Going indoors

It is with a heavy heart that I say, I have bought an indoor trainer. Since the last puncture, I braved the chill in Canberra and went cycling to work a few times. The highlight of those rides was one day, I went out and cycled in the cold BECAUSE I heard that it was -4 degrees outside !! Besides one very very chilly ride, the others somewhat seemed easier.

The gear I needed was suprisingly minimal. A work-out shirt and over that I put on a Netti Jersey with thermals on the inside (i think) , Leg Warmers, wind breaker gloves, a large kerchief on the head and the usual stuff. That seemed to have done the trick. Although, I must admit, my face and toes were numb by the time I finished my 30 or so minute ride !! But it was fun and it did well to drive away my phobia of riding in the cold. 

Anyway, back to the point. I've got quite disheartened by the punctures to be riding outside and a bit lazy to go out in the cold everyday. So,  I bought a indoor mag trainer: JetPro by JetBlack. The price I got it for is a steal. My extensive search left with me a store in sydney that was selling it for almost $70 less(including postage)than all places in Canberra. I walked in to some of the stores and they just outright refused to "price-match". That left me wondering the whole concept of price-match itself, at least in cycling parts and accessories !

Anyhow, I got this unit, setting up was a bit of a challenge and I struggled initially. Once I got it going, it brought back some nice memories.  I tried putting my mountain bike on it. That was an even bigger challenge and totally not worth it cuz the resultant effect is a lotttt of noise. Understandable cuz the mountain bike's tyres are thick and don't have a smooth tread like the roadie. I put my roadie back on that thang.

Anyhow, all of this has been happening between my last post and now. Since I bought the trainer about 3 weeks ago, I've been on it about 2-3 times a week. The workout you get in a trainer is so much more intense than normal riding. This is considering the relatively flat riding surfaces in Canberra. I'm sure if I was riding uphill in Taringa or Toowong in Brisbane, I would beg to differ. That said, the trainer provides a targeted work out much like a spinning session. I enjoy it throughoughly, but of course there is the nostalgia.

These days, I notice that anytime I see cyclists riding past when I'm in the car I'm overcome by nostalgia. Thankfully my admiration for the cyclists hasn't had me losing focus on the road !! So, the point being, I miss cycling out in the open. The weather in Canberra is also getting much more tolerable for cycling. 

The ghosts of the punctures haunt me. Just for the record, in my year and half of cycling in Brisbane, I've had may be 2-3 punctures. In my 5-6 months of cycling in Canberra I've had about 8-10 punctures. 

For now, I'm resisting my temptation and sticking to the trainer. My love for outdoor road cycling won't say tucked in forever !

The Puncture capital of the world.

I officially confer the title of "Puncture Capital" upon Canberra.

Thick tyres, correct tyre pressure, all of that didn't really matter. I still got a puncture and Murphy's law, it had to happen on a day when I 'forgot' to carry my pump along.

I also went a bit overboard and rode on a very small patch of grass, which also could not have helped my cause one bit !!!

I just made the cab company richer by 40 bucks !!

The cold, oh the cold is a hella deterrent to not be riding in the first place. But when you go out on a nice sunny day once in a while, you hope n pray that you don't get the puncture, but there it is a nice big thorn in your tyre. And I'm reminded out from the cab driver that Canberra is the "bush capital".

I always wondered what that meant, now I know, oh boy do i know. Anyhow, I still love the bike, as much as the first day I got her, if not more.

I've added some items to the wishlist so that this kinda thing doesnt happen again.

1) Get a carbon bike pump that can be attached to the bike ...Carbon cuz my bike is !! and i have a whole carbon thing goin on

2) Gloves !!!!!!!

3) Get BLACK tape for my handle ..to make a sexy biach ..SEXIER !!!!!

4) Flashy back lights ..so that I dare to wander out in the dark and cold

Anyhow, as I don the cap of mechanic again to fix my little puppy I really really really hope that I don't have to do this as often !!!

Punctures, punctures and more punctures !!

While I'm quite content with my move to Canberra and at times elated, what literally has punctured my affinity to this delight is the punctures on my road and mountain bikes. Within the first 3 months of moving to Canberra, combined, I've had about 10 punctures. The road bike has copped about 7 of them. After about 6 punctures, I went in and got tyres with thicker tread on them to avoid this situation. The one I got for the back tyre is thicker than that for the front. Even after this, I managed to get a puncture on my last ride, which was also my first puncture and fix-it whilst in transit. I felt like a total cyclist when I was away replacing the tube after having pulled over from the road.

It wasn't pretty though. It took me close to an hour to get it up and going. Because of the thickness of the tyre, I had to pull it harder for it stay on the wheel and with half of my brain feeling the pain of another puncture, I may have well sat down, cried for a bit and then got along the job !! What that managed to do is puncture my spirit. I haven't cycled since and feel somewhat demotivated. Part of the reason is also that I got my car and have managed to get my license and am also keeping up a gym routine thanks to the vehicular transport.

Today, as I see cyclists ride, I feel the love re-kindled. I've already bought new tubes for the roadie and I don't think I'm far away from going for a ride again.