Beginner Q's

Red Neck Hughie

Hello cyclists.
I bought my first cycle-computer this week after 20 odd years of sometimes cycling a couple of miles to work etc, I never put much time, money, thought or effort into it. Now that I have a computer fitted, waddling along doesn't seem to be fast enough. It used to be good enough that I moved quicker than a car would over the same commute but now I'm competing with myself and never win....
So I ran out of gears recently for the first time ever, clocking below 40km/h.
Would I be right in guessing that 'your' bikes are geared a wee bit higher than mine? A 6 year old 200 euro mtb type thing...
I have loads of questions:
Whats a good way to carry a laptop?
How do I deal with chafing?
If cars aren't trying to kill me am I doing it wrong? (Only a couple of times a day do I feel in mortal danger)
I'm thinking about a 400km trip in a couple of weeks with my 12yo daughter, has anyone done similar recently?
Thanks for reading..

Jawgap

Someone will give you a more technical answering on the gearing but the short answer would be that MTBs are geared for climbing so have different ratios to road bikes.

Also what tyres are you running? Big knobbly MTB tyres have more rubber in contact with the road so are slower. You could change the cassette on the bike to give you gearing more appropriate to the road and change the tyres for smoother ones without losing the grip you need for the road.

Laptop carrying options would be backpack or pannier - I use a backpack and recently persuaded the job to replace my 17" laptop with a nice 10" netbook - can't make the case for an iPad.......yet!!

To deal with chafing get some proper padded shorts - you can also get 'baggies' that have a padded short liner. If you are wearing these and still getting chafing, try chamois cream.

If you're getting into 'mortal danger' a couple of times a day, you probably need to have a look at how / where you're cycling. It might sound counter-intuitive, but sometimes being more assertive in terms of road position helps with safety as it limits the opportunities for other road users to put you in danger.

Difficult to know about the trip - I did 100km (in 2 x 50 km blocks) with my 12 year old son last summer in one day and he was fine and fit enough for playing football that evening.

Red Neck Hughie

Thanks for replying,
I've changed the back tyre and notice a big difference already. I find the backpack a pain with the laptop - I've got marks on both shoulders every evening but its a minor detail in fairness - I'll try a pannier set soon.
Nice link on the baggies - I didnt know that they had padding!
That was a bit of a joke about the mortal danger, I've had a motorbike for a good few years so mixing it with cars is not usually a problem, and the fitter I get the better I can respond to the ones who are 'unsafe' while cycling. TBH I dont really find them much of a problem - more a nuisance on the scale of flies and bees. (Hopefully not famous last words).
And finally re the 400k trip, thanks for assuming the query was out of concern for my daughter, there will be no problem on her part, she will do a 10k jog without breaking a sweat, I was worring for myself. Looks like allowing 3 or 4 days will be plenty, thanks again Jawgap.

BostonB

Someone at work advised me not to use a commuter while commuting and I'd enjoy it more. I think thats good advise, that you concentrate on other things tbh.

seamus

40kmh would be typical topping-out point for a mountain bike setup. MTBs don't necessarily do more climbing, though they're designed for terrain with less friction and lower gearing helps when the trail is just a muddy mess and a 10% gradient.

For standing off-road riding (cross-country), going above 40km/h when riding a trail would be the exception rather than the rule, 30-35km/h would be typically a fast trail. On a road bike (which is what most of us here are riding), a descent only starts becoming "fast" when you exceed 60km/h.

hardCopy

Panniers are great for reducing Sweaty Back Syndrome. Aldi are doing them today for €14.99 if you can find them in stock anywhere.

Not all baggy cycling shorts come with pads included, some rely on separate removable liners, make sure you read the description if buying online and don't assume they'll be padded.

Jawgap

The Humvees I linked to have a liner (detachable) - which is handy because it's compatible with other Endura stuff such as their longer trousers.

I swapped laptops for the reason you cited - some of them can be heavy!!! A Netbook, usb keys and accessing cloud facilities such as dropbox negated the need for a larger machine.

I wouldn't be a fan of paniers, but everyone has their preferences.

Good luck with the cycle with your daughter - you could always even things up a bit by dropping the air pressure in her tyres - that'll learn her:D

johnk123

Red Neck Hughie wrote: »

Thanks for replying,
I find the backpack a pain with the laptop - I've got marks on both shoulders every evening but its a minor detail in fairness - I'll try a pannier set soon.

Out of interest are you just using a regular backpack? Perhaps consider one designed for cycling? I know a few people who have Osprey bags and they look the real deal. Most of them are carrying laptop, college books plus 2 set's of training kit and other bits and bobs to college everyday and they are fantastic. A little pricey, but worth it. If I had a serious commute I'd definitely go for one.

Red Neck Hughie

I'm using one given to the kids at a GAA cul camps, its a decent bag but the straps have narrowed with time. A little planning and a usb key would be no harm really..
I like the plan of letting the air out of her tyres, that'll show her alright. Cheers all.