Originally Posted by
stapfam
Don't know about a special forum for you but several of us here are in your state.
Welcome home.
Thanks! Misery loves company, or something like that.
Originally Posted by
BengeBoy
If you're coming from zero fitness they will really help. If you're starting to ride a bike and getting sore on some of your initial rides, it's a great way to balance things out.
So far, I'm comfortable enough when riding, in terms of the bike. I've tweaked the saddle tilt a tiny bit back and seem to have reduced or eliminated any numbness. I just got this bike (a 2010 Trek Navigator 2.0) last spring after more than 30 years away from bikes. If I were buying now, I'd probably lean a bit more toward a hybrid, but I still like the ability (via the large tires) to tool around on grass, etc. So, I'm still OK with my intial purchase. At least for now. At any rate, the bike is far better than I am right now and is in no way a limiting factor for me (I can't blame anything on it! :-)
In terms of fitness, I need to revise my mindset a bit. For pretty much all my life, despite not being any kind of athlete I never had a real weight problem. Up through my 30s I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted without apparent effect - No better, no worse. Since then, it's become apparent I'll have to make much more of an effort for relatively less effect, as it were. In other words, I'm getting older and will have to honestly work for what I get, or lose.
(welcome to the real world, eh?)
Your suggestion about walking is well-taken. I live in a neighborhood just off a heavily travelled 5-lane highway. I've tended to avoid it for safety reasons, but I'm realizing I could trip and drown in the bath just as easily. So, I'll be careful and although there aren't any bike paths (nor even bike lanes) in my area, this road has decent shoulders where I live and I'll just ride them for a while.
Thanks.