Loungers who ride ... All things bike related

sullivlo

(Mods feel free to merge!)

So based on an ongoing discussion in the c25k thread, here's a thread devoted to the budding Sean Roches amongst us.

I'll start.

Wheels: I've a Giant green hybrid bike

Aim: to comfortably cycle about 25 km (a potential commute would be 12 km in (downhill) and 12 km out (uphill)

Time frame: 6 months

Baby steps. Today I cycled 5 km. One teeny hill.

I'm not feeling too healthy. I've a cold / chest cold type thing. But the plan is to cycle to the gym (2km) and cycle home to get used to the road etc.

Lyaiera

I did a bit of cycling last summer during the heat wave, but then work got to me and it was winter before I had free time again. I decided to go back at it again a few weeks ago.

I have a Felt QX65 Hybrid bike, but I really want to get a road bike now, I feel it'd help me go faster for longer (also it seems all the clubs around here want you to have a road bike as it's hard to keep up on a hybrid with thicker wheels.)

I started out three weeks ago, doing a loop of about 15/16km. I started building that up over these past few weeks. I bought a heart rate monitor at the beginning of last week. I set out on my 20km loop once I got it and noticed my heart rate was quite high for what was an hour's cycle. It seems I was pushing myself too hard, probably because I was only used to cycling for an hour. Then at the end of last week I set out with a plan to keep my heart rate a little lower. I got about 13km in, at the point I'd normally head the 7km home and I felt much better. I decided to keep going and managed my longest ever cycle at over 30km. That even included a proper categorised climb (which really had me puffing.) I've done this route twice now.

My goal is to build my distance, to eventually be putting in regular 60km+ rides. I think a road bike would help me with that but it's not on the cards yet. My dream is that I'd have enough money for that road bike, plus all the gear I'd need to go off touring. I love the idea of setting off with my panniers full of what I need to camp in a camp site, spend a day cycling with a few stops. Spend the night in a tent and a small village with a few drinks and a nice dinner and do that for a week or so.

Unfortunately that set off a wave of depression last night. I was down the coast with friends and I realised I'd never be able to manage that with my current situation of being stuck on disability allowance. So I decided to head back to my family's place for a few days. Telling my mother all this she decided to cheer me up and got me two cycling t-shirts, two pairs of cycling socks and two pairs of the long cycling tights and a chain cleaner in Lidl. I had put off a cycle today because it was a bit cold and windy to go out with my basic gear so this should have me set up for slightly more inclement weather over the summer.

mollybird

ive been doing a bit of cycling recently. Living in dublin i find it hard to go for a good long one like i would be able to down in waterford where im from. ive signed up to do the Sean Kelly Tour at the end of August down home. it's a 50K. i done a 53K one in jan and took me 5 hours to do it and i did a 38K one on friday. that was well tough.

Not sure what kinda bike i have but ive had it 2 years and it's both a road and off road bike i think.

rainbow kirby

My wheels? 2011 Trek Lexa S (nicknamed Xena by RacoonQueen when I got it), looks a bit like this:



Love the colour scheme - quite feminine without being pink. I wouldn't mind a better groupset than the Sora/Tiagra mix that's on it!

My aims? I'm doing the London Triathlon Olympic distance in August - bike leg is 40km, and I need to be able to do that with a 1500m swim for starters and a 10km run for dessert. I plan to build up to being able to cycle 60-70km before it, current long spin is around 40km.

Timeframe? 3-4 months.

What I'm actually doing to get there? Building up longer spins on my own. I'm considering giving the Islington cycling club beginner's spin a go in May too and see how I get on with that.

fits

My road bike is a 2012 giant avail 2. Its red and its lovely! I bought it second hand just over a week ago with aim of keeping fit and complementing my running. Maybe if I like it i'll consider something like ring of Kerry next year.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-us/bikes/model/avail.2/9048/48934/

I also have a trek fx hybrid which is da bomb and is my sole transport in Finland where I work.

Next purchase will be shorts....

fits

rainbow kirby wrote: »

]

Love the colour scheme - quite feminine without being pink. I wouldn't mind a better groupset than the Sora/Tiagra mix that's on it!

.

Mine is all tiagra. But I'm having issues too (not crosschaining or trimming -new terms I have learned) think it needs minor tuning but have to take it for another spin to figure exactly what's wrong.

sullivlo

I'll take a photo of my bike tomorrow and post it up. She's pretty.

I'm hoping to build up to a sprint triathlon. I'm okay with the swim (can regularly do 2 km), I'm building up to the run (currently at 3.5-4 km) but the cycle would let me down.

Any tips on the subsequent bum pain? I've a saddle gel pad thing already.

Sauve

Sorry to interject, but every time I open the forum, the thread title makes me giggle. Good work

rainbow kirby

sullivlo wrote: »

Any tips on the subsequent bum pain? I've a saddle gel pad thing already.

Could be a few things - your saddle could be the wrong shape for you or else you just need more time on the bike to get used to it. Good bike shorts (with a really good chamois in them) can also be very helpful.

Amirani

sullivlo wrote: »

I'll take a photo of my bike tomorrow and post it up. She's pretty.

I'm hoping to build up to a sprint triathlon. I'm okay with the swim (can regularly do 2 km), I'm building up to the run (currently at 3.5-4 km) but the cycle would let me down.

Any tips on the subsequent bum pain? I've a saddle gel pad thing already.

How long have you got the bike/saddle? As RK said, I've always found it takes a while to get used to new saddles or get used to them again having not cycled in a while.

Correct shorts are crucial also.

sullivlo

Diego Simeone wrote: »

How long have you got the bike/saddle? As RK said, I've always found it takes a while to get used to new saddles or get used to them again having not cycled in a while.

Correct shorts are crucial also.

I'm only getting back into it now after being essentially off the bike for 2 years so I guess I'll have to put up with the pain for a few weeks until I get used to it.

Do you mean padded shorts?

fits

Lyaiera wrote: »

I
I My goal is to build my distance, to eventually be putting in regular 60km+ rides. I think a road bike would help me with that but it's not on the cards yet. My dream is that I'd have enough money for that road bike, plus all the gear I'd need to go off touring. I love the idea of setting off with my panniers full of what I need to camp in a camp site, spend a day cycling with a few stops. Spend the night in a tent and a small village with a few drinks and a nice dinner and do that for a week or so.

D

Some day hopefully you'll be able to do it. I am hoping to do a few days in the åland archipelago this summer. Would prefer to do it on the hybrid than the road bike as its sturdier. And already set up for panniers - a lot of road bikes can't carry panniers as they don't have the fittings to attach them.

Amirani

sullivlo wrote: »

I'm only getting back into it now after being essentially off the bike for 2 years so I guess I'll have to put up with the pain for a few weeks until I get used to it.

Do you mean padded shorts?

Yeah, particularly if you're cycling for a long distance. In general though, I think it just takes a while to get used to it.

Lyaiera

fits wrote: »

Some day hopefully you'll be able to do it. I am hoping to do a few days in the åland archipelago this summer. Would prefer to do it on the hybrid than the road bike as its sturdier. And already set up for panniers - a lot of road bikes can't carry panniers as they don't have the fittings to attach them.

Yeah, I understand that about the road bikes and touring. I'd plan to keep my hybrid in case I ever do that.

eeeee

fits wrote: »

Some day hopefully you'll be able to do it. I am hoping to do a few days in the åland archipelago this summer. Would prefer to do it on the hybrid than the road bike as its sturdier. And already set up for panniers - a lot of road bikes can't carry panniers as they don't have the fittings to attach them.

Certain road bikes can take panniers depending on the clearance. I do about 250k a week and find the road bike a million times comfier than anything else. I would find it very difficult to use a hybrid or walk through bike now for any kind of distance.
Touring bikes, like the Dawes Galaxy or older road/touring bikes are ideal if you don't want an out and out speed machine. They are plenty sturdy! It's much nicer not to be lugging excess weight around, well I fond anyway when I am heaving up a hill! The drops give you way more options for hand placement, and give you way more control over the bike. It's just a case of getting used to them.
I cannot wait to get a light modern racer. I used one for a while and it was in a different league to my old steel racers. Not that I could ever give them up. I tell myself it's good training to lug their heaviness around!

ETA Cyclocross bikes have a greater clearance than road bikes and have drops. I have never cycled one however so I can't say what they're like, but you see a good few people using them to commute on.

Malari

I've a Ridgeback, which is nice because it sounds like a dragon.

I can't remember ever not owning a bike. I've always cycled as a quick way to get about.

I don't race competitively, I don't do leisure tours and I don't particularly have any goals, I just like to cycle. And watch it on tv

DonnieScribbles

I'm a commuter cyclist. Was doing 50km per week minimum for two years but it's dropped considerably with my current part-time working situation.

This is my bike, only had this one for a few months. The cheapest new one I could get!



As regards comfortable saddles, the ones with the hole/cleft in the middle are pretty comfy.

When I was living in Dublin my bike was central to my life. It would have been massively inconvenient to do without it, I don't know how people live in Dublin City without a bike or car. It is an essential utility for me. I grew up cycling though so I guess it varies.

Lola92

Hello!

A little bit of background to me, I bought a bike around September last year aiming to commute to work placement for college, which was only about a 18km round trip. Prior to that I hadn't cycled since I gave it up at 13 because I was embarrassed being the only one out of 400 students to cycle to school :P I didn't get as much cycling in as I had hoped due to being a wuss in the rain, no changing/shower facilities in work and preferring the extra 30 mins in bed! I'm trying to get out a bit more now, starting a new job within cycling distance so will be aiming for that to be my main mode of transport! I have also gotten a kids carrier for the back so I can take my daughter and pick her up from the minder when necessary - no excuses!

Here's what I'm riding :pac:

Giant Escape 3W

fits

So eh... any recommendations for shorts?

fits

DonnieScribbles wrote: »

This is my bike, only had this one for a few months. The cheapest new one I could get!



As .

Do you have knobbly tyres on it? road tyres might be easier to cycle with for such long distances...

rainbow kirby

fits wrote: »

So eh... any recommendations for shorts?

Trying to find a good new pair myself at the moment, my Dare2be ones I got when I got the bike just aren't good enough for more than around 20-30km and my tri shorts aren't great either. Might be worth having a look at the reviews here as a starting point?

eeeee

I got Briko branded ones in TK Maxx there a few months ago and they're brilliant. Got dare2be ones and don't like them at all, only tried them on and hated them. I have been hankering after the gel Altura (sp?) ones but I wonder about sweatiness

AmyPL

Great thread!

I have a Trek 2.1 Hybrid that I bought about 3 years ago on the bike to work scheme. I threw myself in at the deep end with a 20km round trip commute. It really sucked at first but I got used to it very quickly.

I now only have a 10 minute commute but I use my bike to get pretty much everywhere within the city. I've also started using the Dublin bikes- they're so handy.

fits

Looks like there will be womens bib shorts in aldi next week. Might be worth checking out

Malari

I've always found the Aldi stuff fairly crap quality and huge sizes! I would advise getting a decent brand of shorts or bibs if you plan on spending much time in the saddle, it's worth the investment. I've had Giordana and Castelli gear for years and I'm still using them.

Jawgap

Hope it's ok for me to intrude here with some advice....

sullivlo wrote: »

.......

Any tips on the subsequent bum pain? I've a saddle gel pad thing already.

It sounds counter-intuitive but softer saddles promote bum pain! A good firm saddle is what you want with decent cycling shorts. Saying that, saddles are very individual - what suits one, won't necessarily suit someone else.

Wheelworx in Clondalkin have saddles you can take for a week or so to "test drive" and see what suits.

I'm a fan of Brooks Saddles - they're a bit pricey but they look great and are very comfy once you break them in (be warned, the fist few hundred miles on them can be testing, but worth it)

fits wrote: »

So eh... any recommendations for shorts?

Generally you get what you pay for. I use Endura shorts - I've found that while their stuff mightn't be the most stylish, it's comfortable and very hard wearing - I tend to use their stuff for daily commuting and something 'posher' for the weekend.

rainbow kirby

Note to self: Emirates traffic on match nights is a fecking nightmare. Took way longer to finish my spin this evening than I hoped due to the traffic :mad:

sullivlo

Wow. So cycling is a lot harder than I thought!

Did a leisurely 10 km and maintained a speed of 17 km/hr but I really felt it! Mind you it was after a decent swim (950 m in 19 mins) but the legs certainly got their work today!

rainbow kirby

Now a two bike household

fits

Flew around a hilly 10 km circuit last night. Could have done it twice except I was pushed for time. Anyway, it is becoming clear to me that my saddle does not suit. I was wearing padded shorts which really helped but I am sitting on a sensitive area and that can't go on. Will try changing angle of saddle slightly downward but any recommendations? Id have wide enough hips.

Malari

rainbow kirby wrote: »

Now a two bike household

Nice! We are already a...*counts*...7 bike household, so I don't think I can get a new one any time soon until we have more storage space.

rainbow kirby

Unfortunately small London apartments weren't really designed for bikes at all, so 2 is about the limit for us for the moment! We also have loads of running gear and I currently have a wetsuit on a hanger on the back of my bedroom door...

This is the white bike in the pic - OH's treat to himself on payday. Bit of a spin at Regent's Park yesterday evening just to break it in!

trinib

Great thread, my small input. Back on my bike since Dec 2013 had been a regular cyclist for 3 years up to that but for family/work reasons I was over a full year off the bike.
My bike is a trek 1.2 road bike got it on the bike to work which is such a great scheme.
For anybody looking for shorts I recommend altura pro gel bib shorts if you can stretch your budget for them it's worth it, they are approx €56 online at the min. If you have a gel cover thing over your saddle ditch it now it could be doing more harm than good.
I completed 2 days of the cycle against suicide this week hope to do a full week next year. It was such an amazing experience. The raw emotion, the togetherness of the cyclists espec on Tuesday when bad weather and a few hills made it tough nobody was left behind everybody got to cork "shoulder to shoulder" .
If like me you need something to aim for when you are training I would 100% reccommend you consider taking part in it next year even for only half a day, it's an experience that will always stay with you.

Sorry if I went a little off topic!

Jawgap

If anyone is looking to undertake their first organised group leisure ride (sometimes called sportives), I can recommend the An Post series....

• An Post Tour of Sligo – Saturday, May 3 & Sunday, May 4, 2014
• An Post Tour De Burren, Clare – Saturday, June 21 2014
• An Post Meath Heritage Cycle Tour – Saturday, July 26 & Sunday, July 27 2014
• The Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford – Saturday, August 23 & Sunday, August 24, 2014
• The An Post Rebel Tour of Cork – Saturday, September 13, 2014

they have various routes (usually about 11km, 50km, 100km and 160km) but the important part is they tend to be well organised and well marshaled, plus they attract big crowds so there's a nice buzz. The SKT in Waterford is extremely popular so book early if you want to participate.

They're not directed towards any particular charity as such so nothing to stop people riding one in support of a cause particularly dear to them.

rainbow kirby

And for anyone in the UK - Breeze organise lots of women-only group rides. I'll be heading out with them on Sunday morning for 20 miles. *frowns at use of imperial measurements for anything cycling related*

Both Evans Cycles and Wiggle are involved with a whole pile of sportives too.

fits

Heading back north next week and back on hybrid. Gah! wish I could bring the road bike. Trails much better for running though. Snowing there today though

fits

This looks like fun! Women's charity cycle in Dublin next weekend as part of giro celebrations.

http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/cycling/call-for-women-all-across-ireland-to-get-on-their-bikes-for-charity-cycle-on-giro-route-30231927.html

fits

Went out with the man on his mountain bike this evening. He doesn't train or anything but tall and thin and muscly type naturally. Well, he took off like a bat out of hell and I had trouble keeping up with him. Did the 11 km hilly circuit in 32 minutes but he swooped past me on final steep hill and barely broke a sweat. Meanwhile muggins here on her road bike, training regularly since February was trailing behind. Gah! Someday I will be able to keep up with him....

iguana

I've started doing quite a bit of cycling lately with my son in a toddler seat in front of me. It's good exercise, good fun and a good way of getting around as I don't drive. His seat is a type called a WeeRide, which has it's own support bar that goes from below the handlebars to below the saddle. Unfortunately I'm so short that I couldn't ride comfortably with it on my own bike as my feet couldn't reach the ground properly with the bar. It left me feeling like the two of us were way too vulnerable.

My Dad came up with a solution when he was at a carboot sale and saw an adolescent sized bike for sale, so he bought it for me as a gift. It works a treat, as the WeeRide seat just about fits on when on it's smallest setting and my feet can reach the ground very comfortably. The only problem is that now we are a grown ass 35 year old woman and a little boy, riding around town on a bright pink Hallo Kitty bike.

loubian

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but is there a group meet for women cyclists?

rainbow kirby

loubian wrote: »

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but is there a group meet for women cyclists?

Maybe try asking in the cycling forum or checking with your local cycling or triathlon club? I'm not too sure of the situation in terms of meetups in Ireland.

Finally putting the clipless pedals on my bike this evening since it's borderline too mouldy out for my long run. This should be comedy gold :pac:

eeeee

loubian wrote: »

Sorry if this has been mentioned before, but is there a group meet for women cyclists?

There's a Women's Track Day on at Sundrive on the 25th of May. It's gonna be awesome! I can't wait to practice the team pursuit again. You need to get accredited before you can go out on track, accreditation is on at 2 o clock on Saturday. The more the merrier, and it is soo much fun!

http://www.trackcycling.ie/?tribe_events=womens-track-day

fits

Just curious, but do you use a normal road bike and setup for this?

eeeee

fits wrote: »

Just curious, but do you use a normal road bike and setup for this?

Nope. You are not allowed a bike that has a freewheel, brakes or gears. It has to be a fixed gear and you have to be clipped in well-no SPD's, or Look Keo Easy's but SPD SL's or other similarly tight cleat. (The rental bikes are Look Delta). You can rent a bike there, I do, (I have very firmly bonded with Geoffrey!) and shoes too.

fits

It sounds like fun! I don't live in Dublin though... but good to know these things are going on.

eeeee

fits wrote: »

It sounds like fun! I don't live in Dublin though... but good to know these things are going on.

There are velodromes in Kanturk and Belfast. They're all outdoor so not mad steep, but longer. An indoor one is in gestation apparently! And is really is fun!

rainbow kirby

And for people on this side, the 1948 and 2012 Olympic velodromes are open.

The 2002 Commonwealth Games one is open in Manchester too.

Kinda tempted to give it a go sometime, it looks like fun

eeeee

rainbow kirby wrote: »

And for people on this side, the 1948 and 2012 Olympic velodromes are open.

The 2002 Commonwealth Games one is open in Manchester too.

Kinda tempted to give it a go sometime, it looks like fun

Do it, you know you want to! Awww I would LOVE to try an indoor. Some day…!!

SERCPRO

gadetra wrote: »

Do it, you know you want to! Awww I would LOVE to try an indoor. Some day…!!

Orwell Wheelers and others are planning a trip to the Alkmaar Indoor Velodrome in Holland this weekend coming for anyone interested.
There are still one or two places remaining.

eeeee

SERCPRO wrote: »

Orwell Wheelers and others are planning a trip to the Alkmaar Indoor Velodrome in Holland this weekend coming for anyone interested.
There are still one or two places remaining.

Ah I wish. Is it free?!!! I can fold up really small and go in someone's bag. That's a lie actually I'm quite long. I would totally fit in a bike bag though

SERCPRO

gadetra wrote: »

Ah I wish. Is it free?!!! I can fold up really small and go in someone's bag. That's a lie actually I'm quite long. I would totally fit in a bike bag though

Hop in to the bike bag I wouldn't fancy travelling in the cargo hold