Newbie, help advise please?

homer simpson

Right I fell a bit intimidated posting in here, which is something new for me, I know you guys prob get noob threads all the time but hear me out please....

I used to do a good bit of cycling when I was in the local IT with the club there, found it great they supplied the bikes which was even better! After I left the IT I never bothered about cycling at all but 8 years later, I've had the sudden urge to try it out again, mainly down to a good few of my family members recently taking up cycling, some are very good some are self admittedly not so good. Now I'm a good bit heavier than I used to be being honest, I wouldn't say I’m unfit though but not exactly what you would call fit either, lol.

I was looking on here, the adverts section, for a few weeks but after asking people I know about the bikes they recommended me getting a semi decent bike before spending loads on a bike and not using it! So today I bought myself a cheapo (but I’m told very solid and reliable) hybrid bike, a Jupiter Tuscan. Went to take it for its first outing today, but after 3 miles the handlebars started wobbling and then the seat half a mile later, I really should have done a spanner check before I set off despite being told to do so as was told they just "throw them up" in the shop, so went a much shorter route than I’d intended. I do live on a crappy back road at the top of a hill with very steep short sharp climbs no matter what way I go unless I head to the main roads, thus the hybrid and not a road bike cos it would get destroyed on my roads!

Anyways, any advice you guys can give me to help me along the way? The main aim is more fitness and to enjoy nice long runs, I’m not looking to win any rás' or anything! Any advice at all, even telling me to give up before I start is welcome , thanks for reading!

Link to runkeeper, which i'll use untill i get a decent GPS system, crap average and time but first time out and all that http://runkeeper.com/user/homer_simpson/activity/47271255

Beasty

homer_simpson wrote: »

I’m not looking to win any rás' or anything!

Welcome - This forum is full of posters who started out with similar lack of ambition;)

A lot of us have found ourselves in a similar position to you and have basically enjoyed our cycling, built our fitness levels, and moved on to a position we could probably only have dreamed of at the outset

Check out Inquitus' Training log for an idea of what it's possible to achieve in a relatively short time

Build up your spins. Find a local club and go on some of their leisure/beginner spins.

I started off making cycling part of my daily routine - basically getting a couple of hours work-out by commuting to work. Not everyone is that ambitious but you may be amazed at how quickly you can progress - 18 months ago I was simply a commuter doing the occasional sportive. I'd only got a "proper" road bike the previous year. Now I'm 6 stone lighter than I was 4 years ago, in the middle of a spell of up to 5 races in 8 days and fitter at 50 than I've been in my life. You possibly have little idea of what you may be letting yourself in for ...;)

Holyboy

Great advice from Beasty, what I will add is that if your bike isnt working properly you are much less likely to want to use it,if you bought your bike from a bike shop I think you should bring it back to them and explain that parts had come lose while you were riding it,im sure they will put things right to the best of thier ability! If it wasnt bought from a proper bike shop then maybe you should bring it to one and spend a few euro having them put things right on it,youll be much more likely to want to use it if your not worried about parts falling off it!

denlaw

must be an age thing , i'm back in the saddle this last mth after giving up the bike 20 odd yrs ago , got a second hand trek 1400 ( jesus, bikes have moved on since the last time i had one) , i started out doing 3miles the first week , 5 the second , 7 last week , i've done 8 this week and i'm really starting to enjoy it again , i live about 3 miles from the nearest town and about 1.5 miles away is a brand new rd linking the town with the motorway , the new rd is a joy to ride on , like riding on a wooden floor , its a big help and it has some nice decent hills on it , nothing too bad but a test none the same ....i'm 45 in a few weeks by the way ..and my back side ohhhhhhhh:(

Beasty

A vision of things to come in Donegal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LwtJFULFGU

smacl

Got back on the bike myself about 18 months ago after more than 20 years of not cycling. Also a cheap MTB, and small distances to start with, slightly better hybrid now and pretty good distances. Best advice I can give is to simply enjoy your time on the bike, and treat yourself to the odd extra spin whenever you get a chance. Starting out, I reckon it's more about the amount of time you spend on the bike than the distance you cover or the speed you achieve, these both improve naturally. Your fitness improves just as much on a crap bike as a top end racer once you put the hours in, though for the rattly back roads a set of padded shorts is a good investment.

Raam

Don't worry about riding a road bike on the crappy roads. A good road bike will be strong and capable of dealing with them, as long as you don't ride into potholes.

ednwireland

homer_simpson wrote: »

, thus the hybrid and not a road bike cos it would get destroyed on my roads!

errr no it wont (four masters have one of their sunday training rides round there the roads arent that bad)

homer simpson

cheers guys, some good avice in here, yeah going to invest in a few things, like the shorts mentioned in here. Looking forward to getting out for another good cut tomorrow morning locally, even found someone to come along with me Was enquiring about some of the clubs RE: easier / beginners routes, I'm told the north pole club to good beginner routes most of the time so I think I'll give them a shout.

ednwireland wrote: »

errr no it wont (four masters have one of their sunday training rides round there the roads arent that bad)

I don't live on the main road ya know, i live out near the shore on a road with grass growing up the middle of it, the hedge hits both side of your car on it too :pac: Is the 4 masters route the one up the galdonagh / raphoe road the out to manor roundabout?

ednwireland

homer_simpson wrote: »

cheers guys, some good avice in here, yeah going to invest in a few things, like the shorts mentioned in here. Looking forward to getting out for another good cut tomorrow morning locally, even found someone to come along with me Was enquiring about some of the clubs RE: easier / beginners routes, I'm told the north pole club to good beginner routes most of the time so I think I'll give them a shout.



I don't live on the main road ya know, i live out near the shore on a road with grass growing up the middle of it, the hedge hits both side of your car on it too :pac: Is the 4 masters route the one up the galdonagh / raphoe road the out to manor roundabout?

one of the few i dont have a garmin track for, ended up on some pretty narrow roads though

Chipbutty

Fair play Hommer keep at it. I'm a newbie also just started a month ago after 15 years off the bike. It's tough at the beginning but getting easier with every spin.

Roger Hassenforder

+1!
last bike i had you pedalled backwards to stop, and remember when mountain bikes came out.
got a bike on the BTW, lovin it again.