What am I doing

Phill Thom

Congratulations on the bike, lovely choice. I to was overweight and 38 when I started cycling 20 months ago, I have lost 2and a half stone and will be enjoying the Marmotte in a fortnight. Very rarely drink now as I prefer to ride on Sunday mornings instead of lying in bed with a hangover. Give up the fags tho as you will need the extra cash for the hundreds of pounds you will be spending on bike gear. Welcome to the fold, you will love every minute of it, maybe not at first, but stick at it and you will be doing 100 milers in no time and enjoying them.

rc856

Excellent and well done.
Did the shop you bought the bike from set you up properly?
Everything feel comfortable? Got a helmet yet?
Good luck with everything and hope you stick with it.
Have a goal of maybe joining a club in the future. We have groups to cater for new starts and it's great riding in company.

Out of curiousity...did the shop just recommend things like the pedals to you?
As they're top of the range Time, I wouldn't imagine newbies to get them to start with
Good choice though.

jjgreenwood

RC856 wrote:

Excellent and well done.
Did the shop you bought the bike from set you up properly?
Everything feel comfortable? Got a helmet yet?
Good luck with everything and hope you stick with it.
Have a goal of maybe joining a club in the future. We have groups to cater for new starts and it's great riding in company.

Out of curiousity...did the shop just recommend things like the pedals to you?
As they're top of the range Time, I wouldn't imagine newbies to get them to start with
Good choice though.

yea in all fairness bloke in the shop could tell I was clueless and setup the bike, showed me how to adjust everything and showed me how the gears worked with trim function etc. Got a giro helmet that I used with my mountain bike.

There does seem to be a good club in swindon so once I've built some fitness I may join them.

The time pedals, I spent hours researching on the internet, got confused and bought them cos they looked the coolest. They seem to work very well. Bought some SIDI shoes for the same reason which luckily fit like a glove.

migrantwing

SecretSam wrote:

7. Most importantly, enjoy it - ignore the (s)he-men who sometimes populate this forum, it's about setting your own goals and challenges, and getting the satisfaction from meeting them.

jjgreenwood

Went out again today, blimey my legs hurt. Gonna take some practise to improve things I think.

Stone Glider

When you get off the bike STRETCH! Cyclists never stretch but it does ease the muscles and speed recovery. As others have said, take your time and enjoy building up your mileage/fitness.

Gizmo_

Stone Glider wrote:

When you get off the bike STRETCH! Cyclists never stretch but it does ease the muscles and speed recovery. As others have said, take your time and enjoy building up your mileage/fitness.

Dead right. I don't tend to stretch after my morning commute (I look enough of a plum walking into the office in Lycra without standing around contorting...) but always when I get home and after weekend rides. Calves, hamstrings, thighs, adductors, shoulders, triceps and back.

hulla the hulla

Gizmo_ wrote:

Stone Glider wrote:

I don't tend to stretch after my morning commute

you raise an interesting point there, JJG, do you live close enough to work that you could start to use the bike instead of the car ? (lots of assumptions there but bear with me) - it'll save you money, give you more time on the bike, improve your fitness / health no end

jjgreenwood

Sadly not possible, the wife doesn't drive and needs dropping off at work and the car is a demonstrator

buzzwold

Sounds like you're making progress if your legs are hurting. Means that your pushing them but also means that they're getting stronger. I suspect that the legs also felt tight. All good stuff and can only help with the general fitness.


Keep enjoying yourself.

Mikey23

jjgreenwood wrote:

Sadly not possible, the wife doesn't drive and needs dropping off at work and the car is a demonstrator

Perhaps a tandem then ..

jjgreenwood

I'm still impossibly slow on this bike. Did 14km this evening and had my first clipless pedal moment as I fell over trying to join a b road. Luckily there was nobody around to see - have managed to bend my brakes in the process though

Secteur

haha dont worry, that happens to a lot of people ( [smug] note, I have never had a "clipless moment" [/smug] )

keep at it. once your weight starts coming off and you develop some leg muscle you'll be good

BobScarle

A clipless moment is almost a rite of passage and most (all?) people have one. Mine was on a main road, at traffic lights, in the rush hour going into Birmingham. So not much chance of not being seen.

Well done for getting the bike and making a start. It may seem hopeless at first, slow speeds, legs aching, all the stuff you are finding out about. But keep at it. As your fitness increases, your weight will decrease, your speed will increase, your distance will increase and, most important of all, your enjoyment will increase. Don't get caught up with the average speed bit, just enjoy riding.

As lots of people have already said, give up the fags because there is a whole load of kit out there that you didn't know that you needed.

Gizmo_

BobScarle wrote:

A clipless moment is almost a rite of passage and most (all?) people have one. Mine was on a main road, at traffic lights, in the rush hour going into Birmingham. So not much chance of not being seen.

I went down on my MTB right outside my own house, at the end of a ride with my GF because I pulled a big skid and forgot I was clipped in Like a sack of spuds.

adm1

Well done on making the life change - and making it before you end up on the operating table!

I started the road cycling thing about 20 months ago, at 44 and almost 16 stone after years of smoking, drinking and no exercise. Laying on the table while a surgeon puts a stent into a coronary artery is no fun and certainly gives you the incentive!

As you've found, at first it's hard....but it gets much easier! I have a 40 mile loop that I use as my training benchmark. When I started, it took me well over three hours to do it and I had to push the bike up four hilly stretches. Now I do it in just over 2 hours. I've lost 4 stone in the 20 months, and regularly do 100 miles sportive rides these days. It's amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it!

The cycling gets addictive as well - I am lucky enough to live in the Surrey Hills, and yesterday lunchtime I shot out for a quick 25 mile ride that includes the two steepest hills in Surrey (Barhatch Lane and White Down) - the endorphin rush from conquering those two buggers is always great. Far better than smoking ever was! Once your fitness level increases, life just gets better and better.

I still drink, but I switched from beer to red wine. And clip less moments? Several. :-)

Once again - congratulations on making the decision. One thing I would recommend is investing in a "turbo" trainer so you can still cycle indoors on rainy days. It's dull and boring exercise, but once you start getting addicted to exercise, you'll find you need it. The weather hasn't been great this year either, so a turbo keeps me sane when it's really pissing down outside.

jjgreenwood

Is it normal for most my muscles to be hurting still a couple of days after having this bike ride?

baldwin471

jjgreenwood wrote:

Is it normal for most my muscles to be hurting still a couple of days after having this bike ride?

As you are new as i am (Relatively, anyway), this is normal. It's just your body adjusting to the riding. The best thing to do (In my experience) is go for a ride. Whenever the legs are aching i go for a nice little ride (Maybe 10km) and just spin in an easy gear. Helps to stretch you out a bit. Also invest in a foam roller. Absolute life saver.

jjgreenwood

Whats a foam roller?

giant_man

well done jjgreenwood mate, keep it up. You'll get used to it. As others have said, you have made the best decision of your life, to get rid of that flab and get fit! Try to eat healthier too, and your weight will drop off.

It doesn't matter how quick or slow you are. The more rides you do, and the further you go every time, the more you will enjoy it. It's good to do some stretching exercises after each ride too, gonna help that pain you get in your legs. Have a look on the net for some cycling stretches you can do. Sounds like an excellent start though!!

Gizmo_

baldwin471 wrote:

jjgreenwood wrote:

Is it normal for most my muscles to be hurting still a couple of days after having this bike ride?

As you are new as i am (Relatively, anyway), this is normal. It's just your body adjusting to the riding. The best thing to do (In my experience) is go for a ride. Whenever the legs are aching i go for a nice little ride (Maybe 10km) and just spin in an easy gear. Helps to stretch you out a bit. Also invest in a foam roller. Absolute life saver.

Look up "DOMS".

Everyone gets it sometimes, but it's good pain.