Another new rider, another akward wave **PICS***
 

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...8319552&type=1Hello all, very glad to see this group is in existence.

I am a 36 year old, 230 pound male (5'7) who is trying to loose weight. Last week I picked up a Trek 820 mountain bike and decided to pick up bicycle riding again after a brief 24 year break.

Now I seem to recall that when I was in my early teens and weighed around 100 lbs this was much easier, I could ride all day long. I could blame it on the additional 130 pounds of mass and utter lack of fitness, I am going to just assume that gravity and friction have drastically changed over the past two decades to explain it.

I must admit I was embarrassed recently when I was presented with a photo of myself as a teenager and I was completely unable recognize myself, I actually asked a relative who that was in the photograph in the family kitchen.

Over the past few weeks I have started a calorie restricted ovo-laco vegetarian diet and started cycling. I live in a small town (3k pop) in a rural area where and decided to pick up a bike that could handle gravel (not all the roads are completely paved) and road surfaces up to highways. After my first few days of getting used to the bike I started doing 45 minute rides that were about 6.5 miles long, today I hit an hour with a 10 mile down an access road on the interstate.

I had to change out the seat because my arse was not as well padded as advertised, and I get home barley able to walk but the wheezing stopped and I can feel some improvement.

..so hello all...and am I doing this right?

Adding pictures...
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...8319552&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...8319552&type=1http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...8319552&type=1
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=1&theater

Keep riding.
Rest when you need a day or two off the bike.
Took me 2000 miles to get in some kind of good shape.

I started riding a year ago at 64, 290lbs and struggling at five miles and dead at ten.

I have averaged almost 40 miles a day since starting, best day was 126, this past Friday
I did 100.48 in under seven hours. Yesterday I did 46 on a 40 year old Sears ATB, 12 speed,
26". I am at 220 now.

I have a Zefal gel seat and during the hundred mile rides the seat and effected areas were
never an issue.

You just gotta' keep going, don't worry about what others do or think,, just keep riding......

Seats are counter intuitive... plush is generally not desirable, padded shorts (I mean the ones with gel in them) are also not desirable.

Seats are what works for you! $20 or $200 has no bearings on it!

First off welcome :thumb:.

It seems like a lot of changes all at once. You might find that a calorie restrictive diet may not work if you also started increasing your activity level. If anything try to find a good balance.

Like mentioned before, take time off when you need it. Enjoy the riding and you will be rewarded.

Best of luck!

I've been in the same boat, although I'm younger than the OP, I was struggling with being able to complete 4 miles after not riding for 2 1/2 years and gaining 60 lbs. As of today (1.5 weeks later), I just completed my daily goal of 14 miles. Here's what I do:

Monday: Ride
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Ride
Thursday: Rest
Friday: Ride
Saturday: Rest
Sunday (morning): Ride

I've found that eating 2 pb&j sandwiches on wheat hamburger buns and 1 glass of OJ 45 mins before a ride helps out tremendously. During the ride, I'll just drink 2 36oz bottles of water. After, I'll make some pasta & add some sauce to help recover. I eat other foods during the rest period & the same day as riding, but I have noticed that if I stick to this schedule, I'll begin losing weight (1-1.5lbs per week goal). Keep up the good work and you'll notice a big difference in a few weeks!

2 pb&j's (even if on whole wheat) + Oj seems way too many calories to sustain a 45 minute workout. I bet you could cut that in half, probably even 1/4 and get the same results of being able to maintain a good energy level for that amount of time. I'm honestly not trying to offend you -that is not my intent. But if it is working for you keep at it!

You didn't offend me at all kstephens. I'm still trying to adjust my eating before/after a ride. My rides usually last about 2-2.5 hours, and I might just cut it back to 1 sandwich before and see if it changes anything.

My second hour-long ride was today, temps were the mid 90's and I still made it.

...but not without incident, my ring/pinkie finger on my left hand still don't have any feeling in them. I think I may have pinched a nerve on the ride, I raised my seat a little and that may not have been a good idea.

Feeling stronger, the hills are still diabolical, but I made it through.

Were you riding with your elbows locked? Sometimes when I get tired I have a tendency to do that. If I can keep aware of it and refrain from it it saves a lot of wear on my wrists and especially in my shoulders and neck.

Sounds to me like your doing well. IMO the best suggestion from me to you, is to not to over do it. Ride so that you enjoy riding. If you ride like it is a chore it's much easier to give up. Ride regularly, and good luck, it's a great sport you've re discovered.

I don't really recall if my elbows were locked or not, I do recall a lot of demonic faces on the hills laughing at me and my efforts to climb them :)

I am sure I was putting a lot of pressure from my wrists to the grips...I might try lowering the seat a bit.

Hi BR, and welcome to the herd! It sounds like you are going at it the right way by just doing it and trying to tweak some changes in as you go until you find the fit you need.

Have you figured out how to ride only in a northern direction so the prevailing south winds are always a tailwind yet? If you do , please share the secret. I can't believe how late into the spring the wind is lasting this year.

You can alternate riding days with walking.

Just walk for an hour or so.

That helps your bod heal up from the riding, and
it is good aerobic exercise.

You want a day or two a week of not exercising.

Keep an eye on nutrient levels, especially vitamin D.
Even if you take a multi, I'd suggest getting a Vitamin D.

Walking is also good because it is weight bearing.

You may want to look into some cycling gloves. It is very common to get numbness in your hand(s) or just a couple of fingers. There is a nerve that runs right down the wrist into your palm called the ulnar nerve. Cycling gloves have palm pads designed to reduce pressure on that. Nerve. Some may work well for you, others won't depending upon how much padding and their shapes or positioning. If tha still doesn't do it, look at some ergonomic handlebar grips. You may need something with just a bit more cushion or a completely different shape. A company called Ergon makes various grips that have a wide palm rest built in. Some, like me, swear by them. They are kinda pricey, but there are similar products out there for less. Last, your bike fit may not be correct which could either be fixed with minor adjustments or you could have the wrong size bike altogether. Did you buy the bike new from a shop that fit you to the correct size frame?

Gloves are definitely on the shopping list for Friday, I will also drop the seat height down a half-inch or so. It feels like the bars are too low but I don't want to raise them too far as I have heard you can loose control of your bike if they happen to slip free.

As far as getting it from a bike shop, no I am in the K-12 sector. Despite what the right-wing said in Wisconsin a few months ago about our lavish (dare I say Wall Street-like) pay scale, I shop from Craigslist. But I did consult the interwebz to see what size frame fits my short demeanor...the guy I bought it from was just an inch or less shorter than I.

doing it, that's what really counts

your doing everythign right so far except not posting pics of the bike

Bought gloves, helmet, new seat and a proper water bottle.

After a 3 day hiatus due to weather and scheduling I just now got back to cycling. I am much stronger than I was last weekend, going out for 14.5 miles vs 10 and coming home in much better shape. Yes I was locking my elbows, learning to stop doing that and I am sure the gloves helped greatly with their gel padding.

...I will try to get a pic of that bike for motobecane in a few.