Got one of these today, innit:
In blue. First new bike since 1996! 
Iām not sure if I mentioned the hills around here? Anyhoo; a lot fucking easier up some local roads.
I can even hold the fucker up above my head. Pro that live next door approves. I might even go on a ride with some people!
*edited rong colour, innit!
Nice one - enjoy it 
Btw if you havenāt already, get yourself some fuckoff lights (e.g. this and this). Youāll piss people off but theyāll be less likely to kill you 
Cheers @nafaiutb!
Spent time building confidence on quiet estate near me. Youād have pissed yourself watching my wobbly start yesterday!
After about an hour and a half riding around a sort of loop, I got used to changing up and down the gears and even managed to climb one of the gentler gradients.
I donāt know the correct adjectives to describe the feel of the bike; will try anyway- light and responsive.
Pro level neighbour approves and I got some advice on appropriate gears; I had the chain at a strange angle across the two sets of sprockets.
He has a Ti framed racer. Bloody impressive thing!
Heās also got a cleaning product to get rid of the waxy stuff on the chain. I have proper lube to apply.
As for lighting, I bought a road specific Exposure headlamp a few years back as I fucking hate being dazzled. Expensive but cheaper than crashing:
Lost my little Bontranger Flare rear lamp, so got this yesterday:
Shout out to Wildside Cycles in TW. They did me a bloody good deal on all the things I got yesterday!
Wouldnāt be AA if upgrades were not being consideredā¦
Neighbour suggested wheel and tyre upgrade which would save about three kilosā¦
Puncture 6 miles from workā¦ QR nut seizedā¦. tyres are end of life so slowly wobbled the rest of the way in. Will hit it with a hammer later. 
Nice one Stu - look forward to seeing what bike you go for next year
Sounds perfect - Exposure lights are very good 
Are the ones it came with made of pig iron? 
I prefer puncture protection over light weight!
They might as well be compared with his; I donāt know what model he has- theyāre made by Hunt:
The price?
Iāll probably keep this one. Low mileage dry weather only; donāt want to get it dirty!
I wiped all the things down with microfiber cloth when I finished playing last night!
Had a quick go on this:
Then a five mile ride on this. Health and Safety Officer checked me back in:
Donāt worry about the tyres theyāll be fine.
First thing Iād be getting is half a dozen spare inner tubes, good mini pump and long handled tyre irons for when you get a puncture.
I always carry two spare inner tubes and patches. This might sound like overkill but I had a puncture riding into and back from work last Friday.
Donāt forget to carry the right size Allen key to get the wheels off.
Me too - grippy Panaracer all season tyres all year round. I used to use Veloflex Corsas with latex tubes in the summer - super light & fast but pretty sketchy if it rained 
Hunt wheels 
If you want something nice have a look at Campagnolo/Fulcrum 
Had to destroy the QR to get the wheel off! Will ride the knobbly-tyred full-sus for a couple of days methinks.
A confidence and fitness building night ride. I prefer this because then I am not a wobbly sweary rolling roadblock!
I know six miles isnāt so much, however itās six more miles than last week!
Only pushed up one hill. Which was short and fucking steep! Iāll conquer that fucker in time.
Btw I have a GT Agressor 3.0 looking for a good home. Gratis, innit.
Well done Stu. Good luck with it. Iām hoping to dig the bike out in a month or so and emulate your efforts.
Cheers Tony! Glad youāre getting back on bikes! What type do you have?
Ive got an embarassingly underused one of these.
Toughroad?
