Show us your.......newbie progress! [4 Sep 2012 - 4 Oct 2014]

[SWSteve]

Okay, I have a chain tool on the way so once I've gotten a new chain, if I need one, I can make it the correct length. I'll pop into Evan's tomorrow to see if they have a wear indicator. I've had a good look at my chain before, but couldn't see a quick link, I'll have another go in the light of day

 

[AndyPeace]

Cheers for all the Birthday Greets, still working on getting a photo this is the best so far, off to try again tomorrow with my Dad. Thankfully he's suggested a different location, as this was taken on a very bumpy stretch of 'road', that is prone to regular flooding, You can't tell from the picture but it's just a crumpled rough road...on the Hybrid I feel it slowing me and shaking my bones, but on my race bike it's barley noticeable, I bounded over it and felt really sure footed, dodging the remnants of the recent hedge cut with ease. Great family day picnicking at a local park. The sun defied the weather report and broke through the clouds all afternoon. Distracted by the many cyclists I saw out today, I lost rounders but made up for it in the games that followed. Great meal out after just me and the folks, now off to finish the day at a late night party.... Only got a short ride in today (plus the riding back and forth for photo's) but well impressed, 19.4mph avg and I was overdressed as I've had a bad chest this week gone. As well as getting out for photo's tomorrow I'm also planning on tackling little Malvern, despite the Madone's awesomeness I've a few doubts about getting up it on 34X28, though in reality I don't think there is much difference in my hybrids 26X23 low gear,but we'll see.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@AndyPeace a 34x28 is 33.12", 26x23 is on 700cx23mm 29.73"

 

[Supersuperleeds]

No riding for the next couple of days, so decided to go tackle a cat 3 climb that I have been thinking of doing for a while. Strava dipped my average speed to 16.9, but my GPS says 17.2.

http://www.strava.com/activities/73765556

 

[Reece]

No riding for the next couple of days, so decided to go tackle a cat 3 climb that I have been thinking of doing for a while. Strava dipped my average speed to 16.9, but my GPS says 17.2.

http://www.strava.com/activities/73765556

Nice one Chris. Great ride.

We was meant to be doing Beacon Hill reps today but my mate came off yesterday so a bit sore today and I was getting knee pains so resting up. The others have rode out to Draycott water though I think.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Nice one Chris. Great ride.

We was meant to be doing Beacon Hill reps today but my mate came off yesterday so a bit sore today and I was getting knee pains so resting up. The others have rode out to Draycott water though I think.

Reps! One ride up it per ride is enough for me. Today, I went into the actual park and rode right to the end of the path before the very top. That bit is a steep bugger.

Bit annoyed as I hit a bogus cat 3 coming home and it has given me a fictitious highest climb of 709 feet, one of the objectives of doing the long climb up Beacon Hill was to get rid of the 480 foot bogus climb I had on my Strava Profile.

 

[bororider]

Went out and done my longest ride this morning. Just short of 26 miles and I'm really happy that my average speed is consistent at around 14.5 - 15mph whether i do 12 or 25 miles.
Some really great fun on the downhills today but boy were the uphills a killer. Almost gave up on one but talked to myself all the way up it and managed to keep it going. (These are probably not even hills to some on here but to me they felt like mountains!!!!)
Also had a fair distance to travel on a dirt track which my bike just isn't suitable for!!

A nice ride out for a Sunday morning in almost perfect conditions

http://app.strava.com/activities/73760130

 

[Reece]

Reps! One ride up it per ride is enough for me. Today, I went into the actual park and rode right to the end of the path before the very top. That bit is a steep bugger.

Bit annoyed as I hit a bogus cat 3 coming home and it has given me a fictitious highest climb of 709 feet, one of the objectives of doing the long climb up Beacon Hill was to get rid of the 480 foot bogus climb I had on my Strava Profile.

I noticed that. Cat 3 outside Welford Road prison lol! They do my head in, I had a bogus climb for ages of 360ft. Supposedly there was a cat4 hill going over the M1 bridge in Leicester Forest East.

 

[Phoenix Lincs]

Sitting on the stationary bike in the gym this morning, watching all the data flashing before my eyes, I wondered whether I should get a HRM to make my training more appropriate.

As many of you know, I started cycling for fitness before getting into training for London100 and with that out of the way, I need a new focus and thought heart rate might be a good way I go.

I have a Garmin, so can anybody say whether this is a good idea, and whether this is a good deal?


View item:
GARMIN PREMIUM HEART RATE MONITOR Soft Chest Strap 010-10997-02 NEW

Views welcome, thanks folks. Off to watch more action at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome today. It's very exciting

 

[Hill Wimp]

Sitting on the stationary bike in the gym this morning, watching all the data flashing before my eyes, I wondered whether I should get a HRM to make my training more appropriate.

As many of you know, I started cycling for fitness before getting into training for London100 and with that out of the way, I need a new focus and thought heart rate might be a good way I go.

I have a Garmin, so can anybody say whether this is a good idea, and whether this is a good deal?


View item:
GARMIN PREMIUM HEART RATE MONITOR Soft Chest Strap 010-10997-02 NEW

Views welcome, thanks folks. Off to watch more action at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome today. It's very exciting

@Phoenix Lincs why are you on a bike in the gym and not out outside on yours ? Im just going out on mine by the way

 

[stevey]

Our little ride today

http://app.strava.com/activities/73794875

Need to shift seat a little slight knee pain

 

[spooks]

Annoyingly forgot to turn on strava until about 5 miles in today.
Quite a nice ride despite the rain. Once again i demonstrated how truly crap I am at anything even slightly uphill. I really don't seem to be getting any better in that regard.
Also I had 2 women drafting on my wheel for a good 15 miles and not one of them said a word to me or came to the front even once. Rude!! I was too shy to tell them to back off or get in front the lazy madams!
http://www.strava.com/activities/73801544

 

[sleaver]

Decided to go for 50 miles yesterday (the route I planned was actually 53 miles (86km)) and at around the 30km point I thought to myself "I've done 76km before so whats another 10km".

Well, that other 10km was Box Hill. I know people have said that Box Hill isn't that bad but considering the elevation graph below, if it wasn't for Box Hill, the two bumps at about 17km and 70km were what I was used to hill wise to date and so Box Hill to me seemed a big step. So I had all these thoughts in my mind of not making it, having to walk etc etc.

Anyway, I thought I would take it easy and just see how I got on and I'm not ashamed to say that I used first gear but I did venture into second at some point. I turned onto Zig Zag road just behind someone on a Hybrid/MTB and when I had caught him up, I used him to pace myself. Got around the first hairpin and lookup up to my right and thought "Jeeze that's steep" but I just tried to keep a steady pace behind the other cyclist. Come the second hairpin I was feeling quite good and so I decided to overtake him and I think it was that point that I went into second gear although I did go back into first a bit later. When I got to the top, I stopped for the views and did think that I was worrying over nothing. Ok, I did take it easy but then I didn't know what to expect and there is always next time.

Now I'm wondering when I'm going to go back and also when am I going to do the extra 15km to get to a metric century.

http://www.strava.com/activities/73618144

 

[Mo1959]

Annoyingly forgot to turn on strava until about 5 miles in today.
Quite a nice ride despite the rain. Once again i demonstrated how truly crap I am at anything even slightly uphill. I really don't seem to be getting any better in that regard.
Also I had 2 women drafting on my wheel for a good 15 miles and not one of them said a word to me or came to the front even once. Rude!! I was too shy to tell them to back off or get in front the lazy madams!
http://www.strava.com/activities/73801544

You're not that crap at hills.....you got a QOM. Well done.

 

[spooks]

You're not that crap at hills.....you got a QOM. Well done.

There were only 2 of us on that list earlier but actually theres 3 others from today on there now so that makes me feel a bit better. I just get a bit dispirited when I see all these men streaming past me. I was puffing and panting like an asthmatic smoker though.