I'll echo what lots of others have said: "Just ride."
Put aside 30 minutes a day to start out, and just ride around. Make sure you do a bit of gentle warm up and cool down .
I know you live in the sticks, so things are a bit different, but if you can replace short rides in a car with the bike, that's a way to burn some calories, too.
They also sell these things that jack up the rear wheel and let you use a regular bike as a stationary bike for when the weather is crap. If you get one of those, any excuses regarding the weather are gone.
Brett_Murphy said:
They also sell these things that jack up the rear wheel and let you use a regular bike as a stationary bike for when the weather is crap. If you get one of those, any excuses regarding the weather are gone.
so you're gonna want to avoid those... ;-)
I would pay attention to your position and posture on the bike, if you are pitched forward in an aggressive lean you will be putting a lot of stress on your wrists. This position is great for the X-Games set, but not for us old, fat guys. I raised my handlebars as far as they would go, but I am still not comfortable after a long ride. My wrists ache, my back aches, it sucks. I decided that making a mountain bike into a comfort bike is not as efficient as simply buying a comfort bike.
pinchvalve said:
I would pay attention to your position and posture on the bike, if you are pitched forward in an aggressive lean you will be putting a lot of stress on your wrists. This position is great for the X-Games set, but not for us old, fat guys. I raised my handlebars as far as they would go, but I am still not comfortable after a long ride. My wrists ache, my back aches, it sucks. I decided that making a mountain bike into a comfort bike is not as efficient as simply buying a comfort bike.
Check out something like the Velo Orange Tourist, Milano or something similar with a lot of back sweep. Bet that fixes your issue. https://velo-orange.com/collections/handlebars My wife was complaining about a similar issue until I put the Tourist bars on her Surly 1x1 mountain bike.
Minor point but usually the most aggressive position is seen on roadies or XC bikes (neither of which are what I would call the X-games set).
It has largely been covered already, but I want to put in another vote for just going for a ride.
I've had several lapses, and the best way for me to get back to it with long-term results was to promise myself only one thing: that I was going to go out ride today, and that time/distance didn't matter...the only thing I needed to commit to was getting out to ride regularly (make it every weekend, or every other day, 5-days a week, or whatever sort of regular schedule fits your life.) Making it a regular habit increases my enjoyment and makes it fun to continue...when it is fun, I find that the rest comes in time as I naturally do it more frequently and for longer so I can keep having fun.
Let us know how it goes!
yupididit said:
Even at my peak fitness level, a flight if stairs always get me out of breath lol
That's a tough one to get past, regardless of fitness level.
The increase in intensity from flat ground to stairs is instantaneous, so the heart rate and O2 needs jump quickly like it would in a sprint.
I have found my heart rate and breathing have dropped significantly at the top of three flights after losing 35-40 lbs, but still jumps up quickly.
In reply to No Time :
It's been noted that athletes and people in good shape actually tend to have faster breathing/heart rates at the top of stairs than sedentary folks do. Basically, your body is shifting gears into cardio mode and revving itself up...
Huh. Must've had a canoe in the bike thread.
Duster!!!!!
How is the riding going???
pinchvalve said:
I would pay attention to your position and posture on the bike, if you are pitched forward in an aggressive lean you will be putting a lot of stress on your wrists. This position is great for the X-Games set, but not for us old, fat guys. I raised my handlebars as far as they would go, but I am still not comfortable after a long ride. My wrists ache, my back aches, it sucks. I decided that making a mountain bike into a comfort bike is not as efficient as simply buying a comfort bike.
A couple quick points to go along with this. Often the pitching forward feeling is not necessarily related to the bars being too low, although they definitely can be. Having the seat tilted even a couple degrees too much forward can throw your weight onto your hands, as can having the seat too far forward on the post. I always recommend people do a ride or two of seat adjusting. Play with the angles. Keep in mind that each change will feel weird at first. Tilt it nose up a bit and slide it back a bit and try it. Watch for pressure where it shouldn't be.
After you get what seems a good setup for the seat. Start having a look at stem length and height. Everyone has their own preferecnce. I find a fairly comfy setup that still leaves some efficiency has the bar about level with or a bit above the seat (seat height should about leave you with your heel slightly down with the ball of your foot on the pedal and leg extended. Again, there is a bit of room for preference. If your hips rock, you're too high. I tend to ride a little bit low). As for stem length, I find I'm usually fairly happy when, with my elbow jammed against the nose of the saddle, my outstretched fingers reach within about a couple cm's of the center of the bar.
There's a lot of room to play with this stuff on a bike to come up with what works for you. Play with it. You may find your preferences change as your fitness level and comfort on the bike progress.
AngryCorvair said:
Brett_Murphy said:
They also sell these things that jack up the rear wheel and let you use a regular bike as a stationary bike for when the weather is crap. If you get one of those, any excuses regarding the weather are gone.
so you're gonna want to avoid those... ;-)
lol, i though the exact same thing: better not tell anyone about that. i might have to get one.
