Cyling To Get Fit

West_Ford

I've just started cycling a mountain bike to loose weight and get fit. As i'm 18 1/2 stone its tough starting out. First i cycled 6 miles 3 times a week. Upping it every week as my legs get stronger. This is my third week an im doing 12miles per spin. So tommrrow im looking to get a friends racer to do the 12mile spin and see is there much difference.(i know there will be). I've tracked my progress on mapmyride and if tommrrows little spin goes to plan i will be looking to upgrade my bike. So i'm looking for peoples views on what to do next..?

monkeypants

Get some money together, at least €500 but the closer to €1000 the better. Then head down your local bike shop and try a few bikes for size. Your work may also do the bike 2 work scheme.

Hungrycol

A combination of a change in diet and consistant cycling will get you fit. Try to up the distance by 10% per week. Getting fit is a gradual process and you won't notice much a difference in yourself in the short term, except not being as pooped when you're finished, so keep yourself motivated as much as you can. Set a target like being able to do 50km or 70km by the end of Aug or have a look at some sportives towards the end of the summer (raising money for a charity will mean you won't back out either )

Get yourself a road bike if you can and spend to the max of your budget. Padded shorts will make the ride more comfortable and shoes will make it more efficient. After that know how to change/fix a tube in case of a puncture and bring a drink with you.

If you get the cycling bug cut up your visa asap Enjoy.

t'bear

Hungrycol wrote: »

If you get the cycling bug cut up your visa asap Enjoy.

Ah yes, I remember the colour black, many moons ago

Hmmzis

Excellent plan and some good suggestions here already. For the sportive pick something thats above 60 km but maybe less than 120km.

If you keep this up you'll be able to do anything below 60k by the end of summer. It's a good idea to set yourself a target above what you think you can do. Also being in a group is a lot of fun and quite a bit quicker/easier.

Have fun with the bike(s)!

JonDoe

Try out the racer, see if you like that type of riding. The fit mightn't be right and you may end up with some back pain. If you plan joining a club and doing group rides then a road bike is the way to go but personally I'm not a fan of organised fitness.
If you end up doing bigger spins 25/30 miles plus you'll have to start carbohydrate loading before you get on the bike, otherwise blood sugar will plummet you'll suddenly become weak and "hit the wall", then when (if) you get home you'll need to eat like a horse to feel normal for the following day.
Find out which type of riding you prefer, hard shoulder of main roads long trips on a racer or shorter quiet undulating back roads and hills on a hybrid/mountain bike. I'm a fan of the latter, short trips of an hour to 2 hours with little pit stops for taking on water whenever needed, you can eat normally (well) too.
Clothing, for this country you'll need a good jacket (mine is an 80% off berghaus womans large size, I look like a bloated lesbian on the bike but it's brilliant, never failed in 3 years, never washed it), nothing too thin as the waterproofing is sure to fail after a few good soakings, make sure you get one with vents that zip open all the way up under your armpits otherwise you'll be too hot. Shoes, I keep on having accidents with clip in shoes, so I've switched to waterproof hiking type runners and if hitting trails with high wet grass I wear hiking gaiters over them to stop water coming in over the top. You're going to get soaked in sweat anyway so you're just looking for a layer against the elements.
Bike, make it as simple as you can, learn how to maintain it, keep the drivetrain clean and well lubed (if it starts to go wrong and feels bad you're less likely to jump on). My own usual setup is a 29er mountain bike (always makes me smile), a single 32 tooth front chainring (I've got a 22 tooth ring too for stupid climbs but hate front mechs so switch it by hand if I need to), 9 speed cassette and 2 sets of wheels one with dry easy rolling tyres for going places far and one set with knobbles for all things muck.

In short find out what you like, something you get a kick out of (I like climbing hills and trying to stay alive coming down them, it's interesting). Try incorporate it into you're normal life (shopping,commute,boredom) The weather is no excuse (maybe 10-20 days a year) if you've got a good jacket. Then do it for an hour+ 5 to 7 days a week. Any recurring niggles, take a break, stretch/ yoga. That's all I got.

Hungrycol

^^^

Don't agree with some of what you say there but each to their own.

Lumen

JonDoe wrote: »

If you end up doing bigger spins 25/30 miles plus you'll have to start carbohydrate loading before you get on the bike, otherwise blood sugar will plummet you'll suddenly become weak and "hit the wall", then when (if) you get home you'll need to eat like a horse to feel normal for the following day.

Carbohydrate loading offers marginal benefits at best even for elite athletes. For a 40km bike ride? Don't think so.

There's no harm in having a decent breakfast and eating a bit on longer cycles, but cycling fitness is a good bit to do with the gradual development of fat burning capability and muscular energy stores. These take a long time to develop, years even, which is why it doesn't make sense to go totally crazy with long cycles when you're new to it.

kincsem

As said above your credit card will take a hammering as you make excuses to buy stuff. You will be poor but happy.
A road bike (racer), shoes with cleats that clip into the pedals, good bib shorts with gel padding, and a proper cycling jersey, and you are sorted. Spend close to €1,000 for the bike as you get good quality. Trying to buy new for €200/€300 will get you a bike that will fall apart. If you know your bike size (frame size) you could keep looking at the adverts section of the cycling forum and you might get a quality used bike at a nice price.

JonDoe

I was just trying to stress that for longer cycles you have to do more prepping in the fuel department and that shorter 1 or 2 hour rides don't require such planning or result in weakness the following day. He's trying to lose weight, simple thing to do is get your heart rate 220 minus your age, this is your maximum heart rate. Then keep your heart working at 80% of this for 45min to and hour as many times a week as possible, finish off with a 1 minute maximum rate. Long epic cycles can be detrimental, even a 30 mile cycle depending on conditions can leave you wrecked for days.

le petit braquet

Assuming you are fortunate enough to have a job in these times, then commuting to work by bike is a great way of integrating exercise into your day. I shed 4.5 stone by ditching the car, cycling a modest 24km round trip a day, and most importantly of all, eating sensibly.

Hungrycol

JonDoe wrote: »

Long epic cycles can be detrimental, even a 30 mile cycle depending on conditions can leave you wrecked for days.

It shouldn't if you're trianing/exercising properly.

smacl

West_Ford wrote: »

I've just started cycling a mountain bike to loose weight and get fit. As i'm 18 1/2 stone its tough starting out. First i cycled 6 miles 3 times a week. Upping it every week as my legs get stronger. This is my third week an im doing 12miles per spin. So tommrrow im looking to get a friends racer to do the 12mile spin and see is there much difference.(i know there will be). I've tracked my progress on mapmyride and if tommrrows little spin goes to plan i will be looking to upgrade my bike. So i'm looking for peoples views on what to do next..?

Let us know how you get on with the racer. Moving from a flat bar MTB to a drop bar racer with larger thinner wheels may feel odd for a bit, I certainly found it took some getting used to, but well worth the effort. A number of the training logs on here are worth the read, and there's plenty of experience of getting a bit fitter and shedding weight.

My own take on it is that its all about enjoying your time on the bike, and that once you get to grips with them, drop bar road bikes are simply more fun on the road than other bikes, and worth the investment for that alone. Most good bike shops will help you pick a bike that best suits your needs, ability and budget, but certainly try out a few.

West_Ford

Thanks for the response lads.Yeah took it out today and god it was sweet. Quicker,Lighter and more enjoyable.I did have a few problems with the shifters and cycled up two bits of climbs in the highest gear untill i finally gave in and rang the lad to see how do i use the gears again.But even after the stop for about 3mins max and the pain of the high gears, i shaved off 10mins off my normal time. So now im convinced i need this type of bike to improve.

My next question is and bare with me if im talking muck but IS there a weight limit on racers. Narrow wheels ,frames and should i start out with a new bike or second hand. Ive being looking at some bikes and they are on the cheap side, but i dont want a 1000euro bike and then i wrapped it around a post and its gone... ya know what i mean?? i will post up the bikes i'm looking at and see what ye think.

Rovi

West_Ford wrote: »

Thanks for the response lads.Yeah took it out today and god it was sweet. Quicker,Lighter and more enjoyable.I did have a few problems with the shifters and cycled up two bits of climbs in the highest gear untill i finally gave in and rang the lad to see how do i use the gears again.But even after the stop for about 3mins max and the pain of the high gears, i shaved off 10mins off my normal time. So now im convinced i need this type of bike to improve.

My next question is and bare with me if im talking muck but IS there a weight limit on racers. Narrow wheels ,frames and should i start out with a new bike or second hand. Ive being looking at some bikes and they are on the cheap side, but i dont want a 1000euro bike and then i wrapped it around a post and its gone... ya know what i mean?? i will post up the bikes i'm looking at and see what ye think.

The UCI weight limit for a road race bike is currently 6.8kg, but you'll be spend a lot more that €1000 to go there.
Much lighter bikes can and have been built, but they wouldn't be legal for UCI sanctioned races.

West_Ford

Sorry i ment weight limit as in a rider. Will my 18 1/2 stone damage the wheels and stuff.

nilhg

Rovi wrote: »

The UCI weight limit for a road race bike is currently 6.8kg, but you'll be spend a lot more that €1000 to go there.
Much lighter bikes can and have been built, but they wouldn't be legal for UCI sanctioned races.

I think the OP is thinking of his weight........

West_Ford, like you I started out cycling this year with the intention of getting fit and hopefully as a side effect losing some weight, TBH so far I've been more successful at both than I ever thought possible. I'd suggest you concentrate at the start that you concentrate on the fitness element, firstly you'll quickly have a health benefit and then as you are able to increase your time spent on the bike if you are sensible about what you eat then the weight will come off.

As regards the bike, if you are sure you are going to stick with your plan than buy something decent but there is no real need to go mad, it'll be a while before you go racing:D.

nilhg

West_Ford wrote: »

Sorry i ment weight limit as in a rider. Will my 18 1/2 stone damage the wheels and stuff.

No, unless you buy at the real bargain basement level, be careful with potholes and kerbs and you'll be fine.

Rovi

West_Ford wrote: »

Sorry i ment weight limit as in a rider. Will my 18 1/2 stone damage the wheels and stuff.

AH!

No, no weight limit on riders*
There are plenty of lads at or around your weight riding pretty fancy machinery without any great issue, have a bit of a search back through the forum.
The main consideration for very heavy people would be lightweight wheels, but that really only comes into play with the uber-bling stuff made of gossamer and pixie dust; and costing more that your entire budget, per wheel.

Modern wheels build by reputable makers are very robust.


*I think everyone should be ballasted up to 85kg!

The_B_Man

I've started cycling to work this week too, in an attempt at some level of health and fitness. Loving it so far. Its only around 5 or 6km each way though, but its better than nothing. I might try go for much longer spins at the weekends.

Another quick question though, what's everyone eating once they get off the bike? Trying to avoid putting back on the little calories I burn so trying to tackle it from a diet perspective too. Was looking at little breakfast bars like nutri grains and stuff like that. Are they any good, or would I be better with some trail mix or something?

monkeypants

The_B_Man wrote: »

what's everyone eating once they get off the bike? Trying to avoid putting back on the little calories I burn so trying to tackle it from a diet perspective too. Was looking at little breakfast bars like nutri grains and stuff like that. Are they any good, or would I be better with some trail mix or something?

I can generally do a wee bit over 50 miles on a bowl of porridge. Any further without refuelling and I'll hit the wall. For longer spins I use High 5 Energy Source in my water bottle. Your bike shop will probably have it.

sav1980

I would avoid stuff like Nutrigrains - they're really processed and full of artificial crap. I carry some ripe bananas and a few fig rolls if I'm off on a long spin. Dried fruit is good too. In my water bottle I squeeze in juice from a couple of oranges and add a couple of spoons of fructose (fruit sugar), you can buy it in health food stores, then top up with water. Its a good slow energy release and a lot cheaper than the more processed stuff you get in the bike shops.

Joey Joe-Joe Jr

OP, if you do end up buying a road bike, keep an eye on the Cycling Adverts sub forum here. There is often great value to be had from posters who are upgrading!

West_Ford

I was looking at a few bikes and i've seen this as a starter bike. Does anyone know if its a good bike???

• Castello Road Monza 53/56cm
• Lightweight Alloy Frame
• Steel Rigid Fork
• Shimano Rear Derailleur
• Shimano Front Derailleur
• Shimano A050 Shifters 14 Speed
• Double Alloy Chainset
• Alloy Duel Pivot Brakes
• Alloy Double Wall Rims
• 700 x 23c Tyres
• Alloy A Head Stem
• Alloy Handlebar
• Alloy Seat Post
• Road Racing Saddle
• Free Delivery

the web address is http://www.mcloughlinsgardenmachines.ie/mens-bicycles/

Hungrycol

What height are you? 53/56 could be too small. At that price start looking at second hand bikes or up your budget. Better still if you can use the bike to work scheme.

West_Ford

i'm 5"6 with. the bike to work is not available at the moment. i may up my budget

pbowenroe

did you get that bike op?

West_Ford

pbowenroe wrote: »

did you get that bike op?

Yeah i got a Scott speedster. With treble ring. Have it 6weeks. Was using and old racer till i got this bike.

Cycling going so well that im signing up to the Sean Kelly 100k soon

Mr.Fred

West_Ford wrote: »

Yeah i got a Scott speedster. With treble ring. Have it 6weeks. Was using and old racer till i got this bike.

Cycling going so well that im signing up to the Sean Kelly 100k soon

Just out of curiosity. How's the weight loss goin?

Fair play on the 100k good to see you stuck at it.

West_Ford

Mr.Fred wrote: »

Just out of curiosity. How's the weight loss goin?

Fair play on the 100k good to see you stuck at it.

I started back cycling in April and i got my new bike last weekend in April. I've lost a stone and a half and i haven't really been watching my weight.

My max distance is 70k but doing 50k twice or 3times aweek.

Mr.Fred

West_Ford wrote: »

I started back cycling in April and i got my new bike last weekend in April. I've lost a stone and a half and i haven't really been watching my weight.

My max distance is 70k but doing 50k twice or 3times aweek.

Fair play to ya keep it up.

RexHamilton

Just want to jump in on this thread and say that it's encouraging for a complete novice to see the improvements made here. In less than a year you've gone from doing 6km spins to 50km spins.

I'm just starting to cycle and have managed two 20km spins in two days and I enjoyed both. Did the first in 43 minutes and did one yesterday in just under 40. I'm starting from a pretty good fitness level training for football three times a week so I haven't got tiredness or fatigue in my legs. I have got a sore arse but I was expecting that and have a good pair of gel padded shorts and one pair of cheaper padded shorts. I will invest n more shorts I'd say. I imagine, even with good shorts, the soreness is to be expected at the start as it's something completely new.

Has anyone tried fartlek training on a bike. We use it for running regularly enough in the early weeks of football training. How have people found it on a bike as a method for improving fitness?

Zyzz

RexHamilton wrote: »

Has anyone tried fartlek training on a bike. We use it for running regularly enough in the early weeks of football training. How have people found it on a bike as a method for improving fitness?

Get Strava and go KOM hunting

Mr.Fred

Zyzz wrote: »

Get Strava and go KOM hunting

Tried that myself the other day and almost threw myelf into a ditch only to discover the feckin phone never picked up a gps signal.. Grrr...:mad:

RexHamilton

Zyzz wrote: »

Get Strava and go KOM hunting

I'm on Strava. Excuse my ignorance but what is KOM? If you're just out cycling with Strava on does it let you know when you're approaching a section that's been done before? Or do you have to look them up before you set off?

petethedrummer

RexHamilton wrote: »

Has anyone tried fartlek training on a bike. We use it for running regularly enough in the early weeks of football training. How have people found it on a bike as a method for improving fitness?

Interval training yep. It's mentally easier to do on hilly routes by pushing on the way up and recuperating on the way down. You have to like pain to do it on the flat.

Zyzz

RexHamilton wrote: »

I'm on Strava. Excuse my ignorance but what is KOM? If you're just out cycling with Strava on does it let you know when you're approaching a section that's been done before? Or do you have to look them up before you set off?

King of the Mountain.

In short, the fastest time of a certain segment. If Im not mistaken the only devices that can do that are the new 510 and 810 from Garmin, otherwise you complete your ride and then upload it to strava and it'll automatically sync your time and speed to any segments that have previously been created, that you have rode.

KOM hunting is essentially finding a segment (before you head out) and when you get to it on your spin you give it 110% and if you do enough, snag the KOM (or top 10).

RexHamilton

Ah perfect. So in reality, if you really want a KOM you should aim to have that segment fairly early in your spin so you can really go for it. That would be good motivation anyway.

Is there anything to be said for getting a couple of spins in in a day? I'm thinkin of getting an hour in in the morning before work and then one of the lads was saying he might go after work. An hour in the morning wouldn't be that much, but would it be better to just conserve my energy and go later and put everything into it?