Motivate me please!

[mrbadexample]

Just got back - another 12.55 miles racked up. Good job it's mostly downhill on the way back after a nice Thai red curry.

I would like to thank the driver of the articulated lorry registration mark BT61 XSF that was in so much of a hurry that he decided to overtake me at a pinch point and run me off the road. Rest assured that tomorrow I will have your name & address, and the director of your company will be explaining your actions. Good luck with that one, fella.

That means today I have cycled 26.7 miles - about double my previous best. I suspect that tomorrow I will be unable to walk.

Oh, and I have a new personal best of 30.6mph.

 

[Old Plodder]

Congrats on your new PB, mrbadexample.

 

[mrbadexample]

8 more miles this afternoon, to pop and see the operator of the truck that almost had me off yesterday. Convenient of him to be nice and local. Sat and had a cup of coffee and a chat with the transport manager. Took a copy of this for him to give to the driver. Hopefully a little 'education' will make him think twice when he's overtaking the next cyclist.

I forgot to click my odometer into place for the first mile or so, so I'll have to do that again for it to count. Took a wrong turning (again!) on the way home, so ended up doing three extra miles. And it rained, a lot.

 

[BrumJim]

Need to talk to operator of errant truck. Phone, car or ride 8 miles?
Off to play darts. Ride, cadge a lift, or take your own car?
Off for a Thai Curry. Preferred method of transport?

You'll have to change your username. You're about the best example there is for a newbie cyclist in terms of how to get the miles in and fitness up.

 

[BrianEvesham]

You'll have to change your username. You're about the best example there is for a newbie cyclist in terms of how to get the miles in and fitness up.

Yeah, mrgoodexample perhaps.

 

[mrbadexample]

You'll have to change your username. You're about the best example there is for a newbie cyclist in terms of how to get the miles in and fitness up.

Nah, I'll stick with the name. Despite appearances to the contrary, it does suit me.

I think you underestimate the role the CC forum and it's contributors play. Like I said at the beginning, if I think there's no-one watching, I'll take the car. I just need a bit of encouragement, and I'm getting it. I like to be able to post every couple of days that I've done something. The thought of having nothing to say is motivation in itself, especially when I see what other people are doing.

 

[BrumJim]

Don't worry. I'm definitely watching...

 

[DaveyM]

I think you underestimate the role the CC forum and it's contributors play.

I know what you mean .
(but I count you as one of those 'contributors' )

 

[mrbadexample]

Uh oh. My thread's on page two so I must have been lazy. Only a few miles over the last couple of days because I've been a bit busy, and I took 'er indoors out for her birthday meal last night, so I owe a bit.

Got home reasonably early today (well, it is POETS day, after all ), didn't have any errands to run so went looking for a route to ride. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I thought I'd go and have a bash at Beacon Hill. If you're interested, search Strava for barrbeacon and it comes up. The section they give is 1 mile at 2.9% but it was going uphill well before the start of the segment. Plenty tough enough for me at the moment, although I still had three or four gears left if required.

I went over the top of Barr Beacon, down the hill the other side (new PB of 33.6mph ) and right onto the Aldridge Road. Down as far as Queslett Road East, right again and followed it down to pick up the A34 and head back for home. A couple of loops round my estate to finish brought it up to 14 miles.

So, I now have a circuit, and a time. 1 hour 7 minutes 1 second to be precise. The circuit is lumpy enough to be quite challenging for me at the moment - the legs know I've been out, that's for sure. I'm also sure that it's the hills that will build fitness and stamina far quicker than cycling on the flat.

It seems obvious that I want to get this circuit done in less than an hour as my first target. It shouldn't be too difficult, as I hit a few red lights and also had to stop and free the chain after it dropped off the smallest sprocket and got jammed between it and the frame. Fortunately I was able to stop pedalling the second I felt it jam, so not too difficult to free and no damage done as far as I can see. It's the first time my chain's come off so I was a bit surprised. Does this mean I need to make some adjustments? I'm a bit worried about mucking about with it as I don't know what I'm doing.

Now having a well-deserved .

 

[RWright]

I had a problem with the chain on my triple ring bike coming off (mostly because I was cross chaining) so I set the front Low limit screw so it would not go on the small front ring. Seems sort of drastic and not for everyone, but I never used the small front ring anyway. So rather than actually think about what I was doing while riding I just eliminated the problem. I can cross chain to my heart's content now.

I am not a great mechanic and can't diagnose your problem from the amount of info you gave.
There are a lot of great how to's on youtube and I bet if you ask in the know how section they could help you get it fixed up. Give them all the info you can, such as how old is the chain, what gears you were in ect.

 

[Old Plodder]

Just adjust the front mech so that there is about a 2mm clearance of the big ring, then adjust the outer stop screw so that the chain will 'just' climb onto the big ring, then adjust the inner stop screw so that it will 'just' drop onto the smallest chainring; job done.
(Also, remove any excess slack in the cable.)

 

[trampyjoe]

This is the video that taught me how to adjust it...

View: http://youtu.be/ngm6dr-1na0

 

[Randochap]

Don't overdo it. Steady as she goes.

 

[mrbadexample]

Ah, no, sorry, I might have been misunderstood. The chain dropped off the smallest rear sprocket, not the smallest front chainring.

 

[roadrash]

try this

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkzvfCaIbyQ