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

[Nigelnaturist]

Well I have just ordered an HG50 12-25 8sp cassette, (12-13-15-17-19-21-23-25) this will give the option of 11,12,13 locking cog, and fix the gap I have between 18-21, I think I will try 13-15-17-19-21-23-25, i am hoping to try a Cat3 later (well strava says it's one) and try not using the 28th I currently have, so that would mean using the 24 with my 30 as my lowest gear.

 

[Phoenix Lincs]

Did my longest ride at 70 miles. The last 20 were really, really hard, but I'm happy that I managed it!

http://app.strava.com/activities/54920840

Does anybody have any advice about back ache? I get it quite bad on longer rides. :/

Fab you did so far. Congrats. That's my next target distance

Less fab re backache. Stretching and a massage should help, and maybe a bike fit if it stays a problem

 

[Nomadski]

^^ Definitely a bike fit issue imo, as I suffer from lower back ache regularly, but have never experienced any back ache while on any rides, there's been a few 50 milers in there. Now wrist ache and neck ache I DO get! So Im in for a bike fit next month too!

 

[Phoenix Lincs]

^^ Definitely a bike fit issue imo, as I suffer from lower back ache regularly, but have never experienced any back ache while on any rides, there's been a few 50 milers in there. Now wrist ache and neck ache I DO get! So Im in for a bike fit next month too!

Hope you get the set up right, should make a big difference.

Not forgotten about checking autofeed to Strava, just not made it to my computer yet having been away from home for some time

 

[Nomadski]

Hope you get the set up right, should make a big difference.

Not forgotten about checking autofeed to Strava, just not made it to my computer yet having been away from home for some time

I tried the autosync thing thru a website as well, but it didnt sync. It did say it could take up to 15 minutes but I was impatient and uploaded myself to Strava before that so have yet to give it a real go.

 

[antnee]

Well only really started riding a road bike again in Feb13 after a long lay off I think I'm doing ok at avg 13.1mph Most of the time ! as you can see here on this link http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1332284 where I did go a bit faster But have to admit to getting off and walking for 200 yards at one point as the hill was just too much at a 10.3% max grade. Still I will pace myself better next time as now know the hill and not go at it like a bull in a china shop.
By the way the ride with gps site is excellent if you have a garmin as you can upload your route as soon as you get back and its seems you can work out your heart rate and upload your cadence too from the up market garmins and cateye products it seems But I'm doing ok for and OAP and it prevents me from doing all the DIY indoors As if the sun just comes out I shoot off for a quick cycle And to think I didn't think I would take to riding a drop bar bike again But I'm up for any rides I hope to crack the century in one day By riding to some point and back without suffering the next day with aching legs So far I have done about 77 miles in a day but did suffer for it the next day so more practice is needed and a tried and trust method for hills.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

10.37m / 14.62 mph av'.

Steady ride with a series of long climbs lasting about 3 miles - went on and on and on!

Taking it easy this week as I have a major day planned in the mountains on Sunday this week and I will need plenty of energy in reserve for it!

Take it easy everyone.

 

[RWright]

I was looking at the new flickr layout (jury is still out on that one), and came across this I posted.

nigel by nigelnaturist, on Flickr

cooool bike, banana seat, rear rack, sissy bar, ape hanger handlebars AND a shifter on the top tube

I always wanted a Schwinn String Ray but they were very pricey and my parents knew better than to let me loose with gears and hand brakes. I was rough on the equipment as a kid too, believe it or not.

I did get a purple Sears 20 inch Spyder bike with banana seat and ape hangers, it had a coaster brake, regular size front wheel and rigid front fork and no gears. Of course I removed the fenders (mudguards) , fenders were for girls . It was like a tank and I put it thru its paces with tons of miles, many of them on just the back wheel . I was able to find a longer front fork (purple too ) so I was able to do some minor mods to it. My bike was definitely the better choice for me at that stage of my riding career.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Well I did it my first ever Cat3 climb
A642 Horbury Bridge Climb
I am not last either. 125th out of 159, it's also the biggest single climb I have done @ 609ft 3.4 miles in 21:33 @ 9.5mph, and I didn't use the 28th gear.
5 p.b's to boot as well.
These two I like
Oriental To Ponty Barracks from 12.7mph to 13.7mph 9's quicker, 0.5mile avg grade 1.8% just out side the top 40% @ 40.3%
Climb through Sharlston from 13.8mph to 15.3mph 14's quicker, 0.6miles avg grade 2.1% inside the top 25%
I also scalped two road bikes on this one, though to be honest they may have been older than me
I almost had another on this segment towards the end of it but he turned off, 2 mile sprint
But I do hurt at the mo.

 

[Mo1959]

Nice one Nigel. Lets hope all this hard work pays off!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Nice one Nigel. Lets hope all this hard work pays off!

Thanks, I wasn't disappointed with my speed really, though I just created a segment to see most of the home section, 16.3miles in 1:06:07 avg 14.79mph (plus 2:47 to nip into a post office), had a bit of headwind 7mph according to Garmin which was a N.E. that would have effected the ride somewhat.
Edit---- It was a little bit Mo (comment on strava)

 

[Mo1959]

Thanks, I wasn't disappointed with my speed really, though I just created a segment to see most of the home section, 16.3miles in 1:06:07 avg 14.79mph (plus 2:47 to nip into a post office), had a bit of headwind 7mph according to Garmin which was a N.E. that would have effected the ride somewhat.
Edit---- It was a little bit Mo (comment on strava)

It's hard to get good speeds at the same time as longer distances and/or climbs too. I am usually content with one or the other.

 

[AndyPeace]

Swapped the stem to a shorter one as my shoulders always feel a bit rounded forward. The Hybrid feels like it's handling much better and I can control a sharper turn better, surprised me, as I've run this shorter stem before and found the bike felt jittery, though that was a few years back and I cycled less then. I forgot to adjust the saddle though after fitting the stem and ended up with a really sore lower back. Shifting the saddle back a little seems to have ended the pain. Nice enough day today, though the Sun has only just made it out, so I guess that's my call for an evening ride!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

It's hard to get good speeds at the same time as longer distances and/or climbs too. I am usually content with one or the other.

Likewise but they do come, I think taking most of last week off helped. When I think back to what I was like on hills just at the beginning of the year, I could never dream I would be using a 30x24, 32.88" (34x28 on a compact double) to climb a Cat3, (mind the thought of climbing a Cat3 was just a dream).
From what i can work out from the data the lowest was 6.6mph @ 63r.p.m. which I think works out to be 35.2" or a 30x22 (34x25) combo.
It was along 0.3 mile section with an avg grade of 7.1% (it fluctuates alot on strava) it peaks I think something like 12-13%.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Swapped the stem to a shorter one as my shoulders always feel a bit rounded forward. The Hybrid feels like it's handling much better and I can control a sharper turn better, surprised me, as I've run this shorter stem before and found the bike felt jittery, though that was a few years back and I cycled less then. I forgot to adjust the saddle though after fitting the stem and ended up with a really sore lower back. Shifting the saddle back a little seems to have ended the pain. Nice enough day today, though the Sun has only just made it out, so I guess that's my call for an evening ride!

It rained here, for a short while.