Welcome to Trixy the Tricross!

Ok, so Trixy isn't a very imaginative name for my new bike, but it stuck and I kind of like it, so Trixy it is. I picked up my new bike yesterday and we went out to do a short test ride in the afternoon. I'm delighted to say I love it!

Sitting drinking a cup of tea, I tried to steel myself for the first ride. The rain was pouring down outside and it wasn't inspiring me, but I was determined to go out regardless. Luckily by the time we were ready to go and I had packed and fitted my panniers to the bike, the rain had stopped. After a couple of rides up and down the road and quick stop for Ant to readjust a pannier, we headed off towards Topsham.

We set off via Old Rydon Lane so that I could try out a bit of a hill and make sure I was happy with the gears and set up before doing a longer ride. It felt like we were in Topsham in no time and when we got back to Countess Weir we decided we'd go on down to the Turf Locks, despite the impending grey clouds that were looking ever more threatening. On getting to Turf the clouds were looking like they were ready to burst, so we had a very quick stop and headed back towards Exeter and the more promising lighter skies.

My new bike makes such a difference and I am delighted at how lovely it is to ride. I can't wait to get out and do more cycling today! There are a couple of teething problems. I'm struggling to brake fully, which is a bit of an issue! It's difficult to bring the bike to a stop if I'm on a downhill, so I either need to get a lot stronger, or to make some adjustments. My neck, shoulder and arms are also rather sore from the very different riding position. However, I'm pretty confident that I'll get used to this and it's not putting me off going out again. We're hoping to do a much longer ride today...so watch this space!