45 year old, fat, newbie commuter needs advise please

fatboybiker

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Hi Fatboy,

MTFU. <

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Enjoy it. Whats your FCN?

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FCN?


I am a noob.

chunkytfg

Agreed rhext. I got a lovely winter jacket for Xmas from my missus and I have to admit to only using 3 times this year so far and that was only because my normal windproof jacket doesnt protect the arms from the wind and it was well below freezing so needed something to keep the wind off the arms.

I cant remember where I saw it but IIRC there is some random stat that suggests on average you will only get soaked through from rain around 3 times a year! When you think about it thats probably not too far off! Of course it will be higher for those who put themselves outside more often, ie us cyclists, but it still wont be a huge amount.

Personally I would ignore the jacket and sort out mudguards as the first port of call for you along with the narrower slick tyres

fatboybiker

chunkytfg wrote:

fatboybiker wrote:

OMG all these replies..... NOT read any yet I'll read through em shortly. desperate need of a shower.

Just to say I jumped in and did the whole thing both ways today 8 miles this morn and 8 tonight (just got in 5 mins ago)

35-40 minutes each way.... is that good or bad?

is it was very wet this morning so I put on some waterproof over trousers and I'm glad I did. next purchase asap is mudguards..... how much sh*te can you get covered in through lack of mudguards....

anyway..... showers beckoning.... I'll read all your comments in a bit.

thanks

I'll see how many aches and pains I have in the morrow.

Piece o' P*ss innit

Same again tomorrow?

Dudu

dhope wrote:

Dudu wrote:

SimonAH wrote:

Good cycle specific kit is breathable and will keep you bone dry. I recommend the DHB e-vent stuff, but it isn't cheap.....

That's often a big problem for newbies, fresh from the shock of buying bike, lock, magic hat, lights etc etc

Surprising how quickly the attitude changes from "What?!? £20 for a glorified t shirt" to "Hmmm, only £100 for that Jacket, what else can I get too?"

Very true. Although it'd still take a lot of persuading for me to buy Assos or Rapha kit even after 30 years and about 80,000 miles of grown-up cycling. And I've given up on "breathable" waterproofs, like some others. If it rains, I stay in, get wet or get sweaty in a race cape.

fatboybiker

Blue Meanie wrote:

Hmm,
BSA Javelin
Nice 8)

I loved that bike..... I didn't know any better.... it weighed as much as a small car.



Can I just say a big thank you for all the comments. I'll take your advice on board and keep at it.
despite my legs feeling like jelly at this moment in time I did quiet enjoy todays ride to and from work. even if i did look like I looked like I'd been sprayed by a muck spreader this morning.......Mudguards,mudguards,mudguards.....

SmellTheGlove

chunkytfg wrote:

I cant remember where I saw it but IIRC there is some random stat that suggests on average you will only get soaked through from rain around 3 times a year! When you think about it thats probably not too far off! Of course it will be higher for those who put themselves outside more often, ie us cyclists, but it still wont be a huge amount.

I'm flirting with the annual average already I think...

I can't add anything really except, top effort fatboybiker!

Speaking as a man who has recently "justified" a new road bike on the basis of... well not a lot really, I hope all your upgrades are a) timely ("It looked like it was about to give up the ghost; I changed it to be on the safe side") and b) well chosen ("Not nearly as pricey as you might think to look at it...")

TLDNMCL

Good Man Fatboybiker!

The time is very good, hat's off for taking the plunge - I suspect you may feel it a little in the morning though
Well done, here's hoping you feel chuffed with yourself.

Another one joins the brotherhood :P

fatboybiker

What the hell is this FCN thing :?:

please tell

dhope

fatboybiker wrote:

What the hell is this FCN thing :?:

please tell

Food Chain Number
http://www.itsnotarace.org/fcn-calculator/

Welcome to the world of Silly Commuter Racing. You'll be the only one taking part of course, none of us are actually racing, we're just riding to work fast.

Dudu

rhext wrote:

Newbies seem fixated on the 'problem' of getting rained on. But proper heavy rain is actually quite rare. You get lots of 'wet' days, but mostly you find that the rain's either just stopping, or just starting, or it's just a bit of drizzle. It's very rare that it comes down heavy enough to have me reaching for a waterproof.

Again, that's very true. I've read that in an average year, it's raining in the rush hour 12 working days out of the 250.

sketchley

Good job on first commute well done.

If you feel stiff in the morning best solution is to ride in again. The first mile or so will hurt then the muscles will stretch a bit and you'll be flying. If you decide not to ride the muscles will ache all day.

As for waterpoof debate, get a windproof softshell jacket. It will handle most rain except prolonged downpoor, by this I mean real heavy rain for 45 mins plus, and as other have said that'll only catch you out 3 time a year or so. Windproofing is much more handy than waterproof and the fact that softshell is breathable stops boil in the bag effect. Be careful though lots of cycling clothes are not tailored for the larger gentlemen, so XXXL jackets sometimes just mean longer arms for the 6ft 8 cyclists out there, the Gore Phantom II was like this for me despite a lot of recomendations here. After much searching I went for a BBB jacket just because of the fit http://www.dotbike.com/productsP8472.as1px during winter I've worn this most days with a DHB Corefit base layer. No problems with being cold, and despite lots of "wet" days only got proper wet one day when there was heavy rain through the whole journey.

dhope

+1 on the windproof for most rain

I got this and very pleased with it
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-long-sleeve ... am-jersey/

Initialised

On the waterproof side I picked up one of these the other day http://www.fieldandtrek.com/karrimor-hi ... e=63610991 but I'm finding I'm getting wetter from sweat than I would have from rain, with or without a base layer. So I'll probably leave it for the worst down pours. Probably best of with a softshell. It's regularly getting over 10C again so I'm starting to think about shorts

I've gone from well over 17 stone to around 15 since starting again a couple of years ago. Only 6.5 miles each way and mostly flat. For the first year I used to call for a lift if there was rain or take the car, last year I made a concious effort not to wimp out and even made it through the coldest, snowiest December ever. Keeping at a good temperature is more important than keeping dry.

fatboybiker

Cruds front and rear ordered from wiggle with express delivery so fingers crossed for Saturday.

So let me get this right, the main thing is to wear thin and light jersey and leggings underneath with a windproof outer layer.

The waterproof overtrousers I had on today did keep me from getting drenched but they had me sweating buckets as well..........as someone on here said, 'the boil in the bag effect'

I'm about to go to bed now and can't help wondering if my legs will actually work tomorrow..... i'll soon see.

thanks again, the info is invaluable to a noob like me. :roll:

EKE_38BPM

Well done on riding both ways.

Sketchley wrote:

If you feel stiff in the morning best solution is to ride in again. The first mile or so will hurt then the muscles will stretch a bit and you'll be flying. If you decide not to ride the muscles will ache all day.

Oh yes, your legs will almost definitely be stiff, but it will be worse if you don't ride. Its kinda like an addiction. It hurts to ride, but it hurts more when you don't!
If you really can't handle riding all the way in again, just go for a 20 minute spin. There again, that would be half way to work. You may as well ride all the way.

You've got it right about what to wear (in my opinion, anyway). Temperature is the most important factor by a mile.
Wear a little less than you think you need in the morning. You heat up loads when you get going so you'll only have to stop to take something off after a few minutes. A small dose of MTFU gets you through the initial cold period.
Following on from heating as you ride, when you get hot, you sweat (obviously), eventually you'll start unzipping layers to cool down (known as venting) but if you vent after you've already got sweaty and then stop (junction, traffic light etc) you get a chill pretty quickly. The solution is to vent before you get sweaty.

I think that a maximum of three of the right layers is pretty much all you need on a ride. I wore a wicking base layer, l/s jersey and an windproof softshell jacket in the snow (-12 ish).

I see your interest has been piqued with FCNs...

FCN = Food Chain Number. The lower the number the faster the bike and rider should be.
If someone with a higher FCN overtakes you, you've been scalped. Hang your head in shame.
If you overtake someone with a higher FCN, you've scalped them. Bragging rights are yours.
Learn about FCN here. Read about SCR here.

MTFU - Man The Fuck Up. Dig into your reserves and do what you know you have to do(cycle rather than drive, brave the cold for a few minutes rather than wearing an extra layer, riding in bad weather rather than using PT etc).

Dudu

fatboybiker wrote:

So let me get this right, the main thing is to wear thin and light jersey and leggings underneath with a windproof outer layer.

The most important feature of clothing for cycling is to make sure the material dries out quickly if you get wet or sweaty, and wicks the moisture away from your body and into the air. Most modern sports clothing does this - when did you last see a sweaty footballer? If the clothing stays wet after the rain stops or you stop cycling, you'll feel very cold.

Cafewanda

dhope wrote:

Good work. 35-40mins is absolutely fine
My 6 miles is about 24mins and I've been doing it for 6 months. Sounds like I need to get a move on tbh :oops:

My journey is 5.5 miles and it takes me 30 mins. I need to talk to you..... :shock:

Cafewanda

Fatboy, as your purchases increase in price (and, possibly, frequency) you might want to find ways of hiding the true cost of said purchases from your better half. The guys will have lots of suggestions there too

You are the only person in your family on this site aren't you?

dhope

Cafewanda wrote:

dhope wrote:

Good work. 35-40mins is absolutely fine
My 6 miles is about 24mins and I've been doing it for 6 months. Sounds like I need to get a move on tbh :oops:

My journey is 5.5 miles and it takes me 30 mins. I need to talk to you..... :shock:

But you have teeny tiny novelty legs :twisted:

Kieran_Burns

dhope wrote:

Cafewanda wrote:

dhope wrote:

Good work. 35-40mins is absolutely fine
My 6 miles is about 24mins and I've been doing it for 6 months. Sounds like I need to get a move on tbh :oops:

My journey is 5.5 miles and it takes me 30 mins. I need to talk to you..... :shock:

But you have teeny tiny novelty legs :twisted:

you know, if she could reach, she'd kick you in the shins.

Cafewanda

dhope wrote:

Cafewanda wrote:

dhope wrote:

Good work. 35-40mins is absolutely fine
My 6 miles is about 24mins and I've been doing it for 6 months. Sounds like I need to get a move on tbh :oops:

My journey is 5.5 miles and it takes me 30 mins. I need to talk to you..... :shock:

But you have teeny tiny novelty legs :twisted:

That's cruel.


KB, there was no reason to join in :P :P

EKE_38BPM

I had to give her a high chair at the Xmas meal.

Cafewanda

Keep up with that EKE I'll send the PF after you on the Dun Run, after you've bought me my pint of Guinness, of course :twisted:

fatboybiker

dhope wrote:

Cafewanda wrote:

dhope wrote:

Good work. 35-40mins is absolutely fine
My 6 miles is about 24mins and I've been doing it for 6 months. Sounds like I need to get a move on tbh :oops:

My journey is 5.5 miles and it takes me 30 mins. I need to talk to you..... :shock:

But you have teeny tiny novelty legs :twisted:

This made me chuckle. /\

Anyway.... day two...

got up this morning 6:00am and felt ok. no aches or pains apart from the old rump.

decisions, decisions..... to train or not to train.......... I thought bugger it and set off again.


This soon began to feel like the wrong decision and I think it could have been because I only had half a cup o tea before I set off and nothing else.(like, look at me, what the hell do i know about nutrition)

I felt like I had no energy to pedal and every mile was a struggle.
My arse was a bit sore and I kept loosing feeling in my hands? :shock: (probs a poor riding position and too much pressure holding my knackered bulk upright.)
But being tenacious and not one to give in I kept pushing and did the journey in 41 minutes and seemed to have a head wind all the bloody way. (how can you have a head wind whichever direction your heading?...... or did it just feel like that)

anyway I got there although it was a couple of minutes longer than yesterday.

during the morning at work(fridays are half day) I only managed to get 2 cups of sugar free coffee during the whole theory session with my group and my lack of energy meant that coming home I decided to jump on the train as I already had a paid up ticket, but now feel a bit disappointed that I did. so my actual riding home was only 3,5 miles.

I'm not put off by this but feel that I could have done better and getting the train feels like a bit of a cop out.

dhope

Eat more, certainly. Banana + Porridge or something similarly energy-y.
You're exercising first thing in the day you'll probably be setting your body up to burn more throughout.

The arse will adapt :?
You'll work your core a bit when cycling anyway and probably relax into it so you'll find arms not tired very soon.

Headwind does have a habit of being in 360 degrees on some days. Tired legs will sort themselves out as you get more used to it.

Good start

EKE_38BPM

Good job on riding in and don't feel bad about not riding home today. Plan your meals a little better and you'll be riding both ways with ease.

Ah, what to eat? One of the average cyclist's favourite questions.
You'll get lots of people recommending porridge. Its the breakfast of choice for cyclists.

Numb/cold hand/fingers are generally caused by pressure on the Ulnar nerve. If you still have the problem after eliminating possible problems with your position, you'll need to think about investing in some gloves and/or a padding solution for your handle bars.
The little fingers of both hands used to get numb before I bought some Specialized Body Geometry glove. I swear by them now.

You made a good observation about the wind. Its always a headwind, never a tailwind and the direction you are cycling makes no difference.

TLDNMCL

There will always be the occasional bad day, even after years; Same clothing, same set-up, similar weather as a previous good ride, but on another day sometimes it just doesn't go well.

Those days are few, so don't be put off

There are lots of mysteries involved in cycling, like the small hill you don't think twice about normally, and then one day your body tells you "bloody hell, this is hard work today, what's wrong?"

Go to the same place the following day, and you wonder what all the fuss was about.

Just accept it as part of the overall experience

fatboybiker

Thanks guys I don't feel so bad now and porridge is my favourite breakfast meal ever (when I can be bothered to make it at the crack of dawn) I'll ensure I have something before I set out.

As I slogged along this morning, to add insult to injury,I spotted this old bloke (must have been 55-60) waiting at a red light to my right as I went through the junction with his Met skidlid on and didn't think much about it until he sprinted past me on his razor-blade-like wheels and tyres :oops: . I kept him within 50 metres of me and he was pedalling twice as fast as me but I didn't have the energy to catch him up until he'd stopped at the major road junction in front of us both.

the lights changed and I set off and got to my 'topped out'(didn't know another way to put it) speed and the old sod did the same to me again. :oops: I managed to keep him within 50 metres again but couldn't gain on him although he wasn't getting any further away, right to the end of this very long road, then we went separate ways.

I can't let that go now can I

rhext

Ah, yes, we should have warned you about them. The old blokes with the silver hair and legs which look like sticks with tennis balls stuck to the back. They're almost as dangerous as busses, although admitedly it's only your self-esteem which will get flattened.

dhope

fatboybiker wrote:

Thanks guys I don't feel so bad now and porridge is my favourite breakfast meal ever (when I can be bothered to make it at the crack of dawn) I'll ensure I have something before I set out.

As I slogged along this morning, to add insult to injury,I spotted this old bloke (must have been 55-60) waiting at a red light to my right as I went through the junction with his Met skidlid on and didn't think much about it until he sprinted past me on his razor-blade-like wheels and tyres :oops: . I kept him within 50 metres of me and he was pedalling twice as fast as me but I didn't have the energy to catch him up until he'd stopped at the major road junction in front of us both.

the lights changed and I set off and got to my 'topped out'(didn't know another way to put it) speed and the old sod did the same to me again. :oops: I managed to keep him within 50 metres again but couldn't gain on him although he wasn't getting any further away, right to the end of this very long road, then we went separate ways.

I can't let that go now can I

And to think, yesterday you didn't know what SCR was