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Wee cycling trip yesterday from Blackness, thru Hopetoun Estate, South Queensferry and Dalmeny up to Craigie's Farm. Can't believe I made it up that hill, but I did!

The scone there made it worthwhile. :)

Edited by footiechick
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Wee cycling trip yesterday from Blackness, thru Hopetoun Estate, South Queensferry and Dalmeny up to Craigie's Farm. Can't believe I made it up that hill, but I did!

The scone there made it worthwhile. :)

Craigie Farm has a great wee cafe, UTN will be there this weekend after your mention of scones.

It's also quite nice collecting your own eggs from the chicken runs but may have proved difficult getting home on the bike!

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Today was my first commute in...not too bad at all really. I did a test run of it on Saturday, and its just a natch over five miles each way, which I did in about 25 minutes, so its a start at least! Fortunately, I've been using an exercise bike on and off in recent years, so I think I should be okay for DOMS (no ill effects from Saturdays 10 mile round trip). If I can do this 3 times a week, it ought to help with my fitness.

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Endomondo is the app I use pretty much spot on. Good to look back online over your routes.

I had endomondo pro, but have major problems with it stopping to track or missing sections of runs. Ditched it for runtastic. Not sure if it is a setting on my phone that is causing the problem, only happened since a phone upgrade

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Today was my first commute in...not too bad at all really. I did a test run of it on Saturday, and its just a natch over five miles each way, which I did in about 25 minutes, so its a start at least! Fortunately, I've been using an exercise bike on and off in recent years, so I think I should be okay for DOMS (no ill effects from Saturdays 10 mile round trip). If I can do this 3 times a week, it ought to help with my fitness.

It will, but of course you won't stop there because, as you get fitter and feel more comfortable on the bike, you'll want to go out more often, and you'll also want to go further .

I dug out the bike for a few intended short rides ( yeah, I know !:P ) at the beginning of the year, and I've gradually gone from once a week 10/ 12 miles to two or three evenings of around 20mls. and a weekend spin of around 60 miles .

Also, put a couple of bob aside for the wee extras that will soon become essentials...spare tubes, tyres, pumps, clothing etc.

Most importantly, enjoy your pedalling ! :)

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Looking for some advice guys. Im looking to buy a bike to get to work as the roadworks in the clyde tunnel are killing me on the drive home. Looking for a road bike as the route is flat and im in quite good shape just now. However dont want to spend a fortune as Im not sure if this will be a long term thing yet. One other problem is I am 6ft 4 so finding a bike to fit is proving a bit difficult. Anyone any advice on where I can pick up a bike, doesnt need to be brand new but I dont want a Gumtree 'renovation project'. Any help is much appreciated.

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Looking for some advice guys. Im looking to buy a bike to get to work as the roadworks in the clyde tunnel are killing me on the drive home. Looking for a road bike as the route is flat and im in quite good shape just now. However dont want to spend a fortune as Im not sure if this will be a long term thing yet. One other problem is I am 6ft 4 so finding a bike to fit is proving a bit difficult. Anyone any advice on where I can pick up a bike, doesnt need to be brand new but I dont want a Gumtree 'renovation project'. Any help is much appreciated.

Given your height, you could wait forever before picking up a second-hand bike that fits you perfectly.

My advice would be to set a realistic budget and do some online research. Modern aluminium frames are extremely strong, so that shouldn't be an issue even if you're a big guy. You should be able to pick up a decent bike from 2011 or even 2010 ranges with significant discounts given that you'll be looking for a XL frame, and these won't sell as quickly as standard bikes. Check the likes of Evans, Chainreaction, Cycles and Wiggle (they have massive stock), but don't forget the other, smaller outlets.

It's also worth dropping into a high street bike shop so you can suss out the size you need. Avoid BSOs (bike-shaped objects) from Argos etc., as they are a false economy.

You should be able to get something pretty decent for around £300 - £350 (perhaps discounted from the original price by up to 40%, so it would have decent kit).

Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

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I've not been getting out as much as I should in the last couple of weeks. The bike is riding like a bag of shite at the moment, so I'm going to spend some time tinkering with it this afternoon.

Hopefully catching a few stages of Le Tour will give me some inspiration to get back out again more regularly. Wiggins showed up well in the Prologue yesterday, particularly the second half of the route. Evans done well to only lose 10 seconds or so on him, though. Should be an interesting stage today on mixed terrain.

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I've entered the "pedal for Scotland" Glasgow to Edinburgh charity ride in September (the 50 mile one) to get more into cycling and get fitter. Really just started using a road bike this year.

I got proper pedals and shoes a month or so ago, and they are making quite a difference.

Anyone got any training tips? I'm 53 in August, so nothing too dramatic! :)

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I've entered the "pedal for Scotland" Glasgow to Edinburgh charity ride in September (the 50 mile one) to get more into cycling and get fitter. Really just started using a road bike this year.

I got proper pedals and shoes a month or so ago, and they are making quite a difference.

Anyone got any training tips? I'm 53 in August, so nothing too dramatic! :)

Just get out as often as you can, and don't hide from the hills (or a bit of shite weather, as you can't legislate for what it will be like on the day and it is worth getting used to it beforehand, if possible).

If you can get a couple of 35 - 40 mile rides in before the event itself, you should be fine.

Energy gels and bars provide a much-needed boost if you're flagging, particularly if you have to cycle into a head wind on the day as this can be murderous.

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I've not been getting out as much as I should in the last couple of weeks. The bike is riding like a bag of shite at the moment, so I'm going to spend some time tinkering with it this afternoon.

Mine too, starting to suffer from potholes, and getting a few creaks and rattles. Need to get it sorted- think I'll drop it in to Dooleys or Thomsons in Paisley get them to deal with it.

I've entered the "pedal for Scotland" Glasgow to Edinburgh charity ride in September (the 50 mile one) to get more into cycling and get fitter. Really just started using a road bike this year.

I got proper pedals and shoes a month or so ago, and they are making quite a difference.

Anyone got any training tips? I'm 53 in August, so nothing too dramatic! :)

I did PFS last year. The route is fairly kind, there is a small climb near Easterhouse which can be tricky as early on there is a lot of people on this section and difficult to keep speed up swerving around cyclists. There is one big climb out of Avonbridge (I think) before you get to Linlithgow, and a bit of a slog when you climb out from Linlithgow itself. The hill isn't bad, just a long steady gradient but after 35/40miles you feel it! There are plenty of rest stops with milk, chocolate and fruit free so easy to take a break at times.

My advice on training is too far from what Drooper says. I never did a 30-40mile run as I didn't have the time, but I was doing 10 mile rides a couple of times a week on the run up and if you are able to do 20/25mile rides with some hills comfortably you'll have no issues. Equally take it real easy until Airdrie, it's difficult to keep up a good pace with traffic lights and all the riders bunched up. It starts to break up on the way out of Airdrie at Plains and you can get going then.

My other top tip is watch for the inexperienced/slow riders doing the unexpected, like jumping off the bike when everyone was cycling into a rest stop!

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I've not been getting out as much as I should in the last couple of weeks. The bike is riding like a bag of shite at the moment, so I'm going to spend some time tinkering with it this afternoon.

Hopefully catching a few stages of Le Tour will give me some inspiration to get back out again more regularly. Wiggins showed up well in the Prologue yesterday, particularly the second half of the route. Evans done well to only lose 10 seconds or so on him, though. Should be an interesting stage today on mixed terrain.

Recently I've been doing decent distances ( for me :P ) for fun, but I did 58 mls. today and struggled . Conditions were ok witha fair breeze but nothing worse than usual, but I just felt fucked ! :(

Oh well, try again in midweek if I get the chance . :)

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I stuck the bike on the workstand this afternoon, and found that my chain was devoid of any lubrication, and really suffered from getting a soaking during the week. I had used a dry lube for the first time a few weeks ago, and this was obviously washed away without leaving a trace, and it really started grinding things up. So much so that I had to split it, soak it in degreaser, stick it back on and lube each link carefully. I'll leave it a day or so to penetrate fully (fnar, fnar). FFS, that dry lube might be okay in certain conditions, but it doesn't do hellish much to protect your bike's components. To be used with caution, I'd suggest.

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Just get out as often as you can, and don't hide from the hills (or a bit of shite weather, as you can't legislate for what it will be like on the day and it is worth getting used to it beforehand, if possible).

If you can get a couple of 35 - 40 mile rides in before the event itself, you should be fine.

Energy gels and bars provide a much-needed boost if you're flagging, particularly if you have to cycle into a head wind on the day as this can be murderous.

I did PFS last year. The route is fairly kind, there is a small climb near Easterhouse which can be tricky as early on there is a lot of people on this section and difficult to keep speed up swerving around cyclists. There is one big climb out of Avonbridge (I think) before you get to Linlithgow, and a bit of a slog when you climb out from Linlithgow itself. The hill isn't bad, just a long steady gradient but after 35/40miles you feel it! There are plenty of rest stops with milk, chocolate and fruit free so easy to take a break at times.

My advice on training is too far from what Drooper says. I never did a 30-40mile run as I didn't have the time, but I was doing 10 mile rides a couple of times a week on the run up and if you are able to do 20/25mile rides with some hills comfortably you'll have no issues. Equally take it real easy until Airdrie, it's difficult to keep up a good pace with traffic lights and all the riders bunched up. It starts to break up on the way out of Airdrie at Plains and you can get going then.

My other top tip is watch for the inexperienced/slow riders doing the unexpected, like jumping off the bike when everyone was cycling into a rest stop!

Thanks, guys. I'll let you know how I get on.

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