Dex
Reged: 30/04/2008
Posts: 4
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Hi All,
First post on here. Basically purchased a new road bike yesterday with the idea of getting fit and giving up smoking and losing me lickle belly.
What sort of mileage and frequency should I be riding to start with and any tips on riding style?
Thanks in advance.
Dex
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watchyourback
Reged: 16/04/2008
Posts: 119
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Little and often - start off slowly and build up as the days/weeks progress. 30 minutes to start with, then just keep adding time/distance as your body sees fit to let you.
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bigoldsideofham
Reged: 23/12/2007
Posts: 1079
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Completely agree-and im speaking from a sympathetic experience!
I was 19 stone and 9 pounds at christmas (you wont be any fatter than that id bet)
Now 17 stone and doing 80 milers.
I do spend a lot of time training now but my top tips would be.
1)Get a comfy saddle and ensure the bike is fitted for comfort. (ie invert the stem tilt bars towards you etc)
2) Dont scrimp on shorts. DHB's are reasonable, a good chamois will make you get back on the bike because you wont be waddling!
3) Use chamois cream. (i use assos). The bigger the thigh/crease the more important this can be!!!!)
4) Take it easy and build up TIME in the saddle 10 minutes at a time -dont even think about speed/distance for the first few weeks.
5) Most importantly enjoy it. Dont starve yourself as your body still needs fed but try and eat healthy foods and drink gallons of water.
6) Ride as often as you can but to start with leave a rest day between rides if you are untrained. I now take one off in 8 and feel great.
7) Try your local club for tips/encouragement, its helped my motivation.
Good luck. My body fat has gone from 34 percent to 21. Im still loosing weight ( gonna try for another 18 pounds)and life couldnt be better.
BOSH
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Dex
Reged: 30/04/2008
Posts: 4
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Thanks to you both especially bigoldsideofham.
I am 6ft tall (5ft 11.5 really but 6ft sounds better) and 15 1/2 stone, used to race MTB's and singlespeeds in particular. I have a 48" chest and a 38" waist but still unfit because of the smoking.
This is my first road bike and have no real idea of bike set up for the road, have just gone with the arse high-nose low set up currently. Feels very weird cornering but felt great last night overtaking cars :-) My son was amazed I could keep up with mummy whilst she was driving too. This is my first geared bike for over 6 years too and I have to keep remembering that I can change down!
Thanks again.
p.s, any more advice on bike set up would be a right touch.
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reaper
Reged: 06/04/2007
Posts: 38
Loc: somerset
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I recomend join a club as there will be someone there who can help you find a Local Bike Shop ( LBS) who will set your bike up correctly. Also club runs are a great way of motivating you to get out nad ride and find lots of great safe routes. Try several clubs to the right one for you. I joined tor2000.co.uk in somerset to train for sportives and now race (Badly) aswell. Its great fun but helps to have targets which is why I find sportives great.
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Stewpot
Reged: 15/06/2006
Posts: 85
Loc: Huddersfield
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Taking up the bike is a great way to stop smoking, as I found out over 2 years ago.
You will get into all the 'bling' that goes with cycling- so a good motivator is to think of all the shiny bits and pieces you can get for your bike with your old fag money !
You should find that after perhaps wheezing up hills to start with you eventually develop a steady breathing rythm.
As has already been said,build up your rides progressively, and the weight should drop off you.
I was no more than 12st 7lbs when I returned to the bike, but am now a steady 11st 2lbs.
You should find the hills get easier as you lose weight.
Enjoy 
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Scouser
Reged: 17/02/2008
Posts: 262
Loc: N Wales
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I really admire your advice and courage of getting in touch with a club. I'm actually in my normal weight range, and enjoy cycling, running etc a lot - but have a major inferiority complex (induced by school PE Teachers) and which has plagued me into thinking that everyone is stronger,faster and better than I am. It doesn't help me whne I see cyclits out together, or a group, and they all seem to be going real fast. However, I say to myself that those people who stare at me from their car windows are probably thinking "Gee, he's going fast" - at least I suppose Ihope they are. Perhaps they're saying, "He looks knackered!" Best with the weight business. It's been something I have had to be strict about - or else if I ate what I liked I'd be double my size.
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bigoldsideofham
Reged: 23/12/2007
Posts: 1079
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Double your size = my size!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Forget the worries of being dropped. Look for a club that does a 'beginners or introduction to group riding' run , go along and you will never look back!
Im a still a 'generous portion' but remember looks can be deceiving. Many a smaller guy hides behind me on longer rides for a rest. Its a sport for all. The only thing that counts is improving yourself!
Here endeth the lesson.
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ChrisS
Reged: 04/06/2007
Posts: 37
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Cycling Weekly have a fitness piece coming up soon in which Magnus Backstedt gives tips and specific advice on how a bigger rider can make life a bit easier and get more from cycling
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bigoldsideofham
Reged: 23/12/2007
Posts: 1079
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How do you know that???? Another useful bit would be if they bothered to put advised weight limits on kit they test and try and cover big clothing (for example im a size 52 shoe).
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argos700c
Reged: 13/01/2008
Posts: 29
Loc: Suffolk
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all great advice above which i wont add too... other than to say:
just eat healthily and graze rather than having big meals. don't loose any more than a couple of pounds a week and just keep it up.
i was 18stone 4lbs and i got down to 11stone 9lbs in fifteen months. I actually went underweight because i am a broad 6ft 2". Listen to the people around you but they will tell you that you are loosing to much if you start to shift big weight. a lot of people resented me and told me i had an eating disorder. i just carried on cycling and going to the gym and for the first time tasting the food and enjoying it. i am now healthy around about 12stone 6lbs at a guess. i threw the scales away and i just look in the mirror now.
im doing my first 10 TT in July
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mr_shifter
Reged: 24/04/2008
Posts: 49
Loc: east kent
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the above is all very insperational stuff and i can add to it by saying 12 months ago i was a heavy drinking,smoking 15 stone taxi driver !!
I have changed my job to a far more physical one and started cycling stopped smoking [my method for that was promise my self one in half an hour time and hopefuly the craving has past and so on ]cut down on drinking by about 80 % that was easy because if i drink heavy it directly effects my cycling the next day . not changed my diet and im now about 12 stone
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massi
Reged: 03/06/2008
Posts: 73
Loc: somerset UK
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Thats pretty amazing !. I was 12stone7 when I left school and now I yo-yo around 17stone. Best I ever did was go down to 15st. What did you do to lose the weight initially when you were 18 stone?
Quote:
all great advice above which i wont add too... other than to say:
just eat healthily and graze rather than having big meals. don't loose any more than a couple of pounds a week and just keep it up.
i was 18stone 4lbs and i got down to 11stone 9lbs in fifteen months. I actually went underweight because i am a broad 6ft 2". Listen to the people around you but they will tell you that you are loosing to much if you start to shift big weight. a lot of people resented me and told me i had an eating disorder. i just carried on cycling and going to the gym and for the first time tasting the food and enjoying it. i am now healthy around about 12stone 6lbs at a guess. i threw the scales away and i just look in the mirror now.
im doing my first 10 TT in July
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scm
Reged: 24/06/2006
Posts: 1234
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Quote:
Thats pretty amazing !. I was 12stone7 when I left school and now I yo-yo around 17stone. Best I ever did was go down to 15st. What did you do to lose the weight initially when you were 18 stone?
The usual way is to consume fewer calories than you expend.
The trick is to decide what weight you want to be, and plan your diet around that target weight - eat as if you're already at that weight and you'll soon get there.
Unless you want to continue to eat as badly as you have been doing, and only want to lose weight so that you can put it all back on again, of course.
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bfergie
Reged: 19/04/2008
Posts: 1623
Loc: Wickerman land,Scotland
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I started off at 18 stone 7 in august and only 5ft 7" although I could always cycle quite well hills were hard work, Even at that weight cycled the length of Scotland with panniers over 4 days however I always used power(legs like the old man of Chris Hoy).
After a bit of reading I simply cut out ALL junk food,halved the amount of bread I was eating,got a turbo trainer(machine of evil) and started doing some gym work over winter(light weights,high reps). The biggest thing though was to change how I cycled, I stopped grinding high gears and started spinning a high cadence,high cadence burns fat as fuel. the weight came off fast,average speed went up 4mph,no more knee pain or lower back pain.
Luckily I still have the Hoy size legs  and the words I keep running through my head is power to weight,more power-less weight,weigh less-power more or any combination of those words! It workes for me, good luck.( still 5 ft 7" though  )
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VOTE PENGUIN!!!
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gabba
Reged: 22/06/2008
Posts: 8
Loc: northumberland
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^ ^ all very inspirational, the reason I have joined this forum is to ask just about the very question that has been posted here.
I am going to get myself a new road bike from my, very good, local bike shop. I'm 45, 6ft and over 17st, my aim is to lose weight [3stone if possible]and I guess I am after encouragement and advice. Local clubs always seem to me to be race clubs, nothing wrong with this of course, but someone like me would never be able to ride out with these guys.
Its a pity there is nothing for newbys getting into the sport later in life, I have never ridden a road bike since I was a kid.
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nothing ever seems to turn out right, I dont' wanna grow up
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bigoldsideofham
Reged: 23/12/2007
Posts: 1079
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Just make a start - small steps! Little and often and visit each local clubs web site to see if they do a 'begginers run' (often first sat or sun of each month) thne give it a crack. I visited several club 'nights' before i chose my club. Some are great at making you welcome others are frankly crap! Good luck.
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gabba
Reged: 22/06/2008
Posts: 8
Loc: northumberland
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thanks,
Northumberland is badly off for clubs tbh...which is a shame
I think I'll have to go it alone, at the start anyway.
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nothing ever seems to turn out right, I dont' wanna grow up
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wuverley
Reged: 16/05/2008
Posts: 1495
Loc: Man of Kent
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Have you considered the CTC? (Cyclists Touring Club)
There is no, or next to no, racing involved but they organise different rides, often over long distances but not always. I don't know about Northumberland, but I bet there is a local DA (district association, I think) organising non-competitive rides in your area. Try googling and see what happens
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Invicta
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wuverley
Reged: 16/05/2008
Posts: 1495
Loc: Man of Kent
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DAs are now called CTC member groups apparently
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Invicta
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