Let the sun shine

Ok, so this is gonna seem a little strange. I know I've been complaining a lot about the snow for the last while, right up to Tuesday. There was a pretty bad snow-storm on Monday, I think, which passed. And now it's all gone. The sun is shining.

I went running in shorts and a t-shirt this evening. What part of that just seems wrong to you? I was getting some very odd looks from passers-by in their big Winter coats and hats, but it was a nice pleasant mild evening. The tshirt I had on was actually a little heavy for it, I think.

Also, at an average pace of 13 km/hr, I managed to outrun some cars stuck on the motorway on the way home. I'm used to that kind of thing on a bike, but doing it on foot is very strange :P

Snow biking

No, it's not another new sport, but something rather challenging at the same time. Since I got my bike, there's been an incredibly heavy snowfall to complement the already thick layers of compacted snow and ice in places.

Unfortunately, cycling it is proving to be a little difficult. A combination of factors ranging from me not being used to the new position, to the skinny tyres over powdery snow have combined to leave me face down in a pile of snow on more than one occasion. Cycling along, nice and slow, feel a bit of a skid on the back, slow down a little more, feel a lot of a skid, then WHAM; tangled in bike and eating snow. Not cool.

Hopefully I'll get a little better with the controls over the next while, but I'm also hoping that there won't be much of an option and this damn precipitation will back off. Then I can really put the Kona through its paces. Brief stints on the road, however, have been fabulous. The bike really accelerates when I put the foot down. Out of the saddle is fantastic, the hybrid just doesn't compare at all.

On flipping the stem over so it rises up, it seems that the sizing is pretty spot on. When I get around to ordering my road bike (with gears) I'll know exactly what size to get :) I think I'll wait for the snow to clear for that, though. Whatever chance I have of getting about on 28 mm tyres, 23 mm will just have me on the floor instantly.

A mountain bike is what I need. Yes. For the snow. That's it. I guess it'll just have to go on the wishlist. And while I'm at it, I'll find some nice trails as well. When I have it and all... It'd be a shame to let it go to waste.

Arrival of the fixie

It finally arrived! After a month of waiting my singlespeed/fixie finally arrived :) This is my first actual road bike, and I have to say I'm very impressed.

I got a rather confused call around half 10 from the warehouse in work asking if I'd ordered a bike. When I got down there, they were incredibly nice, and more than a little curious, so they let me build it up in the workspace down there. I was initially quite surprised at the size of the box; I had convinced myself that it wound't be that big and I'd just be able to carry it back to the office and then home. I was very very wrong.

It came with the front wheel off and the handlebars bubble wrapped and taped to the downtube. I put these on and that was about it, really. Good to go. Apart from the lack of pedals. Despite taking some time to actually send it, Evans Cycles are incredibly good with what you get. I received a little folder thing with information books, a (very useful for building!) multi-tool and a pedal wrench. I did order other stuff with the bike, so I assume they're coming then, whenever that package arrives... Luckily, there was a bike shop open in town that I got some cheap plastic deals while I wait for some better ones to arrive (I've got spds on the way anyway, which I preemptively bought for the road bike). I was, however, almost shouted out of the shop for putting cheap plastic pedals on such a nice bike... The dude calmed down when I told him I just needed these for a few days :D

Once I got home, I couldn't wait to take it for a spin. I spent a few mins getting the saddle height and setback roughly set and then hopped on. First impressions;

1. Incredibly responsive. When I put the hammer down, it can really move, also making a really cool whistle-like sound when going really fast.

2. Very different to a hybrid bike. This is mostly in terms of position, which will take some getting used to I suspect. However, all three main positions: on the hoods; in the drops; and what I call on the drops (hands away from the brake levers, but on the lowest part of the bars) are quite comfortable, though I have a bit of a reach for the hoods. I suspect I will have to get a slightly shorter stem, but I'll wait for another while first.

3. Great handling. I didn't try any sharp turns, but it felt very stable at all times, including going over and through ice and snow, something the rental bike I was using failed miserably at. Even going over these patches at speed was no problem at all.

In general, I'm well happy with it. Light, responsive and pretty damn nice in general. The perfect commuting/training bike. Though most people seem to think it cost well over a thousand to look at. Which is good, meaning it's a nice bike, but bad in that it makes people want to steal it. I may get a better lock for it :D Also, I will try it on the fixed cog and see what it's like. Stay tuned for pics when I get some nice pedals for it. As I was emphatically told, plastic pedals are no way to grace the cranks of a bike like this!

Running

I'm shocked that I'm saying it, but... I think my running is actually getting better. My runs don't tire me out so much any more. Which means that my initial plan for a half marathon some time in September/October could be stretched out to a full, with the intention of finishing inside four hours.

It looks somewhat like I might actually finish some 10 km runs in the next few weeks. That's just a frightening thought for somebody who could just make it through 5 before Christmas. Now I can actually focus a little on which way my feet are awkwardly splaying and swinging about the place and try to reign in the more extreme gyrations. It reminds me of something like the Larmor radius. Only a little less circular.

Three runs a week, increasing the individual run distance by one km a week and I should be good for some intervals soon. That will be the fun part. That's if cycling doesn't take over :D I'm enjoying running again, though, so it probably won't.

On a sort of related note, I'm considering buying some sort of training aid thingamijob to make training a little easier. I'm not sure how much of an effect it would have, apart from quantifying what I'm doing. Like, most of the Garmin GPS units rely on Google Maps to plot the data after you run/cycle, which I can mostly do myself. I can see the advantage when one goes for longer runs, but I've mapped out 50 km cycles by hand, it's not that big a deal.

The main advantage, I guess, would be heart rate data, showing different work out zones, which is meant to make training more efficient and focussed. On the other hand, one of the attractions of running is that it's so simple. I'm not training for anything huge, I don't really need a large amount of data to get me to the level I want...

It'll probably depend on whether I have more money than sense at some given time of weakness. There's always a 705 with European mapping for touring on the bike. That option is looking more and more tempting, to be honest, as it would be seriously useful. More so since I'm thinking of doing a few weekend trips around Europe this Summer. Anybody want to start a 'GPS for Mike' fund?

No?

Anybody?

New Bike

I'm (hopefully) getting paid at long last :) So, the new bike is being ordered this week, all gong well.

One question, however, remains, and it is of the utmost importance.

Black, pink, or white?

It's a different frameset to that one (this, actually), but that link compares all the colours really well. I'm leaning towards the pink at the moment, something nice and flashy, but different at the same time. Anybody who owns one loves it, but a lot of people are a little put off by it.

Answers on a postcard, or preferably by email ;)

Getting back there :)

OK, so getting back to anything approximating fitness hasn't been easy. At all. Between moving, ice, moving country, cold cramps in my legs and a nasty head cold, it's been a good ten odd weeks since I've done any real training.

This week has seen my running get back to my old standard. Now, it was shockingly bad then, but at least it's back to where it was and I'm not panting after 2 km. In fact, I think I've gotten a little faster :) The main thing now is to get the endurance in there. Ideally, it'll be adding one kilometer to each run a few times a week, and that should see me build up gradually.

Still waiting for that fixie to arrive, though. Once that happens we'll really be ready to roll :)

*edit, checked the weight there, which is coming in at around 65 kg :( So, 5 kg to lose first, then we can really roll. Shouldn't take too long once I get the road bike. The (hopefully) impending fixie will also go a long way into getting me some much needed exercise. The pink, women's geometry bike with a basket and non-adjustable seat-post one that I have now isn't doing my knees any favours...

Long time, no chat

It has indeed been a while, probably longer than I've left it before. There are good reasons though. Yeah.

I've been getting some running in the last few weeks, getting out two or three times a week, which is good. I have a rough progress plan made out, which will hopefully build up a kilometer or so a week and start throwing in some interval sessions as well. It's been hard enough going, though, what with the snow, the ice, the not being arsed getting out of bed in the morning (I really don't do before 8 in the morning). You know how it is.

I got bored of walking to work, and the rental bikes we ordered over here weren't forthcoming, so when I got my first payment last month I was a little bold and ordered this for commuting and some other fitness stuff. I ended up getting an amazing deal on it, almost 50% off the RRP due to a bit of a stock mix-up with another bike I ordered, so happy days :) It hasn't arrived yet, but it should within the next week or so. Of course, the day after I ordered it, the rental bikes came... Not that I'm annoyed, since my one has a saddle that's a few inches too low and can't be changed, due to using an archaic half inch bolt. Also, the front brake pads are just the plastic at this stage, which isn't so much fun over compacted snow :0

Again, once the new bike arrives, I shall be getting myself oh so quickly to a range. It's been two months since I've shot at this stage, this is getting ridiculous! I don't think I took this much time off for my exams... Of course, if scores jump like they did the last time, I'll be well happy :D