Not sarcastic at all...I was agreeing with you!! I think that pool time would be a great way for Mike to rehab his ankle and even crosstrain after that!

Sorry if you misunderstood me.... :D

That is really, really cool. Very inspriational. I guess I don't have anything original or witty to say, just keep it up, good luck, don't give up, and associated cliches. You and PWRDbyTRD should swap stories; I believe he has the same bike :)

You have been away from this forum for a while, 'nother?
Most people here knows well that PWRDbyTRD was a great help for Mikabike when he was deciding which bike to get. He still is a great help to Mikabike giving him variety of advices. Some day in the future, Mikabike will give it back to somebody who follows the same path, right Mike? ;)

Gazoo,
my apologies, I've been hanging out on too many of the more confrontational forums.

-Marcus.

Pro Noblem....been on a few of those myself.

FYI all tires tend to lose a little air over time. the Rubber used in bike tubes is more pourous (sp?) then car tires, so a bit of air leaks out all the time.

I generaly have to put some air in my tires about once a week or so. Sometimes its every couple of days.

I've had the flu since Monday. My pump should be in today though, maybe I'll ride tomorrow.

I took my Kona up to XL cycles and had a 3" handlebar extender installed. The sun decided to peek out from behind a thundercloud long enough for me to get a ride in when I got home.

I did it in my work clothes so obviously it was harder to pedal and the seat felt a little low. But having the handlebars up that high felt wonderful. It was also my first real ride since airing the tires up. It was a real joy to ride in an upright position like that. Having my head facing forward instead of down, really let me take in the surroundings. It also made me more confident in the control of the bike. It just 'felt' right.

I'm still congested from the flu but I took a nice leisurely pace and only rode .5 of a mile.

Amph 7.6
max 15.3 (which I took around a corner no less)
distance .5

If it's not raining tomorrow I'll take it out again better prepared. I'll have to post a new pic of the bike with my changes.

Did you get your pump yet? If so, how much of pressure you put in the tire?

Yeah my pump came in. I pumped em to 60psi front and rear. I wrote about it in my blog.

Mike,

Have you set yourself some goals yet.

like increasing your mileage every 3 rides?

or increasing your saddle time?

or trying to bike one more day this week than the last?

Dist 1.28 miles (3 laps and change)
Max MPH 15.8
Avg MPH 8.0

I have now done my first 3 lap'er. 2 weeks ago I did my first and only 2 lap ride, then ankle and flu kept me off the bike the last 2 weeks. Now my first real ride after the flu and I did my first 3 lapper. I keep going farther and farther with each ride.

My hands still got fatigued but I was able to move em about on the third lap to give them a rest. I need to move the seat forward because I'm mostly sitting on the horn I discovered.

After the first lap my cardio got in the groove and I never got winded for the following two laps. My legs were all rubbery after the 2nd lap and they were basicly dead weight on the last uphill of lap 3.

I am really feeling it in my inner thighs right now, and of course the back of my calf muscles. And of course my hands are so cramped I can barely type. My throat is sore from the flu and I'm wheezing profusely since I'm still not completely cured of my cold. I don't know if I'm going to be able to ride tomorrow though. I really gave it hell out there today. It was very difficult to keep going and I had to fight my muscles for control so I know for sure they got a good work out.

Thats it for now.

Have you tried any of the gel gloves to help your hands?

I just bought a new pair of Trek gloves that are the cats ass!!!!

Muscle sore is a good sign, your body is trying to adjust to your new activity. It'll probably hurt tomorrow morning. Take a break day or two. Go out and try agin the same thing in a few days. It should be easier than the last time. Repeat it a few times over a week or so. You'll feel more comfortable and confident, will want to go for more laps soon. Wait till your desire to do so builds up.

How's your tire feel at 60 PSI now? Consideering your weight, you may want to experiment at higher pressure. 10 PSI over the Max. is nothing unusual. It'll make the wheels roll a lot easier.

Keep your report coming.

They are just fine at 60. They bulge slightly like a tire should, and they don't feel like they are riding on the sidewalls in a turn. I am confident enough not to break entering the high speed (15mph) turns. I just take em wide and at speed and the bike feels pretty stable doing so.

I did something new today which was to practice riding very slow. I tried to see how slow I could go without having to put my feet down. It was a good balance and coordination exercise. Despite my size I can still balance at 1mph and less. I'm also a little more dextrous than when I first started. I can put my bike tires exactly where I want them to go between speed bumps, ride along the curb, dart between parked cars etc with confidence. I really feel like it's all come back to me now. I feel confident. I get on the bike easier even with the seat in a high position, and I can turn quickly without worry. I feel confident enough now that I am thinking about taking it off road a little. :)

It's all finally come together. The bike feels like part of my body when I'm on it and it's effortless to keep my balance and ride with precision. No broken spokes, the wheels are still true. No cracks in the frame. I think I've got a bike I can trust now.


Heres a pictures of the bike with my mods. Notice the height of the stem for handlebars? Hehe.

Mike-be careful about riding hard when you don't feel well, sometimes it's best just to take it easy and you will get over the illness quicker. Felt a little crappy a couple of weeks ago and sleep about 10 hours one night instead of riding and was ready to go the next day.

Bah, I started clearing up Thursday. I am not sick anymore but I'm not 100% either. I feel fine. I'm just a little congested is all. Thanks for caring. Hehe.

why the rigid fork man???

Why not?

If you have to ask.....

Rigid forks are not a thing of the past as some people would think.

You da man Mikey keep it up!!!!

Mikabike. Your progress is great and inspiriing. I hit 300 pounds about 2 years ago. Through exercise and proper eating I got down to 240. Put some back on over the holidays and sit here at 260. My goal is to no longer be a clydsedale (under 200). When I first started, I couldn't run more than a couple of minutes. I did my 4th sprint triathlon yesterday. I'm still slow but can finish without feeling like I am going to die. Anyway- when I got down to around 255 the first time I went to see my doctor because of chest pains (all tests came back normal). He advised coming as close to a "whole foods" diet as possible- eating foods in as close to their natural condition as possible, nothing from a can or box, whole grain breads. It is tough to keep this up, because it takes careful planning and eating out is all but impossible, but when I switched to it I felt great and started loosing weight again without being even a little bit hungry. If you have the organizational skills to plan your meals ahead it is a great way to loose weight and feel good. Rex

But you can try.

Distance .80 miles
Avg mph 7.5
Max mph 12.5
Legs Sore like a muscle was pulled off the bone like a BBQ rib in NC.


Well to add to the thunderstorms and tree pollen we now have landscaping mulch. You know, the stuff that looks like shredded tree bark they lay around flower beds to keep weeds out. My apartment complex just re-paved every square inch of green with the stuff and the smell would floor anybody. It's like the worst parts of vomit and fecal smells topped off with just a bit of Tabasco sauce. It's this tabasco smell wafting to the surface of this odorous puke cocktail that makes your insides twist.

Anyway I was out riding around in it and I decided to take a new direction. I normally do laps in a N,W,S,E counter clockwise direction but today I headed off the other way intending to do a reverse lap. But again, due to the odor, I decided it might be a good day to find a new path. I ended up on the south end of the complex where few men have ventured, did a quick loop and came back to my reverse course. I polished it off by a couple of high speed passes in front of my apartment where it is nice and flat. I did this with maximum effort to get my legs working and when they stopped responding I coasted in and finished the ride.


I moved the seat forward for this ride but it didn't feel much better. If anything it was more uncomfortable. But the discomfort was in my sit bones, exactly where it is supposed to be. And despite many gripes about it, I rode in my blue jeans. It's just not cricket to go pedalling about in your sweat shorts when people are enjoying the smell of rancid landscaping material.

Hey Mike, sounds like your seat is a good fit. I think moving the seat forward is going to put more weight on your sitbones, because you will be more upright and therefore not supporting as much weight with your hands.

Keep up the good work, and hopefully you'll get a good rain soon to wash away some of that decomposition smell.