Please help an old Biker

Hey, Poose!

Welcome to the forums! And good for you for deciding to get healthy again by biking to work. You don't say how old you are, but I suspect you're younger than me, since you're still working and have 'only' been off your bike for 20 years. I'm 60, and started biking last July for the first time in 48 years!! So I understand the hesitation and the worries about ability.

You CAN do this. I say that confidently because when I started last year, I was so fat and out of shape I barely made it a mile on the bike before heading home. I've gradually increased my distance, and last week I went 38 miles! So don't let your nervousness about it throw you off.

I have 2 suggestions that may help (in addition to riding on weekends). First, is there a place about half-way to your job that you could bike to, leave your bike for the day, take transport the rest of the way, and then transport back to it at the end of the day, and bike the half-distance home again? All it would take, other than for the public transport part to work out, is a safe place to leave your bike while you're at work. That way you're only riding 1/2 of the distance at first, which if I figured it right is about 5 miles. You can do that until you think you can do the whole distance.

When you think you can do the whole distance, but worry about the return trip, my second suggestion may help. You could bike to work one day, and take the public transport home. The next day, take the public transport to work, and bike home. That way you're only doing the full distance once a day at first, instead of twice. Once you're doing the full distance comfortably once a day, you could bike to and from work one day, rest and use transport the next, and then bike again the next day.

For me, at my age, the key was to progress gradually. Old muscles don't always stretch and grow as fast as we would like them to, and an injury from over-use would set you back and be really discouraging. So try doing partial rides to work until you can handle the whole thing.

Also, if your bike and saddle don't really fit you, you'll be miserable no matter how comfortable your legs are getting. Your local bike shop can help with that.

Good luck with your endeavor, and let us know how it goes!

Sierra

Hello, love Perth, lived in Joodalup for a couple of months. The best way to to do an 18km ride is to give yourself plenty of time and just do it. Make sure that you have plenty of water or sports drink to hydrate yourself and be sure to eat breakfast in the morning. No one can ride very far on an empty stomach, but you want to make it a modest breakfast like a bowl of oatmeal or cereal with some fruit. If this is not enough for you before lunch, then get another bit when you are close to work. It would be ideal if you have a place to change and clean up at work. If not, take alcohol wipes to clean youself up and change in the restroom. It will feel strange the first couple of days, but once you get used to it, if you are anything like the rest of us, you will be looking forward to your ride to and from work. Oh, have some fruit before you start your ride home, just a little fuel to get going again.

Both of you: Thanks for the replies!

Progress made this week:

Extended weekend rides to include longer-distance targets, including incorporating the train network. Sadly, a “normal” bicycle and the bus system are simply incompatible, but trains and bikes seem to be an unbeatable combination here!

Made a transit from Bayswater (home) to Midland to visit my favourite motorcycle dealer-the 3km+ walk at the tail end just whisked by in the saddle. I actually made it faster than I would have rode previously!

Also, there were about 20-odd other bikes on the train-so I seem to be onto something here…Additionally, made it back in under the normal two-zone time limits-so the return train trip was free!

Was enjoying myself so much I did a shopping trip to the local mall. The only negative was having to hoof it up Hillcrest hill because I was carrying 20Kg of groceries. Needed to dismount and walk…but still made it home before the ice cream melted…

Had a social function in Fremantle that required transit through Perth-and was warned to dismount and exit prior at McIver…

…Only to discover later that the train I was on WAS the Freo train-all I had to do was stay put…

…And later saw a kid with a bike IN Perth station-the rules are rather weakly enforced, apparently.

Only serious negative: Haemorrhoids. Time to mount the Gel Saddle…pity, the leather saddle on the Transcend was very pretty…

Sierra,

Yes, haven’t hit 50 yet (next major milestone) but I seem to be rediscovering something-your body has a memory, too. This last weekend was epic-everything I did by motorcycle previously was also doable via bicycle-albeit slightly slower. I’ve grown a white-hot hatred for hills…but I’ll survive.

Additionally-ever since I started riding my arthritis problems have faded away! Just goes to show-“use it or loose it”!

Longer term-Although not a commuter option (the trains are far too crowded to support bicycles during commuter periods) I CAN stretch my legs over the weekend. I’ll know I will have arrived when I seriously consider the Freo Yacht Club ride to be a possibility-for now, I’ll settle for 20K ride-back loop.

For the near future that’s the plan-progressively longer stretches until 20K seems like a good workout. The train network works well in that regard as (most of it) it has an adjacent (and a well thought-out) bike path alongside. I’m sorta kicking myself for not taking notice of this previously…

Kdelong:

As a past survivor of Perth’s “alledged” public transport system, I’m sure you understand my pain. And it’s worth noting that all of your suggestions are available to me-including showers and an understanding boss (whom also rides every morning!)

In short-I have no excuses-save to just do it. I already knew that-but I suppose I needed to have someone else give me a good shove (or a swift kick in the a$$) in the right direction. Thanks.

It will require a “slight” change in nutrition, as in the past I just sorta “rolled outa bed”, hit McDonalds on the way in and had a stash of diet coke at work-no worries!

I sometimes wonder-ever so briefly: Why my body hasn’t just quit out of spite before now?

Thanks. Oatmeal with fruit it is!

I’ll keep updating, and wonder if a Blog might be the answer here? I can’t be the only overweight looser needing help on this ladder?

Poose,

So how fast were you going over the speed limit on the kwak-a-zaki for your "period of reflection?" 1600 - I'm guessing that'll be more of a touring bike than a Ninja in full on neon green, unless the folks in Japan have gone stark raving mad and made their 1.4l missile on wheels even faster.

As for the bike, just grab a couple of big water bottles, fill with your favorite non-alcoholic sports beverage, take a few bites to eat and just head out and go ride to somewhere you like that's a fair distance away. Just go have fun.

Hi all. Thought I'd send an update, as I think I've discovered the magic bullet!

And Swampy, It wasn't speed-related-it was a DUI. And I wasn't caught on the 1600cc monster-but a 450cc KTM, which is actually a lot quicker off the line...

I amaze myself sometimes-in that I'm still alive.

The Monster isn't a sport bike-it's actually a 50-degree V-twin with a severely lowered chassis-you don't climb onto this thing-you straddle it and sit down. For the record-it's a 2008 Kawi Vulcan "Mean Streak" Special Edition-the last they ever made.

The one I was caught on is a 2006 KTM 450EXC. Imagine a 105Kg dirtbike with a HP-mass ratio that would make a V8 supercar blanch.

Needless to say, I've learned my lesson here, and I'm actually feeling good as of late-no indications of the arthritis I was suffering from-no desire to do stupid s#!t...yes, I'm a good boy...

As for the commute:

My biggest fear is that the distance (in one go) would be beyond me. I know this is not likely-perhaps that I just feared the long haul-of doing 17Km in one go. Working towards that (12Km this last weekend) but I want a scalable solution-one with an achievable start followed by progressive goals that will eventually equal, then exceed my goals.

I also felt that the ultimate solution would involve a mix of public transport and bicycles. I have that now...

In short, although I can't transit Perth's two central stations with a bicycle, I can exit the upper one-they even have a gate for that purpose on platform nine. About 50m away is the beginnings of a bike-centric route that brings my workplace within about 9km. I can deal with that.

More, that virtually the whole of Wellington street is a construction zone at the moment-I can deal with that too.

Mostly, that the trail also extends backwards into the line I took in-all the way back to Bayswater!

Yes, the "thump-thump-thump" sound you hear is me kicking myself. It's not until you do these things that you see the obvious-now, having lived it, I do.

If anyone wants to follow-I'm considering starting a blog...

As I have much to share in the two-wheel world, I'll keep updating here as well.

Thanks again for the input and encouragement-but expect delays-the 1 ½-year drought we were suffering from seems to want to reverse itself over the next 48 hours…grmbl…

Poose

You said revoked for the "usual" reasons. DUI isn't "usual" on a bike - going at "100 and plenty" mph and losing your license is. I couldn't fathom riding a motorbike in any condition other than alert and sober. I used to have a thing for fast bikes after I stopped racing bicycles - things like the ol' Yamaha FZR1000-EXUP and Ducati 888's but I figured that it was good to be in one piece after they no longer were. Cats might mythically have 9 lives but guys don't and I didn't want to find out that "third time wasn't a charm". With the mountain roads close by something like a Duke 1198SP would have paramedics perculating my organs out of some Dainese leathers and Sidi boots within a matter of months after some numpty in a pickup truck pulled out of a side road or something.

... bicycles are good. I never applied for a bike license after moving to the US.

Rain sucks but you learn to live with it. As you're commuting in it I'd invest in some mudguards - at the very least some clipon ones. If you have a time of year where it always rains then a full set with a rain flap on the bottom of the one on the front wheel is a good investment. I have a set that I throw on the training bike in the wetter months and I go out and do a good 100km in the rain. Living in California it should be all sun and fun - but it's June and farking freezing. WTF... and raining.

What you need to do is just go out on the bicycle at the weekend and ride the darned thing until you fall off. You'll find that 17km (11 miles) aint too bad.