Old Git On A Bike battles with the wind (2000 miles ridden)

BlackSpur

The main point is the forks, Zoom forks are pretty bad, but the Mongoose has hydraulically damped forks. The rest of the components are all slightly better. The big bike sites such as Wiggle and CRC offer finance deals where you pay monthly. Here is another bike at the same price which is also excellent. CRC offere finance on orders upwards of £300.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=17829

Old Git On A Bike

@ BlackSpur, I can see your point about the forks, and having Googled, zoom forks, there are some posts elsewhere about them not being much good, and also a post about them being good, from what I read, those who did not like them, were using them, or intending to use them for cycling where they would get a lot of abuse, like downhill riding, jumps, free riding etc, yet the one who liked them, was doing downhill and jumps with them, and never had any problems.

I wont be doing anything like that on my bike, I'll be cycling mostly on flattish tarmac routes for quite a while before I get anywhere near fit again, such as the cycle routes in the images below, the forks shouldn't really be abused much on those rides, and I can always get a better bike in a year or so if I want to do more punishing rides:





The catalogue phoned me today, so much for the bike being here in 4 days, as they said yesterday, they now tell me delivery will be January 14th, of well, such is life.

woodywmb

Forget the negative comments. Some post-ers do have a point. Just get out there, when the bike arrives, and enjoy yourself. Next year when you've saved up enough fag money, buy a better bike, or upgrade this one. You've started 2008 with a great challenge and now a whole new lifestyle beckons. I was slagged off for buying a £140 Saracen Rufftrax 10 years ago --- I've had eight bikes since, each one a bit more expensive than the previous one. I couldn't afford to spend more at the start. So get pedalling from Jan 14 and keep us informed. You might just have to change your login if the exercise pays off.

Old Git On A Bike

Woodywmb wrote:

You might just have to change your login if the exercise pays off.

I'll always be an old git on a bike, so they name can stay as it is

We got a set of weighing scales today, and I was quite shocked by my weight, last time I got weighed a few years back, I was about 15 1/2 stone, and I feel bigger now, at least when I look at my stomach I do, so I was expecting to be about 16 - 17 stone, but the scales tell me I am only 14.2 stone (198LBS).

I can only think that my muscle wastage has caused me to not be as heavy as I thought I would be, muscle being heavier than fat, so any weight I have put on in fat over the last few years, has been negated by the weight loss from the muscle wastage?

My BMI for my height (5'9") and weight (198LBS) is = 29.2 and that equates to being overweight, just below obese:

BMI Categories:
Underweight = Below 18.5
Normal = 18.5 - 24.9
Overweight = 25.0 - 29.9
Obesity = 30.0 and Above

I need to lose a minimum of 30 LBS, that would get me down to 12 stone (168 LBS), which would give me a BMI of 24.8 and mean I was just inside the normal weight category by 0.1, so that's my weight goal to aim for.

mudslinger

I used to work at BT where they had a gym onsite so used to go 3-4 times a week working hard mainly on aerobic exercises. I was reasonablt fit & weighed 92KG. As I am quite stocky my BMI showed me as nearly obsese when really I was only a bit overweight. So don't read too much into BMI - just use it as a guide.

When I left BT last xmas I stopped going to the gym & got back into cycling. Initially I would go out at the w/e for a 15 mile ride. Then during the summer I would go out in the evenings & sometimes cycled to work. I kept track of my routes/times & kept trying to do better times. In 8 months I lost 8KG which I am surprised by since I was going to the gym regulary. However I've probably put that back on over xmas

Have a plan & take it gradually. Enjoy!

clas

Old git.
Please dont get too fixated by the BMI index.
When I was young and fit ( I Mean SERIOUS FIT) I could run all over dartmoor (and was told to!) all day carrying big rucksacks. I am only 5'7" and I weighed 12 and a half stone then not an ounce of fat on me but I was told by a civvie doctor that I was over weight!!!?????
the point I am trying to make is that the BMI just looks at weight and height with no estimate or correction for muscle bulk. If you are of stocky build things may not be so bad as you think. Just give up the fags and do yourself a favour OK?
You will feel great after 6 months.

xcracer

You will start feeling better in 48 hours if you give up the fags!

I gave up in May. Best thing I ever did.

GHill

Old Git On A Bike wrote:

those who did not like them, were using them, or intending to use them for cycling where they would get a lot of abuse, like downhill riding, jumps, free riding etc, yet the one who liked them, was doing downhill and jumps with them, and never had any problems.

I wont be doing anything like that on my bike,

The bike you've ordered should be fine for what you're looking at riding on. Once you get to the point where you think the fork isn't performing well enough for the terrain you are on, you will know it's time to upgrade

Matteeboy

clas wrote:

Old git.
Please dont get too fixated by the BMI index.
When I was young and fit ( I Mean SERIOUS FIT) I could run all over dartmoor (and was told to!) all day carrying big rucksacks. I am only 5'7" and I weighed 12 and a half stone then not an ounce of fat on me but I was told by a civvie doctor that I was over weight!!!?????
the point I am trying to make is that the BMI just looks at weight and height with no estimate or correction for muscle bulk. If you are of stocky build things may not be so bad as you think. Just give up the fags and do yourself a favour OK?
You will feel great after 6 months.

RM by any chance?!
I was 12.5 stone (5'8") for a while after massively intense gyming for two years (started weighing 9.25 stone!) but was also pretty darm fit.
Now fitter (run a lot) and down to 11.5 stone (<8% bodyfat) but even that is the top end of the BMI chart for weight!

I did the POC and AIB when I was 23 - passed both but didn't take it in the end.

Old Git - Cycling is SO good for overall fitness and health. Wife and I have been doing a rather hilly 10 miler every day for almost three years and are both "superior" in fitness (according to VO2MAx) - seems such an easy way to maintain a decent level of fitness and it's fun. Good luck!

Old Git On A Bike

clas wrote:

BMI just looks at weight and height with no estimate or correction for muscle bulk. If you are of stocky build things may not be so bad as you think.

I see, I thought BMI was a fairly reliable guide, at least from what I have seen on a couple of health programmes on tv anyway, but I can see the point that you and others have made about it not being that accurate, and I do have a stocky build as well, I did a lot of weight training years ago from around my middle teens until I was about 20, I had free weights and a York 2001 multi gym in my bedroom back then, I used to do very long sessions every day, and if my cousin came round, we would go on a right mental one and do weights for some crazy time like 4 hours continuosly working out, taking it in turns to do sets while the other had a breather.

Most of that muscle from back then has either wasted away or turned to fat, I was reading something earlier on, which said that for every year you are over the age of 30, you lose 3% muscle which turrns to fat, probably explains a lot then, along with my complete inactivity, I just need to work hard at getting some of it back.

I had a little quandry today, the full suspension bike I ordered in my first post on this topic, which I later cancelled in favour of ordering the same bike in a hard tail version, well, the catalogue sent details of all of their sale items from the autumn/winter catalogue where I ordered the original bike from, and that full suspension bike has now been reduced by £50 to £249, I was nearly tempted to cancel the hardtail and order the original one again, wasn't sure what to do :?, but decided to stick with the one on order, the extra £50 saving would be a bonus, I could spend that on other bike stuff, someone went to Halfords for me today as they were going that way anyway, and got me a bike pump, fleecy rain and wind proof cycling gloves and a 12 function bike computer so I can track what I have done, also, my new Adidas tracksuit arrived from the catalogue and I have a pair of Adidas trainers on order, which should be here soon, so then I'm all set, just need the bike, roll on the 14th 8)

Can't wait to get on the bike, and I tend to get really obsessional about anything I do, so I will more than likely be out 2 or 3 times a day for shortish rides, as per my first post, I was thinking 10 - 15 miles per day to start, but as others commented, that's probably pushing it a bit at this stage, so something like 2 - 5 miles will do for starters, if I feel I can do a bit more, I will, but I tell you one thing, this time next year, I will be doing at least 30 miles per day, hopefully more, ideally, I would like to do 40 miles per day, and by then, I will have got myself one of those Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS's set up with the heart monitor, then I can use sites like www.motionbased.com to keep all my cycling routes and cycling data online for easy access and reference.

Damn, I don't half ramble on

clas

muscle doesnt turn to fat. It does lose tone however and waste away. keep at it . i reckon you may be in for a surprise!

Sev101

Just enjoy it mate!

Old Git On A Bike

clas wrote:

i reckon you may be in for a surprise!

In a good or bad way ?

Remember I said the new weighing scales said I was 14 stone 2 lbs, well I'm not sure that is correct, weighed myself again a couple of days later, and it was 15 stone 8 lbs, got off, made sure the scales were on zero, got back on, then weighed 14 stone 10 lbs, then 15 stone 2 lbs, obviously something not right, the scales are currently winging their way back to Argos, that will teach me to buy cheap crap for £2.99, getting another slightly more expensive set today.

Some other bad news, got a call from the catalogue today, the trainers I ordered, there has been a delay, now expect to deliver by the end of the month :x, so even though the bike should be here on Monday, I will have nothing to wear to be able to ride it, the only pair of footwear I own are a pair of brogues, and I ain't riding a bike wearing an Adidas shellsuit and brogues

[edit]

Got some new scales now, bang on 14 stone.

Old Git On A Bike

My new bike has arrived, it looks even better in the flesh 8), I'll stick my laptop on in a bit and take a couple of photos of it.

I wasn't completely sure of the manufacturer, the bike is called a "CBR Extreme", I had a suspicion that CBR stood for Claud Butler Racing, well that's who did make it, it has Claud Butler in big letters on the outside of the box, I can't see the bike on their website, so it's probably a bike they make for the home shopping catalogue market.

The bike does feel a bit on the big side, I put the saddle on as low as it will go and I still can't get my feet flat on the floor when sat in the saddle, in the catalogue it says the size is, 26 ins wheel (66 cm) for inside leg 28-36 ins, I'm 5'9" with a 31 inside leg, so that seems slightly off, not that it matters much anyway, it's the right size for cycling when I have both feet on the pedals, anyway, it's here and I'm happy with it.

Nothing much to do apart from putting on the saddle, pedals, front wheel, reflectors on front and rear, and the handlebars, give it a check over and make sure everything is tightened up, just the computer to fit, I'll do that when my trainers arrive.

The bike did come with 2 allan keys and one of those flat tools that fits 12 different nut sizes, unfortunately, neither of the allan keys fit the 4 nuts that hold the handlebars on :roll:, my other half has just gone down the town, so I asked to her to pop in to the hardware shop and get me an allan key, she better not lose the allan bolt I gave her to take to the shop :twisted:, once the handlebars are on, it will be ready, now I'm just waiting for my damn trainers to arrive before I can use it :x

I'm on a bit of a diet now until I get to ride it, hopefully I will shift at least half a stone by the end of January by going on the multi gym and not eating much, only had a sandwich and a banana since Saturday.

cjw

Old Git On A Bike wrote:

The bike does feel a bit on the big side, I put the saddle on as low as it will go and I still can't get my feet flat on the floor when sat in the saddle, in the catalogue it says the size is, 26 ins wheel (66 cm) for inside leg 28-36 ins, I'm 5'9" with a 31 inside leg, so that seems slightly off, not that it matters much anyway, it's the right size for cycling when I have both feet on the pedals, anyway, it's here and I'm happy with it.

Great ... Enjoy...

You shouldn't be able to put your feet flat on the floor. If you can the saddle would probably be too low (frame too small). AS long as you can get your toes down you're probably OK.

Old Git On A Bike

@ cjw, yeah, it's spot on where it is now, for some reason I remembered it as you had to have your feet flat on the floor, now remembering back, as you say, they don't need to be.

I took some photos of the bike using my laptop camera, even with the living room light on and 2 lamps laid on their side for more light, the pictures are still quite dark an fuzzy, so I'll only post this one, I really need to get a digital camera for stuff like this and to take with me when I'm out riding:

Schnee80

It's a different bike to the one on the first posting!!

This stream is bizarrely fascinating !?!?!?!?! or should that be fascinatingly bizarre?

Old Git On A Bike

@ Schnee80, yes, it's a different bike to the one in my first post, well, slightly different, you should read earlier posts first , it's the same make and price, except this is a hardtail version, the one in my first post was the full suspension version, but if you see my post on page 2 of this topic, here:

http://www.bikeradar.com/beginners/foru ... 7#14678697

You will see I cancelled the order for the full suspension version and re-reordered the hardtail version instead, due to advice given on this site, which lead me to Google further, a hardtail is better suited to me needs.

Matteeboy

I'm detecting a pi55 take here....

woodywmb

I see from the picture is has a PC48 chain with fine edge chamfering.

OllyUK

Congrats on your new bike! I hope you enjoy your first ride on it.
As for the allen key do dah, I think the standard for stem bolts is a 4mm allen key (at least that's what it is on my bike), go for a set of metric allen keys, in particular a 4 and 5mm key. 5mm is the standard on disc brakes for caplier adjustments and also what you'll normally need for adjusting lever positions etc.

Old Git On A Bike

Matteeboy wrote:

I'm detecting a pi55 take here....

What, where is the pi55 take? :?

Firstly, I am a moderator on 2 websites and an admin on another, I am not in the habit of going on forums and messing about or taking the p155, we get enough f***ing trolls, spammers and idiot posters on the sites I help to run, without doing it myself on a forum like this or any other!

Secondly, I'm getting on a bike for the first time in years because my general health is totally cr@p, so I joined here to get some advice and inspiration from those who know a damn site more about cycling than I do, and those members like me who are/were unfit and/or new to cycling at some point, but who have done something about their health by getting on their bikes, and when I do finally start doing my daily rides, I will use this topic as my daily diary, just stating the distance I have travelled each day, average speed, my weight loss etc, stuff like that, just so I have a record of it online to keep me working towards my goals.

pemsey

Having looked through the posts, have you followed the most important piece of advice on here which was to go and see your GP before starting on this new regime? Given your stated health problems that should be your first port of call! I'd also take the oportunity to get some advice on following a healthy diet - following a crash diet like you seem to be doing won't do any good as you'll just put your body into "starvation mode" and as soon as you introduce more food the weight will pile back on.

Good luck with what you are trying to do - but build up slowlyand please see your GP - if nothing else it will give you a start point.

Matteeboy

I'm just slightly suprised to see someone know so little about cycling.

Maybe I'm just a suspicious kind of bloke.

doodoo_voodoo

Matteeboy wrote:

I'm just slightly suprised to see someone know so little about cycling.

Maybe I'm just a suspicious kind of bloke.

Isn't that the point of the "beginners" section?

You know, for people who don't know much about cycling.

Matteeboy

doodoo_voodoo wrote:

Matteeboy wrote:

I'm just slightly suprised to see someone know so little about cycling.

Maybe I'm just a suspicious kind of bloke.

Isn't that the point of the "beginners" section?

You know, for people who don't know much about cycling.

I have never met anyone, young or old, who asks such questions though. Come on, Im not the only one who thinks it might be a leg pull.

creamsoda

Matteeboy wrote:

I have never met anyone, young or old, who asks such questions though. Come on, Im not the only one who thinks it might be a leg pull.

Nah, having re-read it he sounds like me once i'd discovered MTB forums. I didn't know any different and was happy thrashing round on a heap of doo-doo thinking it was the dogs but once you hook into the whole MTB scene and get involved with more learned riders it gets a load more interested.

He just sounds genuinely enthusiastic for getting out on a bike and being part of a growing community.

I think you maybe a lone voice.

Go for it old git but word of advice smoking whilst riding will make yer tabs burn quicker!

Old Git On A Bike

Matteeboy wrote:

I have never met anyone, young or old, who asks such questions though.

@ Matteeboy, again, in response to your post, I can only say :?

What do you mean by ask "such questions", what questions are you referring to? As far as I can see, after going back through my posts, I have only really asked a couple of questions, which were:

Old Git On A Bike wrote:

Does anyone know anything about CBR bikes, anyone here ever owned one?

I asked that to see if anyone here had owned/ridden one before, and after reading the forums, I can see that a lot of members on here have top of the range bikes, but I thought that maybe someone might have owned/ridden the one I ordered, or knew of a review about it, because I have seen numerous posts where members had lower level bikes like mine, and I couldn't find anything on Google in the way of reviews for the CBR.

I also asked these 2 questions in one post:

Old Git On A Bike wrote:

Anyone got any good cycling regimes for someone as unfit as me, I was thinking of trying to start of with 10 - 15 miles a day, just a nice slow steady pace to work myself in and build up a bit of fitness so that I don't get breathless so quickly, but that's probably a bit to much to start with, right?

As it says, I asked if anyone had any cycling regimes I could use, and asked about the distance I should be cycling to start with, thinking what I had written might be too far to start with. So, what are the "such questions" you are remarking about?

creamsoda wrote:

He just sounds genuinely enthusiastic for getting out on a bike and being part of a growing community.

@ Creamsoda, exactly, this is something new for me all over again, I have not been on a bike since around 1997, and that was a rusty pile of cr@p mountain bike with no gear cable, so it was permanently stuck in 3rd gear, previous to that I had a road bike in around 1985ish, it was a Bianchi Sprint racing bike, that one got stolen :evil:, I didn't bother buying another one after that.

I am very enthusiastic about starting cycling again, even more so after reading these forums and others like it, as I said earlier in the topic, I tend to get really obsessional about anything I do, as I will do with cycling once I am out on my bike.

I have a similar topic on one of the forums I moderate on (non bike related site), but I though I should also post on a dedicated cycling site to get better advice from proper cycling bods, who knows, as this topic progresses, someone in a similar position to me might read it, and hopefully, it will give them the urge to get back on their bike.

Someone gave me a link to this topic on a US cyclig forum, this is the phenominal story of what cycling did for one man, he lost 359LBS in weight and lost 32 inches of his waistline, he was in a wheelchair and on oxygen mask, amazing story, and all thanks to cycling:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=228767

This is a photo of him as he was, and how he is now, simply by riding a bike to get his health back, very inspiring, especially for the massively overweight people out there, it can be done!:



There was also the topic on this forum by DavePiggott, which was pretty inspiring for me, sadly, Dave has not posted an update for a while:

http://www.bikeradar.com/beginners/foru ... ?t=4422383

woodywmb

Keep it going Old Git. 99per cent of us are behind your motives. Probably as many want to get fit, too.

Matteeboy

Old Git - sorry, I feel guilty now. And I do now believe you are 100% genuine.

Maybe I'm cynical - my "first" sport of surfing has forums and we often get mickey takers on it pretending to be beginners for a laugh.

Anyway, I mentioned earlier that I dont think there is a better sport for fitness - very low joint impact, fun and great for calorie busting and cardio.

Wife and I have been doing daily 10 milers for three years and are genuinely very fit (always been quite fit but never to this level!).

Go for it and ignore me.