A great ride

"Doug" wrote ...

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Just over a year ago I took up riding to better my health. This year I

plan

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to do longer rides as the season progresses. Today I took part in the 2004
tour de cure to support the American Diabetes Association. I rode the 62.5
mile course. While this isn't my first time participating in a large ride
like, it is my first time in a group ride. I have read about drafting,

today

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was my first experiance on the rode with it! What a cool effect.

It took my about 3.5 hours to complete. not sure if thats fast or slow...
Some that passed me made me feel like I was standing still!

62.5 miles /3.5 hrs = 17.8 mph. Sounds respectable to me. The folks that
made you feel like you were standing still probably took up cycling a lot
more than a year ago.

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Anyway - after about 30 miles I began to experiance a burning sensation in
my left foot. I'd guess it has something to do with the cleat placement.
I've put the cleat as far forward as it will go, but it still doesn't seem
right. could it be that it's too far back? would a different in-sole help?

There are insoles that do a better job of supporting your foot than the
typical bicycle shoe insole. Bike shops, and stores that sell running and
hiking shoes sell these.

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Another thing that I found was that two spokes loosed themselves to the
point where the wheel was rubbing. Would improper spoke tension cause

this?

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Improper/uneven spoke tension will allow the spokes to get looser and
looser, causing the wheel to go out of true. A good bike shop can fix this,
or you can buy a spoke wrench and play with it yourself. If you really get
interested in truing or building your own wheels, "The Bicycle Wheel" by
Jobst Brandt is an excellent reference.
Some of the regulars on rec.bicycles.tech are also an excellent source of
information.
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mark