flyingscot

Yeah, I just get bored too easily! I'm tempted by the 100km ride- I've done 40km in 2 hours on the cycle track- so fancy pushing myself for that too.

It is- 100miles is serious territory. On an average day I do 20kph or 12mph cycling (granted that includes red lights and junctions) but even allowing for that it would take me at least 8 hours non stop to do in total! I'll stick to pedal for Scotland at the moment. 50 miles seems fine for me.

Aye that road in Glengarnock in the industrial estate isn't potholed but is the roughest road I've been on not to have any for me! I just hated the road surface and hills on the way to Kilwinning

Cycle track? How was the bit from Glengarnock to Kilwinning?

Totally. I tried the smaller frame out on mine first of all and it was just all wrong. Mind you sadly enough I noticed a pic in the paper today of Nicolas Sarkozy out riding his bike (no not his missus ) and noticed it was the racing edition of my own bike

Yeah was really steep! My runtastic app thing shows that in 4 mins 22secs I climbed from 40m to 75m overall which is a fair old climb. Looking at distance the steepest part of the first hill it was roughly 250m along the slope, and a gain of 23m in height, thus fag pack calculations say that is a 9-10% gradient . Other hills further along are checking out 6.5% and then a short section called of 10% too over 100m. Seems a really hardcore route for a National Cycle Route- you don't get those gradients often I don't think. A road bike is a good option, I like mine getting it fitted and set up right it makes a difference. I might need to change the pedal type or get proper shoes as the metal pedals are digging into my feet on longer rides. I'm really happy with mine so far but hybrids looked nice too- saw a few which were simply road bikes designed with flat handlebars. Last time I headed up Glasgow way I just used the main Paisley Road West- faster than cycle track which kind of gets less direct around Pollok and you keep up with traffic fairly well but it isn't that nice a cycle. I'm thinking of doing the shorter 40mile pedal for Scotland, did the 25miles to Kilwinning in just under 2 hours so should be good for a 3 to 3 and a half hour cycle to Edinburgh.

Did Paisley to Kilwinning on NCR7 today which was good. Nice to have some good weather for a change even if my arms are now a wee shade of red. I'm guessing I put that suncream on a bit too late! Oops. Not sure I'd do it again to Kilwinning though. Don't like the section between Glengarnock and KiIwinning and never saw another cyclist or walker- just 2 cars the whole time! It has some seriously short but steep hills, the surface is rubbish with potholes and at one point has been resurfaced with those chippings on tar which are lethal on a sharp turn. It's really poorly signed around there too in comparison and the mileage to Irvine at one point a good 5 mins apart goes Irvine 11 the next sign is Irvine 10 the following Irvine 11! Never mind chucked it at Kilwinning where I was getting a lift from- noticed on the Sustrans website there is a proposed new route in the Valley following the railway through Dalry- hope that is done soon!

My gears had got a bit out of adjustment so phoned to get it looked at today and was booked in for Monday. Went to drop it off today and the guy just gave the gears a once over on the spot, got it all fixed up there and then. Cracking I've replaced the handlebar stem with a new one day which offers a degree of adjustment and has helped me get more comfortable so far too.

Good on you. It does get a bit messy near Victoria Dock as they are building bits- it is on road mostly- down Container Way past Tesco then onto Esplanade and past Battery Park. I went to go to Lochwinnoch on the Monday but errr tried to pass 2 walkers on a corner of the cycle track and caught the edge of the path with the rear wheel- put my feet down to stop me completely decking it and jarred the left foot- but not too bad. My right one took the brunt - it's sore and bruised with my toes that lovely shade of red, blue and brown! Got a couple of miles more to Morrisons in Johnstone and realised this actually hurts so got a lift home from there. Well that is no cycling for a week perhaps! My gears have not been 100% too that day but I'll test them out soon as it is now due the free catch up service to tighten that up. My hands aren't as sore recently- new specialised gloves help, but another cyclist at the lights said he felt the stem might be the cause and to try and get an adjustable one and raise the bar angle a bit- bring it closer. Might try that for £30 notes. Why are so many people walking so clueless on that cycle track and seem totally surprised people cycle along it? Not unusual to have them take up the whole width and don't move for ages even when they see you, get loads that ignore the bell and shite themselves when you appear behind them and others that have their dogs running all over the shop and they always run right infront of you at the last mo- nearly got decked stopping for one the other week. Grrr rant over! Where you riding- roads and cycle paths? If so get a road or hybrid road bike, really is worth it over a mountain bike unless you need the MTB for off road stuff. Budget is an interesting one I went for a budget of £350 all in- spent £299 in the end. It can be done cheaper certainly but if it is something you want as a hobby/keep fit and maybe work up to more expensive ones if you are interested it isn't a bad step. Certainly bikes can be bought used,sometimes decent but I was more concerned on how good they would be maintenance wise and if I was buying a pup plus didn't want hunting for right size etc etc! Always budget an extra £50-60 on bits that somehow seem to come along with it- I have a new drinks holder, new gloves, new chains and that is before the stuff I was planning to buy lol!

Having pain in my thumbs after cycling these days- need to check my position on the bike a bit more carefully and check my hand position. It seems to be coming from too much pressure on the base of the thumbs.

Maybe your tyres aren't strong enough or your tubes are too weak. I'd deffo recommend new slick tyres, for road use they make a difference.

I agree with what you say about the mud guard it does look a bit awkward and suits a MTB more- but then it came from my mountain bike and is better than nothing, so it will do for the moment. It is light too with LEDS on it which I've had people say are really good so be nice to get a road one like that- I'll have a look at your link when the wages are in. The kickstand went on it cause it just about fell a couple of times when propped up. Less weight than a bottle of water and doesn't really have any effect so I'm not too bothered about it. I think it is a lot of bike for the money in my opinion and I'm happy with it., French designed and made in Italy so not a total 'Far East special' that folk criticise. It will have some flaws I'd bet, the price would indicate that but I think it might be genuinely a good deal- even the tyres seem decent on the bike. By the looks of it since Monday they've sold 5 of them in Glasgow alone (including mine) which doesn't sound bad going to me. Review? Well it perhaps not the lightest road bike (10-ish kg) despite the nice carbon front fork ooooh ha! The gears are fine- no doubt not the best stuff, but Shimano is usually solid and it is a nice range of ratios which I need to get used to as on the MTB I just bunged it on top gear 90% of the time as top gear wasn't very hard. Got the fault that all Shimano Sora type bikes share have as you can't reach the lever shifter in the drops (unless you have a large finger!- but it is good if you ride more like a normal bike with bar ends. The gears are ok on the rear but the front is a wee bit more difficult as without a full push of the brake level it sometimes doesn't shift and you have to go down and back again. I think it may loosen up a wee bit after few more miles- only done about 15 on it so far, if not I can take it back to them and get them to adjust it. I also need to get used to the toe clips, trying to cycle away from lights without getting crushed and put get my feet in them without falling off is tricky but getting better! The thing I don't like are the supplied lights and bell. They are both a legal thing and the bell is well cheap and shifts about on the handbars dinging away down potholed roads! The lights are decent but look a bit naff, but again all bikes in France have to be sold with them so they come attached here too as they are a French company. I'm also conscious of people looking and staring at me on this bike for some reason which is a bit weird, even my Mum got asked if it was me on a bike the other day. Don't know why people are doing it however! Got it insured too through the house insurance and two new locks so scotes have to work a bit to get it!

Well bought a bike. Took me a while, a million bike retailers. Some just didn't seem interested in folk looking for lower priced bikes and others recommended stuff I'd said was well out of my price range. In the end this bike came up trumps in the service and price ratio. B'Twin Triban 3, for £299 seems to meet my needs well and looks decent for the money. A close relation to the B'Twin Sport range highly thought over on bikenet etc. Initial thoughts are promising, it was decent but only did 2 miles. Gearing will take a little getting used to for me, not used to it yet. The bloke said it will ease up with a bit of use and to come back to get the adjustment redone. I had it all explained but was still confused and pushing the brake levels the wrong way- oops. It's Sora really anyway. I'll need to go out and have a proper play with the gears and understand what shifts what and which way!

Port and Gourock runs are the same. I just worded it badly- Port is the last of the uphill bits in the main. 18 year old Raleigh Mountain bike with knackered gears and wide tyres- but changed to slicks which helps. Pace is usually under 3min a km, or just about 4 to 5 mins a mile. I kid myself that it is getting me super fit when I get a proper bike which is coming soon hopefully!

IIRC it is 1. no not illegal - you are getting an equivalent to the freesat service and 2. not possible but this might have changed.

Gourock run is nice, although I tend to do Kilmacolm and chuck it there- it has a rather end of path feeling with the pub there. I quite like the Lochwinnoch run, not bad, although Kilmacolm one I feel is slightly harder as it is a constant uphill gradient that railways have that you don't really notice from Linwood to Port Glasgow really. If you get it on the wrong day with a strong headwind you feel it- I did once on a day with a strong wind- took 15 more mins to Kilmacolm and I had to stop and get a drink in the Coop. On the way back I was 30 minutes quicker . Will do the Lochwinnoch one again it was 13 miles from my house to there and back- if I get a day off might go down to Kilwinning or so.

That is the problem with a lot of cycling provision- could be good but just missing in bits. I have to say been impressed with the investment in cycling around Renfrewshire since I was last out regularly some decent links- not exactly enough but not bad. Had a good run today- my idea was a nice run down to Lochwinnoch, some time at Castle Semple then back on train to Paisley and cycle the rest home. Did the 20km to Lochwinnoch in 50 mins which wasn't bad. Got to the station 15 before the 16.32 train only to see delayed 10 mins due 16.42- then 16.48, then 16.52 and then a sign about signalling problems in Largs causing delays and possible cancellations came up. Probably some jakes nicking the signal cable again. Anyway still was only 25 past so decided to cycle back as well, got to Johnstone at the same time train was due to leave Lochwinnoch with all the delays if it ever did and back home in an hour (headwind d'oh!) so wasn't bad but an extra 20km I wasn't planning!

I do it via Mytracks and runtastic on the phone to monitor performance. Now granted I'm not greatly fit and I am on an old heavy mountain bike with broken gearing, but my last run out on mytracks was 14.13miles, 11.52mi/hr av, elevation gain of 764ft with max grade of 6% and top speed 22mph (although I now prefer metric units- looks better ha ha

Nah, don't get me wrong, worth a go, but anybody claiming for the council will usually get short shrift. We maintained the road under standards stated in Roads Scotland act zzzz and bog off thanks. Know folk who have done it for cars, success % is very low. Nah haven't been to Dales in Glasgow, might give them a go sometime. Just surprised how much they were RRP.

What might happen is that the council say they inspected the road to the necessary legal requirements, damage had formed in that time and when you made them aware of it they promptly repaired it hence no compo. Also ouch how much are your tyres £38 is a lot, esp when you'd covered 12 miles, even a decent Schwalbe I'd have expected to be a £10 less but there you go. Still trying to pick out a bike, I think I picked my car quicker than this, just too many options, conflicting reviews and comments. Need to make a decision and stick with it!

Yeah, bar ends was my thought, to be honest. It is just for an urban area not sure how drop handlebars will be, because I'm not sure the best position, with regard to brakes for urban cycling is the most comfortable on drops, although filtering might be better with drops, not that I do that much. I think flats with bar ends might suit my style better to be honest!

Yeah, puts me off cycle clubs in that I think that definition of novices vary. I just want to go out, have a cycle but not totally blasting along, take in a bit of the countryside and enjoy it too when I can, decent pace not make super race pace. Someone said to me CTC were good for novice runs rather than clubs, even do kids stuff to a times but never looked into it- happy just to grab bike when I feel like it and do my own thing but an occasional ride with other folk would maybe be good. Went to Kilmacolm this weekend on the cycle track- joined it near my house in Crookston. Took 70 mins going out but got back in 55mins or so which isn't too bad either, albeit mostly down hill for the 15 odd miles. Just a pity so many dozy walkers were out that took up the whole width and didn't respond at all to anything bar stopping behind and saying excuse me- even then jumping out their skins when I did too! Nearly came off near Linwood when someones dog went right infront of me. Was going slow enough to stop but rear skidded a bit and she did apologise. Not everyone was bad though, lots of considerate folks too. Might try heading to Kilwinning instead next time. Went into Paisley tonight just a short ride- wind was absolutely brutal in your face on the way there and tremendous on the way back! Had a bizarre incident with a car too- pulled up at traffic lights in Paisley- I was just over the stop line a bit to be honest, but was there waiting as other cars were crossing the junction. This old boy comes up, squeezes past me (not greatly close to me but closer than normal) and turns left right through the red light! I kind of was confused, thought I'd missed them going green or something, but they were red and when I looked back the guy in the right turn lane just looked at me shrugged and shook his head, no idea what the old boy was doing! Maybe he was American turning on red. Need a new bike though. Pace is down to 3mins a km today which I'm very pleased about although traffic lights etc hurt as I cycle mainly in town but good for a MTB with slicks. Not sure I want a proper road bike, probable a decent hybrid or a road bike with flat bars and skinny tyres, Never keen on drop bars- more leisure cyclist, but I would probably get used to them in time but not what I want from a bike at present. Choice is between Decathlon's Fitness 3 and a Specialized Sirrus 3, both £400-450 which is my range.

Not 100% sure what to go for and at £500 that seemed to meet the right spec. The older model isn't bad though, and is near 1/2 price now, so v. tempting although I didn't like the gear shifters.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/fitness-3-54-57-69568382/ It's a smidgen under £500 but I've saved that amount in June. For a holiday but I think I might just take the bike... Any thoughts?

Depends on a whole load of things, like wind, hills, your fitness. 4.5min per km isn't fast but if you are only getting fit, it is ok esp if you aren't trying to make record time. If you are serious, change to smoother road tyres- even on a rubbish bike, makes a huge difference. I did the M74 thing today- so easy on the way out to Carmyle. Did it in less than 20 mins despite having to fight my way through the crowd, and kids etc., Way back was more difficult- into wind, long slow gradients and the climb from Polmadie up onto the viaduct over the railway was touch going. 25 mins for that 7km, then back to Paisley. All in all a good day and enjoyable ride. Most depressing moment was thinking I was going well, getting 3.5-4km in, 10 mins riding and seeing the club cyclists coming back already! Need to get a new bike though- saving up already to replace the 15 year old plus mount. Went into Decathlon in the Fort and liked the flat bar Fitness road bikes a lot. Just no funds