How old are the newbies to road cycling?

flatlander13

Hi,

At 53, I'm actually a 'reborn newbie', I suppose: once a fairly avid (touring) road biker around the age of 18-19, and up until my 27th year or so, I have been the proud owner of a bright orange 15-gear (and almost 15 kilogram) Peugeot UO8 as my first 'racer', which I used for my school commute (9 km each way on weekdays) and training, and on cycling holidays. Carrying about 10 kg of luggage in panniers, I cycled through the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, England and the south of Scotland on that thing in the late 1970's, and once from the Netherlands to Rome and back... I was in pretty good shape when I returned from that particular holiday. )

I crashed on the Peugeot in 1979 and damaged the bike beyond repair. I bought a Nishiki Road Master to replace it - which I sold again 4 years later, and replaced with a slightly more edgy 'Cupini' (a local brand from my then-LBS in Rotterdam). Having ridden that machine for a year or two, I moved to Denmark... and then, for some reason, it stopped - or rather, I stopped.

Now, more than 20 years later, I found myself occasionally wondering what riding a 'modern' road bike would feel like - and then, a few weeks ago, I came across a Giant Defy 1 (2011 model, which is probably why it was on sale for a very reasonable price here in DK). I've bought it and have now ridden the first 30-40 miles on it, and it's great to be back. Also, for someone who has never ridden anything other than relatively cheap steel frames (i.e. with non-butted, and none-high-grade or Chro-Mo tubes), the (aluminium) frame feels wonderfully light and responsive.

I'm struggling to get my average speed above 25 km/h, though (what would that be in miles? 15-16, I think?), but hope to become a bit faster as I get along. I'm also looking forward to shedding some excess weight (At 6' 4", I'm tipping the scales at 90 Kg which is not terrible, I guess - but I know that I'll feel (and look) better when it's down around 86, since I am, at the moment, the typical 'tall skinny guy' with arms like pipe cleaners, but with a little pot belly... ;o)

FYI: I also ride an Optima Condor recumbent (A Dutch touring machine, very heavy and sturdy), but that is a different story, and a completely different way of cycling. However, I'll be happy to provide more detailed info on the subject if anyone should be interested - but I suppose that would 'belong' on a different forum.

Cheers, and ATB

Thebigbee

Hi flatlander13,

Another great post - very informative and interesting - which was all this thread was started for in the first place. I think it has been a good point of reference for cycling newbies or people getting back into it.

Your weight seems pretty low IMO for such a tall (and aged) - joking - guy but I guess a lot of it depends on what type of body shape you naturally have.

http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articl ... morph.html

I have just weighed myself and came in at 15.6 stone at 6'2".

I don't feel fat or even that "big" at that weight but could still do with losing about a stone.

My waist is still 34". Was 32" from 16-27.

Anyway - great post HTH some other newbies. And for anyone getting into cycling for fitness or to lose weight it is not always as straight forward as it may seem on paper.

geems

I'm 56. I got back on the bike about 5years ago with a MTB. Then i got hooked on road cycling, so now i have a full suspension XC bike and road bike. I thinks it improved my fitness 4 fold and will carry on as long as i can.

Iv'e met some great people and am totally hooked.

Regards to everyone.

Graham

boas1002

i am boas, i am 36.
i like to ride my bike ....

mikelskas

just bought my first road bike. I have wanted to buy one since i was about 18/19 but never had the cash so stuck with mountainbikes.
.

Earlier this week I picked up a 2011 Jamis Ventura Sport. Havnt been out on it too much yet but weather wise this week looks a lot drier so I am hoping to rack up some miles. Thanks for reading!

bbrap

Hi all,

I'm another "born again newbie". Used to ride a bike in my late teens (due to unfortunate time with speeding/driving penalties and losing my driving license). Then stopped riding due to the whole marriage/kids/house type scenario. in my mid 30's some guys at work said they were going to do the London - Brighton ride and did I fancy trying my hand. So I bought a bike off of a colleague (Elswick Hopper) and went out a couple of times as training (yep just the twice). Did the LB and got hooked (did the L-B 3 times in all). A few years later I bought a Ribble 653 with Avanti and rode for a couple of years, having moved to Suffolk I did the Norwich 100 a couple of times. Then stopped again (too much work, not enough time etc etc). Just over two years ago I got the old Ribble out and began cycling again. All was going well until a drunken Lithuanian took me and my training partner out and wrote off both our bikes (and very nearly us as well), off work for 3 months and very nearly gave up cycling for good. Had the opportunity to retire early at 53 and took it. Now 54 and cycling more than ever, out 4 or 5 times a week, 30 ish miles a pop. Got a Ribble Gran Fondo as a replacement and loving it.

Bill

GT_Dave

Hi everyone, Im 34 in a week and a Mountain Biker at heart but a fairly new one at that, I knock about on a Boardman FS Team but have just purchased a second hand Giant Defy 3 on a bit of a whim really.

Looking forward to getting some serious miles under my belt and losing some pounds! I took up cycling as I had some serious knee surgery that stopped me from running so the weight piled on to about 16 1/2 Stone, now down to 15 1/2 and hoping to get to about the 14 stone mark, its been about 10 years since I was last that weight so should be interesting! Also trying to give up smoking so the cycling is helping to take my mind off that!!!!

I will let you know how I get on and I might spend a bit more time in here as well as the MTB section, not quite ready to shave my legs and buy loads of lycra just yet though

Ben95

I'm 16, and have just started cycling in the past few months. I used to ride about a bit on my old bike, but never actually went cycling for fun. I got into cycling more after I went to Whinlatter for a couple of days last summer to do some mountain biking (on a hire bike). Since then I've been going mountain biking a few more times, and I bought a performance hybrid last October. My bike was sold as a Claud Butler explorer 300e, but I've searched the internet for ages, and I can't find a picture that looks anything like my bike.

I do a lot of running (10k), so my fitness levels were good, and I've found cycling a really good thing to do in between running to give my running muscles a break and work some muscles that wouldn't get worked when I'm running.

Thebigbee

GT_Dave wrote:

I will let you know how I get on and I might spend a bit more time in here as well as the MTB section, not quite ready to shave my legs and buy loads of lycra just yet though

Lycra is something that you can grow into. Shaving your legs is never going to be worthwhile IMO unless you are a professional track cyclist.

Am unsure that shaving has any scientific results that prove speed is increased. I suspect it is done for other reasons.

Put it like this - most riders on TDF didn't wear helmets and had "long" hair and beards but didn't seem to slow them down....

den1966

hello , i'm den..
i'm 45 , i was made redundant after 13yrs last august , i've always had a bike of some sort to get to work and i decided to break out and treat myself to a new road bike ...
its been an outstanding success , i was able to do 10 miles at first no probs , then i started going further , my first 20 miler was nearly the end of me but i stuck at it and now tootle about doing 20m a day EVERY DAY , i've also lost nearly 3 stone and feel 10 times better , i've signed up for a 90k sportive in august with a few lads from our local football team which i'm involved with, we're doing it for a fund raiser for our new indoor pitch which has been only built in the last few mths , kids playing ANY SPORT is better than playing those bloody play station games ,
i'm married with 3 kids over here in ireland , i'm from manchester originally (and a red, don't mind those berties ) ..my bike is a bog standard orbea.. which i love and next week there is a lovely set of fulcrum racing 5 wheels going on it ...somebody told me once that cycling is bloody addictive ...they were spot on ....

russyh

Hi,
I am 30 years old a have just bought my first bike. I have only spent a small amount on a second hand bike to cut my teeth! So far I love it, I am off on my first 20 miler tonight! I am lucky in that I have another 2 soon to be 3 friends that are newbies as well. One thing I do find daunting is the mechanics and the industry discriptions for parts. I love messing about with things and upgrading them so I guess cycling is perfect for me! But can someone recommend a book for a newbie - something around road bike maintenance and upgrading??

Russ

p9uma

sweetchariot wrote:

Hi everyone,

I am beginning a quest. I have always had a Mountain Bike. Over the years I have been married had kids and became FAT. I got up to 302 lbs and have now shrank to 277. I hope you sense the sarcasm! I really want to road bike. I know it is not possible now because of my weight. What would any of you recommend to be a good weight to start looking for a road bike. I have always had Cannondale Mountain bikes. I would like to stick with that brand. I am hoping to have my weight off in a year. Thanks for all the help.

Crivens! You're a big lad ain't ya. Well done on the weight you've lost do far, keep at it and try a to eat a healthy balanced diet and aim to lose 1lb to 2lb a week by counting the calories, there are loads of free apps on the web to hope you manage that. And to exercise I'd start going for an hours walk every day, and maybe go out on your MB as often as possible. I don't know about what bike is ideal for your size, you should go to a good bike shop and get the best advice. I too am a fan of Cannondale bikes, I reckon there must be a road bike out there for you from Cannondale.

klep

Hello everybody,

I'm a 20 year old Dutchman and I'm a newb to road cycling.

I started about two years ago when I lived on Mallorca and was looking for a normal city bike to commute to work (5 min ride) and do groceries etc. when a Belgian friend I had there asked me if I wanted a road bike instead.
I never even thought of road biking, even on the most beautiful cycle island in the world, but I definitely liked the idea.

The Belgian guy knew of a way to get a cheap road bike.
On Mallorca there is a cycle holiday company, Max Hürzeler Bicycle Holidays. They rent out bikes and organise bike holidays and are the biggest on the island with this. Though after a couple of years they have to get rid of their bikes to replace them with new models.

I bought an alu CUBE bike with full Shimano 105 5600 groupset and Ultegra hubs for only €300 (£249) and I was very happy with it. I did some short distance riding at first, mostly 10-15km rides, but I wanted to go up one of the mountains in the area one day, which I eventually did. I went to the top of a mountain which I could see from my appartment. The ride there was 18km with +624m and -327m in altitude, the ride back was much easier! This was a great accomplishment for me back then. That day I decided I wanted to get more serious with road biking. First thing when I came back from that ride was shop for some bibs and cycling shirt.

Here's me on top of the mountain [EDIT: this is actually half way but such a nice picture view]


Some weeks later I did regular 30-50km rides and the one to the top of the first mountain I did became my ''hangover-workout'' to sweat out all the party from last night early in the morning.
That season stayed quite like that. When I went back to Mallorca last season though, I did some more serious riding. At least 200km a week, 60-100km rides and sometimes 130km. The rides were never extremely long, that is because in the high season its 35+ degree in daytime.

Now after a long, boring winter I'm planning pick it up again. Sadly not going to Mallorca this year but theres good riding to do here in Holland/Belgium.
But I need a bike to do so. I stripped down my Cube bike and I'm now building a carbon Planet X bike with my old groupo. (I found the frameset here in the classifieds forums)
I'm still waiting for some stuff to be delivered but I hope to have the bike finished end of this week or maybe next week with bad luck. And it might even take longer since it's my first time building a bike myself..

I'm very eager to ride my new baby!



Thanks for reading, I hope to have a good time on these forums.

Ride safe!

Fixed1979

Hello all. 33 years old in a week, I've been doing a little bit of mountain biking for the past couple years but this year for my birthday I've bought myself a Felt AR5. I know this is a European board but I'm actually from a small town in northern Canada. I'm already jealous of some of the routes I've seen on here as there's one road in and out of my town my travel options will be fairly limited.

It's still winter(ish) here so it'll probably be a bit before I'm able to get a road bike out although I did have my MTB out yesterday for the first time since the fall. I've signed up for a couple spin classes to help me get prepared as the winter has not been kind to me, hopefully I'll meet some people there who are also interested in biking.

laurentian

"How old are the newbies to road cycling?

And what are your reasons for picking the sport up?

Also what cylcling / exercise / fitness history do you have?

Finally what bike have you bought / now use?

Interested to know your thoughts - answer as many as you want and give as much history as you want.

Cheers

Bigbee"

I'm 47 next week and have "picked the sport up" as the Mrs (who has to undertake a challenge every year such as half/full marathon etc) has entered us (note "us") in a 150 mile ride between 2 lochs in Scotland in September.

I have played Rugby every week since I was 11 and continue to do so, training (running, weights etc.) 2 or 3 times a week although cycling is taking over the running at the moment!

Following advice from this forum, I bought a second hand 2010 Specialized Allez which, although it obviously has some miles under its belt, seems to be fine. I'm really enjoying the new sport and using it to supplement my Rugby training runs with something less aggressive on my (aging) knees. Currently up to about 40 miles on a sunday (rugby injuries permitting) with a couple of 8-12 mile rides in the week.

I have wanted a road bike for a long time and this ride that the wife has entered us into has given me the reason to get one - wish I'd done it years ago!

As I am either completely "in" or completely "out" of any hobby/pastime, what would be the most useful/best "upgrade" I could by for a standard Allez?

Rigged

laurentian wrote:

"How old are the newbies to road cycling?

And what are your reasons for picking the sport up?

Also what cylcling / exercise / fitness history do you have?

Finally what bike have you bought / now use?

Interested to know your thoughts - answer as many as you want and give as much history as you want.

Cheers

Bigbee"

I'm 47 next week and have "picked the sport up" as the Mrs (who has to undertake a challenge every year such as half/full marathon etc) has entered us (note "us") in a 150 mile ride between 2 lochs in Scotland in September.

I have played Rugby every week since I was 11 and continue to do so, training (running, weights etc.) 2 or 3 times a week although cycling is taking over the running at the moment!

Following advice from this forum, I bought a second hand 2010 Specialized Allez which, although it obviously has some miles under its belt, seems to be fine. I'm really enjoying the new sport and using it to supplement my Rugby training runs with something less aggressive on my (aging) knees. Currently up to about 40 miles on a sunday (rugby injuries permitting) with a couple of 8-12 mile rides in the week.

I have wanted a road bike for a long time and this ride that the wife has entered us into has given me the reason to get one - wish I'd done it years ago!

As I am either completely "in" or completely "out" of any hobby/pastime, what would be the most useful/best "upgrade" I could by for a standard Allez?

Not really an 'upgrade' but getting a bike fit so that you don't do yourself an injury with the distances you're intending on doing and also so that you're as efficient on the bike as possible would be a great place to start. If you're looking to upgrade a component then wheels are the usual starting place for most bikes.

Josephine86

I'm Josephine and I'm 25 years old. I do road cycling to stay in shape. It gives me a lot of energy and I feel perfectly satisfied when I'm done.
My boyfriend competes in competitions so it's thanks to him that I got into road cycling. It's also thanks to him that I lost over 25 pounds since I first started 3 years ago

God bless road cycling, road cycling did what no diet could!

klep

That is amazing Josephine, nice weight loss!

Ride safe!

wjperrin

Just turned 18! Have ridden XC for ten years, but only this month got myself a roadie (Ribble 7005) and I'm loving it. So easy to rack up the miles right from your doorstep. And it will improve my MTB fitness massively. I will soon look into joining a club

Thebigbee

Hey guys,

haven't been here for a while and just noticed that the thread is just over a year old. Just wanted to thank all the contributions and I hope that this has been an easy way into road or simply cycling.

That was my intention for starting it and also the fact that I am a beginner and just a nosey parker!

Thanks for all your interesting tales and reasons why you got into cycling and all the friendly people who have dispensed their help and advice.

Keep up the good work.

Regards

Bee of the Big

scotty32

Hey everyone,

I am 31 (soon to be 32) and have recently taken up road cycling as an alternative option to driving my commute every day and to regain some of the fitness that i've left behind in the pub etc.. I purchased a spanking new Specialized Allez Comp because i got it for an absolute steal of a price. I think that it's perhaps a little sporty for what i'm mainly intending it for but after a few rides out to see how i faired i love it and i can see myself getting right into the road cycling. I am also looking forward to improving my personal fitness as the first few times out i thought i wasn't going to make it back at some points!! I have to admit though, it's a darn sight more expensive than just buying a bike and jumping on.. but that's not the point of it now is it?

Fursty Ferret

I started cycling last September at the age of 38. Moved house close to work so wanted to commute by bike, and the roads round here are great for cycling so it just made sense. I definitely wanted to use it for fitness too, as rugby was just becoming too attritional. So I bought an Allez Sport and got on with it. Absolutely love it and I suspect that the fitness has improved significantly although I don't really measure that sort of thing. I just know that hills I couldn't do are now hills that I can do.

No weight loss though. Although that might be something to do with the fact that I believe cheese is an isotonic recovery drink in disguise.

leshere

I am so new I have not even started as such. I am 62 (and 98 kilos :roll: with some lung problems thanks to polluted air) and considering coming back to cycling thanks to a very keen 15 year old. Since said dear son goes to 'youth' events and cycles at about double my slow cruise I need to improve to make the sort of averages some clubs C and D groups go at. Wondering how to get fit and fast enough for a local cycling club?? Thinking of getting a somewhat restored classic but maybe not 1949 vintage. New bikes are impressively light but I could lose more than the weight of two sturdy bikes without any harm and at little or no cost! Thanks for the post everyone really useful.
Les

Fursty Ferret

leshere wrote:

I am 62 .... very keen 15 year old... said dear son goes to 'youth' events and cycles at about double my slow cruise

You're 62 and you have a 15 year old son? You sly old dog! No wonder you feel knackered. And make sure you wander around in lycra when he brings girls back home. He'll love you for that.

EclypseDesigns

34 here and new Cube Agree GTC SL 60cm. should be an interesting learning experience lol.

Thebigbee

leshere wrote:

I am so new I have not even started as such. I am 62 (and 98 kilos :roll: with some lung problems thanks to polluted air) and considering coming back to cycling thanks to a very keen 15 year old. Since said dear son goes to 'youth' events and cycles at about double my slow cruise I need to improve to make the sort of averages some clubs C and D groups go at. Wondering how to get fit and fast enough for a local cycling club?? Thinking of getting a somewhat restored classic but maybe not 1949 vintage. New bikes are impressively light but I could lose more than the weight of two sturdy bikes without any harm and at little or no cost! Thanks for the post everyone really useful.
Les

From my experience regular distance and climbs are the best way to improve fitness. I would also recommend getting a Smart phone app - I know you are old but even my 69 year old dad has an S2! Best invention for tracking your progress.

I love cyclemeter which is paid for £2.99 and possibly only available for iPhone. Paired with a mount like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400217529333? ... 1438.l2649 turns your phone into something with similar features to a £200+ Garmin for under a score!

I ride a "heavy" - 12KG hybrid with 37 tyres 90% of the time and this has definitely improved my strength. When I take my actual road bike out it's as if it isn't even there!

I'd suggest getting an app - measuring a run - doesn't even have to be that long but I suggest a "hard" hill in it - and then repeating the same route until you can beat it by 5, 10, 15% and then challenge yourself again.

That way you can actually witness your fitness improving.

HTH

sancho1983

I'm 28 and about to buy my first road bike (giant defy 3)

I'm a pretty big guy 17 and a bit stone and 6ft 5. I'd like to lose some weight, but also enjoy riding around. Would love to one day do a bit of touring or something like the coast to coast up north.

My main reason is to be a bit fitter though, I'm having the realisation that I used to be quite active 10 years ago, and that 10 years have disappeared. Don't want to wake up one day and not be able to do sport. So flexibility, fun, fitness and weight loss are my 'drive'

I need a challenge too. There's a sportive near me that has a baby section of 34 miles in August. Think I might sign up for it to give me extra reasons to get out there and train (I understand 34 miles isn't a lot to you guys, and probably not even a 'sportive', but It's a challenge for me!) I've regularly done 18-20 mile rides on my mtb, so hopefully with a bit of training I'll be up for it

garynevstasche

I'm 31 and just bought my first road bike (Giant Defy 3).

Agreed to a London - Paris for charity in June 2013 so going to be quite busy over the next few months!

Not really cycled for a good few years but glad to be back in the saddle, a lot to learn but I'm going to enjoy it. Really hoping to lose a couple of stone and get a bit fitter while I'm at it.

alpineaddict

37 (soon to be 38) Bought my first 'good' road bike last yr, Kuota Kharma, and I love it. Got my first long ride for me (66 miles) on Sunday, and typically the weather is predicted to be a shocker...

Oh well, as I was pointed out yesterday, Rule 5 strictly states... Harden the f*%k up...

napoleond

leshere wrote:

I am so new I have not even started as such. I am 62 (and 98 kilos :roll: with some lung problems thanks to polluted air) and considering coming back to cycling thanks to a very keen 15 year old. Since said dear son goes to 'youth' events and cycles at about double my slow cruise I need to improve to make the sort of averages some clubs C and D groups go at. Wondering how to get fit and fast enough for a local cycling club?? Thinking of getting a somewhat restored classic but maybe not 1949 vintage. New bikes are impressively light but I could lose more than the weight of two sturdy bikes without any harm and at little or no cost! Thanks for the post everyone really useful.
Les

If you are just starting out then simply riding your bike for any length of time over any terrain will help get you fitter. Don't worry about the details of the ride or challenging yourself at this stage, the most important thing is to enjoy what you are doing.
Go out with your 15 year old when he is on an easy day too to keep it social. When you feel you have come on then maybe look at a club, especially those that favour 'audax' (long, steady paced distance/touring) type riders.

Basically, just ride your bike!