I'm a beginner. This is my journey.

J40ADF

So...I thought I would start this thread for a couple of reasons;

a) Hopefully what I talk about in this thread will help other beginners.
b) I'd like some more experienced riders to follow my thread and give me advice and more importantly encouragement.

Firstly, as this is my first post I'd like to introduce myself;
Hi, I'm Andy and I'm 53 years old from Essex.

Why am I taking up/trying to take up cycling;
Fitness. In the past I've been pretty sedentary taking little or no excercise, not good for someone my age!
I've noticed my Dad (who is 76) struggling to walk a reasonable distance and I don't want to be like that in my 70's

So a few months ago I had this idea about buying a bike and taking up cycling, a bike used to be my main form of transport years ago so what could go wrong?
I started looking at bikes on the internet, wow! there are some awesome bike out there and you can spend an awful lot of money.
The trouble is, I know what I'm like, this 'new bike' would end up collecting dust in my garage.

I already had a bike, an old Halfords mountain bike (Apollo XC 26) but I hadn't ridden it for a few years and I'd let my teenage children and their friends borrow it. To say it was a state was an understatement.

So I decided to convert this old Halfords bike into something a bit more road orientated with the idea that if I could get into riding it on the road, through this winter then I would be justified in buying a new bike next year.

fenix

I'd not spend too much on the Apollo tbh.

Do you have a decathlon near by ?

Something like this - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520- ... 22799.html

Get full mudguards for the winter. It'll be a far nicer ride than a cheap mountain bike.

Just call it an investment in your health. They also do drop bar versions if you want.

J40ADF

So I did some research into converting my old Halfords mountain bike into something a bit more road orientated.
The main advice was to swap out the knobbly tyres for something smoother but I found it was not going to be easy to find something slick to go on the 26” x 2” rims.

So off I trotted to my LBS. OMG! I could have spent, I was sorely tempted to spend a small fortune but I was good!
I came away with 2 x Schwalbe Marathons (26” x 1 ¼”) 2 x Inner tubes, a pair of bar ends in an attempt to change my riding position and £79 lighter.

It was only now that I started to discover how bad my old bike was and how badly it had been treated by the children and their friends.

The bracket for the disc brakes had been bent so the disk was binding.
With some patience and some brute strength I managed to get the front wheel to fit, gave it a good service and adjusted the disk brake.

The rear wheel was buckled, badly!
No amount of fettling with a spoke key was going to true it up (and I ran out of patience)
Back to the LBS leaving £32 lighter with a new wheel on order.

Once I got the wheel back I could adjust the rear brakes and re index the gears, again using some brute strength to bend the derailleur bracket back to where it should be.

Only trouble now was the cassette was just spinning in both directions so I couldn’t finish indexing the gears.
Back to the LBS, this time with a new cassette on order and a £25 bill.

Finally, I’ve got it all working, rolling, changing and stopping as it should

J40ADF

Fenix wrote:

I'd not spend too much on the Apollo tbh.

Do you have a decathlon near by ?

Something like this - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520- ... 22799.html

Get full mudguards for the winter. It'll be a far nicer ride than a cheap mountain bike.

Just call it an investment in your health. They also do drop bar versions if you want.

Too late, I'm already into it to the tune of over £130 so far.
We do have a decathlon just down the road, I've heard that their bikes are ok so I may be looking down there in the new year

w00dster

Welcome to the world of cycling - it can get expensive.
Some advice without going down the buy a proper road bike route, if you do enjoy cycling then its likely you will want to get a better bike, but that's for another time.

1. Buy a spare couple of tubes, mini pump and maybe CO2 if you don't already have them. Take at least one tube, tyre levers and pump with you on each ride.
2. If you haven't seen it already there is an App called Strava, generally that's used to track our rides and progress.
3. Bib shorts really do make a difference to the comfort of your backside and other bits.
4. Decathlon and DHB are pretty good for cheaper clothing (lots of expensive gear that you may want to purchase if you really get the bug) - but windstoppers / water resistant shell jerseys or jackets are a must for the Autumn and Winter.
5. Enjoy your riding, getting fit and seeing the great outdoors.

haydenm

Good on you for getting into riding! Between decathlon and Wiggle's DHB gear you can get everything you need at a good price. It'll still feel expensive but you'll likely get something which will last and be usable if you progress

J40ADF wrote:

Once I got the wheel back I could adjust the rear brakes and re index the gears, again using some brute strength to bend the derailleur bracket back to where it should be.

Be really careful with that, depending on the material it might just shear off when you least expect it. I've had a number of rear derailleurs end up in the wheel on mountain bikes resulting in some of my biggest injuries to date, it shouldn't be so painful on a road bike but might leave you stranded a long way from home!

J40ADF

I downloaded Strava and started off with some 5ish mile shake down rides until I got everything working ok.

It took me a few weeks to get the bike working as it should, at one point I was spending more time repairing it than riding it.

I’ve now (I think) found an evening ride, suitably lit.
It’s just over 7 miles long and the first time I did it, it took me almost 43 mins.
Now I have a target to aim for, 30 mins!

I’m still trying to create a longer ride for weekends, I tried one out;
13 Miles taking a little over 1Hr 20mins. Part of it is a tow path so I took it easy. I need to create one of about 20 miles I feel though.

J40ADF

The reason for spending a few £s on my old Halfords mountain bike is twofold;

I know what I’m like, I will buy a new bike, loose interest in cycling and end up with a newish bike sitting in my garage un-ridden.

The other reason is, new bikes are expensive. I could buy a cheap road bike for the winter but would rather save the money for a much better bike if I do eventually get into it.

Clothing;
I’ve obviously invested in a helmet (never worn one before, I’m a child of the 70’s)
I also bought myself a pair of Mountain bike shorts. I’m really reluctant to go down the whole lycra look, I definitely do not have the body for it.
A pair of gloves too if only to protect my hands if I come off.
I’ve got enough training gear to wear including stuff for the winter although I may treat myself to some skins for when it gets really cold.

J40ADF

My main target is to get my 7 mile ride down to 30 mins.
I will use this route evenings after work just to keep my legs turning and to develop my technique. I'm finding hills really difficult!
My next target is to create a 20 miler for Friday afternoons and Sunday mornings, I figure this is a good distance to aim for then I will work on the times.

I'm thinking that I don't want to spend anymore on the bike, it works at the moment but;
What about a new saddle?
Should I think about putting some new pedals on that I can wear cleats with? (I used to have toe straps years ago and found I could pull as well as push)
Any thoughts on technique?

kingstongraham

J40ADF wrote:

Fenix wrote:

I'd not spend too much on the Apollo tbh.

Do you have a decathlon near by ?

Something like this - https://www.decathlon.co.uk/triban-520- ... 22799.html

Get full mudguards for the winter. It'll be a far nicer ride than a cheap mountain bike.

Just call it an investment in your health. They also do drop bar versions if you want.

Too late, I'm already into it to the tune of over £130 so far.
We do have a decathlon just down the road, I've heard that their bikes are ok so I may be looking down there in the new year

Isn't £130 about the price of the bike new?

I started with a "mountain bike" like that. Had ambitions to road-ify it, but am glad I stopped with putting on non-knobbly tyres. It was good to have a bike that I didn't care about for starting commuting into London - if it got nicked I wouldn't have minded at all.

keef66

I'd say if it's the right size and your position on it is comfy you don't necessarily need to spend any more on the bike.

But as above, a puncture kit / tubes / tyre levers / pump are the bare essentials to take with you. Water bottle if you're out for over an hour. And some lights at this time of year

Clipless pedals are good, not really so you can pull on them but more for keeping your feet in the right place even when spinning quickly. But then you need the matching shoes to take the cleats.

If the saddle is comfortable, leave it alone. Saddle height so your leg still has a slight bend at the bottom of the pedal stroke

Technique? Change down in anticipation of a hill, and keep changing down to maintain a brisk cadence. On a MTB you shouldn't be running out of gears. Try to judge the effort so you're not totally goosed before you reach the top, then keep pedalling down the other side to recover. Rinse and repeat.

keef66

I migrated from MTB to road cycling via the tried and tested route of simply fitting slick tyres to my old, rigid steel framed MTB.

Stuck at it for a couple of years but the upright position, wide bars / limited hand positions, and the gearing made it hard work. Which meant I'd gained a bit of fitness, but when I bought a proper road bike I realised I still had a long way to go. Hills were suddenly a lot harder and I was running out of gears, but going down the other side was a hoot!

mouth

Two schools of thought with regards to shelling out the money now:

1) Modify/tart up your current ride, which will be hard work to ride and probably weighs as much as Apollo 5 then lose interest because you feel disheartened*****.

2) Buy the new ride now, saving money in the long run. Getting something like a Boardman or Triban is a great place to start, and will hold value if you decide to sell and replace with a 'better' bike. If you don't sell it, it'll be a great winter hack/commuter.

****Played ice and inline hockey as a kid, as well as well into adulthood. I saw so many kids walk away from the game when their parents bought sub standard equipment "...to see if they like it before I shell out on proper gear..." they ended up getting hurt and not enjoying it before really ever giving it a chance.

J40ADF

Yes, £130 is about what I paid for the bike :shock:
The new tyres bore most of that brunt though. So I'm thinking that unless it need repairing I will ride it as it is.
Great advice about picking up and taking some spares with me though, I will have to put together a little kit.

ElectronShepherd

To chip in with some (hopefully sensible) and some (possibly macabre) advice...

First, at home, put the bike on the lawn, and then remove both wheels and then the tyres from the wheels, deflate both inner tubes and then put everything back again, using only the tools that you take with you on a ride. The idea is that you simulate being stranded somewhere with a puncture - you might find that you need something that you wouldn't have with you if you really were stranded. It's quite common for someone to use their "good" pump to pump up tyres at home, and then find that their min-pump that they take on rides doesn't actually work, or that the tyre levers in the saddle bag are no good, and so on.

Secondly, if you have wife and/or kids at home, think about keeping some sort of contact details easily findable on the bike (laminated paper in a saddle bag, for example). If, heaven forbid, you did get knocked off and seriously injured, the emergency services will then be able to contact your family quickly.

keef66

^ sage advice. You need to be confident you can do it whenever it happens. You generally don't puncture on a warm, sunny ride and get to fix it at your leisure, sitting on a bench overlooking the village pond*

Usually it's in the winter when you're running late, have no lights or mobile phone reception, the daylight is fading and it's just started horizontal sleet. And you can't feel your fingers and your glasses keep steaming up.

* although this did once happen to me

J40ADF

I rode my 7 miler again on Wednesday night and got a very similar time.
I didn't realise Strava broke the ride down into sections so I can see where I was slower, clever!

As for hills, no, I'm not running out of gears. My old bike has 21 but I've not used the smallest cog on the chain wheel. I'm pretty much just riding around on the big cog and only using the middle one for hills.
I assume from what you have all said that road bikes have higher gearing.

imposter2.0

J40ADF wrote:

My main target is to get my 7 mile ride down to 30 mins.

That's the wrong target for a beginner.

J40ADF

Imposter wrote:

J40ADF wrote:

My main target is to get my 7 mile ride down to 30 mins.

That's the wrong target for a beginner.

What would you recommend?

imposter2.0

J40ADF wrote:

Imposter wrote:

J40ADF wrote:

My main target is to get my 7 mile ride down to 30 mins.

That's the wrong target for a beginner.

What would you recommend?

Focus on riding steady, for as much time as you have available. Going for some arbitrary speed target at this stage is going to be a bit pointless and counter-productive. Build up your time in the saddle, and the speed will come - don't force it.

svetty

Wind-up?

Matthew??

J40ADF

I went out for my Friday ride yesterday afternoon. It was starting to spit with rain but nothing heave was forecast. I got 2 or 3 miles from home and the heavens opened! Hey, I don't mind getting wet.

As I rode down the tow path something didn't feel righ with the gearing and some how I managed to slip the chain off.

Put it back on but it still didn't feel right so cut my ride short and started heading home only to slip the chain off bit this time got it well and truly wedged between the casette and the spokes and ended up walking home the 2 - 3 miles.

Still at least I got some excersise.

Gearing all sorted this morning so I'm back out at the next opportunity.

J40ADF

So, I've sorted my short, keep my legs spinning ride for the evenings. 7.2 miles takes me about 42 mins.

I had a 'mechanical' last Friday when I attempted a longer ride so I'm planning to have an explore this afternoon to see if I can create myself something a bit longer.

burnthesheep

Most of this seems good.

You would be surprised though how quickly, if consistent, a person can get used to riding a distance per ride or a distance in a week.

I've seen people come so far in just a few months on pub-tour rides. Just riding 10 to 12 miles once a week at a gentle pace with a big group. And maybe once a week alone for some miles.

I see nothing wrong with if you KNOW you can finish your route, choosing to put in some extra hard effort on that segment or that hill.

No reason to jump into hour long interval training sessions just yet though.

lostboysaint

J40ADF wrote:

So...I thought I would start this thread for a couple of reasons;

a) Hopefully what I talk about in this thread will help other beginners.
b) I'd like some more experienced riders to follow my thread and give me advice and more importantly encouragement.

Firstly, as this is my first post I'd like to introduce myself;
Hi, I'm Andy and I'm 53 years old from Essex.

Why am I taking up/trying to take up cycling;
Fitness. In the past I've been pretty sedentary taking little or no excercise, not good for someone my age!
I've noticed my Dad (who is 76) struggling to walk a reasonable distance and I don't want to be like that in my 70's

So a few months ago I had this idea about buying a bike and taking up cycling, a bike used to be my main form of transport years ago so what could go wrong?
I started looking at bikes on the internet, wow! there are some awesome bike out there and you can spend an awful lot of money.
The trouble is, I know what I'm like, this 'new bike' would end up collecting dust in my garage.

I already had a bike, an old Halfords mountain bike (Apollo XC 26) but I hadn't ridden it for a few years and I'd let my teenage children and their friends borrow it. To say it was a state was an understatement.

So I decided to convert this old Halfords bike into something a bit more road orientated with the idea that if I could get into riding it on the road, through this winter then I would be justified in buying a new bike next year.

Escaped from TRC? Welcome.

simon_e

burnthesheep wrote:

Most of this seems good.

You would be surprised though how quickly, if consistent, a person can get used to riding a distance per ride or a distance in a week.

I've seen people come so far in just a few months on pub-tour rides. Just riding 10 to 12 miles once a week at a gentle pace with a big group. And maybe once a week alone for some miles.

I see nothing wrong with if you KNOW you can finish your route, choosing to put in some extra hard effort on that segment or that hill.

No reason to jump into hour long interval training sessions just yet though.

Agree with this.

Keep it up. If you can do 2 or 3 rides per week I'm sure you will see great progress (though don't fret if you miss them occasionally).

bretttt

hows the journey going OP ? or not