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

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Learnincurve

Senior Member
Location
Chesterfield
New bike day! Well, new to me anyway, I got a Ridgeback speed 2010 for £150 - the rack and mud guards were lost at some point, but that's not a massive problem. The difference between a bike that cost £320 new and the cheapo bikes I've been riding is staggering as is how much air I have back after 4 days of not smoking. Annoyed with myself because I did a decent time but kept forgetting to pause so I walked up a hill chatting to a friend and then spent a while giving stuff to the scrap men which was all recorded, embarrassingly, even with that it showed I got my fastest average speed.
 

welsh dragon

Thanks but no thanks. I think I'll pass.
New bike day! Well, new to me anyway, I got a Ridgeback speed 2010 for £150 - the rack and mud guards were lost at some point, but that's not a massive problem. The difference between a bike that cost £320 new and the cheapo bikes I've been riding is staggering as is how much air I have back after 4 days of not smoking. Annoyed with myself because I did a decent time but kept forgetting to pause so I walked up a hill chatting to a friend and then spent a while giving stuff to the scrap men which was all recorded, embarrassingly, even with that it showed I got my fastest average speed.

Congratulations on the new bike and for staying off the fags for 4 days. Well done on both counts
 

Kins

Über Member
I went out for a ride with my eldest son today. He is 19 years old, unemployed and needs to get out of the house more. When we last went out a couple of months ago, he was faster than me. Now I am faster than him.^_^ This was probably the furthest he has cycled, but he said he enjoyed it. Hopefully I can get him to come out with me more often.
http://www.strava.com/activities/157950976

Nice ride. Get the lazy bugger out more! probably helps you to!
 
@Mo1959 I had to have a metal plate (and screws obviously) put into my left ulnar when it was shortened to stop my wrist constantly dislocation (something it used to do 20-30 times a day). I didn't get on with the metal plate at all unfortunately. They had planned to leave it in permanently but after 12 months it was removed because it was visible through my skin! :eek: Needless to say it caused me pain as well but it was preferable to the alternative. The metal is very strong so I suspect you won't have a problem and in all likelihood the collarbone will not be an issue and will be stronger with it in place and withstand you hitting more sheep better than your other collarbone will! :biggrin:
 

Goonerobes

Its okay to be white
Location
Wiltshire
I wasn't expecting to see one of these on my ride today!
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http://www.strava.com/activities/157984913
 

Kins

Über Member
http://www.strava.com/activities/157996455 Slow!

Pretty much climbing all day. Didn't stop except to buy a drink at a shop because I hadn't expected to go for a ride, only went to the Post Office, and only had filled one water bottle.

The backward third is down hill, through a woodland cycle path. It was like being rained on. Midges by the hundred slapping my face. Nice ride, though a bit boring. Thought the road wasn't as built up as it was so hidden views.
 
Location
Pontefract
@Kins depends what you call MTB cassette as road ones go up to 32th these days, and its not cheating its gearing a bike to your ability, and when you get better you will find you can lower the gearing and have a closer grouping, which is better for riding in windy conditions as you can always find a gear you can spin in, rather than one being to high the other too low.
There are so many configurations it is bewildering sometimes.
 

Kins

Über Member
No, its a mountain bike cassette. 11-34 XT M770.
 
Location
Pontefract
No, its a mountain bike cassette. 11-34 XT M770.
Your not getting me, :smile: mind you not many do. :crazy:
The point I am making is a cassette is a cassette (M.T.B. cassette's used to be referred to as Touring cassettes).
:stop: and ignore the following if you want.

I can gear a bike anyway I want , start at either 11/12/13 and anything up to 32 currently I don't have one larger (or lower in terms of gearing), I can if need be swap the 105 Rd which will do 32th to a Alivio which will do a 34th (but as i said I dont have one) but for example if I did I could go 13/15/17/19/21/23/26/30/34, using combination of rear cogs from what is classed a road cassette and MTB one, so what would you call it. You didn't say what your front is for example a 34x34 is a 1:1 ratio as is a 28x28 same gearing, so instead of such a large rear you would be starting off with a a 28th large rear, ( mine currently is 30x28), now most FD will do a 22th triple eg. 30/42/52 or 16th double eg. 34/50 now a 50x13 is a little short for most road bikes so start at 50x12 and its 109" my 52x13 is 105"
so a triple with a 50/40/28 front and a 28 to 12 rear gives a range of 26" to 109" with a 9 sp this could be 12/13/14/15/17/19/21/24/28 pretty good stepping.
on a compact double 50/34 you would need a 12-34 to give the same range 12-34 (but I cant see one) so 11/13/15/17/20/23/26/30/34 some pretty big jumps in there at the higher end.
My current set up, is 52/40/30 and 13/14/15/16/17/19/21/24/28, with the ability to drop the 16 and put a 32 instead ( though I would need to change the chain as it is set up for a 27 large rear)
the 13-32 would give a range of 24" to 105" ( I start to spin out beyond 30mph on 105") but in all honesty there is nothing around here I can't get up on my current set up.

I did come across a quote that a granny gear is anything less than 24" if this is right a compact double can not possible have a granny gear and most road triples are unlikely to have one unless geared for touring.
Also I tend to spin a 40x15-19 which is a pretty straight chain line on my middle ring (and a choice of 4 gears) compared with either 13/14/15 on a 34 front or 19/21/24 on a 50th front both towards either end of the cassette, for most of my riding I could get away with a 52/39 double as my current set up only has two gears lower, if I regeared it for example a 52/39 and a 13/14/15/17/19/21/23/26/30 there would only be 6" between my current low of 28" and the 34" of a 39x30 or even a 52/36 (I would need a compact chainset) front the 36x30 giving 31" which is only 3" shorter.
 
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Kins

Über Member
No, its a mountain bike or touring cassette. It was designed for mountain biking by Shimano. Lower spec like Alvio, is a catch all groupset, for anything from town bikes / hybrids / tourers/mountain bike/ etc. Just because you can use it outside what it was designed for, doesn't make it that.

Its like saying my car is a van because I once carried furniture in it. (I don't have a car or a van.) Or you can use a TV as a monitor, doesn't make it a monitor, its still a TV! :smile:

Yes I did read the large paragraphs. Going that deeply into gears doesn't interest me much. Long as I have a high gear for the fast bits and a low gear for the hills and the rest are spaced pretty evenly, it will do for me. :thumbsup:
 
Location
Pontefract
No, its a mountain bike or touring cassette. It was designed for mountain biking by Shimano. Lower spec like Alvio, is a catch all groupset, for anything from town bikes / hybrids / tourers/mountain bike/ etc. Just because you can use it outside what it was designed for, doesn't make it that.

Its like saying my car is a van because I once carried furniture in it. (I don't have a car or a van.) Or you can use a TV as a monitor, doesn't make it a monitor, its still a TV! :smile:

Yes I did read the large paragraphs. Going that deeply into gears doesn't interest me much. Long as I have a high gear for the fast bits and a low gear for the hills and the rest are spaced pretty evenly, it will do for me. :thumbsup:
a bit like a garmin isn't a bouncy ball :whistle:
 
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