Not to be outdone, I’ve bought myself a new bike too! Actually, I decided that the only hope I had of ever doing any exercise was to start cycling to work, which also seemed like a good excuse for a new toy. As a bit of a contrast from my clunky old mountain bike (which has been hanging forlornly in the garage for quite a few years), I’ve gone for a road bike this time.

Kerry's new bike

It’s a 2006 model Felt F80 (no, I hadn’t heard of them either), which seemed remarkably good value for a Shimano 105-equipped bike. It feels as light as a feather compared to the mountain bike, but now I have to get used to clipless pedals and the new-fangled combined brake/gear levers (last time I had a road bike, the gear levers were on the downtube).

I ordered it online on Wednesday night, and having checked the order status this morning and seen that it was still ‘processing’, was a bit surprised when the doorbell rang and it was a man from TNT with a big box! Top marks to Discount Cycles Direct for speed. Took me most of the day to get it all set up, but that’s what you get for being a cheapskate and not buying from a proper shop.

Now I just have to start riding it!