As I mentioned in my previous post I was desperate to get back on track with my cycling. After failing my target so many times, I have simply lost my motivation and I desperately want it back.
Anyway after Saturdays disastrous ride with my Mum, I knew I was a long way off target, so Sunday would be a challenge. I had 22.5 miles to do!
On Sunday we awoke to find very grim weather; it was wet and miserable with a hell of a wind. This would be tough.
Showing posts with label WinterBike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WinterBike. Show all posts
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Saturday, 30 April 2011
Becoming a roadie.
Eek! It wasn't that long since I used to laugh at the mere thought of me on a road bike. Back then, (early 2010) the thought of riding a bike with drop bars and skinny tires seemed so alien to me. I had ridden MTB's since my teenage years.
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| Gary the snail (enjoying some mud) |
However, for those that have been reading my blog from the start you will know that since my re-found love for cycling, I quickly outgrew my hybrid and needed a speedier and lighter bike than my MTB to keep me pedalling. So along came "Super Ted" - a cylocross bike. A bike that would be able to withstand rides down the rough coast path and bridleways as well as being good on the roads. Amazingly, despite my anticipation about curly bars, etc, I took to him like a duck to water and soon saw all the advantages to a lighter nippier bike. Awww Ted, he's such a dream to ride and just what I needed to help my cycling progress.
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However, with the arrival of summer, Paddy is evolving into a "proper" road bike. The metamorphosis into "The Padster" began when I decided that he would be the bike of choice for our French adventure (Mikey is taking his Cervelo so I thought it would look less odd, than taking my CX bike). So as it's not long now, his mudguards are off and this weekend he will be having a change of tyres, into some slicker and skinnier ones.
It's not just the bike that is going through a transformation though, as I have also noticed a change in myself. Most significantly, the main change is that now when we go on an off-road ride on the MTB's I really struggle to find my Mojo and find myself looking forward to getting off the single track at the places where we have to cross roads to the next bridle path. Don't get me wrong I still love the thrills of riding the tech-"ier" stuff and enjoy the rides but not quite as much as I used to.
The other change is a little more subtle. Back in the day I cringed at the thought of wearing tight cycling clothing - opting for baggy tee's, but in the last few months I have been wearing cycling jerseys and in preparation for our first cycling holiday I have been getting myself set up with a few new bits and bobs - some white road gloves and a spangly white jersey. LOL. All I need now is a pair of white roadie shoes. .... Shh... don't laugh, I'm serious.
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.... In order to complete my transformation into a true "roadie" though, I still need to ditch the baggy shorts.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
A few longer rides.
Not really much to blog about, but thought I should write something to let you know that I am still alive and most definitely still riding. (After the poor start - mileage wise - to April due to D.I.Y commitments I have made up some of the missing miles.)
I have also enjoyed a number of long anticipated longer rides. Last Sunday we did a local 22 mile ride. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary happened; just the usual run-ins with ignorant car drivers. However, there was a very amusing moment when we passed a horse (and rider) on a descent and then on the long draggy hill back out, the horse started to canter and caught up with us, pushing me to climb at over 10mph, when I usually bearly manage to maintain 7mph near the top. Why didn't I let it pass? Pfft... I don't like being overtaken. ;-)
Today we also did a 20+ mile ride, this time going further afield and to see Fraddam to see some Alpacas and then adventuring onto some lovely smooth roads that I have never ridden on around Praze-an-Beeble (No, I'm not making up these place names). Despite a hellish wind and being desperate for a pee for over half of the journey, it was still pretty enjoyable and I am glad to say that, suprisingly, my legs haven't been struggling too much by these longer rides.
Other than that, things have been pretty much the same, there have been a few journeys into Penzance to meet Michael after work. (Although this won't continue for much longer though, as the onslaught from tourists is taking the enjoyment out of the coast path.)
The only change that I can think of in the last few weeks is that Paddy's mudguards finally came off at the beginning of this week! Sadly after one ride without them, they needed to be put back on for the next ride. Since then, the recent lovely weather has tempted me to take them back off again, but I think I may just stick to my original plan and wait until the trip to France in May.
Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a lovely Easter weekend and making the most of the glorious weather.
I have also enjoyed a number of long anticipated longer rides. Last Sunday we did a local 22 mile ride. Nothing particularly out of the ordinary happened; just the usual run-ins with ignorant car drivers. However, there was a very amusing moment when we passed a horse (and rider) on a descent and then on the long draggy hill back out, the horse started to canter and caught up with us, pushing me to climb at over 10mph, when I usually bearly manage to maintain 7mph near the top. Why didn't I let it pass? Pfft... I don't like being overtaken. ;-)
Today we also did a 20+ mile ride, this time going further afield and to see Fraddam to see some Alpacas and then adventuring onto some lovely smooth roads that I have never ridden on around Praze-an-Beeble (No, I'm not making up these place names). Despite a hellish wind and being desperate for a pee for over half of the journey, it was still pretty enjoyable and I am glad to say that, suprisingly, my legs haven't been struggling too much by these longer rides.
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| Pic from the Fraddam Alpacas site - as my phone camera's zoom isn't that good. |
The only change that I can think of in the last few weeks is that Paddy's mudguards finally came off at the beginning of this week! Sadly after one ride without them, they needed to be put back on for the next ride. Since then, the recent lovely weather has tempted me to take them back off again, but I think I may just stick to my original plan and wait until the trip to France in May.
Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a lovely Easter weekend and making the most of the glorious weather.
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Paddy's first 50 miles
So, its been a week since Paddy arrived and yesterday he hit the 50mile mark.
The very first ride was a short but sweet 2.5mile "shake-down" ride. It felt a little odd taking the bike out for the first ride all alone, but I just couldn't wait until Mikey got home. So off I went. He rode like a dream, his skinnier tyres felt ace - and a lot less scary than I thought they'd be. We'd practically set him up perfectly as very few adjustments were needed. The only minor issue was that the brand new SPDs were much tighter than I am used to - I've only ever used Mikeys well worn hand-me-downs. Consequently, there were a few comical moments at junctions, when I forgot I couldn't get my feet out as quickly.
The only other issue wasn't so much as a bike problem but a "Katie problem". Whilst fitting the mudguards, Mikey advised me to be careful when cornering so not to let my feet hit the mudguard. I laughed - telling him that I'm not that stupid. However, no sooner as I got to the first corner his words of wisdom popped into my head and I instantly panicked. Argh! I instantly became paranoid! Noooo! I was all over the place. Cursing, I carried on, promptly pushing these concerns out of my head, navigating around numerous corners without batting an eyelid. Eeeek! That is until it re-popped into my head.... again, it psyched me out and I wobbled through the corner.
Despite these insecurities, that first short ride was generally successful, so I decided that I would follow it with a ride into Penzance to meet Mikey from work. For the first time in ages Marazion was quiet - where had all the tourists gone? It wasn't until I turned onto the sea front that I realised why there were no tourists, the wind was really strong and horrendous (Hahaha! In all my excitement thinking how great Paddy was to ride I hadn't realised that the wind had been in my favour. It wasn't just the skinny tires making me fast.) Eek! Hang on... where had the beach gone. I've never seen such a high tide. The waves were crashing over the coast path. I contemplated taking the by-pass, but as I've never done it, I didn't fancy making my debut during rush hour.
So the coast path it was! I was surprised how easily I managed over the loose terrain of the coast path with these skinnier tyres. Thankfully, the high tide had its advantages - there were very few tourists or dog walkers. I am a dog lover, but the majority of dog walkers along this stretch have no control over their hounds and on every ride there is the sound of me skidding to avoid a collision. The down side of the high tide was the fact that by the time I got there I was saturated - as the crashing waves breached the sea wall and I was showered in salt water. Ah well, good news was that without having any time to worry about it, I had also quickly learnt to navigate over slippy concrete.
The ride home was hard work - going straight into a head wind, but it was great fun. The excitement of the new bike was overwhelming.
Saturday was far too windy to ride so I saved myself for a ride on Sunday with Mikey. This ride was again super but ... Ouch! It wasn't until this 17mile ride that I realised just how uncomfortable Paddy's saddle was. It was like sitting on a plank of wood. (Hmmm, I guess this is what happens if you get a mid range bike... oh no, maybe not, the same saddle comes on some of Treks WSD Madones.) I quickly ordered a 2nd hand Fi'zi:k saddle from e-bay.
On Monday I rode into Penzance again to meet Michael. I was very reluctant as I really couldn't face getting back on that saddle (and didn't have time to faff about and swap saddles over). So begrudgingly I set off. I soon wished that I hadn't bothered - before I'd even left our village there had been two close calls with ignorant drivers. In Marazion a postman - not once but twice - swung out (from being parked on double yellows) into the road, narrowly avoiding hitting me. But worst of all, Paddy's gears were jumping - the cable had obviously stretched and despite two attempts at road side adjustments I failed, so had to ride all the way into Penzance in the smallest gear. To add to my frustrations, the tourists and dog walkers were back in their masses!
Thankfully, Monday had just been a blip and on Wednesday I had a super ride with Michael and Paddy hit the 50mile mark.
Yay and today the postman bought a nice parcel.
The very first ride was a short but sweet 2.5mile "shake-down" ride. It felt a little odd taking the bike out for the first ride all alone, but I just couldn't wait until Mikey got home. So off I went. He rode like a dream, his skinnier tyres felt ace - and a lot less scary than I thought they'd be. We'd practically set him up perfectly as very few adjustments were needed. The only minor issue was that the brand new SPDs were much tighter than I am used to - I've only ever used Mikeys well worn hand-me-downs. Consequently, there were a few comical moments at junctions, when I forgot I couldn't get my feet out as quickly.
The only other issue wasn't so much as a bike problem but a "Katie problem". Whilst fitting the mudguards, Mikey advised me to be careful when cornering so not to let my feet hit the mudguard. I laughed - telling him that I'm not that stupid. However, no sooner as I got to the first corner his words of wisdom popped into my head and I instantly panicked. Argh! I instantly became paranoid! Noooo! I was all over the place. Cursing, I carried on, promptly pushing these concerns out of my head, navigating around numerous corners without batting an eyelid. Eeeek! That is until it re-popped into my head.... again, it psyched me out and I wobbled through the corner.
Despite these insecurities, that first short ride was generally successful, so I decided that I would follow it with a ride into Penzance to meet Mikey from work. For the first time in ages Marazion was quiet - where had all the tourists gone? It wasn't until I turned onto the sea front that I realised why there were no tourists, the wind was really strong and horrendous (Hahaha! In all my excitement thinking how great Paddy was to ride I hadn't realised that the wind had been in my favour. It wasn't just the skinny tires making me fast.) Eek! Hang on... where had the beach gone. I've never seen such a high tide. The waves were crashing over the coast path. I contemplated taking the by-pass, but as I've never done it, I didn't fancy making my debut during rush hour.
So the coast path it was! I was surprised how easily I managed over the loose terrain of the coast path with these skinnier tyres. Thankfully, the high tide had its advantages - there were very few tourists or dog walkers. I am a dog lover, but the majority of dog walkers along this stretch have no control over their hounds and on every ride there is the sound of me skidding to avoid a collision. The down side of the high tide was the fact that by the time I got there I was saturated - as the crashing waves breached the sea wall and I was showered in salt water. Ah well, good news was that without having any time to worry about it, I had also quickly learnt to navigate over slippy concrete.
The ride home was hard work - going straight into a head wind, but it was great fun. The excitement of the new bike was overwhelming.
Saturday was far too windy to ride so I saved myself for a ride on Sunday with Mikey. This ride was again super but ... Ouch! It wasn't until this 17mile ride that I realised just how uncomfortable Paddy's saddle was. It was like sitting on a plank of wood. (Hmmm, I guess this is what happens if you get a mid range bike... oh no, maybe not, the same saddle comes on some of Treks WSD Madones.) I quickly ordered a 2nd hand Fi'zi:k saddle from e-bay.
On Monday I rode into Penzance again to meet Michael. I was very reluctant as I really couldn't face getting back on that saddle (and didn't have time to faff about and swap saddles over). So begrudgingly I set off. I soon wished that I hadn't bothered - before I'd even left our village there had been two close calls with ignorant drivers. In Marazion a postman - not once but twice - swung out (from being parked on double yellows) into the road, narrowly avoiding hitting me. But worst of all, Paddy's gears were jumping - the cable had obviously stretched and despite two attempts at road side adjustments I failed, so had to ride all the way into Penzance in the smallest gear. To add to my frustrations, the tourists and dog walkers were back in their masses!
Thankfully, Monday had just been a blip and on Wednesday I had a super ride with Michael and Paddy hit the 50mile mark.
Yay and today the postman bought a nice parcel.
Friday, 8 October 2010
Another new bike
Yesterday saw the arrival of my new winter bike.
As regular readers know, since my rediscovery I quickly outgrew my trusty hybrid bicycle and at the beginning of the year I upgraded by buying Ted - a Yeti CycloCross bike - who is my pride and joy.
However, Ted has no mudguard eyelets so he isn't really the most practical option for the winter months, plus after seeing the increased wear and tear of riding in bad conditions I've realised I have to put Ted into semi-hibernation.
Thankfully I kept the hybrid, knowing that I still needed a bike with all the winter necessities – lights, mud-guards, etc - but after recently riding it again (and struggling) it was apparent I'd completely outgrown him. It just felt wrong riding in the sit up and beg position after riding for months on drop bars. As for the weight difference... oh my... I just knew that if I had to go back to riding him through the winter my motivation would falter.
So yet again, I needed a new bike, this time a winter bike!
Remember my judgementalism for mass produced bikes. Back in January, I couldn't bring myself to get an adequate (but in my eyes soul-less) bike - I had ridiculous standards. Well thankfully this time all that was put aside for this bike purchase, as after all, I already have my dream bike.
So, after much contemplation and with advice from Mikey, I finally decided on a Trek Lexa S, which arrived yesterday.
So let me introduce Paddy.
As regular readers know, since my rediscovery I quickly outgrew my trusty hybrid bicycle and at the beginning of the year I upgraded by buying Ted - a Yeti CycloCross bike - who is my pride and joy.
However, Ted has no mudguard eyelets so he isn't really the most practical option for the winter months, plus after seeing the increased wear and tear of riding in bad conditions I've realised I have to put Ted into semi-hibernation.
Thankfully I kept the hybrid, knowing that I still needed a bike with all the winter necessities – lights, mud-guards, etc - but after recently riding it again (and struggling) it was apparent I'd completely outgrown him. It just felt wrong riding in the sit up and beg position after riding for months on drop bars. As for the weight difference... oh my... I just knew that if I had to go back to riding him through the winter my motivation would falter.
So yet again, I needed a new bike, this time a winter bike!
Remember my judgementalism for mass produced bikes. Back in January, I couldn't bring myself to get an adequate (but in my eyes soul-less) bike - I had ridiculous standards. Well thankfully this time all that was put aside for this bike purchase, as after all, I already have my dream bike.
So, after much contemplation and with advice from Mikey, I finally decided on a Trek Lexa S, which arrived yesterday.
So let me introduce Paddy.
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| Peppermint Paddy |
Friday, 10 September 2010
Dreaming of a winter wonder-bike.
Once again, I've not posted much on here recently - again its because I've not got much of interest to say. Like last month most of my rides have been fun but uneventful; mainly just a hard slog though gale force winds. Autumn is definitely here!
Last month I was under the impression that I was pretty much prepared for cycling through the cooler / wetter months. However, after riding my hybrid for work, I came to a scary conclusion, that I need more than just waterproof shoes - I need a new bike! I can hear the HUGE sigh coming from my Mum's house on the other side of the village as I type this, but I really need to invest in a winter bike. I had intended to just dig out the hybrid for the winter months, but the work ride, highlighted just how much I have outgrown it. He has his obvious uses; such as mudguards and lights, but he is so heavy and the sit-up-and-beg position makes for a hard ride in windy conditions - as riding with a straight back isn't very streamlined.
More importantly, I don't wanna ruin Ted and give him a battering during the winter months. Aye, I know that he is a cyclo-cross bike and he loves to ride through mud, etc, but as he doesn't (and can't) have any (decent) mudguards and as I don't have an endless winter cycling wardrobe, I really need something to make the wet weather more tolerable. I fear that if I have to keep struggling to ride my hybrid through the winter I will lose motivation and maybe stop riding; ruining all the progresson I have made.
So now, I'm having to seriously think about getting a winter bike. Unfortunately, with the peanuts I earn I can't afford much, but as per usual my ridiculous bike standards come into play and I can't make myself consider getting a cheap and cheerful bike just to see me through the winter. I've seen a Kona Jake that I really like, but even though its an old model, its still out of budget. I've looked at alternative and cheaper options but then keep asking myself why not spend the extra money to get something I like. Argh! How can a simple girl, who has no interest in fashion or keeping up with trends have such a particular taste when it comes to bikes. Why cant I just go out and buy myself a cheap and cheerful bike? I guess, when I see something I like, I struggle get it out of my head. Someone please talk some sense into me!!!
(BTW for those of you wondering, my road bike dream has been put aside - at least until winter has passed which gives me time to save.)
Last month I was under the impression that I was pretty much prepared for cycling through the cooler / wetter months. However, after riding my hybrid for work, I came to a scary conclusion, that I need more than just waterproof shoes - I need a new bike! I can hear the HUGE sigh coming from my Mum's house on the other side of the village as I type this, but I really need to invest in a winter bike. I had intended to just dig out the hybrid for the winter months, but the work ride, highlighted just how much I have outgrown it. He has his obvious uses; such as mudguards and lights, but he is so heavy and the sit-up-and-beg position makes for a hard ride in windy conditions - as riding with a straight back isn't very streamlined.
More importantly, I don't wanna ruin Ted and give him a battering during the winter months. Aye, I know that he is a cyclo-cross bike and he loves to ride through mud, etc, but as he doesn't (and can't) have any (decent) mudguards and as I don't have an endless winter cycling wardrobe, I really need something to make the wet weather more tolerable. I fear that if I have to keep struggling to ride my hybrid through the winter I will lose motivation and maybe stop riding; ruining all the progresson I have made.
So now, I'm having to seriously think about getting a winter bike. Unfortunately, with the peanuts I earn I can't afford much, but as per usual my ridiculous bike standards come into play and I can't make myself consider getting a cheap and cheerful bike just to see me through the winter. I've seen a Kona Jake that I really like, but even though its an old model, its still out of budget. I've looked at alternative and cheaper options but then keep asking myself why not spend the extra money to get something I like. Argh! How can a simple girl, who has no interest in fashion or keeping up with trends have such a particular taste when it comes to bikes. Why cant I just go out and buy myself a cheap and cheerful bike? I guess, when I see something I like, I struggle get it out of my head. Someone please talk some sense into me!!!
(BTW for those of you wondering, my road bike dream has been put aside - at least until winter has passed which gives me time to save.)
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