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

[Typhon]

Bought myself a new mountain bike (Rockrider 8.1) so I've just taken it for a spin. Couldn't get far though as all the bridleways are just thick mud that the wheels kept getting stuck in!

http://app.strava.com/activities/44763505

Took a pic in a forest on Bredon Hill, click the thumbnail to enlarge it if you want. It's not a great pic though as I took it with my phone:



It wasn't that clean when I got back! It is now though, as am I - after much cleaning! It was great fun though and with a combination of going up muddy tracks with a 12% gradient and cycling on the road I used all the gears (except for the ones that would cross the chain of course). Glad it's a 27 speed with such a wide ranging cassette!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Got out! Bit drizzly, bit sleety and roads very wet but I am chuffed I went

Jack Frost snuck up on me and had a little go at the tops of my ears but I soon put him straight and away he went - or perhaps it just coincided with my there and back halfway turn.

Bike rinsed, bike dried but lube will have to wait until after CFC beat The Hammers (hopefully).

8.78m / 39m 54s / 13.2 average.

Hope everyone who got out had fun. If you've still got to go then hurry up; it'll soon be dark.

 

[BrianEvesham]

Just a leisurely ride of eight miles with my lad this morning, very cold again.
The sun is out this afternoon so might go out on my own.

Just back from a nice 16 mile ride in 63 mins, still cold but sunny, so that's a 24 mile total for today.

 

[BrianEvesham]

Bought myself a new mountain bike (Rockrider 8.1) so I've just taken it for a spin. Couldn't get far though as all the bridleways are just thick mud that the wheels kept getting stuck in!

I've been thinking of something like this for when I go out with the lads as the pink Apollo is to small for me.

I was thinking more the rockrider 5.0 on my budget

 

[Typhon]

A couple of days ago I did my first 16 mph average (16.1) now I just did 16.5:

http://app.strava.com/activities/44782245

I think the warm-up ride with the mountain bike helped. You can see what I was saying about the HRM suffering electrical interference though - at one point my heart rate apparently spiked to 218. It was beeping at me telling me I was about to die and I wasn't out of breath. It's done the same thing in that spot before, think it might be the power lines. Otherwise it worked fine the whole way around.

I did 3 laps and my first and third were 1 second apart, getting me a 2nd and 3rd PB on that segment. I wonder how close my second lap would have been to those two if I hadn't stopped to take a breather. I'm nothing if not consistent, not particularly fast, but consistent with it!

 

[SpokeyDokey]

A couple of days ago I did my first 16 mph average (16.1) now I just did 16.5:

http://app.strava.com/activities/44782245

I think the warm-up ride with the mountain bike helped. You can see what I was saying about the HRM suffering electrical interference though - at one point my heart rate apparently spiked to 218. It was beeping at me telling me I was about to die and I wasn't out of breath. It's done the same thing in that spot before, think it might be the power lines. Otherwise it worked fine the whole way around.

That's quick!

 

[Typhon]

I've been thinking of something like this for when I go out with the lads as the pink Apollo is to small for me.

I was thinking more the rockrider 5.0

The rockrider 5.0 looks like a good bike, I'm sure it'd do you fine for going out with your kids. The front suspension will make a nice change from being rattled to death on the triban on the roads around here! It was so nice going over the potholes and craters without having to brace myself for the shudder that goes up my spine on the Triban.

The main reason I got the 8.1 was that I am going to be taking up and down Bredon Hill and very solid suspension and disc brakes are a must for that!

 

[Reece]

A couple of days ago I did my first 16 mph average (16.1) now I just did 16.5

Nice one James.

The last few rides I've done I've finally been hitting 16mph avg. need a bit more miles in me and one of the Saturday mornings in April I'm going to go out with the 8.30am group (fastest lot) see how I get on. I've spoke to a few of them who say its not too bad and you literally get pulled along with the drafting etc. just need to pluck up the courage lol

 

[Nigelnaturist]

26C! Got a spare room I can stay in? 62 is pretty good. There's a good chart here about resting heart rates. Mine went from the mid 70s to early 50s within a few weeks of starting cycling. That's measuring it when waking up in the morning though, still in bed lying down. If you measure it after drinking caffeine or sitting up it's going to be higher. So when you wake up tomorrow take your pulse and you might be in the "athlete" bracket too, even though you probably don't even remotely feel like an athlete either!

Max heart rate is roughly 220- your age although the heart rate monitor will give you a more accurate measurement. Sometimes electrical interferement can mess with it though - mine once recorded 225 on a ride!

Mine was mid 70's in early Jan, my max according to that formula should be 171 I maxed at 175 on Friday, I am a record of it at 183 but I think thats an anomaly, I havent apart from that got a recording of more than 175.
Again not had much time to read through most of the posts other than a quick glance, well done everyone that braving the weather, it wasn't so bad here again. The met said winds of 8mpg southerly's though I doubt they were more than 3.5mph S.W.
again I planned a route to have the wind behind me on the homeward section.
simon still beat me on these section when he did it the other day.

Barnsdale Wood by well over a minute.
a nice improvement on this since Nov Tractor race 1'10" quicker.
and a 1 min quicker on this Campsall Hill and again Simon is much faster by nearly a min.
a couple of other p.b's
The route I had planned was going to take me down a bridle path, so had to do a slight diversion.
http://app.strava.com/activities/44770676
The ride I did yesterday was actually more difficult even though i did nearly 6 miles more today, but it the first 50+km ride i have done in nearly a month. Sort of getting used the the clipless pedals and apart from one day in the last 11 days I have been out riding (since the 26/2/13) they have all been above 14mph.
I am not sure what I did to improve things as there was so many little things, from the gears (change from 26/13 to 24/11 on the rear) to a little weight reduction, greasing the rear hub new gear cables (shifting is better)
Next thing are the wheels hoping to try and get some of these Fulcrum Racing 7, opinions anyone I can't afford more than this.

 

[monkeylc]

they look nice,thats the main thing

 

[Typhon]

Nice one James.

The last few rides I've done I've finally been hitting 16mph avg. need a bit more miles in me and one of the Saturday mornings in April I'm going to go out with the 8.30am group (fastest lot) see how I get on. I've spoke to a few of them who say its not too bad and you literally get pulled along with the drafting etc. just need to pluck up the courage lol

Cheers. I wouldn't worry about the fast group, I've read quite a few times on here that riding in a closely grouped pack adds 2-3 mph to your speed so if you can do above 16 average on your own you should be fine up to 20 average. What would worry me would be the need to be a few inches from someone's back wheel at that speed. Especially at 8:30 when I'm not quite awake yet.

Mine was mid 70's in early Jan, my max according to that formula should be 171 I maxed at 175 on Friday, I am a record of it at 183 but I think thats an anomaly, I havent apart from that got a recording of more than 175.

Next thing are the wheels hoping to try and get some of these Fulcrum Racing 7, opinions anyone I can't afford more than this .

Yeah it's not a perfect formula but it does get you pretty close to the right one. I've hit a couple of heart beats above what my maximum should be but no more other than the crazy 215+ electrical interferences.

Fulcrum 5 and 7s are very rated on here and a lot of people use them as a training wheel. That's a fantastic price for them there. If I had ran campag I would buy a pair myself at that price.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Cheers. I wouldn't worry about the fast group, I've read quite a few times on here that riding in a closely grouped pack adds 2-3 mph to your speed so if you can do above 16 average on your own you should be fine up to 20 average. What would worry me would be the need to be a few inches from someone's back wheel at that speed. Especially at 8:30 when I'm not quite awake yet.



Yeah it's not a perfect formula but it does get you pretty close to the right one. I've hit a couple of heart beats above what my maximum should be but no more other than the crazy 215+ electrical interferences.

Fulcrum 5 and 7s are very rated on here and a lot of people use them as a training wheel. That's a fantastic price for them there. If I had ran campag I would buy a pair myself at that price.

Glad you pointed that out, all this house stuff is dulling the senses. Mind I did get a picture on explore on flickr for those that know what that is.

Wakefield Cathedral by nigelnaturist, on Flickr

 

[Eribiste]

I had another ride around Bredon Hill today, first time out for two weeks! (Lazy or what?) Shared part of the ride with someone on a carbon fibre Corratec something or other, quite nice to have a bit of company for a change, and it does seem to make the ride easier. The lack of action tells though, I was 1 mph off the pace, so I've got some work to do!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I had another ride around Bredon Hill today, first time out for two weeks! (Lazy or what?) Shared part of the ride with someone on a carbon fibre Corratec something or other, quite nice to have a bit of company for a change, and it does seem to make the ride easier. The lack of action tells though, I was 1 mph off the pace, so I've got some work to do!

Theres the thing I take time off I am usually quicker, or I find it easier. Mind I wouldn't want to take much more than 2 wks off. though my heart rate is usually higher for a few rides

 

[AndyPeace]

Really nice afternoon out here today. Had hoped to be out most of today but haven't been well the last few days, so stayed in bed. Managed to get out for a very enjoyable ride. traffic, but of the super considerate type, lots of cyclists out, my favorite of which was a family descending Hatfield Bank, with an 8/9 year old girl shouting 'come on mum, I'm winning'. Great Sunshine and glorious countryside views. Bit of a random route but was never particularly lost. I also had not realised there are deer near me, around Croome. Got home a little sweaty and surprised at my speed, though Worcestershire is pretty flat. Throat feels a bit cut up but 'illness feel' of achy bones, loss of appetite, persistent grumpiness have all passed... so I guess the ride did me good!
http://app.strava.com/activities/44801293