The time has come for me to wheel it out of the shop. I am extremely nervous as the time is now around 4:45pm and I will have to ride home in virtual peak hour traffic. I say goodbye to the boys and head out the door before joining the road and beginning the ride. I hit traffic lights straight away and have to unclip my shoe. It is very different to what I am used to and I am praying that I will not tip over. I start to get used to the gearing and peddling down Willis Street before passing work and heading home. As I hit an area with limited traffic I change up into the large chain ring and it makes a grinding noise before the chain comes off and jams on the bike. A dropped chain is nothing major but I am a little embarrassed that it has happened and pull over to put the chain back on. It is very hard to get the chain back on as it is really jammed between the frame and the chain ring. Eventually I free the chain, put it back on and continue the ride. The ride home is full of traffic and I am not confident to be down on the bars which is the most efficient position and will provide me with the greatest gain in speed compared to my previous bike. Due to me not being able to get down on the bars as well as the stop start of traffic, the bike does not feel as amazing as I would have expected it to be. Once I have ridden along the flat it is time to go up hill. This bike is not built for climbing so again I will not see significant gains. I make it home and proudly show off the bike to Victoria. The first question she asks is how it feels and I tell her that it does not feel that different. For the price I paid she is mystified how that is possible. I get changed and go for a quick run to warm down before heading back home to admire my new purchase.
Monday 13 May 2013
Taking the P5 home
I ride my motorbike to swimming on Thursday Morning before driving to work excited with the prospect that I am picking up my bike that afternoon. I have a busy day at work and before I know it is time to walk to the shop to pick up the bike. The bike is ready for me and looks amazing. The tube light has arrived and it is shown to me but I am not happy with it but have limited options. I ask about drink holders. We only have one position for a drink holder on the frame of the bike and we find one that matches the colouring of the bike and install it on the frame. I also ask about rear drink bottle holders off the back seat as I will need at least two drink bottles when going for long rides. We discuss the options and unfortunately there are none in stock so we need to order them in. I then have the bright idea that if we mount a drink bottle holder on the rear of the bike, we can mount a light of that. Mike agrees and shows me the options before we place an order for them to be delivered the following week. Paul tells me to take the long way home and enjoy the ride and I suddenly realise that I have no spare gear should I get a puncture on the way home. The light is also starting to fade and I have no rear lights. I have a back pack on and we quickly mount a loan light on the rear and then Mike gathers a spare tube, tyre levers and a C02 canister and chucks it in a bag for me to use if required.
The time has come for me to wheel it out of the shop. I am extremely nervous as the time is now around 4:45pm and I will have to ride home in virtual peak hour traffic. I say goodbye to the boys and head out the door before joining the road and beginning the ride. I hit traffic lights straight away and have to unclip my shoe. It is very different to what I am used to and I am praying that I will not tip over. I start to get used to the gearing and peddling down Willis Street before passing work and heading home. As I hit an area with limited traffic I change up into the large chain ring and it makes a grinding noise before the chain comes off and jams on the bike. A dropped chain is nothing major but I am a little embarrassed that it has happened and pull over to put the chain back on. It is very hard to get the chain back on as it is really jammed between the frame and the chain ring. Eventually I free the chain, put it back on and continue the ride. The ride home is full of traffic and I am not confident to be down on the bars which is the most efficient position and will provide me with the greatest gain in speed compared to my previous bike. Due to me not being able to get down on the bars as well as the stop start of traffic, the bike does not feel as amazing as I would have expected it to be. Once I have ridden along the flat it is time to go up hill. This bike is not built for climbing so again I will not see significant gains. I make it home and proudly show off the bike to Victoria. The first question she asks is how it feels and I tell her that it does not feel that different. For the price I paid she is mystified how that is possible. I get changed and go for a quick run to warm down before heading back home to admire my new purchase.
As I move the bike into the garage, the wheels move which is nothing unusual but I notice that the front wheel is spinning freely whilst the rear wheel has stopped. I take a closer look and spin the wheel whilst watching it. The wheel is not spinning freely and I discover that the rear brake is rubbing on the wheel. No wonder I felt nothing special on the ride home, the brake must have been knocked when the chain came off and I have then ridden all the way home with resistance on the back wheel. I grab some towels and turn the bike upside down to have a look. The brake pad is definitely rubbing on the wheel. I try to adjust it but cannot move it. There is a panel that is hiding the brakes and I go and get some allen keys to have a better look. I take off the cover but cannot move the brake lever. I see a bolt that looks like it is holding the brake lever into position and start to unscrew it. Nothing happens but I see some fluid coming from the bolt. I squeeze the brake lever and the distance between the brakes and the wheel increases. I tighten the bolt but now the brake is no longer working at all. I am devastated! I have had my bike for less than 1.5 hours and it is already broken. After playing with the brake leaver for another 20 minutes or so I finally am resound to the fact that I will have to take the bike back to the shop. I want the bike back for the weekend, surely it is an easy fix! As the bike is unridable I put the bike in the back of the car before driving it to work so that I can wheel it to the shop in the morning.
The time has come for me to wheel it out of the shop. I am extremely nervous as the time is now around 4:45pm and I will have to ride home in virtual peak hour traffic. I say goodbye to the boys and head out the door before joining the road and beginning the ride. I hit traffic lights straight away and have to unclip my shoe. It is very different to what I am used to and I am praying that I will not tip over. I start to get used to the gearing and peddling down Willis Street before passing work and heading home. As I hit an area with limited traffic I change up into the large chain ring and it makes a grinding noise before the chain comes off and jams on the bike. A dropped chain is nothing major but I am a little embarrassed that it has happened and pull over to put the chain back on. It is very hard to get the chain back on as it is really jammed between the frame and the chain ring. Eventually I free the chain, put it back on and continue the ride. The ride home is full of traffic and I am not confident to be down on the bars which is the most efficient position and will provide me with the greatest gain in speed compared to my previous bike. Due to me not being able to get down on the bars as well as the stop start of traffic, the bike does not feel as amazing as I would have expected it to be. Once I have ridden along the flat it is time to go up hill. This bike is not built for climbing so again I will not see significant gains. I make it home and proudly show off the bike to Victoria. The first question she asks is how it feels and I tell her that it does not feel that different. For the price I paid she is mystified how that is possible. I get changed and go for a quick run to warm down before heading back home to admire my new purchase.
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