Bike ownership 4 months in and 1000km's
joedxb
Posts: 15
After finding lots of great advice on here I thought I would share my experiences after 4 months of getting a road bike and hitting the 1000km mark, to some that's what you will do in a week but for me its a bit of an achievment
At 42 and nearly turning into a couch potatoe I though it was time to try and get some fitness back and get out into some fresh air. This decision was made slightly easier having a purpose built cycle track 2 mins from my door, 86kms of freshly tarmacked track through the desert
I ended up buying the RT58 from planet x, it arrived at the end of March. I quickly put it together and got the local bike shop to give it the once over
Got the shock of my life, managed about 1km and was absolutely knackered, I thought about selling it as surely it could nt be this hard
I stuck with it and steadily increased the distances over the next few weeks
During this time, like everyone, have fallen off as I forgot to unclip. Its only happened once and hopefully wont happen again
Within a couple of months I attempted my 1st 50k ride, it was hard work but I managed it, never going to break any world records but got round in about 2hr 30mins. Gradually reduced this time over the coming weeks and can now get round in about 1hr50, quickest time to date has been 1hr44
Learnt a big lesson attempting my first 100k, make sure you eat something. I hit the wall with about 15k's to go and its a feeling I never want to go through again
Dubai is pretty flat on the usual 50k ride you gain about 150m in elevation, recently went down to Oman for the weekend and experienced some proper hills, over 36kms gained 800m in elevation, and I can tell you that was a shock to the system/legs and lungs
Being someone who loves a bargain I struggle with the constant stream of bike related sales that seem to be everywhere, buying over the internet is a bit hit and miss, especially size of clothing. The internet and alchohol make a bad mix
Buying the bike is one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. Its not getting easier, just seem to be getting quicker
At 42 and nearly turning into a couch potatoe I though it was time to try and get some fitness back and get out into some fresh air. This decision was made slightly easier having a purpose built cycle track 2 mins from my door, 86kms of freshly tarmacked track through the desert
I ended up buying the RT58 from planet x, it arrived at the end of March. I quickly put it together and got the local bike shop to give it the once over
Got the shock of my life, managed about 1km and was absolutely knackered, I thought about selling it as surely it could nt be this hard
I stuck with it and steadily increased the distances over the next few weeks
During this time, like everyone, have fallen off as I forgot to unclip. Its only happened once and hopefully wont happen again
Within a couple of months I attempted my 1st 50k ride, it was hard work but I managed it, never going to break any world records but got round in about 2hr 30mins. Gradually reduced this time over the coming weeks and can now get round in about 1hr50, quickest time to date has been 1hr44
Learnt a big lesson attempting my first 100k, make sure you eat something. I hit the wall with about 15k's to go and its a feeling I never want to go through again
Dubai is pretty flat on the usual 50k ride you gain about 150m in elevation, recently went down to Oman for the weekend and experienced some proper hills, over 36kms gained 800m in elevation, and I can tell you that was a shock to the system/legs and lungs
Being someone who loves a bargain I struggle with the constant stream of bike related sales that seem to be everywhere, buying over the internet is a bit hit and miss, especially size of clothing. The internet and alchohol make a bad mix
Buying the bike is one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. Its not getting easier, just seem to be getting quicker
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Comments
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Glad you're enjoying it.0
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Always great to hear these sort of stories.
It wasnt too long ago I was writing mine of my first year in the saddle. I was speaking earlier with a friend about our planned ride on Saturday - 86 miles with 6500ft of elevation with a number of very tough climbs.
A year ago i would never of dreamed of riding something like that and we are both amazed at how much our riding has progressed0 -
Well done. Not a dissimilar story to mine. I am now a few years, in and got my first road bike last November. Last week set a personal best distance (over the week) of 230miles.0
