Old Git On A Bike battles with the wind (2000 miles ridden)
Comments
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good to hear your bike is back!
Giant Trance X0 (08) Reverb, Hope Hoops 5.1D, XT brakes, RQ BC, Works Components headset 1.50 -
Hi all, well what a lousy month August was, lousy weather, broken spoke and then falling off my bike all putting paid to doing any serious miles like the 600 I rode in July :x.
Anyone know what the dangers are of riding at or going over your maximum heart rate?
The indoor exercise bike I bought recently that I was intending to send it back due to the damage on the cowling and foot part it, well, I decided to set it up last night, because it was getting on my nerves looking at the box sitting there for the past week and not being able to get out because of the lousy weather.
I went on it today, did 3 short sessions to test it out, 1 x 4 miles and 2 x 5 miles, I find I can do 5 miles in 15 minutes at a good pace above 20mph, but for my first try doing the 4 miles, I was going way too too hard, spinning the cranks like crazy and my heart rate on the monitor was 177 bpm's, I am 42 years of age and that makes my max heart rate 220, minus my age = 178, what are the dangers of riding at or above my max heart rate?
I felt a bit dizzy and had to stop when I was at 177 bpm's, it worried me a bit due to my heart problems, getting off the bike my legs felt quite wobbly and my head was spinning a bit, also had a sick feeling in my stomach.
I didn't go as mad for the other 2 x 5 mile sessions, using either lower resistance with a highish cadence of around 120 rpm's and trying to keep my heart rate between 124 - 142, which is 70% - 80% of my max heart rate, or increasing the resistance and using a lower cadence whilst keeping at the same % for heart rate.
It feels strange riding indoors and the saddle isn't very comfortable, no honestly, it's terrible, never felt so sore, why can't they put a normal bike saddle on them, hopefully it will bed in with use. There is also the boredom factor, I have moved the bike from the bedroom in to the kitchen so I can at least have something to look at out of the window whilst riding. I'm going to do at least 10 x 5 mile sessions per day, building up the distance for some of the sessions, and then do less sessions but with more milage.
My ankle feels better now after coming off the bike, just a bit of bruising on the right knee now, the weather here is proper lousy, winds above 25 mph for most of the last week and the same for the next few days, and rain, horrible, next Monday and Tuesday look a bit brighter with 12-14mph winds, I have missed going out recently.
Sep 5th (sessions on excercise bike)
1 x 4 miles
3 x 5 miles
1 x 8.07 miles
1 x 8.55 miles
Total miles ridden = 1964.08
[edited to add riding sessions]
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old git on a bike'...to be honest i'd ask your doctor. at least he/she could tell you the answer. no offence to anyone on here but you might end up with loads of different answers then spend ages wondering what's right, wrong shall i try this, that etc etc....glad to hear your ankle is on the mend0
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220-age is rubbish. For example, I'm 20 and I've hit 207 bpm. You'll be getting quite fit now, which means your heart will be able to go higher. With your history of heart problems, I would err on the side of caution and not push too hard, but I don't think it will be much of a problem going to around 165bpm, but bear in mind that I'm not a doctor.0
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@ Mick851, I was just looking to see if anyone had any general ideas about the safety factor of going at or around max heart rate, obviously, people could give varying answers, but at least I would be able to get a general concensus from it, mind you, I did hit 200 bpm's during a fast session today and didn't feel any ill effect from it.whyamihere wrote:220-age is rubbish
@ Whyamihere, I use that 220 minus age figure as that is the best known way to work out max heart rate, there are several different ways to work it out, that's just the easiest, you can see numerous other versions by scientific types and universities etc on the link below, most of the variations seem to work out not much different to the 220 minus age anyway:
http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm
I got 50 miles done on the excercise bike today, nice strong pace for all sessions, mostly between the 20mph - 22mph range, I thought that rather than do 10 x 5 mile sessions, I might as well do some mixed 10 and 5 milers, that gives me a better base to work up from there. The saddle felt a lot better today, maybe the saddle wasn't as bad a I initially thought it was after first using it, and the soreness was probably where I have not been using my bike for a while.
Something I wasn't aware of, for example, working at 60% -70% of maximum heart rate will burn fat, I thought it still did the same if you worked up to 80%, apparently not according to that maximum heart rate site link above that was given to me, it says it makes you fitter and stronger, but you don't burn any more fat than going beyond the 60% - 70% max heart rate range, mind you, fitter and stronger sounds good to me and increasing lung capacity, so I might mix it a bit, some days higher, some days lower, I'll see how I feel each day, log for today.
Sep 6th (sessions on excercise bike)
10.07 miles (time 00:32:21)
10.09 miles (time 00:30:47)
5.02 miles (time 00:15:37)
5.06 miles (time 00:14:42)
10.08 miles (time 00:29:32)
5.13 miles (time 00:15:39)
5.05 miles (time 00:14:48]
Total miles ridden = 2014.58
That finally gets me over the long awaited 2000 miles ridden mark 8)0 -
hi i have been a silent reader on this thread and was detirmined to read all of th pages properly. wow is the first thing i could say you probably do more miles in a month they i do in a year. i was wondering what drink and food you take with you when you ride as i am all ways so thirsty.
thanx hardtail0 -
Hi Hardtail100, welcome to the forum, mate.
For my drinks I use either half a bottle of something like apple juice, topped up with water and a small amount of salt in it, which I dilute in a spoon of hot water before adding that to the bottle, alternatively, I just use normal apple and blackcurrant squash with water and salt, I take 2 bottles out with me and that is usually just about enough for doing 40 miles, any further than that and I can stop at a shop and buy a couple of bottles of water.
As for food, for a long time I would just take a banana or two out with me, more recently, I have started taking banana, fig rolls, jelly babies, penguin like chocolate biscuit etc. I read on the forum that jelly babies are good for giving you a burst of energy, they are quite high in carbs, some people recommend eating 2 of them about every 15 minutes, I find it hard to stick to that, they are too moreish, so I cane them too quickly
There are some good homemade energy food and drink recipies here:
http://www.cptips.com/hmdesnk.htm
I did 4 sessions to get the 50 miles up today, all were pretty intense, especially the last one where I kept the speed constant at around 20mph, and did a 30 second sprint every 3 minutes and held it at about 25mph for the duration of the sprint, I was sweating like a pig at the end, well, all the way through actually, and that's another reason why it's best to have the bike in the kitchen, wipeable floors, although I do catch most of the sweat by tucking a towel in to my waistband and putting the other end of the handlebars leaving just a bit of the display showing.
I think I'll be out for a ride tomorrow, lunchtime looks like it will be sunny with a 13mph wind and the rest of the week looks similar, log for today:
Sep 7th (sessions on exercise bike)
15.03 miles (time 00:47:44)
15.05 miles (time 00:45:21)
10.11 miles (time 00:30:40)
10.07 miles (time 00:29:19)
Miles on mountain bike = 1928.46
Miles on exercise bike = 136.38
Total miles ridden = 2064.840 -
Just ordered my new bike today.
Carrera Kraken Limited Edition with avid juicy 3s and rockshox dart 2 forks.
Can't wait to pick it up, sadly won't be able to pay for it till october 1st so thats when i have reserved it for. Hopefully I will follow your example and stick to a good regime
Bike looks so sexy though 0 -
thanx 4 th advice i will try it nxt time im i out but always stuck in side lookin after bros0
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old git on a bike,..have you been back out on mountain bike yet? my riding's come to a stand still for the next few days :evil: ive got to take my bike into bike shop to have a new gear cable fitted and gears sorting out,..........................and theres only one bike shop in town where i live which shuts at 5 and i don't get back from work till 4.30 which is going to be a right pain to get to before it shuts! im not going to buy that carrera banshee from halfords now, ive seen a better one at the same price, a rockrider 9.2, rock shox revelation air fork, rock shox ario shock absorbers and avid juicy 5 hydraulic brakes. heard too many bad stories about halford's :roll:0
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@ Mick851, yeah, first time back on the bike tonight since falling off it
Halfords aint to bad, it's just a case of finding one with decent mechanics, you could well find a local bike shop where they have an equally bad mechanic, maybe BikeHut would be your best bet if you have one local, they seem to be a bit better trained in there.
I did the following sessions today, the first one was 20 miles whilst holding a steady pace of 16mph - 17mph, the 15 miles was done at a pace of 17mph - 18mph, I increased the tempo a bit more for the rest and added in some sprints.
I did the 10 miles at 18mph - 19mph with a 30 second sprint every 2 minutes and held it at 25mph for the duration, and the final 5 miles was done at 20+ mph with 30 second sprints every 2 minutes at 25mph. I also went for a night ride, my usual 14 mile loop through Bexhill and Cooden, it was nice being back out on the bike again, and the saddle felt so much better than sitting on the exercise bike, I can feel the difference where the bike bloke removed 2 links from my chain, it feels smoother, but turning the cranks felt very strange after being on the exercise bike. Note to self, the pulse increase at 60 minutes after the night ride, was due to me doing the last 5 miles on the exercise bike 30 minutes after getting back from the night ride, log for today:
Sep 8th (sessions on exercise bike)
20.08 miles (time 01:12:25)
15.13 miles (time 00:51:19)
10.16 miles (time 00:30:02)
5.14 miles (time 00:14:32)
Sep 8th (on mountain bike)
Top speed 26.2 mph (cycle path hill)
Avg speed = 14.8 mph
Distance = 14.63 miles
Time 59:15:07
Pulse before ride = 78 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 114 bpm's 11:14pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 92 bpm's 11:24pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 86 bpm's 11:34pm
Pulse 60 minutes later = 98 bpm's 12:14am
Miles on mountain bike = 1943.09
Miles on exercise bike = 186.89
Total miles ridden = 2129.980 -
old git on a bike,.. i know 2 people now that have took their bikes to halfords to have gears done, one ended up doing gears himself, and the other couldn't get into 4th gear, so she phoned them up to tell them, (this is the best bit!!!!!!!!!!!!) they said on the phone to her they will tell her how to adjust them.................... over the phone!!!!!!!!! :roll: to cut a long story short the bike is now back in halfords waiting to be fixed0
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finished work early today due to rain, so i was able to take my bike in to be fixed 0
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Hi Mick, glad to hear you managed to get your bike in for repair. I do know what you mean about Halfords, it's pot luck if you get a good or bad mechanic, in an ideal world, they would all be good, but I guess we can't have everything in life and occasinally you get the store who employs the monkey to do repairs.
After going offline last night, I was getting a fair bit of dull pain in the top of my left calf and the side of my knee area, it was still achy this morning today, so today, I decided to take it easier on the exercise bike than yesterday. The first 20 miles was done nice and steady at around 15mph - 16mph, but the calf/knee pain got a bit worse even doing that, I did the 15 miles at the same speed, got the same pain afterwards, it seems to subside a bit about 20 minutes after stopping riding, I think I probably pulled a muscle or tendon slightly when doing the sprints yesterday, as it was alright before that.
The exercise bike is starting to make strange noises, there is a slight grinding noise on every revolution of the cranks, and during the second 15 mile session, after about 11 miles, there was a rapid succession of clunks as I was spinning the cranks, it goes away and comes back again for a few seconds, then after about 13 miles, the clunking came back, only this time, it stayed making the noise until I finished the session, surely it can't be breaking already after only 5 days of use :?, log for today:
Sep 9th (sessions on exercise bike)
20.09 miles (time 01:17:47)
15.09 miles (time 00:58:30)
15.10 miles (time 00:58:16)
Miles on mountain bike = 1943.09
Miles on exercise bike = 237.17
Total miles ridden = 2180.260 -
My knee felt a lot better when I got up this morning, and the calf did as well until part way through doing the first 20 mile session, this time there is soreness from the top half of the calf going up to just below the bottom of the back of the knee, but not on the actual knee like it was yesterday, again, a short while after stopping, the pain subsided a bit, I did the 20 miles at 16mph - 17mph.
I increased the speed for the 15 miles, which was done at 17mph - 18mph, I didn't want to increase it because of the calf, but I often find myself creeping just over the target speed anyway and feeling the need to go faster. The two 10 mile sessions were done at 18mph - 19mph, the pain was getting a little worse after the first, and worse again after the second 10 miler, after getting of the bike, walking was quite painful, and if I raise myself on my toes, it's agony, it feels like a very severe calf cramp pain but without the spasms you get with cramp, I have a slight limp when walking as well.
I was in two minds whether to do my night ride or not, but I did in the end, as I wanted to get 70 miles done for the day, had to do about a mile extra than I normally do on the night loop, the leg felt ok on the ride, not as bad as on the exercise bike, I wonder if it could something to do with the exercise bike having toe straps, which means my feet are at a different angle when pedalling compared to my bike with no toe straps, anyway, I think I will give my leg a rest tomorrow.
The bike was making the same rumbling noise today when I first used it, but it eased up after that and was pretty quiet again, maybe it just settling in, log for today:
Sep 10th (sessions on exercise bike)
20.12 miles (time 01:13:41)
15.04 miles (time 00:51:26)
10.06 miles (time 00:32:56)
10.07 miles (time 00:32:53)
Sep 10th (on mountain bike)
Top speed 25.9 mph (cycle path hill)
Avg speed = 14.2 mph
Distance = 15.43 miles
Time 01:04:55
Pulse before ride = 78 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 102 bpm's 11:20pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 86 bpm's 11:30pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 82 bpm's 11:40pm
Pulse 60 minutes later = 78 bpm's 12:20am
Miles on mountain bike = 1958.52
Miles on exercise bike = 292.46
Total miles ridden = 2250.980 -
So much for having a complete rest day, I couldn't help but go on the exercise bike, it's sitting there 5 feet away, begging me to ride it, plus, it was suggested that the saddle height might need changing as that might be causing the pain in my leg, so I raised the saddle up another notch, although I felt it was ok as it was, having raised it, I did 10 miles at a steady 15mph - 16mph, I got no extra pain in the calf other than the very slight dull pain that's been there since I got up.
I did 2 more sessions at a higher tempo to see if the calf would hold up, 15 miles at 17mph - 18mph and it felt ok, another 10 miles at 18mph - 19mph and still no pain like there was last night, no worse than it was before riding today, looking good then. I wish I could say the same about the saddle, I take back anything positive I said about it previously, it's bloody agony sitting on it again, why oh why do they make them like that, on the back of it it says the words, "Super Soft", are they having a laugh? They might as well have made it out of concrete with metal studs in it, it also totally numbs the family jewels, I mean totally, I wonder if it would be worth getting a cheap saddle, or even a free one from my local Freecycle group and welding it on to the metal plate that this saddle is bolted to, that would make a hell of a difference, have to do something as it's getting annoying now, log for today:
Sep 11th (sessions on exercise bike)
10.06 miles (time 00:39:57)
15.04 miles (time 00:51:35)
10.04 miles (time 00:32:56)
Miles on mountain bike = 1958.52
Miles on exercise bike = 327.60
Total miles ridden = 2286.120 -
Old Git
with all this training you are doing everyday and distance and speeds that would leave most of us standing, i am starting to wonder if its not just lance armstrong training for next years tour de france. How much weight have you lost since december.0 -
Old Git, do you have much of a stretching routine when you finish each session? Apologies if you have already mentioned it.0
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@ Kev2b3, I was 14 stone, I have lost approximately 28 pounds, I am just over 12 stone now, put a few pounds back on recently when I had some time off the bike and was eating rubbish food, basically pigging out due to boredom, but I have now lost that weight again.
@ Amos, no mate, I don't do any stretching before or after a session, I just get up from the computer and get on the bike, never been one for doing stuff like that, I probably should do, but I find it boring and just want to get on with the riding.
I didn't do any riding indoors or out for the last 2 days, my ulcers have been giving me hell again, because of that, I got hardly any sleep for the last 2 days, and wasn't able to eat much as I can't eat when my ulcers are bad, that left me feeling too weak to do any riding, on the plus side, it gave my calf a rest and there has been no pain at all today or yesterday.
Back on the exercise bike tonight, I did 15 miles at 16mph - 17mph, I think it was that speed, can't remember as I forgot to write it down at the time, the second 15 miles was done at 18mph - 19mph, and the third was done at 19mph - 20mph, after that one, a slight twinge returned to my calf, I finished off with a quickish 5 miles at 21mph - 22mph, calf didn't feel too bad after that, log for today:
Sep 14th (sessions on exercise bike)
15.05 miles (time 00:54:48]
15.02 miles (time 00:48:36)
15.05 miles (time 00:46:08]
5.05 miles (time 00:14:12)
Miles on mountain bike = 1958.52
Miles on exercise bike = 377.77
Total miles ridden = 2336.290 -
Hi OGOAB regarding the excersice bike saddle have you thought about one of those gel saddle covers that Tesco or Sainsbury do, may be a cheap option.Giant Defy 4 2014
GT Avalanche Expert 2006
Specialized Hardrock 19890 -
old git on a bike,...my bike has got to go back to shop for repair, it needs new forks! ive broke these ridding thro wharncliffe wood and grenoside wood.I don't want to spend too much cause im getting that new bike next month, but i want some that can take a bit of a battering. How is your bike coping? have you had many probs with yours?0
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@ Mick851, yeah, my bike is fine, but I have not done any proper offroading like you have to give it a battering, mine sees mostly tarmac, so there is nothing much to shake it to bits, as I'm sure it would if it ever went on a proper xc course type route
@ Beski, I don't think one of those would fit over this saddle, it's pretty wide, not like an ordinary bike saddle.
I didn't have a lot of time today, so I only did a couple of sessions, first 15 miles at 17mph - 18mph and the second one at 18mph - 19mph. My legs felt unusually heavy even after the first mile, thighs were burning quite a lot and I was sweating a lot quicker than usual, not sure why, but I felt better the more miles I did, I could do a lot more miles on it but for the damn saddle, I have to stop a few times through each session to stand up as I get completely numb below to the point where I can't feel anything at all :shock:. I will be back out on the road tomorrow, log for today:
Sep 15th (sessions on exercise bike)
15.04 miles (time 00:51:46)
15.06 miles (time 00:48:55)
Miles on mountain bike = 1958.52
Miles on exercise bike = 407.87
Total miles ridden = 2366.390 -
old git on a bike,...just took my bike in for those new forks £129.99 for some bog standard rock shox, and a new brake cable. comes to £160 for everything including fitting
get my bike back friday. my bike was in shop last tuesday having a new gear cable fitted and gears adjusting, this week new forks and brake cable, starting to dread next week! prob snap frame in half 0 -
@ Mick851, I can't remember, what bike have you got?
I don't think I would bother on this bike if I had to pay repair bills like that, riding ain't a cheap hobby is it :shock:, the first time anything really important/costly breaks, it goes in the skip, not prepared to throw any more money at this bike, I would rather wait until I get a new one.
I had a run over to Eastbourne today, outward trip was fine with the following wind, but it was a killer coming back in to the wind, speed was down to 10mph - 13mph a lot of the time. I'll do a couple of sessions on the exercise bike this evening as well, log for today:
Sep 17th
Top speed 24.8 mph (flat cycle path)
Avg speed = 13.6 mph
Distance = 38.12 miles
Time 02:47:28
Pulse before ride = 70 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 102 bpm's 6:23pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 92 bpm's 6:33pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 80 bpm's 6:43pm
Pulse 60 minutes later = 78 bpm's 7:23pm
Miles on mountain bike = 1996.64
Miles on exercise bike = 407.87
Total miles ridden = 2404.510 -
old git on a bike,.. same as yours a cbr extreme, im getting my new bike next month. i had to get this one fixed, i use it to get to work on and when i do get my other bike, when that goes in for a service or repair ive still got use of the other bike. have you decided on what bike you are getting yet? 0
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mick851 wrote:same as yours a cbr extreme
How did I forget that, still not sure what I will get when I get a new bike, saving is a pain in the @rse at the moment, by monday, I will only have £315 saved up, I have one more payment to make on the CBR and that's out of the way, that will mean I can then save £140 per month, but every 3rd month I have to use that money to pay my phone/broadband bill, I'm looking at more expensive bikes now, Boardman Team or Commencal Supernormal, mainly for the light weight of those, or something similar around the same weight 24 - 26 lbs.
Rather than do 2 sessions on the exercise bike tonight, I did one of 10 miles, which was split in to 5 miles at 18mph - 19mph and 5 miles at 19 - 20mph, I then went for my night ride instead of doing the other indoor session, log for tonight:
Sep 17th (session on exercise bike)
10.08 miles (time 00:31:41)
Sep 17th (2nd ride of the day on mountain bike)
Top speed 26.1 mph (cycle path hill)
Avg speed = 14.8 mph
Distance = 14.63 miles
Time 59:06:4
Didn't bother with pulses, would be all over the place from session directly before the night ride
Miles on mountain bike = 2011.27
Miles on exercise bike = 417.95
Total miles ridden today = 62.83
Total miles ridden = 2429.220 -
What are your future goals with regards to your training? Have you considered doing any endurance events like the Merida?0
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Been following this thread for a while. Great commitment all the way, and anyone who thinks they can't shed weight (no offence intended btw!), needs to take a read throught this.http://stcolin.pinkbike.com
BeOne Aspire 1.0
RS Recon Race Air Solo 100mm
Raceface XC and Easton
Mavic 321, DT Swiss spokes, XT hubs
Panaracer Rampage SC's0 -
@ ST Colin, you calling me fat, spot on 12 stone again this morning, getting past the 12 stone barrier is a nightmare, I seem to be stuck there or thereabouts most of the time :?
@ Owen908, I would like to think that the riding I am doing now and for the next 6 months, will set me in good stead to do some sort of Merida marathon or other endurance race next year, not to be competetive, as I know my lungs wont allow that, just to be able to get round the course would do me.
I would prefer something in the summer months, as I don't fancy riding in gloopy mud during the winter, plus going down steep rocky hills makes me nervous, never been down an offroad rocky hill before and have no technical skills, then there is the climbing, I'm useless at it, well, maybe not useless, but my lungs cause me problems, also not helped by my bikes weight, but I will have a much lighter bike when the time comes, and would prefer it on a dry summer course so my lungs can cope with it better.
An acquaintance of mine on a non bike related site I am a member of, has put me in touch with an Australian friend of his who has won 24 hour endurance races in Australia/New Zealand, I read up on him online, he covered 400KM in 24 hours, his closest rival was 90KM behind in second place, and the kilometres he covered were more than the 4 man teams combined, he was ridng individually, he must be some sort of cycling animal :shock:, I've got his email address and will hopefully be getting some good tips about training schedules etc from him.
I didn't do much today, I had to make a website for scambaiting purposes and that's taken all my time up, hopefully, on Monday, there will be a disappointed Nigerian scammer hanging around in St Leonards On Sea. All I did today was ride over to Aldi for some cycling stuff, I got some gloves, socks and pair of long bib and brace cycling trousers, tried them on, not a very good fit at all, I'll take those back and get my money back, log for todays little ride:
Sep 18th (on mountain bike)
Top speed 20.6 mph (flat cycle path)
Avg speed = 12.0 mph
Distance = 9.82 miles
Time 48:57:4
Didn't bother with pulses
Miles on mountain bike = 2021.09
Miles on exercise bike = 417.95
Total miles ridden = 2439.040 -
old git on a bike, got my bike back today, looks ok with the new forks. paid my deposit for the new bike aswell, pay rest of balance of next month. im getting a mongoose otero super, and its a lot lighter than my cbr 0
