Getting ready for a ride

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Nifty62 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

.... Today I did my most ambitious ride which was probably about 4 or 5 miles. I made it, but I was darned tired and my midsection is feeling it lol.

I was sorta surprised to read that your "midsection" is "feeling it". I would expect to read that your legs or butt was sore... sometimes people feel some back discomfort as well... but I am not familiar with midsection problems from cycling.

I tend to tense my abs a lot when riding, especially when I hit the hills. Not sure why. Should probably try and cut that out lol.

My legs where very tired as well. My butt was alright though, it hurt from my crappy seat but otherwise alright.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Nifty62 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Today I did my most ambitious ride which was probably about 4 or 5 miles. I made it, but I was darned tired and my midsection is feeling it lol.

If 4 or 5 miles is all that you can cope with right now, I would avoid the hills and just focus on some longer, easier rides that will gently give you more strength and cadio vascualar fitness. Hills are going to do you in, you want to get to riding 90 mins or 25 miles ish before you start working your body to exhaustion. Get some base fitness first and enjoy it.

Thanks for the reply! 🙂

Should I be riding every day? or every other day like with weight training?

Should I be pushing myself even if I'm avoiding hills?

At least 3 times a week is necessary for basic fitness. 4 times a week is much better and some studies suggest as much as a 50% improvement in aerobic fitness by adding this one additional day. Folks competing should ideally be doing 5 days a week, but some manage to do well enough on 4 (like myself).

Unless you are beating yourself up with lots of climbing, intervals, other intensity, or longer rides of 3+ hours, my personal opinion is that you do not need to take many days off and back to back rides are fine. However sometimes it's good to take some time of the bike though just for a mental break.

The main goal while building a "base" of fitness is to complete the duration of the workout, whatever it is that you have set yourself: 5 miles, 10 miles, 25 miles, or 50. This is the key to being able to ride longer and longer. If the goal is to ride 30 miles that day, there is no point in pushing so hard it makes completing the full distance questionable. Ease back a little on the intensity and ride easier if it means the difference between completing the distance or not.

If you are currently pooped at 5 miles, you may just be out of shape (which will change with regular riding), or using the wrong gears (we have all these speeds for a reason [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif[/IMG]) . Each week or two, add a few miles to your ride if you can, even if it means pedaling easy. As Dr Lodge mentioned, until you can comfortably ride for 1-2 hours when you ride (20 miles+), there's no need to start pushing the pace too hard. The main reason for this is that different intensities actually work different energy pathways in the body and force different physiological adaptations.

There's a lot we don't know about you - your age, your general athletic background (how quickly you'll be able to find your fitness), general health, bike fit (poor fit can lead to unecessary aches and pains), riding style (cadence, etc). But the keys to getting stronger on the bike are generally the same regardless: Consitency, moderation, and rest when needed.

Thanks again for the advice, I'll try to fill in the blanks I can answer.

I'm 27 years old. I'm not like fat or anything by any means but I'm certainly not in shape, I'm developing a little bit of a spare tire that I want gone lol. Umm, I'm generally not very physically active, I'm a Web Designer/Internet Marketer which means long hours in front of a computer.

The bike I'm using is a Trek Town and Country or something like that. It's not a road racing bike or anything but it's certainly better than a $50 walmart special. I have pretty good health overall, no major health issues of any kind.

I'd love to answer about riding style but I don't really know what that means. I jump on the bike and I peddle lol. I gear down in the hills and up when it's downhill or level. That's about all I can think of lol.

EDIT: As far as being out of shape at 5 miles. I'm going to clock it in the car today so I know for sure how long it was and there were quite a few steep hills on it. I might do a more flat ride today and see how far I can go. I downloaded "Map my fitness" on my iphone.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Nifty62 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I jump on the bike and I peddle lol. I gear down in the hills and up when it's downhill or level. That's about all I can think of lol.

EDIT: As far as being out of shape at 5 miles. I'm going to clock it in the car today so I know for sure how long it was and there were quite a few steep hills on it. I might do a more flat ride today and see how far I can go. I downloaded "Map my fitness" on my iphone.

Hehe I got it. I was asking as occasionally one sees someone with a "10speed" and it's in the highest gear while the poor sod is stuggling up a hill. For the most part sounds like you got it covered.

References to mileage and avg speed on the Trek are certainly going to be different compared to a typical road bike. From an output standpoint you are certainly working harder on your bike. Steep hills can zap us good. If you dive deeper into training methodology you may hear about how many "matches" a rider has. This is a culmination of how big the riders fitness base is and how many times he/she is able to handle a big spike of power output while still having some gas left in the tank before their day is done and substantial recovery is needed, These steep pitches are likely burning up whatever matches you have, leaving you pooped. You will certainly be able to ride farther by reducing the climbing, and once you start to get noticeably fitter (with regular riding changes in untrained athletes can be had in as little as 2-3 weeks), you will probably be able to recover more quickly too (getting your heartrate down from a big spike), and keep riding. In addition, how we use the bike and it's gears in relation to our own fitness (efficiency) is also a matter of experience. The more you ride, fitness aside, the more efficient you'll get.

Well I tried a more even ground yesterday.

I managed almost 8 miles. I had to cut it short because dinner time was fast coming up and I live on a road that has a rather nasty incline so I had to start early so I could walk it if I needed too.

If my legs feel alright today I might give it another go and see how I do. Might try to add a few miles and see what I can do.

150 miles is about 9 hours for someone in shape. A bit too ambitious for this vacation.

50 miles is about 4 hours. A reasonable distance. But you will stink when your family picks you up. Wash rag and change of clothes will make the family happier. If you ever get off the road for food or drink or what ever - LEAVE YOUR BIKE WHERE YOUR WIFE CAN SEE IT.

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Go out and ride everyday. Try to enjoy the ride. Try to ride a bit further as time goes by. Get up to a 4 hour ride and be happy with that.

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I used to ride on my family vacations. Get on the bike at 6am and ride until they caught me 5-6 hours later. It was unfair to my wife who had to pack the car and deal with 2 small kids every morning. Be extra special nice to your family..

Hehehe I hear ya.

But, I never said I was trying to bike the whole way, just as far as I can. I know I'll never actually get there on my own, but it'll be fun to see how far I get.

And it's not a big deal for leaving cause we don't normally pack that much for the trip and there are no kids to worry about. So, I'm good there. Not to mention I'm always good to my family :-P hehe.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by An old Guy [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

50 miles is about 4 hours. A reasonable distance.

50 miles on a 3spd balloon tire bike that probably weighs in at 35lbs+ and turns it's rider into a human parachute...

OP, if you can manage 25miles on this thing, you're an animal!

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by danfoz [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

OP, if you can manage 25miles on this thing, you're an animal!

hehe you're on! 🙂

I did about 8 miles the other day. My legs were like jello when I got off but I did it. I was only able to manage 4 miles today because of time but I'll try for more tomorrow.

EDIT: The bike I'm using has 4 speeds. Not sure if there is a different version of it or not but that pic looks just like the bike I ride so it looks right.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by danfoz [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

50 miles on a 3spd balloon tire bike that probably weighs in at 35lbs+ and turns it's rider into a human parachute...

OP, if you can manage 25miles on this thing, you're an animal!

Absolutely!

I doubt I could cope with 8 miles on that bike without intentionally veering into the path of an oncoming car to finish my suffering. j/k [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/IMG]

Nifty, just keep doing what you are doing and strive to add a little more each time. With that training stess load you could probably do a ride each day and recover (training/riding at least 5 to 6 days of the week) so if it were me I would ride everyday adding a little more mileage each week.

A 10 mile ride [at 10mph or better] is a really great workout. Doing that 4 or 5 times a week would be an excellent step towards light low impact exercise for general health. Of course... I think many if not most people here at the cycling forum are seriously hooked on cycling. The speeds and distances logged by many road cyclists can be pretty impressive.... (and one hell of a lot of fun too). At your young age... I would really be surprised if you don't get hooked on cycling as well. But ether way... you win.

Sooo. . .

I was cleaning out the garage and my uncle has what appears to be a 1973 Schwinn World Voyageur. It will need it's tires repaired and the handle bars are worn but other than that it's in good shape.

He hasn't ridden it in probably 20 years or more.

I'm hoping I can pick it up for cheap but I'm not sure.

If it fits you that is actually a pretty decent bike if I'm not mistaken with double butted cro-mo tubing. But being that old, unless it was a fully restored "museum piece", cheap should be very cheap.

Anything rubber will need changing... tires as you mentioned. And for safety purposes if you end up picking up the bike you'll probably want new brake pads. By worn handlebars you may mean bar wrap/tape. If you want to keep cost down some good old fashioned cloth tape can be had for a few bucks, otherwise bike shops usually charge $15-20 for the newer/fancier padded/cork stuff, depending on brand. Hint: start wrapping from the bottom end of the bars, it helps keep the tape from unravelling sooner.

If the bike really hasn't been ridden in that long, I'd highly recommend taking it to a bike shop for a general tune up. It'll probably make the riding more enjoyable. They're going to bang you out for around $100-150, depending on your neiborhood. However that will include new cables, tightening, lubing, wheel-truing, etc. essentially breathing some new life into the bike.

At a minimum:
Tires/inner tubes
Brake pads
Handlebar tape
chain lube
I would personally also include some old school toe-straps/toe-clips (another $30)

Ideally a full tune-up. Talking points for your haggling process. Hopefully you are his favorite nephew.

If it fits you and is in good working order, that is a bike that could be ridden 50+miles, if you have the legs.