New(ish) Bike, New Start

Jon1984

Hi all,

I'm Jon and I've not really ridden since I was a kid in school. I'm now 29 and 19.5 stone of hibernating muscle

I've recently bought a cheap bike to go the 4 mile round trip to work and home and do the odd bit with the Mrs at the weekend.

My goals are to try to loose at least 1.5 stone by christmas (easy eh), to be able to go 20 miles in one go withought it being a major problem (but obviously still challenging) and the big long term goal is to enter lots of charity rides each year.

To help with this I am going to be entering sport reliefs ride in March (only the 20 mile option for the minute) around Manchester, I will, for the time being, do the 4 mile round trip to and from work in 1 session at the weekends untill it starts to become easier then I will extend this to 10 miles (my route for this is already chosen and includes 2 semi challinging inclines and 2 gradual inclines).

My work also take part in a charity event in July with 10, 20 and 55 mile routes around Cheshire and I am hoping to be in a position to take up the 55 mile challenge by that time.

I have riding 'buddies' in my Mrs at the weekend and a co-worker who is working towards the same goals as me.

The ultimate challenges we are aiming for are the Manchester to Blackpool in 2014 and the John a Groats to Lands End (or vice versa) in 2015 all starting from scratch.

Thanks for reading this and ride safe everyone.

kajjal

Go for it !!!!

I have always been reasonably fit but a shoulder injury stopped me exercising properly for 6 months and I had to start from scratch again this year. It took alot of effort for the first month or so but after that the fitness came back rapidly. Your regular ride to work will really help and just try and get out whenever you can. Where people me included struggle is by not going out on the days you don't feel like it. This is where you really gain fitness as I found pedaling up hill into driving rain on a long climb.

Just don't forget to have a rest day at least once a week and healthy eating along with drinking enough water helps as well.

Good luck

Jon1984

Kajjal wrote:

Go for it !!!!

I have always been reasonably fit but a shoulder injury stopped me exercising properly for 6 months and I had to start from scratch again this year. It took alot of effort for the first month or so but after that the fitness came back rapidly. Your regular ride to work will really help and just try and get out whenever you can. Where people me included struggle is by not going out on the days you don't feel like it. This is where you really gain fitness as I found pedaling up hill into driving rain on a long climb.

Just don't forget to have a rest day at least once a week and healthy eating along with drinking enough water helps as well.

Good luck

Its going to help having people going though and working towards the same goals as me I think.

I have spent the last month or so getting my eating right so I think I now have all the pieces in place to make this happen now.

slickmouse

Jon1984 wrote:

Hi all,

I'm Jon and I've not really ridden since I was a kid in school. I'm now 29 and 19.5 stone of hibernating muscle

I've recently bought a cheap bike to go the 4 mile round trip to work and home and do the odd bit with the Mrs at the weekend.

My goals are to try to loose at least 1.5 stone by christmas (easy eh), to be able to go 20 miles in one go withought it being a major problem (but obviously still challenging) and the big long term goal is to enter lots of charity rides each year.

To help with this I am going to be entering sport reliefs ride in March (only the 20 mile option for the minute) around Manchester, I will, for the time being, do the 4 mile round trip to and from work in 1 session at the weekends untill it starts to become easier then I will extend this to 10 miles (my route for this is already chosen and includes 2 semi challinging inclines and 2 gradual inclines).

My work also take part in a charity event in July with 10, 20 and 55 mile routes around Cheshire and I am hoping to be in a position to take up the 55 mile challenge by that time.

I have riding 'buddies' in my Mrs at the weekend and a co-worker who is working towards the same goals as me.

The ultimate challenges we are aiming for are the Manchester to Blackpool in 2014 and the John a Groats to Lands End (or vice versa) in 2015 all starting from scratch.

Thanks for reading this and ride safe everyone.

I wish you every success, but just need to caution that cycling isnt a very good way to loose weight and its not a very good way to get ''fit''either

thats not to say that it isnt much better at both than not doing anything, just there are more effective exercises. particularly if you starting from a low base

Chunkers1980

That's utter rubbish again. It depends how you do it. Pootling around, not great but you'll still be burning and is great for more all round workouts than say running.

kajjal

Chunkers1980 wrote:

That's utter rubbish again. It depends how you do it. Pootling around, not great but you'll still be burning and is great for more all round workouts than say running.

I would agree especially if you go off road on a mountain bike. This takes more effort than road biking to do the same distance at the same speed and you are also moving round the bike alot more. Road biking is very good for overall fitness when you pickup the speed , distance and hill climbing.

TheNorthernTrain

slickmouse wrote:

Jon1984 wrote:

Hi all,

I'm Jon and I've not really ridden since I was a kid in school. I'm now 29 and 19.5 stone of hibernating muscle

I've recently bought a cheap bike to go the 4 mile round trip to work and home and do the odd bit with the Mrs at the weekend.

My goals are to try to loose at least 1.5 stone by christmas (easy eh), to be able to go 20 miles in one go withought it being a major problem (but obviously still challenging) and the big long term goal is to enter lots of charity rides each year.

To help with this I am going to be entering sport reliefs ride in March (only the 20 mile option for the minute) around Manchester, I will, for the time being, do the 4 mile round trip to and from work in 1 session at the weekends untill it starts to become easier then I will extend this to 10 miles (my route for this is already chosen and includes 2 semi challinging inclines and 2 gradual inclines).

My work also take part in a charity event in July with 10, 20 and 55 mile routes around Cheshire and I am hoping to be in a position to take up the 55 mile challenge by that time.

I have riding 'buddies' in my Mrs at the weekend and a co-worker who is working towards the same goals as me.

The ultimate challenges we are aiming for are the Manchester to Blackpool in 2014 and the John a Groats to Lands End (or vice versa) in 2015 all starting from scratch.

Thanks for reading this and ride safe everyone.

I wish you every success, but just need to caution that cycling isnt a very good way to loose weight and its not a very good way to get ''fit''either

thats not to say that it isnt much better at both than not doing anything, just there are more effective exercises. particularly if you starting from a low base

Do your best to ignore this guy, most of the time he posts utter bollocks...

Good luck with it all, If you're after motivation or proof that it does work, there was a blog on bikeradar a while back of a lad that lost loads of weight by taking up biking. I'll see if I can dig it up.

Jon1984

Thanks all for the encouragement.

I do plan to go off road mainly xc once I'm back into the flow again.

Ido suffer from asthma and I am hoping that this will gradually get better the more I ride.

destructimo

Hi Jon,

I've not long returned to it after many years off. I ride 10 miles a day to work now on as many days as I can and pootle about at the weekend with the kids.

The first few weeks will be a bit of a mixed bag of enjoyment and wtf am I doing this for? Keep at it! Don't coast along. With your short distance you should be able to get amongst it. Yes you will arrive knackered and sweaty but the more you do it the quicker you will recover.

While you're in the first few sloggy weeks, keep motivated by buying a few accessories, lights, cycle comp, etc. to give you something to test out the next few days which kept me interested. Even daft things like trying different tyre pressures or adjustments on the bike.

You'll start to really enjoy it as I have once your recovery reduces to a few minutes and then you can beast it everywhere and actually enjoy hills and extend the rides and take a convoluted route to work.

Have a search on bike fitting. I found fettling my seat position made a very big difference in comfort and effort. Do this once you are a bit more confident on the bike as generally the ideal seat position leaves you not able to touch the floor from the seat (you know like your 1st big boys bike that was bought a size too big for you to grow into).

Mainly enjoy it. Mix it up. You will have zero energy days...just ease off and get there without having to stop.

Jon1984

destructimo wrote:

Hi Jon,

I've not long returned to it after many years off. I ride 10 miles a day to work now on as many days as I can and pootle about at the weekend with the kids.

The first few weeks will be a bit of a mixed bag of enjoyment and wtf am I doing this for? Keep at it! Don't coast along. With your short distance you should be able to get amongst it. Yes you will arrive knackered and sweaty but the more you do it the quicker you will recover.

While you're in the first few sloggy weeks, keep motivated by buying a few accessories, lights, cycle comp, etc. to give you something to test out the next few days which kept me interested. Even daft things like trying different tyre pressures or adjustments on the bike.

You'll start to really enjoy it as I have once your recovery reduces to a few minutes and then you can beast it everywhere and actually enjoy hills and extend the rides and take a convoluted route to work.

Have a search on bike fitting. I found fettling my seat position made a very big difference in comfort and effort. Do this once you are a bit more confident on the bike as generally the ideal seat position leaves you not able to touch the floor from the seat (you know like your 1st big boys bike that was bought a size too big for you to grow into).

Mainly enjoy it. Mix it up. You will have zero energy days...just ease off and get there without having to stop.

Thanks.

I did get up this morning adter a 20 miler thinking to myself that my legs are not going to get me to work this morning so dropped off my normal pace..............well untill a school kid on a bmx shouted 'come on mate you can do it' then I picked it back up some.

The way home however was very different I got on the bike and started my normal route and my legs seemed fine so I took a 10 mile detour (Mrs wasn't too happy as she had my tea waiting.....whoops) but when I did get back my legs felt a little stiff so I took the dog on a short walk to loosen them up a little.

I have my eye on a comp/heart rate monitor so I can check my heart rate when I know I am actually working off some of the blubber and can monitor how long I do and distance I go.

I'm already looking for extra bits and pieces to tinker around with bike setup etc, but lights are high on the list now as soon it'll be dark when I leave for work and dark on the way home.

destructimo

Hi Jon,

Well done! It's not just you. I felt it hard going this morning for the 1st mile. But managed to crack on. I think it takes a mile or so to warm the old legs up anyway and if they are a bit knackered from the day before it seems like so much more work.

Still felt a bit low on energy throughout the ride and at one point on one climb I had a shocking feeling that I wouldn't make it up! Sod that! So I dug in and put the effort in and most surprisingly jumped 10 places on Strava for that segment.


Cheers





Clive

Jon1984

I extended my 2 miler to 4 to work and 5 home over the last couple of days and have already picked out my route for a 10 miler which I'm hoping to incorporate into my weekly routine so not too shabby today, although I did have the pleasure of being joined on the way home by a work colleagu who, compared to me, seemslike Cavendish so so I put a little extra effort in today and my legs feel t but I'll soldier on.

Anywho, I'm thinking of investing in a mileometer so I can track my exact distances and times as at the minute I'm using google maps to measure distances does anyone have any suggestions on what to look for at all?

On a lighter note the Mrs' bike will be up and running by the weekend so we are planning a full day of riding either along te river mersey or the bridgewater canal stopping for a spot of lunch, well, would be rude not too.

Jon1984

destructimo wrote:

Hi Jon,

Well done! It's not just you. I felt it hard going this morning for the 1st mile. But managed to crack on. I think it takes a mile or so to warm the old legs up anyway and if they are a bit knackered from the day before it seems like so much more work.

Still felt a bit low on energy throughout the ride and at one point on one climb I had a shocking feeling that I wouldn't make it up! Sod that! So I dug in and put the effort in and most surprisingly jumped 10 places on Strava for that segment.


Cheers





Clive

Congrats Clive, sometimes that little push is the fear (if thats the correct word) of not acomplishing what you started out to do. Works for me everytime.

Jon1984

I tried a new gear today and ta coupled with the cold this morning seems to have ruined my legs, in a way that reminds me theyhave well and trully been worked

destructimo

Hi Jon,

Keep it up! I hope you are still managing to get out in this weather.

I was all grumpy last week because I had to visit clients all week which curtailed the pedalling...so I cured that by treating myself to a folding bike to bung in the boot of the car and get a few miles in during lunch or when I'm out and about.

Funnily enough I'm using it more than the MTB for riding to work and at weekends. Strangely it's a more comfortable ride. It's crap on hills due to the tiddly short cranks so just for a giggle I've ordered a gigantic chainring for it and a 175mm SRAM crank set to match the lengths on the MTB.

Now onto the never ending quest to find the perfect bicycle front light.


Cheers





Clive

mpatts

Hi Jon,

Great work there. One of the best things, I find, is to do what you have done and 'go public' with the plans - helps motivation.

Winter is always a tricky time, the best tip I was given is to tell yourself to just pop out for "10 minutes" and see where it takes you.

Oh, and I lost 2 stone through eating a bit less and cycling a lot more - so it's all achievable - just make a plan and stick to it.

Michael

zx6man

Yup I lost over 6 stone, first 4 was mainly diet (so I could even get on a road bike), but then the bike rides started at 1 mile (which I nearly passed out) and now the rides come easy. Oh, see you at Manchester to Blackpool, top event :-)

Jon1984

Hi all,

Yep still trying to get out and now making good use of the showers at work!

Although I am finding riding into the wind and rain a bit hard on the legs but is all woth it for when I start to do some decent hill and XC riding.

I'm now down to just the right side of 19 stone now, but I'm a little worried as my asthma seems to be getting a little worse but I think I may still be able to manage.

shindig

Hi John,

Welcome to mountain biking. Have fun and enjoy. I am a returning mountain biker. I was keen until about 6 years ago. Work overtook life.

I'm recovering from Bowel cancer and cycle about 4 times a week @ 8 - 10 miles each outing. I have managed to loose about 2 stone and get fit along the way. It takes time, but it can be done.Don't go out to try and get fit. Go out riding to enjoy it, enjoy life and have fun. And while your doing that, raising money for charity makes it a double worthwhile effort.

Jon1984

shindig wrote:

Hi John,

Welcome to mountain biking. Have fun and enjoy. I am a returning mountain biker. I was keen until about 6 years ago. Work overtook life.

I'm recovering from Bowel cancer and cycle about 4 times a week @ 8 - 10 miles each outing. I have managed to loose about 2 stone and get fit along the way. It takes time, but it can be done.Don't go out to try and get fit. Go out riding to enjoy it, enjoy life and have fun. And while your doing that, raising money for charity makes it a double worthwhile effort.

Aye I completely agree with you there and I'm hoping to clock a fair few miles on Saturday when I go for an outing along the river mersey.

mark0191

Hi john keep it up especialy in the cold weather so you dont lose any gains you have made. My pal and me took cycling up again 6 months ago. We have a seriouse fast ride of aprox 20miles after work and a more leisurly longer ride on a saturday afternoon of about 40miles. We started of with exhausting 5milers 6 months ago. We r in our 40s and my pal has gone from 22stone to 18 with cycling and using the myfitness app for diet control. Now we feel better we are stronger and we really look forward to rides and events its been a life enhancing change for us even tho it can be hard at times the fun and fresh air and fitness we have got is amazing. My advise would be join a club or get ur pals involved for regular fun days out on your bike its great like being a kid again ha

Jon1984

Well it has been a disappointing run up to christmas for me biking wise, I had a big off late october and tore ligaments in my knee so I have only just felt strong enough to get back on the bike, all the lack of activity has led to me putting on half a stone (which actually surprised me as I thought it would be considerably more).

I have a new training plan and I am still focused on completing the charity events this year, so its now back to the start and working on getting me back on track.

kajjal

Don't worry I had man flu for a couple of weeks and add Christmas to that I put on half a stone. It is now going back down again as I am back on the bike again

Jon1984

Been back riding now for a week and lost that half stone already so just need to keep going!

Jon1984

A great thing happened this morning, I got in to work put on my work gear and found that I need to put a new hole into my belt! feeling good now