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

Old Git On A Bike

I wont be out on the bike today, I live on top of the white cliffs overlooking the English Channel, waves are crashing against the harbour wall, lamposts are swaying, it is blowing a gale outside, 30+ mph winds and worse expected, I can see people walking past outside and they can hardly walk, bending over in to the wind, no way am I trying to ride with winds like that.

Just checked the forecast for the next few days, and from now until Friday it's mostly light and heavy rain, fecking typical :evil:, hopefully I will get out during a dry spell if it's not windy.

dunker

yeah last dry few days for quite awile down south is the forcast, wanted to ride today but my legs are a bit achey from yesterday and i don't really like headwinds over 30mph, if my legs were bored i'd be tempted though

woodywmb

C'mon old git - grasp the nettle. You'd manage through a hurricane to get to the fag shop.

Old Git On A Bike

I hit the 13 1/2 stone mark today, that 1/2 stone came off easily, it should be even easier to lose more once I am on the bike, and if the weather forecast is to be believed, tomorrow is looking good for the first of my many rides to come 8)

FSR_XC

That's positively glorious weather (and great news for my night ride tonight).

Been following this thread from the start and I bet I'm not the only one keen to know how you get on.

Good luck . . . get on the bike . . . . . ride . . . . . and enjoy!

thekickingmule

Well, with it bein the first dry day in a while, up here in West Yorkshire, I decided today was the day that I would ride into work. So I did
My legs feel like jelly, muscles are complaining about not bein used in 6 years, my lungs are emptying stuff that's been gathering for 6 years, my heads a blur....
But I feel fantastic!!
Can't wait to ride home now It's not far, but it will be worth it, and it will get me ready for when I take on some trails.

I hope you've got ridin today, Old Git.

Keith

dunker

lovely day out there down south for us, hope you went or going out on the bike.

creamsoda

Checked back on this thread.

You took delivery of your new steed on the 14th of January AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T RIDDEN IT :shock:

These trainers your waiting for most be pretty special.

New bike all built up raring to go i'd be out in wellys.

Wellys may help with the bad weather your having.

Come back matteeboy all is forgiven

Old Git On A Bike

@ Creamsoda, there is nothing special about the trainers, just the waiting for them to arrive was the problem, that and the crap weather since getting them, I will not go out in strong winds and rain, to me, that's not enjoyable riding and I wont do it, you lot might be biking fanatics who go out in all weathers, riding through mud and down mountains, but that's not for me, I wouldn't go anywhere near mud or a mountain on my bike.

If you want to go riding your bike wearing wellies, go ahead and look like a numpty , the only pair of shoes I own are a pair of brogues, so I had no choice but to wait for the catalogue to deliver my trainers, otherwise I to would look like a numpty on my bike wearing new Adidas tracksuit bottoms and a pair of brogues.

I had my first ride today, it was a lot harder than I thought, even though it was only a short ride, I was ok for the first couple of hundred yards, my thighs started hurting at that point, I got to the park which is at the end of my road, about 500 yards from my flat, and I had to stop for a minute, I set off again, got half way through the park and saw the hill going down and the other hill going up, I thought about going back at that point, but I thought, sod it, carry on.

Going down the hill was ok lol, going up the hill was killing my thighs, I got out of the saddle, did about one revolution and slumped back in to the saddle, I just couldn't stand up and pedal, so I went up the hill very slowly, down another pretty long steep hill and up another short one, then back onto a flat clifftop cycle path that took me to the bay at Broadstairs, I stopped there for a few minues rest and made my way back, couldn't get up the steep hill on the way back at all, had to stop and get off the bike, my legs were completely jellified, I couldn't even walk properly, the thighs were completely gone, I managed to walk up a bit until I got near the top where it flattened out a bit, got back on and started pedalling again, nice downhill bit again to give my legs a rest before the hill back up the park, got part way up it, had to stop and rest for a minute again and then cycled the rest of the way home with one more stop in between.

I can't say I enjoyed it that much, didn't dislike it either, I thought my lungs would have been hurting before my legs were, I was getting out of breath, but the legs were the main problem, I have not used them for so long.

I will be back out on the bike tomorrow as long as the weather holds, I'm not sure if I want to do the same route I did today, hills are not too my liking, maybe I should have stuck with my original plan of going down to the beach and cycling where it is flat, although that trip will be a lot shorter and I would have to go there and back a couple of times, or maybe I should stick with the route I did today and see if there is improvement over the days until I can do the hills without stopping.

Top speed 19.9 mph (down a steep road)
Avg speed = 9.2 mph
Distance = 3.61 miles
Time 24:07:09

Pulse before/after ride and recovery times:

Pulse before ride = 72 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 138 bpm's 3:30pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 108 bpm's 3:40pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 102 bpm's 3:50pm
Pulse 65 minutes later = 94 bpm's 4:35pm

Something I did notice on the bike, when I was trying to figure out what gear is what, I put it on the big ring on the crank, but when I do that, the chain is rubbing against that metal bit that pushes the chain across, not sure how to adjust that to stop the rubbing?

The only gears I used were the middle ring on the crank and about 5 of the gears on the back.

OllyUK

Make sure your legs are spinning as opposed to pushing hard, its much more efficient and better on the knees (ie a lower cadence) and a good way of building up the pace.

About the chain rub, it's very common and almost unavoidable in certain gears (ie outer chainring and an inner cog, or even outer on both becasue the chain is as far right as it will go). See the park tools article on front derailleurs, they describe all the adjustments very well.

Keep it up You'll grow to love it!

dunker

well done for riding today! keep it fun and just go at your own pace and pretty soon that distance will double.

woodywmb

Honest, it was even sunny up here today in Scotland. Managed a 10 mile road circuit to blow the cobwebs away (off today, working tonight). Old Git - these mountains you write of will become molehills if you keep up the cycling. Don't bust a gut. Keep at it, on all terrains, and you'll soon feel a difference. Treat yourself to a day on the flat now and again and enjoy just pootling along. Walking's better for you than running and something similar can be said about cycling. You may end up having to change your log-in!

stumpyjon

Well done, just stick with it now, little and often is better than going at it full pelt. Can be nice to vary your route but it's also good to have a regular route so you can see yourself getting better, it can really boost you when you manage to get up a hill you've always stopped on before.

I know how you felt when you got back, I got back into riding this time last year after a layoff for a couple of years, did an 8 mile loop I'd done before, took over 2 hours, had to stop on every hill and could not walk up stairs for 30 mins after I got back because my legs were so shot. I can now do the same route (in the mud) in an hour and ten minutes without stopping on any of the hills.

The chain rubbibg on your front derailleur (also known as a front mech)

that metal bit that pushes the chain across

may be caused by your limit screws being incorrectly adjusted. The two screws act as end stops to stop the mech from getting too close to the frame or pushing the chain off the big ring. Turning the screw may allow the mech to move further out stopping it rubbing (could also be down to the indexing being incorrectly adjusted, welcome to the wonders of setting up gears ).

Keep going and have fun (congrats on the weight loss, I'm with you on that, I've lost about 4Kg since Christmas :shock: and am down to about 13.5 stone).

Panter

Well done 8)

See what I meant about the jelly legs now?

It does get better, don't forget to take rest days too, its just as important to give your body time to strengthen as well as to train.

Sounds like a pretty respectable average speed to me for a first go TBH. Don't forget it will be very hard to start with, don't give up on those hills, you'll soon be flying up them and wondering what all the fuss was about (he says still knackered from the Detling hill comute today :oops: )

I didn't really enjoy it either when I first started, any bit of motivation helps. Keep tracking your performance and check back in a months time and I bet there will be an improvement 8)

Cheers

Chris

Panter

Forgot to add, is your saddle definately at the right height? it'll do you no favours at all if its too low and will make even a strong riders legs "burn out" during a ride.

Cheers

Chris

FSR_XC

Well done. An average of over 9mph might not seem much, but that is very good for a first time out on a bike.

To be fair I think you'd have needed a flat (ish) route to go much further on a first ride too.

Ideally you could do with a friend that would go out with you. This way neither should let each other down by avoiding a ride and you can encourage each other when it gets tough.

Look at each day/stage as a challenge & keep trying that bit harder. Don't forget to give youself a few days rest when you are kn*ckered and keep a diary of what you've achieved. You'll look back in 6mths & not believe how far you've come on. Your heart recovery rate will speed up too.

Good luck & keep it up.

BTW, you say you don't want to go near any mud . . . . once you've got a bit fitter and you've tried it, you'll wanna get dirty every time you ride!

Ouch I've just noticed you now weigh less than me (slightly over 13.5stones). Well done on the weight loss too.

Old Git On A Bike

OllyUK wrote:

See the park tools article on front derailleurs, they describe all the adjustments very well.

stumpyjon wrote:

The chain rubbing on your front derailleur (also known as a front mech) may be caused by your limit screws being incorrectly adjusted.

Cheers, I had a look at that site, here is the link for any other beginners who might find it handy:

http://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=75

All I did from the advice on that page was to mess around with the L and H limiter screws, didn't seem to make a lot of difference to the chain rubbing, couldn't see the front mech moving very much when I turned the screws, I think I'll probably just stick with using only the middle ring and the 8 gears at the back, I don't like hearing rubbing noises when riding, I keep thinking the chain will snag and snap or throw me over the bars.

Panter wrote:

See what I meant about the jelly legs now?

Yes mate, I couldn't believe it happened so fast, though, I thought I would have got a fair bit further before the jelliness set in, things can only get better the more I ride.

Panter wrote:

Sounds like a pretty respectable average speed to me for a first go TBH

FSR_XC wrote:

An average of over 9mph might not seem much, but that is very good for a first time out on a bike.

Actually, I thought it was a cr@p average, especially since someone earlier in the topic said they average about 15 mph (4 minutes per mile), and that they classed themselves as unfit and overweight, I feel pretty let down by not even hitting double figures, I guess it just goes to show how unfit I really am, as I was expecting to do 4 minute miles as well, might manage it on the flat

I know things will gradually get better the more I do, when I last rode, I had to ride from Wallington to Thornton Heath, it was about 4 1/2 miles with a very slight uphill gradient most of the way, there was also a flyover to cycle up and a long hill up to Thornton Heath duckpond roundabout, when I first started doing it, I was slow and it used to take me about 30 minutes to get there, it used to kill me, but gradually, over time, I got stronger and faster, got it down to about 20 minutes in the end, that was on the old steel framed mountain bike which only had one gear that worked, I was fitter then than I am now, that was over 10 years ago, so it's going to be a slog for me now, but I'm in it for the long run, my legs feel alright now, but my chest is quite raspy, my pulse still hasn't settled down yet, it's still around the 88 - 90 bpm's, as it has been all evening.

lunaeventer

Well done for getting out on the bike today!

As someone else has already mentioned - do a variety of easy routes & harder routes as well as allowing rest days. Just don't allow the weather to make rest days outnumber the cycling days completely!!

As Billy Connelly says: There is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong sort of clothes!!!

Can appreciate not wanting to go out in a gale though!!

Panter

Actually, I thought it was a cr@p average, especially since someone earlier in the topic said they average about 15 mph (4 minutes per mile), and that they classed themselves as unfit and overweight,

Don't forget that is coming from a cyclists perspective of unfit and overweight

I am unfit and very overweight but I still push quite a respectable average speed on the roadbike simply because I've been working very hard at it for nearly a Year now.

Compared to my friends, and people at work, I'm very overweight but incredibly fit.

Compared to the MTB riders in the "Kent" thread, I'm very overweight and unfit.

Compared to the all-mountain riders on MTBBritain, I'm obscenely overweight and would have no fitness at all everythings relative.............

Keep at it and keep the updates coming.


Cheers

Chris

SBezza

Keep it up, it does get easier as you get fitter, I hadn't ridden a bike for 10 years+ in November, when I was 18 stone. Now I look forward to the weekend just to get out on the bike, especially to do off road, even bought a new more expensive bike to enjoy it even more.

I am just getting fitter and fitter each week (though I do use the gym 5 days of the week as well), and part of this is by riding, further and further, I did 18 miles last Saturday, and though in pain on Sunday, was worth every second of it.

I have even entered a Dublin to Cork Bike Ride in September to set myself a challenge, and I think setting yourself a challenge (short term or long term) is the best way to get motivated to get out on the bike.

I also must admit to not originally going off road, but apart from being safer with no traffic, it is a hell of a lot more fun.

Old Git On A Bike

Panter wrote:

Don't forget that is coming from a cyclists perspective of unfit and overweight

I didn't think of it like that, I just thought he was an unfit knacker like me, so I'll bear that in mind when reading comments in future

SBezza wrote:

I have even entered a Dublin to Cork Bike Ride in September to set myself a challenge, and I think setting yourself a challenge (short term or long term) is the best way to get motivated to get out on the bike.

That would be a good one for me to do one day, all of my family are originally from Dublin, and my mum lives in Bandon, County Cork, good luck for when you do it!

My targets for now are just to cycle as much as possible and gradually build up the distance and length of time I cycle for, it will be a lot easier once we move to Hastings, they have a nice flat seafront cycle path there which is about 3-4 miles long from Hastings to St Leonards, and further along the sea wall where it is not paved yet, that will suit me down to the ground until the summer, when no doubt the cycle path will be full of tourists blocking it :x, I should be fairly fit by then and can travel further to other routes with less pedestrians on it.

dunker

an exercise you might wanna try for days when it's miserable outside if you live in a house is just walk up and down the stairs a few times until you're breathing a little heavier?

stumpyjon

Don't worry too much about your average speed compared to others (there's loads of things that could make it an invalid comparison). Just compare your performance with yourself, if you did a route today faster than last week you know your getting better and as long as that continues you're winning.

I'm not a very competitive person at heart, in fact trying to compete with others demotivates me but trying to improve my own times, speeds and skills does keep me going.

I did an endurance event last year, the only goal I set myself was to finish in the allotted 12 hrs, the fact that 35 people didn't finish and 30 odd came home after me was a bonus after the event. This year my goal is to do the route in 7.5 hrs (down from 8.25hrs), if that means I finish in front of more people, great, if not I've still improved.

Rykard

Average speed is only a good comparison against yourself. There are too many variables to make a comparison with other people, unless you ride the same roads at the same time. It might be good to keep a log of your times so you can see if you are getting any quicker/slower/fitter/ride better in certain weather etc...

Old Git On A Bike

Cheers all, I'll bear that in mind about average speeds, and try not to compare to others, only myself.

Just had my second ride, did nearly a mile further today, all on the flat apart from the road down to the beach, started of nice, rode down to the park, turned around at the park and came back the same way along the cliff top, 20mph wind in my face, I struggled, it was even worse when I go to the beach, wind in my face all the way until I came back, I enjoyed the return leg with the wind behind me , I did not even attempt to climb the cliff road, it's way to long and steep, so I had a rest and walked up it, got on the bike near the top, and the pains started going through the top of my legs, felt like cramp below both hips at the very top of the leg, every turn of the pedal and it was arrrgghhhhh, good job I was opposite my home then.

My pulse wasn't as high as it was yesterday when I got back, probably due to not trying to ride up hills today, definitely prefer the flat riding, shame about the wind, but it's forecast good weather and less wind for the next few days, so I'll stick with the route I did today and extend it a bit further, there is a bit of road that leads to a tunnel which is only for trucks to get the ferry, going to the tunnel entrance and back should add about another mile I reckon, could have done it today, but the wind was p!ssing me off, tomorrow is another day.

February 7th:

Top speed 22.9 mph (steep road from cliff top to beach)
Avg speed = 9.8 mph
Distance = 4.50 miles
Time 27:31:1

Pulse before/after ride and recovery times:

Pulse before ride = 74 bpm's
Pulse after ride = 124 bpm's 3:15pm
Pulse 10 minutes later = 110 bpm's 3:25pm
Pulse 20 minutes later = 96 bpm's 3:35pm
Pulse 65 minutes later = 94 bpm's 4:20pm

dunker

wow it's great you went out the next day, last april on my first ride on my bike i could hardly walk the next day not to mention feeling like i'd been attacked by an elephants tusk up the backside heh. great work keep it up and welcome to a long and turbulent (sorry hehe) relationship with the wind

stumpyjon

I think we all hate the wind, it's the one thing guaranteed to keep me inside

pemsey

And you can guarantee that if it's in your face on the way out, it will change by 180° when you're on the way back so you never get blown home!

I used to live not far from Hastings (Pevensey) and there are some nice flat routes along the coast to Bexhill and across the marshes. Be prepared for the fact that it's always blowing some sort of breeze,wind gale there though! Builds up the fitness pretty quickly .
Another variation would be to get the train to Polegate and then cycle up the Cuckoo trail to Horam and back and then train it back - mind when you're fitter you'll want to cycle the whole way!

Take it steady and enjoy

Old Git On A Bike

@ Pemsey, yes mate, I have the Cuckoo trail on my list of things to do when I'm fitter, I mentioned that one earlier in the topic, looks like a nice ride, I have numerous East Sussex websites in my faves folder where they give details of trails to ride in that area, quite a lot down that way. Found out yesterday that our application to rent a property has been accepted, moving to St Leonards/Hastings on Feb 22nd, sorted.

Also, on the seafront at St Leonards, just a 1 minute ride from our new flat, there is a covered walk/cycleway under the main promenade called Bottle Alley, which is approximately 1/2 a mile long, that will be ideal for days when it is raining, I can use it for time trialling in the dry 8)

I just found a YouTube video of someone riding along Bottle Alley and a couple of photos of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-2Mda5x6u4





[edit]

Forgot to mention, I wont be out on the bike today, I was up most of the night with a bad stomach, I get a lot of excess acid which irritates the hell out of my ulcers, so it's a forced rest day today.

bolderz

Hi everyone, i just brought a 08 gt i drive xcr 5 from halfords for £730, did i get a bargin? I used to ride about 100 miles per week, 10 years ago, but had bad accident and have only just managed to get strength in back to ride again...

do you know of any good off road trails, decents/ rough terrain in around the redruth area?

cheers all.