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bugshaw: (Brilliant!)
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I have one now and hope the wheels don't fall off

posted by [personal profile] bugshaw at 12:55pm on 23/07/2005
I have a bicycle! Jessica Rabbit and [livejournal.com profile] groliffe took me round the bike shops of Mill Road, and we discussed frames and panniers and strength and tyres and the like. Having picked a design that would suit, we discovered it only came down to an 18" frame - I could just about get on it but it was very big and unwieldy. A ladies' bike in a 16" was much easier to mount, and comfy, and a slightly dorky pale blue so less nickable. And only twice the price, which is the cost of being freakishly short.

Picture of shiny bicycle.

They are giving it a quick service, and I pick it up at 3:30 today! JR & G enjoyed spending my money - I also have lights, a lock, a helmet, bungee cord, and several types of pannier to consider.

I also got taught lots of newbie things like how gears work and what they are for, how to mount a bicycle, when one might like to stand on the pedals, the point of different tyres, panniers vs baskets, which bits to oil and which to keep clean, etc... I have a steep learning curve ahead of me but luckily no hills (this being Cambridge).
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There are 20 comments on this entry. (Reply.)
 

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posted by [identity profile] ladymoonray.livejournal.com at 12:21pm on 23/07/2005
Well done! The bike looks lovely; I'm thinking about getting one when I can afford it. The last few I've had have been mountain bikes, which I find very difficult. I much prefer the classic style of the one you're having.

Good luck with it :)
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posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 12:40pm on 23/07/2005
It's a bit scary. I can't quite believe they'll let me on the roads with this without a licence or test or anything.
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posted by [identity profile] del-c.livejournal.com at 02:51pm on 23/07/2005
Hey, snap! I got a Claud Butler Classic too, or would have done if they'd had one, but as they didn't they knocked a bit off the price of the Odyssey, the next model up, for me.

(not the Ladies model, obviously)
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posted by [identity profile] ladymoonray.livejournal.com at 11:06pm on 23/07/2005
We did have to do the National Cycling Proficiency test when I was in primary school. I remember that I passed the test, but I was told to practice lots more before going on the road on a bike.

My cycling skills have sadly never improved since then. So I try to keep off the roads as much as I can. That would have to change if I bought a bike now. I wonder if there's a course one can do?
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posted by [identity profile] purpletigron.livejournal.com at 07:25am on 24/07/2005
There are definitely cycling 'improver' courses around. Check your local cycle shops, and any local cycling group newsletters, and the Web! Cycling as road transport is a wonderful thing :-)
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posted by [identity profile] ang-grrr.livejournal.com at 12:25pm on 23/07/2005
SHINY!
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posted by [identity profile] mr-tom.livejournal.com at 01:54pm on 23/07/2005
Top tip: Put a little bit of paper between the inner tube and the tyre with your name and address and "This bike is stolen: reward offered" written on it. Thieves don't change tubes, but people who buy second-hand bikes do.
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posted by [identity profile] missfairchild.livejournal.com at 02:00pm on 23/07/2005
Congratulations! Bicycling is one of the best things ever :o)
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posted by [identity profile] hawkida.livejournal.com at 02:09pm on 23/07/2005
Cool!

What was the advice about standing on pedals?
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posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 02:15pm on 23/07/2005
When you ride over a bump you might like to stand on the pedals and thus absorb the shock in your elbows and knees instead of directly up the spine.

For the moment I suspect I will ride over bumps whilst hanging on grimly.
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posted by [identity profile] frandowdsofa.livejournal.com at 02:15pm on 23/07/2005
And I hope they also taught you about not riding on the pavement, stopping for red lights, and other bits of the Highway Code that apply to you ...
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posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 02:16pm on 23/07/2005
Oh, I have had the fear of Caro put into me.
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timill: (Default)

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posted by [personal profile] timill at 02:36pm on 23/07/2005
And wearing reflectors and having lights at night.

The number of cyclists in Cambridge I've only spotted because they occluded street lights...

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posted by [identity profile] del-c.livejournal.com at 02:47pm on 23/07/2005
And a helmet.
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posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 03:07pm on 23/07/2005
I have a helmet. For a moment I wondered why the receipt had a charge for a "Giro Transfer" when I'd paid by credit card, until I realised that was the name of the helmet. ;-)

I don't know how much I'll use it. They seem to be good protection for some sorts of accidents, but an additional hazard for others (making your head larger and heavier). I'll see what sort of accident I think is most likely...
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posted by [identity profile] purpletigron.livejournal.com at 07:26am on 24/07/2005
Only strictly necessary until you are a competent adult cyclist, at which point, cycling helmets become almost redundant.
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posted by [identity profile] bugshaw.livejournal.com at 03:05pm on 23/07/2005
Reflectors: check.
Lights: check.
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posted by [identity profile] ang-grrr.livejournal.com at 02:51pm on 23/07/2005
I was coming out of a car park today and scared the living daylights out of a young girl haring along the pavement. Luckily I'd seen her before she hadn't seen me, if you see what I mean.
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posted by [identity profile] missfairchild.livejournal.com at 04:03pm on 23/07/2005
I find the best way to deal with ill-mannered idiots like that is to shout, "OI! THE ROAD IS THAT BIG WIDE THING OVER THERE WITH THE DOTTED WHITE LINE DOWN THE MIDDLE!"
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posted by [identity profile] watervole.livejournal.com at 05:32pm on 23/07/2005
THe best kind of reflector is either a yellow reflective vest, or a 'stripe' that you can wear over a jacket. They reflect car headlights fantastically and you can be seen from much further away.

Congrats on getting the bike.
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