Training for 50 mile bike ride

Thanks for your comments.

I'm more likely to fall off the fence into the CO2 camp than not. I've got 29x2.35" tires that pumping to pressure with a mini frame pump, except in "extremis" situations, makes me think twice. I'll continue to carry one though. I'm still in gear ramp-up mode from Christmas, and can't buy everything all at once. The bike, as a retirement gift from the family, was a financial indulgence in and of itself. And an act of faith - it wasn't clear at all if riding would be OK for me (I've posted some backstory on this in other MFP threads).

200lbs and a 36" waist are far-off fever dreams for me. I haven't seen those numbers since high school football 40+ yrs ago. Try aerotechdesigns.com for a decent selection of plus-sized gear at reasonable costs. I've gotten long and short-sleeved jerseys, shorts and long-legged tights that have been of good quality. That being said, riding, gym work and dietary management through MFP have helped me drop 18 lbs since New Years. I've lost 7-8 lbs twice in this period since we spent several weeks traveling in March and had some relapsed weight gain. I've got more to go to meet my goals for this year.

24x7 ride-id type medic alerts as you have are good things. I've got some chronic and problematic conditions that justify my carrying something, but I think that completely healthy riders would be prudent to, as well. I made my own after looking at commercial alternatives. I carry one card in my wallet, one on the paracord necklace for biking as described in the previous post, and another paracord necklace with the ID, gym member scan tag and locker key that I wear at the gym.

mjbnj0001 wrote: »

LOL. I just fell off the fence. CO2 will be added to my kit.

I was pumping up last evening to ride this morning using my trusty floor pump, and for some reason, the adapter head (I have presta) did not make the usual good seal, and I lost my pressure. So out came my mini pump. For my 29x2.35" tires, it took way over 400 pumps to get to a satisfactory pressure of 43psi (I usually ride with 45-50). I had figured it would be a lot of pumping, but I hadn't actually done it with these tires/this pump. Exhausting!

Now to shop around for a decent inflator.

@mjbnj0001

I went for a mini pump that you can also use as a CO2 inflator.
Perhaps the best of both worlds?
(I find it useful to be able to part inflate the new or repaired tube after a fixing a puncture while I get the tyre back on the rim and then fully inflate with the CO2.)

A few years ago I went from no exercise for the best part of a decade to doing a 90 mile ride in the space of 4/5 months. When I first got on the bike I struggled with a ride of around 3 miles, I started slowly by riding to work once a week which was about 3 miles and then increasing the number of days. I added a weekend ride which started around 10 to 15 miles increasing to my longest of around 45, I also added miles to my commute as I got stronger. I'm sure given your better starting point you will be fine just make sure you get used to being in the saddle for a long time.

The one tip I would add is get used to fueling your rides with energy drinks and gels and if you can find out the brand that will be used on the day all the better as not everyone reacts well to them.

Well done! I would give yourself time to get used to the shorts. If things don't get better in a few weeks to a month of regular riding I would think about trying out a new saddle. Also depending on where exactly is hurting think about chamois cream. The wobbly legs thing could be a result of riding farther than you have in the past. I know Sometimes my legs feel a bit awkward right after I get off of my bike after having ridden for an extended period of time, even if I've ridden that length on a regular basis. It goes away fairly quickly.

In terms of food it's fairly personal though you do want to eat things that are easy to digest. Historically I've gone for gels and chews but I suspect as I am able to get outside again later this spring I'm going to move towards rice cakes and possibly jelly beans (as a personal reward for getting up steep climbs). I also sometimes eat stroopwafels if I have them on hand.

Is it better to fuel on energy drinks rather than water

I suspect you know this, but just in case, you don't fuel on water. Water is for hydration. In terms of sports drinks, depending on the weather and how much you sweat you may or may not need one. For a 20 mile ride in not particularly warm weather I highly doubt you would need one. When I did 100k ride last summer (which was self supported), of the four bottles of water I drank only one of them had sports drink in it. Likely something from Scratch Labs. If you are going to go the electrolyte option it will be another, "one size fits all (are you seeing a theme here?). For instance, while I know plenty of people who like Nuun, it makes me nauseous. I also know people who drink far less water than I do - given how quickly I can find salt collecting on my brow (from sweating) I am ok with my drinking lots of water. Also while you can use sports drinks for fuel I personally don't (hence why I only drink one over the course of four plus hours).

Also there are a ton of Youtube videos about eating and drinking on the bike. GCN and Cycling Weekly are my favorite channels on that front. That isn't to say you shouldn't feel comfortable asking here of course!

newway2b wrote: »

I rode 20 miles this Saturday (yesterday) with my new padded shorts..

I am trying to add more ride time after work on way home.. although I had a lovely day yesterday... since starting this post you guys have helped me feel super empowered .. thank you

Congratulations on your milestone. First of more to come.

mjbnj0001 wrote: »

My prelim research has me looking more to the Lezyne Control Drive than some others.

I suspect that one is fine. I have the Portland Design Works Shiny Object CO2 Inflator which is essentially the same thing but a different brand. I like it because of the control you have over how much CO2 goes into the tire and how quickly it does so.

aokoye wrote: »

mjbnj0001 wrote: »

My prelim research has me looking more to the Lezyne Control Drive than some others.

I suspect that one is fine. I have the Portland Design Works Shiny Object CO2 Inflator which is essentially the same thing but a different brand. I like it because of the control you have over how much CO2 goes into the tire and how quickly it does so.

Funny you should mention PDW. I was ready to get the Lezyne, but think I need a 38g for 29x2.35 tires (some online refs say this, others say 25g is fine [but lower pressure]; target pressure would be 40-50psi). REI says they haven't evaluated Lezyne for 38g. Awaiting info from Lezyne customer service. In the meantime, PDW website on the "Fatty Object" says it's perfect for 38g cartridges.

Question to any/all: the cartridges are all the same pressure and thread configurations, yes? So is it possible to combine a 25g and 16g to get effectively approx. 40g range? Or 2 16g for 32g equivalence?

I may be beating a dead horse on this topic, but I've been burned over the years on cartridge compatibility/capacity/availability with both scuba gear and inflatable life jackets (two different thread joint sizes are used).

Thanks in advance.

Thanks for your response. No worries about being "so-so" or anything, I'm appreciate of any/all well-considered advice.

1. Both of those linked posts were good. I had seen the mtbr page which is why I'm in the quandary about 25g vs 38g. I haven't seen any corroboration of that chart yet (until just the other day, I hadn't focused CO2 at all, as I'm ramping up on everything since Christmas; part of my brain is still in the decades-old approaches from my previous biking). This is all new research for me, and I'm looking to choose a solution prior to a trip I'm taking this weekend to do some trail touring in Maryland (if I fail in my purchasing quest, I can always fall back on the minipump as contingency for this week).
2. We have six inflatable life jackets for use on our sailboat (in addition to some non-inflatables). Two different manufacturers, same grams of CO2, but entirely different cartridge specs (incompatible of course!). Means I have to carry separate stocks. If the bike inflator manufacturers have standardized on the same threading/etc. for cartridges, I regard that as a good thing (disregarding for the moment there are threaded and non-threaded styles).
3. Back in the day, 25+ yrs ago, I rode a road touring bike, and while using a Zefal frame pump when changing tires on a ride was a chore, it wasn't the 400+ strokes it took the other day to get my Schwalbe Big Apple 29x2.35" tires up to pressure range. This new bike is a bit of a learning curve for me, after decades away from cycling, as the tech and design (mtn/trail vs. road/touring) is significantly different. Too bad we concluded the old bike wasn't age-appropriate any longer, as it's in great shape. I run the Schwalbe tires at 45-50 psi and am having great experience with them so far.
4. The PDW Shiny Object has the nice leather sleeve for the cartridge; the Fatty Obect has neoprene, LOL. With that, the Fatty lists for almost 2x the cost on the PDW website. I would hope that for those $$, there'd be some engineering differences. Like you, I don't offhand know what. More gas would mean more cold, for one thing, so maybe the o-ring seals are different, or something. The other thing is that road tires have higher final pressure than plus tires, so there may be differences in inflator design regarding that.
5. I have yet to pull out a calculator to do the physics, but it seems sensible that if 38g is a true recommendation for my tires, I might be able to use two cylinders (16+25g or 2x16g) to get close to the volume needed. If that's so, then there's a wider range of inflator choices. I happen to be planning a set of errands Wednesday that will bring me very close to my local REI (local as in 50 miles from home), and they stock the Lezyne and Fatty Object. My bike shop carries GI, MSW, Bontrager, Lezyne and Planet Bike; they're 20 miles in the other direction and I won't be able to get there before I leave for Maryland.

Sorry for going on and on. I hope people find some of this discussion useful. Thanks again for your reply.

mjbnj0001 wrote: »

... 5. I have yet to pull out a calculator to do the physics, but it seems sensible that if 38g is a true recommendation for my tires, I might be able to use two cylinders (16+25g or 2x16g) to get close to the volume needed. If that's so, then there's a wider range of inflator choices. ...

I found some math and physics to wrap my mind around. Digging through it. And, some confirmation that multiple cartridges would work. So, I'm thinking, solution in sight.