Bicycle Fans - official thread for people who love riding th

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  • Eithr
    Eithr Posts: 7
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    Cycling! Yay! I'm a huge cycling enthusiast. I used to be a runner until I let myself get way out of shape after college. When I first started to move back toward getting in shape I found that my body wouldn't let me run. I couldn't handle the extra weight. My joints and shins and everything hurt and it was one injury after another, so I tried out cycling. At first it was stationary bikes at the gym, then spinning bikes, then road bikes and now I have a lightweight road bike that I've basically custom built. I try to ride 4-5 days a week and usually do 20-30+ miles a day. My biggest reason for using MFP is to trim off the last bit of extra weight so that I can finally get back into racing. I'm really hoping to do my first bike race this summer. It's been almost ten years since my last running race. I'm excited to see what it's like to race bicycles.
  • baldzach
    baldzach Posts: 1,841 Member
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    Cycling! Yay! I'm a huge cycling enthusiast. I used to be a runner until I let myself get way out of shape after college. When I first started to move back toward getting in shape I found that my body wouldn't let me run. I couldn't handle the extra weight. My joints and shins and everything hurt and it was one injury after another, so I tried out cycling. At first it was stationary bikes at the gym, then spinning bikes, then road bikes and now I have a lightweight road bike that I've basically custom built. I try to ride 4-5 days a week and usually do 20-30+ miles a day. My biggest reason for using MFP is to trim off the last bit of extra weight so that I can finally get back into racing. I'm really hoping to do my first bike race this summer. It's been almost ten years since my last running race. I'm excited to see what it's like to race bicycles.

    Find a century or a good group ride first. It will give you a taste of what racing is like without the pressure and carelessness that sometimes happens when racing. Make sure you're good in a peloton, then go have a blast! I love racing!
  • badblood
    badblood Posts: 43 Member
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    Just got back from a 15 miles ride on her, she handles sooooo smoothly! My old bike is a steel frame bargain bike, this one feels like a 'proper' mountain bike. So nimble and light, and you can go so much faster on her as well! Did about 5 miles on roads, and about 10 miles off-road, including some pretty steep hills :) I'm in love! Though the back end did step out on me a couple of times on the roughest part of the trail! I think she was just trying to scare me (I was only averaging about 12mph...)

    On a side note, has anyone used Endomondo? Its an application for Android phones (maybe iPhones as well, I don't know), which uses the GPS in the phone to track your exercise activity. Its a great application, since it gives you mile by mile updates (via speech), telling you what the total distance you have traveled is, along with your time for the last mile. Keeps you on track if you have a set goal (eg 1 mile/6 minutes). It even tells you calories burned, though I take that with a big pinch of salt! (metaphorical salt, since we all have to watch our sodium level LOL).

    I use Endomondo and yes, it is available for iPhone, I like the fact tells you how many trips around the world and trips to the moon you have done! I use it to log walks etc as well as it works out calorie burn based on your weight and height so it is more accurate than the generic figures that are on here, which are great if you don't have any measuring facilities.
  • samcee
    samcee Posts: 307
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    What do you girls wear when cycling?

    The stuff you get in bike shops aren't exactly very flattering. I want something practical yet chic! It's so lovely outside and its great not having to wear so many layers. Cycled for five miles the other day and almost had my clothes caught in the chains a couple of times. Not impressed. So maybe some cute shorts for when I cycle later today? Or above the knee skirt?

    What app do you guys use?
    I've been using mapmyride but going to try cyclewatch later because it has calories burned info that might be helpful.
  • janesmith1
    janesmith1 Posts: 1,511 Member
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    @samcee - what about Pearl Izumi stuff, and she now makes it in plus sizes?

    @rainman - love your funny bike quotes!

    @Bryan - fun, keep us updated on your bike ride goals!

    I used to bike every day in SF, it's how I got around! I hated the bus system - slow, smelly, awful and filled with drama. Bike riding was how I got around and I never worried about my weight at all then. Now...it's a different story though I'm riding a lot more & doing cardio. I find that I'm being more "local" if you know what I mean. I don't want to drive my car, in fact I'm hardly driving it at all for our food. We live near a great WF like store & a hardware store, so it's wonderful, and we both ride our bikes almost daily to this store, they know us and expect to see us in our bike helmets, bike gloves, etc. Too funny, the cheese person was shocked to see us today out of our regular bike stuff. She said "you guys come here every day" , well, yeah we do, but usually in our bike gear.
  • rydn4h2o
    rydn4h2o Posts: 255
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    What do you girls wear when cycling?

    The stuff you get in bike shops aren't exactly very flattering. I want something practical yet chic! It's so lovely outside and its great not having to wear so many layers. Cycled for five miles the other day and almost had my clothes caught in the chains a couple of times. Not impressed. So maybe some cute shorts for when I cycle later today? Or above the knee skirt?

    What app do you guys use?
    I've been using mapmyride but going to try cyclewatch later because it has calories burned info that might be helpful.

    Here's a couple of websites with great choices of clothing!

    http://www.terrybicycles.com

    http://www.teamestrogen.com
  • rydn4h2o
    rydn4h2o Posts: 255
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    Let's all sing along "bi--cycle, bi--cycle, bi--cycle, I want to ride my bi-CYCLE.... " if you don't get it, search "queen" and "bicycle race" on youtube...classic stuff.

    Sign me up, I have fallen in love with my new bike, a fixie road bike. I was a nay-sayer for sooo long, about fixies, but wow was I wrong. So much fun and what a workout too. I'll hang out here too, I've got a garage full of em and ride all year.

    My name is Ray, and I am a bicycle addict

    Ray - nice to meet you! :drinker:
  • sassylilmama
    sassylilmama Posts: 1,495 Member
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    I just started riding, had to find a bike my short self could ride that was not a kids bike lol. Only been out once due to weather but I loved it and am looking forward to more rides!
  • samcee
    samcee Posts: 307
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    Here's a couple of websites with great choices of clothing!

    http://www.terrybicycles.com

    http://www.teamestrogen.com

    Thanks for the links. I'm kinda looking for something that doesn't scream 'bike gear'. lol. I'm not a pro but just wanted to know what type of casual clothes people wear when they cycle. I found a link more to my liking for anyone who is interested. I don't think all the cycle fashion on it is all that practical but looking pretty on a bike normally helps motivates me :P

    http://ridingpretty.blogspot.com/
  • andyj1984
    andyj1984 Posts: 76
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    I just got back from a ride, did approximately 23 miles, not as far as I was hoping to do, but I was starting to get really tired in the legs! Its so hot as well outside, sweating buckets! I'll be taking it easy tomorrow... c25k and that's about it! :) Though I'll have to work out hard on Monday since I think I have been bought an easter egg for tomorrow. LOL
  • janesmith1
    janesmith1 Posts: 1,511 Member
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    @samcee - the Tweed Run looks great but impractical for me for every day riding. I get sweaty, those look fun if you're not doing long stinky rides, kind of like the awesome Electra bikes which are huge, made for comfort but only 1 - 7 gears. I have 21 gears, I go up and down hills, and I'm fully stinkified when I get off my bike, in fact I feel like collapsing.
  • whiskey9890
    whiskey9890 Posts: 652 Member
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    i fell in love with my bike yesterday, i do every summer for a couple of weeks and then the motivation slips and its back to gathering cobwebs, which is why the bike i own is now 16 years old at least, just a basic 18speed thing like you get in supermarkets theses days, no suspension shimano index sysem gears (just to show its age), i'd love to get a new one but i can't justify the expense if the motivation slips.

    but last week the weather picked up and i started riding to the store and back at a nice gentle speed about 10 mins there and back, and it felt good, so yesterday i decided to just go out for a nice ride in the afternoon i had worked the route out to be 4.75 miles and i was expecting it to take about 40 minutes as i'm not a cyclist i'm not fit and i just wanted to enjoy it. by god it was great fun!!! it took me 27 minutes in the end so a lot faster than i expected, i was knackered red faced and sweaty but on top of the world!! i even peddled at over 16mph!!! ok so it wasn't for very long but i did it and it wasn't downhill, average speed was 11.6mph which for a begginer i don't think is too shabby.

    so this week i am going to attempt to commute to work a couple of times, its a 6 mile round trip downside is that the route there is up hill with a bit of a monster to climb, thankfully i work alonr so don't have to worry about being sweaty (no shower facilities) so will be a quick wash and a squirt of deoderant. wish me luck!
  • samcee
    samcee Posts: 307
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    wow janesmith1, you sound like a hardcore cyclist! :) My bike doesn't have that many gears and I usually cycle at a leisurely pace. Although I would consider serious cyclist clothes if I go cross country or do something a bit more strenuous.

    I have a question for cyclist! How do you lock your bikes?
    I've seen people take their front wheel off and lock it with their rear wheel. Is this the most practical way of making sure someone won't run off with your bike? I'll need a quick release cable for my bike if thats the case. I've also read that its better to carry two different types of locks. I'm not a big person so carrying one heavy lock is already a struggle for me! lol. How do you guys lock it? Any advice?
  • whiskey9890
    whiskey9890 Posts: 652 Member
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    samcee, i chain mine up depending on where i am chainingit too, i normally try and go through the front wheel and the frame if possible. i just have a cable lock but it came with a bracket to attach to the frame so the bike carries it not me, (also means i don't forget it)
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
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    What app do you guys use?
    I've been using mapmyride but going to try cyclewatch later because it has calories burned info that might be helpful.

    I use CycleMeter; brilliant app and it measures calories too!
  • samcee
    samcee Posts: 307
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    whiskey9890, thanks, I just get a bit nervous leaving my dear bike unattended! touch wood it won't go running off.
    What app do you guys use?
    I've been using mapmyride but going to try cyclewatch later because it has calories burned info that might be helpful.

    I use CycleMeter; brilliant app and it measures calories too!

    Do you need to attach anything to cyclemeter? I used cyclewatch and mapmyride yesterday but you need to buy an additional kit to monitor your heart rate and calories burned :/
  • yvonnej1
    yvonnej1 Posts: 904 Member
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    OK so I have to admit there are many days that I don't love riding my bike but I wouldn't be without it. I bought my Giant hybrid 18 months ago and it is my main form of transport, it has already paid for itself in saved bus fares. However the fact that I have to ride it Monday to Friday for my commute to work in all weathers (apart from a couple of days of very heavy snow this winter) is why sometimes I don't enjoy it, but get me on a good day with the wind behind me, sun shining and zooming down the hill from work and nothing beats it.
    My son is 6 and we cycle together to his school (just under 1.5 miles) before I head off to work and I collect him every day so we cycle home together, I'm starting him off young!
    I just wish the roads around here were quieter though, I'm lucky enough to have a cycle path along the main road most of the way to work but the noise of the traffic passing by is nasty, I've also had a few near misses on the road where I've been cycling straight on past a turning and the car coming from behind has tried to turn off, not seen me and nearly knocked me off.

    I guess I'd just like cycling better if there were no cars on the roads :happy: It will be easier as my son gets older though and is able to cycle further, we'll be able to get on our bikes at the weekends for leisure and there are some nice cycle paths around the area.
  • novatri
    novatri Posts: 262 Member
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    I have grown to use cycling as my main form of exercise. I prefer being outside, riding at the park. But if I can't the gym works too I guess. I'd love to get into touring someday. Long rides that focus on the experience and scenery, not the speed. Finding videos of people that ride around the world and meet so many new faces. Especially Daisuke Nakanishi, who saved up and quit his good paying job to follow his dream. So I'm riding around the world myself, mileage wise. Just crested 200 miles today. Hope to get my new saddle this coming week.
  • gtm124
    gtm124 Posts: 179
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    I ♥ this thread so much. Just wanted to quickly add something, in case there's some lurkers out there. If you can't afford one of the bikes from a real bike shop Walmart has bikes that are like $89 and $99 made in China I think. Heck my Marin bike was made in Taiwan....

    Here's the direct link
    http://www.walmart.com/browse/Bikes-Riding-Toys/Bikes/_/N-5l80?browsein=true&ic=48_0&path=0:4171&ref=+260784&refineresult=true&fromPageCatId=133073&catNavId=133073

    And now with petrol going up in the USA to $5+ it's a good time to start riding! :))

    Personally, I would disagree with the Wal Mart bike route. I would pay for a well used Bike Shop bike before I bought a bike from Wal Mart. If I couldn't afford that method I would save up until I could.
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
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    Do you need to attach anything to cyclemeter? I used cyclewatch and mapmyride yesterday but you need to buy an additional kit to monitor your heart rate and calories burned :/

    Nope; just register the app, enter your weight in the settings & away you go... You can configure it however you want it & it even e-mails the results to yourself and whoever else you nominate!

    It costs £2.99 in the UK and it's worth every penny!

    Have a look & read the reviews in the app store.

    I've also got a Dahon iPhone mount to sit the phone in as I cycle, so I can watch my stats...

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