A hard weekend's graft

[azekeil]

On Friday we went to Judder, where mandalorean mostly convinced me to spend money on new shocks for my bike which should make it far more fun to ride.

Yesterday, accompanied by ev1ldonut and samoth, I went to buy a pedal cycle. I spent slightly over my budget at £350, but got mudguards and a racing tyre valve -> normal type valve converter thrown in for free.

Then I drove home and washed my car thoroughly; probably for the second time in two years of owning it. Then I drove back into town, picked up and paid for the bike which had now been suitably fettled with, and drove with it round to Phill's house, where we then worked on the car for the rest of the afternoon, sorting out the rust patches, while I gave it a damn good clean inside.

Now it's back, all I have to do is change over the stereo for the old one and get it through its MOT on Tuesday and it'll be ready to sell.

Today I cycled to the pub for lunch, where I had a lighter more healthy lunch and no beer. I found I wanted something lighter after riding. Riding back I actually beat the lot in the car through taking a slightly shorter route and not getting held up in traffic so much :)

I think I want a larger front sprocket though - I'm already running out of gears. Other than that it's absolutely fantastic :)

After getting back from the pub ev1ldonut and I tackled the back garden, and along with the front garden which we did on Thursday, we now have 6 completely full bags of garden refuse waiting to be picked up on Tuesday morning.

I ache, so much, and I'm quite shattered. But I'm quite chuffed with the amount of exercise I've done recently, and that's been productive exercise, too :)

Typing is making my wrists sting; they've been lacerated by vicious plants and some of the plant juices have irritated them. I don't want to rest them on anything.

Comments

[serena-lesley.livejournal.com]

Sweetie, you beat the car back because I couldn't overtake you in the narrow roads around your house. However yes, it was very even. :)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Exactly - I didn't get held up in traffic. I didn't mention that at one point I happened to be traffic holding you up ;)

[samoth.livejournal.com]

Having seen the gearing on your new bike, are you seriously saying that on the flat, in the big ring on the front and the small one at the back, you're wishing you had a higher gear?

If so, you really really need to work on raising your cadence, before you destroy your knees :)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's what I'm saying. And hm, I didn't feel like I was trying that hard. It was comfortable but if I wanted to try harder I had no more gears to use.. :/

[samoth.livejournal.com]

That doesn't sound right to me. Either you're not hitting the highest gear, or the bike is unusually low geared (it didn't look it), or you need to work on your technique - if you want to try harder : pedal faster!

[ninneviane.livejournal.com]

There's nothing quite like a productive weekend :)

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

No, quite :)

[mandalorean.livejournal.com]

I posted this on your most recent entry but I thought it was more apt here.
I think you might find these links useful ;)

http://www.ohlins.com/Motorcycle/Products/Sport/tabid/67/Default.aspx
http://www.nitron.co.uk/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3_7_218
http://www.hagon-shocks.co.uk/HagMono.htm
http://www.maxtonsuspension.co.uk/
http://www.penskeshocks.co.uk/motorcycledamper/1way.htm
http://www.k-tech.uk.com/roadrace.php

http://www.carbibles.com/suspension_bible_bikes.html
http://www.ohlins.com/Motorcycle/Settingupyourbike/tabid/59/Default.aspx