1 week later and WOW!

[Felix79]

Again managed to get out on my bike today. Leg's are not suffering so much, but my cardio is still utter fiddle Not too long to wait until my nerves get burned down later this month, so I am hoping I will be able to work harder on the cardio aspect while the weather is warm/mild. I do need to get the bike down to my LBS and get my Tiagra shifters installed on the bike. I will also need a few little jobs doing while it's there as I am too lazy to fiddle about with stuff I am not experienced with.

I do plan to start hunting down Shimano 105 (or better) parts to put onto my bike, as I really enjoy upgrading my car and bikes. I think putting a new chain on the bike is another item I want to do, as it seems like the one on it has seen better days and no matter how much effort I use to get it all properly cleaned up, it still seems to be really nasty.

 

[Felix79]

I realised that I've not uploaded a photo of my bike yet.

This is how it looks for now.

 

[JimmyC]

Nice bike. I have a Cannondale Synapse, and a Cannondale CX3 for some mild off-road/gravel/trail riding. Luckily, I'm happy with the synapse, but like you, the seat had to go. It was crushing the (not sure what it's really called) the canal between my anus and wedding tackle. I couldn't ride around the block without a crushing pain, and I spent hours fiddling with that thing, got mad, jumped into the car, went to the LBS and bought a Selle Extra with the cut out for that sensitive area. Put it on, made 1/4 " adjustment and got it right on 2nd try. Comfortable as heck now. My story is a bit like yours. Recovering from cracked vertebrae and rupture discs in my neck, and put on quite a bit of weight from a couple of years of sitting on my ass. My doctor, just by chance, is a serious cyclist, and got me back on bikes as a means of therapy. Good luck to you. Hope the surgery will help you get off all the dope, you'll love life a little more when you do.

 

[Felix79]

@JimmyC , thank you for your message!

I'm still not 100% comfortable on the saddle, but I think it's much more to do with getting a proper bike fit done once I can actually cycle for at least 30mins. The saddle that came on my CAAD8 was the type with a groove down the middle which I think is where your junk should sink to, or something? I found it insanely uncomfortable even when I was wearing my bibshorts.

All of my back problems are in my lumber area ( L5 downwards ) which has caused nothing but chaos in my life for the last 9 years. I had started to do a lot of walking back in March/April and after I was able to get my stamina up so I was able to be walking for about 30-40mins with no big trouble. I decided that I really had to do cardio based exercise and I've been really angry at just how weak my body has become.

The roads around my housing area are so bad that I'm not getting the greatest rides, which I think is why I still find my Fizik saddle a tad difficult to get perched on correctly. If I am able to get out on my bike again today, I am going to go to a different area near my house where there is really high quality tarmac, so I can see how the bike feels when it's not going over those bloody stone chippings that Oxford City / Oxford County Council use to bodge a road up. (Seriously Oxford has the worse roads I have ever come across)

 

[Felix79]

Went out this morning and I've managed to double the distance I rode. I'm really starting to go through the gears more on the bike (because my street/house faces next to a stream I have to go up a slope either side, so it really helps me work harder). Little by little it's getting a bit better.

 

[JimmyC]

Great. If you still can't adjust to the saddle, give the Selle Extra a look. It's outer profile is almost absolutely identical, geometrically, but it's a bit thicker and a little heavier than the seat that came with my Cannondale. Instead of just an indention in the "channel" area, it has a complete cut out, and the front of the seat dips down sharply. Obviously, everyone on this forum is built a little different, so I suppose my "endorsement" of it is subjective, but I'm going to buy another for my CX3, which is relatively more comfortable, just for the hell of it.

 

[Felix79]

Once I got onto some better quality roads I actually forgot about the saddle and was just getting into the riding. The one thing I have been conscious about was making sure I am sitting on the saddle properly. I had also forgotten to put on my gloves and found I didn't get any cramping in my hands while I was out doing my ride, I guess only time will tell on that one.

Not sure if I will go out on the bike again today, or if I will wait until tomorrow when I will be on my stronger meds. I usually like to take things easy on Mondays for a few reason relating to my back. My back actually has not given me any trouble at all when I'm on the bike or even off it since I got the bike about a month ago now. I need to give the bike a good clean as it was pretty damp out when I rode the bike and I want to try out the new muckoff products I picked up.

 

[JimmyC]

Once I got onto some better quality roads I actually forgot about the saddle and was just getting into the riding. The one thing I have been conscious about was making sure I am sitting on the saddle properly. I had also forgotten to put on my gloves and found I didn't get any cramping in my hands while I was out doing my ride, I guess only time will tell on that one.

Not sure if I will go out on the bike again today, or if I will wait until tomorrow when I will be on my stronger meds. I usually like to take things easy on Mondays for a few reason relating to my back. My back actually has not given me any trouble at all when I'm on the bike or even off it since I got the bike about a month ago now. I need to give the bike a good clean as it was pretty damp out when I rode the bike and I want to try out the new muckoff products I picked up.

My hands cramp too, if I'm off of the bike for a few days. Not really bad, but being 58 years old might have a bit to do with that. Good luck to you.

 

[Felix79]

My hands cramp too, if I'm off of the bike for a few days. Not really bad, but being 58 years old might have a bit to do with that. Good luck to you.

I'm only 36, but my physical fitness is extremely poor due to my spinal/back problems making me pretty much bed ridden for the last 9 years. My ultimate goal is to get back to my correct weight for my height (I'm about 6.4) and in as good fitness as I can be before I hit 40. I know once you get past 40 it gets more and more difficult to regain any lost fitness/health for men so I want to give myself the best chance at being able to enjoy life again.

 

[Felix79]

Just been out on my bike again and I really over pushed myself. I had to stop as I was coming back home and sit on a wall, trying not to throw up. I was really stupid pushing as hard as I did, when I am feeling really rotten from the side effects of my really strong Oxycodone painkillers. I was having a lot of trouble setting off after a junction as I kept catching the back of my bib shorts on the tip of my saddle and to make matters worse, I was having a really hard time clipping my right cleat in.

It was my first time being on a busy road with traffic and I could have had an accident due to my coordination being heavily compromised from the medications side effects. I'm going to stay on the quiet roads that go through and around my little housing area until I am able to ride my bike properly.

Really angry at how weak I still am and even more angry that I took such a stupid risk with my life on my bike today.

 

[JimmyC]

Just been out on my bike again and I really over pushed myself. I had to stop as I was coming back home and sit on a wall, trying not to throw up. I was really stupid pushing as hard as I did, when I am feeling really rotten from the side effects of my really strong Oxycodone painkillers. I was having a lot of trouble setting off after a junction as I kept catching the back of my bib shorts on the tip of my saddle and to make matters worse, I was having a really hard time clipping my right cleat in.

It was my first time being on a busy road with traffic and I could have had an accident due to my coordination being heavily compromised from the medications side effects. I'm going to stay on the quiet roads that go through and around my little housing area until I am able to ride my bike properly.

Really angry at how weak I still am and even more angry that I took such a stupid risk with my life on my bike today.

Speaking from a very similar experience, as hard as it may be, try to be patient. I know that a life on the couch sucks, and to add fuel to the fire, just add strong opioids. The doctors had to wean me off of mine as my therapy was coming to an end. Take a look at one of the Selle seats, just for the hell of it. The front looks like a downward pointing beak, and helps get you back up on the saddle again. So whether you actually purchase a new seat or not, it looks like it could solve a lot of problems, you've been having. Just stick in there, and be very careful with the pain killers. I know that they're a necessary evil, but like you said, sitting and trying not to throw up, is not fun at all. Riding a two wheel bike, whether pedal power, or a Harley Davidson is much more difficult, under the influence than even driving a car. Hope your surgery can get you up and running like normal, soon.

 

[Felix79]

I start my opiate withdrawal programme in October if things work out well later this month. The big problem I have is I can't sit in a chair for any real length of time before I am in excruciating amounts of pain. It's all to do with the compression of the various damaged nerves in my lubar to the base of my spine. So I spend most of my time laying on my side on my bed, which has made my core very weak. I have spent a few years doing hardcore physio to get me to weight bear evenly, as I use to lean heavily to my right as this kept the compression off the damaged nerves on the left side of my spine.

Oddly enough, I don't have any discomfort in my lower back when I'm on the bike. It really stretches and opens up my spine, which takes so much pressure off the nerves, which lets me do the exercise without making the lower back pain any worse.

I need to get it in my head that if I am not willing to drive my car (which is a massively modded Impreza P1) when under the effects of my medication, then I should not be going out on busy roads on my bike. Riding around my housing area within the access roads with either of my folks is "ok" as I've got an extra pair of eyes to warn me of any dangers.

One thing I am finding tricky is cycling with my glasses on. With the way you look up while riding on the hoods, it seems I am looking over the top edge of my glasses. I am planning on getting a pair of proper cycling sunglasses/riding glasses made up with my eye prescription, but it's a really big investment for me, as they will cost me a few hundred quid. My eyesight is too poor to ride safely without them (too many years of being single has ruined my eyesight ) . I am going to start wearing my crash helmet as the straps will at least help keep my glasses from slipping when I'm riding at least.

 

[JimmyC]

If bicycling stretches your spine and gives you relief, have you thought of the possibility of consulting with your doctor(s) about the possibility of an indoor bicycle at least until it's safe for you to ride again? Crashing and traffic would be eliminated. No special glasses needed. 365 days a year good weather.
Personally, my condominium complex has an exercise room with all sorts of exercise equipment, and I thought I'd use the bikes on cold/rainy days, and to tell the truth they bore me so badly that I can't stand them, but many people love them as their sole bike, or as an "alternative" to their regular bikes. Just a thought.
J.

 

[Felix79]

I will be getting an smart trainer by the end of the "summer" and hook it upto Zwift. I like the idea of being able to just hook my bike up to the trainer and build up the saddle time even more.

 

[Felix79]

As people who have been following this thread of mine know, I badly over pushed myself two days ago and I stayed off the bike yesterday and today, so not to overstress my weak muscles and to just let them repair from being pushed as stupidly as I did. I'm on light meds from tomorrow, so I know my head should feel clear enough to ride on the roads.

My concern is that I don't want to repeat the mistakes I did the other day and get too disheartened and lose momentum in improving my fitness and general health. I don't really know how much I should and should not do over a full 7 days and what I should do if I have pushed myself really hard, how long I should just let my body rest and stay off the bike for?

The biggest lesson I have learnt is never to go out on my bike without my phone, which means wearing one of my cycling tops so I have pockets!