All the Gear(s) and No Idea...

This week saw Vicky and me (Sian) flying (like little geese) up and down the hills surrounding Pollicott. Vicky set off to tackle 3 of our most notorious hills, I had 4 in mind and we actually managed 5 when Vicky suggested Barrack Hill in Winchendon as a special one off bonus.

Our 15 mile, 331 ft hill climb with NW diversion.

Well actually that’s not quite the whole truth. Vicky asked if I had seen the beautiful barn conversion in Winchendon. I had not and (as it happens) we could, with a little diversion, go that way!

We did well – climbing a total of 331 feet, almost twice what has become the norm for us Belles, and covering just over 15 miles. We also both managed to stay on top of our bikes and the tyres stayed inflated the whole way round.

Vicky did particularly well given the challenges she has with her bike gears. Said gears need to be selected before heading uphill which means she is losing momentum just where it is most needed.

 

This got me thinking Vicky may need new gears fitted to her bike. So I raised the subject later that day with one of our many technical advisors. I had no idea:

• “Are they derailleur?” – I stared blankly
• “How many gears has her bike got?” – blanker
• “Do they look like yours?” – and blanker still

The one thing I thought I knew about bikes was – they are simple!!! I thought it was a matter of taking the old ones off and putting the new ones on.

Despite wishing I hadn’t asked, the outcome of the conversation was positive because the advice from our advisor is this – they probably just need cleaning or a new cable. Cables tend to go. She is very unlikely to need new gears. And the best bit is our advisor (with some cajoling) has agreed to take a look (really, you did Andy!!).