Newbie weekly achievement thread

[linzq]

Oh my goodness, thank you so much Lavigne, Catrin, jelee1311, rubysoho, Bethany1, tbl35, and Bike Writer for your replies!!!

I told my partner about you lovely ladies, and I'm so happy I have extra support from you all!

I've now been on the trainer a couple of times, and have sorted out shifting (phew!) and have convinced myself that these brakes work even though I don't feel them gripping as-tight-as-death.

I've got the 1/2-1/2 pedals with SPDs on one side and flat on the other, so I'll try them out flat, with my lowered saddle.

And I've convinced the boyfriend that our next ride out will be a tour de parking lot. He's happy, I'm happy, it's all good.

Can't wait to update you all on my success and FUN!

[Roadtrip]

Great to hear from everyone and their accomplishments!! Got out for a 15-18 mile ride (computer glitch, not sure exactly how ar it was, tho according to trail maps closer to 18) ride this morning... Stopped at LBS on the way home and bought a new pair of bike shorts on clearance.

All in all-- a good day!!

Shannon

[rubysoho]

biked the entire George Washington Memorial Parktrail yesterday. Definitely had some bigger hills than what I normally face but after 36.5 miles my legs could have gone further! Yay! Though today I am a bit tired, however I think that is a combination of the entire weekend (rehearsal dinner/open bar Friday night, friends' wedding/open bar Saturday night, no sleep either night because of frat boys staying at the same hotel as me, woke up at 5:30am Sunday to get back home for the bike ride by 11/noon).

[jessmarimba]

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!

[Roadtrip]

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!

Goooooo you!

[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.

[Bike Writer]

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.

Good job! Great accomplishment!

[Jiten]

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".

[Dr.Doo]

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.

[Nick]

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...

[Espresso]

Two achievements!

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

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.

[Bike Writer]

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".

Welcome Jiten!

I hope that your falls become a thing of the past for you soon. Practice does wonders for balance and confidence. I rode as a kid and just got back into biking again last year after a long absence. I had a lot of falls in the begining. Congratulations on having the courage to get back on after a fall and keep going. Try to have someone from a bike shop watch you on your bike and check your saddle and handlebar height for proper fit.

[Jiten]

Welcome Jiten!

I hope that your falls become a thing of the past for you soon. Practice does wonders for balance and confidence. I rode as a kid and just got back into biking again last year after a long absence. I had a lot of falls in the begining. Congratulations on having the courage to get back on after a fall and keep going. Try to have someone from a bike shop watch you on your bike and check your saddle and handlebar height for proper fit.

Thank you for the welcome, Bike Writer! I think I will always find something inspiring to read on these forums. BTW, I've been reading your blog, too, and consider me a regular reader now. I saw pictures of your nice bike! *drools*

[hebe]

Welcom Jiten, and enjoy riding! I'm coming up to a year now and it's the best thing I ever did. I still mess up occasionally but I don't worry so much about that any more.

I can take one hand at a time off, to indicate or wipe my nose. My local discounter has unicycles in last week, and I was mildly interested until I realised that they had no handlebars.

No riding here since holiday Weather grim and too much to do. I really want to do a 10 mile ride before my ride-i-versary in a couple of weeks too.