hounds2

i am 55 and just this summer bought a trek pure and put a little over 500 miles on it before i bought my gary fisher manona. i have put about 150 miles on it so far. i am 310 lbs. when i ride, i ride around 10-11 miles total. a month ago i rode our local rail trail 41 miles in around 3 1/2 hours. BUT, i needed to get off the bike about every 5 miles. even for just a minute, and i can go on. if i try and push it any further i start to get uncomfortable and my legs and hands say its time to stop. just a short rest and i'm on my way. i see people riding 10-15 miles non stop without any problem and they dont seem to be as strong as i am. my riding buddy tells me it will come, but i havent seen any change in a long time. i will never be able to ride any organized rides if i cant last longer. i do better in wind and on hills, but i cant ride any longer than i did in the spring . i'd appreciate your comments

10 Wheels

You have to ride more.

Took my legs 500 miles to get used to pedaling.

My first ride was 6 miles and I stopped 3 times to rest.

Now I can go 45 miles non stop, rest 10 minutes and do another 45 miles.

chefisaac

Its ok to stop and get off the bike, rest and stretch. The "riding police" wont bust you. I had to learn this. It is ok.

I will say that if your hands are having trouble, etc, you might consider getting a real bike fit. Not the 5 minute... get in and out.... sorta bike fit. A real bike fit is 45 minutes and an hour. Worth it. I just had another fit tonight because of my knees.

Also, learning how to stretch on the bike is a good thing too.

hounds2

thank you for the comments. Chefisaac, i think a fitting is good advice. when i bought the bike they made some adjustments, but nothing like a bike fit. how do you streatch on a bike? just stand up? please let me know if you have a proceedure that helps. i did buy a new seat that is alot more comfortable, however, i dont have any real issues with fit, its just my body saying rest for a minute. its hard to explain. i'm not really tired, i just need to get of the bike. 10 wheels, how long did you have to ride to get that kind of range? and if i may ask, are you anywhere near my size. i have a feeling that i am going to go nowwhere until i loose some weight. actually, quite a bit of weight. thanks

10 Wheels

I learned to shift to a hard gear, stand up to stretch and pedal. Eat and drink while riding.

I rode 1000 miles in my neighbor hood before meeting a group of retired riders.
They taught me how to ride long distance.
Jan 08, 344 miles
Feb 08, 598 miles
Mar 08, 767 miles
Apr 08, 1162 miles

Rode the 1st Century after 17 weeks. I could then ride 45 miles non stop.

I struggled for 6 months trying to keep up with them.

Bill in Houston

this helps my rear feel a lot better. just 15 seconds to a minute of standing in the pedals works wonders. and you know what? if you have to stop and get off the bike ever so often, do it. whatever works for you.

CraigB

I stretch on the bike by standing, one pedal at the bottom of its stroke, and arch my back, drop that lower heel to give my calf a stretch, and turn my head to the side to stretch the neck and shoulders a bit. Then I crank through half a revolution and do the same thing on the other side.

Mithrandir

Did you get the bike properly fitted when you got it?

What kind of saddle are you using? I had to get off every 5 miles before I got my brooks, now I can do 50 without getting off.

hounds2

i will give these a try today. here in michigan our riding days are numbered but today should be good, as is tomarrow, then rain and cold. i am going to try and ride some all winter if the weather and snow permit. if not, i work out 3 days a week on the bowflex and the schwinn airdyne. hopefully i will not lose everything durning the winter. i am hoping to lose some weight and then ride a couple rides next summer. i wont do it unless i have enough range to not make a fool of myself. that is my goal. someday i would like to ride something like the PALM ride. its something to work for. i appreciate your support and comments. sometimes its discouraging to be riding along and have some young skinny person fly by me without any effort. a defining point was riding along thinking i was really flying and a kid with a backpack and other stuff rides up next to me and says HI, then takes of like an F-16. i contemplated stamp collecting at that time. i still feel 16 at heart so i keep going on. Happy Thanksgiving.

jethro56 

+1
You've made 650 miles of headway. We may just be more OCD than You. Ride however way that makes you want to ride again. I set a goal last summer to ride a metric century before getting a road bike. I did it but I can't say I enjoyed it. I have a basic 8 mile course that I can make decisions off of that takes me up to 23 miles. I don't know what I'll ride as I make decisions as I ride. As far as riding a lot of miles meaning being in better shape All I can say is that I've ridden 3 times as many miles this year as CraigB but I wouldn't race him.

hounds2

mithrindir, i bought both my bikes from the local shop. they are really nice there and been around awhile. he had me ride a number of bikes and told me a couple were no good for me and recommended this one. he adusted the bars and seat and took the peddles that were on it off and put some regular peddles on it. i dont know if that is a bike fit or not. i am new to this sport. they traded me seats and i had my wife measure my seat bones and bought a bontrager seat (somewhat padded). i have no troubles that i know of and the bike seems to fit ok. i think its just my fat body. i just got back from a 7.5 mile ride into the cold michigan wind and did the stretch that craigB suggested. i did it often and it seemed to help alot. the wind was so strong that i couldnt get up any speed but it seemed to help my legs. the only problem i had is that i cant stand and peddle yet. i'm too uncoordinated now, i think it will come though. i didnt try it much cause i didnt want to crash on thanksgiving with the family coming over. i will work on that. Jehtro, you sound alot like me. my usual ride is about 8.5 miles, but can be extended. you mentioned a road bike. what did you have before? are you anywhere near my size (310 lbs). my fisher has 32mm tires and they are a huge advantage over the wide tires on my trek. i probably dont use my gearing well, i have only had it in 4 gears since i had it. we dont really have any hills so i havent needed to change much. i did shift into my small sprocket once and it sounded like all hell was breaking loose so i havnt done it again. i think it was fine because it went into gear and came back to the middle sprocket, i just wasnt ready for it. when you rid the 23 miles, how many times do you stop (if at all)?

jethro56 

I'm 55 and weighed 425 two years ago. I started riding a trek 7300 in Oct of 2010 and weighed 280 then. This summer i got down to 214 now 225. So I was a lot like you. Got to go. Glad to hear from you!

magohn

+1 - Brooks B17 solved 90% of my discomfort on rides. The last 10% being occasional numbness in my hands on a long ride. I used to dread dismounting as the pain in my rear was excruciating and the dismount seemed to really emphasize that pain as the blood rushed back to the region. The Brooks was like night and day. The Brooks also replaced a "high-end" $150 Specialized saddle that would drive me to tears after 10 miles. I paid approx $90 for my Brooks and would pay it again tomorrow if I had to. Best "upgrade" to my bike by far.

Mithrandir

I wouldn't try to push yourself to try to stand and pedal. After over 3000 miles I still can't do it. I'm almost certain it's my weight.

Just keep cycling, it'll get more comfortable as your body adapts. And even moreso as you lose more weight.

10 Wheels

Standing allows your blood to flow in your butt, legs, and back. It also give your arms and legs a chance to stretch.

If this guy can do it, anyone can. He can ride a 100 miles.

Mithrandir

No problems with standing, I do it often. I was basically saying that I still cannot maintain balance while standing and pedaling. I feel like I'm going to fall, which is why I don't recommend doing it until we lose weight. No sense in trying to force yourself to do something dangerous when you might not be ready for it.

chefisaac

I can pedal and stand but dont feel good about it because I really crank on the head set and I am pretty sure its not a good thing.

I love my brooks saddle. Have on my road bike and just bought one for my mtn bike the other day. Love them to death! My butt thanks me.

hounds2

jethro, i dont mean to be pushy, but how did you do so well with your weight. if you dont want to comment i understand. i was 300 lbs and lost 100 lbs while i was in college. i since went to 375 and am now down to 310. i seem to have hit a bit of a wall, but it will come i hope. regardless, i congratulate you on your weight loss. you certainly know where i'm coming from. magohn, i will look into a brooks, although my seat isnt bad, i have heard that people love their brooks saddles. and i appreciate you guys letting me know that i'm not the only one that cant stand and peddle. it sure doesnt feel natural at this time. maybe when i loose some weight. i love cycleing. i have a motorcycle that i love riding but i have found that i tend to get the same good feelings riding my bike and its better exercise. it has cut my motorcycle time down drastically. i am going to do what i have to do to get in shape to cycle successfully. it is not only good for my weight but it is mind medicine as well. riding seems to do wonders for my attitude. i have found out its not a simple sport and i really apprciate you guys taking the time to help me out. sometimes i need some incouragement from people that understand. i have a few skinny biking friends that help me alot but i;m sure they have no idea what it feels like to be my size and peddle into the wind or up a hill. you guys do. happy thanksgiving.

chefisaac

hound: I agree on the change in attitude. I see that in myself too. I love riding as well. Fun... doesnt cost too much (versus other hobbies life golfing and fly fishing), you can ride ride ride and burn cals and have a damn good time.

Excerisse is good but eating is very important toooo..... I am still struggling with this.

jethro56 

Hounds2: 1800 cal a day. Chefisaac is right. Weightloss is 90% eating. I will say that I lost a lot of strength last winter. Took most of the summer to regain that strength. What you need to do depends much on what results you're looking for and how well you know your body. It's going to take some time, maybe forever. The sooner you begin to enjoy the journey the better your attitude will become. I also got rid of my motorcycles. I do have a e-bike now and while it's slower it's still a lot of fun. I also concur with magohn on the Brooks. I have a standard B17. The picture 10 Wheels posted appears to be a Brooks as well. One thing not posted is wearing bibshorts. I love them. Don't forget walking as well. With the cold weather ,it's great cross training.

Neil_B

This is an aside to the discussion, but it's not just Clydes who aren't able to pedal standing up. I've ridden with a guy who had knee replacements and he was told by his doctors standing and pedaling wasn't a good idea for his hardware. The rider was in his late 50s and couldn't have been more than 150-160 sopping wet. Adventure Cycling mentioned such a rider a couple of years ago as well, although there was another medical reason for his constantly sitting when riding.

In my case, I can stand and coast. But I don't like the 'give' in my pedal extenders, and I'm not the most structurally sound guy anyway.