It’s been quite a while since I last posted. I have now learned much from my own experience and GCN is well a super-channel on YouTube. I have been researching and learning about bikes. But to mention all of the cycling mad creators on there too. I will post a couple of my recommendations at the end.
I would like to say that I have ridden more than I have but life gets in the way. The main points of concern have been wrist issues and clipless pedals.
Wrist issues.
I get a lot of discomfort from my wrists and this is on smaller bikes and mountain bikes big fat soft tyres etc…I had thought a better-fitting bike would be the answer but it’s not going to be. Still, a pair of carbon forks is on the list. I am looking for an Endurance Road Bike. The search is still on and I may just buy all my components and make it up as I go. This is the main thing holding me back from riding much longer than 2 hours at the moment. If I push through the discomfort then I start getting a sensation that the handlebars are separate and sawn in half in the middle and a shearing motion is happening. Bizzare right?
Clipless Pedals
I inherited a pair of older Shimano shoes with cleats having the 3 bolt system and yellow tips. These have more ‘float’ than the red and are supposedly easier to get in and out of. Yes, I have forgotten at times to unclip and at others not be able to and have fallen over. I’m in the club. Upon realising that I like road cycling I got some new ones courtesy of my loving partner. And so I thought I would invest in new cleats. Ebay let me down. I didn’t realise that the cleats came in poor quality too. So invest in proper Shimano cleats not copies. They simply aren’t safe. I just didn’t know and just bought a pair from eBay.
So what happened? I had to go looking for the adjustable screw in the pedal to slacken off the tension making them easier to get in but still, it was a real fight. My first ever ride I was never in the bloody thing on the right I believe it was. I kept persevering with them. On sorting the ability to clip in unclipping was not always easy and this is where it gets dangerous. Once coming toward a stop I got so frustrated I put so much force (twisting out) into unclipping that I tore the cleat plastic. Something I said is not right. I bought what appeared to be proper Shimano cleats and well no issues at all. That’s the end of that small cycling story, the moral is yes you can blame the tools.
Bike building and maintenance
I have interestingly started to build up an interest in the building of bikes. So there is a world of difference between putting together new clean components and working on dirty old messes that you can barely improve but that need maintaining. My TDF (Tour De France) is just developing a bottom bracket squeak. Man, they are annoying eh? I am hoping that it’s something that worked loose and needs a dismantle cleaned and put back together. The BB isn’t the easiest thing to work on without tooling though.
I now know all the components quite well, now own a bike stand and can index a derailer gear set and adjust my brakes.