London to Paris Cycle Challenge - June 2007

August 27th 2006

I decided to invest in some new pedals for the new bike. Wiggle (www.wiggle.co.uk) had some great offers on Shimano Ultegra PD 6610 SPD-SL clipless pedals, so I went for those (£54) together with some Shimano road shoes (reduced to £29.99 from £50).



I spent at least an hour trying to work out how to get the shoe cleats to clip into the pedal but soon realised it just needed a bit of force. I couldn't believe the difference they made when I took the bike out for a spin. As soon as you clip your feet onto the pedals and start moving (holding onto the rear spoiler of my wife's car to avoid tipping over) you notice the difference. You suddenly feel like the bike is an extension of your legs. The responsiveness of the pedals and hence the forward motion immediateate and totally controlledNextNex thing I noticed was the difference in speed whtravelinging on level ground. With very little effort I got my legs spinning and the mph upto 24 where previously I'd have struggled to max at 18. Next the first hill - I flew up there even hitting 21mph at one point. The beauty of the pedals is that hardly any effort is wasted, all your power is turned into forward thrust. Other benefit was that they shoes donsqueakeek like a giant mouse as I pedal along - my previous trainers did due to the rubber sole on the metal pedal!

I thoroughlyoly recommend clipless pedals and a decent pair of shoes to anyone starting out in cycling. One tip - if you have wide feet ensure your shoes fit comfortably. They shoes are designed for a narrow foot and could pinch if you were a bit wide around the arch!

Fundraising Update

I've got my donation site up and running - www.justgiving.com/londonpariscycle

A few good 'uns have already donated. Special thanks to my mate David for his very generous £100 donation, and of course to all the others who quickly got me upto the £220 mark.

I also got the estate agent that is handling the purchase of my holiday home in Morocco (http://moroccanproperty.blogspot.com/) to sponsor me £150 if the sale goes through. If I include this I'm upto £370 already. I'm planning to do more 'begging' in the New Year, nearer the time of the challenge. Next event is a car boot sale. Double whammy of getting rid of the junk that's clogging up the garage and limiting my workshop space for tuning and cleaning the bike, and raise some money. I'm hoping for£100 at least.

So, £370 raised toward my target of £2500. Better get a move on!