(no subject)

I finally took the plunge yesterday and went to the bike shop to get SPDs—clip-on pedals—and shoes, or rather sandals, to go with them. I'm told that between the ability to add motive force pulling the pedal up as well as down, and the fact the shoes have inflexible soles, they make cycling considerably easier, by something ridiculous like a 25% increase in efficiency. It's taken me at least a year after hearing their virtues extolled to commit myself to getting some, largely on account of the price: the pedals are £35, and the sandals £60. (A large proportion of that's going to be coming out of a joint Chanukah and birthday present from my parents, but even so.)

Of course, it turns out they don't have the sandals in stock (and don't generally stock them, but I want sandals rather than shoes as my feet get very hot in the summer months), so I've now got a week or few more before they turn up.

I'm told at first I'll be falling off my bike all the time, because I'm used to putting my foot down without having to twist it free from the pedal, but that should only last for about a week.

Thereafter, if I find cycling's not wearing me out to the extent it does now, I might try going up from cycling to work three days a week to four.