I did it for the first time!

[steveindenmark]

I can do all these things no handed. But I like any excuse to stop.

 

[PenttitheFinn]

Riding no-hands is easier in a low gear and swing your arms like you would walking. It's a good way of working out if your seat is angled correctly. Obviously some will say it should be horizontal, but if you don't have a flat saddle such as a Fizik Alliante it can't be horizontal.

 

[IBarrett]

Well done you. Little wins no matter what or how long it takes are still wins.
Ive found sticking the bottle into the side of your mouth and squeezing it to be the most easiest way to drink because I can still see where I am going.

I did a little no hander yesterday on my roadie, which I don't normally do because my commuter MTB is too twitchy. I used to be really good when I was younger at riding with no hands, so I might give it a go again. Odds are I'll end up in a heap though because of the state of the roads

 

[NJCR]

All this talk of canals is making me twitchy! Thought I'd overcome my fear of them after my dip in one last year but a winter off the bike has given me time to regress. Felt sick going past one on a train the other day...

 

[Pat "5mph"]

All this talk of canals is making me twitchy! Thought I'd overcome my fear of them after my dip in one last year but a winter off the bike has given me time to regress. Felt sick going past one on a train the other day...

You can easily fall into a ditch too, you know?
Paved path after Kirkintillock on the way to Murdock park, guess who took a tumble?

 

[daisyj]

Replaced an inner tube for the first time! Realised that never having fixed a puncture is stopping me cycling further, so today was the day for a practice at home. Lucky timing, as I discovered a large thorn and that I did have a puncture! Sore thumbs but increased confidence is the result.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Replaced an inner tube for the first time! Realised that never having fixed a puncture is stopping me cycling further, so today was the day for a practice at home. Lucky timing, as I discovered a large thorn and that I did have a puncture! Sore thumbs but increased confidence is the result.

Good going! Now that the daylight hours are longer, you'll be wanting to go further.
To be honest, even though I am confident in fixing punctures, I don't think I would manage in winter with freezing hands.
That's why I invested in bombproof tyres, also keep an eye on embedded bits and pressure.
A first for me today: I did short test ride in caged pedals (without straps), want to get used to them in transition to clipless
I discovered what I knew already, that is that my feet aren't straight!
Adjusted the cages, will do another trial ride tomorrow: I have already managed to get rid of the rub from the new mudguards, there's only so much bike mechanics a day that this girl can take!

 

[summerdays]

Replaced an inner tube for the first time! Realised that never having fixed a puncture is stopping me cycling further, so today was the day for a practice at home. Lucky timing, as I discovered a large thorn and that I did have a puncture! Sore thumbs but increased confidence is the result.

I have done a number at home now.... But had my first a long way from home last autumn, and some hapless knight decided to help me and did an even worse job than I would have done. The next one I had out on the road (well mountain biking), I got really mucky and couldn't find the hole.... But it was a slow one so managed to finish the ride anyway.... But my confidence in taking tyres off and on increased.... Just not my ability to find the hole when not in the safe calm environment of my kitchen still it's a step further towards successfully fixing it on the side of the road....

 

[daisyj]

Good going! Now that the daylight hours are longer, you'll be wanting to go further.
To be honest, even though I am confident in fixing punctures, I don't think I would manage in winter with freezing hands.
That's why I invested in bombproof tyres, also keep an eye on embedded bits and pressure.
A first for me today: I did short test ride in caged pedals (without straps), want to get used to them in transition to clipless
I discovered what I knew already, that is that my feet aren't straight!
Adjusted the cages, will do another trial ride tomorrow: I have already managed to get rid of the rub from the new mudguards, there's only so much bike mechanics a day that this girl can take!

Good way of moving towards clipless, good luck with your trial ride tomorrow. I'm a way off thinking about clipless, given that just last summer I was relieved to stay upright beyond the garden gate!

 

[daisyj]

I have done a number at home now.... But had my first a long way from home last autumn, and some hapless knight decided to help me and did an even worse job than I would have done. The next one I had out on the road (well mountain biking), I got really mucky and couldn't find the hole.... But it was a slow one so managed to finish the ride anyway.... But my confidence in taking tyres off and on increased.... Just not my ability to find the hole when not in the safe calm environment of my kitchen still it's a step further towards successfully fixing it on the side of the road....

Yes, weather, darkness, cold hands and no cuppa on hand won't be easy when it happens! I do plan to change my tyres to make a p*nct*re less likely or at least rare.

 

[fimm]

I have done a number at home now.... But had my first a long way from home last autumn, and some hapless knight decided to help me and did an even worse job than I would have done. The next one I had out on the road (well mountain biking), I got really mucky and couldn't find the hole.... But it was a slow one so managed to finish the ride anyway.... But my confidence in taking tyres off and on increased.... Just not my ability to find the hole when not in the safe calm environment of my kitchen still it's a step further towards successfully fixing it on the side of the road....

"Find the hole"? Are you looking to patch the tyre by the side of the road? Why not just replace the tube (having checked the tyre VERY THOROUGHLY for what caused the puncture)? (Take your old tube home and patch or bin it.)

 

[summerdays]

"Find the hole"? Are you looking to patch the tyre by the side of the road? Why not just replace the tube (having checked the tyre VERY THOROUGHLY for what caused the puncture)? (Take your old tube home and patch or bin it.)

Previously I've always been near enough to home so I am in the habit of finding and patching. I never found the culprit, presumably it went in and out so it was impossible to find. We did have a spare tube but when we tried pumping it up it kept removing the valve when I removed the pump. Hence why we went back to the old tube.

But it was an eye opener as to why you have the spare tube option!

 

[mjr]

Why not just replace the tube (having checked the tyre VERY THOROUGHLY for what caused the puncture)?

Because if you patch, you don't even need to take the wheel off.

 

[fimm]

Because if you patch, you don't even need to take the wheel off.

True. Especially useful if you don't have quick release wheels. (I've never tried doing this on my Brompton, the only non-QR bike I own, because I've always been at home with a spanner! It still looks an enormous faff...)

 

[Jayaly]

Little wins are wonderful. I borrowed a chain tool from the local bike hub and replaced a chain for the first time at the weekend. There was a certain amount of swearing about the new one until I realised I could use a bungee to take the tension out of the whole thing while connecting the quick link.

I think the thing which makes me happiest is that the only thing I've had to call Mr Jayaly in for this year was brute forcing some rusted screws out of a chain case. No longer feeling helpless.