Your ride today.... (part 1)

[coffeejo]

I'm sure it'll be easy enough to fix. Enjoy your Brittany trip.

Thanks.

 

[ColinJ]

After a quick trip to the supermarket to see how it handles with weight in all 4 panniers, I rode home on the new bike this evening. Although a pleasure to ride, it became evident that it's not set up properly so I'll pop back to the LBS tomorrow and can tinker with it next week when I'm in Brittany. (For the record, buying a new bike just before you take it on holiday isn't the best idea.)

So, that bike was bought for the holiday, but you will not be taking it now? Can't the LBS sort it out while you wait, since it is clearly an urgent job?

Anyway - have loads of fun on your trip!

 

[coffeejo]

So, that bike was bought for the holiday, but you will not be taking it now? Can't the LBS sort it out while you wait, since it is clearly an urgent job?

Anyway - have loads of fun on your trip!

No, it's ready to ride, just needs tweaking. Saddle position etc, the type of thing you don't know is right or wrong til you've put in a few miles.

 

[ColinJ]

No, it's ready to ride, just needs tweaking. Saddle position etc, the type of thing you don't know is right or wrong til you've put in a few miles.

I would tweak it myself then ...

Speaking of which - I had broken a saddle on one bike so I had to swap another one in. Unfortunately, the seatpost clamp bolt had rounded off so I had to swap posts too. I swapped in a new post and a spare saddle, replicated my usual saddle setup and went out on a ride.

The bike didn't feel quite right, but I thought it was because it was a different type of saddle.

The next ride felt even more odd.

After a third ride, I knew that something was wrong, got the tape measure out and found that the seatpost had gradually slipped down nearly 2 cm over the 3 rides!

It is amazing how much difference saddle height makes. I reckon that it was out by a few mm to start with, and then the problem got worse when riding.

 

[EltonFrog]

42 miles late afternoon to meet the wife on one of her nutter 100 mile commutes. I was early when I got to Wallingford so I went for an explore. Came down one hill on very bad road surface a bit too fast! Gave me a fright so it did.

Met the missus for Pizza and pudding then cycled home about 7:30 , for some reason the roads were very quiet.

 

[ColinJ]

Is that last picture deliberately blurred to give an impression of speed?

 

[coffeejo]

I would tweak it myself then ...

Speaking of which - I had broken a saddle on one bike so I had to swap another one in. Unfortunately, the seatpost clamp bolt had rounded off so I had to swap posts too. I swapped in a new post and a spare saddle, replicated my usual saddle setup and went out on a ride.

The bike didn't feel quite right, but I thought it was because it was a different type of saddle.

The next ride felt even more odd.

After a third ride, I knew that something was wrong, got the tape measure out and found that the seatpost had gradually slipped down nearly 2 cm over the 3 rides!

It is amazing how much difference saddle height makes. I reckon that it was out by a few mm to start with, and then the problem got worse when riding.

 

[ColinJ]

The problem was that the bolt thread was a bit corroded so the bolt didn't turn easily. I was frightened of rounding that one's head off, or even snapping it. I cleaned the thread and lubed it before doing the bolt up again and managed to get it tight enough to prevent any slippage in the 2 rides that I have done since.

 

[EltonFrog]

the village of Naunton
View attachment 48078

Hi Rob, That house in the middle of the photo, that's my cousins house that is, very nice village is Naunton.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

After a quick trip to the supermarket to see how it handles with weight in all 4 panniers, I rode home on the new bike this evening. Although a pleasure to ride, it became evident that it's not set up properly so I'll pop back to the LBS tomorrow and can tinker with it next week when I'm in Brittany. (For the record, buying a new bike just before you take it on holiday isn't the best idea.)

It's a bit of a pain but at least you've found this before you go. I hope you'll enjoy the trip.

 

[Saluki]

Just back in from a ride to the hospital. I put a new route in my Garmin and after a bit of faffing managed to send it to my gps dodah and I thought that was that. 20 minutes later when I got on my bike, I couldn't find the route anywhere so decided to wing it.
I started off with my usual route to Hethel cyclepath and then headed right to East Carleton and then left towards Norwich, then Kenninghall and instead of going around the bend to the A11/A47 huge roundabout junction (again) and headed off over the bridge / footpath off to the right. I had to get off as the bridge was stepped. I stopped on the top and took a photo of a near deserted A11 and a nice sunset. (Love this world cup malarkey - all the pillocks are tucked up indoors with beer and pizza plus the added bonus of, when they are on the road, you can spot the pillocks with all their flags on the car denoting 'crap driver' status).
Onwards towards Cringleford, missed the turning that I was due to take but carried on regardless and came out on Colney Lane, Eaton. Here I headed up the hill and then went down the cyclepath towards Roundwell Road and towards the hospital. At the penultimate roundabout, I realised that I was a bit early and that looping the carpark and hospital complex is boring boring boring, so headed back to Eaton, down the hill to the lights and then along Bluebell Lane, whipped through the UEA roads and then back to the hospital via the B1108.

16.66 miles in 1:08:22 so quite chuffed. Getting off and walking, in cycling shoes, over that bridge slowed up proceedings a lot. Going up was a bit worrying, coming down the other side was downright precarious especially on the checkerplate metal bits.

It's the first day of a new riding week for me. My goal is 75 miles this week and I've just done 22% of it. Day off tomorrow. Busy work day and I have seen the weather forecast

 

[robjh]

Hi Rob, That house in the middle of the photo, that's my cousins house that is, very nice village is Naunton.

Small world eh? I shouldn't even have been going past there really as it was the one bit where my map-reading went wrong, and by mis-counting crossroads I added about 4 miles to the ride. But as you know it's lovely country so it was all a gain in the end!

 

[robjh]

(Love this world cup malarkey - all the pillocks are tucked up indoors with beer and pizza plus the added bonus of, when they are on the road, you can spot the pillocks with all their flags on the car denoting 'crap driver' status).

Agree. Though maybe now you'll get fewer of these quiet traffic-free evenings than you'd hoped for over the coming weeks.

...along Bluebell Lane, whipped through the UEA roads

That takes me back - my first 'adult' cycling was on an old bike bought in Magdalen Street, and I used to whip round Norwich on its 3 speeds (only 2 of which generally worked at one time) to and from UEA.

 

[EltonFrog]

Is that last picture deliberately blurred to give an impression of speed?

No, it's crap photography. I often take photos on the Phone Of I whilst moving, in fact all of them in my post I was cycling, for some reason that last one came out blurry which is a shame cos those wild slowers were very pretty.

 

[Saluki]

Agree. Though maybe now you'll get fewer of these quiet traffic-free evenings than you'd hoped for over the coming weeks.

Why? Have they cancelled the wendyball?

That takes me back - my first 'adult' cycling was on an old bike bought in Magdalen Street, and I used to whip round Norwich on its 3 speeds (only 2 of which generally worked at one time) to and from UEA.

I used to live on Magdalen Street for a short while. Anglia Square is still there although it's up for sale. A snip at £7.5 million. We could have a whip round