There does seem to be a certain zen quality to pedaling a bike. It flows so much better than walking or jogging.
There does seem to be a certain zen quality to pedaling a bike. It flows so much better than walking or jogging.
bmw88rider wrote: Riding around the neighborhood also gives you the chance to see what all the neighbors have in their garage too. :) Found out a neighbor is a low rider fan and has 3 in his garage, another guy has 2 tri-fives. Another has a 66 mustang. I saw a 1968 Datsun 2000 roadster. It's an interesting way to meet the other car guys in your neighborhood.
I went out for a ride in my neighborhood on Sunday and stopped to talk to a guy who was out for a walk. An hour later, I was (very carefully) pulling the cover off of a real Cobra.
In reply to wbjones:
The first step to standing is the hardest. Most people who are picking the bike up later in life tend to only stand when they can't muscle the gear from a sitting position. At this point, you're already gassed and less stable, and you tend to lurch up and stand way too far forward on the bike. If you can't feel the nose of the saddle brushing the back of your legs, there's nothing to stabilize yourself against if you start to lose it. Don't roid up and try to muscle the bike in the direction you think it needs to go.
If your weight is further back on the bike, it's more stable and more likely to go in a straight line regardless of rider input. The best way to work up to a stable standing position is over a couple to five full pedal strokes.
It's as if you were doing slow lunges/squats, starting sitting near the nose of the saddle. Keep your upper body close to the handlebars and elbows relaxed. Let the bike sway with your pedaling action but focus on keeping your hips and abdomen steady and stable.
I'll admit it I'm a roadie, I'm like a crock pot, takes me 10 miles just to warm up.
If you want to get in shape I would avoid mountain biking. As you may get angry because you didn't make a climb, uncomfortable going down an obstacle, etc. just stick to paths or roads and pedal your ass off. Maybe ride every other day, you will have good days and bad days, just back off your intensity on your bad days. Riding with a group will always be faster unless you are faster then the group. Whatever you do just ride, but if you have to puke it's better to stop first. Remember to reward yourself too. Just road your bike 10 miles, have a beer. 20 miles have 2.
Also, don't expect to get rid of a pear shape by riding a bike, pro cyclist are pear shaped but they have no body fat. If you really want to feel bad about yourself install strava on your phone and track your rides with others
Ah, don't turn this into a skinlegs vs dirtpants discussion... Any riding at all, whether bike trail, road or extreme trials will burn calories and get you feeling better about yourself. Just because being a diehard roadie snob works for you, there's others out there who would rather not ride at all than face the tedium of a seemingly endless slog down a road. I used to ride over 10000 miles a year when racing road events and would have gone loopy training if all I did was road ride. Mountain biking is awesome, cyclocross is awesome, urban assault is awesome, everything is awesome!
^This. Ride in the way that is fun for YOU. It will make it much more likely that you end up going often. For me : mtb is fun, exploring the bush is fun, and collecting data is fun. That means that I've picked up a cheap hrm and downloaded ibiker to track results.
I just started getting back into it after a long biking drought, and I look forward to each ride. If you have to force yourself out the door, it will be much harder to succeed.
I'll just leave this here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPVRU7jSYkQ
In reply to Tom Suddard:
LOL @ Choose your favorite wheel size, then be a dick about it.
That was great!
In reply to Tom Suddard:
That is funny.
Vid reminds me of some of my dirt biking buddies. Speaking of dirt bikes: don't let anyone tell you that's not a physical sport. Oh yes it is.
I'm primarily a roadie now, and wish I had found that earlier. It can be a social sport too with group rides. Or my wife rides along sometimes. It is less engaging but I like covering lots of ground with good scenery.
Regarding the pear shape, that will be influenced as much if not more so by diet/nutrition than by exercise. There are lots of plans out there, I tend to loosely follow the principles of ZONE.
Toyman01 wrote: The Wanamaker North MTB trail is 3.5 miles from my house. It's a dirt single track through the woods. So 3.5 mile warm up. The trail is from 2 to 13 miles depending on which combination of loops you do. I did the 2 mile loop today. Then 3.5 miles home. 1.5 hours round trip, with a mix of asphalt, gravel, and single track through the woods.WbJones, get the bike fitted. I spent several hours watching videos on youtube about adjusting the bike to fit me. Some of the adjustment make no sense, until you ride the bike, it's almost like an epiphany. Particularly things like saddle height, it needs to be way up there. Most of the saddles are adjustable forward and back and that's pretty important too.
Great that you found a loop. I think my only two ways to motivate myself to ride were/are having a loop to run. Thus I feel like it gets me through something within a limited time so I can do other things I have to around the house. Second is the destination ride. If I have a regular stop on the weekends, in one case I always went to my niece's football games on Saturday morning so I rode there, watched then came back. Then if you are lucky and the loop is along the way you can hit the destination then return by taking the loop before going home.
Bicycle fitment has eluded me I am happy for you that you found yours. I have been in a great riding position then it seems to drift away from optimal. 
guess what I don't understand is how I've so totally lost the ability to stand up and pedal … I DO understand that the bike might not be "fitted" for me … wonder how I fitted those bikes I wore out as a kid …
and before everyone jumps on me … I do understand … guess I just don't want to accept … I WAY WAY older now … and with that comes the lack of flexibility, the lack of balance, the lack of comparative strength … as in unable to climb these same hills with 18 gear ratios that I was able to do with 1 …
I'll get with the local bike shop and see about fitting and about a different handle bar set up
In reply to wbjones:
Mine is almost 100% lack of endurance. I've got the strength and can probably lift the world...once. Lack of endurance and a extra 100 pounds is what I have to overcome. That and 30 years of smoking. It's a good thing I quit over a year ago.
I'll get it licked, it's just going to take some time.
You do have to be careful with cycling. If you don't watch out your house or apartment will fill up with bicycles.
Mountain, road, race, commuter, classic, cyclocross, downhill, etc
Bikes do accumulate. Cheap enough to collect, and easy to store. I think I have 5 bikes right now...
I love to ride only one: a 2012 Cannondale Quick 3. Fits me perfectly; disc brakes are incredible; its light; its easy to rack up miles on. When I bought it, I test rode everything in the store. I spent less than I planned. I've put over 1000 miles on it, and occasionally ride to work.
Also worth noting: my wife loves using map my ride on her phone. I like the data, but I think it makes riding too much like a workout. I much prefer sightseeing.
I got a mountain bike last December. My first ride was just under 5 miles. Then in January I got an all carbon fiber road bike. Love the road bike!!!
Tonight I hit 800 miles since my first ride. My goal for the year is 2000 miles and I think I can easily do it. So far I have lost 20 pounds with 10 to go. At 54 I feel better than I have in decades. It isn't always easy because I push and i have a hard time do simple rides.
I started riding so I could get ready to go back to karting yet I am enjoying riding so much I don't know that I will go back.
Well, thanks to this thread, I dusted off the Sports and am setting off for work tomorrow morning on the old girl.
Toyman01 wrote: In reply to wbjones: Mine is almost 100% lack of endurance. I've got the strength and can probably lift the world...once.
Everybody wants what they don't have, if I could gain any weight while lifting I would be so happy. I can sit on a road-bike and ride a century on a whim.
I have given up on the outdoors during the summer though too hot, sit on the spin bike and ride and watch TV now.
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