I am ready to ride tomorrow. It's supposed to be slightly less cold but I think with little to no sunshine, which means more layers will be needed.
I feel like I have to commit here in order to force myself to get out there. The hard part is usually convincing myself I'll be comfortable after I take off my nice warm ski jacket and start pedaling.
I had the cleats put on the new shoes today. The shoes are a size larger than the old ones, in order to give me enough room in the toe box. After looking at the old cleats and shoes and discussing my foot and knee issues, the fitter decided we should try adding a couple of spacers to the pedals to allow my feet plenty of float without hitting the cranks. He also raised the seat, since it was too low. I don't remember if I lowered it in an attempt to make the new saddle more comfortable; it's possible that the seat slipped down when I went over a bump due to the clamp not being quite tight enough. Then he checked angles and alignment using a plum line, video of me pedaling with dots marking the location of certain bones in my hip and knee and another video with a laser level pointed vertically at my lower leg.
Now I must get out and ride to see what feels good and what needs further adjustment. Of course with the holidays coming up and winter weather making an unwelcome appearance, it may take a while to log enough miles to get everything sorted. But at least we have begun. And my Woolie Boolie socks should fit inside my bike shoes.
- Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
- Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
- Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle
Gone but not forgotten:
- Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
- Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles