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

[Nigelnaturist]

Get the new tires fitted ok?

I got the rear on with some trouble last night, not done the front waiting for some park tyre levers, I put enough marks on the rear rim with metal levers. Mo suggested using a hair dryer to warm the rubber first, I might try that when I do it. The front tyre hasn't given me mucg trouble really, though it much newer than the rear only about 2,000 on the front.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

So it looks like I need to maybe think about getting a hole drilled, if one doesn't exist underneath the black cable guide, and getting it done under the hole of the Praxis, or I need to really stop the water getting in the first place, chief culprit looking like that open slot at the back & top of the seatpost, under the collar.



Haha I clean it, silver looks horrible when its dirty

I keep mine stuffed with waterproof grease.

 

[AndyPeace]

Bike is sorted! The shop invited me into the workshop to watch the work being done too. I was a little miffed that they'd not mentioned the trim on the derailier. I know that sounds a bit fickle, but I did say when I first went in that I'd never ridden a road bike, then again when I did the test rides and when I collected the bike to. You'd have thought they'd have twigged when I came back the first time complaining that I could only get 4 or 5 gears on each chairing. I raised a few points about where I thought my experince of the shop had gone sour and we're back on good terms. Having pondered returning the bike last night, I just wouldn't be able to, it's just too nice. Gear issues aside, everytime I see it, I just want to go for a ride!

They re tuned the gears, as even with the trim function some gears still were not shifting, took it out for another test ride before they checked it on the stand again. I stood over the bike and asked the question, "what's wrong with this bike? other than it's amateur rider" . He look a little puzzled, lol so I pointed to the bar tape. It's not the colour (I knew I'd be cleaning it every ride) it just looks like a three year old did it and I think it spoils what is a beautiful bike. They're going to redo it but I held off as I am pondering reversing the colours and having black tape and white hoods. Pictures will follow, if I get any time off the bike

 

[Mo1959]

Oh yes, and I'M BEATING MO ON THE AUGUST CHALLENGE!!!

Ha, ha...........that won't be hard. Haven't entered it and haven't been out today!

 

[Nomadski]

Bike is sorted! The shop invited me into the workshop to watch the work being done too. I was a little miffed that they'd not mentioned the trim on the derailier. I know that sounds a bit fickle, but I did say when I first went in that I'd never ridden a road bike, then again when I did the test rides and when I collected the bike to. You'd have thought they'd have twigged when I came back the first time complaining that I could only get 4 or 5 gears on each chairing. I raised a few points about where I thought my experince of the shop had gone sour and we're back on good terms. Having pondered returning the bike last night, I just wouldn't be able to, it's just too nice. Gear issues aside, everytime I see it, I just want to go for a ride!

They re tuned the gears, as even with the trim function some gears still were not shifting, took it out for another test ride before they checked it on the stand again. I stood over the bike and asked the question, "what's wrong with this bike? other than it's amateur rider" . He look a little puzzled, lol so I pointed to the bar tape. It's not the colour (I knew I'd be cleaning it every ride) it just looks like a three year old did it and I think it spoils what is a beautiful bike. They're going to redo it but I held off as I am pondering reversing the colours and having black tape and white hoods. Pictures will follow, if I get any time off the bike

Glad your sorted and happy, but yeah.....PICS!

The trimming took me quite a while to get the hang of too, wasn't told by anyone about them, actually thought my bike was defective taking two clicks to move the chainrings!! Even now it takes a few seconds of hearing 'clackety clack' before I use the trim.

Hope the bikes ills are now in the past, and you get years of great service from it.

(Pics please!)

 

[BrianEvesham]

Yes Andy, we need pics!



(Please).

 

[Nomadski]

We need to make some Beginners Thread Law on not being able to mention the purchase and receipt of a brand new working bike and not have an accompanying photo. We need a Sin Bin Thread.

 

[RWright]

I had white bar tape one time, all I will say is it is not for me. Only black for me now. White looks great but with me that last about an hour, maybe two.

 

[fivepence]

The getaway challenge up and running , will see how the month goes

http://app.strava.com/activities/71457281

 

[MaxInc]

I had white bar tape one time, all I will say is it is not for me. Only black for me now. White looks great but with me that last about an hour, maybe two.

From all the components on the bike, I enjoy scrubbing the white tape the least, is also probably the most time consuming. I need clean gloves for the task and usually I end up smearing some grease when I take it off the stand I do like the texture and feel of the original tape and I might have found a source for the black equivalent. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cdale-Synapse-Bar-Tape-13VHG7437/dp/B00DTSHZI0

 

[Creakyknee]

First decent ride on new bike, pleased with a 17 mph average over nearly 40 miles with a bit of climbing chucked in, had to force myself to stop for an icecream as it was muggy hot : )
http://app.strava.com/activities/71437964

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I was a little disappointed at first with my average, not sure it being having put the mudguards back on the wind (a little bit of a stiff s.w.) or the new tyre or a combo of all of then, then I checked the climb rate which was 53.23ft/mile and the actual difficulty of the ride was quite high, and I wasn't really working to hard, so the avg of 14.73mph over the 37.5miles is ok.
http://app.strava.com/activities/71495246
and set 6 new p.b's.

To put it in some sort of context, when I rode 100 miles two weeks ago the overall difficult for the two rides was 106.32 and the difficulty per mile was 1.05, today's ride for the 37.5 miles the difficulty was 81.46 and per mile it was 2.17.

 

[RWright]

I was a little disappointed at first with my average, not sure it being having put the mudguards back on the wind (a little bit of a stiff s.w.) or the new tyre or a combo of all of then, then I checked the climb rate which was 53.23ft/mile and the actual difficulty of the ride was quite high, and I wasn't really working to hard, so the avg of 14.73mph over the 37.5miles is ok.
http://app.strava.com/activities/71495246
and set 6 new p.b's.

To put it in some sort of context, when I rode 100 miles two weeks ago the overall difficult for the two rides was 106.32 and the difficulty per mile was 1.05, today's ride for the 37.5 miles the difficulty was 81.46 and per mile it was 2.17.

14.75 mph over any distance is fine in my book, anything over 10 mph is alright with me. I try more to keep my low speed above 10 mph than anything else I do. I don't always have success but it is one of the things I work on.

 

[RWright]

I got the rear on with some trouble last night, not done the front waiting for some park tyre levers, I put enough marks on the rear rim with metal levers. Mo suggested using a hair dryer to warm the rubber first, I might try that when I do it. The front tyre hasn't given me mucg trouble really, though it much newer than the rear only about 2,000 on the front.

I have much more trouble with the rear, rarely I get a flat on the front. I think I am going to use my Maxxis Refuse set on the rear of each bike and something softer on front. I have been doing this some just seeing how it handled and I can't tell much difference.

 

[Mo1959]

I was a little disappointed at first with my average, not sure it being having put the mudguards back on the wind (a little bit of a stiff s.w.) or the new tyre or a combo of all of then, then I checked the climb rate which was 53.23ft/mile and the actual difficulty of the ride was quite high, and I wasn't really working to hard, so the avg of 14.73mph over the 37.5miles is ok.
http://app.strava.com/activities/71495246
and set 6 new p.b's.

To put it in some sort of context, when I rode 100 miles two weeks ago the overall difficult for the two rides was 106.32 and the difficulty per mile was 1.05, today's ride for the 37.5 miles the difficulty was 81.46 and per mile it was 2.17.

Climbing always knocks the speed back a bit Nigel. Seems pretty good to me.

At least you got out unlike me! Seems much darker this morning. Not sure if it's about to pour again or if it's just the mornings getting darker. Kind of lost my mojo a bit. Will go out but don't think I'll go all that far. I've lost the desire to do big distances at the moment for some reason.

Still, even between an hour and two hours decent exercise is still far more than most of the population do I suppose.