New Bike but not much riding....

The weekend was a frantic affair - a house full of guests for the weekend, birthday party, games and cakes - a proper, old-fashioned birthday celebration. Amongst the frivolity I had to take a trip to Stoke to pick up my bike which had been treated to a new frame courtesy of Trek - special thanks to the the blonde who, despite considerable pressures at work, found time not only to take my bike up to Stoke on Friday, but also gave me a lift there on Saturday morning to pick it up again!

First impressions were good - the bike looked slick, understated styling and a minimalist colour scheme combined with the latest carbon technology and an aerodynamic braking system resulted in a crowd gathering around it in the shop. One fella plucked up the courage to ask me if he could pick it up - 'That's amazing' he said. Actually it's not that amazing - sure it's light, but probably only a few grams lighter than the old version - and with no tool pouch or full water bottle on - it was about the lightest it could be. But I know there are plenty of bikes out there that would make this feel like a heavyweight.

We got the bike loaded on the car and made our way home - I had a few adjustments to make, refitting my computer etc then I took her out for a test ride - big problem! - Gears not engaging properly, I managed to make it round a short course of 15 miles - the wind and rain didn't help!

Closer examination led me to believe that the chain had been cut too short - this may have been, in part, my own fault. When I sent the bike up to Stoke I forgot to send the wheels - therefore they cut the chain and fitted to a donor wheel, hoping to simply replace that wheel with my own wheel on Saturday morning - in theory this was a good plan - except that my rear wheel has a 12-30 cassette fitted - I think they had cut the chain for a 11-28 - it looked like I was a link or two short and consequently couldn't engage the big cogs.

Sunday morning. I decided a trip to Rutland and a new chain would be the best option - once again the blonde stepped into the breach and offered to drive over! (thanks again NN!). By tea-time Sunday I was sorted - next step is maybe a few adjustments to saddle - height and lateral adjustment and maybe handlebars. Since then however I simply haven't had chance to get out at all - the weather has been particularly dismal so I don't feel too disconcerted - but I need to get some miles in!