Unfit
This weekend I've been out twice on mountain bikes, for my first off-road rides for several months. They weren't long rides, perhaps an hour and a half each, but I feel absolutely exhausted now. It's mainly in my shoulders and forearms, where heaving upon the bars and counterbalancing over bumps has taken a toll. I realised that I was losing strength, but this fatigue was scary. I was more tired after the first of these two rides than I was after the 40-odd road miles which I covered on Christmas day, cycling to the farm (and back on Boxing Day).
So I now know that it's time to get fitter, lose some of the mince pies stored around my middle, and get my upper body back into shape.
The two bikes I used were an interesting contrast, or at least they were to me, the cycle nerd. Yesterday, Saturday, I took out the singlespeed with its ancient suspension forks and low bottom bracket. The fat tires slowed me on the road, and somehow I felt that the whole experience wasn't precise, I was relying upon instinct for steering rather than being able to rely upon the forks to follow the intended path. The headset is sloppy and wobbles, which doesn't improve steering.
Today, after a couple of hours' successfully fettling the gears (which I should have done months ago), I took out the Niota for the very first time. It still needs tweaking, as the shock settings are much too soft, but it rides nicely and seems to be faster than the singlespeed Edge One. Riding the Niota took it out of my legs, as I found myself sitting down into the saddle and spinning my feet around, rather than standing upon the pedals and relying upon brute strength and determination to get up hills. I don't know which bike I prefer, as yet. It'll be horses for courses, I imagine. I've preferred the singlespeed for a number of years now when going out on my own, as it's somehow a purer exercise; but when in company I need a geared bike so that I can keep up with the pack or at least make a reasonable effort at doing so.
What remains to be tweaked upon this new (secondhand) bike, the Niota? Change the tyres, adjust the saddle, put more air into the shocks. Let's see how it rides after that, then decide if more is needed. [/nerd mode] I might even try some night riding again....
:0)
So I now know that it's time to get fitter, lose some of the mince pies stored around my middle, and get my upper body back into shape.
The two bikes I used were an interesting contrast, or at least they were to me, the cycle nerd. Yesterday, Saturday, I took out the singlespeed with its ancient suspension forks and low bottom bracket. The fat tires slowed me on the road, and somehow I felt that the whole experience wasn't precise, I was relying upon instinct for steering rather than being able to rely upon the forks to follow the intended path. The headset is sloppy and wobbles, which doesn't improve steering.
Today, after a couple of hours' successfully fettling the gears (which I should have done months ago), I took out the Niota for the very first time. It still needs tweaking, as the shock settings are much too soft, but it rides nicely and seems to be faster than the singlespeed Edge One. Riding the Niota took it out of my legs, as I found myself sitting down into the saddle and spinning my feet around, rather than standing upon the pedals and relying upon brute strength and determination to get up hills. I don't know which bike I prefer, as yet. It'll be horses for courses, I imagine. I've preferred the singlespeed for a number of years now when going out on my own, as it's somehow a purer exercise; but when in company I need a geared bike so that I can keep up with the pack or at least make a reasonable effort at doing so.
What remains to be tweaked upon this new (secondhand) bike, the Niota? Change the tyres, adjust the saddle, put more air into the shocks. Let's see how it rides after that, then decide if more is needed. [/nerd mode] I might even try some night riding again....
:0)
Labels: Cycling
posted by Moses at
5:38 pm
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