Newbie in the house
 

Hi,

I'm a 40-something man who bought a cheap bike last year when the doctor said I needed more exercise. I didn't get too serious until I watched the Tour on OLN. Then I was hooked. I try to do a minimum of 15 miles when I ride. I've been up to 28 miles. Still have the cheap bike.

A couple of questions to those who read my post:

1. Are there any other diabetic riders out there? I would be interested in information on calorie replenishment and hydration on long rides. Are there any products specially made for diabetics?

2. I was thinking of taking part in the Rosarito-To-Ensenada ride that takes place on Sept. 27th. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Do a search on "diabetic" or "diabetes" and you will find there has been lots written about diabetic cyclists!

Welcome to Bikeforums!
:)

I am not sure just how "cheap" your bike is, but you may want to consider a better bike if it is really cheap. They tend to break at the worst moments.

Good luck, and welcome to the forums.

Welcome to the forums!

For the answer to the first question you have, I suggest you post that question in the Training and Nutrition forum where it probably will get better response by people who frequent that forum.

For the answer to the second question you have, I suggest you post that question in the Big Rides and Riding Partners section- that's where people who are looking for rides to participate in or riding partners to ride with go.

Again, welcome!

Koffee

Suggestions For that ride....?? Make sure to leave room to eat plenty of tacos and drink MUCH beer!!

27Sept is gonna be my first ride but I'm goin' with a buddy who'se gone a few times. Make sure you're comfortable goin' up 'cause there is a pretty good climb. Just imagine yourself in that lead group goin' up L'Alpe d'Huez and cruise on up!!

Welcome! :)

I don't have any information for you regarding your specific health considerations, but I do want to address something else you stated in your post. Is your 'cheap bike' simply a lower end model bought from a reputable company through a good bike shop? (If so, welcome to the club; there are plenty of us budget-minded folk to be found here, and we know that 'cheap' does not necessarily mean 'bad'.)

If however you mean 'cheap' as in 'bought at [your fave department store name here]', please do yourself a favor and take it to a good bike shop and let them do whatever adjustments they deem necessary (and you deem affordable, o' course). Doing this may save you heartache (and perhaps aches in other various parts of your anatomy) later on, particularly if you're contemplating long rides.

You're on the right track here. These forums are a terrific resource.

Again, Welcome and Enjoy! :beer:

-Rob

One of the fellows in my bike club has diabetes. Our usual club ride is 30-40 miles. When he is on the ride, we all stop about half way and he pricks his finger and checks his blood. Then he will either eat jelly beans or fig newtons, or tell us it is okay, and off we go. Diabetes hasn't stopped him from riding, and the few minutes we stop for him give us all a chance to talk.

Thanks to all of the suggestions. I'll be checking the nutrition section when I get a chance.

In answer to your questions about my "cheap" bike, I don't want to mention the name of the store but it has a backward "R" in it's name (Insert cringe here). The bike was made in China and imported by a company named Dynacraft (I think). I changed the tires from off-road to road tires that I bought at (another cringe) a discount store based in Arkansas. I know it's a little heavy and not the best quality, but it's what I've got. Maybe around Christmas I will get a better one. I wish I still had that old Schwinn Le Tour that I had in high school.

Anyone had any luck on eBay? I've gotten some stuff there but I think that a bike is a very personal piece of gear. I don't want to buy something like that without checking it out first.

Well, you have lots of company. 83% of respondents to a recent poll had or have a Huffy/similar bike.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...threadid=32976

Welcome to the board lsits. Don't have any specific info for you but just wanted to say I started out riding pretty much like you. Even about the same age. A friend of mine was cleaning out his garage and gave me an old beater bike just to get it out of his way. I put a new chain, one new cable and some handlebar wrap on it and started riding it around the block. It was a lot of fun and I got hooked. After watching the TdF last year I was REALLY hooked and wanted a nice new bike in the worst way. I whined about it to my wife until she finally caved in and let me get one. The beater bike was fun but It's really great having a lightweight bike with high quality components. I probably went a little overkill on mine. It will always be a better bike than I am rider but so what! It's what I wanted so I got it. Anyway, ride what you have until you feel like you can afford a new one. Then go look around and see what's out there in your price range. Then go buy the one that's $1000 more.......like I did. :D

Dragracer,

Just wanted to let you know that your tactic worked. I kept nagging my wife about how much more I would ride if I had a nicer bike. I even rationalized that a membership at a health club would be about $500 a year. Anyway, I am now the proud owner of a Trek 7300 hybrid bike. I've been riding the hell out of it for the past two days. So much smoother than my department store bike.

In a way, I'm glad I got the cheap bike. It got me out of my easy chair and onto the road. It also makes me appreciate my new bike that much more.

Nice bike! :)

I got back to riding on a 2002 Trek 7200. The 7300 is a fine bike. Understand, though, that if the cycling bug has bitten you hard enough, you'll be looking for a road bike sooner than you'd expect. One year after I bought the 7200, I came home with a Fuji Roubaix. I suggest you start developing some arguments for buying a road bike to use on your wife. Remember, you already used the health club argument.