Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2013 10:23:07 GMT
It's one month today since I picked up my T5a from Sheffield Decathlon. I thought I'd run through some of my experiences.
I must admit I found it a bit hard to adjust to the riding position of a road bike after several years riding a Dutch town bike. Stiff neck and shoulders, numb hands, etc. One of the first changes I made, after the advice of a member of this forum, was to flip the stem. Neck problem solved! Like many others, a few days later, I changed the brake shoes for a set of Clark's. Another good move meaning that, psychologically at least, I wasn't needing to squeeze quite as hard on those levers. This brought a little relief to my hands. A couple of run-ins with the dreaded sore perineum syndrome convinced me it was time to change the stock saddle. I found read some good reviews of the oddly named Charge Spoon which I found for 19.99 and, so far, I've not been disappointed. Finally, I plucked up the courage to turn over the Shimano A530 pedals which I bought with the bike and forced myself to lose my clipless virginity. My first attempt in the restricted confines of my back garden was an epic fail, resulting in a bruised back and sore ego. The following evening I tried again in the wide open spaces of the local park and much to my surprise it was a doddle. I've not looked back. Since then, it's been a matter of building up the miles and the confidence, so that my longest ride so far has been 22.5 miles. OK, so I'm no Chris Froome, but considering my shaky start from being four stones overweight, I'm quite satisfied, both with my own progress and with the bike.
Do I still have any issues? Apart from my own lack of fitness, my biggest issue now is still hand numbness which comes on after ten or so miles and then refuses to shift. Any advice on this would be much appreciated. Better bar-tape, perhaps? All in all, though, I must say I'm really enjoying my first road bike and I'm really hoping to be able to lose a couple of stones while building up to a metric century ride before the year is out.
I must admit I found it a bit hard to adjust to the riding position of a road bike after several years riding a Dutch town bike. Stiff neck and shoulders, numb hands, etc. One of the first changes I made, after the advice of a member of this forum, was to flip the stem. Neck problem solved! Like many others, a few days later, I changed the brake shoes for a set of Clark's. Another good move meaning that, psychologically at least, I wasn't needing to squeeze quite as hard on those levers. This brought a little relief to my hands. A couple of run-ins with the dreaded sore perineum syndrome convinced me it was time to change the stock saddle. I found read some good reviews of the oddly named Charge Spoon which I found for 19.99 and, so far, I've not been disappointed. Finally, I plucked up the courage to turn over the Shimano A530 pedals which I bought with the bike and forced myself to lose my clipless virginity. My first attempt in the restricted confines of my back garden was an epic fail, resulting in a bruised back and sore ego. The following evening I tried again in the wide open spaces of the local park and much to my surprise it was a doddle. I've not looked back. Since then, it's been a matter of building up the miles and the confidence, so that my longest ride so far has been 22.5 miles. OK, so I'm no Chris Froome, but considering my shaky start from being four stones overweight, I'm quite satisfied, both with my own progress and with the bike.
Do I still have any issues? Apart from my own lack of fitness, my biggest issue now is still hand numbness which comes on after ten or so miles and then refuses to shift. Any advice on this would be much appreciated. Better bar-tape, perhaps? All in all, though, I must say I'm really enjoying my first road bike and I'm really hoping to be able to lose a couple of stones while building up to a metric century ride before the year is out.