Having spent another 30 minutes last night trying to index my gears, and fix the click-clack sound of my chain rubbing against the front derailleur, I thought this mornings ride would be problem free. Alas, I am still experiencing some phantom shifting around the mid ring (idk the correct name) on the rear cassette. Not the end of the world, but somewhat frustrating.
I did manage to fix a couple of other issues with my setup. The Tacx Neo 2 was the root cause of one of the weird clicking sounds I was hearing. By lifting the entire unit, I think I have managed to somehow more fully open the legs, and now this annoying pop sound has disappeared when pushing down on the right leg.
Whilst on bike mechanic duties, I also learned a little more about setting up the front derailleur. Quite a tough word to spell, is that. It turns out that I need to fully ensure the gears have been “clicked” in, this way I get either a fully slack, or fully taut cable. This was causing all kinds of issues when trying to set the tension on the front and rear derailleurs. Live and learn. As a total novice, and with only YouTube videos for guidance, I have to say this was one of the most frustrating things to learn so far.
Anyway, on to the ride.
This morning I managed my furthest distance yet.
Now this metric of distance, apparently, is not all that useful. Having spoken with a cyclist friend, watts per kilogram is a more effective measurement. I need to do more reading / learning on this front.
Yesterday I hit New York, and found that whilst I had expected the route to be largely flat (idk why), there were some fairly steep hills (for me, at least).
Today I chose Watopia, noting that there were around 1000 people online, vs 2000 people riding New York. Maybe the alternative routes are more popular, though New York was personally my least favourite map so far.
I did a route I’ve already done, but this time managed to get further.
Having the computer graphics, and having already done this route really helped push me onward, wanting to see more. This is really why I bought this setup. I might be cycling indoors, but I do want to enjoy the view.
Over the past few days I’ve been using my massive fan to keep me cool. This morning I forgot to turn it on before setting off. Boy, was I sweaty by the time I’d been riding for five minutes. I had to stop, which buggered up my graphs. But it was worthwhile, as that thing is the only thing keeping me from pouring like the relentless rain outside.
One thing I noticed this morning was that my arse was killing as soon as I sat on the bike. I wear some padded cycling shorts, and would highly recommend you get a pair if you haven’t already. Everyone who has tried sitting on my bike so far has commented on the pain that is the seat. I concur. Fortunately, my arse has now acclimatised, it would seem. Instead, it’s my legs that feel abused.
I also ordered myself a second “sleeveless base layer”, or skin tight gym top, as I call it. With my physique, this isn’t the most flattering of garments, but it helps keep me cool. It’s simply easier to have two, rather than keep having to wash and dry only one.
I read somewhere that a “wicking” top gets rid of the sweat faster, and so far, combined with the fan, it seems to be doing a really good job.
All in all, this morning’s ride was decent. I managed 5 miles in 20 minutes. I’ll be happy with a similar performance for the rest of the week.
Yes it can be disheartening when I’m pushing hard up a hill, and not getting anywhere fast, only to be overtaken by a rider who’s going so fast it looks like their on a descent. But I’m riding for me. And I’m doing 5 miles more than I was this time last week, so it’s a massive win.