Old Git On A Bike battles with the wind (2000 miles ridden)
Comments
-
£1 tip :shock: haha regarding changing your tyres practice makes perfect myself haven't been on a bike for 15 years til recently 2 punctures in the space of a few weeks soon sorts that out. The first time it took me over half an hour to do felt like booting the bike everywhere the second was done in 10 mins
. 0 -
Well having read these posts Its good to know there are others in the same boat. I have recently dragged my trusty steed out of the shed, given it a make over and decided to hit the trails again.
The internet had a pretty firm grip on me too but I simply pulled the plug before it was too late. I'm 36 and have had a break of 6 years, It's really hard going.
I'm covering 5 - 6 miles off road every other day, this is my 4th week coming up and I'm just abaout ready to increase this to 8 - 10.
The one thing I'm not sure on is my diet so this is my next step, hopefully in the next 6 months I will have got myself back in to shape and possibly taking on some more challenging routes.
Have fun and enjoy it while you can. :P0 -
Old Git On A Bike wrote:I'll leave it until tomorrow and try and do 30 miles quicker than the 27 miles I did yesterday.
Nailed it 8), the new tyre on my back wheel was a revelation on todays ride, it increased my average speed by a full 2mph over the whole 30 miles, the average speed being 14.9mph, compared with my recent rides on my old tyre over 25 miles, where the average speed had been 12.8mph - 13.0mph, and of course, as a result, my times were a damn site better, well, the time was similar but nearly 3.5 miles extra, which when I was doing them at about 5 minutes per mile, means I would have done the 27 miles the other day 17.5 minutes quicker had I had the new tyre on then, these were my last 3 rides over 25 miles or more which I did in around 2 hours each time, along with todays times/averages:May 4th
Avg speed = 12.93 mph
Distance = 25.85 miles
Time 02:00:02
May 7th
Avg speed = 12.8 mph
Distance = 26.54 miles
Time 02:03:56
May 9th
Avg speed = 13.0 mph
Distance = 27.06 miles
Time 02:04:08
May 11th with the new slicker tyre
Avg speed = 14.9 mph
Distance = 30.55 miles
Time 02:02:24
My trip today took me around Pevensey Castle, from there I did a loop through Westham along the road towards Soverign Harbour in Eastbourne, turned off that road and went towards Pevensey village, which brings me back to just before the castle, then home again, log for today:
May 10th: No riding, rest day as I was sore from the previous day
May 11th
Top speed 24.7 mph (flat cycle path & road)
Avg speed = 14.9 mph (personal best average speed 8))
Distance = 30.55 miles
Time 02:02:24
Pulse before ride = 72 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 102 bpm's 8:35pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 94 bpm's 8:45pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 84 bpm's 8:55pm
Pulse 60 minutes later = 82 bpm's 9:35pm
Total miles ridden = 672.17
@ Timeless1, I'm still going to buy that other Continental Travel Contact tyre with the puncture protection, so, I'll have to remove this new tyre from the back wheel myself, stick that one on the front and put the Continental Travel Contact on the back, that should be fun
@ Crizzy, good to hear you are getting back on your bike, mate, the internet is a pain ain't it, I'm still spending huge amounts of time online, although you are doing 5 - 6 miles off road, I saw it mentioned on the forum the other day that a mile off road is equivalent to 3 miles on road, obviously that depends on the sort of off road riding you are doing, but it's a good start and you are about to increase that, so it's all good, keep it up!
What part of your diet are you unsure about? If you need to know anyting specific, post about it in the health, fitness & training sub forum, I'm sure plenty of members will give you good advice.
I'm eating well at the moment, but I'm keeping my calorie intake as low as possible without it making me weak, you have to keep the old energy levels up, which I found at to my cost when I couldn't ride at all one day, I was shattered after just a couple of miles, I consume maybe 500 - 600 calories per day, sometimes more, then I use the bicycling calculater link on this page to see what calories I have burned compared to what I have consumed:
http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.php
On todays 2 hour 2 minute ride, I burned 1,598 calories, which is a nice defecit to what I have consumed.
0 -
Be careful old git, slick tyres lead to the darkside! (road bike and lycra) :P0
-
@ Amos, I already wear padded lycra cycling shorts under my tracksuit bottoms, but no way on earth I would wear them on their own on public view I wouldn't mind a road bike at some point, just for doing real long distance rides, but still do trails and stuff on the mtb. 0
-
Why did you not just get them to change the tube and then order the tyres you wanted from CRC?One day, I'm going to buy a cottage in a small village and become its idiot!0
-
@ Punkypossum, yeah, I could have done that, but I didn't trust the tyre where the glass had gone in to it leaving a little hole, there was also quite a lot of wear on the back tyre, so I thought it was better to stick a new one on rather than chance something going through the weak spot on the tyre and killing a new tube, anyway, i'm happy enough with this new tyre and that will soon be going on my front wheel when I get the original one I wanted.
Just been out for a quick blast up and down the seafront, there is a pretty strong buffering wind out there tonight, and the forecast for the next few days shows the wind going up and the temperatures dropping a bit
, log for tonight:
May 12th
Top speed 21.9 mph (flat cycle path)
Avg speed = 14.7 mph
Distance = 10.28 miles
Time 41:47:3
Pulse before ride = 64 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 108 bpm's 11:03pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 84 bpm's 11:13pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 80 bpm's 11:23pm
Pulse 60 minutes later = 76 bpm's 12:03am
Total miles ridden = 682.450 -
As long as the wind is not up when I have to cycle to Amsterdam in a week and a half I don't care...with a headwind it's going to kill me!!! One day, I'm going to buy a cottage in a small village and become its idiot!0
-
I think it was either Dunker or Panter, who suggested I should make a blogger page for my riding logs, so that the logs could be read easier, but rather than use a blog, becuase I don't like their set up, I have used my own website template, and yesterday I bought the www.oldgitonabike.info domain name to make my own site
There should be an image link to it in my sig, or use the link in this post, I have been through all my logs here last night and today and copied them to the website for ease of viewing, I will also continue to post here as I normally do.0 -
I have not been out for the last couple of days, it's been pretty windy here and I just couldn't be bothered riding in it.
The wind has dropped to virtually nothing today, so I got ready to go out and do my Pevensey loop about 20 minutes ago, I checked the tyre pressure in my front tyre, it was about 55psi, I always run them at 60, so I pumped it up a bit, just as I got to 60psi, there was a large rushing of air, I pulled the pump off and the damn innertube valve came away attached to the pump :evil:
I'm proper annoyed now :x, I don't know how much I will get out over the next few days because it's forecast to be even windier, and I have got my mother coming over from Ireland on Saturday night for 3 days.
Anyway, it looks like I'll be going to Halfords tomorrow for a new innertube, and while I'm there, I might as well get a new front tyre to match the one on the back, that's if they still have any, they only had one Continental Double Figher II tyre left on the rack when I was there on Saturday for my other puncture, wish I had bought it then.
I see at Halfords that they sell SLiME Innertubes prefilled with slime inside them, they are £8.99 each, does anyone know if those tubes are worth the extra £4 on top of the price of a normal tube?0 -
I have heard that these slime inner tubes are pretty heavy which will reduce the overall speed at which the tires roll.
However I heard good things about the kevlar tire liners, they're really light and you fit them on the inside of the tire. They apparently stop punctures completely, apart from sidewall punctures. But then slime inners are only good at stopping small punctures. The best protection probably comes from a puncture resistant tyre.
Good on you for the fitness regime.
From a professional point of view I cant emphasise more highly that you get that 24hr tape (ecg) recorded. The recurrent issues you are having with chest pain and a tight chest are a worry. You don't have to be see it as a big deal, you obviously have your head screwed on to take the initiative to start exercising. Just go the whole hog and get a check up.
Men in general ignore early warning signs, only finally giving in when emergency intervention is required. You could even use the trip to the GP as part of a cycle route!
Again to finish on a positive note, well done with your progress!0 -
I won't pay £8.99 each for them most online shops do them for around £3,50-£4 each0
-
@ Ylawayjdp, I appreciate your concern and comments, I know I really should get some sort of check up, but on the other hand, I'm not sure I want to hear any sort of bad news, so I'll give the doctors a miss for now unless I feel very bad at some point. I do genuinely feel fitter now that I have been riding, I get out of breath a lot less than I used to do, so it must be doing me some good, and if I was going to die getting fit, I think I would have done so by now
@ Timeless1, your right, not worth it, I started another topic asking if those slime tubes were any good, apparently, they get a mixed reviews, but from the few replies I got, mostly bad, I was given a link to this site where you can get 10 Specialized innertubes for £19.99, not a bad deal at all:
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-Inn ... 0_3923.htm
I had a ride today after getting a new innertube fitted, Halfords didn't have any suitable tyres to buy, when I asked if they had another Continental Double Fighter II trye, they said they don't stock those, I said, that's funny, I bought one off you on Saturday and you had another on the rack, he looked a bit puzzled.
I took it fairly easy for my ride today after not being out for a few days, my lungs felt a bit more breathless than normal, they usually get like that when I have not ridden for a while, plus, I have been smoking my damn head off again whilst not being out, I can't even seem to cut down for any period of time, I get stressed out and bang, light another roll up, and another :oops:, at least I passed the 700 miles rideen barrier, I might pop out later tonight for a few more miles if it isn't raining, as it's forecast to do, log for today
May 13th + 14th + 15th: No riding due to windy weather, and a broken innertube valve which needed replacing
May 16th
Top speed 25.8 mph (flat cycle path & road)
Avg speed = 13.6 mph
Distance = 18.15 miles
Time 01:20:00
Pulse before ride = 64 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 102 bpm's 7:57pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 92 bpm's 8:07pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 84 bpm's 8:17pm
Pulse 60 minutes later = 78 bpm's 8:57pm
Total miles ridden = 700.600 -
I love slime tubes, they might be heavier, but they save a lot of hassle. I would only get the original SLIME ones tho, all the other ones I've had always ended up leaking slime out of the valve when pumping up the tyres, which is a bit messy and annoying...One day, I'm going to buy a cottage in a small village and become its idiot!0
-
Hi Punkypossum, I'll bear that in mind if I do ever try them. Are you all set for your Amsterdam trip next Saturday? Good luck to you and all the other women doing it, hope it all goes well and the sun shines for you
The weather stayed dry tonight, so I went out for a quick run along the seafront, if it wasn't so late, I would have stayed out for longer, it's pretty nice out there, log for tonight:
May 16th (2nd ride of the day)
Top speed 23.8 mph (flat cycle path)
Avg speed = 14.9 mph
Distance = 10.14 miles
Time 40:43:9
Pulse before ride = 76 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 106 bpm's 11:26pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 94 bpm's 11:36pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 86 bpm's 11:46pm
Pulse 60 minutes later = 82 bpm's 12:26am
Total miles ridden today = 28.29
Total miles ridden = 710.740 -
My last weigh in was on April 26th, my weight then was 12 stone and 8 pounds (176lbs). I stepped on the scales this morning, and I'm happy to report that I have lost another 4 pounds, I now weigh 12 stone and 4 pounds (172lbs) 8)0
-
Old Git On A Bike wrote:Hi Punkypossum, I'll bear that in mind if I do ever try them. Are you all set for your Amsterdam trip next Saturday? Good luck to you and all the other women doing it, hope it all goes well and the sun shines for you
[/b]
About as set as I ever will be, bikes have come back from the shop today, fully serviced and with schwalbe marathon tyres (and Slime tubes
) fitted - should make life a bit easier and faster. Hoping to get a couple more rides in this weekend, hopefully a long one tomorrow and then take it easy next week.
We are still way below the sponsorship target tho, so if anybody has any spare cash flying around, feel free to donate - every little helps and it is for a very good cause! (Yes, I know this is shameless begging, but desperate times call for desperate measures!! :oops: ) One day, I'm going to buy a cottage in a small village and become its idiot!0 -
Gday Old git :-)
Ive just spent my sunday afternoon reading through most of this thread, keep up the good work :-D
Now, Im a young git of 27, and have been having the idea of gettin fit for too long now, and decided in the last couple of weeks that cycling is going to be my exercise of choice. Im in a similar position to where you were at the start of your thread, unfit and smoke too much, eat all the wrong things and generally live my life either at work or on the internet or in my car going to work. Thats all going to change.
Ive been studying the net and forums this last 7 days almost all of my time (off work cos I had an operation) looking at bikes available to me and trying to find reviews of them. My position is that although I can afford to get myself a decent bike, Im not happy at this time to throw away a good chunks of savings on a bike all in one go, so my plan is the same as yours, to take out finance over a 3 month period to lessen the blow of losing all that money. Ive got a poor credit history though, so my only avenue for gettin the bike in the format of payments I want is the dreaded catalogue!!!
Anyhow, ive got it down to a choice between a couple of bikes, all of which I cannot find any reviews on (apart from the odd snobbish remark that its not a real bike), all of them being the CBR range of bikes.
Ive got my sights set on the CBR assault just because of the quality of some of the equiptment on it for a beginners bike. Ive also been looking at the Excess and Extreme by the same people. I just wanted to know from someone who owns one of these bikes if they are ok, and nice to ride and fairly reliable?
Im going to be using it mostly on roads, and some tracks. Nothin too hectic or mad, mainly commuting 6 miles each way to work, probably 3 times a week to start out with and then a longer ride on weekends. I know I can easily cope with this mileage at first without problems, as last summer I "borrowed" my dads spanking new Giant Sedona and I totally ran it into the ground over 6 months, wore out its tyres, the handle bars mysteriously busted and the wheels buckled very easily, and now its in my yard waiting for someone to take it off my hands to fix up for themselves. Anyway, thats off subject,,,,
Are the CBR bikes well built, strong and nice to ride is my question :-D
Ive read a few negative remarks from people, mainly those who seem to dismiss us who only want to spend £500 on our first bike and only have limited ways of obtaining that bike :-)
Any reviews on CBR would be most appreciated :-D
Thanks0 -
Cleggy,
I have never heard of CBR, but from what I can see on t'internet, they look to be good value, with 'prper' parts. However, if you could I woul suggest that you buy from your LBS - you will get services and advice and be able to try their bikes out first.0 -
CBR is "Claud Butler Racing" however Ive read some places that really its just Claud Butlers cheap cousin and really its just a "catalogue bike" put out by Falcon.....
Ive seen forum comments dismissing them as tack by this one guy who has probably never even ridden one, but as far as I can see they look decent bikes, especially the assault with the kit theyve put on it, and surely for 430 - 500 quid they should be ok? I just wanted to check with one person who I know who has one :-D
As for local shops, its a issue for me in doing that cos I need to be able to pay it over 2-6 months (ideally 3) and the finance available through regular bike shops wont be offered to me as Im an ex bankrupt and therefore cannot even get my own bank account right now! (which is $h|t cos I have to use one opened for me, and my card says Mrs Clegg on it - not good!)
27-speed Shimano Deore gears. Alloy front suspension frame with rock shock forks and truvative handlebar and stem. Front and rear "Hayes" hydraulic disc brakes. 26in wheels with lightweight double wall alloy rims. STI controls. High quality Tioga saddle.0 -
@ CleggyOK, the CBR Assault you are looking at is better than my CBR Extreme, well it's got a better shock, gears and brakes for a start, on mine, they are pretty much all bog standard parts, SRAM X5 shifters and derailleur, cheap Promax rotors, Zoom shock, Tioga saddle and Suntour crank arms etc, the bike is also quite weighty at around 38lbs, but I can't say that I notice the weight now like I might have done when I started riding it, plus, I now have a semi slick tyre on the back which makes it easier with less rolling resistance, so if you are going to be doing a lot of road riding, you might want to get yourself a semi slick with some corner knobbles for when you take it on trails.
The bike has served me very well so far, I'm really pleased with it, it gets me from A - B, feels comfortable to ride, it hasn't let me down apart from the puncture and the other valve coming away from the innertube, which is most likely due to the cheap tubes that were on it when bought.
I can't really fault it for a basic entry level bike for what I'm using it for, it probably wouldn't last long if I was to abuse it over rocky terrain, jumps and stuff like that, but then, that's not what it was built for, it is quite suitable for riding on road, easy tracks and trails, though.
Yes, they are the poor man's Claud Butler, and there might be a bit of bike snobbery on some forums, but who cares, you are the one riding it, nobody else, granted, I would like to have a better bike with proper decent parts on it, but would it make me go any faster or ride any further? Nope, it might give me some piece of mind knowing a part might last longer if it is of a good grade, but that's not always the case either. If you had the money up front, I would suggest you buy something different, but as you are in the same boat as I was in, and have to buy from a catalogue, that limits your options, I have not started paying for mine yet, got it as buy now, pay June
Order your bike and get out on it as soon as, summer is approaching and by the end of it you are going to feel a damn site fitter than you feel now, onwards and upwards, mate, good luck and let us know how you get on.0 -
Nice one for the fast response :-D
Im going to order it when I get to work this morning I think :-D its nice out at 5 every morning now and cant wait to get started with it!
There does seem to be a bit of snobbery from people towards them, but at the end of the day its still nearly 500quids worth of bike aint it so it cant be too bad
glad you are getting on with yours ok, just wanted to hear from someone who owns one similar that they are decent enough bikes before I commit to getting one for myself, thanks very much 0 -
Ok, So Ive ordered the bike, the CBR assault :-D
Ive also added a set of Torch Highbeamer Twin Halogen rechargeable headlights for coming back at night with, a set of Topeak Defender front/rear moto-x style mudguards, a sold secure silver rated Magnum D lock/braided cable set, a carbon fibre water bottle holder and some titanium bolts for it :-D
Oh yeah - once I get paid this month Im going to go for the semi-slicks too.. I saw what difference they made to your average speed and it makes sense to have them I think :-)
Im just left now with the need for a good quality bike cover (Ive got a yard and nowhere indoors to keep it) and also, I need to have something outside to anchor it to, so the scum bags cant take it! I dont know how easy it is to have some sort of "stud" either into the ground or into the brickwork, so that I can lock it to the "stud" when Im not using it.
Ive not got anything outdoors thats really secure to fasten it to right now, any suggestions of what I can have put in would be greatly appreciated!! Ideally some sort of ring that could be attached to the ground or the brickwork would be great, but I have no idea of how I would go about having something like this put in......
finally... can anyone suggest some quality rear lights, but not too expensive? Ive read cateyes are good :-)
thanks ! Sorry to ramble on... Im gettin excited about it coming :-)0 -
CleggyOK
"Kryptonite Stronghold Surface Anchor" looks a good bet, at around £45, "Abus WBA100" is similar.
If that's too expensive, an ironmongery shop would sell staples on plates - a square plate with a loop sticking out of it. The plate has 4 screw holes so if you screwed it to the wall with cross head screws that you then mess up so they can't be taken out again that would help. But while this will stop someone just picking up your cycle and running off with it, I don't think that it would stand up to a serious attempt to take it.
Check insurance as well - is the bike covered under any home insurance, does it apply away from the home, consider specific bike insurance if not.0 -
Rear Lights - something like this http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360026001&N=Smart%201/2%20Watt%203%20LED%20Rear%20LightCheers
Rich
A Vision of a Champion is someone who is bent over, drenched with sweat, at the point of exhaustion, when no one else is watching.0 -
nice one for the suggestions - I will definately be looking into the anchor system - £45 + £25 for my locks is a small price to pay to stop some random dole dosser riding round on something Ive worked hard to buy!!
Also, as far as I know the insurance on the house may cover it while its here, but since its going to be away from here a lot I was planning to take out a seperate policy anyway just to make sure Im covered wherever I lock it up.... too many scum bags in the town where I work!0 -
Rykard wrote:Rear Lights - something like this http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360026001&N=Smart%201/2%20Watt%203%20LED%20Rear%20Light
That looks ok :-D Ive seen so many when looking through ebay... there is too much choice and also a lot of crap out there, so since I dont have much left of my money for stuff this month Ive gone for a set of 2008 Torch LED lights for now (4.99 ebay). 9x LEDs - they appear to be similar to some other mad "eagle" ones Ive seen but cheaper. They will do for now til I can afford somethin "special". They may even be good, will have to wait and see.
Ive got some Torch Highbeamer twin Halogen (5w / 2.4w) coming for the front, though now I wish I had got some "electron" ones of the same power.. slightly more expensive but with a better battery and better controls!0 -
id just like to say how brilliant it is what your doing. Im currently studying sport and exercise science at uni - il be honest im more of an elite sport type of guy, im not getting this degree to go an work in a gym put it that way. I have been truly engaged and captured by your post - an it is fascinating to see the development you have made. It is not often students get to see developments not only physiologically but the mental thoughts that are surrounding your every outing. It must be truly inspirational for others of a similar age and fitness level to read someone else is doing what they have aspired to do. It's all very wel and good picking up a Lance Armstrong book but what exactly have you got to relate to? Its brilliant and i wish you every sucess with your exercise plan.
Please, as im sure many people will have said, cut the fags - your paying to kill yourself at the end of the day. There is so much help available on the NHS also - a friend next door was given a free prescription of nicotine patches and i believe that you can have support from all angles also. On average 1 cigarette takes minimum 3minutes off your life - 3X60 = 180 minutes a day? 1260min a week, 65520min a year (18.7 days!!)??? suddenly these are very significant numbers. Over 20years? 364 days - a year!!!! A WHOLE YEAR! Everytime you spark up - think 3 minutes - an remember 3mintues is a minimum.
These are hard figures i know - but think of the benefits your reap from stopping now. Exercise will help to clear your respiratory tract as your epithelial cells recover and regenerate, cells that essentially waft the mucus from your lungs which traps dirt and dust thus preventing entry to lungs - these cells die as you smoke.
You are taking the right steps in which to increase your general health and welbeing - the government sugguests 5x30 - i.e. 5 lots of 30mins of exercise per week at 'vigorous intensity' - and you are far surpassing this.
All the best and please take on board the figures.
Mike0 -
I've become intrigued by this thread, but OGOAB where have you gone? You've not posted since the 16th and I need my update.
Nice website btw.
Salty0 -
@ Bigmiksears, cheers for the input, by continuing to smoke, I'm cutting off my nose to spite my face, I should be asking myself, why go to the bother of getting myself fit, just so I can look great in a coffin?
I am making an effort to cut down the smoking now, which means no more staying up until 4:00am and later, I'll try to go to bed no later than about 1:00am, that will give me 3 hours less smoking time for a start, do longer slower rides, which again means less smoking whilst I'm out on the bike, and generally cut down by moving my tobacco tin away from the computer table, it's too easy to have another one with the tin right next to me.
@ Saltybob, here you go mate, finally, an update, sorry about the delay
I have not been out for the 5 days, reason being, I have had my mum over from Ireland, I have not seen her for over a year and a half, so I didn't think it was fair that I should go out riding whilst she was here.
It was my birthday on Monday and my mum gave me a new digital camera, which I took out on my ride today, I'll post some photos from along my route later on when I've uploaded them to my other computer.
I had a nice ride, I took it very easy after not being out for a while, did my usual route to Pevensey castle, then rode over to Herstmonceux castle, I was hoping to take some photos there, but you have to pay to get in and you can't see the castle from the entrance, so all I got was a shot of the observatories in the science centre part of their grounds, and a photo of my bike under the entrance sign to show I was there, then I gently made my way home. There was a nice little village church in Wartling on the way back, so I took a photo of that, it was very tranquil in the graveyard, apparently, the church is mostly from 13th century with parts of it from 1090, I do like old churches, log for today:
May 17th + 18th + 19th + 20th + 21st: No riding due to having my mother over from Ireland
May 22nd
Top speed 26.6 mph (flat cycle path)
Avg speed = 12.9 mph
Distance = 31.28 miles
Time 02:25:29
Pulse before ride = 56 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 100 bpm's 6:13pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 94 bpm's 6:23pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 90 bpm's 6:33pm
Pulse 60 minutes later = 82 bpm's 7:13pm
Total miles ridden = 742.020
