unhealthy hobby riders

Jonesinamilion

myself included!

average ride, 10-30 miles mainly flat...

We deserve a special thread of our own

cowsham

Maybe there's a ' Old Fat Blokes in Lycra ' thread -- it brightens my day when I see one, it proves to me there are people in this world sillier than me.

tomb57

I'm in,
Lycra,
fat and all
And could we have one for people who can't type
Tom b

cowsham

Mid 50's here -- would put many men half my age and younger to shame as far as physique is concerned ( not that hard now that many young peeps spend too much time sitting in front of a screen ) but I will not wear Lycra -- how much faster will I go with it on? I pass young chaps fat and thin who are on expensive road bikes clad in matching Lycra. Do they not have a look in the mirror before they leave the house ? -- I bet the cows are looking at each other and laughing as they go by.

fat daddy

I don't understand how MTBers can be anything other than perfectly formed Adonis's

I am a lean 73kg male, handful of fat, ride everyday, like pushing myself, enjoy suffering. ....... tonight I am going MTBing after work, so rode the full susser in to the office.

Crap on a stick I am knackered, seriously my quads are shot, my thighs feel like I am on the verge of pulling a muscle, I am still panting, I only got to 21mph

painfully heavy and slow bike .. argh .. if I did that everyday I would be a fcuking beast ! .... unhealthy MTBers must spend every second out side of cycling sat eating lard ... its the only thing that is stopping people from becoming gods I swear.

I don't want to go out on the trails now, I just want to go to bed .... someone give me a 25c tyre and a stretched out position

cowsham

A case in point
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/artic ... Lycra.html

cooldad

Point of what? A dickish Daily Fail columist.

LimitedGarry

I'm all for supporting hobbies. After all, everyone should have something to come back to and to get away from their daily life. I find that having that "my own" time every now and then is key to enjoying the regular. People need something to look forward to while they're stuck at the job.
And I understand that some hobbies, when taken seriously, may require a bit more commitment than others.
But I have absolutely no respect for out of shape people in lycra. And they absolutely do not need to be middle aged. Old men in lycra with their bellies hanging good 10cm over their chest, not bothering to take off their helmet and walking into supermarkets like it's normal. It's not what I'd call dedication, but rather a lack of good judgement.
And to be completely honest, something twists in me wrong even when I see them out riding. Especially when I pass them on a tarmac climb on my mountain bike. I can't help but think "At least you'll look funny even when you're having beer up top".

And anyone calling me out on making fun of people, these (almost exclusively) guys made a choice to look ridiculous. I have every right to make fun of them.

tangled_metal

What about covered up Lycra? In winter i wear cycling leggings with a pair of baggies over the top. Is that permitted/acceptable? I feel Lycra for comfort with baggies for discretion. You don't need tight Lycra unless racing. Not without covering over the top.

LimitedGarry

Tangled Metal wrote:

What about covered up Lycra? In winter i wear cycling leggings with a pair of baggies over the top. Is that permitted/acceptable? I feel Lycra for comfort with baggies for discretion. You don't need tight Lycra unless racing. Not without covering over the top.

That's perfectly fine. To be honest, I'd say that even tight legwarmers are fine, because they actually have an important function. When I see a guy riding by at an immense speed in a skin suit, I admire it more than anything else.
I don't have a problem with someone looking funny, I just find it ridiculous to dress like a pro when the individual is nowhere near needing the advantage of more aerodynamic clothing. It's like little kids wearing paper hats, pretending to be soldiers - it's ridiculous and only the kids think it's cool.
And aside from that, when I see someone in lycra, to me it's the equivalent for going out just in your underwear. Unless you have a very good reason for it, it's just not acceptable by my standards. Being a very capable rider is a valid excuse, as far as I'm concerned. On the road at least.

I wear tight functional padded underwear with sporty baggies on top. Aside from being comfortable, it's less painful when falling or hitting thorny vegetation. And during winter, I have this really tight thermal shirt which I need to put on with the lights off and curtains closed to minimise the risk of being spotted before putting on a higher layer (jk).
When it comes down it, as long as you have loose trousers/shorts, I think a tight shirt is acceptable even in the realms of mountain bikers riding out for a beer, as long as it's not a skin-suit level of tight.

tangled_metal

This makes me remember a post about someone getting overtaken on a hill by a postie on a post bike. IIRC the postie was a semi-pro with a decent race record so there was no embarrassment in that. The opposite is true with some Lycra wearers. I would never wear tight Lycra on its own just because I think it marks me out as a wannabe racer. I'm not so it's embarrassing to be overtaken by an 80 year old on an ancient tourer wearing aldi or Lidl clobber if I'm wearing head to toe top spec castelli kit. I don't own it so never tempted to look faster than i really am.

There are two issues here IMHO. First is the wearing of fancy sporting kit when you're so slow you'll not get any real benefits wearing it over more reserved baggies. the second is you're wearing borderline obscene shorts when you've not got a good physique to wear it. Tight clothing with a six pack kind of works for some but if you've got a barrel there then it doesn't.

So decency and acceptance of the lack of sporting prowess is the minimum standard IMHO.

cowsham

cooldad wrote:

Point of what? A dickish Daily Fail columist.

Well. --- for starters -- if he's doing all the miles it says why is he so fat ? Maybe he started out at 30 stone

And -- what does that honey see in that tubby fella ? Not only is he chubby but he must be mental to wear that gear out of doors. Just vulgar or maybe he has a great sense of humour ? Makes me laugh anyway

FishFish

During the battle of Agincourt I wore, as part of my Army uniform, a suit of armour. I found this to be appropriate clothing, except of course when sodomising the prisoners. These days when biking in the Thetford forest I still wear my suit of armour even though I am 642 years old - still having the same sodomising problem - this time with the huskys. I have never had a problem with my weight and am stable at 642 kg.

cowsham

oxoman wrote:

People are over thinking and over reacting. Wear what you want drink what you want and ride what you want. Most importantly just ride. The end. Hopefully.

Absolutely -- keep me entertained -- mixing the first two won't do anybody any harm, neither will mixing the first and last as some on here love to do, but a friend of mine mixed the last two items and unfortunately paid the ultimate price.

cooldad

Cowsham wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Point of what? A dickish Daily Fail columist.

Well. --- for starters -- if he's doing all the miles it says why is he so fat ? Maybe he started out at 30 stone

And -- what does that honey see in that tubby fella ? Not only is he chubby but he must be mental to wear that gear out of doors. Just vulgar or maybe he has a great sense of humour ? Makes me laugh anyway

Tubby? You are obviously 12 or don't work in an office. Most of the people in mine are obese by comparison.

Did you actually read the article?

"For a man diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ten years ago, Richard is impressively active. Within a year of taking up cycling he rode from London to Paris and this summer did the Etape du Tour — a mountain stage of the Tour de France, in appalling weather."

I say kudos and he can wear what he likes.

keef66

Anybody who chooses to ride a bike is going to be healthier than they would be if they chose instead to blob on the sofa eating Doritos. I'm guessing the bloke in the article was a lot heavier than he is now, but the article is written to appeal to the prejudices of the average Daily Heil reader so it glosses over the positive stuff. I say well done to him. Unless she's just taken out a massive life insurance policy on him, I'm sure his wife prefers him slimmer and fitter.

When I took up road riding at 50 I was a bit self-conscious at first, but I quickly adopted more and more cycling specific clothing just because it's the most comfortable / practical stuff to wear on a bike. Now I have an entire wardrobe of Castelli, Gore, Sportful, Assos etc, and with each purchase it's become a little more form-fitting. Improved fitness and weight loss have come with more cycling and less eating, and if anyone is looking at my @rse at the traffic lights, that's a bonus!

It still makes me smile when I see an archetypal chubby dentist in full replica team kit and on £5k bike, but I'm sure if I had his money I'd do the same. And they are often going faster than me

shimanobottombracket

Cowsham wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Point of what? A dickish Daily Fail columist.

Well. --- for starters -- if he's doing all the miles it says why is he so fat ? Maybe he started out at 30 stone

And -- what does that honey see in that tubby fella ? Not only is he chubby but he must be mental to wear that gear out of doors. Just vulgar or maybe he has a great sense of humour ? Makes me laugh anyway

Actually I find that woman quite ugly. Her body is alrite but that boxed shape head! F'in hell I would rather snog the blokes ars.

As for MAMILs in general spending fortunes on obscure stuff, each to their own. I bet golfers spend similar on golfing stuff. At least hes not spending the money on cars or explosives. Hobbies are generally expensive but how boring would life be without any.

LimitedGarry

To be completely fair to the bloke in the article, he's really not in bad enough shape to be made fun of and if he was trying to hide the fact he's an active person, his legs would give him out. They've got nothing on legs of half the hobbyist XC riders, but they clearly do more than walk to his car and up into an office.
His riding visage is far from what I'd call obscene.

tootsie323

Reading the linked article in full, it does come across more as more tongue-in-cheek than actively disparaging. It's quote positive towards the end as well.
I'm not an 'open lycra' fan myself, or even a roadie, come to that. But I don't knock those who are; as stated already on the thread, each to their own. If we all had the same tastes, wouldn't that be a bit too boring?

cowsham

cooldad wrote:

Cowsham wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Point of what? A dickish Daily Fail columist.

Well. --- for starters -- if he's doing all the miles it says why is he so fat ? Maybe he started out at 30 stone

And -- what does that honey see in that tubby fella ? Not only is he chubby but he must be mental to wear that gear out of doors. Just vulgar or maybe he has a great sense of humour ? Makes me laugh anyway

Tubby? You are obviously 12 or don't work in an office. Most of the people in mine are obese by comparison.

Did you actually read the article?

"For a man diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ten years ago, Richard is impressively active. Within a year of taking up cycling he rode from London to Paris and this summer did the Etape du Tour — a mountain stage of the Tour de France, in appalling weather."

I say kudos and he can wear what he likes.

Yes I read the full thing -- and I absolutely agree -- hats off to him for doing all this while battling multiple sclerosis -- no I'm not 12 -- 55 and have had my share of illness throughout life so have always kept myself very fit and have to eat healthy to give myself a chance -- that Chap can wear whatever he likes --- just won't do it myself.

redpat1

Honestly, I am just pleased for anyone who makes an effort towards any form of exercise. Its so easy to not train and eat unhealthy, to get started and stay motivated and improve takes real effort. The whole point is you dont usually start at a high skill and particularly strong fitness level.
I would applaud anyone I see out on the trails, down the gym or jogging down the road. I have been involved with combat sports and a qualified personal trainer and S & C coach for many years and cant even begin to count the amount of guys (some women) who dont stay the course after a few choice words and over inflated opinions from people who should know better. Its very difficult to achieve your goals when you are shy, self conscious or just a sensitive person with a long fitness journey ahead, I remember how difficult it was for me after putting on a lot of weight in my late teens.
To hassle someone on what they wear or look like is unbelievable, as long as its not explicit or offensive then I dont see a problem. I am just glad attitudes towards fitness and exercise in general society seem to be changing as I am seeing many more cyclists, joggers and gym members than I did around 10 years ago.
As long as you are comfortable and happy wear what you want and get stuck in to your chosen activity, by keeping going you wont be an unhealthy hobby rider for long.

Pat

Crazyjenkins01

I have to sit on the fence for this one I think!
Yes, get out and ride (road, MTB, CX whatever...) keep active and dont worry about what you look like as the fitness and FAT loss (not weight lose) will eventually come. However, that being said, wear the clothing that is appropriate. If you are in full lycra with a beer gut hanging out of your shirt/shorts, perhaps something a little less skin tight until the beer gut starts to flatten? After all if somebody does take a shot at how you look it could mean the end of your hobby pretty quickly if your confidence gets smashed.

larkim

I feared lycra of any sort, as a 78kg, 173cm (5ft8) middle aged bloke. Then tried it out in the dark and discovered how much more pleasant it was road riding without baggy jacket and shorts buffeting around in the wind all the time. So I joined the lycra club, but with carefully chosen (and cheap) bTwin or Aldi stuff with high proportions of black and no idiotic team colours etc. It's comfortable, practical and makes the riding more enjoyable. But I still look in the mirror and would agree with anyone that I look like a tool. But then, so do the lard-arses who wear their Man United kit, or the "beer monsters" who wear their rugby union tops, or the crap golfers who don their white trousers and lurid polo shirts.

If you do the sport / hobby and enjoy it either for its own sake or to get fit, who can criticise. There's usually a good reason the kit is what it is, and that is functional benefits it bestows.

Just ride.

(Or in my case, sometimes ride, more often run).

DannyOnTheRock

I started riding to "get fit" recently and really surprised myself when the second time out, I rode for 5 hours on tarmac and offroad. Even found a few rocky hills to descend and got hooked on the rush. I'm overweight but not obese and don't drink so i should be an Adonis in a few weeks hopefully.

I find a bad ride (if such a thing exists) is still better than a great day in work lol

EDIT: I don't wear or even own any lycra though XD Maybe that would help?

keef66

DannyOnTheRock wrote:

I started riding to "get fit" recently and really surprised myself when the second time out, I rode for 5 hours on tarmac and offroad. Even found a few rocky hills to descend and got hooked on the rush. I'm overweight but not obese and don't drink so i should be an Adonis in a few weeks hopefully.

I find a bad ride (if such a thing exists) is still better than a great day in work lol

EDIT: I don't wear or even own any lycra though XD Maybe that would help?

Unless you're doing a lot of cycling, don't expect the weight to start disappearing fast. By all means ride to improve fitness, but weight loss is better achieved by controlling diet. Both is obviously better.

cooldad

Running is better for fitness and weight than cycling, you cram much more work into a shorter time.
Weight loss is all about calories, so less in (especially eating shit) and more out, job done.

larkim

Agree with that, the main reason for me starting running was to make sure my heart as in decent shape but managing this with a family and work life meant I could never justify the hours I'd need to spend on a bike to get fit.

Sadly I don't live near enough to work to ride there, otherwise that would be an easy option to keep the volume high enough without impacting daily life. You get so much more bang for your buck running - even just a 20-25 minute hard 5k would be difficult to replicate for the overall impact through cycling.

So for the most part I do running for fitness, and cycling is a leisure activity.

Having said all that, despite running 40+ miles a week at the moment there's been no real impact on my weight since I lost 5kg from Christmas 2015-spring 2016. I guess I'd need to cut out red wine and food to make any real progress on this (and simulatenously become fitter but less happy as a consequence!)

DannyOnTheRock

I can't go running because of a dodgy knee but biking doesn't bother it for some reason and let's face it.... It's boring lol

I used to weigh 110 kilos but started a Paleo diet not long ago and am already down to 92. I don't do it strictly though as I sometimes have a bacon sarnie before work or rice with a curry. Other than that I only really eat meat and veg and drink water. A few nuts or fruit for a snack now n then and it's working.

It's the rush of flying down a big hill or mountain I'm after and it's getting up there in the first place that is the hard work. I push myself too so it's not just a lazy Sunday ride but a full blown sprint as much as possible.

keef66

Well done on the weight loss, that's impressive!

Both my knees are increasingly unreliable, but I can cycle all day. It's the only exercise I can do now that doesn't leave me hobbling the next day, so it's become my main interest now.

mrfpb

I look pretty awful in my cycle kit, but it does motivate me to lose weight when I see myself in the mirror. Also it is a lot more comfy on the bike (but I still wear baggies over cycling tights - no way I'm inflicting that sight on the public)

keef66

Well I've got to the stage where if I catch sight of myself in my cycling kit I think that guy looks fit and trim!

It can be done!