June 20 ride reports...

[climbingbiker]

I just returned from a 15 mile ride. It's a beautiful evening, but a bit windy in my neighborhood - rode in a headwind for the most exposed part of the ride. I did add a new hill today, so I'm feeling fiesty

[Kitsune06]

1st ride with my partner today! We switched bikes so she didn't have to deal with her finicky shifters/derailleurs, and could enjoy my cushy, plush seat with her newbie butt. Took Rosedale to River Rd, stopped and had lunch at the little bar on River and Farmington, then back down Farmington to home. It was great! =) Probably only 4-5 miles, but who cares? That and I had to go to work today...

[EvilTwin]

Rode this afternoon for 35 miles. It's been close to 2 weeks off the bike because of work and vacation. Snorkeling in Hawaii doesn't do much for the bike legs, but it sure was fun! The weather was beautiful today.. about 70, minimal wind. Manage to fall at an intersection when I unclipped my left foot and then lost my balance and fell right. BF saw the whole "graceful" maneuver and laughed his lips off at me... The only thing hurt was my pride. Oh well, laughter is good for the soul!
Barb

[uk elephant]

Did my first group ride yesterday. An informal group ride organized by the local council since this week is National Bike Week. Only 5 people turned up, so it was a small group. Nice people, but I was the only one wearing a helmet. What's up with that?! We did a short (9mile) ride out to a nearby village pub, had a break and then rode back. Felt like I was flying out there. Was able to keep up 16-17mph on the flats. Wheeeee! Turns out it was just the wind. I was struggling to keep up 12mph on the same stretch coming back. And the wind just kept getting stronger. On the last downhill bit coming home, I had to keep pedalling hard just to move forward. As soon as I tried coasting, I just stopped. But a nice ride anyway, and the bike adjustments seem to be getting closer to right now that I've moved the handlebars closer and higher and the seat further back. Still not a very comfy seat, but better.

[Lise]

Felt like I was flying out there. Was able to keep up 16-17mph on the flats. Wheeeee! Turns out it was just the wind. I was struggling to keep up 12mph on the same stretch coming back. And the wind just kept getting stronger.

Story of my life, UK! I'll think, "I am so powerful! This bike is amazing!" Then I'll make the turn around and lose 7 mph immediately. Oh. Rats. It was the wind! Glad to hear the bike's feeling good. L.

[SandyLS]

20 miles after work last night. A white tail deer jumped out in front of me so close that I could hear the sound of her hoofs on the pavement. Luckily she kept going and so did I. Too close for comfort. I will be watching even closer for the critters now. A car-deer accident can be bad enough. I don't even want to think about how bad a bike-deer one would be!

[mimitabby]

Rode my new Bianchi last night; the new neck came in. It's as adjusted as it's going to get; the rest is up to me. Everyone said "you look comfortable there"

It handles wonderfully, it is a fast bike. What i don't like is all the pressure on the fleshy part of my thumb (where it connects to the palm)
I only rode 7 miles and it was not comfortable. After 100 years of riding with handlebars i could wrap my hands around, leaning on my palms is not really
comfortable or comforting.

[Triskeliongirl]

Mimi- if you are describing the problem correctly, you don't feel too stretched out, just like there is too much pressure between your thumb and forefinger, right? If that is the case, perhaps you have too much weight being supported there. To shift the balance slightly, you could first try to tip your handlebars up so the brake hoods are continuous with the top of the bar rather than below. Try that and see how it feels. You could also try raising the bars higher if you still have adjustment there. If turning the bars up helps, but then the drops become unrideable, you could either try a different bar (I love the nitto noodle bar which is flat on top even when the drops are parallel to the ground not upturned) or you could try raising the brake levers up on the bars you have, although this requires you to unwrap the bar tape. Another nice thing with the nitto noodle, is that since it is a long reach bar you get an extra position between the flat part and hoods that you can grab, kind of like on a mountain bar. Good luck and let us know how it works itself out! -e

[mimitabby]

Mimi- if you are describing the problem correctly, you don't feel too stretched out, just like there is too much pressure between your thumb and forefinger, right?

perhaps more towards the ball of your hand that the thumb is attached to.
I have the bars up as high as they can go, and i rotated them up too so I can touch the brakes.
I can hardly use the drops because they are so low, i still don't get what they are for
I have small gal salsabars already. All the "experts" are saying i look great
etc, but this still remains.
I am fantasizing about handlebars that look nothing like rams horns.
This weekend i hope to go riding some and see if it all settles in.
thanks so much for your interest and suggestions.

[Triskeliongirl]

Mimi- it sounds like maybe you still have your bars too low. You say you rotated them up to reach the brake levers, and that the drops are too low to use. This likely means the bars must come up higher. If you measure the height of the saddle to floor, and top of handlebars flat section to floor, what is the difference? Many women prefer these heights to be the same. You said you just got a new stem, but perhaps they didn't order you one that angles up high enough. Look at my bike pix on bike journal, to see if the stems I have might help you. If so, email me privately and I can tell you where I got them.-e