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

[Mo1959]

Lovely and sunny here, very chilly and windy though. So just a little pootle to knock off some more climbing for the Veulta challenge was the plan, I got a bit carried away

http://www.strava.com/activities/80638834

Well done

At the rate I'm going I can't see me finishing it. Didn't start till the 3rd day and having today off as well.

Don't know why you didn't do it for the last climbing challenge. You would have finished it easily the rate you're going.

 

[Mo1959]

@Mo1959 I'm crediting you for this ! Previous best MPH ~12.3 I think. http://www.strava.com/activities/80640375 14.1 MPH!! Next to no hills in the ride ride though, just gentle inclines but I'm still happy with it.

The 'twitchy' steering is fixed, cheers.

However this is happening, it has been for a while and I thought just tightening the top allen bolt fixed it last time but it hasn't recently. This is a video of me holding the front brake on and moving the frame forward.



I could just take it in for it's first free service but I'd like to learn what's wrong, I'd need to if I'm going to be keeping this up for a long time

Are you sure you are definitely tightening up the top stem bolt reasonably firmly first before you are tightening up the two lower ones? Even to someone of limited mechanical knowledge I would say there is far too much play there.

 

[Biggler]

Are you sure you are definitely tightening up the top stem bolt reasonably firmly first before you are tightening up the two lower ones?

I'm not sure now! I thought I did, I'll re do it when I'm next out in the garage.. slacken everything, tighten top bolt, then other two.

Thanks again.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Well done

At the rate I'm going I can't see me finishing it. Didn't start till the 3rd day and having today off as well.

Don't know why you didn't do it for the last climbing challenge. You would have finished it easily the rate you're going.

Not a chance of doing the other one, wasn't that something like 3000 feet a day? Most I have done so far is 2,600 and I am finding it very hard work, I still think I am going to need the full 15 days.

You can soon make it up, you don't need to go far to knock the climbs out, I have to bike 10 miles before I hit a decent climb, I think I will need to do a 350-400 mile week next week to finish it.

 

[Boon 51]

Chucked it down all night with strong winds here too. There will be lots of standing water on the roads. Wind looks to have dropped a bit but it is very overcast and looks like the heavens could open again any time. I don't mind getting caught in it once I have been out for a while but I hate setting off in bad weather.

Day off me thinks.

Same here.... a day off today, mind you I need it riding up and down all them hills

 

[Twotter]

Earlier this year I set myself a cycling target of riding home from work...doesn't sound much but there are a few hilly bits, a busy ring road and a housing estate with a bad reputation to negotiate. This morning Mrs Twotter dropped me off outside the office and I did it.

17.2 miles in 1hr 15mins, with 194 ft of elevation (that's like Mont Ventoux to this Fenlander).

I'm officially chuffed to bits and am loving my cycling

 

[Stonechat]

@Mo1959 I'm crediting you for this ! Previous best MPH ~12.3 I think. http://www.strava.com/activities/80640375 14.1 MPH!! Next to no hills in the ride ride though, just gentle inclines but I'm still happy with it.

The 'twitchy' steering is fixed, cheers.

However this is happening, it has been for a while and I thought just tightening the top allen bolt fixed it last time but it hasn't recently. This is a video of me holding the front brake on and moving the frame forward.



I could just take it in for it's first free service but I'd like to learn what's wrong, I'd need to if I'm going to be keeping this up for a long time

It looks as though something is missing, though it can't be it would be still on the stem.

 

[Stonechat]

Not a chance of doing the other one, wasn't that something like 3000 feet a day? Most I have done so far is 2,600 and I am finding it very hard work, I still think I am going to need the full 15 days.

You can soon make it up, you don't need to go far to knock the climbs out, I have to bike 10 miles before I hit a decent climb, I think I will need to do a 350-400 mile week next week to finish it.

I do need to improve my performance on hills, though this is out of my league. I only need to go 4-5miles to hita hill - Egham Hill though.

 

[fatCyclist]

2nd day back from my injury and using my new Sirrus. The bike is infinitely more comfortable than the Triban. I can even tolerate the saddle that came with it

My stamina is extremely low after having the last few months of sitting at a desk and no exercise. But it's still nice to be out on the bike.

Juat a small circuit, 3.5 miles, with a very slow average speed. Partly due to strong head wind going, and a lack of stamina to benefit on the way back. It's 4 minutes slower than my last ride before I hurt my leg, but it still feels like progress.

https://www.strava.com/activities/80668266

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I do need to improve my performance on hills, though this is out of my league. I only need to go 4-5miles to hita hill - Egham Hill though.

I am useless going up them, if the gradient goes over 5% I am like a fish out of water, I am getting better at them though, the "big" one this morning hit 16% at one point and I went over it, down the other side, turned round and came back up it again, luckily coming at it from the other way it maxs out at around 9%.

As soon as this challenge is over, I will be back to flat rides.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

2nd day back from my injury and using my new Sirrus. The bike is infinitely more comfortable than the Triban. I can even tolerate the saddle that came with it

My stamina is extremely low after having the last few months of sitting at a desk and no exercise. But it's still nice to be out on the bike.

Juat a small circuit, 3.5 miles, with a very slow average speed. Partly due to strong head wind going, and a lack of stamina to benefit on the way back. It's 4 minutes slower than my last ride before I hurt my leg, but it still feels like progress.

https://www.strava.com/activities/80668266

I have a Sirrus, it is a cracking bike

 

[SpokeyDokey]

We've got sunshine here - (sorry to rub it in) but I'm on a planned rest day (aka being a domestic goddess). Hoping to get out on the Novice Ride with the club tomorrow morning though, then working in the afternoon.

Happy cycling everybody

Thanks for the sun update.

Absolutely chucking it down here again - lots of bits of tree and leaves all over the roads too. River is very full of water. Just drove back from Keswick and the drive was awful - really low visibility etc.

No biking today methinks.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

@Mo1959 I'm crediting you for this ! Previous best MPH ~12.3 I think. http://www.strava.com/activities/80640375 14.1 MPH!! Next to no hills in the ride ride though, just gentle inclines but I'm still happy with it.

The 'twitchy' steering is fixed, cheers.

However this is happening, it has been for a while and I thought just tightening the top allen bolt fixed it last time but it hasn't recently. This is a video of me holding the front brake on and moving the frame forward.



I could just take it in for it's first free service but I'd like to learn what's wrong, I'd need to if I'm going to be keeping this up for a long time

I wouldn't even ride it like that, possibly unsafe and you are going to cause some damage.

As Mo has already described have you adjusted it properly?

All 3 bolts (top and 2 sides slackend right off).

Put the fork under load ie press down on the top tube or whatever, align bars properly and then tighten down the single bolt at the top just enough to take up any movement - do not over-tighten - once the two side bolts are tightened this bolt really no longer does anything so don't go mad with it.

Tighten the two side bolts down to 5-6Nm or whatever it says on the stem. Do them bit by bit alternating between the two.

If you still have movement go to your LBS as you may well need a new headset.

 

[Stonechat]

2nd day back from my injury and using my new Sirrus. The bike is infinitely more comfortable than the Triban. I can even tolerate the saddle that came with it

My stamina is extremely low after having the last few months of sitting at a desk and no exercise. But it's still nice to be out on the bike.

Juat a small circuit, 3.5 miles, with a very slow average speed. Partly due to strong head wind going, and a lack of stamina to benefit on the way back. It's 4 minutes slower than my last ride before I hurt my leg, but it still feels like progress.

https://www.strava.com/activities/80668266

Keep going the 2 miles and three will soon become 5's and 10's
Going the opposite way to you got a hybrid and might have been better with a road bike
However after a slow start and 3-5 mile runs, the winter and spring were awful really got going now
You'll get there

 

[fatCyclist]

I have a Sirrus, it is a cracking bike

Everyone who has them seems to be really happy with them. It's one of the reasons I went for one—and my local Evans stocked them. I've only been out on it twice, but really like it so far.