Your ride today.... (part 1)

[EltonFrog]

I forgot to mention in my last post yesterday, that, in the night my MTB had a visit from the puncture fecker bastid. No ride planed today but we did decide to clean the bikes. I went to get the MTB out and feck me if there wasn't another visit, this time the rear wheel was flat. Grrrrrr.

Anyway bikes cleaned in between the rain showers and thunder storms, all nice and shiny now and lubricated, I find the clean bikes seem to go faster.

 

[Gareth C]

The Stang
On my way to meet Lizzie at her Easter Sunday swim at Ellerton, I went via The Stang. Boy is it tough.

Mostly downhill to Reeth now and bacon sarnie at The Dales Bike Centre!


Post script: it was indeed a nice bacon sarnie and hot chocolate in The Dale Bike Centre, followed by a cheeky ride along the Reeth-Richmond road (it’s closed for resurfacing before the Tour de France), then a fight into the headwind south of Catterick Garrison, before eventually arriving at Ellerton for the post-swim cakes. 90km in all, and if it hadn’t been for the headwind, I’d have been happy to do the short 50km route back home.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Having spent most of the morning fettlin' the new bike (fitting the cross levers, mudguards - words were said about me not fitting them, with threats being made etc, garmin edge, cadence sensor, water bottle cages and so on...) we finally got out around 3pm today.

So a usual Sunday route, but the shorter route (I have been struggling with my asthma for the last week and that and a broken (old) bike have meant that I haven't been out for a week! something unheard of recently at least!).... The bike is not really an n+1, more a new n, if you get my meaning....

So the only picture is the new bike ready for the off (at least ready for this ride, but Wednesday it will have to have the pannier rack fitted as well but that can wait a few more days)!...

Yesterday after picking her up from the shop (definitely a her btw)...

After a little customisation!

The ride was a mixture of stops and starts - my bad leg is having issues - dont' know if it is the change in the ride position or if it is just having issues, but the knee movement is not 'fluid' for want of a better expression and once I had finally sussed out the gears and how to change and which lever does what (no longer have thumb switch but 2 levers by the fingers) we were underway. I think my old brake pads will be going back on before tomorrows ride though because I do prefer being able to stop ... I've gone from a triple 8 speed to a compact 10 speed and I have to say I think I prefer it! I was careful with the choice of cassette so have an 11-32 cassette which has kept my lowest gear ration the same as before...

Nice ride, possibly need to work on the position a touch because my arms were aching something chronic on the way home - guess that is probably from the fact I was riding a men's bike that was slightly too big for me previously and was over stretching and now have a lady's bike that is the correct size...

Not a blistering pace, but as others have mentioned it was there was an interesting headwind which was at times blowing me all over the place and we had repeated stops for me to change the seat height, check the saddle was straight (nope), adjust the angle, check what was making what noise, etc! 50.5km
Oh and I finally have the confidence to try using the drops! three times as well... all I need now is to be able to reach the rear brake lever on the drops, I can reach the front one (left hand has slightly paralysed so this is most likely the cause!). Smiles all round!
http://www.strava.com/activities/132300470

 

[BigonaBianchi]

67 miles and a geko today

http://cyprusonabianchi.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[EltonFrog]

67 miles and a geko today

http://cyprusonabianchi.blogspot.co.uk/

Nice blog, I'm jealous, it looks lovley there.

 

[tug benson]

A good 46 mile on my local climbing roads..They last few days have been stunning in Scotland, but after 50 miles on Friday, 75 miles on Saturday and 46 today my legs are feeling it, so i'll have a day of the bike tomorrow

Todays ride
http://www.strava.com/activities/132302070

 

[Saluki]

Just back from a wee ride around the block so Hubster could try out his new 100mm stem instead of the original Boardman stem which was 120mm. He also wanted to try out his new bib shorts (he loves them). I wanted to turn my legs after sharing 375 miles of driving, rocking out to the Manic Street Preachers and, once home, doing 90 squats.
5.11 quite chilly miles with a bit of a stiff breeze. 24:49 mins, not in a hurry and anyway, my arm aches. No idea why. I must have lifted an overweight cup of tea during the day.

Oh, 1.71 miles in Huddersfield, test riding a couple of bikes.

 

[ColinJ]

Oh and I finally have the confidence to try using the drops! three times as well... all I need now is to be able to reach the rear brake lever on the drops, I can reach the front one (left hand has slightly paralysed so this is most likely the cause!). Smiles all round!
http://www.strava.com/activities/132300470

Have you tried shims to bring the levers closer to the bars?

 

[coffeejo]

13 miles; pouring rain; roast dinner plus pudding plus seconds plus cake and chocolates. Will take me another month to work that lot off

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Have you tried shims to bring the levers closer to the bars?

yes - it came with some quite 'chunky' ones in there, but I'm not sure if they are 4 degree or 8 degree. probably the latter to be honest.. but I shall have a trawl of the www and see if I what I can find out about my new levers and if they make something 'chunkier' for them. I have re-fitted the cross levers so it is not as though I am without braking completely, just only have the front brake when I am on the drops! (I have shimano tiagra sti levers now which are apparently 'flight deck compatible' ... you can tell I have gone up in the world, I no longer have any idea on what I am talking about (OK - no change there then) but I can see all the way through my BB as well!)

 

[vernon]

Fifteen miles split between home and Leeds station and Brighton station and Newhaven ferry terminal.

 

[colly]

Out on the bike today for the first time since..........................well the last time, but I feel it was in a previous life it seems so long ago.
So the flat lands beckoned and I made for the east. Taking it steady, it was a comfy ride but the wind on the way back I felt something chronic. My legs are stiff now. But that may have something to do with laying flooring this afternoon.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2513254 Just under 42 miles 15.7ave.

 

[ColinJ]

Out on the bike today for the first time since..........................well the last time, but I feel it was in a previous life it seems so long ago.
So the flat lands beckoned and I made for the east. Taking it steady, it was a comfy ride but the wind on the way back I felt something chronic. My legs are stiff now. But that may have something to do with laying flooring this afternoon.

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2513254 Just under 42 miles 15.7ave.

I haven't been laying any flooring, but I have been riding my bike more recently and my legs are stiff too, therefore it is due to that!

I'm toying with the idea of taking my bike to Garforth on the train some day soonish to get a decent flat ride in. If we get a dry, sunny, relatively wind-free day, I'll go for it! (I have a metric century route worked out but it involves a couple of minor offroad TPT stretches which I wouldn't want to do if conditions were muddy.) It would probably be on a weekday and I would leave Garforth about 11:00 and aim to get back there about 16:00. Let me know if you are going to be free one day with a decent weather forecast and fancy joining me!

 

[Cush]

The Nomad mud guards got damaged when I hung it up by the front wheel on the train from Newcastle with full panniers on it last week Heaviest thing in the Panniers was the lock, I needed the heavy one as the bike was standing all day in the Newcastle Uni grounds. So yesterdays ride was a try out to see if I had repaired every thing. One A4 page East from home got me to Forrest Head via Wetheral viaduct, Castle Carrock and the view point /car park at Ullerbank, as always a great view over Talkin Tarn. It was rather windy and I was once more head butting a mild to strong wind (it probably felt worse than it actually was). A short scary ride along the A69 to Brampton and then on to Carlisle Airport and Newby East, Warwick Bridge and Warwick bank to home. 26 and a bit windy but pleasant miles that was mainly traffic free apart from the A69 But the Nomad will have to go in for it's annual service a bit sooner than normal, as the brakes were biting a bit and I had to see to the front mud guard.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

78 miles today, that's my fourth metric hundred in a week. Was foggy pretty much all the way around the ride so had the lights on for the whole ride. Headed out towards Market Bosworth but got to the battlefield visitors centre three hours before it opened, so didn't hang around. Another ride without planning the route, there is something quite relaxing about riding from random village to random village.