Uncle_Fluffy
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Greasby, Wirral
After 15 years of absolutely no exercise I decided I had to make a change. I wanted something I could do from home and the choice came down to either running or cycling. I’ve never liked running for its own sake making cycling the winner.
So off I went to Halfords (I know so don’t say it!) and ended up spending £250 on a Carrera Crossfire 1. I chose this as it has ‘proper’ sized wheels (I have no intention of riding off road) and flat bars.
My first ride out was on 15th July (beginning of the summer heat wave) and I got to the end of my drive when I was stopped by my ‘postie’ for a chat. He’s a mad keen cyclist and gave me a few tips. The best of which was to keep to the middle chain ring for a while as novices often try to use too high a gear and strain the knees (I followed this advice and by golly he was right!).
The first couple of weeks highlighted some annoying issues with the bike. The suspension is a complete waste of time, crashing over the slightest bump and is embarrassingly noisy. The front wheel had a slight warp which made braking on any surface, other than clean smooth tarmac, unnerving (it was like having super low frequency ABS). The 45mm semi-trail tyres caused so much friction that I could barely freewheel downhill. Also I could never keep my feet in position on the pedals.
I took the front wheel back to Halfords to be adjusted, which they did but not properly so it had improved but was still not true. I got a pair of Continental City Ride 32mm tyres and these completely changed the bike. It felt more stable on the road, the steering was faster and more accurate and most strangely of all the bike was more comfortable on rough road surfaces with the suspension actually working (I’m thinking that the larger tyres at road riding pressure were too bouncy?).
Friends at work recommended switching to clipless pedals which seemed a bit daunting, but as I got more distracted by constantly having to shuffle my feet I took the plunge and picked up a pair of new Shimano M420 pedals with SH51 cleats for £20 from a shop on Ebay plus a pair if MTB shoes for £13.99 from Aldi. This was a great move, other than a couple of near misses when having to stop suddenly
.
Another sound investment was the cycling shorts. Anything more than 30 minutes in regular clothes became indecently uncomfortable so back to eBay and £14 later I was the owner of a pair of ‘Fit Joe’ cycle shorts. The first ride in them was like a little slice of heaven to my ‘never you minds’.
With all of this I find that I no longer notice the bike and the rides are much more enjoyable. I’ve been following the advice found on this forum concerning gears and cadence and it’s all beginning to make sense as I now find I’m going further and faster using lower gears
.
The improvement has been steady but noticeable. After 4 weeks a 20 mile ride took me 93 minutes but I was totally shattered whereas this week I’m doing 20 mile rides in 78 minutes and feeling invigorated.
Yesterday I took the bike back to Halfords for the free 6 week service and I have to be fair and say that they did a decent job. The front wheel is now sorted so that the brakes can be used properly and the drive train is much quieter. Despite this, I think that’s the last my bike will see of Halfords as I’ll be using my LBS in future.
My plan is to continue getting out 4 times a week but I know that the winter will be a challenge. I have invested in warm and waterproof gear (many thanks to Aldi and Lidl) as well as some decent lights (Cat Eye) so hopefully it won’t be too bad. If it’s all going well by next spring I’ll be looking to get a road bike through the ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme (got my eye on the Trek 1.2 T).
So off I went to Halfords (I know so don’t say it!) and ended up spending £250 on a Carrera Crossfire 1. I chose this as it has ‘proper’ sized wheels (I have no intention of riding off road) and flat bars.
My first ride out was on 15th July (beginning of the summer heat wave) and I got to the end of my drive when I was stopped by my ‘postie’ for a chat. He’s a mad keen cyclist and gave me a few tips. The best of which was to keep to the middle chain ring for a while as novices often try to use too high a gear and strain the knees (I followed this advice and by golly he was right!).
The first couple of weeks highlighted some annoying issues with the bike. The suspension is a complete waste of time, crashing over the slightest bump and is embarrassingly noisy. The front wheel had a slight warp which made braking on any surface, other than clean smooth tarmac, unnerving (it was like having super low frequency ABS). The 45mm semi-trail tyres caused so much friction that I could barely freewheel downhill. Also I could never keep my feet in position on the pedals.
I took the front wheel back to Halfords to be adjusted, which they did but not properly so it had improved but was still not true. I got a pair of Continental City Ride 32mm tyres and these completely changed the bike. It felt more stable on the road, the steering was faster and more accurate and most strangely of all the bike was more comfortable on rough road surfaces with the suspension actually working (I’m thinking that the larger tyres at road riding pressure were too bouncy?).
Friends at work recommended switching to clipless pedals which seemed a bit daunting, but as I got more distracted by constantly having to shuffle my feet I took the plunge and picked up a pair of new Shimano M420 pedals with SH51 cleats for £20 from a shop on Ebay plus a pair if MTB shoes for £13.99 from Aldi. This was a great move, other than a couple of near misses when having to stop suddenly
.Another sound investment was the cycling shorts. Anything more than 30 minutes in regular clothes became indecently uncomfortable so back to eBay and £14 later I was the owner of a pair of ‘Fit Joe’ cycle shorts. The first ride in them was like a little slice of heaven to my ‘never you minds’.
With all of this I find that I no longer notice the bike and the rides are much more enjoyable. I’ve been following the advice found on this forum concerning gears and cadence and it’s all beginning to make sense as I now find I’m going further and faster using lower gears
.The improvement has been steady but noticeable. After 4 weeks a 20 mile ride took me 93 minutes but I was totally shattered whereas this week I’m doing 20 mile rides in 78 minutes and feeling invigorated.
Yesterday I took the bike back to Halfords for the free 6 week service and I have to be fair and say that they did a decent job. The front wheel is now sorted so that the brakes can be used properly and the drive train is much quieter. Despite this, I think that’s the last my bike will see of Halfords as I’ll be using my LBS in future.
My plan is to continue getting out 4 times a week but I know that the winter will be a challenge. I have invested in warm and waterproof gear (many thanks to Aldi and Lidl) as well as some decent lights (Cat Eye) so hopefully it won’t be too bad. If it’s all going well by next spring I’ll be looking to get a road bike through the ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme (got my eye on the Trek 1.2 T).
