First progress report

Debbie said:

burt said:

"Debbie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(Managed 6.3 mph ave today, and only walked one short uphill bit)

Well done and welcome to the select band (but maybe not) of those who read two u.r.c's
(uk.religion.christian and uk.rec.cycling).

Debbie is, of course, our Madame Moderator on the the 'other' urc.

Kennedy (who is looking forward to cycling home in the spring-like weather)

[email hidden] (Dave Kahn) wrote: ...
| It's early days yet. As you get fitter it will become more enjoyable still. There will be times
| when you might feel jaded and have to force yourself to get out there, but you need to be in it
| for the long haul. Eventually you may drop Patrick on the climb home, but that's a long way down
| the line.

Dang, rumbled, have a gold star <g>.

--
Patrick Herring, Sheffield, UK anweald.co.ukanweald.co.ukOpen ↗

Eala Earendel engla beorhtast ofer middangeard monnum sended.

Repost - b****y ntl lost the first version

(Dave Kahn) said:

I know I'm repeating myself but I'm slightly worried that you have the wrong focus. You seem to be
hung up on your speed and climbing ability. At this stage I feel they are completely irrelevant.
You should be thinking about gradually extending your distance and time in the saddle. Speed and
strength will increase automatically, but it's extended gentle aerobic exercise you should be
aiming for. So what if you walk a few hills if it allows you to spend more time actually cycling?

I take your point. But I'm starting *very* modestly - a little over a mile around local roads in my
lunch break. It's the least hilly route I can think of, although nowhere in Sheffield is that
level. So I'm measuring progress for the first few days in what are essentially very minor
indications of fitness. Having to stop and walk isn't about the steepness of the hill, it's about
how quickly the lactic acid makes my thighs useless on long slopes - the further up the slope I
get, the fitter I've got.

Speed is directly related to how far I cycle on this scale - the more I walk, the slower the
average is.

Today I managed the whole route without having to walk, breathed more steadily and recovered much
more quickly. So tomorrow, I'm extending the route a bit, as per your advice, and shall continue to
do so until I can do my whole lunch hour. (question - can you eat sandwiches while cycling?
Otherwise, I'll lose weight much more quickly once I run out of eating time)

On Thursday evening I'm doing my first real trip - ie, using the bike to get somewhere I'd normally
go by car. Not a long way (Parents' evening at the kids' school) and the trip there is mostly
downhill, so I'll probably end up walking much of the way home. But it starts around 5 o'clock, when
the traffic is terrible, and I can cycle through the park, so I'll get there quicker than either
driving or walking - exactly the kind of thing I wanted to get back on the bike for.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and it didn't hurt as much - except for the sit bones which best beloved informs me have visible
bruises.

Oh yes, they will be tender for a little while. :-)

Not as bad today. I can still feel them, but they don't hurt as much.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Good news is that BB has found an unwanted cycle with proper gears looking for a home for free.

Excellent, if it fits you. Does it have a triple? How many gears and what is the range?

Looks as if it does (same size frame and wheels as current one), yes, BB says "six sprockets on the
block, haven't counted the teeth yet". Does that mean anything to you? Sounds like a trip to the
dentist. Frankly, anything has got to be better than a Sturmey Archer three-speed.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Addictive? I love it!

It's early days yet. As you get fitter it will become more enjoyable still. There will be times
when you might feel jaded and have to force yourself to get out there, but you need to be in it for
the long haul.

I've got clear goals. I want to be able to cycle to the university library and back, into town, and
manage recreational cycling over modest distances in pretty (but not terribly hilly) places with a
tent. I've got the tent, had it for years. Now all I need are the legs.

--

Debbie Urban Theology Unit, Sheffield Views expressed in this email are my own and are not
necessarily those of the University of Sheffield or UTU.

Debbie said:

Looks as if it does (same size frame and wheels as current one), yes, BB says "six sprockets on
the block, haven't counted the teeth yet". Does that mean anything to you? Sounds like a trip to
the dentist.

As a complete non-techie I can tell you this means there are six different sized rings on the back,
but he hasn't checked what size they are yet. "Sprocket" is shorthand for "round thing with teeth on
the back of the bike that the chain goes round unless something's gone horribly wrong". "Block" is
the collective noun for a group of sprockets. (Isn't "sprocket" a great word? :-)).

How many teeth on the sprocket determines how big the gear is, i.e. how hard it is to pedal. Number
of sprockets x number of front chainrings = number of gears bike has.

This pretty much exhausts my store of information on gears :-)

If people start wibbling on about gear inches, that relates, for some archaic reason, to how big a
penny farthing would have to be to provide a gear of that difficulty. I tend to start tuning out
when gear inches enter the conversation....

--
Carol Hague "The people of this town *are* behaving strangely....even for humans..."
- Teal'c, Stargate SG1