Cycling
 

This is the begining of my life change journey, I love to ride bikes and was just given a hand me down trel 800 hybred, I am looking forward to getting the bike in shape and start pedaling any advise?

Do you have a couple of bike trails in your area? If so, they are great ways to get you biking mojo back. Each trip out go a little further. Once you get your confidence and strength back you can start using your bike to run errands or visit friends. Sometimes it is the path, not necessarily the destination... if you know what I mean??:D

Be patient! If it has been a long time since you rode a bike, even five miles will seem like a huge distance. Start with level, paved areas. Off road is fun, but there is much more rolling resistance. Take a good look at the seat and make sure it is in good shape. Have the bike tuned up and well oiled. Also, make sure the tire pressure is at or near maximum. Have fun! It is a great way to see the world.

Cycling is best exercise.It gives relaxation to your complete body. and cycling in the very early morning will give you a lot of fresh and pure air.

Thanks to all, if you have followed my succec post I have made the first block of 18.5# loss on a journey of 185.
I live in a somewhat rural part of Southern Maryland. we have some bike paths near but there is lots of riding around , I am working on walking now and I will progress as my wind comes back!, I can't wai't

Thanks

I did see your post - AWESOME :D
Keep it up, you seemed to have found your groove

All the way back.
 

I decided to take out my old friend today. My Giant Cypress DX. My Odometer has 1242 miles on it, but is really closer to twice that. It is sad for me to recall that I could once ride 100 miles and then, ride another 100 the next day. I bought this bike to do a charity ride called AIDS/Lifecycle. Yes, I once rode from San Francisco to Los Angeles on a bike over six days.

Today I rode 6.4 miles in 34 minutes. I am nowhere near where I once was, or probably ever be again. I love my bike and I do love to ride. I want others to share their experiences on a bike. Maybe I can find inspiration. I will try not to geek out too much on technical details. My bike is a sturdy, heavy, relatively inexpensive hybrid. I switched to road tires since that is what I mostly do and knobby tires are harder to roll. I have added a bike computer and a rear rack for carrying things. Yes, this makes the bike heavier, but it is a multi use device.

Attached is a pic of my old friend.

cycling
 

I really love to ride cycle, it keep body fit and shape..and I use 5 to 6 km everyday.

Cycling Numbers 06-26-12
 

10.71 Miles
59.29 Minutes
24.80 Max Speed (downhill)
10.80 Avg Speed

Joe

Nice!

Cycling Number 06-28-12
 

13.66 Miles
1 Hour 19 Minutes
23.2 Max Speed (downhill)
10.40 Avg Speed (windy!)

Joe

Hey Joe,
Nice work! What kind of terrain are you riding in?

And botoepfer, how's your biking going? Did you get those batteries.

I am mostly riding the Los Angeles River Trail. It is less than a couple of miles from my home, so I ride the street until I get there. The river trail is well paved and marked. There is a wetlands area and lots of bird life. Eventually I will ride it to the ocean and back. The trail dips under streets and bridges so it has these micro climbs built into it. I was never a good climber but I need to get better to accomplish my goal of doing a 100 mile ride by next year. I just found a 50 mile charity ride I could do in November. I think I will sign up for that and use that as a training ride since it will be halfway toward my goal and halfway through my training.

Signing up for a 50 mile ride is a great way to gauge your fitness and to prepare for the century. I must admit I am in awe of anyone who can sit on a bike for 100-freakin' miles :eek:

Cycling Numbers 07-03-12
 

14.92 Miles
1 Hour 18 Minutes 46 seconds
24.80 Max Speed (downhill)
11.40 Avg Speed

Joe

Cycling Numbers 07-06-12
 

16.80 Miles
1 Hour 31 Minutes 31 seconds
26.10 Max Speed (downhill)
11.00 Avg Speed

Joe

Cycling Numbers 07-10-12
 

20.62 Miles
1 hour 49 Minutes 52 seconds
24.40 Max Speed (downhill)
11.20 MPH Avg Speed

Joe

As a cycler myself, the biggest thing to remember is that no matter how far you go you have to turn around and go back. Start heading back before your exhausted.

It happened a couple times to me that I almost called my wife to pick me up after riding too far and then having to ride all the way back completely exhausted.

Cycling Numbers 07-12-12
 

20.53 Miles
1 hour 45 Minutes 24 seconds
24.10 Max Speed (downhill)
11.70 MPH Avg Speed

Joe

Hahahaha! I've done that running on trails a couple of times. Just jogging along enjoying the scenery and then realizing CRAP, now I gotta run back. Fortunetly walking instead of running isn't quite as lame as walking instead of riding. :p

Cycling Numbers 07-17-12
 

23.82 Miles
1 hour 57 Minutes 31 seconds
26.30 Max Speed (downhill)
12.10 MPH Avg Speed

Joe

Cycling Numbers 07-19-12
 

21.07 Miles
1 hour 53 Minutes 12 seconds
23.40 Max Speed (downhill)
11.20 MPH Avg Speed

Shorter route. More climbs. Ridden from dusk to dark.
Joe

Climbs are good (especially once they are behind you :p)

Cycling Numbers 08-02-12
 

30.33 Miles
2 hours 34 Minutes 19 seconds
26.30 Max Speed (downhill)
11.80 MPH Avg Speed