The Velotard Thread.

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Found a very quiet park to try it out. Maybe 45 minutes. Expected legs to be stiff - they were actually ok, but backside and wrists very sore. Gears will take a while to use properly but at least I didn't fall off!

 

[sycophantia]

Found a very quiet park to try it out. Maybe 45 minutes. Expected legs to be stiff - they were actually ok, but backside and wrists very sore. Gears will take a while to use properly but at least I didn't fall off!

What you need is a big fat grandad seat and some gel pad shorts.......or is that just me?

 

[EpsomWolf]

Made by Giant. Cheapest model and on clearance - $400.

Seat has had to be lowered considerably.

What a fantastic choice you have made there. Efficient and uncomplicated, minimal maintenance, quality brand and a good price too.

Loving the discs front and rear, flat bars, 2 front chain rings, flat pedals too. Anything more and it’s significant costs for minimal gains, and sometimes for no real gain at all. You’ll cover some distance quite easily on that once you’re used to it.

Nice one, safe riding, enjoy.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Found a very quiet park to try it out. Maybe 45 minutes. Expected legs to be stiff - they were actually ok, but backside and wrists very sore. Gears will take a while to use properly but at least I didn't fall off!

Well done, sounds like a really good start.

That cracking bike choice should mean it’s efficiency allows you to go at whatever pace your muscles and energy levels let you, and enjoy the ride regardless of the speed or distance, which is a great starting point and something to build on.

Padded shorts really do make a difference, but it’s early days so you can give yourself a chance to get used to the saddle too.

The wrists might be a problem - the saddle is very high in the picture, much higher than the bars. Subsequently you’re distributing a large % of your weight through your wrists and not the saddle and it’s not surprising they get sore. If you have a more upright position it’s more comfortable, easier on the wrists, but less efficient - catch 22. Assuming the saddle can’t come down there are things like raiser stems for the bars but again, bed yourself in first.

One last thing, get a little saddlebag with an inner tube, tyre lever and a mini pump - you’ll be amazed at how far you can travel on that in a short space of time and even half an hour on a bike is a long walk back!

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Thanks for the advice!

The bike is XL and the seat must have been positioned for a real giant so I've lowered it several inches since that photo. There are a hundred or so miles of paved bike trails in San Antonio - and more appearing all the time - so I can do a lot without going far. I'm not planning on setting speed records or doing the Tour de France, I just want something to get me out of the house and give a good workout for an hour or two. A bit more practice and I think it will turn out to be a good choice.

 

[Mel Evo]

Agree with everything Epsom has said. Great bike! A very minor question, but have you got a bell on it?! People seem much more reluctant than back in the the day to use them, or even use their voice, to advise walkers on shared use paths that they are approaching. And you can be a bit reluctant when a new cyclist with plenty of other things to think about. But it’s a really good idea and makes for less braking or swerving if you are on a shared use path in a park

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Agree with everything Epsom has said. Great bike! A very minor question, but have you got a bell on it?! People seem much more reluctant than back in the the day to use them, or even use their voice, to advise walkers on shared use paths that they are approaching. And you can be a bit reluctant when a new cyclist with plenty of other things to think about. But it’s a really good idea and makes for less braking or swerving if you are on a shared use path in a park

An excellent point!
We walk a lot on shared trails and are very conscious of how useful a bell is. Most cyclists just shout "on your left" when they are a few feet behind us, and some complain when we dont move out their way quickly enough. Well their voices are often not loud enough or clear enough, we dont hear the bike, there is no time to turn around and see what is happening, and as seniors our reactions are not quite as quick as a 30 year old street bully. Quite a few pedestrians in our parks are spanish speakers whose grasp of english could be poor enough to slow their reactions further.
A bicycle bell is universal and as a pedestrian I know exactly what is happening when I hear one behind me and stay to the side. On shared trails all cyclists should have one.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Just thinking about the saddle and wrists situation…

Take a look under the saddle, you’ll see the two saddle rails and notice you can make an adjustment and slide the saddle forwards or backwards. That can make a huge difference to the comfort, completely changing where the pressure points on your backside are! Also, it allows you to either not feel cramped on the bike, or alternatively not stretching too far to the bars - a small adjustment can make a big difference there and it’s definitely worth at least looking at.

If after giving it a fair go you still find it uncomfortable I wouldn’t hesitate to change to a wider, more city-bike style saddle. Important to not make it hard work and keep it enjoyable at all times. Similarly with the wrists, if you need to go more upright don’t be afraid to do so. No need to spend crazy money on replacement saddles/bars etc either, I put a cheap set of 30mm raised bars off Amazon for about £15 on one of mine and it was transformative.

Anyway, I suppose that’s saying don’t fear it being too uncomfortable, too this/too that, you can tweak it relatively easily and get it just right for yourself. Give yourself a few rides to work it out but once you have it’ll get easier and easier and you’ll be away.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Just thinking about the saddle and wrists situation…

Take a look under the saddle, you’ll see the two saddle rails and notice you can make an adjustment and slide the saddle forwards or backwards. That can make a huge difference to the comfort, completely changing where the pressure points on your backside are!

Thanks, i would never have thought of that. Not gonna try that yet, or a wider saddle, until my 6 month old back aches and stiffness (hopefully) clear. Also I might just get used to it.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

After several weeks I am REALLY enjoying this! I always stick to paved hike/bike trails, 2 or 3 times a week, usually ride for an hour and do 12-13 miles. Much easier than running, great scenery, birdsong and wildlife. What's not to like?

Today I found out what is not to like. Switchbacks and steep hills. Almost fell off several times not turning sharply enough, then came to a complete stop on a hill much steeper than it looked. Setting off uphill took four attempts.

 

[Jolemai]

 

[EpsomWolf]

Pretty scary yesterday when this thing came down in front of us.

We were on the trail beside the road and heard it before seeing it, the upper branches falling across the trail, but fortunately we’d stopped roughly 100 yards before when we heard the cracks.

Didn’t even seem that windy yesterday but I suppose with the ground sodden the roots are unstable, a strong gust and away you go.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

My favourite springtime ride along the San Antonio River.

 

[lemonjelly]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cge83478rgxo

nearly put this in the sad thread tbh. I'm not london, but anecdotally would expect a similar response from local police if my bike was nicked.

 

[Keef]

I’d be fucking annoyed if my bike was nicked, especially my old one, but tbh I don’t think I’d bother report it just because there’d be a collective shrug off the police before giving me a crime number, and probably a leaflet telling me how to secure my bike

 

[Kenny]

Not just bikes.

Customer had his new car nicked in London. Within 2 days he had a letter from the police that basically said "yeah its gone and we are not going find it. Move on with your life. Who knew thieves wanted Kia EV6's"

 

[sycophantia]

Not just cars and cycles, motorcycle theft is rife in the UK, also most of Western Europe, think UK is the worst currently.

 

[EpsomWolf]

The wife uses one bike to commute from home to Epsom station and locks it there. Trains to Wimbledon then picks up another bike left there to ride to Tooting.

People always said we couldn’t do that as they’d get nicked but coming from Cambridge we were used to it and factored it in as a commuting cost - in fact we keep a spare ready for when one gets nicked!

We’ve only had one go so far, taken at Wimbledon station. That did make us think though and had a tally up of bikes stolen. I think we’re up to 16 if I’m not mistaken.

I think we probably only reported 2, and they were from a house burglary which included one brand new bike that hadn’t even been ridden, the rest not even worth bother - probably indicative of why the true theft rates are way higher than recorded.

Anyway, it comes to something when we’re pretty chuffed there’s only one been nicked here so far, which by some twisted logic is considered on the commuter battlefield a fairly good rate of attrition.

 

[EpsomWolf]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cge83478rgxo

nearly put this in the sad thread tbh. I'm not london, but anecdotally would expect a similar response from local police if my bike was nicked.

Sad thing is I don’t think we’re that far off from being conditioned to feeling sorry for the person forced to steal the bike rather than the lady who could afford to buy an electric Brompton.