gally99

it’s been a little over two months since i’ve ridden any of my bikes due to a snapped ACL…
i’ve gained 20 pound in that time…
my smoking habit has gone up…
my drinking habit went up, then went down…
i’ve put together a single order with nashbar that started at $180, went up to $300, went down to $80, went up to $450, went back down to $120 and it’s stayed about there…
i dropped out of school for a term because i could not (tried, but couldn’t) participate in the labs because of crutches or a cane… i start again in a little over a week…
i had to quit my job because of the injury as well…
i’m currently drinking the last of my room mate’s beer because i couldn’t walk the blocks to the liquor store…
i start physical therapy tomorrow…

this whole time the only thing that has kept me remotely sane is the thought of getting back on my bike…

the day that i can ride again:
in honor of being able to ride again, i am quitting smoking, eating healthier (possibly going vegan down the line, but cutting out pizza and cheeseburgers will be a first step), ordering my nashbar list (if i can keep it below $150) and getting bernie mikkelsen to start on my new forks…

even though the thought of riding in traffic again is scaring the **** out of me, i can’t wait to get back on my bikes…

it’s also three in the morning and i’m incredibly bored… and springsteen is not helping at all…

keevohn

My sympathies, man... I've always dreaded the thought of something happening to my legs that would keep me from biking or running.

But hey, look at it this way: *plenty* of people take off biking for the entire winter. And Jan Ullrich used to routinely balloon during the off-season, only to come back and regain his form in time for le Tour. You'll be lean n' mean in no time... just take it slowly. Too much riding too fast can cause further injury.

Ken Cox

I took a day off from riding, yesterday, on the recommendation of my physical therapist.
I had no physical issues but he knew I had put in a lot of miles recently and suggested a proactive rest for my knees.

I got up at four in the morning and drove my wife's car, for the first time in weeks, down to the local community pool and swam laps.
When I got home, my wife, realizing I had already lowered myself to driving a car, put me to work driving errands.

I found myself thinking about my bike, constantly.
I brought my bike into all my conversations with people who really didn't give a whoop about bikes.

On one of my errands, I went out of my way to visit my lbs and talk about chain lines.
Later that afternoon, when I had the house to myself, I went out to the garage and visited my bike.
At least I didn't talk to it.

I ate two tubes of Pringle's No Fat Sour Cream and Onion potato chips (2000 calories).

I got up this morning at four, again.
In a few minutes I will go swim laps.
However, my lbs opens at 10:00, and I plan to ride my bike down there and talk about chain lines some more.

I don't have a bike problem.
I can quit any time I want.
In fact, yesterday, I did.

loaf

I can't stop, I'm so addicted to bike. I didn't do any bike yesterday though, my friend had to help me. We walked, so I ended up staying off the bike. I think school work has been helping me stay off the bike too. Spring break is coming up though, I'm going to have a lot of free time. I think there's going to be a bike binge coming. I don't have enough bike either. I have a road conversion that I put together last year, but that doesn't satisfy my needs completely anymore. I have a mtb frame that I want to build up into a single speed. Oh man, all this talk about bike, I think I'm going to do some bike before class, real quick, no one has to know.

but seriously, Gally, rock on. I don't know if I could deal with that injury. I was riding around with a sprained wrist (snowboarding) all January when I really shouldn't have. I'm pretty sure I made things worse by riding because it's still not right and I still can't comfortably ride in my drops.

dolface

i've got 5 bikes, a frame, and a set of wheels in my bedroom, a bikestand in my livingroom, and tools on every level surface.

i don't have a problem either.

wunder

F-ing a!

Don't get lazy or depressed and fall into old ways.

I've done it way too many times.

monkey

Thanks to 2 knee surgeries, I spent a whole year off my bike. I was depressed too, but you've gotta snap out of it. Mark on the calendar the approximate day you'll be able to ride again, and be ready to work towards that day. It's going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of pain. But trust me when that day comes it'll be the one of the best days of your life. And mixing alcohol and vicodin = bad idea. Makes you feel wierd. Good luck.

OneTinSloth

i'll see your 5 bikes, and raise you 3 more + an indoor closet of spare parts, and an outdoor storage space full of same! no bike stand though. but my trainer works pretty well.

wheels, rims, spokes, hubs with no axles or cones, forks?, handlebars, chains, stems, brake levers, tires, saddles, seatposts.....and i need more of everything. i'm thinking about building up my spoke inventory...like, every size from about 280-308, straight guage and double butted.

at least that way, if i ever get injured, i could just order hubs and rims and build wheels for myself and friends to occupy my time.

no, i don't have a problem.

edit: okay, maybe i do....

jrowe

I hear you man. I couldn't ride or run for two months after having my clavicle repaired with a titanium plate. I just started riding again about 4 weeks ago, and it's been sweet. On my first ride I went back to the accident scene, which was kinda weird, especially since another sh**head nearly turned left in front of me again at the same freaking intersection.

Just hang in there, and be glad that it's winter and not spring or summer.

Applehead57

I have two feet of snow on the ground, I haven't ridden since October.
Antsy doesn't cut it, *****y maybe.

mrballistic

i had my acl surgery 2 years back, and they had me in pt the day after going under the knife. it was still 3 months before i was on my bike, but that pt dedication had me walking again after about 6 weeks. crazy, eh?

harlot

I had my 2nd ACL recon in June one year and it killed me to see all my friends riding around on their bikes while I was stuck in my hole of an apartment. You want to shoot everyone and make them as miserable as you are. Liquor works well.

Good news is that the physical therapy is typically very aggressive and they get you back pretty fast. Biking is usually the first thing you can do. I was sneaking out on my bike with my friends in ~6 weeks for easy rides. I'm surprised you haven't been able to do a stationary bike or wind trainer. Did you do more damage than just ACL?

Once you get moving again you'll be surprised how quickly your body recovers and kicks ass. I bet you're zipping around by May 1. Don't lose hope!!

Ceya

yeah I thought I would be zipping to. NOT yet!
S/F,
CEYA!

Cro_Moly_Body

I have 6 bikes in my bedroom, 1 in my hallway, and 3 in the bathroom and more wheels to build a half dozen more bikes.

No, I don't have a problem either.

gally99

track bike and a conversion, three frames, and a pile of wheels in my living room/kitchen- complete stingray, a couple more frames, and some more wheels in the hall to my apartment...
when i come out of my room my track bike is the first thing i see... it's killing me...

i completely seperated my acl and trashed both meniscus... if it hadn't been so bad i'd probably have been doing easy rides already... while it stopped hurting mega bad after about a month, i couldn't really support my weight on that leg or it would either collapse sideways or twist around... real gross, hurt a lot, and made me want to vomit... plus, upward pressure while my knee was bent (like in pedaling) would push my tibia out through my knee which would move my patella around all funny and basically led to me rolling on the ground in pain... i tried to ride my stingray once and it lasted about 4 seconds...

physical therapy didn't start today, but it will soon, and apparently the first thing i'll be working on is range of motion (at the moment i wouldn't be able to get through a full revolution anyway) so that should get me back on the bike soon...

currently i'm trying to figure out how i can scam a set of rollers out of my insurance company through all this...

habitus

hey, man. i wish you the best in your recovery. your plan of action to eat healthier and stop smoking sounds good, too.

it's hard to believe, but the best times are ahead.

ultra-g

Wow, 20lbs. in 2 months....

Well in 1999 I was athletic and single, weighed 180lbs.

By 2003 I was engaged to be married and 240lbs.

By 2004 I was single again and down to 210lbs.

I'm having the freaking hardest time getting under 200lbs.

You'll bounce back!

shrimpx

I gained 75 lbs in about a year after a move which took me a very long time to adjust to.

I lost weight gradually over a few years, but just recently lost 45 lbs in about 3 months due to an extreme change in my diet and exercise habits. Bike riding played a fundamental role.

Get better soon.

harlot

ooooooooooooooooooooooouch yeah sounds like more than a simple ACL tear. Meniscus tears take way longer to heal, they don't have the same blood supply as a ligament. I did that my first time around and I was off the bike a few months, but trust me you WILL be back soon. Be aggressive with the therapy, but listen to the doc and don't do too much too soon. It will suck ass and you will get frustrated, esp on those first warm sunny springs days to come when you're still hobbling around. But set goals. Keep yourself busy with other activities. Life throws you these bombs once in a while to test your mettle. Your bikes will wait patiently for you and help you recover.