Show us your.......newbie progress! [4 Sep 2012 - 4 Oct 2014]

[Nigelnaturist]

No, not really just fine tuning. The front RD needed the cable undoing before setting it up right. But the small amount of fettling had a big difference on its running/smoothness. It's actually running better now then when it was new!
I would like to thank our resident mechanic @Nigelnaturist for his guidance on fitting the chain and cassette.Cheers.

so long as the advice I gave wasn't wrong , I have my RD sorted too that spacer cured quite a few noises from my last ride, its also pretty happy on the 52x24 combination though normally I am on the 40th middle at that point, but on some of the up bits it was easier just to stay on the 52th, changes are better than the Alivio as you said like a new bike, even though the RD is 6 years old, the front needs some thought though whilst its fine on the 40-52 change, the 30-40 still isn't right however there may be a few reasons for this, the BB is 115mm the original was 116mm, and the 40th middle ring isn't ramped like a lot of modern chainrings (it's not essential) it means at the moment changing from 30 to 40 means an extra nudge on the shifter, ah you may say tighten the adjuster so moves the cage across a little, if I do that I then get some chain rub on 40x28, the thing is as my kit is set up I only have two gears lower than 40x28 37.57" and they are the 30x24 and 28, the 30x21 being the same length as 40x28, the 30th however will come into play when climbing as I have 3 gears in the 40-50" range two in the 30-40" and one at 28", I dont have a single gear change longer than 8.5" .
The figures in green are what you would generally use these are gear inches, the highlighted columns are the differences between each previous gear, the % is the change between each gear.
The top is what you could get with a compact double, the one below is my current setup.

Ok I lose out on the top end, but i very rarely spin at 90+rpm on 105"gear which would be 28+mph.

The thing is from Sora to 105 groupsets the FD only has 20th capacity, you need an Ultregre FD for 22th, which means to get over 101" you need the 12th sprocket.

 

[matth411]

Well, finally got around to cleaning the bike and I found a broken spoke. Oh and now my brakes wont fit properly. Going to take some time away from fiddling with them then come back to it later. I am just glad to get it clean. Then see about the spoke, I am not technically gifted. Theory yes practical no.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Well, finally got around to cleaning the bike and I found a broken spoke. Oh and now my brakes wont fit properly. Going to take some time away from fiddling with them then come back to it later. I am just glad to get it clean. Then see about the spoke, I am not technically gifted. Theory yes practical no.

I could never get my original rear wheel true after I got through about 8 or 9 of them, so got a set of new wheels for about £90, then only broke one in 7,000 miles and that was the front and only having 16 spokes I walked home (wasn't far) repaired that which was easy, then I found two fractures on the rear and planet-x replaced them with a new set, bummer I had spent nearly £9 on the front wheel, still they were cheaper and got £10 credit.

 

[Leescfc79]

Did a sportive in Hatfield yesterday, just over 50 miles with 2 friends. About 35 miles in one friend took a turn for the worse and really struggled for 5 miles to get to the drink station, it was clear he wasn't going to make it to the end so we offered to go and get the car and pick him up but one of the event organisers called him a lift which I thought was good.

Apart from that it was a nice ride, steady pace due to friends illness and very windy, started off wet but soon dried up. It did make me realise that I shouldn't let the weather put me off as much as I do, if the ride wasn't a planned one I would not have gone out yesterday and apart from all the drama I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed cleaning all the mud off my bike today too ;-)

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Did a sportive in Hatfield yesterday, just over 50 miles with 2 friends. About 35 miles in one friend took a turn for the worse and really struggled for 5 miles to get to the drink station, it was clear he wasn't going to make it to the end so we offered to go and get the car and pick him up but one of the event organisers called him a lift which I thought was good.

Apart from that it was a nice ride, steady pace due to friends illness and very windy, started off wet but soon dried up. It did make me realise that I shouldn't let the weather put me off as much as I do, if the ride wasn't a planned one I would not have gone out yesterday and apart from all the drama I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed cleaning all the mud off my bike today too ;-)

Hope he recovered ok.
Weather shouldn't put anyone off, really high winds are dangerous obviously, ice, heat can be a problem, but apart from that the weather we get is pretty constant in the UK ( I know we get extremes), enveriably it rains when I go out did Friday, Saturday and today, winds today were better but still 7mph, which is below the avg I go out in, as for washing the bike, well the chain and drive gear is looked after well brakes and rims, after that its when it gets cleaned, this is from last year before the new bars and stem, which means it was still a 7sp rear

Viking Torino by nigelnaturist, on Flickr

Take no notice of what I wrote about the Sora RD not coping with the 28th.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Hmmmm - fitness not good!

As reg's here will know my dodgy thyroid has stopped my fitness fun.

Well, I thought I would make a little start on regaining my fitness...wish I hadn't.

Last year:

2135 miles on bike.

27 days mountain walking/scrambling with ascent of around 105000' including 12 days of over 10 hours and 1 of 15 hours.

This year (to date):

19 miles on bike (in January).

No days in mountains.

Just 4 miles of walking around the village (4 walks).

***

So last night I gets on the treadmill and did a whopping 15 minutes at a heady 3.5mph and today....

....I feel totally shattered like someone has hit me with a sledgehammer!

I think it's going to be a long slog back!

Aaaaaaargh!!!!

 

[Mo1959]

@SpokeyDokey So sorry. Sounds absolutely awful. You must be going stir crazy. Your mind wanting to start doing things again, but your body telling you it's not up to it. Really hope you start feeling some improvement soon.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@SpokeyDokey like @Mo1959 says sorry your not getting out much, just take it a step at a time, I dont think it will be as bad as you think, losing your base fitness takes about as long as it takes to get it from being unfit, so it will be there, least ways thats what I found, I know i wasn't off as long and i did go out a little in Jan-Mar

 

[Stonechat]

Hmmmm - fitness not good!
So last night I gets on the treadmill and did a whopping 15 minutes at a heady 3.5mph and today....

....I feel totally shattered like someone has hit me with a sledgehammer!

I think it's going to be a long slog back!

Aaaaaaargh!!!!

Sorry to hear that, just take it very slowly to start off with, be patient, and you will start to improve

 

[welsh dragon]

The weather is finally changing here. Thank god. Time to get out on the bike. About time.

 

[BrianEvesham]

Sorry to hear this @SpokeyDokey just take it easy.

 

[welsh dragon]

Hmmmm - fitness not good!

As reg's here will know my dodgy thyroid has stopped my fitness fun.

Well, I thought I would make a little start on regaining my fitness...wish I hadn't.

Last year:

2135 miles on bike.

27 days mountain walking/scrambling with ascent of around 105000' including 12 days of over 10 hours and 1 of 15 hours.

This year (to date):

19 miles on bike (in January).

No days in mountains.

Just 4 miles of walking around the village (4 walks).

***

So last night I gets on the treadmill and did a whopping 15 minutes at a heady 3.5mph and today....

....I feel totally shattered like someone has hit me with a sledgehammer!

I think it's going to be a long slog back!

Aaaaaaargh!!!!

Good luck.

 

[stevey]

@SpokeyDokey Small steps big gains take it easy dude

 

[Mo1959]

Beautiful morning here. Wish my back wouldn't start niggling or I could have maybe stayed out longer. Still 48 miles in the sun. Can't complain too much.

 

[Biggler]

@Mo1959 You've done 48 miles before 9am!?