James Thinks

writing is a kind of thinking

Never been ridden Never been ridden

My long awaited sportive/audax road bike arrived on Friday. After a late night putting it all together (and hunting for a T25 Torx driver), here it is, ready to ride.

Cheapo bars with Chris King headset, Shimano brakes and Continental GP 400S tyres. Cheapo bars with Chris King headset, Shimano brakes and Continental GP 4000S tyres.

11 speed, 12-29 Campagnolo Chorus Cassette 11 speed, 12-29 Campagnolo Chorus Cassette

I've ridden it a couple of times and I'm impressed. It's smooth, comfortable and when I stand up on the pedals, accelerates better than I expected.

Burls 3AL2.5V Titanium Burls 3AL2.5V Titanium

When I got on the bike this morning, strangely it didn't feel like I was sitting on a bike. There was none of the familiar saddle-soreness or shoulder aches. It felt more like running, more instinctive, more natural. I guess this is because being custom-made it simply fits.

My performance on my favourite 3 hills route was average, but I'm fairly sure that is down to my current lack of fitness and the couple of times the chain fell off due to my inadequate gear set up. More tweaking and more training required!

Category: Cycling
Tags: road bike
Mugshot of James cycling on a road in the sunshine.

James Bradbury

I write about whatever is on my mind. I do so mostly to help me think more clearly. If other people find it interesting that's good too. :-)

Read more...