Finally got to go out yesterday for my first (short) proper ride. I did 15 miles in 1 hour 3 mins so not particularly quick but think it's going to take me a little while to build back up to the 40 miles I managed on my flat bar. This is also the first ride I've done in a month outside of my 5 mile each way commute which I also didn't manage many of last month due to the weather. The bike overall feels great on the roads, it really surprised me how fluid it felt over the surface and soaked up the majority of vibrations. Even though it wasn't, it actually felt quicker on flats and downhill and felt more effortless. Unfortunately the Crud's were squeaking constantly on the redway section of my route as there was some rubbing on the tyres when they picked up any little grit etc but as soon as I hit the road it became less frequent. Thankfully it's getting drier so hopefully will be able get the Crud's off soon and just enjoy the ride without that annoyance.
While out, I was trying out different hand positions and managed to get into the drops a few times for the downhill sections which felt good. Most of the time was spent on or round the hoods and I'm not sure but felt a little stretched out so think I need to play a little with seat level and possibly even a slightly shorter stem as that changed my ride on the Giant Defy I test rode. I initially set off to complete at least the 30 mile section of my set route I've been doing but started feeling a bit of pain in my lower back so thought it best to do the short circuit and just test it all out for the first ride. Last night I really felt my body starting to complain with my shoulders and upper back feeling the pain but not excessive just the annoying type lol. This morning it's not as bad with just my shoulders feeling a little sore and between the shoulder blades feeling stretched out. Think I'm going to add in some extra back exercises into my week's gym sessions to try stretch it out and hopefully help get used to the position.
I also realised changing to a compact after using a triple may take a little trial and error to get used to as felt drained after the first proper hill I tackled but was mainly due to being in too high a gear going into it so by half way was out of the seat and on a low gear. Anyway after all of that, here's to the next ride
I was never expecting it to be a smooth transition so am happy to go through the little pain at the start to make my riding even more enjoyable.
but I'm limited on space in my house where I can take clear photo's so squeezed it in. My kitchen is now home to both my bikes, good thing I live alone lol
skirting board could do with a paint 
lol
