New bike

Having ridden the new bike yesterday, today was the time to take it for a more testing ride, a frosty journey to the allotment to pick up the tin of seeds I keep in the tool store. Not knowing what I have for the year ahead meant I wasn't sure what needs ordering and consequently I had to get on my bike and check it out. I welcomed the opportunity to have a longer ride and it was incredibly cold. By the time I was back in Verwood my feet were freezing cold, although my face and hands were fine having been better protected.

I got 18 miles done and felt fine during the ride. It is nice to have a solid bike like this, heavy too compared to the road bike, and still be able to get a decent speed going. It is there in the first photo where in the past by Cannondale would have been. The photo also shows the broad beans are already up, along with autumn onion sets. The other picture shows the other crop growing well, the garlic and more onion sets. It is nice to be able to see them already progressing. 

The ride back took me to Verwood for a bit of time with family to celebrate Joy's 88th birthday. She wasn't feeling up to lunch out but we got ourselves some chips before I went back to Wimborne to collect Maria who has returned to school today and has dance later. The lift home gives her just a bit more time to relax and recharge her batteries.

Back to the bike. It's a Carrera Subway Hybrid and I'm very happy with it. However, some observations. The first is that my average speed was quicker on the road bike which makes me feel good. Being that much lighter and good to handle it was a pleasure to ride. This new one is very different and you defintiely feel less vulnerable due to the excellent brakes and the wider tyres. On the other hand the sadlle was uncomfortable by the end which could just be due to not having ridden a distance for some time. The major point though was the worry over the charge held by the battery. It was already farily depleted after the ride the day before and it was touch and go by the end despite me turning it off or having it set to eco mode. Now it wasn't fully charged when picked up I believe and I've read temperatures of 0C can deplete the battery by up to 30%, so there is no cause to panic about the distances I'll be able to ride. I will see how it goes once fully charged and make sure I have it powered up properly when I next take it to the allotment. I'll then be able to use more of the higher powered modes and perhaps beat my road bike speed.