On the Road Again!

This morning I thought I would get the bike out and give it a bit of a going over. In the past few days I have felt much better, and since Friday I have been moving around the house without the need for crutches, which just feels great (if still a bit sore, but I can live with that).

So, I got the bike out, fitted the new saddle and managed to fix the saddle bag (the fitting to the saddle had also broken) to the saddle with a couple of cable ties. I had a look at the tyres, and one is a bit worn where I caught the gravelly stuff and skidded, and the rear wheel was also quite badly buckled. Also, the rear axle was a touch loose.

So, I did a few fixes and oiled a few bits, then tried it out. I went down the high street and back and then altered the spokes to bring the wheel more or less back in line. Then I went down the high street again to test it, came back and tightened the rear axle. Finally I went out around via Marston, a few miles, just to see how I felt. I felt good.

A few things I noticed. One, I have to sit in a certain position on the saddle otherwise it hurts quite badly. Two, I am not as unfit as I could be. Three, whilst being a touch concerned about traffic I was not too bad in the nerves front. Four, getting onto the saddle is quite a challenge as it's difficult to lift my leg :). Five, I need to realise that I can't whizz up the hills as I was doing before quite yet.

So there we are, I'm back in the saddle again! Next weekend I'm going to try the first trip Capt, Purser and I did together, out towards Urchfont. Taking it nice and steady, of course! I shall welcome a touch of company from Purser and Capt, if they are free.