Nice long ride :)

[tango_kid]

Hi,
well i took the bike out for a ride today, was ment to be a 2 hour 30 miler kind of thing. I did not know the distance of the route but it tured out to be 28.5 miles and took me under 2 hours.
Average speed- 15.8 mph
time taken- 1 hour 49 minutes
Weather- WINDY!!!
It was good to be out and i enjoyed it alot, though the wind was detremental to the fun.I was just wondering if anybody else got a nasty pain in the neck after they got home from this trip due to keeping your head up (position on road bike)??
Also, my gears were clicking as i pedaled and i do not know why and i was just wondering as to the chain rings on the front of the bike, does anybody else very rarley use them? I find that i only used my middle chain ring for hills and otherwise i used the biggest one.

And finaly, i am considering buying lidl shoes but i cannot afford any clipless pedals at the moment as they cost soooo much (£50) so would there be any point in buying them?? A couple of days ago my foot slipped off the pedals twice and so i was wonderig if cage pedals or simillar may help??

Anyway, cheers,
Mike

 

[Sam Kennedy]

I just recently went clipless, I got the shoes from lidl, and some two way SPD's from Edinburg Cycles(they are flat on one side and have a cleat on the other) which cost £25.
If you want a pedal with cleats on both sides, try searching ebay for 'shimano m520' you can big up a set for around £20-25 (Make sure you get cleats with them!)
I think the £35 invested in the bike is the best investment I've made so far

 

[Tony B]

I have a pair of Lidl shoes and no clipless pedals, I use them with toe clips and for the price are recommended [and I bought them at the normal price], they happen to be a very good walking shoe as well.

 

[Muddyfox]

Chain Reaction are doing M520's for £20

Simon

 

[tango_kid]

Cheers or the advice on clipless, i may use your advice when the money comews along (i am saving for a motorbike and insurance as well as buying bike bits)
But could anybody help me with my other questions??
Cheers,
Mike

 

[tango_kid]

Anybody??

 

[aJohnson]

I've had the pain in my neck/shoulders before, I think that just takes time getting used to being in the dropped position.

My chain was making a weird noise this morning when I was on a lower gear on the middle cog, I never leave the middle cog so it was weird to hear it happen, I think I'd appreciate a answer to that one aswell.

 

[garrilla]

On the neck pain, it could be that you are taking the weight of your upper body through the arms. If you find that your arms are locked and your shoulders are back will get a pain at the base of the neck and possibly running in between the shoulder blades. The core muscles should really be holiding the weight for you, but like aJohnson says, it can take time for this strength to develop. You can help it by relaxing more through the shoulders and not locking your arms out on the hoods or the drops.

The clicking gears sound like the front mech needs a small amount of adjustment. Search the forum for endless help threads on this problem.

 

[tango_kid]

Well it wasnt when i changed into the middle ring that it started clicking, it was when i moved into a higher gear at the back

 

[garrilla]

Well it wasnt when i changed into the middle ring that it started clicking, it was when i moved into a higher gear at the back

The clicking is possibly/probably coming from the chain rubbing against the front mech guide. Its easy to fix. Start here http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=39455&highlight=front+mech+adjustment