Won a bike but haven't ridden in 30+ years!
 

I might as well introduce myself, even though I only just registered. I think I'm going to need help. My name is Cynthia, I'm definitely Athena sized at 5'7" and around 226 pounds! I'm married... and my husband is now slightly jealous because I am getting a bike!

You see, I won a bike in a blog contest from the Lipton Tea company, a Fuji Crosstown 2.0 and it is arriving next week according to the tracking number I was sent!

And I am CLUELESS. I'm not sure if this is a road bike, a comfort bike or some kind of hybrid. It looks nice and is fancier than any bike I've ever owned. I don't know if this new bike will even fit me, but I'm hopeful.

Seriously, I haven't been on a bike in over 30 years. I'm 51 now. And I'm a lot heavier than I was. Worse... I live on a steep hill and I'm kind of scared of the idea of riding a bike again, at least in this neighborhood. It's all hills. I'm not even sure I'm capable of pedaling up if I was daring enough to ride down. You see, when I was in high school, I messed up the cartilage in my right knee in a bike accident. Now, it's been mostly OK, except it seems to be getting worse since I turned 50. It's harder to do things like go down stairs, etc...

So I don't want to injure myself, but I really LIKE the idea of riding again. I enjoyed it when I was a kid. I've got plantar fasciitis, so walking is not such a great activity for me at present and it seems that most weight bearing activities aggravate my feet, so maybe biking is the way to go. But I'm kind of scared of traffic. The roads aren't always so good in my town, and often narrow. And the idea of riding on the highways is also scary. Yeah, I'm a worrywart.

There is a local bike club and I just registered on their forum, but I don't feel like I am going to be up to the kind of rides they do for a while yet. The shortest is like 25 miles!

At any rate, I'm not sure where to start! I don't think I even know how to properly get on the thing. Or how to shift it. Or even what gear you should use for uphill or downhill or level roads. I'm hoping my local bike shop (there is only one) can help with those questions. I already asked them if they will assemble the bike and they will for a very modest $25.

I know I will need a bicycle helmet... are there other items I might need for safety? Or any accessories that are considered useful? Any tips? Fun stories from other 50+ Athena newbie riders?


Cynthia

Welcome to the forum. I'm a super-clyde myself and 39 years old. Currently 315 lbs down from about 400. I started on a mountain bike and am now on a cyclocross bike which is a road bike with wider tires and a bit sturdier.

I'd recommend you find some trails to ride. Not sure what's around you but you can find out on the Internet. Either rail trails or park (cycling) trails. My neighborhood is filled with hills or traffic depending on direction. I'm only now venturing out on those roads. I started on the local rail trails and still do most of my riding there.

As far as gear, definitely go for the helmet. I good pair of cycling gloves too. If you decide to get into riding a lot there are other considerations. For example if you start riding 30 or more miles a week, then cycling shorts would be a good idea. I'm definitely not in Lycra shape so I put a pair of basketball (knee length) shorts over them. A water bottle is a good idea and a bag under the seat to carry stuff. My bag contains: tire patch kit, a set of tire levers, a multi-tool, and an extra inner tube. To prevent me from losing things out of my pockets I also put my wallet, cell phone and car keys in there when I go riding.

Good Luck.

John

Your bike is a hybrid and if you like to wear skirts or dresses lets hope they send you the ladies model heh

It's not a bad bike actually. It's going to be sturdier than a road bike but it's not lightweight - 30lbs. I would buy a helmet, locks if you plan to park it outside, and some lights or reflectors if you plan to ride at night.

If you're a safe driver the chances are you'll be a safe biker. You know what they say about biking - you never do forget. It'll come back quickly and you'll become more comfortable as you go. You've got 24 speeds with three gears in front which means your lowest gear will make going up those hills a lot easier:)

Thanks John, I'll look and see what I can find. The bike shop recommended the local river walk... but I'm not sure if that will be good or not. I can but try it. At least I have a station wagon, so I should be able to pop the bike in the back if I need to take it to a flatter place to ride. I'm not sure if any of the parks have trails, they are mostly pretty small parks. But now that I think of it, one at least has some lengthy walkways through it, that might do, at least for learning.



Definitely helmet... I saw a friend out of town last weekend and she had had a spill and was not wearing her helmet. She said her head rang for a bit. I guess now she will clean her helmet out, LOL! I hadn't thought of gloves, but they might be a good idea for me. I have an old RSI injury, so I tend to get a bit of chronic tendinitis in my forearms.

Hadn't thought of water bottle, but yeah, I'll need that too. It's dry here and hot in the summer. I like the idea of a small bag of some kind. I will have to learn about tire fixing I guess! I've never done it.

If UPS is on time... the bike comes on Monday!


Cynthia

Your bike is listed under the hybrid bikes on the Fuji site!:D

You live on a hill? A word of advice! When the cables begin to break-in, you will need to re-adjust the cables to the brakes. Not that hard so myabe the hubby can do it or take it to a shop for an adjustment after 100-200 miles. You will lose brake pressure so make sure and have it adjusted or you're aksin' for trouble!

Same with the shifters etc, but that won't kill you!

No worries there, LOL! I haven't worn a skirt or dress in DECADES! Stretch jeans is more like it these days.

Oh good. It looked OK to me, but then I know darn little. The last bike I had was given to me by my parents. I didn't pick it out and I don't remember any fancy stuff like "suspension forks". I rode it a lot... but that town was FLAT with wide and better kept streets. Here... I dodge crater-like potholes in the car.

I think I can heave it into the wagon if I need to even at 30 pounds. If not... then I better do some more weightlifting work, right?

Helmet will be the first purchase! It will be parked in the garage, but I might want a lock for around town if I ever get to the point where I feel comfy riding out from and returning to home. At present, I don't plan to ride at night. This town is on the dark side anyway, I don't think I'd feel safe enough, even with a light. But maybe a later addition.


I hope riding up hill will be possible... I'm not supposed to even ride a stationary bike with resistance because of my foot problems nor am I supposed to walk up or down hills. But I am still really looking forward to this! There's something about a new bike that is really exciting!

It's sort of suitable I won, I am a big tea drinker. Just not Lipton Tea, LOL!

Cynthia

Thank you, thank you! That is something I would not have thought of!


Cynthia

Are there any biketrails near? When I started riding back in 93 somebody suggested that I go ride my bike down the river. What the heck, I had no idea roads for bikes were along the river. NO need to cross streets as the road underpasses teh vehicular traffic.:thumb:

And always always always wear a helmet. Riding without one is for the dummies!:(

Under the cars we go!:D
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...xtreme/z11.jpg

Like little streets for bikes. Make sure to stay to the right ,just like driving a car!:p
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...me/070408A.jpg

Don't listen to these guys, the bike is all wrong for you. Let me send you my address so you can give..er..so I can dispose of it for you :)

I had a similar situation. My wife was working in a charity for diabetes and there was a raffle. She asked if we could give some to the charity, and I said, sure. She bought a bunch of raffle tickets for a mountain bike - and we won. :eek: I had been wanting a bike, so I started riding it, and got hooked. The bike as long since gone to someone else and I have a Cannondale F900 hardtail (a tad more expensive :rolleyes:) and along the way I lost about 70 lbs...

I have the same bicycle and really like it. It is my "grocery getter". I have installed a rack and use Performance Grocery bag panniers. I also have installed the Performance Bicycle (Forte) comfort grips to help alleviate wrist pain.

Have fun!

You can find TONS of videos on YouTube that show how to do minor adjustments. It is pretty easy and requires a minimal amount of tools. It may seem intimidating at first. But you will probably be like me--after I watched a few of the videos I came to the realization that if these dorks can learn to do this stuff, surely I could!

Enjoy your new lifestyle!
By the way--we are going to be needing some pictures once you get the ride and it's ready to go!

Oh yes... one look at my friend last weekend who was in a minor bike incident while walking her dog from a bike convinced me of the helmet thing! I have three cats who would not be pleased if their *mom* was laid up and unable to play with them.

I just did some Googling... there's apparently a nice and lengthy bike trail about an hour and fifteen minutes or so away called the Sacajawea Heritage Trail up in the Tri-Cities. I even found a gal's blog post about the trail and it looks pretty and with minimal traffic. That's probably a future possibility, I'm looking for something closer to home to practice riding right now. Two of our main drag streets (both one way streets through town) do have bike lanes, so that might be OK if I'm careful. I do think I'd like to get some kind of rearview mirror for my new bike.

My health club is on one of those routes... up a nice big hill. But it would be cool to be able to bike over there, though I might need a smaller gym bag. I should check and see if there are any bike groups at the gym. There is also a park over that way, which I'm not overly familiar with, but there might be some sidewalks I could ride on there, or practice in the parking lot or something.

And then there is the river walk, which my husband has walked. It's not a long distance, just maybe 2-3 miles. The bike shop mentioned that. I know where the parks department office is, so that might be a place to go ask about bike trails or paths in town.

The local bike club has posted their routes on a PDF at their site... so I might try driving some in the car just to see what I think before I attempt the roads. But I'm not sure I'd want to try them by myself. I guess what I need to do is to work up to being able to ride for a bit of distance. That should be interesting... I can only stand the stationary bike at the gym for 15-20 minutes max until my right foot goes numb. I just hope the new bike has a more comfy seat, LOL!

I'm pretty sure we don't have any specialized "little roads" for bikes here though. Great pix!


Cynthia

Heh. Hubby has dibs if I don't like it or the bike doesn't fit me right.


Cynthia

Cynthia,

I think a good first step is to establish a relationship with a local bike shop. I gather you're in Eastern Oregon... which city? Let's see if we can help you find a good shop. If not, how far would you be willing to drive - what's the largest city nearest you?

Wow! Congrats on your bike win! I can certainly hope that I get hooked and along the way *I* lose 70 pounds! I'd be nearly a normal weight again! Hubby sounds interested and it would be good for him to get more exercise as well.

Cynthia

Transporting my veggies by bike in summer might not be the best way to keep them crisp, LOL, but I do like the idea of being able to potentially do some errands by bike, rather than car. The bike might be good for trips to the farmer's market, where it's hard to park nearby. My car is fairly good with fuel, but it is still a 4 wheel drive Subaru and going up and down the hills tends to use the gas.

I will almost certainly install a rack... and thanks for the suggestion on panniers! I'll wait and see if wrist pain is an issue before getting grips, but if it is, it is good to know what helps.

I feel so much better having this forum to ask questions!


Cynthia

Pendleton is where I live.

The local bike shop is called Pendleton Bike and Board. I *think* that it is owned by one of the leaders of the Pendleton on Wheels bicycle club. So hopefully it is at least OK. I stopped in to ask about cost of assembly on the bike and they told me $25 which seems reasonable enough. Once it is assembled, I was going to ask them for help in adjusting the seat and handlebars for me and also ask how to brake and shift it. Or ask if they hold any intro classes for beginners.

There is also a shop in Walla Walla, WA called Bicycle Barn and a place in Hermiston, OR called Scotts Cycle & Sports according to the local yellow pages.

Walla Walla is about a 50 minute drive... otherwise, the closest is Kennewick at about a 75 minute drive. Richland, WA and Pasco, WA are about the same as Kennewick.

Portland, Spokane, Boise are about a 4 hour drive one way... and probably for me, an overnight stay, since it's hard for me to drive more than 6-7 hours in a day. Seattle is about 5 hours out. However, I have a brother in Portland... so if I absolutely needed to go that far afield, it is conceivably do-able, just a bit expensive in gas.

Oh... and I definitely will take pictures of the bike and maybe even get hubby to snap a few of me with it or on it. Don't worry about that! I am camera shy, hopefully the bike will be the center of attention!


Cynthia

That's a great idea about the videos... at least once we get something faster than slow dial-up, LOL! But yeah, I'd like to learn to do at least the minor stuff.

I've got to do pictures for my blog, so pix will be forthcoming! I can hardly think of anything else this weekend... last I tracked it the bike package had left Spokane. So if it hadn't been for the holiday, might've had it yesterday. Monday is when it is supposed to arrive. I'll give up water aerobics class if I need to, I don't want to miss the UPS man. Just hope it arrives in good shape!

Cynthia

Is this Cynthia from alt.support.diet fame? I was on ASD till I found Bike Forums, and left just before you started posting. If so, greetings from The Historian. If not, greetings from The Historian anyway. (bows)

I suggest gloves, 'cause they look cool, and they help your hands deal with road vibration.

re: shifting:

http://bicycletutor.com/gear-shifting/

That site has lots of videos that will help you and your husband. Welcome back to bicycles!

Welcome Cynthia from another Orygunian! An overweight 60 year old with bad knees.
Just take small steps to start, and those "steps" will get larger MUCH more quickly than you imagine.
You don't want to hurt any body parts or get overly sore muscles, because that tends to make you want to park the bike instead of ride it. Limit yourself to a couple miles the first day and your body will tell you what you can do the next. Besides, you'll look forward for tomorrow if you didn't get enough the first day!
I don't have a car, so I do all my grocery shopping on a bike, using a back pack. It's a rare occasion that I wish I had a rack & panniers! I'm only shopping for one though and have a 2 mile RT. It sounds like you have a greater distance and more bodies to feed.
Something I do, is always have a grocery list made up. If I happen to be going by the store while on other errands, I'll drop in and pick up a few items that I can hang on the handlebars. I can stretch a couple of the store type plastic bags between my shifters, which is also where I carry things like eggs and other fragile items etc. (it used to be chips)
One thing I would suggest, at least for the dry weather, is to remove the fenders to save some weight. It makes hills and accelerating that much easier.
Use 1 lower gear than you think you need and SPIN. Mashing (pushing hard) is tougher on the knees and also WEARS YOU OUT faster! Spin, and you can spin all day (almost).
When going up hill, anticipate your down shifts a bit early and keep spinning. If you wait until it's too late, it's TOO LATE!

Keep your tire pressure at the max. It makes for easier rolling.

You might read time2start's blog. Very similar to your situation-
http://time2start.wordpress.com/

Congratulations on wining a new bicycle, I hope it fits and that you find riding enjoyable. When the LBS assembles your new bike also ask the mechanics to spend a bit of time fitting it to you.

I can't help but noticed nobody mentioned some type of flat repair kit. I would reccomend buying a seat bag to hold a spare tube, patch kit, and tire leavers at a minimum. Get a frame pump from your LBS too. Its also a good idea to spend a little time at home practicing how to change tubes so your familiar with the techniques before your trying to change your first flat 15 miles from home in the dark while your cell phone is on your kitchen counter.

Congrats on the bike!

Best thing to do? Find a nice path or trail - maybe in a city of county park, where there is little traffic and just go out and ride. If you have friends that ride, it will be prefect if they go out with you.

I wouldn't consider a bike club until 1) you feel comfortable on your bike and can do at least 20 miles, 2) you know the rules of the road, know how to handle a bike in traffic (like left hand turn from a vehicle turn lane), and you know something about maintenance. You need to know how to change tire if you get a flat (although nice club members will usually help). Check with your local bike shop about "newbie" rides and maintenance clinics. My club, the first Saturday of each month, offers "newbie" rides and every other month maintenance clinics. But to do the rides again you have to be able ot do at least 15 miles and at a speed of about 8 - 10 mph.

So get a speedometer on the bike and work on your speed. There is lots of information online about road rules and traveling in traffic.

But best of all, just ride. If the first time it's only 10 minutes OK. Each time, push yourself alittle more. In a month you will be surprised how much you can do ( and how much weight you will lose!).

Insulation is your friend. I keep a collapsible cooler and a re-usable grocery bag in one pannier. Even ice cream is no problem.