On your bike!

Well 3 weeks had now passed and I was growing increasingly frustrated with my lack of movement from my seat but now it was time to step it up a level (did you see what I did there?) This was due to last week the doctor had giving me the all clear to start cycling. I just about squeezed by swollen foot into a trainer (minus footbed) and did 20 mins on the exercise bike in the gym at work as a tester. This was low impact and the only real issue I had was the toe strap rubbing a little so I decided I was good to go in the real world.

I dug out my Trek Hybrid bike and rode around the block…. All good! The next day I thought “what the heck” and in the rain, shot off on the back roads to Danbury and back, it felt great. I’d not been on my bike for months and the sense of finally breaking free of the arm chair made it seem all the better. Nearly 10 miles later and 20mph plus downhill left me soaked through but wanting for more.

One ride was also all it took for me to decide that I needed a new bike! The hybrid was ok but I also had a full suspension Specialized MTB and I needed to clear some room and down size so the obvious choice was sell both and buy something sweet! After a couple of days advertising the old bikes they had gone. I’d been looking around and decided that I fancied a hard tail MTB that I could also ride on slicks if I wanted to ride to work etc. Well one walk around Halfords was all it took. I walked past the Boardman bikes stand and a hard tail sold forked MTB took my eye…. No thrills and little weight, this was old skool baby.

The deal was done and I arranged to pick it up built a few days later (big mistake!)  During the ride home my handle bars came loose and I almost ended up under a truck on a huge roundabout. I check all the hardware when I got home and none were to torque with some barely over hand tight! NEVER buy a bike from Halfords unless you have too.

As you can see from the pic, the solid carbon forks and skinny slick Conti rubber made it the perfect commuter bike and in the next few weeks I indeed started to ride it to work and back (approx. 24 miles). I’m still trying to do this at least once a week but it’s a little difficult as you need to plan so much.

Anyway, one more week and the trainers could be back in anger!