Just wanted to give you guys a big tip, I got down to 190 this past summer well I've always been a big Lance Armstrong fan so I decided to run out on a whim and buy a $1000 road bicycle well let me tell you it was the best $1k I've spent I lost 30lbs in 2 months to the point where people were asking me if I was sick lol. Its so addicting I'd go out for 30minutes during weekdays and then do an hour sunday and saturday. For those of you looking 2 lose the last few pounds try this and its really fun seeing new places you'll be surprised where u end up sometimes.
cycling
- Thread starter Jasond
- Start date
Congrats. I've been doing a lot of swimming at the Y this winter but have been thinking about cycling this summer to keep things interesting. Won't have the cash to pick up a $1000 bike, but hope to find something a little cheaper.
If you got any other hints about starting this kind of exercise program, let me know. Sounds great!
If you got any other hints about starting this kind of exercise program, let me know. Sounds great!
ToothlessFerret
New member
Nice one! I wish that I could afford a bike like that! I had to do with a £70 bike off of the shelf in my local superstore... I guess buying a husky puppy was my equivalent. I always say - you need to find an activity that you enjoy if you are going to sustain long-term weight loss and improve fitness - you found yours - well done!
I've never been good at riding a regular bike as a kid. (No balance etc...) Obviously I never wanted to buy a bike, but I heard great success with riding.
Does doing the spinning class at the gym just as good as riding out doors?
If I did invest in a bike, what type of terrain should you ride on to get a good workout? (for a beginner).
Does doing the spinning class at the gym just as good as riding out doors?
If I did invest in a bike, what type of terrain should you ride on to get a good workout? (for a beginner).
hayley_cookie
New member
cool! yea i agree with you, cycling's really addictive.. i lost a lot of weight cycling everyday for 30mins to an hour a few years back.. went cycling around the neighbourhood, up and down a few slopes.. it's amazing.. =)
No.
You can get a good workout in on any terrain that you can safely handle.
zebrasinamerica
New member
I too was really big into cycling a few summers ago until I got injured and got out of the groove, I'm currently trying to get back into it, I lost about 55 lbs in one summer if you want some before and after pictures to see what kind of results I had I would be happy to post some when I get home.
Zebra
Zebra
I've recently had the idea that I might try cycling to work. (To be honest, it's a bit of a scary idea because it isn't something I would ever have imagined myself doing, but I think all the exercise I've been doing is making me a bit mad 
)
Anyway, I wondered if there are other people here who cycle regularly who could give me advice on what kind of cycle to use. I currently have an old mountain bike, and I've been getting out and about on it over Easter weekend, and I've been quite pleased with my results distance/time wise. I'm really attached to the mountain bike (kind of in the same way you can get attached to an old pair of jeans), but I have noticed a few problems.
1) It isn't very fast. The best speed I can achieve on the flat without my legs whirling round like crazy is about 18mph.
2) It hurts my wrists after a while because of the weight they're taking, and getting the weight off my wrists hurts my lower back.
3) My legs feel quite cramped up on the pedals, and I can't raise the seat any higher without it getting dangerous when I have to stop.
I'm guessing problems 1 and 3 are because it's designed for off road use. The good thing about it being an off road bike is that the gears go very low, making even the steep hills around here OK to ride up.
I've had a couple of other problems, like the chain coming off and the pedals locking during gear changes, and that coupled with a fair bit of rust and general wear has made me decide I will get a new bike to ride to work, and save the mountain bike for leisure.
So, what would people recommend?
Another mountain bike would give me the same problems listed above.
A road bike would solve all 3 of them (I rode one when I used to deliver the mail, and I loved it), but I've never seen one with more than about 6 gears, and I really need the low gears for the hills.
A racer would (I guess - I've never ridden one) solve problems 1 and 3, and being light and having lots of gears should make the hills manageable. But I'm worried that it would make problem 2 (the weight on my wrists) worse.
Any suggestions?
)Anyway, I wondered if there are other people here who cycle regularly who could give me advice on what kind of cycle to use. I currently have an old mountain bike, and I've been getting out and about on it over Easter weekend, and I've been quite pleased with my results distance/time wise. I'm really attached to the mountain bike (kind of in the same way you can get attached to an old pair of jeans), but I have noticed a few problems.
1) It isn't very fast. The best speed I can achieve on the flat without my legs whirling round like crazy is about 18mph.
2) It hurts my wrists after a while because of the weight they're taking, and getting the weight off my wrists hurts my lower back.
3) My legs feel quite cramped up on the pedals, and I can't raise the seat any higher without it getting dangerous when I have to stop.
I'm guessing problems 1 and 3 are because it's designed for off road use. The good thing about it being an off road bike is that the gears go very low, making even the steep hills around here OK to ride up.
I've had a couple of other problems, like the chain coming off and the pedals locking during gear changes, and that coupled with a fair bit of rust and general wear has made me decide I will get a new bike to ride to work, and save the mountain bike for leisure.
So, what would people recommend?
Another mountain bike would give me the same problems listed above.
A road bike would solve all 3 of them (I rode one when I used to deliver the mail, and I loved it), but I've never seen one with more than about 6 gears, and I really need the low gears for the hills.
A racer would (I guess - I've never ridden one) solve problems 1 and 3, and being light and having lots of gears should make the hills manageable. But I'm worried that it would make problem 2 (the weight on my wrists) worse.
Any suggestions?
wishes rides her bike to work regularly - she'd be a good person to hit up for some advice...
if you've got a local bike shop as well - you might want to ask in there.. they'd probably have good info as to what bike is best for your road conditions.
Other things to consider is storage for the bike while you are at work - what about carrying stuff to and from work - ie laptop, or briefcase, etc... contingency plan for inclement weather - especially if it rains during the day...
if you've got a local bike shop as well - you might want to ask in there.. they'd probably have good info as to what bike is best for your road conditions.
Other things to consider is storage for the bike while you are at work - what about carrying stuff to and from work - ie laptop, or briefcase, etc... contingency plan for inclement weather - especially if it rains during the day...
Perpetual
New member
Trek has some nice Hybrids, sort of a cross between MTB and road bike. I'm sure other manufacturers do as well. I just happen to be partial to Trek as it's my bike of choice.
Check out the Trek Navigator series. Great comfort and ride.
I ride a 4900 Trek hardtail MTB.
Check out the Trek Navigator series. Great comfort and ride.
I ride a 4900 Trek hardtail MTB.
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Juliette1
New member
A friend of mine had problems with her wrists as well. She solved them by bying a good pair of driving gloves that take some of the shock effect before it goes to your wrists. You might also ask about that in the bike shop..
18 mph is already kinda fast, isn't it? I ride quite much during summer and my average speed is about 13 mph. I do it in the city, but I doubt I'd go much faster anywhere else.
Juliette
18 mph is already kinda fast, isn't it? I ride quite much during summer and my average speed is about 13 mph. I do it in the city, but I doubt I'd go much faster anywhere else.
Juliette
Thanks. I'll wait a bit to see if she notices this post, and if not I'll PM her.
I'm not sure if we've got a local bike shop. We haven't been here long, and I've never noticed one. I'll have to ask around.
As far as carrying stuff goes, I'm going to be a bus driver, so there won't be much to carry, other than my lunch and my uniform, which I'll change into when I get there. I expect I'll be able to stick it in the workshop if it looks like rain while I'm at work - it's pretty big - and I probably won't worry about getting wet on the way home. If it's really bad, I'll just be able to get the bus - bike and all
Thanks. I've had a look at the Trek website, and it looks pretty interesting. I'll have to look into that a bit more.
A friend of mine had problems with her wrists as well. She solved them by bying a good pair of driving gloves that take some of the shock effect before it goes to your wrists. You might also ask about that in the bike shop..
18 mph is already kinda fast, isn't it? I ride quite much during summer and my average speed is about 13 mph. I do it in the city, but I doubt I'd go much faster anywhere else.
Juliette
That could be it. I was thinking it was because my wrists were taking some of my weight. I hadn't thought about vibration. I haven't got any suspension on the mountain bike, so there's nothing to ease it at all.
As far as speed goes, my average speed yesterday was just over 9mph and today was only about 8mph (today was a harder ride with more steep hills) The journey to work will be 9 miles each way, and I don't want it to take an hour every time. My speed sometimes drops as low as 5mph on the hills, which I don't think I'll be able to do much about, so I need to be able to get the speed up on the flat and going downhill to make up for it. If I could average 13mph, I'd be quite happy because I'd get to work in about 40 minutes.
12packAbs
New member
Hi Alibran
The problems with the your wrists and legs feeling cramped up could be becuase of the bike not fitting you well. I would suggest getting a new one. Spend some time thinking of what you want to use it for. If you are going to be using it for commuting to work, then I would suggest a hybrid. It's more comfortable that a road bike (more of an upright position, similar to a mountain bike). If you aren't planning on doing any mountain biking on dirt, then I'd probably recommend not going with a mountain bike.
Go check out a couple of bike shops and see what they have and recommend, and see what you like. The most importang things are that the bike suits your needs and that it fits properly - proper fit is paramount.
It sounds like you'd be happiest with a hybrid. Good luck shopping!
The problems with the your wrists and legs feeling cramped up could be becuase of the bike not fitting you well. I would suggest getting a new one. Spend some time thinking of what you want to use it for. If you are going to be using it for commuting to work, then I would suggest a hybrid. It's more comfortable that a road bike (more of an upright position, similar to a mountain bike). If you aren't planning on doing any mountain biking on dirt, then I'd probably recommend not going with a mountain bike.
Go check out a couple of bike shops and see what they have and recommend, and see what you like. The most importang things are that the bike suits your needs and that it fits properly - proper fit is paramount.
It sounds like you'd be happiest with a hybrid. Good luck shopping!
I've biked just about everywhere for the past 3 years, to school, to work, over hills and valleys and roads and other random things. I've had one bike that whole time: a Raleigh hybrid, the kind with the really tall wheels. I had the same problems as you with the mountain bike i had before i got the hybrid,but when i changed bikes everything was golden. Also, your body has to be broken in a bit when you start biking...it's always uncomfortable at the beginning of the season. (Unless you bike through the winter, which i found out this year is absolutely possible, albeit not always enjoyable.)
Anyways, yeah, the hybrid's handlebars are closer to the seat, and the wheels are taller and not as thick as the mountain bike's, so its more comfortable and faster. And its just dandy on hills...having biked all over Vancouver when i lived there for a year i can testify to that. Mostly, i think, Raleigh's hybrids have 21 speeds.
Something kinda like this: . I just got the cheapest hybrid they were selling back when i was buying. It's a sturdy number and has withstood 2 accidents and much curb jumping.
Oh and good on the biking. My favourite part of the day is biking to and from school. Especially lovely if you've got music to listen to while you're on the road. Just make sure you watch for people opening car doors in front of you without looking, because if you hit a car door while you're going 20k/hr or whatever...well, just make sure you keep an eye out for that, i find it's the only major hazard if you're an all-round safe cyclist.
Anyways, yeah, the hybrid's handlebars are closer to the seat, and the wheels are taller and not as thick as the mountain bike's, so its more comfortable and faster. And its just dandy on hills...having biked all over Vancouver when i lived there for a year i can testify to that. Mostly, i think, Raleigh's hybrids have 21 speeds.
Something kinda like this: . I just got the cheapest hybrid they were selling back when i was buying. It's a sturdy number and has withstood 2 accidents and much curb jumping.
Oh and good on the biking. My favourite part of the day is biking to and from school. Especially lovely if you've got music to listen to while you're on the road. Just make sure you watch for people opening car doors in front of you without looking, because if you hit a car door while you're going 20k/hr or whatever...well, just make sure you keep an eye out for that, i find it's the only major hazard if you're an all-round safe cyclist.
Thank you both for the advice, and welcome to the forum, Rolina. It's good to "meet" you.
I went to a local shop today (not a specialist bike shop, but a kind of car accessories & bikes place - Halfords, for anyone in the UK), and sat on a few of the bikes there. The ones I liked best were the same style as the one in the link you gave me, Rolina, so I guess they were hybrids. The last time I bought a bike was a long time ago, and men's mountain bikes were the thing to have then, so I'd never even heard of hybrids. The wheels were much bigger than my mountain bike and the seat and handlebars were closer together, which made it much more comfortable. Plus, the low position of the pedals was much closer to the ground. The one I really liked was £150, which is less than I paid for my mountain bike nearly 10 years ago, so I don't think I'll have much trouble finding something. As my partner pointed out, I'll save that much money in about ten weeks by not using the car. Oh, and they all had 21 gears. So, hopefully, that means my problem's solved, and I'll be whizzing round the countryside in no time
I went to a local shop today (not a specialist bike shop, but a kind of car accessories & bikes place - Halfords, for anyone in the UK), and sat on a few of the bikes there. The ones I liked best were the same style as the one in the link you gave me, Rolina, so I guess they were hybrids. The last time I bought a bike was a long time ago, and men's mountain bikes were the thing to have then, so I'd never even heard of hybrids. The wheels were much bigger than my mountain bike and the seat and handlebars were closer together, which made it much more comfortable. Plus, the low position of the pedals was much closer to the ground. The one I really liked was £150, which is less than I paid for my mountain bike nearly 10 years ago, so I don't think I'll have much trouble finding something. As my partner pointed out, I'll save that much money in about ten weeks by not using the car. Oh, and they all had 21 gears. So, hopefully, that means my problem's solved, and I'll be whizzing round the countryside in no time
It seems most people here are runners/joggers. I've tried this but just don't enjoy it and I don't seem to ever get any fitter (yes I know it takes time and I gave it time...) Instead I cycle which I would do anyway (to college and back) but I've started going for an hour a day as well just to get some exercise. I was just wondering if any one else here cycled as their main exercise?