Motivate me please!

[Saluki]

Hi
Well done on starting on this cycling lark. You'll be horribly addicted in no time flat and will bore all your mates to tears about bikes. We do. Some of our friends have started avoiding us now

If you have a horrible memory, why not print your route off and stuff it in your pocket so you can look at it when necessary. We do this all the time. We have just invested in our local ordinance survey map and its a Godsend.

If I don't feel motivated to ride, as happens on occasion, I come on here and read all the comments that people have put on various threads, that generally gives me the get up an go that I need and I'm on my bike within minutes.

 

[mrbadexample]

Hi
Well done on starting on this cycling lark. You'll be horribly addicted in no time flat and will bore all your mates to tears about bikes. We do. Some of our friends have started avoiding us now

If you have a horrible memory, why not print your route off and stuff it in your pocket so you can look at it when necessary. We do this all the time. We have just invested in our local ordinance survey map and its a Godsend.

If I don't feel motivated to ride, as happens on occasion, I come on here and read all the comments that people have put on various threads, that generally gives me the get up an go that I need and I'm on my bike within minutes.

Thanks. My friends already know that to mention the Tour de France to me is to endure an evening of pure joy while I ramble on...

With regards to routes, I am finding Google Earth and Streetview a godsend, as you can actually see the terrain and landmarks. Helps a lot, although I forget most of it by the time I've got my hat on.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Thanks. My friends already know that to mention the Tour de France to me is to endure an evening of pure joy while I ramble on...

With regards to routes, I am finding Google Earth and Streetview a godsend, as you can actually see the terrain and landmarks. Helps a lot, although I forget most of it by the time I've got my hat on.

As you cover more roads in your area, it will start to sink in where they connect, try visualising landmarks, position of the sun at certain times of day and the sun relative to the land marks you pass. from now till march, the sun will not be anywhere toward the north, so if the sun is in front you are not going north, morning till noon you will be travelling E, Se, or S afternoon S, SW, or W depending on time of day, opposite is true if the sun is behind you. You can always use an old watch with dials as a compass.
But to be honest after awhile you will know your roads.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

As you cover more roads in your area, it will start to sink in where they connect, try visualising landmarks, position of the sun at certain times of day and the sun relative to the land marks you pass. from now till march, the sun will not be anywhere toward the north, so if the sun is in front you are not going north, morning till noon you will be travelling E, Se, or S afternoon S, SW, or W depending on time of day, opposite is true if the sun is behind you. You can always use an old watch with dials as a compass.
But to be honest after awhile you will know your roads.

Or, even, ask a passer-by for directions?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Or, even, ask a passer-by for directions?

I dont usually see too many, where I ride, but then I never really do get lost, misplaced sometimes, then I will try and find someone, though its only happened once in 1600 miles, and then the map didn't show one of the roads on the junction, otherwise I would have been fine. (from an old road atlas, just for general guidance, i.e. which way is which village)

 

[mrbadexample]

Or, even, ask a passer-by for directions?

Hey! I AM a man, you know!

 

[mrbadexample]

Well, I did it. I actually went to my darts match on a pushbike.

Predictably, I went the wrong way. Both there and the way back. It should have been 5.3 miles each way, but I've done 12.84 at an average speed of 11.6mph, including stopping to turn the TomTom on (and get a signal), and about 6 miles holding the thing. I cannot recommend this to anyone. I took all my bits of kit, and even filled the water bottle so that there was an extra 0.5kg to lug about.

The original plan of the cycle path has been scrapped as one of the other players has ridden it, and it's rough as fu not very nice. It goes along the back of the Goscote estate, and is apparently full of glass and chavs on scramblers. If you get a flat, you're on your own with a nice posh bike a good way from anywhere useful.

So, I need to get out during daylight hours to recce the route. Once I've done it a few times I'll be fine.

Oh, and Mouse Hill? I own you!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Hey! I AM a man, you know!

Good point!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Next time, try following the bus
edit: well done btw

 

[mrbadexample]

Oh, and something else I've found out. In the last 23 years or so I've completely lost the ability to ride standing on the pedals. Is that normal? Will it come back to me?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Oh, and something else I've found out. In the last 23 years or so I've completely lost the ability to ride standing on the pedals. Is that normal? Will it come back to me?

Yea it'll come back I was the same, though it took me a fair while.

Hey! I AM a man, you know!

Quicker to ask then be pondering and getting cold.

 

[mrbadexample]

Can someone tell me how to join the CC group on mycyclelog please? If I click on "join" it asks for a password. Do I need to request membership?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Can someone tell me how to join the CC group on mycyclelog please? If I click on "join" it asks for a password. Do I need to request membership?

Ask Ianruak

 

[mrbadexample]

Ask Ianruak

Err, I don't really understand that (is that a member name?) but I found destructions on the "How Do I...?" board so hopefully I'll get it sorted soon. I've worked out that if I estimate the bike and gear cost as £500, I need to do 2000 miles to have saved £500 worth of petrol, thus effectively recouping my costs.

I'd like to do that within a year. I think that's quite realistic. 40 miles a week will see that done.

Nigel have you really done 1594 miles since the end of June?

 

[Saluki]

Well done on the darts match ride
Are you sure that you went the wrong way? Maybe it was just a navigational adventure. We have lots of those and its always more interesting that way.