Well, today was my first time on a bike in 7 yrs.........

jay197

Hi everyone,

To put you in the picture, I am 43 years old, and since quitting an active physical job, I have developed some middle aged spread

So what better way to lose that gut than on a GT road bike, (ally/carbon entry level bike, can't afford a Colnago........yet...)

Anyway, I did 15 miles in just over an hour in the bedfordshire rain showers.

The drivers all gave me lots of room and waited for me at the roundabouts too, which was nice :P

So I think I have got the bike bug now and may turn into a mamil

No saddle numbness was a bonus, BUT......... the slightest suggestion of a hill and I was down to the lowest gear and out of the saddle, hehe.

Are cleats always so slippery in when wet, I kept sliding off the pedal when clipping in at the traffic lights :oops:

Didn't fall over though................yet

Regards,

Jay.

simon_masterson

Well done! Whereabouts in Beds are you? I hail from North Herts but I'm often found in the Harlington area, and I used to work at Chicksands. My wife works there but the roads are really nice, and there are more hills than where I live.

The disease is incurable, by the way.

graeme_s-2

Well done

If your cleat is slipping off the pedal then you're almost certainly not putting it in the right place to clip in. With most pedal systems if you get it in the right place it will clip in rain or no. If it's slipping off it's because you missed it. Just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it.

jay197

I live in between Luton and Dunstable so not that far away:P

Syd_65

Hi Jay, well done on getting out, the weather wasn't too bad today was it?
I'm another Bedfordshire dweller, bit further North than you in Ampthill. As has been said there are some nice roads hereabouts and plenty of hills...and some nice riding out Leighton Buzzard / Woburn way!

BowtomePhil

Bedford here, well Kempston.

Old Warden area near Chicksands has loads of hills. I personally go out through Cranfield, Newport Pagnell , all country roads barely a car passes.

jay197

Syd_65 wrote:

Hi Jay, well done on getting out, the weather wasn't too bad today was it?
I'm another Bedfordshire dweller, bit further North than you in Ampthill. As has been said there are some nice roads hereabouts and plenty of hills...and some nice riding out Leighton Buzzard / Woburn way!

Hey Syd

Aye clear blue skies again here all morning 8)

Well you are right next door almost, do you cycle with Icknield-roadclub or anyone ?

I am hoping to meet the Luton CC for a "gentlemanly" ride on Sat morning as I have no leg strength at all atm:P

I wonder if I can even keep up with a group tbh :?

jay197

BowtomePhil wrote:

Bedford here, well Kempston.

Old Warden area near Chicksands has loads of hills. I personally go out through Cranfield, Newport Pagnell , all country roads barely a car passes.

Today I am going to try and go north of Luton for the first time and try to find those nice quiet "country" roads I can see on google sattalite :P

If you see a bearded geek on a very fast bike going very slowly.................that will be me :oops:

Wish me luck.

unixnerd

What pedals / cleats are you using?

jay197

unixnerd wrote:

What pedals / cleats are you using?

due to moving house and running out of money this month, I went for the cheap shimanos on wiggle for around £26.99 I think.

When I get more confident on the bike (I am scared to go round a corner at more than 5mph atm :oops: ) I will probably then upgrade to a pair of proper, more rigid carbon shoes, in the meantime I will maybe try "zero" float cleats

As a beginner I am open to suggestions atm.

Now I'm off to the NEC...... I have heard there's a bike show going on hehe.

Regards,

Jay.

unixnerd

What I mean is are you using SPD or SPD-SL cleats? I think SPD-SLs a lot harder to clip into and it you get it wrong your feet will slide about on the pedal until you clip in properly. SPDs are more forgiving.

Ouninpohja75

Sounds like me today
First time riding a bike in I don't know how long,and first time ever riding a road bike.
Now I'm not sure if it's just the amount of time away from being on 2 wheels - or these slim tyres take a lot more balance than a mountain bike does? :oops:

unixnerd

You'll find a road bike is a bit less stable than a mountain bike, it's a combination of a few things. But you soon get used to it.

jay197

Ahh yes I agree, the road bike takes a lot more skill to ride.

I am still very nervous around corners on such narrow tires, and doing over 25mph on my new road bike feels very scary atm.

I guess the more you ride it the more confident and competent you get as a rider.

Ouninpohja75

Hopefully so.... :?
It wasn't actually my bike or the correct size for me to be honest,so I doubt that helped matters!
When I (finally) get mine I'll be sure to find out.

Reane_Machine

When I got my first roadie a couple of months ago I came straight off the MTB and it feels like getting out of a JCB into a Ferrari in terms of handling.

It's mega scary at first but once you get used to the handling/slick tyres/ride position - you'll never go back to MTB on the road again.

It's a different beast entirely! 8)

And I've only fallen off once with SPDs...although that has resulted in a fractured finger .

But the bike was fine, more importantly! :oops:

jay197

unixnerd wrote:

What I mean is are you using SPD or SPD-SL cleats? I think SPD-SLs a lot harder to clip into and it you get it wrong your feet will slide about on the pedal until you clip in properly. SPDs are more forgiving.

Thanks for the tip unix, I am pretty sure they are SPD SL's, and I guess it will take me some time to get used to clipping in.

I can clip out fine from either foot no problem, but starting off on a hill is 50/50 atm for me so I may practice that a few times off the road on grass maybe.

Today will be my third day back on a bike and I can't wait

unixnerd

If this bike gets used in town a lot I'd strongly think about going to SPDs. I think SPD-SLs are dangerous in traffic as there's a good chance of pulling out of a junction, not clipping in and being stuck in the middle of the road with no power! I've had SPDs for almost ten years. I've had SPD-SLs on one bike for a year and still find clipping in hit and miss.