Advice for Beginner (after 30 years!)

[KingNothing]

Hello all. Just joined and look forward to learning and getting advice. Little bit about where I'm starting.
Due to age and 2 young children, I've decided to better my self and body. I started about a week ago dropping soda from my diet. It was very bad, at about 5 to 6 cans a day. That has gone very well switching to water and past any addiction humps'.
I hate walking and find it boring so I decided to bike again. Reason is I know I will enjoy it as I can explore and go farther then simple walking. Another big reason is I can bike with my children, which I am very excited for.
After some long research I found the Trek FX 1 Hybrid bicycle. It fit my budget and reviews were fantastic for a beginner. I love it so far and feel I chose very well for my first bike in almost 30 years.
Question and advice time. Being that I haven't rode in almost 30 years and almost 200lbs of laziness, I would like to know what is best on how to ride. When, how long, and what to watch for with my body. After 2 days I can't ride more than 10/15 mins depending on if I ride small hills or flat rode. I chalk this up to just starting. But would like to know what would be best for training my body.
Also I have experience sit bone pain quickly. Most research are adverts for this seat or those shorts. While I am looking for shorts, I'm wondering if this is just using parts of my body I haven't used and need to wear in. Like blistering your fingers for guitar playing. I fully expected this in my legs but the sit bone was not.
I would also like to welcome any other information or advice from your experiencing that may help.
Thank you in advanced and appreciate everything.

 

[boydj]

Well done on starting to cycle again.

It will take a few weeks for your body to toughen up to cycling. It's important that you have the saddle at the correct height - which might seem high at first - and there are lots of articles available on how to do this. Heel on pedal with the leg not quite straight is a good starting point.

Keep the rides short for a couple of weeks and then gradually start to build up on longer run each week. Don't push yourself too hard for now, or you could put yourself off. Keep the gearing relatively easy, rather than try to push hard gears. It's better to spin the legs relatively quickly than push a big gear to achieve the same speed.

Try to use the bike in practical ways for short journeys. If you can build cycling into your lifestyle it's easier to keep it up.

 

[Sharky]

Great Post. Just ride a little and often, but two or three times a week is more than ample. Recovery between rides just as important as the rides themselves.

I rarely ride for more than 90mins and that keeps me reasonably fit. The bulk of my rides this year have been just 50mins, but I do ride them hard.

Good luck and keep it going thru the winter.

 

[Alex321]

I was in a fairly similar position to you at the start of the pandemic. I had a 4 year old hybrid bike, but had hardly ridden at all for about 20 years. And I weighed 16st 1lb (225 lbs).

But then with us being allowed out for exercise once a day, I started riding again. The first few rides, I was only managing about 5-6 miles, and taking 20 minutes or more to do that. But I gradually picked it up from riding every other day to riding most days, and extended the distance until I was doing 10-12 mile rides regularly, in about 45 minutes or so. I was quite pleased when I managed my first 15 mile ride, in just about exactly an hour.

The we moved house, to a hillier area, which was quite a shock to my system at first, but I soon got used to that, and kept extending my distance a bit. I now ride after work most evenings, when working from home, anything from 12-20 miles depending on how much time I have available, plus I commute (15.3 miles each way) by bike the 2 days a week I'm in the office, and I usually manage a longer ride at the weekend - I did my first 50 mile ride 10 days ago.

It just takes time and persistence to get past that initial hump and be able to ride decent distances and times. I've also lost 2.5st (35 lbs) and now weigh 13st 7lbs (189lbs), and feel much better for it, both physically and mentally.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Hello all. Just joined and look forward to learning and getting advice. Little bit about where I'm starting.
Due to age and 2 young children, I've decided to better my self and body. I started about a week ago dropping soda from my diet. It was very bad, at about 5 to 6 cans a day. That has gone very well switching to water and past any addiction humps'.
I hate walking and find it boring so I decided to bike again. Reason is I know I will enjoy it as I can explore and go farther then simple walking. Another big reason is I can bike with my children, which I am very excited for.
After some long research I found the Trek FX 1 Hybrid bicycle. It fit my budget and reviews were fantastic for a beginner. I love it so far and feel I chose very well for my first bike in almost 30 years.
Question and advice time. Being that I haven't rode in almost 30 years and almost 200lbs of laziness, I would like to know what is best on how to ride. When, how long, and what to watch for with my body. After 2 days I can't ride more than 10/15 mins depending on if I ride small hills or flat rode. I chalk this up to just starting. But would like to know what would be best for training my body.
Also I have experience sit bone pain quickly. Most research are adverts for this seat or those shorts. While I am looking for shorts, I'm wondering if this is just using parts of my body I haven't used and need to wear in. Like blistering your fingers for guitar playing. I fully expected this in my legs but the sit bone was not.
I would also like to welcome any other information or advice from your experiencing that may help.
Thank you in advanced and appreciate everything.

My advice is to try to keep it fun and interesting, especially if you're cycling with the kids

Find nice routes, take photos, maybe look for a theme like churches or bridges or whatever you're into and document them from the bike over time.
Short and often is better, I believe, than long and rare. Think in terms of time, not distance, at least at the start.

Learn the basics of the mechanics like fixing punctures.

Figure out what you need to bring in terms of tools, food, water.

Many of us cycle happily without shorts.

Try to use the bike in practical ways for short journeys.

This is probably the most important long term advice. Integrate the bike into "normal" life and the opportunities are endless.

A word on measurement;
I was cycling a good while when I finally got a gpx* and started with Strava. It was cool! There were segments and I could try to beat other people on my commute!
Then, after a few weeks I realised I wasn't enjoying my commute. At all. I forgot about measurement and enjoyed the ride.
Some people get a real kick out of it. It's your call.
However, it does allow me to record my rides and add photos giving me a permanent record of each ride. Fabulous!
Also, it's a cumulative record of distance that can be useful for figuring out maintenance. (Ride With GPS is the same).
* You don't need a dedicated GPS - most smartphones will work.

There's oodles of info on here if you use the search function.
I see you're in the States so some things may be different.

Have fun!

 

[Cerdic]

Hi! Good choice of bike!

I restarted cycling when I was 50 and hadn’t been on a bike in over 30 years. I began by doing a couple of rides a week of just two or three miles. I soon built up to five or six miles. The body complained a bit at first but it got conditioned after a bit!

I’m still slow, but not as slow as I was, and usually ride about twenty miles when I go out but have done forty milers.

As for your pain in the bum…partly that is part of the body conditioning process. A different saddle can help, but it’s hard to tell until you actually use it. Buying loads of saddles until you find one that is ’just right’ can get expensive! Padded shorts are very good for longer rides. I’m OK without up to about ten miles but use them for anything longer.

 

[KnittyNorah]

It is perfectly normal to only be able to ride for 10 -15 minutes - and a good idea to keep it at that level at first. When I restarted, at over 70 and after a 10+ year gap, I had to take the new bike to a gentle downhill residential road, put the seat down, fold the pedals in and use it like a balance bike the first couple of times! I often ride 12 - 15 miles or more (on the flat!) now, for pure pleasure, nothing else, and do almost all my grocery shopping on it when fitted with baskets and racks front and rear. 6 mile round trip essentially free of charge.
Keep doing short rides for a couple of weeks and don't push yourself too much. Little and often (but not often enough to make yourself hurt even more) should be your aim. Sit bone pain is normal when starting back; there are no magic shorts or seats, just sensible things like ensuring you're not being chafed by seams in the wrong place or saddles impinging on tender spots. If the bike fits you, and the saddle seems OK, slight - very slight - changes in its position can shift pain and pressure points and hence ease things while you are still doing short rides and accustoming your body to cycling again. Some people swear by padded shorts or padded underwear, it makes very little difference for me but I've got plenty of my own built-in padding. Certainly worth trying, though, once you're going out for more than half and hour or so; they might help hugely but don't be disappointed if they don't. You might need a different style or not need them at all.
The other day I was coming back from the supermarket - fully loaded - on the Guild Wheel (cycle path around my city) and came across a family who had stopped by one of the children's play areas for a picnic. Dad on a bike with a tag-along for the younger child and fully-loaded panniers for a large picnic, older child on his own bike and mum on her bike with a child trailer containing two small, very contented Jack Russel terriers and their food/water supplies. A real honest-to-goodness family activity!

 

[Gunk]

My advice would be not to ask for advice on an Internet forum

 

[biggs682]

Surely the only advice is to enjoy it @KingNothing

 

[Peter Salt]

Hello all. Just joined and look forward to learning and getting advice. Little bit about where I'm starting.
Due to age and 2 young children, I've decided to better my self and body. I started about a week ago dropping soda from my diet. It was very bad, at about 5 to 6 cans a day. That has gone very well switching to water and past any addiction humps'.
I hate walking and find it boring so I decided to bike again. Reason is I know I will enjoy it as I can explore and go farther then simple walking. Another big reason is I can bike with my children, which I am very excited for.
After some long research I found the Trek FX 1 Hybrid bicycle. It fit my budget and reviews were fantastic for a beginner. I love it so far and feel I chose very well for my first bike in almost 30 years.
Question and advice time. Being that I haven't rode in almost 30 years and almost 200lbs of laziness, I would like to know what is best on how to ride. When, how long, and what to watch for with my body. After 2 days I can't ride more than 10/15 mins depending on if I ride small hills or flat rode. I chalk this up to just starting. But would like to know what would be best for training my body.
Also I have experience sit bone pain quickly. Most research are adverts for this seat or those shorts. While I am looking for shorts, I'm wondering if this is just using parts of my body I haven't used and need to wear in. Like blistering your fingers for guitar playing. I fully expected this in my legs but the sit bone was not.
I would also like to welcome any other information or advice from your experiencing that may help.
Thank you in advanced and appreciate everything.

Just ride at a pace where you can appreciate the views and hear the birds singing - as often as you can and as long as you can. No need to think about structured training this early in your journey.

As for lifestyle - don't try to do everything at once. It takes a long time to become unfit and it takes a long time to reverse that. Putting away sugary drinks is a great step and will have a positive effect. Think about what the next small step could be - maybe try eating healthy breakfasts, then a healthy breakfast and lunch, then breakfast, lunch, and dinner. - You get the picture, take it step by step - this will minimise probability of failure. Oh, and one more thing - enjoy your cheat meals/days - don't try to be perfect.

As for soreness in different places - some of it will undoubtedly go away/change as you loose weight and your center of gravity moves. And yes, even if everything is set up correctly - it will take a while for your body to get used to pressure in certain areas.

 

[KingNothing]

Thank you everyone! I'll be looking forward to my rear getting used to what I'm putting it though.
I did do a 2 mile ride last night. Was very proud to accomplish that. Thought I could do more but thought better and didn't push it. Glad I did stop as walking back into my house was not the easiest.
I'm going to do as suggested here and not ride today and see if I can keep that pace tomorrow.

 

[ExBrit]

If you restart cycling is that recycling? Anyhow well done - you won't regret it. Think about your saddle, bike fit etc, get some bike shorts and liners. If you don't feel up to lycra get some loose fit mountain bike shorts. Pay attention to bike maintenance. Learn how to fix a flat (and practice in your garage). As you ride further think about hydration and nutrition. Join a club.

There's some excellent riding in PA. I'm dead jealous

 

[rhb123]

Just brought a bike after 45 years, now 70 and very unfit. But I'm going to take the advice on here, start slow and build up.

 

[ExBrit]

Just brought a bike after 45 years, now 70 and very unfit. But I'm going to take the advice on here, start slow and build up.

Tell us all about it. What did you get?????? We're excited for you. Photo's are always appreciated.

 

[Jameshow]

Also if you have a bad ride don't give up! We all have bad days even when we have been riding for decades! A bad ride in winter is down payment for glorious rides in the summer!

Little and often is best.

A pair if cycling short or under wear are preferable as are cycling mitts.