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

[themosquitoking]

@RWright

The steamer I have got is a Morphy Richards 48755 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Morphy-Rich...e=UTF8&qid=1372964438&sr=8-1&keywords=steamer loads of good reviews. I've just had steak with broccoli, new potatoes , carrots and greens.

You steamed a steak??? There is a new level of hell just opened up.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

No getting out today - rained all morning. Stuff to do in the afternoon plus I was on tea duty again. Jacket potatoes tonight with barbie beans and fish fingers mashed into them + lovely bottle of Bordeaux. We think we have really made it in life when we eat & drink as well as this. We are currently eyeing up the remaining Drambuie which I don't think will see another sunrise.

Fettled my bike today:

When I got it it had dreadful squealing brakes cue long saga resulting in replacing road cartridges with longer V cartridges with Ashima pads. Squeal was banished for nigh on 700 miles.

On Monday's ride the brakes were as silent as the proverbial church mouse. Put Bikey to bed and he stayed in the warm (big oil boiler down there) garage until yesterday. On I hops ready to whizz and as I went down our steep drive the front brake began howling. This continued through the ride leaving my sanity in about to crack mode

How does that happen? I mean what changed overnight?

Anyway, this morning I put my fettling hat on and cleaned the rim and pad faces. Still squealed. Removed wheel and sanded pads. Still squealed. Dug spare pads out of my 'spares' box and whopped them on. No squeal! Lovely!

Brake pads - temperamental!

 

[Mo1959]

@SpokeyDokey Showing my age. The barbie beans confused me for a minute. Was thinking about the barbie doll. Lol. Not that I had one. Was too much of a tomboy growing up.

 

[madferret]

So fairly eventful ride, was happily bumbling along when some weirdo approached me and asked if I wanted to buy half price vodka, think I knew him as a local idiot, thought nothing more of it but then 100 yards further along the canal, was a girl unconscious in the bushes, half on the tow path, obviously very vulnerable and also very drunk

What was annoying about this was that A) I couldn't leave her in such a place/state B) 8 Male adult runners had ran past her and ignored her totally.

Luckily a Cyclist was approaching from the other way and I asked if he minded checking she was OK with me, as I was concerned that it could be a bike stealing trap or in this day and age, of getting accused of something. To cut a long story short the police (who I called) eventually arrived and took her home, just glad she met me and an absolute gentleman of a cyclist instead of someone with bad intentions, not to mention the fact she couldn't walk unaided and was next to a canal!

Here is the ride, obviously the timings are all weird due to the events mentioned above!

http://app.strava.com/activities/64772560

 

[SWSteve]

So fairly eventful ride, was happily bumbling along when some weirdo approached me and asked if I wanted to buy half price vodka, think I knew him as a local idiot, thought nothing more of it but then 100 yards further along the canal, was a girl unconscious in the bushes, half on the tow path, obviously very vulnerable and also very drunk

What was annoying about this was that A) I couldn't leave her in such a place/state B) 8 Male adult runners had ran past her and ignored her totally.

Luckily a Cyclist was approaching from the other way and I asked if he minded checking she was OK with me, as I was concerned that it could be a bike stealing trap or in this day and age, of getting accused of something. To cut a long story short the police (who I called) eventually arrived and took her home, just glad she met me and an absolute gentleman of a cyclist instead of someone with bad intentions, not to mention the fact she couldn't walk unaided and was next to a canal!

Here is the ride, obviously the timings are all weird due to the events mentioned above!

http://app.strava.com/activities/64772560

Well done on being a proper member of society, and a double well done on getting a 5th overall time on a segment!

 

[Mo1959]

@madferret. Nice ride and well done on being a caring citizen. Its sad how people don't want to get involved nowadays but also understandable as it could have been a ploy of some sort.

 

[madferret]

Well done on being a proper member of society, and a double well done on getting a 5th overall time on a segment!

Lol, that segment is a silly downwards cut through from canal to riverside! Thanks for replies, it is hard to know what one should do in such a situation, thankfully all was well in the end.

 

[shelliemac]

Had a fun evening cycle with my chum. 9miles today but some really random elevation gain that wasnt on the same route as yesterday. Makes me look good so not gonna complain lol.

Time for a soak in bath then head to bed.

Hello/goodnight to you all

 

[jessculter]

I used to love cycling when I was a kid. Cycled my 5 speed sun solo 5 miles home from the bike shop in the next town when I was 13.

Turning 40 next year and have an 8 month old daughter which was the kick up the butt I needed to get fit.

Done my first commute to work 6 weeks ago, around 11 miles, and have done 2 or 3 every week since when time allows.

Started off around the hour mark averaging 10 miles and hour, now down to 45 mins and averaged 13 miles an hour on my last ride.

Have a cannondale fatty with schwalbe Kojak tyres.

 

[RWright]

I was mostly lazy and did nothing all day but went out for a late evening ride. I got to the top of the first hill in my neighborhood and saw two guys setting up what looked at first glance like an antiaircraft installation. I realized pretty quickly it was some serious fireworks. Since I was just leaving I became a little stressed when one of the guys said hi. My only reply was " I am going to miss the show ! " The other fellow told me I better hurry up.

It was a breezy ride but I didn't waste much time trying to get back. When I got back to the yet unopened two mile section of bypass highway near my house, the sky lit up. These were big fireworks, watching them blast off and explode over the tops of the tall pines while I had the highway all to myself made for a very fun ride. I got back to my neighborhood and several other neighbors had large amounts of fireworks as well. I watched fireworks for about an hour, a very relaxing nice day. I also found out last nights city/county fireworks display was put off until Sunday because of rain. Looks like I might have a Sunday evening riding destination out to the airport area to see them as well.

 

[Mo1959]

@RWright Sounds like a fun ride watching the fireworks

Up at the crack of dawn here as usual. Sky is looking a bit threatening, very dark and the wind seems to be really strong again. Trees are blowing about quite a bit.

Oh well, I am up now. Maybe I will just have a potter around some of the little side roads and see if I can find a bit of shelter out of the worst of it.

 

[Mo1959]

Well, my potter about the local roads turned into a bit of a hill climbing morning, so winds plus climbs meant a very slow average but it's all good training.......I think.

Went a bit further than I intended too and didn't have anything to eat or drink with me. Enjoying my breakfast now though.

http://app.strava.com/activities/64841571

 

[madferret]

Well, my potter about the local roads turned into a bit of a hill climbing morning, so winds plus climbs meant a very slow average but it's all good training.......I think.

Went a bit further than I intended too and didn't have anything to eat or drink with me. Enjoying my breakfast now though.

http://app.strava.com/activities/64841571

Wow, that was some ride, impressive stuff!

 

[SamC]

The small hills (practically non-existent, actually) of south Manchester feel like nothing compared to cycling up the hill leading out of Zante town in 35 degree heat on holiday. It has obviously done something for my legs (or confidence) as I’m pootling along with ease in a much higher gear lately.

30 miles on the Transpennine trail yesterday. I had to turn back as I hadn’t taken a drink out with me and probably hadn’t eaten enough (trying to compensate for holiday excess and the fact that all of my work clothes are now rather tight), and didn’t want to end up with jelly legs in the middle of Manchester in rush hour. Very relaxing cycling alone. Cycling with other people is overrated .

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Glorious weather in Leicester. 36 mile ride into work today, hardly any wind, per GPS I hit 16mph, Strava as usual stole some of the speed from me

Definitely getting used to the new hybrid. @Mo1959 The Nimbus tyres seem fine, done circa 650 miles on them now and (fingers crossed) no issues so far

http://app.strava.com/activities/64843852