John provides the perfect segue with his comment on yesterdays post “Did you end up getting those cleats for your bike?” because today I took an hour or so off work after lunch to go and get the pedals fitted and to have the “bike fit” done with the new shoes and cleats.
It took a bit longer than expected, but that is a good thing, because I’d rather have it done properly. I was quite impressed with the detail for the fit-out, it even involved using a plumb-line to make sure my knee was in the right place during the pedal stroke etc. He ended up putting my seat up a bit, as he said it was too low.
It took me a little while to get used to “clicking-in” and “clicking-out”, fortunately he was patient.
I got Shimano shoes and pedals, and also bought a decent pedal wrench, because I still think I will put the flats back on for the next triathlon (Feb 17th).
So, I spent all afternoon wishing the rain away (felt a bit guilty about that) so I could get in a ride after work. I got my wish, and headed out for a ride as soon as I got home. I managed to head off and stop and start a few times no problems, then put the pedal to the metal and had a really decent 32km ride in 1:05:20 (about 29.4km/hr), which I was happy with in the windy conditions. During the ride I didn’t need to stop more than about 2-3 times, so didn’t get a lot of practice “clicking” in and out.
I didn’t notice a lot of difference on the fast parts of the course, but certainly found it a lot easier to maintain speed on the slight uphills, but think I need to master the technique for the bigger hills. It was a hard workout, average heart rate 141bpm, about the same as a decent run for me, and 15-20 bpm higher than the average ride for me. I have a bit of “good” soreness in my legs, I guess from the different “pulling up” action you get with the cleats, rather than just pushing down.
There were two main “feelings” the cleats gave me. The first was that I definitely felt a little more “in danger” or “exposed” and was therefore a little more cautious (I guess that is a good thing) – it was always in the back of my mind that I wouldn’t be able to quickly stick the foot down if anything happened. The second feeling, and I hope you won’t think I’m being pretentious here, is that it made me feel even more “at one with the bike”. When I got the road bike, I said that was how it made me feel, sort of like you are a part of the bike, rather than riding a hunk of metal, well with the cleats, that feeling is accentuated.
So, overall, after one ride – feeling happy with the cleats, but it will take a while to be totally comfortable – and I guess only a matter of time before the first “cleat related accident”.
If anyone knows of any good references on the net for correct pedalling technique I’d appreciate being pointed in the right direction.
Oh, and the girls had a good 37-34 scrapping win last night – with the lead changing a number of times in the second half. A good way to start the year of basketball.
I’m also interested fellow bloggers, when you are blogging, do you read others’ blogs first then do your own post, or the other way round?
January 24, 2008 at 10:22 pm |
Be interested to read how you progress with the cleats, I don’t ride a bike much but I feel it’d take quite a bit of confidence for me to be comfortable riding without being able to put my foot down immediately if I needed to.
I usually post on my blog, then read other blogs – I’d like to use a reader rather than view each one individually, but not sure how to set one up.
January 24, 2008 at 10:44 pm |
I get my entry out of the way first and then, using Google Reader, read other blogs (and other stuff – news, football, programming etc.).
January 25, 2008 at 12:10 am |
..it depends if im bursting to say what i want to say… sometimes i read first..but sometimes i post first… and hey ‘at one with the bike’ man….. i look forward to our ‘running date’ lol
January 25, 2008 at 7:00 am |
Cleats sound very scary to me. ‘
I don’t have any set pattern with blogging. Sometimes I read before or after, most times during cos I am a total multitasker.
Re beat the boat – I think I’m going to enter. I’ve never done a 10 km fun run before
January 25, 2008 at 8:30 am |
I post on mine and then head straight to bloglines to catch up on the goss…
So glad you finally got the cleats. I wouldn’t be so sure that you’re going to have an accident in them, a few near misses sure, but not necessarily a stack
Most “incidents” take place at low speed so just remember to think before you stop!!! I know what you mean about feeling more exposed and vulnerable, that’s definitely what shakes my confidence. It does get better though and you boys tend to be more fearless anyway…
January 25, 2008 at 8:38 am |
I found with the cleats I was able to get a lot more power. It’s all relative of course: there’s only so much power you can get out of my little legs, but still… Once you get used to them, you’ll never want to go back.
As for the blog thing, I usually think of something to write while I’m running. If I haven’t run, I’ll have a click around a few sites for inspiration.
Then afterwards I go leave rude comments on Jojo’s blog.
January 25, 2008 at 2:41 pm |
I do my own post first and then use Google Reader to get the lowdown on everyone else.
Those cleats certainly sound like they might take a bit of getting used to. Hope there’s not too many accidents.