swampyseifer
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Milton Keynes. UK
poor title, I was going to put "first experience", but then thought that sounded more like something for a different forum!
Anyway, yes...finally, after an entire 7 days my shiny new bike got its first proper taste of the outside air. I drove it to a mates house and he was teaching me to ride! He checked it over, seeing as I had part built it myself and I had got it all correct(!), he also moved the gear from the one it was on when I got it (1 on the left and right handlebars) to a middle gear (2 on the left and 4 out of 7 on the right). I dont really understand the gearing on bikes yet but he said basically by putting it in a "higher" gear means that I get more movement for less peddeling...so I could do like a half pedal with one foot and it'd get me moving enough to keep balance, whereas the gear it was in I would need to do several full revolutions to get the same movement! I think...
About 90 mins went past and we didnt seem to be getting too far really, I kept veering sharply when trying to correct my balance, I kept catching my feet on the pedals when trying to raise my "push-away" foot off the floor, I kept putting my foot down and stopping as soon as the bike went to lean instead of trying to pedal through it etc
Also it was quite wet out and we were on grass (dont ask me why but I acually found it a lot easier than being on a tarmac!) so there was a lot of feet slipping off pedals.
The friend was running alongside me with a hand on my shoulder to help my balance, and calling out reminders like "keep peddeling", "dont slow down" "remember to make small adjustements" etc
Anyway, long story short...eventually it all started to come together. I was remembering to make tiny small adjustments with the handlebars and also to lean as well, I was consistently riding around 40-60 feet, and when I did finally loose balance I was using the brakes to come to a stop and put my foot down!
Anyway, we had finally reached the big moment, my first solo flight....I walked the bike back to the starting point and got on, stood there a minute while he ran over some last minute reminders. I looked down and *BOOM* the front tyre was flat!!!
Dont know when it went, I never felt anything on the ride before,I assume it happened at the end as I had veered off a bit to the left and stopped right before crashing into a bush...so I guess there was something in the leaves that I had run over and it had punctured the tyre!
So yeah, can you f-ing believe it...30mins before that I would have been glad of a puncture as I was starting to get sick of trying and not seeming to go anywhere, but man I was making some good progress at that point and now I couldnt go any further. It was also around 3pm so even if I'd driven to halfords/LBS and bought a puncture repair kit it would have been dark by the time we'd got back going.
Unbelieveably bad timing eh?
Still, I'm off out to buy a repairkit/inner tube whichever is cheapest and then I guess it'll be time to learn how to repair a puncture/replace an innertube!
Anyway, yes...finally, after an entire 7 days my shiny new bike got its first proper taste of the outside air. I drove it to a mates house and he was teaching me to ride! He checked it over, seeing as I had part built it myself and I had got it all correct(!), he also moved the gear from the one it was on when I got it (1 on the left and right handlebars) to a middle gear (2 on the left and 4 out of 7 on the right). I dont really understand the gearing on bikes yet but he said basically by putting it in a "higher" gear means that I get more movement for less peddeling...so I could do like a half pedal with one foot and it'd get me moving enough to keep balance, whereas the gear it was in I would need to do several full revolutions to get the same movement! I think...
About 90 mins went past and we didnt seem to be getting too far really, I kept veering sharply when trying to correct my balance, I kept catching my feet on the pedals when trying to raise my "push-away" foot off the floor, I kept putting my foot down and stopping as soon as the bike went to lean instead of trying to pedal through it etc
Also it was quite wet out and we were on grass (dont ask me why but I acually found it a lot easier than being on a tarmac!) so there was a lot of feet slipping off pedals.
The friend was running alongside me with a hand on my shoulder to help my balance, and calling out reminders like "keep peddeling", "dont slow down" "remember to make small adjustements" etc
Anyway, long story short...eventually it all started to come together. I was remembering to make tiny small adjustments with the handlebars and also to lean as well, I was consistently riding around 40-60 feet, and when I did finally loose balance I was using the brakes to come to a stop and put my foot down!
Anyway, we had finally reached the big moment, my first solo flight....I walked the bike back to the starting point and got on, stood there a minute while he ran over some last minute reminders. I looked down and *BOOM* the front tyre was flat!!!
Dont know when it went, I never felt anything on the ride before,I assume it happened at the end as I had veered off a bit to the left and stopped right before crashing into a bush...so I guess there was something in the leaves that I had run over and it had punctured the tyre!
So yeah, can you f-ing believe it...30mins before that I would have been glad of a puncture as I was starting to get sick of trying and not seeming to go anywhere, but man I was making some good progress at that point and now I couldnt go any further. It was also around 3pm so even if I'd driven to halfords/LBS and bought a puncture repair kit it would have been dark by the time we'd got back going.
Unbelieveably bad timing eh?
Still, I'm off out to buy a repairkit/inner tube whichever is cheapest and then I guess it'll be time to learn how to repair a puncture/replace an innertube!
you are going to be sooo glad you did 
