No wonder that felt like hard work!

Cycled into work, it's about 3.5 miles, very slightly uphill and with lots of peds, dogs, gates and glass - still, I usually manage an average of about 12mph. Today, it felt like terribly hard work, but I couldn't work out what the problem was, tyres fully pumped up, bike not making any weird noises, nothing...so I just put it down to one of those days where it just feels like effort. Get to work, worn out,sweating like hell and with an average of 10.6mph only to realise that that little metal stick thing on my v-brakes that clips behind the brake arm and keeps the brakes in position had somehow come loose at the rear (think I caught it when wriggling bike out of front door). So I ended up cycling the whole way with the back brake on!!!! Can't believe I didn't even realise!!!!!:confused: :o:o:o

Must be excellent fitness training tho...maybe I should do a video of it and sell it...

Lol! I raced once with the rear brake clinging to the rim. :o

Ow!! Was it way easier riding home, I hope? :cool:

Lol, yes, considerably! :D

My first commute of the year I did the same thing. I was so disappointed with myself on the ride in to work thinking that I had gotten so out of shape over the winter. As soon as I wheeled my bike into the office I realized the problem. Felt like quite an idiot at that point as I had just finished a 6 week bike mechanic's class.

happened to me once too. Brand new bike, thrilled to ride it, working as hard as I could. When we got to the first potty stop (10miles) i was so utterly exhausted that I threw myself onto the grass. My husband was really disgusted because he thought the new bike would speed me up and it was having the opposite effect AND i was already complaining about being tired!
dumb brake pads!

Happened here, too.
Did the LBS group ride. Got dopped like a stone. A friend stayed with me. I couldn't get over how awful I felt. :(
Got back to the shop, tried to spin the rear wheel. It was held tight by the back brake! :eek::mad:

That happened to me on my first triathlon. After about 9 miles it got easier because the brake pad wore down!

Yep, been there too. Met up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland with this guy I wanted to impress. Rode about 20 FLAT miles and was exhausted! Finally figured out that I had my rear brake on. After that, the rest of the 60 miles was wonderful!! Still didn't impress him too much, though - his loss. :cool:

The brake goblins must have been out! I had the same problem with my front wheel...the brake was catywhampus due to being hauled in the back of the SUV just laying on its side the day before.

I check my brakes before every ride by doing a burnout.

Just kidding...but yeah...I've done the same thing...it's a hell of a workout!

I had a ride the other week. It was so hard. I thought, god I must be ill or slacked off too much the last couple of months.
Finally almost home, puffed, dripping with sweat I noticed as I changed gears to go up drive - I had rode the whole way home 15 km, in the big gear.
You think THAT might be easy to notice!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cylegoddess

I had a ride the other week. It was so hard. I thought, god I must be ill or slacked off too much the last couple of months.
Finally almost home, puffed, dripping with sweat I noticed as I changed gears to go up drive - I had rode the whole way home 15 km, in the big gear.
You think THAT might be easy to notice!!

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ouch!! I am afraid my legs would not make it.... i would have had to get off the bike and check it out! lol

Tina

I could barely stand when I got home! I thought it was the chronic fatigue flaring up!( Im used to riding feeling like death warmed over. Its going to come in handy when I can ride far enough to do hills. There is a small mountain near by and thats my goal. I figure all those years of pain, tiredness and suffering will make me think, jeez this IS NOTHING, as my legs burst into flame on its oh so killer gradients!:cool:

I vowed to myself and I repeat it before rides when I think of it: "If things seem hard, stop and check things out!!!" Unnecessary stoicism is such a waste!

I did the same thing on Sunday. My usual 26-minute lap took 33, and it was hard! The front brakes were squeezing on the left and needed adjusting. I think I'm not taking the wheel on and off right or something. Every time I reattach the front break clasp thingy, then tight the wheel lug spinny thing so that the handle points up to the fork, I spin the wheel and then readjust the spinny lug thing until the wheel will spin freely without being affected by the brake. I finally adjusted my front brake so that it's really loose, because I was afraid if I loosened the lug anymore the wheel would just fly off.

After the big crash back in October, I never use my front brake anyway - flipping the bike once was plenty, thank you.

I finally got off the darn saddle and adjusted the brake on Sunday for the third lap, which was much easier, but by then I was so tired from riding ten miles with the darn brake rubbing I was just done after that last lap. Wimp.

Next weekend, we're doing a one-mile fun run for literacy in Balboa Park, and I'll go for a nice, long ride after that. Brakes adjusted correctly.

Roxy