Dolan Seta carbon

Getting all competitive now eh, how exiting. With the right training and bike configuration there's no reason why you couldn't smash the record!

It would be fun but I'm not really sure I'd be any good or have enough time to rain, as the days get longer that will probably change though.

Nothing to be ashamed of whatsoever. Obviously you need structured training… training, training, training. i.e. strength, technique, speed, endurance, interval training and so on. Bear in mind that there is a lot more to it, than pedalling around London for a few hours after school every day; loads of info on the interwebz of course, also you might consider joining a club, but perhaps that's not you? Will be training intensely myself this season, so please feel free to share and keep us posted about your progress.

I really don't consider any of what I do to be training, it's far too relaxed and irregular, I think I'll start by trying to make 5 laps of Richmond every saturday, just as somewhere to build from and make it more regular/more challenging, getting fitter and faster would be very nice. I'll strava it so I can keep a log and maybe make a graph, because I'm fucking odd and I love graphs. If I get round to that I will post here or might make a thread.

What gear ratio are you running at the moment, 51/20 or something like that? Which of course is ideal for working on your technique and everyday training, or riding around town. For competitive racing and time trials however, you will definitely need something bigger. Not exactly sure what restrictions there are for your age group, but a configuration equivalent to 83-86 gear inches or 6.5-7.0 metres of development depending on your choise of tyres, can't be far off.

Yeah that's what I'm on now because I really wanted to learn to spin, I think it's 65 gear inches. When the velodrome opens again I'll be on 51/16 first for training, that will probably change after a while though. I wasn't really aware that there were gearing restrictions, just guidelines but I'll have to check. To be fair time trials do look really fun.

You will ned to try out different combinations and log your results. Ideally you want to measure or calculate your cadence as well as your speed with various ratios, and use a gear/cadence/speed/mod calculator to analyse your results and plan and target your training.
I will get round to that eventually, I promise.

As slack as your chain... Never give up cycling just for fun, but be clear that pedalling about for 20 miles at a (very) slow pace will not improve you overall performance in a million years.

It would be impossible for me to give up cycling for fun, think I'm gonna have to get a turbo or rollers though.

Nothing wrong with riding brakeless; it's a different style of riding and may require more skills and experience, that's all. Alright, in all seriousness riding brakeless in a competitive situation is not necessarily commendable, nor sensible, thus fitting a brake for racing or training full whack on public roads, particularly if/when riding in a group, does make good sense and will more than likely be a requirement should you join a club. Do what's right for you, but be careful. Actually, considering your age, do what your mum tells you to.

;)

I'm not really thinking to join a club because I'm odd in groups of people that I don't know, also I think I'd be in way over my head because I know nothing about cycling, I know a little bit about fixed gear bikes but haven't ridden anything geared for 5 years and don't follow any competitions or professional cycling.