Cycling Thread - All Peddlers and Pedallers welcome.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Have started a new thread as the other one is very nearly full.

Ooh I went out with my friend for a couple of hours (did 11.2 miles, climbed 780 foot but in not keeping track, oh no)

She said aldi bike stuff is in tomorrow, I got ridiculously excited - now my hopes are dashed, got to wait a whole nother week

My fanjo definitely needs some protection, and soon!! Hurry up the 26th

I'm not in (bloody phone)

Well I made it! Totally crapped myself every time a car went past me, but that's to be expected for a while I think. It's scary how unfit I am, I was puffing on the gentlest incline. My foot was ok except for very bad pins and needles all the way back. I'm not sure what that means so back to the docs I think. But despite all that, I had the biggest grin on my face at finally being back out.

Mumsnet needs a 'like' button piffpaffpoff

As a sort of bye-the-bye, do posters know we have a busy thread on the Tour de Britain here? We're half way through now, with a Cav stage win and Lord Wiggo of Wiggoland in the gold jersey.

or here even.

Tour of Britain comes past me Friday its very exciting worth going to see if its near you. My little town had a stage finish couple yrs ago it was brill a little mini tour de france style atmosphere :-)
Well done piffpaff. It will get easier. After my op in Apr I did a few short 2-3mile rides to ease my nerves and lack of fitness.
Got soaked this morning on ride to work but blown home with tail wind

ssmile- I'm now trying to work out where you are! I live in Devon too. Will be riding over the moor to Moretonhampstead then down the ToB route to Bovey and up to Haytor. Boy is booked in with Childminder after school. We had stern letter about attendance policy at start of term... bum. Last two years I've pulled him out for a day.

Aldi - full details!

Yay, I want some winter trousers.

Thanks Lady. Going to be investing in a winter jacket, and cover it in additional reflectives.

And I invested in these Shimano shoe covers today from Decathlon. Will do a review asap. Just watch us enjoy an early autumn heat wave...

Hello fellow cyclists! Glad I found you :)
I started cycling when I lived in London because it's better than being squashed up against somebody's smelly pits at rush hour. Not in London anymore but still cycling and love it. I'm naturally a really anxious person but when I'm out on the bike I just chill the f out!

I ride a mountain bike. I'd love a road bike for my commute but my journey is on fast roads and the separate cycle paths are in terrible condition. Had one week with 3 punctures and I ride off-road for fun too and they can handle that just fine!

Thanks for the Aldi tip off, really need to get some new winter gear, it's getting chilly out there!

Happy to hear from VinegarDrinker about cycling through 2 pregnancies. Should I ever manage to conceive I really want to carry on cycling.

Sadly we don't have Aldi in NI.

Lidl were doing cycling helmets last week, but I have one already. We do however have a big branch of chain reaction cycles, so I may have a browse there later today.

Missed the tour nr Exeter today as had to work but will be watching highlights later unis. Hope it was good. Yes we too now restricted by the "You will NOT take child out of school" policy :-( but I'd already booked a weekend at centre parcs in few wks time so we may have hmmmm ear ache for a day Opps!
Yes please any shoe cover reviews as I need some. Can you get them to cover "normal" shoes or just clip inones

the tour de Britain practically came past my mothers house and she didn't go and watch

I've already earmarked in the aldi brochure exactly what is mine all mine.. Dp has agreed that Santa can come early this year!

ssmile - covers allow for both- there is a gap on the sole for clips if that's what you have.
Of course now that I've spent £27 on covers, I see from the forecast that it's going to be dry for the next 10 days. So you have me to thank for that.

Hello all

I'm glad to see this new thread, and so many regulars posting on it.

I haven't posted for ages, but have been doing a decent amount of cycling this year- but nothing particularly exciting. I am clocking up 100 - 150 miles a week with at least two 25 mile round trips to work and 50 - 60 mile club rides at the weekends. I am slowly getting stronger and faster, but I think I have plateaued a bit at the moment, and have certainly not made any dramatic improvements.

I have also been competing in triathlons this summer, so have been dedicating time to swim and running training as well.

I still have my Specialized Tri-cross for commuting, and Specialized Tarmac for fun.

I have been working on getting my cadence up this summer (number of pedal rotations per minute), by basically riding my tri-cross as a single speed. I have stuck it in the big ring on the front, and about halfway down the cassette, so when I pull away from junctions, traffic lights etc, I really have to work hard to put the power down, but then when I get up to about 17 miles per hour, my legs are going like crazy! I actually spin out at about 20 mph. It does seem to have worked, as I am now riding at a much higher cadence, even when on my Tarmac. The extra effort pulling away in the big gear has been good for power as well. I really felt the strain in my legs for the first couple of weeks I did this, especially on the day that I had to carry so much paperwork to work with me that my panniers weighed 15 kg!

It must have made some difference to my muscle mass as I went into Jones the Bootmaker a couple of days ago to buy some new winter boots, and found that I could not get the standard fitting ones zipped up on my calves! I'm a size 10 so not exactly chunky, so am feeling quite disgruntled that I now need a plus size fitting. I would still like a bit more muscle on my thighs though .

Well done on the Triathlons Thistledew, I keep thinking that's the next thing for me, I really fancy giving one a go. Less fab re the boots! I find getting ski boots really difficult thanks to my cycling calves.

So my exciting news for today is that I went to see the doctor re the pins and needles in my recovering foot. She's referred me for physio and said that nerve damage can take up to a year to recover but...(drum roll)...she doesnt think cycling will do any further damage so if I am happy to tolerate the pins and needles, I can go on my bike! . I think she could tell I was getting desperate!

100-150 miles a week is amazing.

I'm struggling to find the time to do 100miles a month!

Wow, triathlons is amazing too! I keep looking at, reading about and wondering about plucking up the courage to enter a small one... Am no good at running though..

Ooh it's very nice to see thistledew back, I wasn't on the last thread but read every post avidly, thank you for starting it.

We are off to Delamere forest on Sunday for a family bike ride with pals, hoping ds2 is going to be up to it.. He's got a bit of a cold and temp. We managed to find ds1 (6) a hardtail on eBay, it's a bit of a dud but DP is going to play rejig some of the parts of his previous tank bike to customise it, which will hopefully be an easier better ride.. F xd..

Another 10.5 miles today towing the trailer, few smallish inclines and my thighs are feeling it!

Has anyone got ergonomic hand grips? They're sort of a curved shape.

DP just showed me a picture, they look like they would be quite good for my dodgy right wrist... Reviews welcome?

Hello All, I wanted to mark my place and greet you all.

I have a 12 year old Claude Butler hybrid which has done me proud. I have never been without a bike really, but after doing the cycling bit only of triathlon training (Nore Road anyone?) with my triathlon friend, I have finally been persuaded onto a road bike.

I have ordered a womens Scott Contessa road bike on Thursday on the cycle to work scheme, so I will finally have a racer soon. I am a bit nervous of it.

Glad you are recovered and back on the bike, PiffPaff. I had a fall off the bike on Thursday and used my shoulder, face and knee as a brake on the gravel. I might get back on tomorrow, but my knee looks like a hamburger.

I do about 12-14 hilly miles about 2/3 times a week, with lots of pootling in between. I managed 37km (sounds better than 22 miles) on The Strawberry Bike line this week though.

Thanks for the Aldi heads up.

I have naturally chunky calves and I am dismayed to hear that cycling could bulk them up more, rather than slim them down.

Puffy, a friend of mine has ergonomic hand grips on her hybrid. They're slightly squishy gel type ones. She likes them a nd they certainly look/feel comfy.

ergo grips- I have ergo bar ends on our tandem. I like them. It makes a nice change from griping flat bars.

My other bikes have drop handle bars.