Hi,

Following the 3 month report, time for the six month report.

I got a road bike at Easter to go with the 20" folder I bought at Christmas.

I've racked up 900 miles + on the folder (not sure, the computer is now
erratic, needs a new battery, which will wipe the data), and 600 miles
on the road bike, which is a far better distance and hills machine.

I expected improvements from 3 to 6 months and got them. I'm a much
smoother pedaller now, and can now both push higher gears and spin
usual gears to effectively extend the effective range of my gearing.

Hills and headwinds (or both) are no longer such an issue as I've learned
to go faster with more power output on the flat, so now they just slow
me down and take longer, rather than requiring a lot more effort.
I still don't push that hard on the flat to go that little bit faster.

Still I would say I expect the biggest improvement over the next 6 months
would be in the improving ability to deal with hills. For the first 3 months
I generally avoided them, now I avoid nasty ones, but now always include
some hill stuff on a ride, (not difficult in Brighton), and have a twice weekly
35 mile route than takes in various hills, though none of them are vicious.

Also do about 15 miles 3 days a week, on the seafront, 2 on the folder east,
1 on the road bike west, always don't ride one day, but may ride or may not
tootling about on the folder the other spare day, but no real distance.

FWIW I'm much fitter without trying too hard, all my belts are in the shortest
hole, and it hasn't been too hard, but a significant time investment is needed.

rgds, sreten.

Guess I should aim for a half or metric century this year.

Nice update. For what it's worth, there are plenty of poorer ways to spend one's time.

Doesn't it make you wonder why you took so long to get into biking!

May you keep the undertaker waiting for your next 50.

You are over the first stage where the cycling is starting to take effect but-------------------------------------- there is always a but. Cycling efficiency and fitness comes in stages and you have only reached the end of the first one. For a while you will not notice a great improvement and you can think you have reached your limit. It only a plateau though and to get past this stage takes a bit more time. Then suddenly you are through it and a noticeable difference will gradually start to arise.

Normally takes two years before you get to the stage where the rides become a lot longer and you go looking for hills. From then on things just improve.

Good route for you is up to Falmer on the 23 and then back to Woodingdean over the open fields. When that becomes easy do it in reverse and see what a few slopes early in the ride can do for you. Or longer out to Lewes and back through Cliffe to the 27 and down to Beddingham- Newhaven and then the 259 coast road back home. That is a route I took a few from Shoreham out on and they were not happy as there was a strong headwind back from Newhaven. Choose the route for the wind and enjoy the Road bike.

Nice report. Sounds like the next purchase might be a belt or two.

Hi,

As a variation of of my 35 mile route I started going out of Brighton on D*ke Rd,
Devil's D*ke Rd, Saddlecombe Rd, which is just one long uphill (not much) slog
out of Brighton, and TBH I didn't enjoy the rest of the ride that much putting
in a lot of work at the start, so I now do a more circumspect start going out
on the London Rd bikepath to get to Poynings.

rgds, sreten.

I will checkout the Falmer, Rottingdean, Brighton loop.

i think that's a pretty good description. And to get it is going to be necessary to overdo it a bit to get better at some point. It will become pointless to keep doing the same thing over and over again.

Congrats Sreten, you might want to check the computer manual some of them allow you to at least adjust the odometer when you change the battery, enjoy the rides.

Hi,

Not if you keep going faster. As long as average power output is increasing
and overall time decreasing doing the same routes over and over does work.

I will incorporate occasional longer routes as and when it feels right.

rgds, sreten.

Hi, Not the very basic cheap but adequate ones I bought for the two bikes, rgds, sreten.

Everything needs setting on a battery change, and the odometer cannot be set.
Basically you set the time, wheel size to the nearest inch, mph or kph.

Most of the newer computers allow this.

Congratulations on your improvements and keep us informed. Awaiting the 9 month report.

Really good stuff. Congrats. I am reminded of my own "comeback" to cycling at the age of 58. I am now 67 and have learned that it takes a while to get into form...that there is always something to learn or improve...and, that I always feel better for having done a ride. My ultimate goal is to have that ride where you feel like you are riding without the chain.

A question to take to the Training Forum?

Hi,

Not really IMO.

I want to keep my time on the bikes to a reasonable limit. I'm not
in a hurry to improve. I'm not the sort of person that wants to know
what my limits in performance are at any time are and enhancing
them. I know I can improve them without ever approaching them.

As far as I'm concerned as long as I do a decent weekly mileage
and always push a little, not hard, * I'll keep getting better until I
reach my limits, for my regime, seems that will take 2 to 3 years.

IMO, and why its not for the Training Forum, 95% of the health
benefits of regular exercise can be gleaned without torturing
yourself to maximise your short term current performance gain.

I'd get slaughtered by the "no pain, no gain" brigade there.

The 10% or whatever you get from hard training and lose quickly if
you hit your peak and then slacken on the training is outside my
area of long term interest, I'll bumble along being pretty fit.

rgds, sreten.

Regarding the bike computers - dirt cheap, very basic but do
the job. Trust me they don't keep any data on a battery change.

* A little overall, that might be attacking hills and taking it
easy on the rest of the ride, or taking it steady but trying to
go fast on some sections, I generally just keep mixing it up.

+!

You are living for now, not training for some future super goal. And that is great! Each of us has a niche in our cycling. You are well on your way to finding yours. That is a wonderful thing.

Hi,

I still like the folder but its no good for the open road, hills and anything 20 miles plus. It's
33 to 66 gear inches, the road bikes 40 to 100, but the road bike goes up hills a lot better.

Still the folders good for practicing pedalling cadence, and the speed limited coastal paths.

I can do a wind assisted 20mph on the flat with the folder, but haven't
got near the same cadence 30mph wind assisted with the road bike yet.

rgds, sreten.