My Mountain Bike

My Mountain Bike

I bought my Mountain Bike in September 2008. It’s a basic bike that cost £300 from Halfords. So it’s nothing special then. I bought it for one objective only: get fit.

Mountain Bike

I’m writing this about 18 months on and my level of fitness has much improved. I have now cycled something like 500 odd miles. I average 10 mph and can cycle up most hills non-stop.  This has given me lots of confidence and experience. Living on top of a hill, means that whatever way I go, I always have a climb back home. That’s good for the fitness then! So far, my longest non-stop trip is 30 miles and that was a largely flatish route.

So 2009 was all about getting fit and gaining experience. Needless to say you start accumulating gadgets. I have bought a Cateye odometer so I know my speed and distance covered. I know also have a Garmin GPS for my next adventures! This is how I have arranged them on the handlebar:

Also, as I have mainly cycled on tarmac, I changed the tyres to semi-slicks. Makes life a little easier and has reduced the road noise quite a bit as well. And I also changed the inner tubes to the “self repairing” type. No more walking miles home for me with a flat tyre!

The knobbly tyre on the left looks bigger as it is not fitted onto a wheel.

So, what else needs to be changed? Well, as my fitness and leg strength has increased, I am using fewer gears. As mine has a triple chain ring, there is a lot of gear ratio duplication. So, as chains and rings wear out, I will replace with higher gearing – but will leave the lower gearing alone as that is just fine.

The target for now on is to go out on more off road venues. Several canal towpaths are on the agenda. And also trips to the New Forest and Exmoor and Dartmoor. This is why I bought the Garmin GPS. You can set it to a new “home” (i.e. the car), cycle around then set it to take you “home”. Theoretically, I will not get lost. But as I like a challenge……

And then what? Well, I would love to cycle around Britain. But I don’t just want to blast the Lands End to John O’Groats route. Apparently, it takes about 22 days of solid cycling. Not for me. I would rather take my time and actually see the country. So if it’s to be a 2 month (ish) trip that takes a spot of planning. And company would be nice. Oh, and a support vehicle. So I’m now showing my age and desire for creature comforts!

So, if you are interested, why not get in touch?! I don’t bite, honest. Ok I will bite if you ask 😉

Go to my cycling “drop down menu” for other articles.

Garmin Edge 605

So I take the plunge and buy the Garmin for my Mountain Bike over t’internet. It duly arrives in the usual fuss free 48 hour period. I’m a good boy and immediately plug it into the mains. Then I settle down to read the installation notes etc.

Once battery is charged, I plug it into my laptop and sit back. And um, err, nowt happens. Now in this day and age, you plug something in press no more than 4 buttons and you are up and running. Not with the Garmin though. Bugger. It’s a throw back to badly written 12 year old software. Not at all user friendly. Was I doing the right thing? Well, I muddled through, got frustrated, made a brew. Got even more frustrated. Had brew No 2. Soddin hell, just why so complicated? No user prompts like you would normally expect.

I did as much as I could, switched off and went to bed.

The maps are not installed on the computer or the gadget. You need to customise what maps you want. That’s a good option. I chose all the UK as I now had a 2GB memory card installed – I had to buy this separately of course. The down load time was projected at 1hr 15 mins. After 3hrs 30 mins it finished. Then the reading software on the Garmin had to be enabled. Projected time was again 1hr 15 mins. I don’t know how long it took as I went out for the afternoon…….

But it now works. I would have gladly paid an extra £30 for a preloaded memory card to save the faffing about!!

And now I put it into practice. Only used it twice so far and there are two flaws:

Calorie count

A 45 min steady walk consumes more calories than an hour long cycle ride up and down dale. I think not!!

Elevation

Well, the satellites must move around a bit. My house is anywhere between 280 feet and 305 feet above sea level.

But I must say the mapping of trips is very accurate. Will I ever get lost? Well, I like a challenge!!

Garmin Edge 605

Cycling – Longer Distances

Thought I would share a secret with you. Ever wondered how some people can cycle for miles and miles, yet you have major leg muscle burn after 10 miles? Well……

 All you have to do is get going and up to your normal speed. Then change down a gear. Uh? Yes, change down a gear. It works honestly. The idea is that you keep the same road speed, but your legs spin faster with very little force needed on the down stroke pedal. Therefore, you are not straining your muscles.

 And when you start going up a slope, keep changing down gear to achieve the same effect.

Your legs should be pumping up and down at least once a second. When you get better, you can up it to 80 pumps a minute. The pro’s can achieve over 100. If you get a chance, watch some pro racing on the telly and closely watch their leg speed.

But be prepared for the downside. With your legs pumping away so much, your heart rate and breathing rate will increase. Just get used to it.

 When I was told about it, my trip distance went from 17 miles, to 21 miles. Then 25 miles, then 30 miles. All in the space of just 3 weeks. No muscle ache, but my legs were a bit wobbly on the 30 miler.

 Provided you have eaten enough and drunk loads of liquid, you should not have any aches and pains the following day.

 Simples

 And some general tips for you:

• Eat and drink frequently
• When you have a tail wind, ride hard and fast – unless you have to turn around to get back home……
• Don’t ride against a headwind as you will tire out. Go slower and keep changing down gear to save those leg muscles!
• Carry money and a mobile phone in case of disaster
• Be seen….be safe…