Newbie & Son

7builder

Hello to one and all. I am an overweight unfit diabetic that has been threatening to get active and improve my fitness for a while now. Today my company announced that from April it will be participating in the Bike to Work scheme so this seems like a good time to start figuring out what sort of bike to get. Don't worry this is not another one of those "what bike should I buy for £1000" threads. I have only just found this forum so I have plenty of reading before asking any questions. Hopefully I should be on a bike soon and working towards better fitness (and diabetic control).

My Son has just announced that he would like a bike for his birthday at the end of Feb and I am looking at a Scorpion Awe. I am really struggling with the whole concept of buying my Son a bike as he had a very nasty accident 18 months ago. He hit a small jump ramp out in the road at a speed that was way too fast. As a result he and his bike parted company in mid-air, the bike landed first with the end of the handlebar facing up. He then landed on the handlebar with the end hitting him in the stomach. As a result he spent 2 months in hospital in a critical condition and required emergency surgery after 3 weeks. He had a hematoma on his liver and spleen, bruised his stomach and duodenum and worst of all pushed his pancreas into his spine which split it in two. He was "nil by mouth" for 2 months but finally started to make a recovery. He is almost back to full fitness now and is looking to get back on a bike. It is good that he is willing to get back to biking again and I know that what happened was a freak accident but it's not going to be easy.

Your outlook on life changes when you or someone close has a near miss so lets hope we both have many years of happy healthy biking ahead of us.

BlackSpur

Welcome to the forum and happy biking!

llamafarmer

That story made me wince! Glad your son is ok and hope you have many happy years of biking together.

Stephen-Hawking

Ouch!!

Hopefully he'll be a bit more cautious - tough way to learn a lesson though, glad he's OK now. Be a great thing to do together.

NEILHEAD

Hello At least when you ride together you can keep safe,as he has probablly learnt a very valuable lesson I ride with my 11year old and its a really good bit of quality time.

Joe_Pineapples

I had a remarkably similar accident WAAAAAAAAY back in 1981!

I hit a rock on my Halfords Trackstar and down I went, impaling my face on the end of the bar, forcing it into my eyebrow. I lost conciousness at this point (thankfully), but my friends managed to prise me off the bike and walk me the short distance home.

28 years later and I still bear a rather fetching circular scar that runs through my left eyebrow. The scary thing is that if it had been 15mm lower it'd probably have killed me, or at the very least taken out an eye.

I've never NOT had a bike, and even after the accident I couldn't wait to get back on two wheels, much to the disappointment of my mother who wanted to get rid of my bike at the earliest opportunity.

Thankfully she didn't.
Well done mum, x.

7builder

Bike handle bars can be nasty things. The Surgeon said it was a surprisingly common cause of abdominal injuries. The great thing about kids is they are so resilient and my Son is looking forward to getting back on two wheels. I've just got to convince him that riding a bike with scooped out melons stuck on the handle bar ends is a cool thing.

Joe_Pineapples

Maybe try bar ends, or possibly something like this:
http://www.ergon-bike.com/en/grips/gp1.html

7builder

Hmmm, interesting grips Joe, worth considering.
Im off now to ponder the pro's and con's of hardtail v's fs mountain bikes so I can narrow down my choice. I must admit I like the idea of getting a Focus Fatboy - it already has my name on it.

Joe_Pineapples

Go for it!

Stoo61

Thats a shocking story 7builder, I know if I had an accident like that I wouldnt be doing anything foolish so I guess that he will be cautious. I'm glad you aren't opposed to the idea either im sure many would be adverse to it.

Its a good activity for children and parents to do, if and when I have a sprog I hope we can do that sorta stuff.

Twisterboy

Welcome to the forum.

David

dave_hill

Hi and welcome to the forum, glad to hear that your lad's on the mend and keen to get back out!

Do you mind me asking if you are Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic? As you will already know, any form of exercise (or even digging in the garden!) can have a massive impact on your blood-sugar levels, and you need to keep on top of it!

Have you discussed with your doctor and/or consultant or dietician about what you intend to do and asked them for any suggestions? Obviously there's nothing to stop you getting some exercise, and many diabetics of both types do so succesfully.

For those of you who are unaware, there are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 1. Type 2 diabetes involves partial dysfunction of the pancreas - meaning that it cannot produce enough insulin to allow the body to regulate blood-sugar levels. It can be controlled by medication or diet. Type 1 diabetes involves complete failure of the pancreas - it produces no insulin whatsoever. Type 1 diabetics must inject insulin at least 3 times a day to regulate blood-sugar levels.

Type 2 diabetes can be genetic, but can also be caused by poor diet or an unhealthy lifestyle. Type 1 diabetes is nearly always genetic and is usually passed down through the mother's side of the family, often skipping generations. However, this is not a hard and fast rule - my father has been Type 1 for nearly 30 years yet there is no known history of diabetes in his family at all.

7builder

Hi Dave, I am Type2 and currently take tablets to help control blood sugar levels. You are correct in saying that Type2 can be caused by a partial failure of the pancreas (doesn't produce enough insulin) but it can also be caused by the body not being able to utilise the insulin correctly (insulin intolerant) which is an immune system dysfunction. Without medication my blood sugar levels would go through the roof (hyperglycemic) and as such would not have much of an immediate effect on my health. This is why so many overweight people, anything upto 2 million, are possible undiagnosed diabetics and don't realise it. The problem is long term complications because the blood is more sticky and that causes circulation issues. As long as I eat well before exercise I shouldn't have any problems with Hypoglycemia (blood sugar levels too low) which is when Diabetics can fall into a coma.
The benefit of exercise is that I should loose weight which will have a positive effect on the control of my blood sugar levels. I have a history of diabetes on both sides of the family and 4 years ago at the age of 40 I was diagnosed. I have no one but myself to blame as I have been inactive most of my adult life and as such overweight for quite a few years. The warning signs were there but I have become wiser after the event. Anyhow now is the time to get off my lazy backside and try and do something positive to improve my situation.

Today I ordered a bike for my Son, a GT Tempest 3 2008 model for £239.99 from Evans Cycles online. I managed to get the last one in stock and couldn't find it cheaper else where. I like the idea of being able to collect it from the Bristol store all set up and ready to ride. All I need to do now is narrow down what bikes I am interested in and sort out my company bike to work scheme. As it stands I haven't even decided on a full susser or hardtail MTB yet. Choices, choices.

dave_hill

7builder wrote:

It can also be caused by the body not being able to utilise the insulin correctly (insulin intolerant) which is an immune system dysfunction.

Now that I wasn't aware of - you learn something every day! I guess that's what comes of having to live with a Type 1 for so long! My dad's major effort is balancing his carbohydrate intake with the amount and type of insulin which he injects, and when he injects it.

ragged1100

Hi

I'm in a very similar postion to you, I have just bought a bike (although no half-price bikes for me, I'm a wealthy student so the government doesn't think I need help in reducing my carbon emissions, I can obviously afford it!!! sorry sore point) with the aim of getting fit and I have just bought my son one and he's loving it. The difference is that sadly he not I has Type 1 diabetes, but we've been out for tough 3-4 hour rides and his blood sugars are far more stable through the day than if he were just sitting around at home, and of course it's a lot more fun than just sitting around at home!!

All the best..

Ragged

7builder

Hi Ragged, sorry to hear about your sons Type1 Diabetes. If you haven't read it yet I can't recommend the following book highly enough.

The New Glucose Revolution by Dr Anthony Leeds, Prof. Jennie Brand Miller and a few other authors. ISBN 0340827025.

This book describes the effect that carbohydrate has on the body and how it increases blood sugar levels. The difference between simple and complex carbohydrates and how to control blood sugar levels through a correct diet. Did you know that 2 slices of white bread is worse for a diabetic that a bowl of ice cream for example?

As the front of the book says, "This is a groundbreaking discovery of the GI factor for: Blood sugar control, weight loss, diabetes and peak sports performance." So this book is also useful for the serious bikers amongst us looking for a competitive edge. I'm about a third of the way through it at the moment and it is a very interesting subject indeed.

Joe_Pineapples

I'm alergic to cats, does that count?

dave_hill

Joe_Pineapples wrote:

I'm alergic to cats, does that count?

Well stop eating them then...doofus...!!

numptyfish

Welcome to the forum,

i know nothing about your medical condition nor about which bike etc. But i do know that getting out and riding with your son and having a common interest is as good as it gets. My son and i try to go out riding our local trails every chance we get and although i struggle to keep up with him (42 v 14) we always have a great time.

take care and have fun.

shin0r

Welcome!

A top tip to avoid being apple-cored is to get some bar plugs:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Categories.aspx?CategoryID=198

7builder

Apple-cored? Never heard it called that before. The handle bar end didn't penetrate the skin but mashed his organs against his spine which did the damage. Someone said I should get him a custard top. Never heard of one before but apparently it is a gel filled top that goes solid in impact a bit like blancmange or custard when you walk over a vat of the stuff.

shin0r

7builder wrote:

Apple-cored? Never heard it called that before. The handle bar end didn't penetrate the skin but mashed his organs against his spine which did the damage. Someone said I should get him a custard top. Never heard of one before but apparently it is a gel filled top that goes solid in impact a bit like blancmange or custard when you walk over a vat of the stuff.

Gah that sounds horrific - the "custard" clothes I believe use a technology called "d30" - see http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=24926 - but they're currently hideously expensive.

You might want to invest in a core saver http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=9569 - again very expensive. I'm not sure how comfortable your son would be riding in one of these.

llamafarmer

Wouldn't blame you if you sent him out like this after that experience:

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/prototype-this/slide-show/images/prototype-this-06-airbag.jpg