So, it's been a little while since I last posted. I haven't really had all that much to blog about if I'm entirely honest. My next race is on the 19th and I'm all signed up and ready to go. I did say in my last post that I was going to be eating healthily and following a detailed training plan. Both of those goals have pretty much gone out of the window. Although, I'm only prepared to take half of the responsibility, and I'll explain why.
Firstly, it's really hard to eat healthily when people keep buying me junk food. I'm the sort of person that if I know it's there, I'll eat it. Especially if it's a convenience food. I don't think I'm going to let Kirsty go shopping on her own anymore, this week she came back with two boxes of ice creams, chocolate, and crisps. Great. On top of that, Kirsty's mum came back form France with some gifts which was very thoughtful. I got a loaf of French bread and 36 Kinder bars. 36! I have mentioned time and time again that I want to cut down on the bread and junk food etc, but no one seems to get the message! It's like the world wants me to be fat! I need to be more strong willed in future!
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| This is the sort of thing I've been eating of late! |
Training, I've had one or two mechanical problems this month. My bottom bracket bearings well and truly died on me, they were making a horrible creaking noise every time I laid down any power which drove me absolutely mental. I had one or two tantrums over that, much to Ollie/Wills amusement. My headset bearings were shot, and my remote lock out wasn't working. To be fair my remote lock out hasn't worked since before MSG round one, but that's neither here nor there. Unfortunately Thomas' were fully booked out for the next two weeks, so I put my bike in at Chelmer Cycles who were able to fit me in. Credit where credits due, they made a really nice job of my bike and the price was fair. John really knows his stuff and I love the way he pays attention to detail. It's always good to have two or three mechanics, because you never know when you're going to be in situations just like this.
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| It's a bit like going out with the hottest girl at school - Very high maintenance but; worth it when you're riding her! |
I foolishly thought that would be the end of it, but no. My cassette decided that enough was enough and finally after 18 months of service gave up the ghost. Talk about bad timing! To be fair it was 18 months old, and had about five chains on it. After paying out for the work done by Chelmer, I was a bit stuck. Luckily Will had a spare unused XT cassette I could use! It was only a matter of time before a bit of Shimano kit found it's way onto my bike. Whilst it doesn't look anywhere near as pretty as the XX cassette and is a bit heavier, it's functional and affordable which is exactly what I need at the moment, especially given how much I'm riding my bike. The good news is that the bike is now sorted an running sweat, just in time for Round 3. I went out with the Sunday morning crew last weekend, Tony was giving me a bit of stick after he beat me at round two. A little extra motivation never done anyone any harm hah!
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| Farewell XX cassette, you will be missed :'( |
I finally got a bike fit! Something I've desperately needed for a long time. I made an appointment at Cycle Evolution in Colchester and spent a few hours with Rich. Take a look at the before and after measurements below...
| Bike Measurement |
Starting |
Final |
| Saddle Height |
700mm |
765mm |
| Saddle Fore-Aft |
32mm |
72mm |
| Reach (to bar centre) |
537mm |
565mm |
| Reach (to hoods) |
590mm |
620mm |
| Drop |
20mm |
70mm |
| Knee Angle |
54˚ |
30˚ |
As you can see, I was quite cramped up before. If you look at the before and after shots (to follow shortly), it looked like I was on a kids bike. My saddle was way too low, 6.5cm to be precise, my legs used to bow outwards which made pedalling really hard work. I'm also sat too far forward, I need a seat post with a 25mm off set (currently hunting the internet). Interestingly, my arse doesn't seem to like other saddles, I tried a few different saddles and in the end I decided to keep the Tundra 2. It might not be the right saddle for me, but I so used to it now it really doesn't matter anymore.
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| Where the magic happens... (the little room above the shop floor) |
It felt a little weird when I first started riding and my back was aching a little bit, but I've gotten used to it now and it's so much better! So much easier to ride. I'm looking forward to seeing if it makes any difference at round three! I couldn't recommend a bike fit enough, it's far more beneficial than any upgrade you can buy and far better value for money. Not only do you become more bio mechanically efficient but you learn a lot about your own body. I'm pleased to confirm that I have a natural curve to my back, my legs are the same length and my hamstrings are ridiculously tight. The guys down at Cycle Evolution really know their stuff and will look after you properly. You can find details for Cycle Evolution at the bottom of this post.
The next upgrade I'm going to make is to swap to a wider riser bar, this isn't anything to do with the fit as such, it's to make my bike easier to ride as it's twitchy as hell at the moment. The good news is I already have a spare set of risers. I thought it was a bit of a cop out initially, but then Ollie pointed out that when Fontana rides a 26er, he typically uses riser bars. Case closed.
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| Why do I feel like I'm riding with stabilisers again? |
Not a bad post considering I didn't have a lot to say? As per usual, I haven't proof read anything.
Cycle Evolution
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