Front Derailleur Problem

As predicted by many forum members, my front derailleur is starting to give me problem.

The shifting on the first day was smooth but today, sometimes it couldn't shift to 1 it could only do 2 and sometimes 3. What should I do to rectify this problem?

Is this due to compatibility issues with the shifter or could something else be causing a problem ?

This week I will have to purchase a new headlight for the bike, as the old one just broke again even with all the tape that held it up for the past two days. Also need to get base layers and maybe a new jacket to cycle in.

Will be looking around and posting links to several stores about the new products I am going to purchase next week. The post's will be on cycling apparel for winter in Melbourne. I've been doing research on what will be needed and based on the experience in the last post I've learnt my lesson never to cycle with cotton base layers.

The cotton base layer holds the sweat and when the wind blow or when cycling downhill the chills are horrible.

The hunt for parts is now over and now I begin the hunt for apparel and accessories.

The First Ride

On the way back from YarraValleyCycles today after picking my bike up. I decided to go to the supermarket with my friend who decided to tag along. We ended up at the supermarket and I realized I needed my front lights on my bike to work at night because I had to ride to work. 

Decided to ride up home check the battery size and come back down. By the time I got back my friend had finished his shopping. I was out of breath by the time I reached the top of the hill which leads to my student accomodation. Time to cut down on the smokes. 

The first ride was really smooth. Enjoyed going downhill the most though. 

Eventually I decided I was going to ride to work the train station, didn't really know the route even though I checked it out on a map. My iPhone's LCD smashed on my birthday last sunday just after an overnight shift. So that wasn't a very reliable option. Nevertheless it felt great cycling from the station to work which only lasted ten minutes. However, I dropped my bike. Parked it wrongly and the front light broke. Managed to fix it after my shift with a bunch of sticky tape it's holding pretty well but kind of looks a little dodgy. In a week or two I may decided to get a new one. 

The ride home was the most tiring. The road down had a total of 8-9 vertical hills. This was the only road I knew how to ride back even though there are about 3 more alternative routes. Definitely have to check those out. I may have got off and walked uphill about 3 times. My boots may have played a part as they are very heavy. I did have lighter shoes but needed to know how it felt to learn for myself. Lesson learnt no more boots while cycling long distance. 

The trip home by driving is about 10 minutes however it took me 45 minutes to reach home. 

It would be great if I could get some tips of how I could build my stamina to cycling uphill. I do have a spare cassette which I could use which has a better gear ratio. 

Looking forward to my morning commute to work in a few hours. If anything interesting does happen. It's sure to be on this blog within a few hours.