Ride Report - New Bike and Old Rider

[[Not Responding]]

I was back in the saddle today.

Started with a trip to the PYO strawberry field yesterday. All of half
a kilometer and with no turns or junctions to baffle me. My pace
setter was my 7 yr old daughter who is becoming quite relaxed with
road riding and traffic. A good start and we returned with edible
loot.

Yesterday proved that I *could* ride and inspired me to go a little
further afield today. To make the day perfect I decided to go and
visit my boat for the first time this year. A distance of 8.3km each
way.

I'm afraid to report that 6 months off the bike has destroyed any
fitness I used to have. I really struggled on some poxy hills. I kept
having to remind myself that this was the same distance that I used to
commute wearing a suit and without raising a sweat. I can hardly
credit that I used to treat 100 mile runs as no big deal.

Also, riding with one hand is a real pain. I could get my hand on the
bar for short stretches; I had enough control to do brief right turn
signals. Left turn signals comprised of keeping my hand where it
naturally fell and pointing left with my index finger. By the time I
got to the boat my arm was simply in agony. Hours later it is still
hurting like hell.

The new bike fared better than the rider. It was unquestionably good.
I really don't think I'll ever go back to derailleurs again. I'll
stick with 8 speed hubs for commuting and hack bikes and get a Rohloff
for my 'fun' bikes.

My only gripe is the mudguard fittings. I haven't fitted any but
inspection shows it will be difficult. The (roller) brake fittings
obscure the line between hole-in-fork and mudguard position.

[Zog The Undeniable]

[Not Responding] wrote:

> My only gripe is the mudguard fittings. I haven't fitted any but
> inspection shows it will be difficult. The (roller) brake fittings
> obscure the line between hole-in-fork and mudguard position.

P-clips then?

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 19:44:48 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
> wrote in message
>:

>I was back in the saddle today.

FX: Rousing cheers!

>Started with a trip to the PYO strawberry field yesterday.

Can you do that without humming "strawberry fields?" I can't ride
along Baker Street or Blewbury Hill without bursting into song...

>All of half
>a kilometer and with no turns or junctions to baffle me. My pace
>setter was my 7 yr old daughter who is becoming quite relaxed with
>road riding and traffic. A good start and we returned with edible
>loot.

Hang on, I'll get my bike...

>I'm afraid to report that 6 months off the bike has destroyed any
>fitness I used to have. I really struggled on some poxy hills. I kept
>having to remind myself that this was the same distance that I used to
>commute wearing a suit and without raising a sweat. I can hardly
>credit that I used to treat 100 mile runs as no big deal.

It will return very quickly, IME. And think of the fun you'll have
getting fitter and faster every week! Having reached the inevitable
plateau, I'm now faced with the appalling realisation that I either
have to start training "properly" or it's a one-way trip to baggy
lycra and Carradice longflap saddlebags :-(

>Also, riding with one hand is a real pain. I could get my hand on the
>bar for short stretches; I had enough control to do brief right turn
>signals. Left turn signals comprised of keeping my hand where it
>naturally fell and pointing left with my index finger. By the time I
>got to the boat my arm was simply in agony. Hours later it is still
>hurting like hell.

Ouchie. My wife has to take Real Good Care of her wrists, being a
pianist and organist who also works at a computer all day. She finds
that a seriously upright posture is the only thing that works. At
least if we ever go to Holland she'll fit right in :-)

>The new bike fared better than the rider. It was unquestionably good.
>I really don't think I'll ever go back to derailleurs again. I'll
>stick with 8 speed hubs for commuting and hack bikes and get a Rohloff
>for my 'fun' bikes.

Is that the Inter-8 you have on there? I wasn't looking earlier, but
my mate Alan buttonholed me on Friday and mentioned he was very
tempted by the Fahrrad Manufaktur offering which has the Inter-8, and
he wondered how it rides. The only Nexus hubn I tried felt a bit like
pedalling through treacle, but that was apparently because it was
shaft drive.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

[Mike Causer]

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 19:44:48 +0100, [Not Responding] wrote:

> I'm afraid to report that 6 months off the bike has destroyed any
> fitness I used to have. I really struggled on some poxy hills.

Stick with it, you'll be surprised how fast you recover condition. I
was off bikes for 20 years but it only took about 3 months riding for my
"knackered" distance to become my "fully warmed up and ready to go"
distance.


> Also, riding with one hand is a real pain. I could get my hand on the
> bar for short stretches; I had enough control to do brief right turn
> signals. Left turn signals comprised of keeping my hand where it
> naturally fell and pointing left with my index finger. By the time I
> got to the boat my arm was simply in agony. Hours later it is still
> hurting like hell.

Ah, the dark side calls! No hand pain is your reward. Your other
reward is no chafing. Your third reward is...

Among your many rewards are: no hand pain, no chafing (you know where),
going faster, being admired/reviled from the sidelines, being able to
see the sky instead of the tarmac. Cardinal Burrows will now read the
lesson from the Book of Benting.



Mike

[[Not Responding]]

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:11:21 +0100, "Just zis Guy, you know?"
> wrote:

snip

>
>>Also, riding with one hand is a real pain. I could get my hand on the
>>bar for short stretches; I had enough control to do brief right turn
>>signals. Left turn signals comprised of keeping my hand where it
>>naturally fell and pointing left with my index finger. By the time I
>>got to the boat my arm was simply in agony. Hours later it is still
>>hurting like hell.
>
>Ouchie. My wife has to take Real Good Care of her wrists, being a
>pianist and organist who also works at a computer all day. She finds
>that a seriously upright posture is the only thing that works. At
>least if we ever go to Holland she'll fit right in :-)

If there's no improvement in the next year, I'll be looking at Dutch
bikes.

>>The new bike fared better than the rider. It was unquestionably good.
>>I really don't think I'll ever go back to derailleurs again. I'll
>>stick with 8 speed hubs for commuting and hack bikes and get a Rohloff
>>for my 'fun' bikes.
>
>Is that the Inter-8 you have on there? I wasn't looking earlier, but
>my mate Alan buttonholed me on Friday and mentioned he was very
>tempted by the Fahrrad Manufaktur offering which has the Inter-8, and
>he wondered how it rides. The only Nexus hubn I tried felt a bit like
>pedalling through treacle, but that was apparently because it was
>shaft drive.

Inter-8; that's the one. If you missed my previous post, you'll find
pics of my Halfords machine here:

I've bought this bike as a cheap learn-to-ride machine. After that
it'll be my utilitarian hack. I did look at the Fahrrad Manufaktur 8
speed but, iirc, it was quite a bit more cash; a bit OTT for a
leaving-around-town hack bike.

In my short experience I'm really impressed. I was prepared for sloppy
gearchanges, treacle-like disconnection between leg and road and poor
gear range. I've found none of these; it's an excellent gear system
with the added benefit that I'm likely to have all the gears to hand
after 3 months of winter commuting.

Off Thread, what do you think of this quote from the Halfords manual:

"Ride on designated bike lanes or paths where possible, the left side
of the road and ride in the same direction as traffic ***as close to
the edge of the road as possible...***" (my emphasis).

Shocking or what?

[[Not Responding]]

I meant here

http://notonmywatch.blogs.com/not_on_my_watch/2004/06/bike_pics.html

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:50:17 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
> wrote in message
>:

>If there's no improvement in the next year, I'll be looking at Dutch
>bikes.

My mate Arnold (who is Dutch) has built a British Dutch bike by adding
a long adjustable stem, raised right up, with mudguards and rack, to a
rigid MTB frame. So a change of stem might be all that's needed.

>In my short experience I'm really impressed. I was prepared for sloppy
>gearchanges, treacle-like disconnection between leg and road and poor
>gear range. I've found none of these; it's an excellent gear system
>with the added benefit that I'm likely to have all the gears to hand
>after 3 months of winter commuting.

Thanks, I'll let Alan know.

>Off Thread, what do you think of this quote from the Halfords manual:
>"Ride on designated bike lanes or paths where possible, the left side
>of the road and ride in the same direction as traffic ***as close to
>the edge of the road as possible...***" (my emphasis).

Gaah! Are these horrors available from any Halfwits? I am tempted to
get one and send it to John Franklin.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

[Simon Brooke]

in message >, [Not
Responding] ') wrote:

> I was back in the saddle today.

Congratulations!

> I'm afraid to report that 6 months off the bike has destroyed any
> fitness I used to have. I really struggled on some poxy hills. I kept
> having to remind myself that this was the same distance that I used to
> commute wearing a suit and without raising a sweat. I can hardly
> credit that I used to treat 100 mile runs as no big deal.

Don't worry, it will return amazingly quickly. After I broke my back I
was off my bikes for a year. When I started riding again it didn't take
at all long to get up to a reasonable level of fitness, although I'm
probably still not as fit as I was before it (largely because of
increased lethargy).

Given the hand problem though I do think there might be merit in looking
to the dark side.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Our modern industrial economy takes a mountain covered with trees,
;; lakes, running streams and transforms it into a mountain of junk,
;; garbage, slime pits, and debris. -- Edward Abbey

[Danny Colyer]

Mike Causer wrote:
> Ah, the dark side calls! No hand pain is your reward. Your other
> reward is no chafing. Your third reward is...
>
> Among your many rewards are: no hand pain, no chafing (you know where),
> going faster, being admired/reviled from the sidelines, being able to
> see the sky instead of the tarmac.

Fetch the Comfy Chair.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

[Ambrose Nankivell]

In ,
Just zis Guy, you know? > typed:
> On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 19:44:48 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
> > wrote in message
> >:
> plateau, I'm now faced with the appalling realisation that I either
> have to start training "properly" or it's a one-way trip to baggy
> lycra and Carradice longflap saddlebags :-(

Hey, I resemble that remark!

Well, my lycra's tight on the odd occasions I wear it, but a longflap
saddlebag's indispensable and mainly gets complements.

>> The new bike fared better than the rider. It was unquestionably good.
>> I really don't think I'll ever go back to derailleurs again. I'll
>> stick with 8 speed hubs for commuting and hack bikes and get a
>> Rohloff for my 'fun' bikes.
>
> Is that the Inter-8 you have on there? I wasn't looking earlier, but
> my mate Alan buttonholed me on Friday and mentioned he was very
> tempted by the Fahrrad Manufaktur offering which has the Inter-8, and
> he wondered how it rides. The only Nexus hubn I tried felt a bit like
> pedalling through treacle, but that was apparently because it was
> shaft drive.

My Nexus 7 is good and feels pretty efficient, too. I haven't managed to fix
the problem of getting it straight in the dropouts and staying that way,
though, so I've not had any satisfying cycling for the past 6 weeks or so
(having to put the chain back on every 500m or so), particularly since I
bust my shifter, but that was entirely my own fault.

It is a pain not having a QR on the back wheel, particularly when I was
going through a punctury phase, but the actual shifter mechanism's easy
enough to get on and off each time. Maybe a bit dirty than a derailleur,
though.

Staying with the 27 speed for my fun bike though, even if I could afford to
change it.

A

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

Danny Colyer wrote:

> Fetch the Comfy Chair.

No! Not the comfy chair!

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

Victory is ours! Down with Eric the Half A Brain!

[James Hodson]

On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:50:17 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
> wrote:

>"Ride on designated bike lanes or paths where possible, the left side
>of the road and ride in the same direction as traffic ***as close to
>the edge of the road as possible...***" (my emphasis).

<http://www.halfords.com/250.asp> and proceed carefully.

James

[[Not Responding]]

On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 13:57:19 +0100, James Hodson
> wrote:

>On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:50:17 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
> wrote:
>
>>"Ride on designated bike lanes or paths where possible, the left side
>>of the road and ride in the same direction as traffic ***as close to
>>the edge of the road as possible...***" (my emphasis).
>
><http://www.halfords.com/250.asp> and proceed carefully.
>
>James

I was avoiding the H-word but the manual says "Always wear a Halfords
approved cycle helmet". Personally, I'm more likely to wear a tea cosy
than a cycle helmet but if were taken by the inclination, I'd seek one
out to BS or Snell standards.

[Just zis Guy, you know?]

On Mon, 14 Jun 2004 18:18:05 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
> wrote in message
>:

>I was avoiding the H-word but the manual says "Always wear a Halfords
>approved cycle helmet". Personally, I'm more likely to wear a tea cosy
>than a cycle helmet but if were taken by the inclination, I'd seek one
>out to BS or Snell standards.

"Halfords approved" eh? I wonder what their standards are... No I
don't. Meringue covered in eggshell provided it can be sold for a
decent markup.

I shall write to them aksing them to justify their placing of plastic
hats as first and foremost in the list of things a cyclist canb do to
ensure safety. The research evidence on which it is based is sure to
be interesting.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

[AndyMorris]

James Hodson wrote:
> On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 20:50:17 +0100, "[Not Responding]"
> > wrote:
>
>> "Ride on designated bike lanes or paths where possible, the left side
>> of the road and ride in the same direction as traffic ***as close to
>> the edge of the road as possible...***" (my emphasis).
>
> <http://www.halfords.com/250.asp> and proceed carefully.
>

I couldn't find that I found (on same link, page 3)

<Snip>
ROAD SENSE
The trick to riding successfully on the roads is to realise that you are
responsible for keeping yourself safe. Here are four golden rules to
remember:

1) Ride confidently: drivers find it far easier to react to a visible,
predictable rider than a hesitant one who sticks to the kerb and then
lurches into the road. Signal clearly with your arms before you turn and
don't be afraid to take up a whole lane where appropriate.

2) Stay alert: although bikes are the most manoeuvrable vehicles on the
road, they are also the most exposed. You should never assume that a driver,
rider or pedestrian has seen you and you should be mentally prepared for
unexpected events like a car door opening ahead of you.

3) Look behind you: be as aware of what is behind you as what is ahead of
you. But beware of drifting to the right when you turn your head.

4) Make sure you are in the right gear: this is equally important when
pulling away from a full stop or when putting on a burst of speed to get
through a junction or around an obstacle.

</Snip>

Am I dim, or have they changed it?


--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK


Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/

[Tony Raven]

AndyMorris wrote:
>
> 4) Make sure you are in the right gear: this is equally important when
> pulling away from a full stop or when putting on a burst of speed to get
> through a junction or around an obstacle.
>

What gear do you recommend I wear?

Tony ;-)

[James Hodson]

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 00:12:27 +0100, "AndyMorris"
> wrote:

>> <http://www.halfords.com/250.asp> and proceed carefully.
>>
>
>I couldn't find that I found (on same link, page 3)

Agreed. I was merely pointing out more of H's advice. Some of it makes
sense, I'm sure; I've simply forgotten what parts.

James

[Daniel Barlow]

"Tony Raven" > writes:

> AndyMorris wrote: [ quoting Halfords bike manual ]
>>
>> 4) Make sure you are in the right gear: this is equally important when
>> pulling away from a full stop or when putting on a burst of speed to get
>> through a junction or around an obstacle.
>>
>
> What gear do you recommend I wear?

Bibshorts, of course. Especially anywhere near Norfolk, the threat of
being hit with a concrete slab is all the incentive anyone needs to
put on an extra burst of speed when pulling away ...


-dan

--
"please make sure that the person is your friend before you confirm"