Just to prove I wasn't using the forum as a revolving door I thought I'd update you with the fact that my bent wasn't just an expensive impulse buy that got left unused (it couldn't really, it spent a lot of time in the inside and was in the way) and I've been getting used to riding it. I'm actually a lot more confident with it on the road than I ever was a normal bike.
Last night I had to do a 9 mile round trip just to pick up a package, I pretended to be a car and had my phone's GPS guide me with the phone half up my glove and tied round my arm. Worked really well apart one one roundabout the GPS didn't know about but that was easily fixable. The guys at the depot all laughed when I was leaving and it was tell me to turn left, litterally into a parked car but everyone's always interested in the bike "that must be hard to ride" and I always say it's much more fun and less painful once you get used to it. I didn't think about this at the time but my wrists would have been killing me by now as they always used to hurt on a mountain bike and I might have got back problems again.
I got beeped by a car for being in the right lane of a dual carraige way as he undertook me, but I WAS TURNING RIGHT, where else was I meant to be? I think I was in the right place anyway. There was a cycle path on that road but it would have had me trapped on the left and for some reason I don't like them, they unnerve me like I'm trying to walk a tight rope and I swear they make me wobble more. I'm also handling roundabouts really well, they were daunting at first but I've gotten used to sticking an arm out to signal and keeping control.
And I'm gradually getting better at not steep hills (there arn't many, this IS norfolk) but slight one, even from standstill, and I can push off with both feet.
Unfortunately my poor bent has to live outside now but it's well pretected between the building and the bins and chained to a big pipe. It also has a proper motorbike cover that's like a little tent for it. The first cover was useless but only £4 so who cares, even the front light ripped a whole in that.
And I've seen one parked at uni that by the place it's parked must belong to a member of staff, I really want to know who that is!
Last night I had to do a 9 mile round trip just to pick up a package, I pretended to be a car and had my phone's GPS guide me with the phone half up my glove and tied round my arm. Worked really well apart one one roundabout the GPS didn't know about but that was easily fixable. The guys at the depot all laughed when I was leaving and it was tell me to turn left, litterally into a parked car but everyone's always interested in the bike "that must be hard to ride" and I always say it's much more fun and less painful once you get used to it. I didn't think about this at the time but my wrists would have been killing me by now as they always used to hurt on a mountain bike and I might have got back problems again.
I got beeped by a car for being in the right lane of a dual carraige way as he undertook me, but I WAS TURNING RIGHT, where else was I meant to be? I think I was in the right place anyway. There was a cycle path on that road but it would have had me trapped on the left and for some reason I don't like them, they unnerve me like I'm trying to walk a tight rope and I swear they make me wobble more. I'm also handling roundabouts really well, they were daunting at first but I've gotten used to sticking an arm out to signal and keeping control.
And I'm gradually getting better at not steep hills (there arn't many, this IS norfolk) but slight one, even from standstill, and I can push off with both feet.
Unfortunately my poor bent has to live outside now but it's well pretected between the building and the bins and chained to a big pipe. It also has a proper motorbike cover that's like a little tent for it. The first cover was useless but only £4 so who cares, even the front light ripped a whole in that.
And I've seen one parked at uni that by the place it's parked must belong to a member of staff, I really want to know who that is!