thank anybody who makes it to the end
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