Newbie weekly achievement thread

I know we're not supposed to brag about such things, but I caught (and stuck with! But not on her wheel) a roadie today on my commute home :)

Actually I wouldn't have really cared, except that I was stopped at a red light at a particularly dangerous intersection, and I was pretty irritated that she came up beside me on the right and kind of wandered through the light, so she was through the intersection before it turned. I caught her on the other side and probably could've passed if I'd pushed, but I didn't want to keep leapfrogging a light runner.

I also GPS-ed my ride home for the first time today and we were riding 20+mph for that chunk (2:40ish a mile) and I had no idea I could go that fast when it wasn't downhill. Especially on a 30 pound bike!

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Originally Posted by jessmarimba

20+mph for that chunk (2:40ish a mile) and I had no idea I could go that fast when it wasn't downhill. Especially on a 30 pound bike!

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:)

Goooooo you!

I have a 2011 Trek FX 7.3, so I decided to order the MKS "lambda" pedals (aka Rivendell "Grip King" pedals-they designed them), received them today and put them on my bike! I posted a couple of days ago that I bought a long handled pedal wrench and some grease and it took me standing on that wrench to get my pedals loose. I just wanted to make sure I knew how to get them off in advance of actually having to swap them out when the Lambdas arrived. The pedals came off nicely (original Welgo pedals) and I put them into the boxes that the Lambda pedals came in and labeled them as my original pedals. So....that's my newby accomplishment.

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Originally Posted by Velocivixen

I have a 2011 Trek FX 7.3, so I decided to order the MKS "lambda" pedals (aka Rivendell "Grip King" pedals-they designed them), received them today and put them on my bike! I posted a couple of days ago that I bought a long handled pedal wrench and some grease and it took me standing on that wrench to get my pedals loose. I just wanted to make sure I knew how to get them off in advance of actually having to swap them out when the Lambdas arrived. The pedals came off nicely (original Welgo pedals) and I put them into the boxes that the Lambda pedals came in and labeled them as my original pedals. So....that's my newby accomplishment.

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Good job! Great accomplishment!

Wanted to give this thread a bump.I'm finally feeling comfortable being clipped in. Because of my achilles issues I'm still wearing braces on both ankles when I ride it kind of sucks but I'm still able to ride. I went out by myself and did 25 miles of hills and backroads with no bike lanes(conquering that fear). Baby steps, not enough hours in the day to ride like I want but maybe life and the weather will be better in July

That is great jelee!

Yesterday...first time I've done 20 miles in many year and I could have kept on going but couldn't decide where to go. It was tough as it was very windy and that's one of my asthma/copd triggers but I did it. Wooo Hooo!

I'm not one that's stuck on numbers - I don't have a cycle computer - but I'd love to know my averages for that ride :rolleyes:

Good job!

This is something I should have managed to do two years ago, but...I can finally take my hands off the bars! I haven't managed to grab water bottles or anything out of my back pockets yet, but I'm getting more comfortable doing stuff. Who knew that a new saddle would make that much difference? :D

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Originally Posted by Owlie

I can finally take my hands off the bars!

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Woooo hoooooo!!!! I still can't do this. Awsome :)

Shannon

Hi gals. I just signed up. I've just discovered this forum and have been reading many posts for two days. I just finished reading every post on this thread, and I knew I had to join this community. The moral support here is fantastic!

I'm a relatively inexperienced cyclist, although quite experienced in falling off my bike, haha. Like many in this forum, I never learned how to ride a bike when I was a child and had to teach myself, through sheer persistence, how to ride one as an adult. I've had many falls, and I still remember each of those falls, but I also learned from each mistake I made which caused me to fall (for example, I learned that a street post won't move out of the way just because you're a newbie cyclist). One of my falls was really bad--I flew over the bike handles and landed hard on my helmet. I'm pretty sure my helmet saved me from having a broken skull. Before I discovered this forum, I thought I was the only one who learned how to bike as an adult, and the only one who falls off bikes, haha. Man, it's so good to learn I'm not the only one. I should have known about this forum several years ago when I first taught myself how to ride a bike.

Reading the posts here has inspired me even more to dust off my mountain bike, do the basic checks and adjustments, and to start riding again. I'm also contemplating getting myself a Bike Friday. I'll record those here as my weekly achievement as a "newbie". :)

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Originally Posted by Owlie

This is something I should have managed to do two years ago, but...I can finally take my hands off the bars! I haven't managed to grab water bottles or anything out of my back pockets yet, but I'm getting more comfortable doing stuff. Who knew that a new saddle would make that much difference? :D

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Congratulations! I am SO far from doing this, but I can do lots of stuff with my left hand off the bars, less with my right hand. Currently I am ok with that :)

I think proper fit and saddle makes so much difference where this is concerned - as comfy as my LHT is, there are things I can do on my Gunnar that I just wouldn't do with my cushy tank.

Poor cushy tank, she hasn't been ridden in so long.... sniff... Plum Blossom is just so much more comfortable than Ms. Explorer - and that is saying a great deal as the LHT is quite comfy.

By the Goddess! I'm so stoked. I rode even further yesterday. Lady H and me managed just over 25 miles, 15 of them really uncomfortable miles on a bad saddle and into a head wind on the return journey. The saddle I'm using is filched my housemates cheapie hybrid - the one I've been riding for a year - and it's so darned uncomfortable I've been looking for a new saddle that I can actually afford. I won the bidding last night on a Bontrager Evoke R WSD at a price that means if it's not the saddle for me I can give it away to someone who it might suit.

Anyhoo, I've managed (approx figures worked out from google maps) a 20miler, a 25miler, a couple of 10milers and a couple of 5milers this week and I'm so proud of myself, especially as lot of those miles were into head winds which is one of my asthma/Copd triggers. Yesterday all my miles were on the road with traffic which is something I usually try to avoid due to the lung disease thang and after I'd stopped at my bro and sis-in-laws for a mug of tea I could really tell I'd been breathing in car fumes despite the roads not being overly busy, I don't cough often since I gave up smoking last year but oh boy I was coughing yesterday.

Yesterday was a really good biking day for me. I did my usual loop in the state park with the additional challenge tracks, twice. Most importantly for me, I conquered the dangerous, rocky descent that terrifies me, working my way down at a controlled pace. Still wobbly, but I made it down - twice. Getting back up that hill is another story. It's very rocky with lots of grooves, and I have a hard time getting a good, lasting grip. Still working on that.
I also took the difficult incline with a couple of curves at a slow, steady pace. This was the first time I wasn't deeply focused on trying to make it up the hill, but enjoying myself along the way. Slowly but surely I'm building those mtb skills...

Two achievements!

1) Broke the 50 mile mark on my long ride, at 54 miles :D

2) Bought a mountain bike and did my first trail ever! Don't really know what I'm doing, but I have some friends who ride mountain bikes, so I'll get them to show me the ropes.