Hey, Just starting out.

BradUF said:

Hey, I am new and I love to ride but I want to make the best use out of my time. I am mostly doing it to lose weight but I am looking to get into it more after I lose about 30 pounds. I am 6'1 194 pounds and I am 22 years old, also living in FL. I am not sure how I should ride and what I should keep track of to make good progress. I have a cheap Gary Fisher hybrid. It was only about 200 bucks and rides alright, its nothing compared to a road bike but it will have to do me for a while. At this point I wanted to know what I should aim for? Today I rode 19km in about an hour but I am told thats slow. Someone said they could run that fast. I think the avrg speed was 14km?

I think I could ride 30km, easy at this point but my nuts and butt hurt so bad I have to stop around 20km. I have Trek metro shorts and they help but not enough. I also have a comfort zone seat which doesn't seem to do much good. Can anyone suggest a good training program for weight loss? Thanks...

Your speed of about 12mph is not particularly fast if you are riding on flat, open roads without traffic signals ... but, if your bike has 700x42 tires and you are stopping frequently a traffic lights, then it isn't particularly slow.

Changing tires, if possible, to 700x32 "cyclocross" tires will help -- ~80psi.

700x28 tires would be much better, but your rims may be too wide to handle them -- ~95psi.

Consider getting a BROOKS B17 leather saddle -- the standard width (vs. the narrow width). Mount it so that the seat rails are parallel to the ground which will put the back end a little higher than the nose ... ensure that you are sitting near the back edge of the saddle.

What would be an ideal speed? Also, do road tires help that much more compared to mountain bike tires? The current tire size is 26 x 2.00

BradUF said:

What would be an ideal speed? Also, do road tires help that much more compared to mountain bike tires? The current tire size is 26 x 2.00

The "ideal speed" is whatever it takes so that you EITHER don't annoy drivers in cars OR you don't overly impede traffic -- courtesy pays.

At ~20mph, I think you can share-the-road if it isn't heavily travelled ... but, stay on the shoulder, if available ... again, courtesy pays.

"Slicks" will be a great benefit if you have any kind of knobby tires on your bike at the moment.

The only way to lose any kind of weight through cycling is to ride for 1+ hours at a decent speed (think about your heart rate zones... like 60-80 % max HR). I'm afraid that doing this on a mountain bike is a little difficult. I've done it myself, but since I switched to a road bike, I've been able to go longer and harder more comfortably. I think that eventually you'll make the switch, like everyone else on this board. Good luck

Yeah, I looked at road bikes but I think the cheapest one at the bike store was like 500 bucks. I didn't want to invest too much money before I got into the sport. The bike is damn heavy though and the tires are kinda small compared to road bikes. I just went outside and looked at my bike, the max psi is 65 on the tires and they are mtb tires. I checked my cat eye again and I was wrong it was av speed 18km and 4km were off road and I was going really slow because it was a harsh dirt road. Wow, this bike sucks more for road use then I thought.

As long as you're at it, cut calories and commute EVERYwhere on the thing. If you can't afford the road bike, and thatone sounds like a piece of junk, then hold out. But keep in mind that cardiovascular training is at least 20 minutes per session (HR 60%max +), and that you should do some strength training as well (think pullups, pushups, shoulder presses, etc) so try and get a gym membership.

I started out purely to loose weight......now I'm hooked.

I bought a 2nd hand Mongoose MTB and started out on tracks etc, built up my confidence and fitness. Then I started to ride more on the roads (got sick of competing with dogs, walkers etc on tracks!) I then put on some slicks and added bar ends (great for getting a good comfortable grip on hills) some clipless pedals and shoes (best money spent) and stuck with that set-up for around 12mths.
Once I found I had lost my weight, had good fitness (and was totally hooked) I went out and bought a road bike (and that's another story to find a road bike that suits). I've never looked back. I still use my "old clunker" when I'm looking to hit some tracks and the extra weight is good for training.

Basically what I'm getting at is don't get too hung up on 'ideal speed' yet etc, just focus on enjoying the ride, the weight loss & fitness will come naturally. Make sure you're comfortable an that you're getting a good workout.
Listen to all the advice you can get as well (esp from this forum - this is where I get most of mine).

Good-Luck

AmpedCycle said:

As long as you're at it, cut calories and commute EVERYwhere on the thing. If you can't afford the road bike, and thatone sounds like a piece of junk, then hold out. But keep in mind that cardiovascular training is at least 20 minutes per session (HR 60%max +), and that you should do some strength training as well (think pullups, pushups, shoulder presses, etc) so try and get a gym membership.

I am going to start riding to school which is about 11 miles there and 11 miles back. My only problem is books. I have about 4 books I carry and that will weigh me down. On the matter of diet, I am on a low carb diet and I only consume about 2100 cal and 400 carbs a day. Good amount of the carbs before I ride. One more thing I forgot mention I have high blood pressure, dunno if that really affects anything?

On the matter of the gym, I was told do lose my weight through diet and cardio first. Then hit up the gym. Anyways, I don't like to be around other people when I work out and the wait for the machines suck. I might just buy a used Bench and call it a day.

BradUF said:

I am going to start riding to school which is about 11 miles there and 11 miles back. My only problem is books. I have about 4 books I carry and that will weigh me down. On the matter of diet, I am on a low carb diet and I only consume about 2100 cal and 400 carbs a day. Good amount of the carbs before I ride. One more thing I forgot mention I have high blood pressure, dunno if that really affects anything?

On the matter of the gym, I was told do lose my weight through diet and cardio first. Then hit up the gym. Anyways, I don't like to be around other people when I work out and the wait for the machines suck. I might just buy a used Bench and call it a day.

Well, I don't know about commuting as a way of weight loss. I used to commute to work on my road bike, but the traffic was hell and it really did me no good. THe books sound like they'd be very uncomfortable to carry around, and you're sholders and back would suffer. Can you put a touring rack on the back to carry the books? It might not take off the extra weight but at least it won't be on your back.

400 carbs is not low, I remember when I started low-carbing it was 20 a day max and then it went up to about 60 or so ( I never stayed with it, didn't think of it as the best for me). People who have been on low carb diets for a long time only eat about 50-60 carbs a day.

Have you ever tried running? A morning or evening run can give you some good cardio in addition to doing some biking. It is a bit rough on the knees to jump into it though. I know this sounds weird for a guy, but low impact aerobics and spin classes (stationary bike classes) are also good for cardio and spin classes will help you in your riding.

Good luck with your goals.

Oh about the carbs I read the chart for fitday.com wrong. I only eat 140 a day and my diet alows 60 carbs per meal. So it looks like I am on track. About communting, I cant believe riding 12 miles to school and 12 miles back would do nothing at all for my weight. Also, my carbs would be around 60 a day if I didn't eat a fair amount before riding. If I don't eat well before I ride, I get sick.

Yeah, you're right about the commuting thing. IT will do lots for your activity level and weight loss... ever get the feeling that you get mixed responses? LOL I doubt the poster that said that never commuted the way I commute, because it's plenty of a work out and especially with traffic. Point being, brad-o, do anything that gets you outside and moving. Ignore the naysayers!

BradUF said:

Oh about the carbs I read the chart for fitday.com wrong. I only eat 140 a day and my diet alows 60 carbs per meal. So it looks like I am on track. About communting, I cant believe riding 12 miles to school and 12 miles back would do nothing at all for my weight. Also, my carbs would be around 60 a day if I didn't eat a fair amount before riding. If I don't eat well before I ride, I get sick.

Don't get me wrong commuting is fine, I did it more because I wanted to ride. I didn't say it would do you no good, I was just saying it did me no good. I ride alot so I figure that I would have add more than just a commute to work if I wanted to increase my daily workout. I liked doing it eventhough it really didn't do anything for my activity level, but where I work there are alot of bad drivers (of couse it is a hospital).

OoAmericanGirl said:

Don't get me wrong commuting is fine, I did it more because I wanted to ride. I didn't say it would do you no good, I was just saying it did me no good. I ride alot so I figure that I would have add more than just a commute to work if I wanted to increase my daily workout. I liked doing it eventhough it really didn't do anything for my activity level, but where I work there are alot of bad drivers (of couse it is a hospital).

But when you started to do it you were already in good shape right?

Anyways I am going to go down to the bike store and see if they can hook me up with some wheels for cheap. If it is going to cost me 100 bucks for another set I might just hold off and buy another bike in a month or 2.

Just got some road tires and its alot nicer ride. After I ride for the recovery is it messing up my diet to have a Smoothie? I am mostly concerned about the carbs in it I can't eat berries so the fruit I usually get has more carbs.