EL LUCHADOR

hey guys, just want to introduce myself here as ill be hanging out here most of the time.

im 6 ' 4, 290lbs , in my 30s, and ive been out of exercise 5 years. i started having mild chest pains 5 weeks ago loading up my tools to take my race car to the track, and decided i wanted a better life than that. 3 days later,i went out and bought a bike (2013 specialized allez sport compact, 61cm)

ive wanted one since 02 but everything else got in the way and it didnt happen till now

my resting heart rate, in just 3 weeks went from 84bpm down to 63 bpm, and my blood pressure is now in the normal range- i cant believe how quickly this happened.

my first week on the bike, 10.6mph was the best i could average,with an average hr of 158 now on the same loop im up to 14.2mph, which includes a very short section that is 9% grade ( i had to walk up this hill the first two times i attempted it). if i do 10.6 mph now my heart rate will be in the 120s, so a huge improvement but still a long way to go before i can say im a conditioned athlete.my goal is to be able to do 18-20 mph

a few observations:

chocolate milk makes me faster and helps me recover faster.(i have no idea why)

bontrager solstice jersey is not a quality jersey at all but it fits us big guys and allows us to not looked like overstuffed sausages.

the 143mm riva saddle on the allez sport is a torture device after an hour

group rides suck - you cant stop and stretch when you need to,and they leave you behind going up a hill, but you have to stay with the group on the downhill sections, which removes the gravitational advantage we clydesdales have. plus, you feel bad for slowing down the no-drop group because obviously they would rather drop you and keep going.

hills suck

cadence sensor on the polar cs100 stopped working after two rides.POS

my cadence is low. anything over 85 and im bouncing in the saddle.

clip in pedals and riding shoes are more fun than platform pedals and sneakers.

i sweat a lot

eating during the ride makes me more tired- need to figure that one out.



anyhow, i will be asking a lot of questions over the next few months. please bear with me

Beachgrad05

Welcome to the forum! You will find this to be a warm, supportive and informative place.

TrojanHorse

Get a seat that fits you - see if your shop has a "test ride" program
Hills don't suck, riding up hills makes you a cyclist. Embrace them. You'll improve
Where do you live?
Spend 10 minutes per ride pedaling at 90-100 rpm (or as much as you can comfortably) to get your pedal stroke improvements...
eating and drinking on a ride is pretty personal, what works for some won't work for others but generally, 1+ 24 oz bottle of water per hour or some diluted sports drink works pretty well. If you ride more than 2 hours, you may need to add some food. Fig Newtons work great, or a bit of PB&J or turkey sandwich, or I like Clif bars. My new favorite are those honey stinger waffles, they're pretty light tasting and good too.

Congrats on your new bike (pictures!) and don't give up on group rides yet, you'll smoke those guys one of these days.

cmrtn7

a few observations:

chocolate milk makes me faster and helps me recover faster.(i have no idea why)

Bicycling Magazine had something in it about the advantages of chocolate milk.

bontrager solstice jersey is not a quality jersey at all but it fits us big guys and allows us to not looked like overstuffed sausages.

the 143mm riva saddle on the allez sport is a torture device after an hour

Give it a few more weeks.

group rides suck - you cant stop and stretch when you need to,and they leave you behind going up a hill, but you have to stay with the group on the downhill sections, which removes the gravitational advantage we clydesdales have. plus, you feel bad for slowing down the no-drop group because obviously they would rather drop you and keep going.

Agree

hills suck

hills don't suck, going up hills suck (Yes, I know a lot of you love the challenge.)

cadence sensor on the polar cs100 stopped working after two rides.POS

my cadence is low. anything over 85 and im bouncing in the saddle.

Watching heart rate and cadences are to complicated for me!

clip in pedals and riding shoes are more fun than platform pedals and sneakers.

Love them, getting them for the exercise bike too!

i sweat a lot

I don't sweat (or notice) during the ride, but afterwards its like turning the faucet on.

eating during the ride makes me more tired- need to figure that one out

+1 on the fig newtons.

+1 on pictures. Include one of the race car.

EL LUCHADOR

thank you much. ive enjoyed it a lot over the last month, and now becoming a member i can ask questions and see attachments

thank you for the tips.ill try the cadence exercise and the honey stinger waffles-sounds yum

ive tried fig newtons and did not like them. i felt like there was no noticeable change in energy levels on the bike by eating them.almost like they are a slow release energy source.

I ended up switching saddles to a specialized targa that i bougt used. it is 155mm and it seems to be just what the doctor ordered. so far, it is orders of magnitude more comfortable




hehe, I agree with you, the cadence sensor was not ever useful, it only updated like every 5 seconds, and the chest strap on the hrm just gets in the way of my breathing, so I leave it at home now. id rather go faster and ride longer than know what my average and max hr was

i wish i didnt sweat during the ride. im going to start riding with a rag or something under my helmet its so bad
ill try to post a pic of the bike soon.

Mark Stone

Hello El Luchador!! Sounds like with your learning curve you will not only be receiving good advice here, but giving it too! A hearty welcome, friend. Ride free!!!

mkadam68

Welcome aboard. Hope you enjoy your riding for many years to come.

No need to stop: there are many stretches you can do while moving on the bike.

This is one of those areas you'll want to figure out for yourself, as everyone's different.

For instance: If I eat anything on the bike, and keep riding, I can often bonk after a bit, which sounds like your "makes me more tired". Once I begin eating on the bike, I need about 150kcals every 20-30mins until the end of the ride. But, if my ride is 2-1/2 hours or less in duration, I actually don't need to eat anything at all (water, yes).

But, again, this is what works for me. YMMV

PhotoJoe 

Welcome. This forum is full of people who have walked your walk. Most of us still are. We remember well what it was like to break your butt into a new seat, how much hills suck, new bikes, etc. I'm glad you're on the journey, and I'm glad you'll share it with us. On pedal stroke at a time, we'll reach our goals.

Now, quit typing and go ride!

markinmad

Agreed. We tried out our first group ride locally last Saturday, it was a 30 miler that was listed as being "family friendly". The GF and I took the recumbent tandem and we had a teenage boy on a mountain bike. Their first question was "how fast are you?" That's a tough one - being a clyde, riding a recumbent tandem, it's about 4-6mph on the uphills and "oh crap, hang on" on downhills.

You (and I) need to find the right group. My parents ride with a group that includes a bunch of old duffers - they're not out to "make time".

Yo Spiff

Everyone is different, but I have leather Brooks saddles on most of my bikes and find them very comfortable. Rarely does my butt ache. If you buy one and decide you hate it, you can easily sell one on the used market and haven't lost much.


Depends on the group. Some groups consider a 16-17 average pace to be "slow". I tend to get dropped on the long club rides out in farm country. Usually in the first 5 miles. I've learned over time that the worst thing I can do is push myself before i am thoroughly warmed up, if I do that I will burn out. So I pace myself and about half the time I find someone my own pace. If I get dropped I would be riding on my own anyway and now I am riding someplace new and different. I've also found some other groups in the area that do more casually paced rides within the city limits. I'm sometimes one of the stronger riders on those. It's all relative.


Yes, though at a certain point you start enjoying the challenge of hammering up a steep incline. Really, you do. I prefer hills to a headwind, however.



My natural cadence has picked up over time and with fitness. I suspect you will find the same. Sounds like you are already faster than I am, however, unless you are using the "BF method" of figuring average speed. I cruise at 14-16 and usually average around 13 at the end of a ride, according to my bike comp.

mprelaw

Can we back up a second to those mild chest pains? Before you get too strenuous on the bike, you might want to see your doctor and maybe have a stress test.

CJ C

Welcome fellow clyde

I drink a glass of milk after every ride, it just does a body good

i dont do jerseys and bike shorts for the reason of sausage man look. I wear gore bike underwear and some shorts over and a tshirt

PhotoJoe 

THIS!

I recently rode with someone who had a heart attack WHILE RIDING. He obviously got help, and can now ride safely, but only after his doc got everything under control. Please, do get checked out.

Black wallnut 

Hope you checked with a medical professional; chest pains are warning signs....


I read that you already changed saddles however give your body time to adjust to sitting on a saddle.

Just last night after our Tuesday LBS group ride as we were discussing dropping a rider I commented that I wished we had a moderate group. I was quickly shot down by all the other riders telling me that no, I did not wish that at all. Then they told me that I was getting so much stronger and without the group rides that push me that would not happen; they are so right. When I mentioned I feel bad that they have to stop and wait for me they keep saying that they do not mind. I still get dropped every ride. Groups can be fun and a great training aid. The hardest part is finding a group that fits your goals and abilities, or better just beyond your abilities. Not only is cycling full of DB's it is also full of genuinely nice and caring people. Don't give up on groups.

Hills are like a DI, they really are your friend! Embrace their pain and grow stronger. It'll never get easier, you'll just go faster.

Cadence can improve but you have to intentionally work on it. Just this past week or so there has been several threads with lots of advice on how to improve it. I've tried to employ several. Like staying in the small ring up front for more of my rides. It seems to be helping.

Black wallnut 

Wow time flies while I'm at work and multi-quoting a reply.

chefisaac

welcome!

EL LUCHADOR

thank you ALL for the very warm welcomes.

mkadam68, can you expound on the on bike stretches?
also, i guess a bonk is the way to put it. if i eat a clif bar or something, its over, i will instantly slow down and lose my explosive power.


yo spiff, what is the "BF method" lol?

mprelaw et al, i hope i dont make enemies from this, but the only options i saw a doctor giving me were
1. go exercise , get your heart strong and lose weight, or
2. get on the heart medication and be on it for the rest of your life.

since the chest pains are gone(and sciatica for that matter -God I love biking) I would say that exercise is just what the doctor ordered. I wasnt going to get on any medication anyway, not even if they told me i only had 5 weeks to live.

but i am willing to learn, what will a stress test reveal?

again, thanks ALL for the warm welcome - I know it is a bit premature as Ive only been riding 4 weeks, but Im thinking of doing the hotter n hell 100 in wichita falls on the 25th. Ive looked at the strava and it doesnt look like a lot of climbing. I want to do a 40 miler tomorrow and a 50 miler on sunday. is it too early to start thinking of doing a century, or can i do it if I get in enough training time over the next couple of weeks?

magohn

I can pretty much guarantee that any ailment (chest-pains, sciatica) are still there after only 4 weeks riding. Riding a bike is not a miracle cure and any improvement at 4 weeks is probably mental. It takes months/years to see a difference.

Also, I definitely would not ride anything like the 'hotter n hell 100 in wichita falls on the 25th'. You are not conditioned to be attempting anything like that. I wouldn't even ride at all until a doc checked me out after chest-pains.

How far have you ridden in one day? 100 miles is a long, long way and how you feel on a 10 mile loop is night and day to how you will feel at mile 90. If you have a heart issue a longer ride like that WILL most-likely kick into play. Again, you should not be riding if you have had chest-pains.

Just my 2c..

psalm

Love the screen name! Welcome to our little section of this forum.

IBOHUNT

DUDE! Wait! What?
Unless you ate some serious chili go see a doc especially if you start ridding hard and geting the HR up.



Chocolate anything makes me faster.
By the way - when you are out of Hershey syrup for your vanilla ice cream Hammer Gel chocolate flavour is a good substitute.

OK, just joking! I haven't actually done this....yet


Saddles, like our arse's, are unique to each of us. What works for one doesn't mean it will work for another. I have a couple saddles in a drawer. Find a dealer that will let you test drive them.


The appropriate group rides don't suck. Finding one that you can join in and perhaps is a no drop ride would be to your advantage. I have showed up for group rides where I got dropped. The hint I missed was they were all in the same kit and had shaved legs. That was a hammer fest

Being dropped motivates me.

Au contraire. They will make you better.
Embrace the suck. Look for cell towers.

Call Polar if it's not a setup issue. I know mine gets bumped and fails to read at times. I just reach down and move it.

It does take a while to get a smooth pedal stroke so keep at it.
If you stick with this and it still happens I'd suggest getting someone to look at your fit on the bike.

Touchy subject matter for some here.

You're no different than most of us. I ride with a guy from up the road on I-81 and he looks like a leaky faucet. Give him a warm day and a few miles and he's got more water running off of him than is in a babbling brook. When you are no longer sweating is when you should get concerned.

If you start going on longer rides you'll have to find a way to get the right food in you. I use a Cliff bar an hour after the first hour on the bike. Hydration is a bottle of water with 1 CamelBak orange elixer.

Like saddles everyone is different here as well but I've learned from trial and others advice that 250-300 calories and hour is all your body can take in.


Ask away, there are a tonne of smart folk here that have been down this beaten path.

And why no pictures of the bike or car ... unless it's a Ford then don't bother.

CalPastor

Another riding addict! Welcome aboard.

I would get med check before getting to crazy on the bike. Then you'll ride better with some peace of mind.

Nice to see guys step up and fix what's broken...rather than sit and wait to die.

mprelaw

A stress test involves using moderate exercise (usually they put you on a treadmill and gradually increase the resistance) to elevate your heart rate for about 3 minutes. You're wearing ekg leads and hooked up to a monitor. They can also do a nuclear stress test where they use a radioactive dye which will illustrate to coronary arteries and chambers of your heart to reveal blockages or abnormalities. They will also measure how quickly your pulse returns to normal when you stop the effort.

It's good that you saw a doctor, but the stress tests are best done and evaluated by a cardiologist. Did your personal doctor do an ekg as part of his examination?

Yo Spiff

A joke referring to a discussion a while back that I started asking what people meant when they said "average speed". The BF method is to take what you can maintain for several miles on smooth pavement with no wind and add 5mph to it to calculate your average speed. In reality, your average speed takes all your slowdowns (such as stoplights and slowing down for pedestrians) into account and is what your computer shows you at the end of a ride. When I say I average 13mph, many people seem to think that's my normal riding speed. So I refer to both average speed and normal cruising speed. Neither is terribly fast, but it's a decent pace.

vesteroid

there are so many post I cant say I read them all.

I wanted to caution about the Chocolate milk. Sugar (c milk is loaded with it) obviously makes you feel faster, less tired etc when you drink it. And yes, many seasoned athletes use it as a recovery drink. But you simply cant say using it in any quantity at any time regardless of exercise duration or intensity is OK.

I dont know how long you are riding, nor at what intensity. I do see the HR data, and age. I would say you are training in an aerobic zone at best right now. Nothing wrong with that, and its good for base building, but needing to eat on rides of less than 1 - 1.5 hours is probably not reasonable, and if you are using it for recovery, you need to totally deduct those calories from your meal plan.

I think its great what you are doing, and I know it will pay benefits for you, but many new people think that because they add some exercise, they now need (or is ok ) to eat more.

Dont fall into that trap.

mkadam68

I looked for some pictures online through Google, but didn't initially find any. So I wrote up some descriptions. Sorry for the length.

You'll need some initial flexibility to correctly & safely do these, so make sure you're working on flexibility off the bike, too. I also recommend attempting any of these while riding alone first so as not to put yourself or others in unnecessary danger.

Other racers do similar and more advanced stretches, but I'm not as skilled or confident as them. When you do try them in a group setting, ride more to the back so you don't accidentally take someone out if you swerve.

Last, before attempting these, take a good look down the road so you're aware of any upcoming areas where you might have to suddenly change how you're controlling your bike.

Quads (very simple although you will need some balance)

• Unclip your foot, pull it up behind you, to touch your buttocks. Leave the opposite foot clipped in. Leave the opposite side-hand still on the bars. The bar tops is probably the most secure/safe position. Let go when done, hang leg off to the side & shake it before clipping back in (helps return vascular flow).

Calf Muscles (perhaps the easiest)

• Stop pedaling. Place desired foot (while still clipped in) into 6 o'clock position. Lock knee straight. Lift the toes of the desired foot up as much as possible, keeping the heel down. Pedal backwards with the other foot to apply pressure to the stretching foot, moving the pedal toward a 4 o'clock position. Repeat as necessary.

Hamstrings

• Keep pedal in a 6 o'clock position with knee locked straight. Skooch back on the seat as needed, lean forward at hips/waist to apply pressure to hamstrings. Keep your back straight & flat. Try to touch handlebars with chin. Keep hands/palms on top of the bars & bend at the elbows to maintain straight riding. You can try and pedal backwards to apply more pressure, but this seems to adversely effect my balance/stability a bit, so be careful. This also gets the calf muscles but not as directly as previous stretch.

Lower Back
On any ride I do, I'm repeatedly standing up, even if not going up a hill. This i almost always to stretch my back as it alternates muscular systems and gives them a rest.

You can do this one standing or seated:

• Lift left hip toward left shoulder. Repeat w/right side.

Do this one seated only. Do it quickly as you will momentarily be looking behind you & not seeing what's happening in front. Careful!!

• Lift left hand off bars. Turn to the left and look behind you. Turn head & shoulders/upper body trying to twist lower back. You can use your left hand to pull on the saddle to help get more stretch. Your opposite (right) arm has remained on bars. It should bend at the elbow, easing pressure on the bars so front wheel tracks straight. If you lock your elbow, the twisting movement will force your handlebars to turn while you stiff-arm them. Bad idea while you're looking behind you!! Repeat other side.

Do this one standing:

• Stand, putting left pedal at 6 o'clock and the right, with no pressure, at 12 o'clock. Place right knee just under handlebars. Arch your back as much as safely possible, forcing belly button toward bars. Repeat other side.

Sounds different. Hmm... A "bonk", BTW, is where your blood glucose & muscle glycogen have bottomed out and you have no more energy. Your body can still produce some energy via fat deposits, but this produces small amounts of energy over longer periods of time, perhaps enough to get you home slowly. Bonking effects different people different ways, but some symptoms are: dizziness, light-headedness, unclear thinking, shaking, a lack of motivation, etc...

When I eat, on the bike, I only take small bites, maybe 1/3rd the amount of bites during dinner. It will take me a minute or two to chew & swallow each bite (especially w/Clif Bars!) while riding. Due to the act of safely riding in a group, taking a bite, putting bar away, riding some more, etc..., if I'm diligent, I can eat a whole bar in 15-20mins or more. The key here is a little bit of food constantly, as opposed to alot of food followed by nothing followed by alot of food, etc...

I wonder if your energy problems stem from eating too quickly? Perhaps you could try some different foods: gels? or liquid-based calories? (Gatorade is good for this) They may be easier/quicker to digest & get into your system.