The Get fit club!

[janneppi]

At 500£ I'd also go looking for used bikes. You might get a really good deal on those. (Coming from some who bought a 4Keur bike for 2KEur few months ago :) )One or two years of use on a decent bike is nothing if it has ever been taken care of.

[ioan]

Guys, I need to pick your collective brains.

I'm thinking of taking up cycling again, at least for commuting. I've got an old cheap cruddy mountain bike I've fitted road tyres to, and I'm thinking of upgrading. The questions I have are... Is it better for a given price to go for a better frame with rubbish components or a worse frame with better components? Also I've got a low budget but I keep seeing loads of bikes sold for £1k plus. What difference could I expect to notice if I got a really expensive bike?

Thanks in advance.

Most important thing about biking is that if you are not doing top level competition then the biggest difference it is made by yourself.
While a bike frame weighs between 1 and 3 kgs, you weigh at least 20 times more. So what difference does 1 kg make when the total is 70+ kgs? About 1 to 1.5%?!

As many already said, ride your old bike until you get yourself in a shape where you could hardly improve your biking without a better bike. By that time you will also know better what you need.

Myself I picked up biking again last year due to being invited by friends to an amateur race (100 kms), repaired my old steel bike and managed to train for 3 weeks or so and finish the race place approx. 1200 out of 1800, which didn't bother me as my goal was to finish.
This year I did it again, same old steel frame (about 16 years old by now) with a set of new wheels (one of the most important parts on a bike) and a new chain set (50/39/30) and above all 6 weeks of strong training ( 85 kms sessions 3 times a week) and managed to place around 850th leaving behind people on carbon race bikes.
Next year I'll try to get into the top 600 on the same steel frame, and if I manage that I will think seriously about investing in a better frame.

Anyway, enough talking about me, the idea is that your fitness and biking level is more important than the bike and it also dictates what you need as a bike when time comes to buy a new one.

[tfp]

Beside the Weathsheaf pub on the A167 Durham Road?

I'd been thinking about getting back into cycling for a good year or so, but there'd always been some reason not to, purchase price of the bike, "there's nowhere to put it" etc. But I went to see the Doc about my blood pressure a little while back and he was basically like "FFS, if you don't do something about this now you are going to have a heart attack or stroke and DIE. Do you want to see your kid grow up?".

I was like... man....

So, anyway, been cycling for a month now, dunno what my blood pressure is but my resting heart rate has gone down from 95-100 to a much more normal 75bpm, which is encouraging!

My entrance is slightly further up, pelton lane entrance, right next to the lambton worm, about 2 mins away from the Wheathsheaf one :) I've probably cycled pat you and not even known!


Guys, I need to pick your collective brains.

I'm thinking of taking up cycling again, at least for commuting. I've got an old cheap cruddy mountain bike I've fitted road tyres to, and I'm thinking of upgrading. The questions I have are... Is it better for a given price to go for a better frame with rubbish components or a worse frame with better components? Also I've got a low budget but I keep seeing loads of bikes sold for £1k plus. What difference could I expect to notice if I got a really expensive bike?

Thanks in advance.

I wouldnt spend that much if you are just starting up again, start with your old one and see what you wish your old bike had, quick release wheels, seat, how many gears etc. Then go in the hunt for a bike with all the spec you want :D

I'd reccomend a Kona frame, I've landed loads of high jumps heavily using hardly any skill at all and I still havent smashed mine yet. The shocks are really good aswel, I have had many punctures and the odd buckled wheel (on my old bike though) when I hit tree roots while down hilling, and the shock absorbers are really kind to your hands and wrists :)
Unless you decide to buy a full suspension bike, remember to always stand up when going too fast over the top of a tree root or rocks, the last thing you need when down hilling is your seat impacting with the gentlemans area, that gets very boring, very quickly!

[Mark]

My entrance is slightly further up, pelton lane entrance, right next to the lambton worm, about 2 mins away from the Wheathsheaf one :) I've probably cycled pat you and not even known!


Excellent, NCN7 is quite a nice route - in both directions. Maybe we should meet up for a ride sometime - warning, I'm slow :D

[Mark]

I'm thinking of buying a roadbike as my fitness has seriously slipped in recent months and with baby on the way I want to be fit as I have a feeling I'll be doing most of the running around :p

Ooh nice, I'd love a road bike! - But I do like off road tracks too.



I have a fairly decent mountain bike but its tough on long rides even with slick commuting tyres fitted etc. Having looked at roadbikes they do appear to be mostly out of my price range and recommendations always seem to be around the £700 range. The bike I want is a Trek 1.2, but I just can't justify the cost. My budget is around £450 maybe slightly more and I wouldn't rule out secondhand if I get a better bike. Do any of you guys have any advice or maybe knowledge of decent bike dealers that deliver across the UK? I can see my settling for the £350 Carrera in Halfords, but maybe that isn't a bad bike for someone starting out in road riding.

You can get a Trek 1.1. for £550 which is by all accounts a good bike.

[Mark]

tbh I think £550 for a good make of road bike is a good price. The Halfords bike may well be good but a lot is dependent on the guys who screwed it together at the shop. e.g. I got my bike from my local bike shop which gives 6 months free servicing, anything the matter with it in that time, and they'll fix it no questions.

I just think for saving a little bit you'll end up wishing you'd spent a little more the entire time.

[GridGirl]

Try looking on eBay. I got my road bike on eBay and I honestly don't think it had been riden for more than 20 miles. It was perfect, sadly it doesn't look as prestine now but I have riden it in excess of 1000 miles. It was bike from the previous year but was worth the £300 saving that I made compared to had I bought the same bike that year from a shop.

[janneppi]

I'm thinking of buying a roadbike as my fitness has seriously slipped in recent months and with baby on the way I want to be fit as I have a feeling I'll be doing most of the running around :p

I have a fairly decent mountain bike but its tough on long rides even with slick commuting tyres fitted etc. Having looked at roadbikes they do appear to be mostly out of my price range and recommendations always seem to be around the £700 range.
If you have a bike already you probably have some idea about what size and type riding position you look for and you can use some of the fit calculators out there on the web.

I got my Scott road bike seven years ago for 1000 Eur, it was an older model with a 1400 eur discount from the original price. :)
If the frame and fork are half decent you can swap parts as they wear off. Original parts in my bike are frame, fork cranks, brakes shifters and derailleurs. Most of the handling related components I replaced after getting to know the bike better and understanding my riding position better.

Companies like Wiggle and CRC have pretty good stock of bikes and parts one needs to spend money on bikes :D Just yesterday I ordered a new frame pump after some idiot drove over the old one when it fell off the bike. :)

[Malbec]

Thanks for all the advice on this thread, much appreciated.

Unfortunately my wife tells me that because our childcare arrangements have changed cycling to work is not going to be an option so that sorts that dilemma out!


While a bike frame weighs between 1 and 3 kgs, you weigh at least 20 times more. So what difference does 1 kg make when the total is 70+ kgs? About 1 to 1.5%?!

Thats what I thought too, but I keep reading in magazine reviews that bike A accelerates or handles better than B despite the gearing being the same and the weight only differing by a matter of grams. Hence why I was wondering whether someone like me would be able to tell the difference.

I'm going to make a bigger effort to use the bicycle to get around in the future (ie some rather than none) and see where things go from there. When my son is a bit older I'll think about getting a bike with a baby seat to potter round town with I think.

[Malbec]

I'm thinking of buying a roadbike as my fitness has seriously slipped in recent months and with baby on the way I want to be fit as I have a feeling I'll be doing most of the running around :p

Sorry to hijack your question but one thing you might consider after the baby is a few months old is to get membership at a decent gym.

A few months ago my wife badgered me into doing so and its literally changed our lives. They have a baby pool and regular free rhyme time sessions and classes for the baby as well as a separate cafe and soft matted play area which are complete lifesavers. On top of that my wife and I try to go two or three times a week for classes or gym sessions and its great to have a bit of time just to myself. I couldn't recommend it more.

[janneppi]

Thats what I thought too, but I keep reading in magazine reviews that bike A accelerates or handles better than B despite the gearing being the same and the weight only differing by a matter of grams. Hence why I was wondering whether someone like me would be able to tell the difference.

If the weight difference is in static components like frame, 1kg is difficult to notice. But if it's in wheels, you can spot a lighter bike quite easily. But if one is looking for bike where price is the main point, it doesn't matter diddly squat. You know you're not getting anything fast. ;)

[Mark]

It can be off putting when you do some research and you're like "well what if I have £1,000, that's loads!". Then you read the review of the bike and they are like "well it's ok for the price but all the components are bottom of the range" :(

[janneppi]

Fortunately if you don't have anything to compare a cheap bike to it will be ok. And the more "reliable" brands tend to be sensible with their components in bottom range bikes. You might not get any pricey parts , but you won't get awful parts either. As i said earlier if you want a better package(both frame and components), go for used bikes, or something that been hanging on the store shelf for a long time. :)

Spending money is a choice, I think spending more than 200 Eur on a unlocked smartphone is a rip-off, but spending 3000 Eur on bike equipment is a sane thing to do. ;)
Someone else might be willing to spend 2000 Eur on a fancy iphone and a two year contract, but wont bother paying more that 300 eur on bike that's supposed to last 5-10 years.

[Big Ben]

Got my self a nice sprained ankle (hopefully that's all) while playing football last night. I tried to stop a shoot, the ball twisted my foot right before landing on it. It felt like it ripped the foot off. Shortly after it swelled and went kind of numb. Now I have to carry around this cast for 2 weeks.... and I should probably join the don't get too fat club.... this really pisses me off. It's a nightmare... and the fact that I have no idea when I'll be able to resume my activities makes it even worse. I will have to get tough on the diet side of the business :(

[Mark]

That's tough. :( . Personally I would take a month off and sod it all!

[GridGirl]

I had entered a sportive ride and was supposed to be riding 55miles. My chain kept slipping at my rear cassette when I put pressure through it each time I got to a hill. I was going up one hill around 15 miles in when I found myself peddling air when my chain came off. I managed to unclip by sheer luck as I was falling and didn't hit the deck. So after a quick stop to put it back on I cycled on until I stopped at the first rest stop 20 miles in and got a mechanic to look at. A 30 minute fix later and I found my chain was slipping constantly in every gear on all rings. Took the decision to shortern my ride as I had no confidence in bike and managed to cycle another 8 or so miles until the chain snapped with a mile to go. I ended up pushing and free wheeling to the end covered in chain oil. This was my most frustrating day cycling in a long time. :(

My other half broke his wrist this week and has promoted me to chief mechanic. Looks like I will be fitting a new rear cassette and chain once the parts arrive. Oh joy! :eek: Only two weeks until my next sportive which hopefully won't be beset which mechanical issues. :)

[Mark]

Which one are you doing next?

[Mark]

I did the Durham Big Ride today. 25 miles (37 with going to and from home) no mechanical issues to report, bike was flawless ;) . Was pretty tired for most of the day but I'm glad I managed it after only cycling for just over a month now.

[pino]

Mark, I am impressed :up:

[GridGirl]

Which one are you doing next?

Ride It Lake District. A very hilly ride out of Coniston. Todays ride had a rating of 2/5 for toughness but the Lake District one is rated 5/5. Mind, I won't be going anywhere until I get my bike fixed. Although I could do it on my mountain bike if I have to.

You need to sign up for something else. We had good riding until November last year. :)

P.S You're bike should be flawless. You haven't been anywhere on it yet. :p

[ioan]

Went out for a 66 km ride this evening but only managed 44 before it was getting to dark to complete another loop. Next session will most probably be on Friday if weather allows it.

[ioan]

I had entered a sportive ride and was supposed to be riding 55miles. My chain kept slipping at my rear cassette when I put pressure through it each time I got to a hill. I was going up one hill around 15 miles in when I found myself peddling air when my chain came off. I managed to unclip by sheer luck as I was falling and didn't hit the deck. So after a quick stop to put it back on I cycled on until I stopped at the first rest stop 20 miles in and got a mechanic to look at. A 30 minute fix later and I found my chain was slipping constantly in every gear on all rings. Took the decision to shortern my ride as I had no confidence in bike and managed to cycle another 8 or so miles until the chain snapped with a mile to go. I ended up pushing and free wheeling to the end covered in chain oil. This was my most frustrating day cycling in a long time. :(

I had a similar issue during a 100 km race last year.
In my case though the chain was brand new (changed it because it was slipping on the higher gears under high load), the cassette was older and couldn't change it because the online shop shipped the wrong one 1 day before the.
The 10 km climb was a nightmare as I had to stop to manually change the gear to the 2 biggest cogs and could only use those all the way up the hill. At least I was able to finish.

What chain do you use? I never had a chain snap even though I put several thousands of kms on some of them.

[ioan]

Really can't see the point myself. I can't find the money for a Sky subscription so a gym membership is out of the question.

Forget about Sky, get the money to go to gym, at least in winter.


Thanks for the suggestion though and when I'm earning 10 grand more a year I may even consider it. :)

50£/months = 600£ / year, no need to earn 10000 more! ;) :p

[ioan]

I did the Durham Big Ride today. 25 miles (37 with going to and from home) no mechanical issues to report, bike was flawless ;) . Was pretty tired for most of the day but I'm glad I managed it after only cycling for just over a month now.

That's a good distance. Well done! :up:

[Malbec]

Your average gym membership costs around £50 per month which is far beyond anything I can afford. We are saving hard for next April as it is and I wouldn't want to use my money saved on something I wouldn't enjoy. I already go out on the occasional jog, lift weights, and now cycling more often so I think I can do everything for free. £50p/m is the cheapest gym by me with hotels asking between 60 and 70 quid!! Really can't see the point myself. I can't find the money for a Sky subscription so a gym membership is out of the question. Thanks for the suggestion though and when I'm earning 10 grand more a year I may even consider it. :)

The gym membership isn't really for you, its for the baby silly! If its got good kiddie facilities believe me, the money you spend will be worth its weight in gold especially if your local council isn't so good on baby activities. The exercise part is only a side benefit.

I felt the same way about the cost, simply couldn't justify it until I had enough badgering from my wife. Now I can't imagine life without it. Just keep an eye open for any gyms that cater for kids nicely.

[ioan]

And it would have to be about 20 quid a month not 50.

C'mon, your kid is worth more than that, certainly.

[Malbec]

My money will be going on my child and not on a gym membership when I can help myself in other ways. Its my child I am thinking of, not me.

Are you planning on enrolling your kid into water babies and stuff like that?

[Malbec]

I'll be honest I have no idea what that is.

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk 2

Its a course where you swim with your baby so you can bond while he/she gets used to being in water. Rhyme time is a course where you sing along with your baby to nursery rhymes.

In my area the council is not so good at providing services like this, it might be different in your area and its worth having a look at what you can get later on. If your council isn't so good it makes a gym that provides the same service look like a hell of a lot better value than before. Thats all I'm saying. I'm not suggesting that you join a gym just for your benefit ;)

[Mark]

Then take up running, you need some shoes and that's about it!

Seriously, look a Couch to 5k if you need a programme to follow. You can get apps for your phone - plus it counts towards the forums distance challenge ;)

[donKey jote]

... but thats down to my natural physique.
and your age :p :andrea:

[ioan]

and your age :p :andrea:

Exactly.
I had to start training harder and harder to keep my six pack from getting buried by age!

[Mark]

That'll be why cycling is harder now I'm 34 as opposed to when I was 21!

[Malbec]

plus it counts towards the forums distance challenge ;)

How about treadmill running?

[Malbec]

I doubt it as you stay in one place :p

Seriously though you can't really track yourself via GPS covering a distance on a treadmill with the app, or does it not work like that? :)

Yeah but you get a reading from the machine as to how far you ran.

Sure you'll just have to take my word that I run 50 km a day but hey.

[Mark]

You can log it in Endomondo but not sure it's fair as you can't verify distance travelled.

[Malbec]

Is that all you do? I did a couple of laps of my estate yesterday and that's got to be 80 or 90km's. :eek:

I didn't want to destroy your confidence as I heard you're just starting out.

Bradley Wiggins used to use me to pace himself cycling. Until he realised he couldn't keep up with my jogging pace that is.

[Mark]

Hehe. I'm trying to do some running but I have to stop after half a mile :( Not good! Safe to say me and running aren't friends!

[GridGirl]

I took up running at the beginning of the year with an aim to run 10km. I followed an 8 week plan and I ran one 10km in April about 10 weeks after starting out (bad weather and a holiday to Ireland set me back a couple of weeks). The initial stages were the hardest but I found that once I could run about 3km without stopping it became alot easier to run further. I pretty much gave up with running afterwards and concentrated on cycling. I started running again at the end of June but it was a bit stop start with me doing a couple of runs and then not bothering for a few weeks. My levels of fitness are quite good so it wasn't that hard to get back up to 5km runs although they were about 6 minutes slower than earlier in the year. I've managed to improve my times to just being around two minutes slower than before I gave up. I fancied stepping up to about 7.5km on Saturday but my legs felt surprisingly good so I carried on to 10km and got a new PB to boot. My next plan it to keep running and just pumping in the mileage with an eventual aim to run 10km in under one hour. At the moment I'm not sure whether it is possible but I'm going to give it a try. I'm rubbish at running and find it really difficult compared to say cycling or swimming. Knocking just over 13minutes off my time wil be a real challenge but I think it's more of a psychological challenge than a physical one for me.

[Malbec]

You need to start running for 20 minutes or more but you don't have to sprint all the way to get fitter. When I first began running back at uni I did 5 km and started off easy but made sure I went quicker and quicker every run. Technique goes a long way too, I realised for example that my right knee is canted inwards slightly so I worked on tilting it outwards so my knees were straight when I ran. That way I reduced the effort it took to run. Even when I'm not fit at all I can usually outrun most people over medium to long distances.

Cycling is a nightmare for me. Going uphill just seems to be about how much thigh pain you can take.

[ioan]

You need to start running for 20 minutes or more but you don't have to sprint all the way to get fitter. When I first began running back at uni I did 5 km and started off easy but made sure I went quicker and quicker every run. Technique goes a long way too, I realised for example that my right knee is canted inwards slightly so I worked on tilting it outwards so my knees were straight when I ran. That way I reduced the effort it took to run. Even when I'm not fit at all I can usually outrun most people over medium to long distances.

Cycling is a nightmare for me. Going uphill just seems to be about how much thigh pain you can take.

Nah, cycling is also about technique and taking it easily, especially uphill. Best way I have found for good uphill training is to talk to someone while cycling up the hill, this is good to keep your heart rate as low as possible, while using a comfortable gearing.

[Mekola]

Since my mother has died I lost her cooking abilities, and trying to cooking or deliver food for myself, have reduced abruptly the quantity of food I've eaten these last two months. That caused I had a loss of 13 Kg! in that period, had a downfall from 119 to 106 Kg. Old wear is starting to fit me again, some people says I look more handsome now. The process is in continuity, since I've lost 600 gr during the last weekend.

[Mark]

Nah, cycling is also about technique and taking it easily, especially uphill. Best way I have found for good uphill training is to talk to someone while cycling up the hill, this is good to keep your heart rate as low as possible, while using a comfortable gearing.

That's always my problem with uphills, I try to keep up too much speed, I have to keep telling myself - if the bike is upright, you're going fast enough!

[Malbec]

Nah, cycling is also about technique and taking it easily, especially uphill. Best way I have found for good uphill training is to talk to someone while cycling up the hill, this is good to keep your heart rate as low as possible, while using a comfortable gearing.

Yeah but comfortable gearing for me means getting overtaken by 6 year old girls on My Little Pony bikes with stabilisers. I'd rather go through agonising pain and not be able to cycle after than go through that indignity...

[GridGirl]

Do you sit down to cycle up hill or get out the saddle? Try doing the opposite of what you are doing now and see if it makes a difference. I gave moved from a sit down to an Alberto Contador style and find it much easier.

That said, if ever I see a guy pushing up a hill I will always give him a "hiya" as I cycle past just to make him feel that little bit worse. Hehe :D

[Mark]

I've never had to push up a hill until Sunday when there was a sharp 20%er. I shall return. I shall not be defeated!

[Malbec]

That said, if ever I see a guy pushing up a hill I will always give him a "hiya" as I cycle past just to make him feel that little bit worse. Hehe :D

So that was you was it? Grrr.

My bike has flat pedals, no straps so I find standing up gives a very jerky movement. I know things will improve if I get straps or clip ons but for the mo I just cycle sitting down.

In the meantime I've found a quick solution to going uphill, I got a motorbike. The problem is partly psychological as well, on a motorbike going uphill just requires a tiny almost imperceptible twist of the wrist and not the agonising pain on a bicycle so I stop wanting to bother.

[GridGirl]

I've never had to push up a hill until Sunday when there was a sharp 20%er. I shall return. I shall not be defeated!

How long of a climb was it? I can get up longish climbs of around 17% but anything steeper it would have to be short and sweet.

Malbec, you are right in the fact that it is easier to climb being clipped in. It's less jerky plus you also benefit from the upstroke which makes it easier on the legs. :)

[Mark]

Not long at all. But I could only get half way up. Combination of already having done a few hills and and miles and fitness for that sort of thing.

Since back in the day I was fit enough to do that sort of climb I know what fitness is necessary; and how far off it I currently am!

[ioan]

:)
12 years ago I would ride uphill for kilometers on the highest gear ratio, then when I got back to cycling last year I was very surprised when I realized that I had to use the bottom half of the gear ratios to climb similar hills. :(
The good news is that it is slowly coming back and I have improved quite a bit over last year.
The question is if I will make it back to that level again. Time will tell.

[J4MIE]

Not been bothering doing much for the past few weeks, and my bike roof carrier arrived but doesn't fit, you must be able to get the roof bars in different sizes :( Will try and find a way of modifying to fit... So can hopefully get out cycling a few miles each evening. When I move into my new house (if I get the one that I've looked at) then will definitely be out more often though will need to find somewhere to service my bike as it's not in the best of health, new bike will have to wait a bit. It's reassuring that there are other people out there in the same situation :)

Will also probably get a treadmill so that I can run when it's cold outside as I generally hate being outside in winter!! (Tennis, Mark ;) ) My dad just got a treadmill delivered this morning for the same reason so will have to have a shot of it.

All I need now is a pair of earphones that I can wear when I have my 'snug' full face helmet on :s

[GridGirl]

I actually find it 100% easier to run outside during winter compared to summer. You don't feel the cold in winter after the first couple of minutes although I do have to wear a headband to keep my ears warm. I planned to run 10km this morning and would have been on to smash my personal best time if I hadn't given up at 8.5km because it was so damn hot. I don't think I've sweated so much in my entire life. On the plus side I managed to run 8.51km in just under 59 minutes which beat my previous best hour distance of running 8.16km. In hindsight I should have run for another minute to get the record on Endomondo.

Running on a treadmill will be hot if you don't have aircon.

[J4MIE]

I don't mind heat, but hate cold with a passion, the couple of minutes at the start does put me off! Same reason that I don't love swimming (though I did it semi regularly 18 months ago), it's the going in and feeling cold - even for a few seconds - means I try to avoid it. Can't even have a cold shower if it's 35 degrees outside!! :(

And yes, I know I'm a wimp :p :

[Mark]

Karen has challenged me to cycle over the mountain pass to Soller in Mallorca in April next year. Which I guess between now and then I'm going to need loads and loads and loads of hill practice; nothing but hills and more hills!

I was hoping to set up a King of the Mountains challenge on Endomodo but it seems total height climbed isn't one of the options :(

As for the cold. Back in the day I used to pretty much stop cycling in the winter then spend the Spring getting up to pace again; Can't let that happen this time so I'll have to live with the cold or at least adapt to it, just so long as it isn't icy.

[Mark]

I don't mind heat, but hate cold with a passion, the couple of minutes at the start does put me off! Same reason that I don't love swimming (though I did it semi regularly 18 months ago), it's the going in and feeling cold - even for a few seconds - means I try to avoid it. Can't even have a cold shower if it's 35 degrees outside!! :(

And yes, I know I'm a wimp :p :

When you can walk the 15 minutes from the car park to work in -12C wearing a t-shirt you'll know cold; otherwise you are just a big jesse!

[Malbec]

Running on a treadmill will be hot if you don't have aircon.

I find treadmills a poor substitute for running outside, not enough cooling and too much give underfoot. At my best I can do 5 km in about 18 minutes 30 (or used to a long time ago anyway) outside but maintaining anything like that pace on a treadmill is murder.

[J4MIE]

Or Mark you could play tennis inside during the winter ;)

[donKey jote]

I finally made it back to the gym today after 4 months forced absence.
I hope I got some gain, at the moment it seems all pain :p

[janneppi]

Karen has challenged me to cycle over the mountain pass to Soller in Mallorca in April next year. Which I guess between now and then I'm going to need loads and loads and loads of hill practice; nothing but hills and more hills!

I was hoping to set up a King of the Mountains challenge on Endomodo but it seems total height climbed isn't one of the options :(

As for the cold. Back in the day I used to pretty much stop cycling in the winter then spend the Spring getting up to pace again; Can't let that happen this time so I'll have to live with the cold or at least adapt to it, just so long as it isn't icy.
In the beginning last winter there was very little snow, so i had to make a decision to ditch cross country skii-ing and start cycling indoors. I got this trainer Novo Force - Elite /en (http://www.elite-it.com/novo-force/) It was a great way to keep some cycling form going on through winter time. Boring as hell though.

The funny thing was, week after I ordered the damn thing, it began snowing, a lot. :D

[Mark]

As ever with that sort of thing it's justifying the price.

Ps. I hate tennis!!

[janneppi]

That was a mid price thing I justified getting because it will last for 15 years in my use.
You can get cheaper model, new and used.

[ioan]

Went for 75 kms cycling today, it was a bit of a stretch as I did the last 15 kms in complete darkness, luckily this time I took lights with me.
Wanted to check the stats on Endomondo just to discover at the end that the bloody BB battery was depleted and didn't record the last 14 kms.
Still I was pretty happy with today's performance, managed to have an over 25 km/h average over the 75 kms, which is fine for a training ride in my case.

[Mark]

You can edit the distance on Endomondo if you need to.

[Mark]

I'm finding at the moment my maximum comfortable distance is about 20 miles. Any more and I'm quite tired.

[ioan]

You can edit the distance on Endomondo if you need to.

Nah, it won't make a difference in the end. Next time I'll make sure I charge the phone to full battery before going for a longer ride as the GPS seems to be rather gourmand.

[ioan]

I'm finding at the moment my maximum comfortable distance is about 20 miles. Any more and I'm quite tired.

Just keep doing it, with time you'll get more comfortable and then you can increase it by 5 miles or so, then repeat the cycle (no pun intended).
I was rather tired when I got off the bike tonight, but happy and grinning.
Do you take any sports drinks with you when you ride? Personally I drink quite a lot when riding, today I drank 1.5 liters during the ride, and sweat it all.

[Mark]

Not sports drinks as such. Just water with a bit of juice cordial to take away the plastic taste. And I drank it all yesterday as it was hot. But I've also just bought a second bidon and cage so now I'll have plenty.

[bluuford]

Nice thread. At the end of last year I felt I am completely out of shape and even not able to run on time to the rally stage :( So, I decided to start training again. I did two skiing marathon in winter and today I completed my first ever full running marathon (Tallinn Marathon) in 4:20:54. Now I think I will not get tired while running into the stage to get in time (next couple of days I am not going to run for sure!):-)
It would be interetsing to know if many people in this forum have done any marathons? And what was the final time?

[Mark]

At the moment I'm pleased that I can go out for an hours ride and come back feeling better than when I went out :)

[J4MIE]

I did consider that doing a marathon might be a good idea, but discovered that it was a lot easier to sit back with a bag of crisps instead :cool:

I would probably be just like that guy who got disqualified for getting a bus along most of the route :)

[bluuford]

I did consider that doing a marathon might be a good idea, but discovered that it was a lot easier to sit back with a bag of crisps instead :cool:

I would probably be just like that guy who got disqualified for getting a bus along most of the route :)

Last year I did half marathon.. but full distance.. you know... bus was very tempting indeed ;-) But now. The feling is great.. but walking is not so great right now:-)

[Mark]

Great North Run next weekend. I shall not be participating.

[steveaki13]

I know someone who runs marathons occasionally in a decent tim. i think he said 3 hours 40 or something, and yet when I play Football with him, he is looking wrecked after 10 minutes.

Strange thing Fitness.

[Mark]

Because marathon running is all about pacing yourself. Whereas football you tend to do a series of sprints?

[J4MIE]

My dad is aiming to do the Great North Run next year, so maybe have to join him... :(

He got his new treadmill delivered on Saturday morning (at 7:45am dammit!) and I had a shot of a 'warm-up' program and I couldn't finish it, though it seemed to be about 20 minutes of uphill walking and running!

[Mark]

Jamie; you'll also have to be training for the Durham Big Ride next year ;)

[J4MIE]

I'm busy that weekend :p :

[Mark]

No worries there's other rides the weekend before and weekend after ;)

[J4MIE]

Sadly I'm busy those weekends as well ;)

[Mark]

Went out last night and did a short (9 mile) route which I hadn't done for about a month and was pleasant surprised how much easier it was. The gentle hill up from Chester-le-Street cricket ground I was able to ride up on the middle chain ring, instead of the bottom one, and the sharp hill after Finchale Priory I kept waiting for the 'real' hill to start as I remembered it, before I knew it I was at the top :D - Freezing mind. And 5 minutes faster than last time.

[ioan]

Went for a 66 kms ride, had to stop after the first 44 km due to, lack of light and the cold temperatures.
Looks like next week end will be one of the last bike sessions for this year, unless the weather improves a lot.

BTW, Mark you are impressively active! :up:
Well done. :)

[Mark]

I wouldn't say that tbh. It looks like I do a lot of walking cos that's the breaks I get at work. I don't go that far. I'd do more but to family time constraints.

I was tired after 20 miles cycling today but to be fair most of them were straight up!

Like for you the weather is closing in here. But I've found with lights the dark is ok.

[GridGirl]

I got a huge personal best time for running 10km this morning. I beat my previous best time by a little over 7 minutes. All but two of the kilometres were under 7 minutes and I was annoyingly only over by a few seconds on each. Next weeks aim is to get every kilometre under 7 minutes and a target of completing 10km in under 1 hour 6 minutes. I was quite proud of myself. :D

No cycling for me this weekend or for the remainder of the month. Will hopefully get back out some time next month. :)

[Mark]

7 minutes off. That's massive; well done!

I have some personal achievements for today. Cycling up the hill to Edmondsley in my second gear (the jump from 'granny' to the next gear is a big one). And managing to cycle up Iveston Bank which I had to push up a few weeks ago on the Durham Big Ride; but this was in bottom gear! :D

[donKey jote]

I just managed to complete my routine for the first time since May. :dozey:

[janneppi]

Pih, My company, along with 1500 other companies and clubs is participating in Kilometrikisa(or Kilometer race for the non-Finnish speakers), where participants log their commute or other cycling activities from May till September. I'm still 52km short of my 1500km commute goal until end of this month. Tomorrow I can cycle to work, but Thursday and Friday we'll be on a drinking trip with the sales staff. I'll end 30km short unless I do some cycling on sunday

[J4MIE]

Everybody seems to be doing great :up: I am quite far back but only due to lack of any effort at all...

[tfp]

Went out last night and did a short (9 mile) route which I hadn't done for about a month and was pleasant surprised how much easier it was. The gentle hill up from Chester-le-Street cricket ground I was able to ride up on the middle chain ring, instead of the bottom one, and the sharp hill after Finchale Priory I kept waiting for the 'real' hill to start as I remembered it, before I knew it I was at the top :D - Freezing mind. And 5 minutes faster than last time.

Thats a really nice hill, I did it going down a couple of weeks ago, went around the back roads near the garden centre, along and ended up at the top of the hill next to the cricket ground you mention.
Speaking of that journey, heres a story for you....
On that very same bike ride, I stopped when Isaw two cyclists on road bikes, it looked like one was in trouble so pulled over to see if they were alright. They were both fine, although one had fallen off and that would explain the dirty clothing. Anyways, I got talking, and asked where they headed. They were from Sunderland, and they went to Middleton teesdale....And back. For people who dont know the area, they had done 90 miles..... I worked it out though, and Im pretty sure Sunderland to Middleton is more than 45 miles, and I know from experience that Sunderland coast line is at least 13.5 miles away. When he said they'd done 90 miles, I think theyd done 90 miles so far....And they still had another 15 or so to do.

At the time I spoke to them, I had done just 10 miles....And I thought I was in reasonable physical condition, it turns out I am very, very wrong!!

[tfp]

7 minutes off. That's massive; well done!

I have some personal achievements for today. Cycling up the hill to Edmondsley in my second gear (the jump from 'granny' to the next gear is a big one). And managing to cycle up Iveston Bank which I had to push up a few weeks ago on the Durham Big Ride; but this was in bottom gear! :D

Iveston is near the peth bank, have you cycled up there before? 60 Peth Bank - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNNkT1JS3hI)

That is on my to do list, I'm surprised there was a youtube video :)

[Mark]

That is on my to do list, I'm surprised there was a youtube video :)

No; however I have planned out a route to do it next weekend! I don't imagine I'll get up in one go without a few breaks, but it's worth a go!

Having said that I plan out a route every week and nearly every week it ends up getting changed for one reason or another!

[Mark]

On that very same bike ride, I stopped when Isaw two cyclists on road bikes, it looked like one was in trouble so pulled over to see if they were alright. They were both fine, although one had fallen off and that would explain the dirty clothing. Anyways, I got talking, and asked where they headed. They were from Sunderland, and they went to Middleton teesdale....And back. For people who dont know the area, they had done 90 miles..... I worked it out though, and Im pretty sure Sunderland to Middleton is more than 45 miles, and I know from experience that Sunderland coast line is at least 13.5 miles away. When he said they'd done 90 miles, I think theyd done 90 miles so far....And they still had another 15 or so to do.

At the time I spoke to them, I had done just 10 miles....And I thought I was in reasonable physical condition, it turns out I am very, very wrong!!

That's road bikers for you! I've been looking at the pages of Cestria cycle club who meet in Chester-le-Street market place (apparently) and they do the likes of cycling down to Darlington and back. Even back when I was 20 and cycling all the time the most I did was 55 miles in one day, and even that took all day! I do aspire to have that level of fitness, maybe one day!

[GridGirl]

My fastest 50 mile cycle ride is 4hours 0minutes and 16seconds but that will include some element of stop time. That personal best was achieved during a 72 mile bike ride completed in 5hours 42minutes of which 5 hours was total cycle time and 40minutes was stop time. Long distances are do-able in short times. It just takes a bit of practise. :)

[J4MIE]

I will have a weekend of shifting boxes and flat-pack disassembly and reassembly, if you are looking for a bit of help with your muscles Mark ;)

[Mark]

I think you need opportunity to catch up, so make sure you have your endomondo logging when you are going to and from the car ;)

[Mark]

I think ideally I'd like to do some spinning over the winter, maybe just an hour once a week to keep my legs moving. But the prices locally (and probably everywhere) are crazy. Bannatynes is completely out - £60/month minimum 12 month contract, I don't want 12 months, maybe 4 at the most before I'm back outside.

So what about Chester-le-Street leisure centre, run by the council. £5.80 per admission.. £5.80 for an hours spinning - piss take. If you want a membership it's £27/month, (but if you're only going once a week, no benefit to paying one off!) much better, but again minimum 12 months, so if I'm only going for 4 months that works out to £81 per month - piss take.

I wouldn't mind £27/month if it was just month by month, but I'm not signing a 12 month contract!

[donKey jote]

Work for a decent company who cares about their employee's fitness, and they might cover your membership completely :D

[Mark]

hahahah. No chance then.

[Malbec]

I wouldn't mind £27/month if it was just month by month, but I'm not signing a 12 month contract!

If you can travel that far I heard Guantanamo bay do free sessions, spinning fits in between waterboarding and mock executions apparently.

I've managed to survive one session of spinning, never again...

[J4MIE]

Yeah it seems expensive anywhere. When I got the swimming membership in Edinburgh there was no minimum contract but a £60 joining fee and £25 a month or something. They want the money out of you somehow :(

But if you were to go a couple of times a week then it makes it more worthwhile I guess.

[Mark]

I've managed to survive one session of spinning, never again...

Well that's the thing, I'd probably hate it!

[janneppi]

I think ideally I'd like to do some spinning over the winter, maybe just an hour once a week to keep my legs moving. But the prices locally (and probably everywhere) are crazy. Bannatynes is completely out - £60/month minimum 12 month contract, I don't want 12 months, maybe 4 at the most before I'm back outside.

So what about Chester-le-Street leisure centre, run by the council. £5.80 per admission.. £5.80 for an hours spinning - piss take. If you want a membership it's £27/month, (but if you're only going once a week, no benefit to paying one off!) much better, but again minimum 12 months, so if I'm only going for 4 months that works out to £81 per month - piss take.

I wouldn't mind £27/month if it was just month by month, but I'm not signing a 12 month contract!
I told you to get that trainer for indoor riding few weeks ago. ;)

[Mark]

Yeah I know; that's an option, but I'm wary of spending £150ish on something which might get used once or twice I find boring and then never used again... I suppose the obvious answer is pay £5.80 per go a few times and if it's ok, then buy a turbo trainer!

[GridGirl]

I quite like spinning but I think I'm quite the sadist. Everyone else seems to turn such a light resistance (or gear) compared to me who is going flat out on a really hard resistance (or gear). Its good for the legs but I don't think will help improve stamina for long rides.

If we bought a turbo trainer we would also need to buy a tv for the garage as entertainment. I could imagine staring as my garage walls would get dull pretty quickly.

[tfp]

I think ideally I'd like to do some spinning over the winter, maybe just an hour once a week to keep my legs moving. But the prices locally (and probably everywhere) are crazy. Bannatynes is completely out - £60/month minimum 12 month contract, I don't want 12 months, maybe 4 at the most before I'm back outside.

So what about Chester-le-Street leisure centre, run by the council. £5.80 per admission.. £5.80 for an hours spinning - piss take. If you want a membership it's £27/month, (but if you're only going once a week, no benefit to paying one off!) much better, but again minimum 12 months, so if I'm only going for 4 months that works out to £81 per month - piss take.

I wouldn't mind £27/month if it was just month by month, but I'm not signing a 12 month contract!

I wouldnt bother joining a gym, just keep on cycling through the winter. I found that this year the off road tracks have actually been worse this summer than back in the winter! And if its tarmac tracks or road cycling is your thing, then theres no difference at all, i find it easier in the winter because of the cold air :)

And I'm off out now, if my ipod ever syncs....

[Mark]

Did Peth Bank today. Liked it so much I cycled around and did it again!

The first part of it has a 20% sign and is just a wall! Thankfully that doesn't last long and it then turns into a more 'normal' and very pleasant climb.

It was extra good this time as the road was closed due to a landslide so no cars to worry about :)

[tfp]

Did Peth Bank today. Liked it so much I cycled around and did it again!

The first part of it has a 20% sign and is just a wall! Thankfully that doesn't last long and it then turns into a more 'normal' and very pleasant climb.

It was extra good this time as the road was closed due to a landslide so no cars to worry about :)

I was out today biking, mapping out another jogging route, or Id probably have asked you if you wanted to go and try it out, looks like you beat me to it :) Well done on getting it done though! and twice :up: ! Any hill that has signs warning people in cars to keep in low gear is a good hill :D

Peth bank is still on my to do list, I might even give it a go tomorrow. How did you get there? I was thinking of going up the c2c route and turning off at greencroft or something?

[Mark]

Through Sacriston and down to Witton Gilbert then pick up the cycle path which takes you to the next roundabout then up to Langley Park to join the Lanchester Valley railway path then along there to Lanchester across the road. Ignore the road closed signs and up the hill. Stopping briefly to navigate around the barriers across the road!

I'd recommend you do it today. It's great when closed to traffic!

[Mark]

PS You, me and J4MIE should make our own local cycling club!

[J4MIE]

Will it involve sitting in a bar and talking about cycling? :D

[tfp]

Through Sacriston and down to Witton Gilbert then pick up the cycle path which takes you to the next roundabout then up to Langley Park to join the Lanchester Valley railway path then along there to Lanchester across the road. Ignore the road closed signs and up the hill. Stopping briefly to navigate around the barriers across the road!

I'd recommend you do it today. It's great when closed to traffic!

Through sacriston? Haha! I probably cycled right past you :) I was up that way, near waldridge and ended up near that mini moos farm place.
Theres a cycle path on witton gilbert? How did I not know about that! the route you took, that sounds maybe 15-20 mile journey round trip? I'm looking on google earth now, I think Ill be turning off at greencroft industrial estate, down maiden law then up the hill :D

[tfp]

PS You, me and J4MIE should make our own local cycling club!

That sounds like a plan, I'm game :D


Will it involve sitting in a bar and talking about cycling? :D

This sounds like an even better plan, I'm game for that aswel! :D

[ioan]

My winter plans have been drafted already:
- skiing every now and then
- stationary bike once a week about 2 hours (I hate it!)
- building up a new bike for next year - I gave in and bought a used Litspeed Ghisallo Titanium frame, now I'll have to put together the whole puzzle - target weight is 7500 grams.

[Mark]

I've got 6 months to get fit enough so that I can cycle through the hills in Mallorca next April. Which would be an easy enough task were the winter not standing in my way.

[Mark]

Looks like Gym access is £5.80 per go but that included swimming so if we were planning on taking baby Freya swimming anyway then use of the gym only amounts to £1.20 extra; which is more like it.

[GridGirl]

I went out a did a leisurely 28km on the bike this afternoon and had almost forgotten how great cycling is. Due to my other half hurting his knee and then breaking his wrist my rides have been few and far between of late. Prior to today my three previous rides were a super hard ride with Bradley Wiggins, a nightmare ride where my bike destroyed itself and a 30km ride in torrential rain. Really awesome to be out on a crisp but sunny autumn afternoon. Good times. :)

[GridGirl]

I've got 6 months to get fit enough so that I can cycle through the hills in Mallorca next April. Which would be an easy enough task were the winter not standing in my way.

Just buy some winter gear and you will be fine. I went for full finger gloves and a headband to keep my ears warm today as well as my winter cycling leggings. Shorts and finger length gloves have been put away and never to be seen again until late spring. :)

[Mark]

This weekend has been especially nice! I was out today and yesterday wearing a long sleeve jersey and shorts and was warm enough - especially after climbing the Ryals :) . Didn't need gloves but I've got then ready. Only thing I haven't got is cycling trousers, missed out on them in the Aldi sale!

Good to see Ibby and yourself are out and about again!

[Mark]

Been thinking to myself more and more - I would really like to have a road bike, instead of the relatively heavy hybrid I have now. But it's like £1,000 for a half decent one which I can't afford, nor justify since isn't not that long since I bought this bike! So I've been telling myself, well you need to prove yourself on this bike first, and only when you've reached the limits of the bike, not of your own fitness could you even think about such matters.

Although it does lead me to strange ideas such as that riding my bike will somehow generate the money to buy a new one ;)

[GridGirl]

Been thinking to myself more and more - I would really like to have a road bike, instead of the relatively heavy hybrid I have now. But it's like £1,000 for a half decent one which I can't afford, nor justify since isn't not that long since I bought this bike! So I've been telling myself, well you need to prove yourself on this bike first, and only when you've reached the limits of the bike, not of your own fitness could you even think about such matters.

Although it does lead me to strange ideas such as that riding my bike will somehow generate the money to buy a new one ;)

Have you looked at the Bike to Work Scheme? Also, keep looking in eBay for a relatively new second hand bike. I save about 50% on my road bike buying through eBay and it had probably only been riden less than 50 miles. Alternatively, ask Santa. ;)

[Mark]

Have you looked at the Bike to Work Scheme? Also, keep looking in eBay for a relatively new second hand bike. I save about 50% on my road bike buying through eBay and it had probably only been riden less than 50 miles. Alternatively, ask Santa. ;)

Our company isn't a member, plus there is wording such as 'the bike must substantially be used for commuting to a place of work', and I would have no intention of doing so.

Realistically I would have to see about this time next year if I'm still into cycling.

[ioan]

I did 2 years on my 15 years old steel frame bike and I wanted to go another year on it.
Judging by the Endomondo statistics I can still improve my riding and as such a new bike was not yet needed.
Yet I did fall for a nice Litespeed Ghisallo frame on eBay and now I have already planned all the parts for the build that will weigh 7300 grams for a price of a bit over 2100 Euros.

My opinion is that as long as it is not a must to have a dedicated road bike you can still improve your fitness using your current bike and if meanwhile you keep looking and find a good deal then you can still go for it, that's what I did myself.
eBay is a good place to start with, I've seen some great deals around lately which I would have taken if it wasn't for my fix idea of owning a titanium frame bike.

[Mark]

No as far as fitness goes you are right of course, I was having this discussion with Daniel yesterday who was saying I should get a MTB because you have to put more effort in so it'll get you fitter. But my point was that if you're exercise is limited by time rather than distance then it doesn't really matter if you have a MTB, hybrid or road bike as you are going to be putting in the same amount of effort over that time, but the distance you travel will be different.

But; I like traveling long distances, and there is a local cycling group most of which have road bikes that I'd like to participate in.

PS. Was out last night, all wrapped up, but it was still freezing :( . I don't think I'll be able to go out in the evenings much longer, so I'm restricted to weekends.

[GridGirl]

No as far as fitness goes you are right of course, I was having this discussion with Daniel yesterday who was saying I should get a MTB because you have to put more effort in so it'll get you fitter. But my point was that if you're exercise is limited by time rather than distance then it doesn't really matter if you have a MTB, hybrid or road bike as you are going to be putting in the same amount of effort over that time....

I don't necessarily agree with Daniel's point. I have gone from being a pure mountain biker to more of a roady and find it far easier to ride my mountain bike since I became a roady. The strength in my legs from turning a higher gear on my road bike means that I can easily ride it in a far higher gear than I previously ever did, terrain dependant of course. I do still enjoy my mountain bike but where exactly are you going to ride it? If its still cycle ways and along canals or rivers you might as well stick with your hybrid unless the terrain is so poor. You will certainly get to your end destination quicker on a hybrid. Mountain biking is of course much more fun in my opinion. :)

Mark, you are right it was very cold last night for exercise. I certainly should have put more layers on when I went out for my run. I think being so cold did make me run faster though as I was less than 60 seconds slower than my 5km PB.

[Mark]

No, I don't really want a MTB, as you say where am I going to ride it, basically I'll have to put my bike in the car and drive to a forest somewhere. Whereas with my hybrid (or road bike) I can start from my house and start my ride immediately.

I have recently been focusing on my hill climbing, I've surprised myself that hills that a month or two ago I'd have to use my granny gear for, and be totally destroyed at the top - I can now do on the middle chainring (yes, it's a triple!!). I understand of course that spinning up in a lower gear is probably better for my fitness than mashing up in a high gear, I figure that since I have quite limited time it's going to give me the best return. So while I can climb that big hill, I can only manage 15 miles before I'm knacked!

[janneppi]

I don't necessarily agree with Daniel's point. I have gone from being a pure mountain biker to more of a roady and find it far easier to ride my mountain bike since I became a roady. The strength in my legs from turning a higher gear on my road bike means that I can easily ride it in a far higher gear than I previously ever did, terrain dependant of course. I do still enjoy my mountain bike but where exactly are you going to ride it? If its still cycle ways and along canals or rivers you might as well stick with your hybrid unless the terrain is so poor. You will certainly get to your end destination quicker on a hybrid. Mountain biking is of course much more fun in my opinion. :)


Indeeds on all points. :)
In a road bike you have more time to develop your pedaling technique and and stamina in longer rides with lower heart rate.
This summer I skipped long rides alltogether and had only short 11km commutes and mountain bike rides and I don't feel as fit as last year.

But mountain biking, especially in bike parks is much more fun. :D

[Mark]

Two entirely different disciplines of course. On my hybrid I do enjoy going down cycle paths and skipping along between the potholes etc - mostly when going down hill ;) . However there's not much better than climbing up that massive impossible hill and feeling great at the top!

Daniel was like - "try a mountain bike, you'd love it!" and he's right I would! But of course there's a big difference between that and actually purchasing one, and in my house we only really have storage space for a single bike.

[ioan]

For me it will always be road biking first and some off road after that.
First the fitness level that you achieve on a road bike is higher.
2nd, I prefer the speed and precision of a road bike over anything that an MTB can deliver.
I once owned a MTB for about 1 year, for the rest of my life always used a steel frame road bike with 2 sets of wheels, one for road and one for offroad riding.

[Daniel]

Two entirely different disciplines of course. On my hybrid I do enjoy going down cycle paths and skipping along between the potholes etc - mostly when going down hill ;) . However there's not much better than climbing up that massive impossible hill and feeling great at the top!

Daniel was like - "try a mountain bike, you'd love it!" and he's right I would! But of course there's a big difference between that and actually purchasing one, and in my house we only really have storage space for a single bike.

Yeah, but I started out with my mountain bike on the same sort of paths you're doing, now I've put some knobblier tyres on I can go off road properly, do small jumps, ride through mud etc etc. Did a red run today at Coed Llandegla and due to the headset being loose the front of the bike was rather difficult to control and I fell off 3 times, 2 of them rather nice tumbles indeed! :D I'm sore as all hell now, but in a most satisfying way. I've cycled on the road on my brothers bike a few years ago and how fast you go seems to be more down to fitness rather test of skill like mountainbiking. I must admit that I spent a good deal of my time on the brakes downhill, but I'm sure I'll become a bit more confident as time goes by :) But I guess different people like different things :)

[ioan]

I've cycled on the road on my brothers bike a few years ago and how fast you go seems to be more down to fitness rather test of skill like mountainbiking. I must admit that I spent a good deal of my time on the brakes downhill, but I'm sure I'll become a bit more confident as time goes by :) B

I see. :p
The day you'll go downhill full chat and only brake the very minimum required you will know what it means skill on a road bike.

[Daniel]

I see. :p
The day you'll go downhill full chat and only brake the very minimum required you will know what it means skill on a road bike.
I didn't say I had skill :p

[GridGirl]

Not all red routes require skill either. :p I haven't done Coed Llandegla although Ibby has. It's nowhere near as hard or technical as say Dalby red route but is far harder than Sherwood red route which is quite frankly not worth calling a red route as its so easy. There are big discrepancies in mountain biking in the UK in respect of riding routes which are classed under the same skill or difficulty level.

[Mark]

You should try Hamsterley and let Jamie know about it.

I've thought about going there myself. ie Cycling there from home and then coming back :p

[ioan]

I didn't say I had skill :p

I know. ;) You said that mountain biking requires more skill than road riding.

[Daniel]

Not all red routes require skill either. :p I haven't done Coed Llandegla although Ibby has. It's nowhere near as hard or technical as say Dalby red route but is far harder than Sherwood red route which is quite frankly not worth calling a red route as its so easy. There are big discrepancies in mountain biking in the UK in respect of riding routes which are classed under the same skill or difficulty level.

I guess it's hard to have all red, blue and black trails all to the same standard. Funnily enough it was the less difficult bits that got me, I was getting a little cocky after doing some decent jumps and got caught out on two right handers that tightened a bit and I landed too late and didn't make the corners :D I'm getting sorer by the minute but it was so much fun I'd do it again, though I'm doing the blue run this Sunday hopefully.

[Daniel]

I know. ;) You said that mountain biking requires more skill than road riding.

Just because something requires skill to do it right, doesn't mean it needs skill to do it at all ;) Just look at F1 :p

[Mark]

Road cycling doesn't need skill. Just effort. Which is why it's a good sport for me ;)

[J4MIE]

Well having moved down near Mark and taken my bike down last weekend, I was hoping to be out a bit more - alas I'm on holiday for a couple of days, then back in Edinburgh for three weeks, then on holiday for another three weeks, so will more than likely be December until I get out again :( I did buy a Thule roof carrier but I can't get the bars off so had to drive up the road with them on :p :

I think my plan is to buy a mountain bike in early spring and try to go out riding as many weekends as possible. Just got to get through winter first :bigcry:

[Daniel]

Well having moved down near Mark and taken my bike down last weekend, I was hoping to be out a bit more - alas I'm on holiday for a couple of days, then back in Edinburgh for three weeks, then on holiday for another three weeks, so will more than likely be December until I get out again :( I did buy a Thule roof carrier but I can't get the bars off so had to drive up the road with them on :p :

I think my plan is to buy a mountain bike in early spring and try to go out riding as many weekends as possible. Just got to get through winter first :bigcry:
You can't get the thule bars off? They're dead easy!!!!! Obviously as we've got the same car and longitudinal roof bars we've got the same feet for the bars and they're dead easy to get off :)

[J4MIE]

The plastic locking bit (but without the actual lock, not fitted tgat yet), can't get em off to unscrew the holding strap.

[Daniel]

They just pull out. Remind me tomorrow and I'll do a video and put it on Facebook for you

[J4MIE]

Pulled it, pushed it, twisted it, swore at it - nothing :(

[Daniel]

Are we talking the Thule 757 (iirc) foot pack?

[J4MIE]

775 I think, "Rapid System". Ha!

Actually I can get one off but that is not much use at all.

[Daniel]

775 I think, "Rapid System". Ha!

Actually I can get one off but that is not much use at all.
You definitely need 757's :)

[J4MIE]

Hmmmm I'm sure I bought the one it said in the booklet in Halfords :( We'll see when I get back from San Marino :)

[Daniel]

Hmmmm I'm sure I bought the one it said in the booklet in Halfords :( We'll see when I get back from San Marino :)

Definitely 757's ;) osRcj4QWFCo It really is as simple as this!

Hey im New here, and mybe i can make some of you more fitter ;)
My name is Tarek Ayad and im a Personal Trainer in Munich
maybe someone want to start a reel training to be Fit.
look at tarekayad.de
to find something about me

greets, tarek ;)

[ioan]

Road cycling doesn't need skill. Just effort. Which is why it's a good sport for me ;)

Well you are doing good judging by the Endomondo statistics, and you are improving quite fast. I bet your riding skills are also getting better. ;) :)

[Mark]

My main problem is just finding the time to get out there.

There is a local group which meets up on Sunday mornings for rides but they like to do the likes of 70 milers which is obviously too far for me!

[ioan]

My main problem is just finding the time to get out there.

You tell me about that? Every day I get home is dark and cold. And the week end looks wet and cold. ;(


There is a local group which meets up on Sunday mornings for rides but they like to do the likes of 70 milers which is obviously too far for me!

Depending on the speed I think that you could make it after all the time you've spent on a bike this year. Riding in a group (not at the front) is much easier than on your own. Give it a try, you can always decide to turn back after the first 20 miles if you think it is too difficult.

[ioan]

BTW Mark, did you have a look at the Decathlon bikes for a new bike? I was having a look at their French site and the prices are really competitive for the quality of the bikes.

[Mark]

Nah I was only really looking at Trek tbh as that's what I have now and they have a decent reputation.

It's much the same as buying cars etc going to a different manufacturer means learning a whole new model range in order to figure out which one you want!

[ioan]

Nah I was only really looking at Trek tbh as that's what I have now and they have a decent reputation.

It's much the same as buying cars etc going to a different manufacturer means learning a whole new model range in order to figure out which one you want!

The Decathlon range is not that large but I was impressed by the group sets and price ranges they offer. You can get a good road bike for well under 1000 Euros.
If it wasn't for my anti-CF and pro Ti fetishism I would have got myself a Decathlon.

[Mark]

I did 30 miles on Sunday, which was fine, but for the first time in a while I'd been off the bike for 5 days, whereas previously I'd been riding 3 times a week. I could feel it in my legs when I started out, just a bit more sluggish than usual, it took about 10 miles and a steep climb before I started feeling like I was properly warmed up.

[GridGirl]

The sluggish feeling isn't due to five days off the bike. It's down to winter. ;)

A new 5km run PB by two minutes and 5 seconds for me yesterday. I have been pondering whether or not to start training for a half marathon. There is one in that is flat that I could enter in the first week in January. Alternatively I could wait until winter is over and enter my local half marathon in May 2013. Decisions, decisions.

[Mark]

That's easy. Do both! And the Great North Run, obviously.

And yeah it might be due to winter, it always takes me a while to properly warm up and obviously it's worse this time of year.

[J4MIE]

It takes me until April to warm up :(

[Mark]

Been feeling a bit under the weather this week, both because I feel I'll and because of the weather! So it's been difficult to get motivated to go out :(

[ioan]

Went out for a 44 km ride today, first time since being clued to the bed for 5 days. It felt difficult at the beginning but it kept getting better all the time.
Stopped at 44 km as the fog started it started to get foggy and without sunshine the temperature went down rather fast. If weather allows, tomorrow I'll do another session.

[Mark]

First time I haven't been out for a full week and felt sluggish today. But managed to get Jamie out on his bike for a little while!

[J4MIE]

I put it off for as long as I could :p : Need to get out more, will get organised after my holiday....

[Mark]

Although I had the trip to J4MIE's house that was it for cycling last week, my lowest weeks milage since I got my bike :(

[janneppi]

Pih, just came back from a two hour mountainbike ride with my nephew. Not really mountains, and at times very little biking when we had to push our bike through mud puddles or hop over flooded ditches. :D Fortunately since temperatures have been under 0C, so we could ride over 90% of puddles.

Good fun.

[J4MIE]

Ok, so I got an exercise bike and set it up last night. Seems ok, will be great to use it over the winter - just need to figure out how to put it in the garage.

[Mark]

Which one you got?

I might have to cycle down to your house to use it ;)

[J4MIE]

Got this one Buy York Aspire Exercise Bike at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Exercise bikes. (http://www.argos.co.uk/m/static/Product/partNumber/9237513/c_1/1|category_root|Sports+and+leisure|33006346/c_2/2|33006346|Fitness+equipment|33008186/c_3/3|cat_33008186|Home+gym+equipment|33011950/c_4/4|cat_33011950|Exercise+bikes|33020811.htm)

Is on good offer and one of the few that you can collect, rather than home delivery which isn't an option at the moment. Feel free to come round, I have the tv working now :D But maybe you could fix my washing machine :\

[Mark]

Looks nice. And a similar price to a turbo trainer.

[Mark]

Last week was the first since July where I didn't go out on my bike at all :(

[J4MIE]

Poor effort Mark!! I haven't been out all week lots of times :D

[Mark]

Yeah all those Endomondo entries! :p

[pino]

At fitness center trying to be in perfect form before heading back home to Sanremo for more pizza and ravioli :p :

[Mark]

Went out on my bike yesterday just 10 miles but the first ride in a month and it felt good :D . Still wish I could do more but it's just so cold :( (Well it wasn't that cold yesterday which is why I ventured out!)

[race aficionado]

Went out on my bike yesterday just 10 miles but the first ride in a month and it felt good :D . Still wish I could do more but it's just so cold :( (Well it wasn't that cold yesterday which is why I ventured out!)

Have the pains started?

[Mark]

hehe. I wouldn't normally be bothered, the clocks change back at the start of April which means the evenings then become light and so I can go out after work. But as it is that's only 2 weeks before I go on holiday - where I want to be doing a bit of cycling, and I want to be as fit as possible for that.

[janneppi]

I bought a pair of snow shoes two weeks ago. I figured I won't get much xc-skii-ing done on weekdays but I just might strap then on for 1-2 hour trips around the local forests. Sundays 1h45 min hike was 7km long. Todays was probably even shorter. :D

Great fun!

[Mark]

Nice riding on New Years Day, because the traffic levels are light so I can just ride out into the lane where I would normally have to take my life into my hands. But most importantly no buses! It actually took me a while whilst riding along the road through Birtley to realise why it was different and it was because I'm not being pushed to the side by double deckers every 2 minutes.

[GridGirl]

The weather in the Lake District is not that great to get out and about. Although I have yet another cold I managed a 6km coastal walk yesterday and a 20km bike ride before the heavens opened this morning. I also finally managed to run 5km in under 30 minutes on 27th December by knocking 51 seconds off my previous personal best to run it in 29 minutes and 14 seconds. I did a happy dance when I stopped, if anyone saw me they will no doubt think I am crazy.

[Mark]

Just signed up to do a 30 mile bike ride at the end of February. I'd better get some practice in as I couldn't do that at the moment! (I did do 20 miles last weekend but the route was reasonably easy)

[schmenke]

Laced up my sneaks a few days ago and started running again, for the first time in about three years :mark: .
Now my left ankle hurts like hell :s

[ioan]

Just signed up to do a 30 mile bike ride at the end of February. I'd better get some practice in as I couldn't do that at the moment! (I did do 20 miles last weekend but the route was reasonably easy)

You are certainly able to easily ride those 30 miles, do not worry. Still a bit of training will help make it easier. ;)

[Mark]

Oh yeah. I've no doubt I will be able to do the distance. It's just a question of how knackered I am afterwards :) .

[ioan]

Oh yeah. I've no doubt I will be able to do the distance. It's just a question of how knackered I am afterwards :) .

You'll be surprised how well you will feel after it.

[Mark]

You mean how I felt after the 22 mile ride last weekend? Shattered for the rest of the day! :D

[ioan]

You mean how I felt after the 22 mile ride last weekend? Shattered for the rest of the day! :D

You will feel tired but also happy.
In my case the first 30 kms are the difficult part after that it just gets easier and faster.

Did you get yourself a new bike? There are some good deals out there on CRC and Wiggle and bunch of pretty good second hands from people who are looking for a new ride for the next season.

[Mark]

Nah same bike Trek FX 7.1. Realistically next year for a new bike. But I'm led to believe I can swap my 700x35 tyres for 700x28 so might try that.

[ioan]

Nah same bike Trek FX 7.1. Realistically next year for a new bike. But I'm led to believe I can swap my 700x35 tyres for 700x28 so might try that.

Yes, swapping the tires to smaller ones shouldn't be an issue, you could even go down to 25s or 23s, or maybe 23s front and 25s rear to try to improve the aero around the front wheel a bit. I've heard that the new Michelin Pro4 Service Course are very good (going to get a set for my new build), and if you are looking for bomb proof and slow wearing tires then the Continental GP 4000s are the ones.

Agree that the bike is not the most important I was going to wait for another year too before upgrading and then I just found a good deal on a titanium frame and felt that itch to go for it, yet I know that improving my fitness will yield more gain then the new bike.

[Mark]

Don't think I can go smaller than 28 without getting different rims.

[Mark]

Turns out I could have gone to 23c if I'd wanted but man in shop recommended 28 for me.

[janneppi]

What's the inside width of the rim? Good old Sheldon Brown still provides good information beyond the grave. :)
Tire Sizing Systems (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#iso)

I've used 25mm tyres for couple of years now on the road bike, supposedly much better for a heavy rider than 23mm tyres.

[ioan]

Turns out I could have gone to 23c if I'd wanted but man in shop recommended 28 for me.

28s are a good compromise in case you ride on rougher roads.
What tires did you get?
Something that might help you improve on longer rides is using lighter tire, though this usually means that puncture resistance will be lower.
Also use of latex inner tubes reduces rolling resistance and improves the riding comfort when compared to ordinary inner tubes, it also increases puncture resistance.

[ioan]

What's the inside width of the rim? Good old Sheldon Brown still provides good information beyond the grave. :)
Tire Sizing Systems (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html#iso)

I've used 25mm tyres for couple of years now on the road bike, supposedly much better for a heavy rider than 23mm tyres.

Depends in what aspect they are better.
As long as you can ride them safely without having to exceed the recommended max pressure there shouldn't be any problem.
Comfort on the 25s should be better though as you can ride them with slightly less pressure.

[janneppi]

Depends in what aspect they are better.
As long as you can ride them safely without having to exceed the recommended max pressure there shouldn't be any problem.
Comfort on the 25s should be better though as you can ride them with slightly less pressure.
Comfort was the main issues for me when I switched from 23mm's, the roads and bike lanes here aren't always that smooth here so every little thing helps. Last two years I've had Schwalbe Durano plus'es (http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/racing_tires/durano_plus), Pretty OK tyres, I think I've had only one puncture in 2000km's riding. Not as fast as the Schwalbe Ultemo's I had before, but seem to be more durable, and that is more important when commuting to work.

[ioan]

Comfort was the main issues for me when I switched from 23mm's, the roads and bike lanes here aren't always that smooth here so every little thing helps. Last two years I've had Schwalbe Durano plus'es (http://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/racing_tires/durano_plus), Pretty OK tyres, I think I've had only one puncture in 2000km's riding. Not as fast as the Schwalbe Ultemo's I had before, but seem to be more durable, and that is more important when commuting to work.

Fully agree with you on that one.
On a long ride, and I usually do 3 hours+, comfort has a higher importance over the couple of seconds difference in speed.

[Mark]

And if you aren't racing what does it matter anyway...

[GridGirl]

Pffff I happen to think my Schwalbe Ultremo pinks look pretty damn cool. :p My road bike is currently out of action. It's awaiting a new tool to arrive so my bottom bracket can be removed and my new ultegra chainring fitted. :D

[ioan]

Your button bracket needs a special new tool?! Hmm...

[GridGirl]

Haha Ioan you got there too soon, I went and had a roast chicken dinner before editing. Needs must and all that.

[Mark]

I've just moved to a place where everywhere you go its up hill. I have a feeling my cycling days are over.

You live in the same place as me then? :D

Sounds like excellent cycling territory to me, you'll be fit as ;)

I've lived in two places, current one at the bottom of hills so you have to climb at the start of every ride, used to live at the top of the hill so you had to climb at the end of the ride. Much better where I am now, as a climb at the start gets you warmed up nicely, unlike a steep climb at the end when you're already tired.

[Mark]

I know what you mean :) . I guess I'm just not used to it really, pretty much everything around me is gradient of varying degree. There's very little totally flat.

[ioan]

I've just moved to a place where everywhere you go its up hill. I have a feeling my cycling days are over.

You moved to Scottland?!

[ioan]

Nothing worse than either going up or down hill IMO, I want variety.

Surely that's a contradiction.

[janneppi]

I'm slowly getting back to cycling, today I rode 30 minutes on the trainer watching men's world cup biathlon event. Excellent program for the job. 7 minutes of steady pace and 15 seconds of hard effort while the leading athlete was shooting.
Thank gods Russian's Shipulin is a fast shooter, I was getting knackered by the fourth shooting. :D

[Mark]

Haven't been able to get out because of the snow and likely won't. While I might be able to make it the last thing I want is to fall off and break something!

[tfp]

Haven't been able to get out because of the snow and likely won't. While I might be able to make it the last thing I want is to fall off and break something!

+1000, I remember a cycling accident I had and broke a bone in my foot, was more or less house ridden for 6 weeks and couldn't bike ride for at least 2 months! I was fed up beyond words, and by the time I got back on my bike I'd lost all my form and gained a spare tyre!

So yeah, you're definitely better off missing out a couple of weeks than risking an accident and missing a couple of months!

[janneppi]

First proper bike ride this year, I reviewed the local trails and they are sh***. At best it was 5 minutes of fun technical riding, at worst I was pushing the bike uphill a 25cm wide trail for 5 minutes cursing the slack head angel of the bike, too narrow path, and most of all, my bad VOmax capabilitity.
[/URL]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/11791273/20012013361.jpg

[J4MIE]

Looks a nice bike janneppi :)

I have got rid of my exercise bike, my brother visited a few weeks ago and got addicted to it, so I said he could have it as he needs the exercise even more than me! I'll get a treadmill in return shortly which I think will be easier to spend more time on.

[Robinho]

This morning was my first commuting ride for about 12 years, starting light, 7km to the first station on the trainline. I also have a bike shed access at another station 16km from home and I hope to eventually go all the way to the office on occasions, which is 33km. I figure 14km a day most days should be a good start

Sent from the moon using a shoe

[Mark]

I was tempted to do the 2 miles to the inlaws house on my bike yesterday. But I decided against it and went by car instead. Looks like no end in sight for the chilly spell just yet. So I fear I might not get out next weekend either.

[Mark]

I've translated your post into English


This morning was my first commuting ride for about 12 years, starting light, 4 miles to the first station on the trainline. I also have a bike shed access at another station 10 miles from home and I hope to eventually go all the way to the office on occasions, which is 20 miles. I figure 9 miles a day most days should be a good start

[GridGirl]

To be honest Mark, I wouldn't have bothered riding your bike in this weather as its a hybrid. You wouldn't want to go out without a set if chunky offroad tyres.

P.S. Robinho's post was in perfect English. All exercise must be recorded in KM's in my world. Your the old school freak, you need to get with the times. :p

[Mark]

P.S. Robinho's post was in perfect English. All exercise must be recorded in KM's in my world. Your the old school freak, you need to get with the times. :p

While on most things I come down squarely on the metric side of the debate, in the UK we measure road distances and speed in miles. Therefore if you're riding your bike on the road in the UK, you should be using miles ;)

[J4MIE]

Mark, if you use km then it sounds like you've gone further and faster ;) Down with miles!!

[Mark]

Going to wait until the snow is gone before I go out again. The roads are in a terrible state at the moment, potholes all over the place!

[Mark]

21 miles today but boy that was hard. Cold and windy but it felt like my legs were made of stone :(

Falling onto my arse due to ice didn't help either :D

[Mark]

Ibby reckons it's because I have been walking too much (62 miles in January) where I thought it would help?!

[janneppi]

First rides after a break are always hard. Your legs just aren't ready to pedal., but I don't think walking has hurt your cycling. At worst, you've gotten fresh air. :)

[ioan]

Exactly, walking will not hurt your cycling in any way.
First of all cycling is pretty much about a good endurance and walking did help keep you heart fitness better then if you would have done nothing at all.
Secondly when walking you are using many more muscle groups then when you are cycling, which again can only help and will not hurt your cycling performance.
As mentioned by janneppi, it is normal that the first session after a pause is a bit of a struggle, you'll see that the second outing will be much better.

[Mark]

Cool. I will keep up the walking miles then :D

[Robinho]

While on most things I come down squarely on the metric side of the debate, in the UK we measure road distances and speed in miles. Therefore if you're riding your bike on the road in the UK, you should be using miles ;)

In which case I largely agree with you, as seeing as I've moved to Australia, I reckon I can record my acheivements in KM's now instead of miles ;)

[Robinho]

I've fuly converted to a cycling obsessive within a couple of weeks, this week I managed the 32km round trip to the station 3 times, plus a 12.5km round trip, all in for the week about 110km's, which from virtually nothing a few weeks ago is a pretty good start to cycling life, got my average speeds up, had a puncture (so i'm officially in the club) and spend an unhealthy amount of time on Wiggle, Cycling express and Cell websites looking at bikes I want to upgrade too, even though I've only had my 2nd hand road bike for about a month.

This weeks acheivements include an average 29km/h ride for 16km's and hitting a top speed in excess of 50km/h

[Mark]

Show us your bike then!

[Robinho]

3099

This is my hardly used mountain bike (apparently I can only post 1 attachement per post and I've re-sized to the point where its tiny, is there a better way of attaching a decent sized file?)

[Robinho]

[/URL]https://www.dropbox.com/s/l92qc6unoqiavuq/IMAG0590.jpg

This is my hardly used mountain bike, that I will eventually use when the family are out for a ride

[/URL]https://www.dropbox.com/s/95a0t1fsmwmkfch/IMAG0591.jpg

And this is my daily road bike, a 2nd hand 2008 Ridley Eos with Shimano Tiagra and 105 pedals, running 23 width continental gatorskins

[Mark]

Very nice :D (can't see the pics but it sounds good!)

[Robinho]

[/URL]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/96295744/IMAG0590.jpg

This is my hardly used mountain bike, that I will eventually use when the family are out for a ride

[/URL]http://dl.dropbox.com/u/96295744/IMAG0591.jpg

And this is my daily road bike, a 2nd hand 2008 Ridley Eos with Shimano Tiagra and 105 pedals, running 23 width continental gatorskins - forgot to mention before its an Aluminium frame with carbon forks - got my eye on a full carbon bike with Shimano 105 groupset, or maybe ultegra if i'm feeling rich

hopefully this should work this time, had no end of trouble, never bothered with photos on here and never used my dropbox account that was free with my phone, so had to go through a quick learning curve

[Tazio]

Show us your bike then!

http://i.imgur.com/kKYHpaN.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SwAeeQ2.jpg

The weather has been perfect, (nice and cool) and have been getting out 2-3 times a week over the last couple of months.

[janneppi]

Pih.

I figured despite all the snow coming down I could cycle back from work on plowed bike lanes on my mtb without breaking a sweat, I figured wrong. :D

It took 65 minutes to get back home, in summer time I've done the same 11 km ride in 24 minutes on a road bike with roughly the same effort. Still, from an exercise point of view it's all good.

[GridGirl]

Oooohh I want to post a picture of my bikes. It was a boring black 2010 Specialized Dolce Sport but my other half has pretty much rebuilt it and blinged it up over the last few months. My new shimano 105 shifters arrived yesterday, once they get fitted next week it will mean the only original parts left are the frame, wheels and seat as everything else has been upgraded. It now has 105 brakes, front and rear derailleurs with a ultegra chain ring, carbon bars with a supercool black and purple colour theme. Well I like the new colour scheme anyway. Would like to get a new set of wheels but its had far too much money spent on it lately to justify spending more money. Might have to wait until next winter.

Going out for a 50km ride tomorrow and hopefully it will be the last time I have any shimano sora on my bike.

[ioan]

Nice to see some picture of your rides!
Mine is still in many separate parts at this time, hope to have it put together by the end of this month, I will post a picture when it is done.
having spent a lot of time and money to get all the parts that I need for my bike I feel I can give one good advice to those looking to improve their bikes. Unless you are buying the parts during closeout sales you better go for a full bike with better specs, it will be cheaper because buying upgrade parts at regular prices is way too expensive.

[Iain]

I have two bikes that I really should use more. First of all there's the newer one. It's an Ocset Special.
http://sphotos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/253477_10150279571517419_6720486_n.jpg

Then if I'm feeling nostalgic, I'll wheel out the Townsend for a ride.
http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/216570_10150216848827419_7562650_n.jpg

I'd love to use them more, but my legs need working on. Have no stamina at all and anything more than a slight incline is a hard task! Have been asked to go cycling round a windfarm on Sunday, but I think the weather is going to put a stop to it. Love walking, could walk for miles. Just can't seem to transfer that onto a bike. Did a lot of cycling around 15-18, but that stopped when I learned to drive and started working.

[henners88]

The Townsend brings back memories for me. I had an Apollo from halfords as a kid but many of my friends had Townsend and Peugeot bikes :)

[Iain]

I had a Giant before it which was much better, but it had rear fork damage after I kerbed it too much and it had repeated bearing failures after that. I'd like to have a proper aluminium bike, but I can't justify the spend if I don't use it too much. Too windy round here to go out all the time!

[J4MIE]

Same here Iain, that and a bit of "can't be bothered" :p :

Plus winter is not good to be spending any amount of time outside....

[Mark]

Oooohh I want to post a picture of my bikes. It was a boring black 2010 Specialized Dolce Sport but my other half has pretty much rebuilt it and blinged it up over the last few months. My new shimano 105 shifters arrived yesterday, once they get fitted next week it will mean the only original parts left are the frame, wheels and seat as everything else has been upgraded. It now has 105 brakes, front and rear derailleurs with a ultegra chain ring, carbon bars with a supercool black and purple colour theme. Well I like the new colour scheme anyway. Would like to get a new set of wheels but its had far too much money spent on it lately to justify spending more money. Might have to wait until next winter.

Going out for a 50km ride tomorrow and hopefully it will be the last time I have any shimano sora on my bike.

I'd love to do an upgrade project but first I need a bike which is worth upgrading :D

[Iain]

I'm definitely making an effort this month. I've been sitting about for 6 months, so need to get active! Been to the gym 6 times so far and on days when I'm not there, I'm going out for a walk. It helps that it's getting ever so slightly lighter in the evenings too.

[Mark]

I've noticed! You are doing well!

[J4MIE]

Can anyone recommend a heart rate monitor for use with Endomondo?

[janneppi]

I've used Polar Wearlink bluetooth transmitter with Sportstracker, it's compatible with endomodo too. At least on certain phones.

[tfp]

Can anyone recommend a heart rate monitor for use with Endomondo?

No, because all of the ones I have used are rubbish! They dont pick up my heart rate....

So if anyone has one to reccomend, I'd like to know aswel :p

[janneppi]

I've used Polar Wearlink bluetooth transmitter with Sportstracker, it's compatible with endomodo too. At least on certain phones.
Here's a wiew from a workout I've done with HR data and gps tracking. if you're a nerd about exercising or want to get actual data to improve your training, this is a good toy. :)

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/11791273/data.jpg

[GridGirl]

My bike rebuild was officially completed on Friday afternoon with the fitting of my new 105 shifters and the re-taping of my bars. Its a Specialized Dolce frame, shimano 105 brakes, shifters, rear cassette and both derailuers, ultegra bottom braket and crank. It has carbon bars, schwalbe ultremo zx's but could still do with an upgraded set of wheels and a carbon seat post. Its a shame that a lot of the purple accent features don't stand out on the pictures. I love this bike. :D

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8390/8483361466_d59694b4c5_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisibbotson/8483361466/)
Bike1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisibbotson/8483361466/)

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8515/8482274415_ef2c216b5f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisibbotson/8482274415/)
Bike4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisibbotson/8482274415/)

[henners88]

Very nice indeed :)

[Mark]

That'll be how you managed that QOM then! I don't stand a chance of keeping up on Sunday :laugh:

[GridGirl]

That'll be how you managed that QOM then! I don't stand a chance of keeping up on Sunday :laugh:

We'll only be a fast as the slowest man or me! Having said that, dont you have a massive climbing gear to get you up Norwood Edge? :p

[Mark]

We'll only be a fast as the slowest man or me! Having said that, dont you have a massive climbing gear to get you up Norwood Edge? :p

You still need to put the same amount of effort in whatever gear you have, laws of physics and that ;) . Yes I do have a lower gear but then you have a lighter bike and more efficient transmission, not to mention my own weight disadvantage ;) . I have more excuses which I will deploy in due course ;)

[steveaki13]

I play Football 11 aside on Saturdays and 5 to 8 a side games on Tuesday & Thursdays. I have now just been invited to 5 aside games every Wednesday. Not sure whether to do it or not.

I mean 3 evenings straight of football after physical work all days seems a bit much.

Swimming is the best cardio / calorie burning exercise out there and there is little to no impact on joints. Swimming builds your muscular tissues less than other aerobic, because water limitations how much you can move your muscular tissues, but it does provide you with an possibility to work out your body system, such as your arms, back and legs.

[Mark]

I wish I could be bothered with it. But yeah swimming is teh good.

[Mark]

Did a 30 mile sportive today. Although it was freezing at the start after the first hill it was ok.

Main problem was that I said to myself pace yourself don't go off too fast at the start and knacker yourself for the whole of the rest of the ride - so guess what I did :) .

My main problem was hills. I actually like hills it's not a proper ride without some proper hill climbing. Except it seemed everyone could climb them faster than me ;)

[GridGirl]

Mark, you did really well and should have said if you wanted to slow the pace. :) Having said that, I was prating about on one of the hills waiting for you going far to slow in a too high a gear thinking to myself that it was similar to something we do when I go spinning. The next 5 or 6km when my legs were completely dead and I couldn't pedal for jack did make me realise why that's one of the last things you do at spinning class. That bit really did hurt. :s

Swimming is the best cardio / calorie burning exercise out there and there is little to no impact on joints. Swimming builds your muscular tissues less than other aerobic, because water limitations how much you can move your muscular tissues, but it does provide you with an possibility to work out your body system, such as your arms, back and legs.
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