New to cycling

[blueoval]

well another Amy's ride is over. Amazing day it was. I had myself down to do the 100km classic, but was soon knocked down a peg or 2 by intense dry heat. It actually caught a lot out by surprise. On the way up the Darlington Expressway, a young fella had a heart attack and had to be resuscitated by his friends and the St Johns volunteers 3km into the ride. Made most of us feel a bit sick to see the poor bloke out flat like that. Thankfully he is ok, and is recovering in hospital. There were also reports of a lot of riders seriously dehydrated and in need of care for heat stroke. I heard of another instance a rider misjudged wickhams hill and ended up over the barrier there too.

I ended up doing 65km after I tried to give willunga hill a crack in 36deg heat. Got about 1/4 way up and started getting serious headaches and heart palpitations. Thought about the fella laying on the S.exy so early on and thought, nah stuff this and turned back down and took the short cut to the finish line. Heard the temp got to 38deg at the top of willunga hill and also there was a strong dry head wind to contend with on top.

Some pretty treacherous conditions which I doubt many were ready for, but I must say the event was well orchestrated and there were heaps of water/refeshment stations on the way. No doubt saved a few parched mouths. Mine included. went thru both my large water bottles a number of times over.

So even though I didnt complete the 100km distance I set myself, I did however live to fight another day.

[sgt_doofey]

Bad luck Shav. Always next year, hey! I'll hopefully attempt it myself then.
That head wind coming from Willunga in to McLaren Vale was a pain in the rear end. The last 10kms of the ride in to the wind! It wasn't pleasant.
I too saw the bloke being worked on whilst climbing up the start of the expressway. Wasn't a pleasant thing to see! Glad to hear he's all OK.
Any idea when the timing results come out? I'd like to know how long it took me to ride the expressway!

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

Bad luck Shav. Always next year, hey! I'll hopefully attempt it myself then.
That head wind coming from Willunga in to McLaren Vale was a pain in the rear end. The last 10kms of the ride in to the wind! It wasn't pleasant.
I too saw the bloke being worked on whilst climbing up the start of the expressway. Wasn't a pleasant thing to see! Glad to hear he's all OK.
Any idea when the timing results come out? I'd like to know how long it took me to ride the expressway!

Im not sure about the timing results, but the usual photos thru the checkpoints can be previewed here. https://secure.epsomrdstudios.com.au/browse.php?id=1265
It's not free to get full untagged copies though. I have a Garmin 500 so I didnt really care about timing. Plus I had nothing to compare it to as it was my first attempt at the 60/100km mark.

[TZENU]

Good work on the attempt mate.. Hill climbs and 38 degree's don't mix very well and like you've said, you live to fight another day!

[TZENU]

For anyone who is interested I'm selling my Ridley Helium frame (page 2 of this thread)... After building her went for several rides to realise I wasn't comfortable so I left her in the office until recently when I went to get fitted. Physio told me the frame is too big and I should have gone the small frame -- Ridley size the frames differently so a conventional Large is a Ridley medium!!! should have paid more attention when I was getting the frame.

Drop me a line if your interested or post in my BNA thread

[jimt3te50]

I did something this week I never thought I'd do- I bought a bike...

In my usual fashion thought I'd give cycling the best chance by buying something good and next week pick up my first bike since I was 10 (32 now)- a 2013 Felt F3 Di2.

I have to admit I am actually very excited!

[blueoval]

Awesome bike there Jim. Di2 is the shiz niz bloke. Having the gearing change effortlessly and fast will be killer. My mate has an Azzurri Forza with Ultegra Di2 and I am amazed at how smooth it changes. Amazing machine for what he paid.

Your gonna love riding mate, and more than anything your gonna be swooning over your ride.

Pics are a must too. Don't leave us in the lurch

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by TZENU

For anyone who is interested I'm selling my Ridley Helium frame (page 2 of this thread)... After building her went for several rides to realise I wasn't comfortable so I left her in the office until recently when I went to get fitted. Physio told me the frame is too big and I should have gone the small frame -- Ridley size the frames differently so a conventional Large is a Ridley medium!!! should have paid more attention when I was getting the frame.

Drop me a line if your interested or post in my BNA thread

You mean this one?


Dam if that was a small, I would be on it like a fat kid on cake. Even at the expense of a impending divorce and permanent groin mutilation by the mrs.

I reckon you'll sell it quick bloke.

[TZENU]

Yup that's the one mate... Im going to buy a small frame but the Mrs has told me to sell the medium frame first!!!....

It is also the frame that Hoogerland took a tumble on when he got hit by the French media car in the 2011 TdF so it's a built tough frame that is a capable offroader , yet as light as a feather at only 950g...

[blueoval]

yeah I remember the incident. Didnt that driver drive off and head straight for the airport on the first plane out of the country?

Definitely like the Ridley frames. They are a nice stead.

[TZENU]

I wonder what ever happened to him.?? Probably got sent packing never to return to France!!

[blueoval]

that's what I heard.

Anyway, hope you sell the Ridley and get what you want for it. Keen to see what you'll get to replace it.

[jimt3te50]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Awesome bike there Jim. Di2 is the shiz niz bloke. Having the gearing change effortlessly and fast will be killer. My mate has an Azzurri Forza with Ultegra Di2 and I am amazed at how smooth it changes. Amazing machine for what he paid.

Your gonna love riding mate, and more than anything your gonna be swooning over your ride.

Pics are a must too. Don't leave us in the lurch

Pics of my new Felt F3 Di2, first bike in a very long time and got to say i love it, suits my theme too- with this on the back of the GT I feel almost carbon neutral. Then I think, stuff it- what can one man do?

[blueoval]

Bloody sexy. Both the bike and car. Awesome.

[TZENU]

Very nice colour combo !!! (but i'm biased!)

[LANKY 1]

Nice little community here, and some sweet looking bikes!

I grew up on a farm, so no nice bitumen roads, cept for the Highway. so as a kid got quite used to hacking around the farm on my older brothers, sisters or parents mountain bikes. Never had my own new bike cos I was 3rd child.

Now been in the city for a while and cos I have a desk job 90% of my day involves either sitting or sleeping.
So brought my parents bike to the city. I remember being quite young when my parents were riding this bike, I was riding a 3 speed bike with the gear lever between my legs on the top bar. so 20ish years later i'm riding this bike!



No idea if it was new when they bought it, but it has shimano gears and weighs 17kg. Atm it is a little rusty in places, the tyres are perished, but still holding on. the brakes use to lock up easily as a kid but now struggle to stop, the handle bar grips had been worn out.
So I have got new grips for it now, and some lights. will prolly fix the brakes and tyres eventually.
it used to have lights driven by a generator haha (some of you older guys would of had one of these surely (i'm 25)



I actually brought the bike here a year ago to get a bit of fitness before going to Europe for a holiday. after the holiday the 1st time I rode it all the bearings fell out of the cogs on the rear wheel. (apart from brake cables the 1st thing to fail in it's whole life)

So it's been broken all this year and since there is now sunlight after work I got it fixed so i can start riding again. only been a couple weeks and will quite happily ride from Ikea to Glenelg along the torrens and the beach. about 19k's and did it in an hour 1st time.

When I was in high school I did a charity ride (bike for bibles) with this bike in the riverland(where i grew up) and that was 72km in 3 stages. but all along the highway

I"m not too keen on the traffic in adelaide so try to keep off any main roads and find any shared user paths I can.

Would be great to upgrade to a new bike, but atm happy to see how long this one will go before it dies. I like riding my bike, but not really all that into road bikes or racing. Quite like watching the track racing with the banked curves during the olympics though.

This is my story, thanks for reading and hope I havn't destroyed this thread with this pile of rust lol

[sgt_doofey]

For Adelaide, there is a government website which shows you on maps all the bike trails and all the roads with bike lanes. I'll post what it is when I get to work.

[blueoval]

Hey Dan,

Great to see you at least giving it a go mate. You have to start somewhere.

I recommend joining www.adelaidecyclists.com and perhaps attending one of there weekly group rides they have for beginners to elite riders. No one gets left behind either so there is no fear of feeling too slow for others.

[LG17]

Originally Posted by LANKY 1

Nice little community here, and some sweet looking bikes!

I grew up on a farm, so no nice bitumen roads, cept for the Highway. so as a kid got quite used to hacking around the farm on my older brothers, sisters or parents mountain bikes. Never had my own new bike cos I was 3rd child.

Now been in the city for a while and cos I have a desk job 90% of my day involves either sitting or sleeping.
So brought my parents bike to the city. I remember being quite young when my parents were riding this bike, I was riding a 3 speed bike with the gear lever between my legs on the top bar. so 20ish years later i'm riding this bike!

image

No idea if it was new when they bought it, but it has shimano gears and weighs 17kg. Atm it is a little rusty in places, the tyres are perished, but still holding on. the brakes use to lock up easily as a kid but now struggle to stop, the handle bar grips had been worn out.
So I have got new grips for it now, and some lights. will prolly fix the brakes and tyres eventually.
it used to have lights driven by a generator haha (some of you older guys would of had one of these surely (i'm 25)

image

I actually brought the bike here a year ago to get a bit of fitness before going to Europe for a holiday. after the holiday the 1st time I rode it all the bearings fell out of the cogs on the rear wheel. (apart from brake cables the 1st thing to fail in it's whole life)

So it's been broken all this year and since there is now sunlight after work I got it fixed so i can start riding again. only been a couple weeks and will quite happily ride from Ikea to Glenelg along the torrens and the beach. about 19k's and did it in an hour 1st time.

When I was in high school I did a charity ride (bike for bibles) with this bike in the riverland(where i grew up) and that was 72km in 3 stages. but all along the highway

I"m not too keen on the traffic in adelaide so try to keep off any main roads and find any shared user paths I can.

Would be great to upgrade to a new bike, but atm happy to see how long this one will go before it dies. I like riding my bike, but not really all that into road bikes or racing. Quite like watching the track racing with the banked curves during the olympics though.

This is my story, thanks for reading and hope I havn't destroyed this thread with this pile of rust lol

Most people today wouldn't have any idea about the old dynamo! If you didn't keep up the speed... no light!

[Streets]

I like your story LANKY 1, it's good to see an old bike still being used. I am picking my mountain bike up today (hopefully) and I hope it lasts as long as that one. I haven't ridden a bike in about 7 years but wanted to get fit. I chose a mountain bike so I have a bit more flexibility in where I go. I hope it's ready to pick up soon... I might give the shop a call...

[LANKY 1]

Originally Posted by Streets

I like your story LANKY 1, it's good to see an old bike still being used. I am picking my mountain bike up today (hopefully) and I hope it lasts as long as that one. I haven't ridden a bike in about 7 years but wanted to get fit. I chose a mountain bike so I have a bit more flexibility in where I go. I hope it's ready to pick up soon... I might give the shop a call...

This bike prolly hasn't had much of a hard life, would have been in the shed gathering dust for most of it.


How do I measure the bike frame to see how big it is. I'm 6'7" and would like to know if I can get a bigger frame (any ideas on a bike would be good too), would be great to lift the seat up more but it's maxed out as it is

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by LANKY 1

This bike prolly hasn't had much of a hard life, would have been in the shed gathering dust for most of it.


How do I measure the bike frame to see how big it is. I'm 6'7" and would like to know if I can get a bigger frame (any ideas on a bike would be good too), would be great to lift the seat up more but it's maxed out as it is

Bike frames vary from brand to brand. It will all depend on your body size, leg length, hip height, arm reach, etc.

best thing for you to do is a get a bike fit done at your LBS.

[LG17]

Originally Posted by LANKY 1

This bike prolly hasn't had much of a hard life, would have been in the shed gathering dust for most of it.


How do I measure the bike frame to see how big it is. I'm 6'7" and would like to know if I can get a bigger frame (any ideas on a bike would be good too), would be great to lift the seat up more but it's maxed out as it is

You can always just get a longer seat stem for now but as Blueoval says, get yourself measured up at a bike shop.

[LANKY 1]

Thanks guys might do that one day. I assume like most things being tall it will be hard to get a bike to fit perfectly. Will do a bit of research 1st to see how my bike compares with others. Need to learn all the bike terms that are being used!

Just had a quick look at GIANT cos you guys have mentioned them a few times, like the look of this bike http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-au/...2/12052/57484/ About my price range, although I would prolly got up to the 800 mark

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

For Adelaide, there is a government website which shows you on maps all the bike trails and all the roads with bike lanes. I'll post what it is when I get to work.

Sorry guys, forgot to post this today whilst at work. Lucky I came back to read it!

BikeDirect the maps are called: http://www.sa.gov.au/subject/Transpo...g/Cycling+maps

[LG17]

Originally Posted by LANKY 1

Thanks guys might do that one day. I assume like most things being tall it will be hard to get a bike to fit perfectly. Will do a bit of research 1st to see how my bike compares with others. Need to learn all the bike terms that are being used!

Just had a quick look at GIANT cos you guys have mentioned them a few times, like the look of this bike http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-au/...2/12052/57484/ About my price range, although I would prolly got up to the 800 mark

I've got a Giant hybrid and it's been great.
I'm 6'4" and their largest frame is a good fit for me.
I also have some physical limitations which is why I chose the hybrid and not a race bike.
I have one leg which only has 90 degree bend at the knee and the other leg has a crushed foot at the bottom of it so I have some difficulty riding - I can't walk very far!

The bike is really comfortable (especially with a comfort seat ) and very forgiving to ride. The gears are smooth changing and the durablity has been great so far.

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by jimt3te50

Pics of my new Felt F3 Di2, first bike in a very long time and got to say i love it, suits my theme too- with this on the back of the GT I feel almost carbon neutral. Then I think, stuff it- what can one man do?

image

image

image

Both great rides Jim ! loving the white 5.0.
I'm LOL as I chose Blue for my Felt (carbon neutral LOL) due to the blueprint T3 got to be colour co ordinated don't we

[ratter]

if your knee range of movement is you main issue, whether drop bar bike or hybrid etc should not affect your ride, seat height and crank length will determine knee bend

[LG17]

Originally Posted by ratter

if your knee range of movement is you main issue, whether drop bar bike or hybrid etc should not affect your ride, seat height and crank length will determine knee bend

The crankarm on the RHS is 120mm and the LHS 175mm to allow for unusual movement. My point about the kind of bike was merely to give my opinion as to how I find it.

[ratter]

no worries, just trying to help, the main thing is you are able to cycle and to help keep fit