Mice Log Star Date 1 to 7

New Year's Resolution Star Date 1.  Tuesday 1st Jan. The resolution was to push myself from being a five mile cyclist to do a minimum of 10 miles a day. This may or may not work out but it was a challenge.  If the weather was too awful ie icy or windy the compromise was to do 30 minutes on the turbo. 

Inspired by a friend, Ross Chestney, who was cycling a 50 mile run in and out of London the least I could do was a pootle round Hyde Park. 24.25 miles in 2 hours, average speed 11.5, max speed 20.9. Sunny and fun. And well over target.

Not sure it justified an enormous piece of carrot cake from Gail's bakery but hey, it's New Year's Day!

My Cycling Log 2013. Star Date 2nd Jan. Wednesday. (No Photos as visibility was unfunny and unsunny). The Guilt of the Carrot Cake pushed me out on two wheels along with the opportunity to do some shopping in the sales. Three laps of Hyde Park, a couple of laps of Belgrave Square and home with a few bargains. 12.3 miles, Average speed 12.3, max speed 21.10 in 59 mins 57 seconds! Was soaked through at least one layer in the Park but it was worth it!

Now have 2013 Diary so filling it with FNRttCs and Cyclechat rides amongst other noncycling but good things. Hopefully seeing the dates will spur me on to increase fitness. Not least as I'm already double booking myself!

I also keep hearing about how hilly the Cardiff/Swansea FNRttC is going to be!

My Cycling Log 2013 Star Day 3rd Jan. (No photos again) 16.28 miles, av 11.9, max speed 22.1 during 1hr 21 mins. Met a triathlete who has an 18 year old steel Colnago with the old fashion gear switches.

My Cycling Log 2013 Star Day 4th Jan16.01 miles, 11.5 average speed, 24.5 max speed, during 1.21 hours. Oooo I seem to have been a weencier bit speedier today! 

My Cycling log 2013 Star Day 5th Jan 32.27 miles, Av speed 10.2. All good fun!What a lovely Saturday.

Met two friends on Westminster Bridge where Cormorants were sitting on buoys apparently stretching their wings to dry.

We headed over the Bridge, down past The Old Vic, past a butchers and into Bermondsey where we found a foray of food emporiums under the arches.

Coffee was served, bread was bought - mushrooms were noted in Druid Street for the return visit on a Saturday.  

Over Tower Bridge and into St Katherines Docks one of which is being dredged (or semi-dredged) and out along a canal and eventually alongside the river to Canary Wharf.

A visit to John Lewis followed by lunch in Leon then up to Brick Lane to see if we could go to the limited annual open days of 1 Princeton Street. The queue was rather long so we headed into a Beigel shop instead! What a fun day.   

 
I headed west and found myself in Hyde Park so couldnt resist a few laps.  All good fun!

My Cycling Log Day 6. 22 miles around Stevenage with 15 lovely other peeps from CycleChat Dot Net.

My first ride on my road bike since Germany with Olaf Storbeck at the beginning of November. Was foggy but fun and a couple of mini hills. 

                                             My bike needs a clean! There was mud!! 

Max speed 26, no idea re average speed but cake, company and conversation were tops! 

My Cycling log star day 7. A pootle in the park on the Marin, 14.13 miles, 20.8 fastest speed, ave 10.8 in 1 hour 10. Also included millionaires row and a trip to High Street Ken to a locksmiths. Chores eh?!

 

Top Tips for Tops

For rides less than five miles depends entirely on where I am going - and I dress for that.  The only extras I take are a waterproof jacket and my cycling helmet. 

If I'm going for a pootle for just for the exercise I wear a sports  bra, a baselayer underneath a cycling shirt with a dress or skirt over the top, with leggings underneath.

Most of the clothes shops on the high street have suitable tops, it's just a question of finding the ones I like.  Any recommendations gratefully received!

For day rather than five mile rides I have a couple of Assos short sleeved cycling shirts with zips up the front for temperature control.  Because of this I tend to wear them the most. 

With the baselayers chosen, the type of tops will vary depending on where you are going and how warm it is.

Armwarmers are a tremendous invention as they do lift how warm you are if the temperature drops a little and they fold up into a small space when they are not needed.  When worn correctly you are not supposed to see the join!

In the very deep winter when temperatures are below 0 degrees I tend to do flat rides not too far from home on main roads that have been gritted in order to avoid cycling on ice!   Two Merino baselayers, an Assos baselayer, a longsleeved jersey under a Gore Oxygen jacket has worked perfectly for me. The Gore Oxygen is both windproof and waterproof but breathes to stop you from overheating.  Zips up the front allow me to have a thermostat and control my body temperature. I also wear a buff which is not the same as cycling in the buff!

In temperatures around 11 degrees that may go down to four degrees and is not flat I would wear the same but if there is a hill I would remove the jersey towards the bottom of it to allow for my body temperature to rise as I aim for the summit trying to keep up with these guys!

As the weather becomes warmer through the year the jacket may not be required, nor two baselayers. When temperatures are 23 degrees C and above I still wear a merino under a short-sleeved cycling shirt and keep armwarmers and a windstopper gilet on the bike along with an Assos Climatshut jacket which is also a bit of a boil-in-the-bag kind of jacket but stops you from being cold if the temperature drops dramatically, unexpectedly.  

I am always looking for tops to wear over leggings that are made of lycra or a stretchy material.  Wool is not a good fabric for this as it would become unshapely and would also hold water should it rain - although if I was doing 5 miles or less, this wouldnt be a problem.

Most of the clothes shops on the high street have suitable tops, it's just a question of finding the ones I like.  Any recommendations gratefully received!

 

Riding a Bicycle - Why would you do that?

Riding a bicycle has a secret. A big one.

 Whilst there are many things you may have been told about cycling:

• "it's good for your health"
• "it's economical because you don't need a travel card so it doesn't cost anything to run it (apart from food to fuel you)"
• "it's environmentally healthy as it has no CO2 emissions"
• "it's faster than using public transport or cars in towns and cities"
• "blah, blah, blah, whatever"

There is something that you may not know:

It's fun.  Really big fun.  It doesn't matter how fast you go or how far you go. It's still really big fun. There is nothing quite like the freedom, the total control you have over your bicycle, where you steer, the speed, the road you choose, when you are going to stop and start.  The overwhelming effect of the wind in your hair, the air on your face, the endorphins that give you an incredible feel-good factor which literally change your mood and make you feel fantastic. Every ride no matter how long or short is an adventure. It's exciting and invigorating.  You very rarely see a grumpy cyclist!

Through cycling I have met the most incredible people, seen parts of the country in a way you just dont see unless you are on a bicycle. You become part of the scenery without being an intrusion.

                                                                   Enjoying the sunshine

 

                                                                         Silently cycling by

                                          
                   Arriving in Scotland from London (LonJoG - London to John O'Groats)

                 The bottom of the descent, Arthur's Seat, Gower Peninsular, Wales

                                                                Cyclists sailing

                                                
                                                   Along a beach on the way to Harwich

                                                   Cycling up Semnoz, Annecy in France

                                                Arriving in Bognor on a recumbent

                                                          A ride around The Hague

                                                                      A Coffee Stop


And it's not just about cycle rides.  There are so many other things to do

                                                                    

Bicycle Polo

                              

                                    Circuits at Hilllingdon Track with the Minets Cyclist

                                            Herne Hill Velodrome in South East London


Not forgetting mountain biking, time-trials, hardcourt bike polo, triathlons and all the other ways to bring a bicycle into your life.  Whichever one(s) you choose, they all have the most amazing amount of fun!

Have Bike - now what?

A little bit of bike maintenance will keep you moving.

Every day before I ride my bike I check that my tyres are pumped up well (by squeezing them to check they are hard), that both brakes work (by pushing the bike backwards and squeezing the left brake, the right one by push the bike forward and squeezing the right one) and that the chain is working (by turning the pedals).   

Cycling with insufficiently inflated tyres really makes a difference to your ride. For instance it's far less smooth and if you go into a pot hole you really feel it.  Also, pedalling needs much more effort and the lack of air can really damage the wheel itself. 

At some stage punctures will happen. Its just unavoidable. But once you have learned how to fix them you will be amazed how easy it is and how important it is.  Looking after your tyres, checking that there aren't any pieces of stones or glass in them, letting out some air and removing the bits gently with a needle then keeping them pumped up to their maximum pressure (which is embossed  on the tyre not always easy to see but is there!) will make a big difference to how frequently you have what friends call "a Visitation from the P*^*^*^ *Fairy"!!  

If you do have a visitation, stop cycling and put you and your bike on the pavement out of the way of traffic and pedestrians.    It is important to identify what caused the visitation so inspecting the tyre and the tube to find out what caused it and remove the thorn, piece of glass or stone before you fit the new tube will hopefully stop you putting another hole in a replacement tube.  You wont always find something but it is worth looking.  

When I first started cycling I was not keen to learn how to do fix it but a friend of mine knew how important it was so he showed me how to do it.  He then deflated one of my tyres and made me swap inner tubes.  Every time I made a mistake he would make me start again from the beginning!!!  It was hilarious and rather a harsh way to learn but I can now do it and here's the proof:

 

Rear wheel removed

                      Tube replaced, tyre reinstated and inflated, wheel back on the bike!

You won't need to learn the same was as I did but do learn how to do it.  I also learned that my hands are not strong enough to remove tyres unless they are folding tyres which are more malleable so I only buy folding tyres.

In order to fix a puncture you always need to have with you:

• a pump
• a set of tyre levers (to remove the tyre)
• a spare tube (I carry 2) 
• a puncture repair kit
• a rag (to run around the inside of the tyre to find the culprit that caused the deflation)
• a pair of gloves (I carry a pair of disposable ones) 
•  

Once you have inflated the tyre as much as you can it is worth looking out for a bike shop some of whom leave a track pump outside their shop so you can inflate the tyre to the correct pressure.

                              Here is another ride I was on where there was a "Visitation"

                                                            And another one!! 

Hopefully this shows how easy they are to fix/replace - in this team of three the chap in red is inspecting the tyre looking for the cause of the puncture, the chap in yellow is looking for the hole in the inner tube and the chap in black and white is pumping air into the tube to help identify where the puncture is.  But you can do these things yourself on your own without any difficulty.  Don'f forget - I can do it so that is proof that it is not that hard!

Most bike shops do bike maintenance course, some local authorities offer them and local cycling groups and clubs can help show you the basics.

What bike?

It doesn't matter what kind of bike you have as long as it's in good working order, that it's the right size for you, it doesn't weigh a ton (an important factor in my opinion!) and you have suitable storage for its value.  

That is to say a runaround bike can be left outside, locked up to something for half a day but a more expensive bike should live inside, locked to something. Sadly bike theft is something that happens far too often.

                                                 Things have moved on a bit since these!

Finding the right bike depends not only on storage and budget but also what sort of cycling you intend to do which from my experience can change!   My introduction to cycling was with a fab group of road cyclists.  But to them it's not about what bike you have it's about the fact you have a bike.  

They allowed me to join them for pootles around town to build up my fitness and whilst I will never be as fit as them I am much fitter than I was! On top of that many of them are now very good friends.  As for the road bike, having handlebars that allow you to drop down over them really improves your aerodynamics and therefore your speed. 

Since my first road bike - and I started off on a recumbent trike but that's another story! - I now have an aluminium Marin and a Brompton.  They are all very different bikes and the one I ride depends on what I am doing and where I am going.  If I was told I could only have one bike I would keep my road bike, but hopefully I'll be allowed to have at least two others!

So once you have an idea of the sort of rides you will be doing, the best piece of advice I can give about choosing a bike is to take advice from others before making your decision.  It's so easy to think you've seen the right bike based on what it looks like but some of the parts - as in components - are better than others. Also, some brands fit you better than others depending on their frame size and shape.

                                                            Friends on their Circe Cycle

A folding bike may seem practical but one that you can leave outside a shop for twenty minutes frees up your hands and is one less thing to carry around the shop.  Folding bikes are also hard work on longer rides so you might be better on a full sized bike to keep your options open as to where you might ride. 

If you have a local bike shop nearby, pop in and have a look.  See what their fitting service is like, how long does it take, (mine took at least an hour), do they measure your sit-bones, do they seem to know what they are talking about, is there another bike shop nearby that can be recommended to you.

                                                                A Recumbenteer

Equally important is the storage and lock you buy.  No lock is thief-proof.  Having two different types (I have one stored on my bike) delays the amount of time it takes the thief to steal it.  Theft insurance is essential, often available through your home insurance. 

You are on your way!

An Autumnal day

For longer than five mile rides the wardrobe changes make things more comfortable.  The advancement in Lycra and Merino allow the body to move without restrictions, managing body temperatures and making the time on the bike about being on the bike and not about fabric malfunctions. Padded shorts, longs, threequarter lengths depend on your shape and how you feel.  I look better in 3/4 length rather than shorts but that's just me.  Cleats and SPDs or LOOK enable maximum use of pedal power.

Predetermined and pre-reccied routes mean that the ride is about the ride and not about being lost, hungry and late.  

A sunny day in August found me on a train to Brighton to meet up with a friend so that we could mosey around the seaside town and pop out to Lewes for a forty mile loop via Haywards Heath on one of their weekend routes.

 

Booking trains in advance when possible is economical and easy although battling with a bike reservation can add some stress.

A bakery stall at Brighton Station could have upset the calorie intake:calorie burn ratio for the day

                 Sahar in Lewes with her new wheels.  Too cool for school!

In Haywards Heath for Lunch at Cafe Rouge we hung up our helmets and enjoyed a lovely lunch

This sums up the day - a lovely route around West Sussex.  40 miles for the day.