The Cycling Thread

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

Ah... you need to give a little time for your butt to toughen up / get used to cycling. As said above the type of saddle / seating position can make a big difference, as everybody is a different shape.

If you are suffering get some chamois creme and put it on the chamois / pad on your shorts or on you in that region. It really does make a difference.

If you are just starting out I'd be concentrating on your base level fitness / endurance and then worry about the speed afterwards, dont pay to much attention to average speed either as it can be a little misleading.

Dont try and do to much distance to soon or you'll knacker yourself out and if you are out in this hot weather, remember to drink plenty of fluids.

It feels more bruised than rubbing, but my dad has recommended Assos cream?

My base fitness is ok, having only just had 3 weeks off since the london marathon and I am a relatively regular runner.

Originally Posted by maviczap

Keep your padded shorts clean as well, as you could get saddle sores, not pleasant

Pays to have at least 2 pairs of shorts if you're cycling regularly

If you bought cheap padded shorts then that could also be your problem. I had some old shorts that I used, but compared to more modern shorts they're crap.

The DHB brand sold by Wiggle get good reviews and aren't expensive. I bought 2 pairs and the pad is much better than a cheap pair I bought from Decathlon

Yes they are cheapo ones and I have done a couple of thousand miles in them (2 pairs) over the last few years. Gel ones or normal padded best?

My dad swears by bib ones, but for now shorts should be fine.

I got a wriggle on this afternoon with those pedals on!!

I am aiming at perhaps doing it Mon/Weds/Fri to work, see how that goes.

Thanks for all the advice. Kev

Oh one more thing gloves? I have some long finger Altura gel gloves, but they have seen better days and I think that the gel is not in the right place now on the road bike, so what are the recommended ones?

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by krhall

It feels more bruised than rubbing, but my dad has recommended Assos cream?

I've tried a few different ones and the Assos is the stuff I find works best.

Originally Posted by krhall

I am aiming at perhaps doing it Mon/Weds/Fri to work, see how that goes.

Sounds sensible, I had forgotten you were a runner to. So yep your base should be fine. 3 days a week sounds good, do that for a couple of weeks and then take it from there.

Re : gloves, I have a pair of Specialised Body Geometry ones, two nice big gel pads, nicely positioned for when riding on the tops of the bars. Have had them a couple of years and are standing up wheel to the milleage they have done. I had a pair of cannondale ones before that and the stitiching all came apart, but they were comfy to.

Took my roadbike to LBS for it's first service/checkover today. Done about 200 miles on it and it was ready a once-over. Thought it would be a good thing before the Dragon Ride and the bike hols, too.

I advised them that the indexing on the rear gears seemed to be out. Had a call about half an hour later asking if I'd come off the bike as the rear derraileur hanger was bent

No, I hadn't come off it and nor had I given it a whack that I can remember. I'm careful about stuff like that. I can only think that the bike was supplied/delivered like that (not by the LBS, btw) as there's no way that would have happened on a bike rack.

LBS advised that they had a special tool to straighten it and had done so. They also tightened the head-bearings. I'll see the damage when I pick the bike up tomorrow.

Remember folks, always get a new bike checked over a few weeks after first taking it out.

Im loving cycling. I've had my new roadbike for about 3-4 weeks, have managed a few hundred miles, 45 of them today up some big hills and a decent run over the plains.

Think I might have gone for a bit too much though, finishing with a ride over mow cop is a bit daft, so resorted to walkig the last half mile to the top hen cycling down.

I think part of it was just running out of steam. I really want ti be able to 50-60, I'd love to go for the Birmingham to Oxford sportive in a few weeks, it's 60 miles, but I have no ea home many hills are on the route

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by 7755matt

Im loving cycling. I've had my new roadbike for about 3-4 weeks, have managed a few hundred miles, 45 of them today up some big hills and a decent run over the plains.

Think I might have gone for a bit too much though, finishing with a ride over mow cop is a bit daft, so resorted to walkig the last half mile to the top hen cycling down.

I think part of it was just running out of steam. I really want ti be able to 50-60, I'd love to go for the Birmingham to Oxford sportive in a few weeks, it's 60 miles, but I have no ea home many hills are on the route

Think you have 'bonked' Matt ie run out of fuel in the tank, do you take any energy food or drink with you on these rides, even a bananna is better than nowt

Yeah I do take energy drink and some food, but I underestimated the amount I need. Ive currently only got a small drinks bottle, so getting a larger one, and I will deffinitely take more food stuffs.

Drained pretty much a small camelbak equivalent of squashe. Thoroughly enjoyed myself, got up to 1350-1400 feet, massive climbs and although I stopped for a breather a couple of times I cycled them all. It was only after the tank emptied that I had to resort to walking

[maviczap]

Yep, on longer rides, you'll probably need 2 small bottles or 2 large depending on how hot it is.

Snacking regularly on the ride will help, sweets like jelly beans or jelly babies are good, although too many will make you sick

Originally Posted by Jabba

I advised them that the indexing on the rear gears seemed to be out. Had a call about half an hour later asking if I'd come off the bike as the rear derraileur hanger was bent

Well........ #2 son confessed to having knocked my bike over and the hanger wasn't bent, just displaced. Bike shifting crisply and quietly again

Or rather, it would be if the rear brake was releasing fully after application. It sticks part way open. I can open it fully with an audible click. Off to LBS tomorrow first thing. Meant that I couldn't get any miles in today before the biggie on Sunday

[fizzwheel]

Tour of Wessex ride on Saturday just gone.

Checked the forecast on Friday, went to Halfrauds, purchased a set of crud rod racer mudguards, and spent Friday night fiddling with the darn things to get them to fit on my roadbike, 2nd set of guards I have got that dont fit properly but these are the best yet.

Sort out my stuff, off to bed. Saturday morning, mate picks me up, get to the start pen, and it starts to spit with rain, typical. A few miles later down the road is lashing it down and I am glad I fitted the mudguards !

Get caught and passed by a couple of big groups of club riders and get a little sucked into working to hard just to sit in the draft, so back off a little. Notice that barely a mile passes without seeing somebody at the side of the road mending a puncture and the rains not easing off. Settle into my rhythm and tap my way up Cheddar Gorge, feed station and top fill up with water and shiver in the cold and rain whilst my mate changes his punctured rear tyre.

Down a nasty descent into Wells that I know as I have climbed it before and another rider decides to overtake me on a blind bend in the rain, and then ends up on the wrong side of the road because they cant get passed as the roads to narrow and nearly collides head on with a car and then starts shouting at the car driver which had me cacking myself rain eases off, stop at next feedstop and fill up on energy bars. Then onto the killer climb of this ride, King Alfreds tower, which has a section of 1 in 4 gradient in it and always in the past has defeated me. Not today though, I'm well chuffed OK it wasnt easy but I get up it. Not so for a guy in front of me whose chain explodes on the steepest bit and he's lucky he doesnt end up on the floor.

After that it dries up nicely for an hour before slashing it down with rain again, keep slogging away nice undulating roads so you can carry a little momentum and nothing nasty to break the rhythm, then my mate notices he has another puncutre, I lend him my spare tube, which he mangles the valve on. So its then ride, put air in his tyre, ride put air in his tyre and repeat. I bonk badly at the 90 mile mark which coincides with another massive down pour I'm now cold wet, hungry and tired and riding into a headwind, shove another gel down my throat whilst he puts air into his tyre again and then I tow him the last 20 miles or so because he is in worse physical shape than I am !

The sun comes out for the last 10 miles and we drift into the finish line.

OK so it wasnt easy, but not as hard I was expecting, I got up every climb which I am very pleased with. Glad I was only doing 1 day though, plan for next year I think now is 2 days, and then to try for all three days in 2012.

Stats if anybody is interested

Ride time : 7hrs 26 mins
Average Speed : 14.4mph
Elevation Gain : 6,593 ft
Avg Heart Rate : 151bpm
Calories Burnt : 7,592 kcals

I think I prepared pretty well, I had the right amount of food and drink, and for me I had the right stuff to which meant I ate it. I should have eaten a little earlier in the last stage and then I wouldnt have bonked. Bike worked OK, no issues, no punctures either. Overall pretty pleased with myself.

Jabba, is it your ride next weekend ? If so good luck mate.