I found that riding to work was a bit of a chore so I retired early , now I enjoy the rides much more and I have more time for this:
On a more serious note: I just replaced the stem on my bike with a Deda Superleggero and had 2 of the Taiwanese titanium screws fail at 5Nm torque
I contacted Wiggle UK who have immediately sent 4 replacements made of real titanium,
Very good customer service.
200+ is great Matt, you could just about ride to Canberra next time .....
I'd love a decent commute like that. 20k's is about right to feel good & relaxed when starting the job as I know from experience. My current trip to work is 1.5km. I've done it in 3 minutes (car: 5-12 minutes) but I've discovered there is not just a maximum, but also a minimum amount of time the trip to work should take, so you can change gears and put your other hat on. As a result, I walk more often than not.
40km round trip is sometimes hard at the end of a long day when I'm brain dead. All the uphill sections are in the last 5km's...sometimes wish it wasn't so far. It is a decent ride though and I can eat whatever I like I'll ride it off the next day.
What a beautiful morning in Canberra for a spin ....... just finished 42klms of very enjoyable riding at a gentle 28k average.
Garran> Deakin>Yarralumla>Civic>Belconnen Way to Page>Florey to visit my new granddaughter>Hawker>Black Mountain>Government House>Yarralumla>Deakin>Garran and to the Shower!!!!
Time to wake up this thread I started 8 years ago as well as the muscles that have had a rest for a few years.......
For the past few years my cycling has been just occasional MTB trips in the Snowy Mountains and Roadie trips around the neighbourhood.... as a result my weight had crept up from 93Kg to 109Kg
New Years Resolution was to get fit again but I didn't want to post here until I knew I had some willpower left to do something about the matter
December 1 2021:
Weight: 109Kg
Height: 193cm
BP: 150/93
Started slowly with 2 hours of badminton doubles twice per week and just cutting out anything fatty/salty. The added short (10Km) rides on my trusty Wilier Gran Turismo/Ultegra 10.
I am now riding a minimum of 25 kilometres per day for at least an hour a day on varied terrain ....
March 22, 2022:
Height is still the same (I think)
Weight: 94.5Kg and
BP 128/83
Weight loss 14.5Kg in 110 days
As for the bike: Just a service with new brake pads, a bit of spoke tensioning and a pair of Bontrager R3 700/25 tyres ....
Bike weight: 7.4Kg
Pretty dramatic weightloss for a little over 3 months. Well done.
I'm now tapering it back Marc, my BMR is about 1840 and my intake has been just 2000 Kcal per day for a little while (Except Christmas time when it peaked much higher )
Now that I am closer to the goal I am bumping the intake up 20% but that still gives me approx 800 Kcal deficit per day depending on the weather for cycling.... Just 4.5Kg to go until I turn 65 yrs in June !!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JA
Great result Matt
Best
JA
Thanks JA.
P.S. I don't recommend this plan to anyone who has been sedentary for too long, this is rather extreme and I have been hungry for a few weeks.
I miss my Stella Artois
I'm now tapering it back Marc, my BMR is about 1840 and my intake has been just 2000 Kcal per day for a little while (Except Christmas time when it peaked much higher )
Now that I am closer to the goal I am bumping the intake up 20% but that still gives me approx 800 Kcal deficit per day depending on the weather for cycling....
Yeah I was thinking that is a massive drop in such a short time. I find as I get older that when pushing harder the body pushes back so different strategy now. Not necessarily limiting normal calorie intake but burning a little more and doing interval training seems to work best for me. I lose weight slower but increase muscle mass and shed fat. Easier this way and less of a hit on the system.
Yeah I was thinking that is a massive drop in such a short time. I find as I get older that when pushing harder the body pushes back so different strategy now. Not necessarily limiting normal calorie intake but burning a little more and doing interval training seems to work best for me. I lose weight slower but increase muscle mass and shed fat. Easier this way and less of a hit on the system.
That's more or less the plan that I will be transitioning to over the next 3 months, I have increased protein intake by 30% and am doing short hard sprints (1-2 mins) on the bike followed by a 3 minute steady 30kph, then another sprint etc etc....
Canberra has great terrain where you can hit a hill for a couple of minutes then cruise a little before hitting another hill...
Somehow this was a lot easier twenty years ago than now at 64years
Hey, I didn't know there was a cycling thread here.
I started riding about 4 years ago to lose weight too.
I was 110-ish kg at the time, now seem to have plateau'd at ~92kg (I'm 6'5")
Things kinda... got out of control.
Photo of my rig on a 'short' ride around the block
Hey, I didn't know there was a cycling thread here.
I started riding about 4 years ago to lose weight too.
I was 110-ish kg at the time, now seem to have plateau'd at ~92kg (I'm 6'5")
Things kinda... got out of control.
Photo of my rig on a 'short' ride around the block
Yes, too well. I need to learn to reduce my load.
Longest to date is 1630km.
One of these years when everything lines-up just right, I'll give IndiPac a go.
(It's on now actually: https://indianpacificwheelride2022.maprogress.com/)
My seat on my hybrid is prostate friendly however I do find it uncomfortable after 25km rides or more, does anyone have good recommendations for good touring seats that are prostate friendly?
...does anyone have good recommendations for good touring seats that are prostate friendly?
Saddles are a hard thing to recommend, because every tush is different. On top of that, is the shear number of variables like preferred riding position (upright/on the drops/aero etc), weight, flexibility. Some people rock their hips, some don't etc etc. It's amazing how much difference even small adjustments to a saddles angle or set-back can make.
I have tried many saddles that people swear by: Bontrager Aeolus, PRO Stealth, Specialized Power, Selle Italia and many more. None worked for me.
I settled on an old classic, the Brooks B17 Imperial. Leather and steel. Very heavy and looks totally out of place on a modern bike, but, it works for me.
It doesn't work for everyone, there are plenty of people that think sitting on a brick is more comfortable than a Brooks. To each their own.
Most good bike shops have test saddles, you pay a deposit, fit it, big ride, return for refund. Repeat. Do it, it's worth the effort.
Also important is what you wear. If you're sitting on sewn seams and stitching(like underwear and shorts have), it's gonna hurt after a while. I put off wearing lycra bib-shorts for a long time(I hate the 'cyclist' look, prefer to ride in shorts and a tee shirt) but once I started doing 3+ hour rides bibs became important.
I have tried many again but currently using RedWhite because the chamois is in a different position than most others I've tried and seems to suit my sit-bones better. I've yet to try Pedal Mafia (Aussie company - Perth) which get rave reviews, but will be trying them soon in the hope they help on the Ultra (multi-allday) rides.
For my daily/training rides I still wear shorts, but over the bibs so I don't look like a dork. Well, less of a dork anyway.
Last edited by MrB; 24-03-2022 at 12:15 PM.
Reason: Image attached
I am so careful about where I ride, and at what time of day I ride. I have a circuit around a new subdivision with nice roads ( but narrow), but few houses built yet, which is my daily cardio ride. Bike is a Leitner CrossX dual suspension ebike. On Saurday the12th of March, as I was rounding a corner, a fast SUV driven by a P player, cut the corner and I was facing a head on collision. I was not going fast, say 15kmph at most. I reacted by swerving to the left and in the process of avoiding the car the front end of the bike let go and I fell heavily on the road. The result was a broken elbow, radius and ulna cracked. Amazing pain. My head had hit the pavement as well but the helmet took the impact. At first, being full of adrenalin, I thought it was just bruised, albeit with skin lacerations, blood, etc. The bike was a mess: the Shimano handlebar shifter was broken clean off, hanging by the cable, and stuck in one low gear. The pedal assist controller was cracked, but amazingly the bike still had power to the rear hub. With the help of a nearby home owner, I got back on the bike and rode home in my one working gear. It wasn't until I was on the bike riding that I realised I had no feeling in my left hand and could not use it to alter the pedal assist level, or operate the rear brake lever. I made it home ok. Tried to clean up the wound, bandage it, and took some Panadol. Long story shortened, after the adrenaline wore off, the real pain hit. I could not sleep at all that night, so at 5am I got in the car and drove myself, one handed down the M1, to Wyong Hospital Emergency. They xrayed it, verified it broken, and put me in a full arm cast. This has been followed up with return visit to the Fracture Clinic, and it looks like my life is on hold for awhile.
I am considering giving riding away, as at 72yo I cannot afford any more broken bones, or worse. My recovery is going to take longer than a young fellow, and I will need rehab on the arm to regain function and flexibility. Time will tell.
For now the bike sits in the garage. My son suggested a recumbent exercise bike to keep cardio fit, might be my riding future.
so I retired early 
, now I enjoy the rides much more and I have more time for this: 
I'll ride it off the next day.
)
